2015-2016 Baylor College of Medicine Application Thread

[Ismet]

Space reserved for prompt.

Please PM the essays or lack thereof to me when the secondary is available and I will update this.

Good luck to everyone applying!

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[hellanutella]

Stats (as per FAQ page)
~7,000 applied
~800 interviewed
185 matriculated

Each incoming class is composed of anywhere between 75-80% Texas residents and 25-20% out-of-state residents. Out-of-state residents may obtain Texas residency MS2 onward by fulfilling certain requirements.

2014-15 Secondary Application (there is no screen)
Secondary Application and Status Page
Indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating you, including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, prevailing over adversity. You may expand upon but not repeat AMCAS application information.

2000 character limit.

Important Dates (2014-2015)
Note: Baylor has an odd series of status updates, which usually indicate whether or not someone should expect an upcoming interview invitation.

First secondary: July 1st, 2014
First “has been reviewed status”: July 7th, 2014 (secondary submitted July 1st)
First switch of “has been” to “is being reviewed”: July 25th, 2014
First interview invite: July 28th, 2014
*after invite status may change from “has been reviewed” to “is being reviewed,” but some applicants report being accepted even without a status change*
First acceptance: November 13th, 2014 via phone call

Curriculum
1.5 year preclinical, pass/fail.

Of Note

• Baylor’s application FAQ page
• As per US News, the average debt of 2013 graduates was $107,650

 

[anhtimmy]

Baylor is the best! Good luck to all applying.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Can a Michigander survive in Texas? Let's see if I get a chance. Adding to my long list of schools.

 

[justadream]

Stats (as per FAQ page)
~7,000 applied
~800 interviewed
185 matriculated

Each incoming class is composed of anywhere between 75-80% Texas residents and 25-20% out-of-state residents. Out-of-state residents may obtain Texas residency MS2 onward by fulfilling certain requirements.

2014-15 Secondary Application (there is no screen)
Secondary Application and Status Page
Indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating you, including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, prevailing over adversity. You may expand upon but not repeat AMCAS application information.

2000 character limit.

Important Dates (2014-2015)
Note: Baylor has an odd series of status updates, which usually indicate whether or not someone should expect an upcoming interview invitation.

First secondary: July 1st, 2014
First “has been reviewed status”: July 7th, 2014 (secondary submitted July 1st)
First switch of “has been” to “is being reviewed”: July 25th, 2014
First interview invite: July 28th, 2014
*after invite status may change from “has been reviewed” to “is being reviewed,” but some applicants report being accepted even without a status change*
First acceptance: November 13th, 2014 via phone call

Curriculum
1.5 year preclinical, pass/fail.

Of Note

• Baylor’s application FAQ page
• As per US News, the average debt of 2013 graduates was $107,650

What's the benefit for obtaining Texas residency?

 

[Earl Simmons]

What's the benefit for obtaining Texas residency?

The cheapest tuition for a private school in the nation

 

[RK.md]

Good luck to everyone applying this cycle! Baylor Med has a TOP NOTCH curriculum situated in the world's largest medical center! A vibrant city coupled with low cost of living and the cheapest tuition for a private med school make it an easy choice to rank highly.

 

[ChillDawg]

Do they not like community college prereqs? Even at a Cali cc?

 

[SwimFly12]

On my list! Best of luck to everyone!

 

[PakiMDDreamer]

how hardcore are they about Genetics/Molecular Bio requirements? And expository writing wut

 

[justadream]

Do they not like community college prereqs? Even at a Cali cc?

Why would a Cali CC be different from a CC from any other state?

Are you implying Cali CC's are more "prestigious"?

 

[ChillDawg]

Why would a Cali CC be different from a CC from any other state?

Are you implying Cali CC's are more "prestigious"?

Something like that, yeah
I think it was LizzyM who mentioned that cali cc are looked at differently

 

[justadream]

Something like that, yeah
I think it was LizzyM who mentioned that cali cc are looked at differently

That would be such a huge generalization though.

They are probably several hundred CCs. I'm willing to bet that the best non-Cali CC >>>> worst Cali CC.

 

[ejay19955]

how hardcore are they about Genetics/Molecular Bio requirements? And expository writing wut

I happened to call their admissions office today to ask about this! So they require 3-4 semester hours of advanced bio, and genetics and cell/molecular bio listed on the website are just the examples of the advanced bio classes. I will have cell bio which means I won't have to take genetics.

Not sure about expository writing. I didn't ask because I already have 8 hours of English and a publication which they say on the website can replace the expository writing requirement (Source:https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/medical-school/admissions/requirements).

 

[musicalscientists]

Applying!!! OOS!

Would love to interview here to learn more about this school!

 

[Kfranko889]

Thinking about applying OOS; might have too many "reach" schools on my list, but keeping Baylor on the radar.

 

[BelleO]

Applying here!! Good luck to everyone!

 

[panda16]

This school is definitely at the top of my list, I would love to live and learn in Houston. OOS, though, so it will be a challenge.

 

[lodestar]

What's the benefit for obtaining Texas residency?

~~~~~~~~~

We bought a condo prior to MS1 and then saved $13k/year for years 2-4 @ BCM by having established residency. It proved to be $70k less than our lone IS PUBLIC medical school in tuition alone...and Houston DOES have a low COL. It is humid to be sure, but that's what A/C is for.

Then when you consider that BCM typically leads all 140+ medical schools in step 1 average, recently 244, BCM is ineluctably an EXCEPTIONAL value. That high Step 1 average in turn leads to impressive residency match lists every year. The faculty are engaged and supportive. What's not to like?! BCM is the bomb!

 

[lodestar]

for those interested in BCM--

Our daughter was OOS...she is now finishing her MS3 year @ BCM. It is a GREAT deal all around (value and quality of program).

I will transfer my long prior post here for your ready reference-- some of it might help. The links are now a bit dated, but you can update them as you wish. Good luck!

~~~~~~

First, know that BCM in Houston has nothing to do with Baylor University (BU) in Waco; they separated 50 years ago.

A huge plus is that the renowned Texas Medical Center (TMC) surrounds BCM-- the largest medical complex in the world. You will train at a number of those hospitals.

http://texasmedicalcenter.org/about-tmc/

BCM likes to note how many different undergrad majors they have in a class, so a distinctive major might be a plus ---> "In fact, our Admissions Committee actively seeks individuals with different educational backgrounds, as evidenced by the 32 different majors in this year's entering class."

About 25%, or about 45, of each class will be accepted from OOS, and there is a drop dead date in May for in-state acceptances (due to an agreement among the Texas medical schools), so OOS acceptances perhaps then (around early May) become more likely.

If you get to interview, you have about a 40% chance overall of actually matriculating. That said, only about 1% of those who apply OOS (45 out of > 4,000) actually matriculate...but it is really worth it if you make it!

http://www.bcm.edu/medschool/snapshot.html
http://www.bcm.edu/admissions/
http://www.bcm.edu/medschool/successindicators.html

You will likely interview with 1 student and 1 faculty member in a day-long, low-stress visit. (a lot of walking)

As competitive entry goes ("Lizzy M" score-- average GPA and average MCAT of those accepted by each school), BCM has been ranked as highly as # 4 among all American "allopathic" medical sch0ols.

Oh, a side note...you can perhaps get overly intimidated by medical schools' reported Lizzy M scores for their ACCEPTED applicants...if you drill down on the same scores for matriculants, they will be a bit lower. The schools accept many of the same top applicants, but each superstar applicant can attend only one school, so averages of accepted students are higher than those for matriculants.

http://www.studentdoc.com/top-10-medical-schools.html

Our daughter LOVES it @ BCM. It IS challenging to be sure, but there is good esprit de corps/team spirit. The professors are engaged and they care. It is P/F during the preclinical first 18 months. The "learning block" sessions are around 7 weeks long, followed by rejuvenating long weekend breaks. Getting on into clinicals after Christmas in year 2 (versus 2 full years of preclinical classes at traditional medical schools) is surely a plus and is now being copied elsewhere. By the time you take the Step 1 a year later, you have been seeing patients for a year.

BCM has proved to be a SUPERIOR net value (least expensive private medical school in America), WAY LESS expensive even than our lone in-state public school, especially after buying a condo to establish Tx. residency so that she has paid Texas resident tuition for years 2-4. (Odd perhaps that Texas residency should matter, since BCM is a private school). Taking the public bus can make sense (just $1.20/day round trip for students); parking expense is undoable. Her condo is 14 minutes away by bus.

BCM has perhaps the highest average Step 1 scores (recent class average 244) among all schools, affirming BCM's all-in value. (FWIW, our daughter ended up 93rd percentile on the Step 1.) BCM's Match Lists also impress-- as many as 25% of each class will stay on at BCM for their highly-regarded residency programs.

Here is a good PDF overview:

http://www.bcm.edu/admissions/applic...FA_2012Web.pdf

Houston is very livable if you can accept the humid heat. Hey, that's what A/C is for!
There is diverse, quality dining...and N'awlins (with America's finest dining) is just a 5-hour drive away for a fun weekend!

For a big city, it is FAR SAFER than the gun control cities (Baltimore, Chicago, L.A., Washington, etc.) where only the bad guys/low life's have guns! In Houston, honest people also pack.

We (as a family) could not be more pleased all things considered. Keep the faith for BCM-- and good luck!

 

[Peachy in GA]

@lodestar Thank you for sharing this wealth of info. Extremely helpful

 

[Peachy in GA]

I happened to call their admissions office today to ask about this! So they require 3-4 semester hours of advanced bio, and genetics and cell/molecular bio listed on the website are just the examples of the advanced bio classes. I will have cell bio which means I won't have to take genetics.

Not sure about expository writing. I didn't ask because I already have 8 hours of English and a publication which they say on the website can replace the expository writing requirement (Source:https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/medical-school/admissions/requirements).

@ejay19955 Kind of you to make the call and post info. Very helpful.

 

[panda16]

@lodestar Thanks so much for that post!!!

Does anyone here know if they look at filling the TX percentage of applicants first and then go to OOS? I read somewhere that they do that at the TX state schools (wasn't sure if it was true) and so I was curious if Baylor also fell into this category.

Also, even though this may have already been discussed...does Baylor have an "in state" bias? I know that the majority of the students are in state, but that's the same in CA state schools and they are technically not biased toward in state.

 

[panda16]

regarding your first question - I don't know about Baylor but the consensus from my reading on SDN is that texas state schools tend to give OOS applicants earlier consideration because they can be notified sooner.

regarding your second question, it is so easily searched that i'll let you figure it out

First q: yeah and there's not any specific directions or details given by the schools unfortunately.

Second q: found it, you were right!

 

[RK.md]

@lodestar Also, even though this may have already been discussed...does Baylor have an "in state" bias? I know that the majority of the students are in state, but that's the same in CA state schools and they are technically not biased toward in state.

Since BCM is a private med school, it doesn't get as much funding from the state as the other Texas schools. As a result, it doesn't have to take as large of a percentage of in-state residents. When I was a student, roughly 70% had to be in-state based on state funding.

 

[panda16]

Since BCM is a private med school, it doesn't get as much funding from the state as the other Texas schools. As a result, it doesn't have to take as large of a percentage of in-state residents. When I was a student, roughly 70% had to be in-state based on state funding.

Thanks for the clarification! This makes sense especially since one of the selection criteria is "geographic diversity" after all.

 

[safe]

There are so many schools to be excited about but I hope you all consider Baylor very highly on your lists. I'm about to finish up my first year at Baylor and I couldn't be more happy with my choice to come here. My classmates are so unbelievably nice -- I can ask anyone for help -- and it's really what makes me so proud to be a student at Baylor. They somehow manage to collect a great group of fun and truly caring people every year.

And if you like an urban setting with massive hospitals, nothing really compares to the Texas Medical Center. Even a year after starting, I catch the skyline and I'm still astonished by how gigantic it is. 1,400 acres and 100,000 employees. The size is staggering and it's so exciting to go to school in the middle of it.

Sorry for the shameless plug but I just want to encourage y'all to apply to this school I've kinda fallen in love with. Come to Baylor!! (we have good Mexican food)

 

[lodestar]

Sorry for the shameless plug but I just want to encourage y'all to apply to this school I've kinda fallen in love with. Come to Baylor!! (we have good Mexican food)

~~~~~~~~

Hey, there are all sorts of good food options (great Asian options) in Houston due partly to the diverse ethnicity's there. Houston is # 4 in MSA population with a below national average COL. Crime is FAR LESS than Chi-Town (similar ethnic makeup) e.g., partly because honest people pack/carry in Houston! Traffic can be bad, BUT they have a VERY NICE highway system with these WIDE access roads. Traffic normally moves rather well really. It does get DAMM HOT, but winters beat the hell out of those at comparably rated medical schools based on average Lizzy M scores of acceptees-- Harvard, Washington U., Hopkins, etc.

For those OOS, you CAN buy a condo affordably nearby and ride the bus (15-20 minutes for just $.60 each way). By establishing residency before you begin MS1, you can save ~$39k over years MS2-MS4 over already reasonable OOS tuition.

Exceptional quality of medical education and training facilities (resulting in a nation-leading Step 1 average and great match lists), atypical and unusual affordability (possibly even well cheaper than your IS public schools), a highly livable major city with a very attractive COL, and no cold weather or snow to drive through-- WHAT is not to like?!?! ;~)

 

[Jimmy Jones]

^ i know you're glad your kid goes to baylor but you can't seriously compare the school to Harvard, Wash U, HOpkins

 

[panda16]

^ i know you're glad your kid goes to baylor but you can't seriously compare the school to Harvard, Wash U, HOpkins

Hey, it's up there. They have identical step 1 scores (~240 average for all of them) with an insane hospital system to boot.

 

[lodestar]

Jimmy Jones said: ↑
^ i know you're glad your kid goes to baylor but you can't seriously compare the school to Harvard, Wash U, HOpkins

~~~~~~~~~~

Actually, Jimmy boy, I can-- SERIOUSLY!

Only 3 schools recently (as our daughter matriculated in 2012) had ever-so-slightly higher Lizzy M score averages for accepted applicants than BCM. Actually, Harvard was just behind BCM. Arguably, average Lizzy M scores DO suggest the degree of competitive entry among medical schools. Only 1.1% (about 45) of the > 4,000 OOS applicants will actually matriculate at BCM.

Also, as suggested by panda16 just above, BCM actually led ALL medical schools recently with a 244 Step 1 average, and has routinely been among the top handful. As you might know, one's Step 1 score is the most important criterion to landing residency interviews.

Many people seem to be rather overly impressed by rankings by USNWR. Their criteria involve a lot of surveying about perceived reputations. My sense is that residency program PD's definitely see BCM as a top tier school...even USNWR had it # 11 for P.C.-- just ahead of Harvard based on that criterion.

**************

http://www.studentdoc.com/top-10-medical-schools.html

Top 10 Medical Schools

The medical school rankings are always a point of debate among medical schools and medical students. No single method for determining these rankings works perfectly, and every institution feels it should be ranked higher. Having two lists (USNWR), research and primary care, deals with this problem a little, but it also points out where weaknesses reside.

According to our proprietary ranking tool, the top 10 medical schools for 2012 are as follows (based on average MCAT/GPA of ACCEPTED students):

1. Johns Hopkins University
2. Washington University in St. Louis
3. Stanford University
4. Baylor College of Medicine
5. Harvard University
6. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center--Dallas
7. University of California--San Diego
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. Yale University
10. Duke University

 

[Jimmy Jones]

it's not even top 20 in usnwr

 

[safe]

I really hope this doesn't launch into another debate about "ranks." Harvard, Hopkins and WashU are certainly high fliers and arguably sit in a tier above Baylor. But that certainly doesn't mean they aren't comparable.

To call them incomparable would mean that any student accepted to those schools should automatically choose them over Baylor. That is silly and it should come as no surprise that, each year, a handful of students choose to come to Baylor over those specific schools. For these students Baylor was not only comparable, but ultimately better. Houston is an outstanding place to train (much bigger and more diverse than many "top 10" schools can boast) and Baylor's cheapest-in-the-nation private tuition is a serious factor to consider. A 4th year student at WashU even warned me not to go there because he found their tuition regrettably overpriced. He told me to go to Baylor because he saw Baylor as the better package deal. And that wasn't an isolated opinion.

There's a certain amount of prestige-chasing that plagues these forums and many neurotic pre-meds. It's fed by this belief that attending the most highly ranked school translates into the most successful career. In my cycle this misleading notion was loudly contradicted by admissions deans at UCSF, Duke, Michigan and I'm sure many others. Going to a non-top-10 school does not close any doors for you. Baylor's match list speaks for itself, sending students to Harvard et al. consistently and in large quantities.

I realize that this guy is trolling and probably doesn't deserve a response but I can't leave his claims unanswered. Baylor is a fantastic institution with many great qualities that can make it a first choice on anyone's list. Students often make the choice to come here over "top 10" institutions and I welcome you all to visit and find out why for yourselves. We have a fun-loving student culture and some of the most passionate teachers I've ever met.

 

[lodestar]

Agree entirely with "safe" just above..."Jimmy Jones" is indubitably trolling...just another vacuous gadfly provocateur. Ho hum.

But for the serious people coming here, a few thoughts--

My argument about supposed rankings goes below the prima facie surface and fundamentally questions the methodology of USNWR which has aggrandized itself into the supposed "source authority" for ranking medical schools. It is a long-established magazine which engendered a new schtick for attention/notoriety, but ANY purported ranking system deserves careful, critical scrutiny.

Simply read what USNWR says about HOW they arrive at their rankings, which are based on aggregated hearsay and suspect assumptions, including weights assigned to very subjective perceived relevant criteria:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/medical-schools-methodology

Fully 30% of USNWR's "primary care" rankings are based on the average percentage of graduates of any particular medical school entering primary care...per their definition---> FM, Peds, or I.M.

BUT, these are NOT the more competitive residencies, so is it necessarily even a plus that a school might be ranked highly in "primary care" by USNWR?!

~~~~~~~~

To the prospective medical student, several considerations would seem to be most relevant and telling about any medical school:

Can I get into this medical school?

What is the net affordability?

Will I get bang for my buck-- will they prepare me well to be a fine doctor AND to do well on the Step 1, the litmus test for obtaining competitive residency interviews and residency matches?

Finally, do their match lists demonstrate the success of their students?

BCM RIGHTLY bills itself as, "the most affordable private medical school in America."

Better still, its net tuition bests even MANY public schools, even for instate applicants.

Even if you get a 50% scholarship to many other schools (e.g., Harvard, Washington U, Hopkins, Stanford, Vandy, Duke, Emory), you can STILL pay a lot more! There are stories of STAGGERING levels of medical school debt. Scope out the average debt levels of graduates of any school you consider.

Second, with Lizzy M score averages among the top handful of schools, acceptance alone to BCM speaks volumes. Side note: MCAT scores, on average, do not much correlate with Step 1 scores (~ 30%). The latter purports to test what you learned and remembered during your first 2 years of preclinicals/classes, whereas the MCAT tests recall (sometimes several years later) of often first year college sciences.

Third, BCM Step 1 score averages have been at the very top, or right there, among all 130+ schools.

Finally, those nation-leading Step 1 score averages @ BCM, in turn, lead to competitive residency interviews and impressive match lists.

Res ipsa loquitur...the facts speak for themselves.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Best. school. ever.

 

[panda16]

@lodestar Your zeal for BCM combined with your extremely useful insights are greatly appreciated.

As a side note, USNWR ratings are weird, anyway. Like, for undergrad rankings, they use a "prestige factor" i.e. they ask University presidents who they think is best, which is bullcrap. Note: My undergrad is in the Top 20 and I even realize that's bull.

 

[lodestar]

re:
As a side note, USNWR ratings are weird, anyway. Like, for undergrad rankings, they use a "prestige factor" i.e. they ask University presidents who they think is best, which is bullcrap. Note: My undergrad is in the Top 20 and I even realize that's bull.

~~~~~~

Indeed, whenever you attempt to rank anything via subjective and inferential questions such as, "How do you think your peers see this medical school?", it becomes fraught with group think error, which might also be outdated as well as erroneous. This is why such opinions based on what one says she heard others say are thrown out in court due to the hearsay rule. Tulane University, e.g., lost faculty post-Katrina, but many other schools might not have realized this.

 

[Jimmy Jones]

lodestar, the judicial system has its own bizarre set of norms that don't translate very well to the real world. other's perception of a medical school is by and large what prestige means. research output, step 1 scores are great and all, but nobody is scrambling for jefferson just because Finlay discovered the vector for yellow fever

 

[safe]

lodestar, the judicial system has its own bizarre set of norms that don't translate very well to the real world. other's perception of a medical school is by and large what prestige means. research output, step 1 scores are great and all, but nobody is scrambling for jefferson just because Finlay discovered the vector for yellow fever

I'm not sure if I agree with your examples or the extent to which you emphasize the value of prestige. But I'll admit that it does hold some value. The people who answered those USNWR surveys are residency directors. They control the gates for residency and their opinions are important. Many of them admit that they consider the reputation of an applicant's medical school when evaluating for admissions (NRMP, page 6). If you look at that list, though, you'll also see that only 1/3 of residency directors mentioned this as a factor they even consider. Said another way, 2/3 of residency directors reported that they do not consider the reputation of an applicant's medical school.

So does a school's reputation matter? Of course. But is it a big deal? No.

As one of my interviewers (at a "top 5" school) once told me, "the creme always rises to the top." Go to a school where you fit in, where you're happy, and hopefully where you can save some money. If you're good, nothing will stop you -- certainly not the name of your school.

 

[safe]

This is not a bad discussion to have, but it's definitely in the wrong place. If you want to make another thread, I'd be happy to continue over there.

 

[phuynh94]

Applying! Definitely a dream school! Does anyone know the secondary essay is required; I prefer not to write something trivial just for the sake of having something written...

 

[ResidencyHopeful123]

I'll be applying OOS as well! @phuynh94 I am in a similar conundrum. I was thinking about writing another "diversity" essay for Baylor, but since it's not required, I'm hesitant to tack on more material that may or may not be useful.

 

[lodestar]

re:
I'm not sure if I agree with your examples or the extent to which you emphasize the value of prestige. But I'll admit that it does hold some value. The people who answered those USNWR surveys are residency directors. They control the gates for residency and their opinions are important. Many of them admit that they consider the reputation of an applicant's medical school when evaluating for admissions (NRMP, page 6). If you look at that list, though, you'll also see that only 1/3 of residency directors mentioned this as a factor they even consider. Said another way, 2/3 of residency directors reported that they do not consider the reputation of an applicant's medical school.

So does a school's reputation matter? Of course. But is it a big deal? No.

As one of my interviewers (at a "top 5" school) once told me, "the creme always rises to the top." Go to a school where you fit in, where you're happy, and hopefully where you can save some money. If you're good, nothing will stop you -- certainly not the name of your school.

~~~~~~~~

I agree that this perceived medical school reputation thing is a bit of a side issue, BUT it is not without importance to those considering various medical schools and their potential residency prospects thereafter.

There is NO QUESTION that a higher Step 1 score trumps other criteria for getting noticed for the most competitive residency programs. Many programs have a minimum Step 1 threshold just to get an interview, much less actually to match there. The interviews are then used to screen out the dead from the xxx up nerds. As noted on SDN at "Resident" from PD's and Attendings: "The candidates we interview here ALL have great credentials...we end up ranking those that we would like to work around for the next 6 years, and go have a beer with."

Sometimes in life what people say (see PD's in this context) they consider is a bit PC, and perhaps even evasive. Would it REALLY matter if someone graduated AOA (where the selection criteria are all over the place depending upon the school) from a bottom third school among the 130 schools, then had a 238 Step 1, versus say someone who does fairly well at a Washington U., and has a 258 Step 1, but does not make AOA at a top 5 competitive entry school? The AOA girl from that also-ran school likely could not have even been accepted at Washington U-- or even interviewed there. So much of achievement MUST BE measured against your pool of competition. Hence, the cachet of saying, "She graduated from an Ivy League college."

As to the cream always rises to the top, the top average Lizzy M scores at Hopkins, Stanford, Washington U., BCM, Harvard, etc., for acceptees simply validate that cream factor...as does BCM's nation-leading (or close every year) Step 1 average and precipitant, correlating impressive match lists. EVERYBODY must take the MCAT and the Steps...they become the indispensable common denominator levelers of the playing field.

 

[RK.md]

Applying! Definitely a dream school! Does anyone know the secondary essay is required; I prefer not to write something trivial just for the sake of having something written...

If it really is a dream school, why not go ahead and write the secondary (can't remember if it's mandatory)? At least that way you know you've done every bit to convey yourself as a great applicant.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Do the secondary even if you end up writing a diversity essay. I took 'optional' to mean 'required' during the whole application process.

 

[accueil]

Do the secondary even if you end up writing a diversity essay. I took 'optional' to mean 'required' during the whole application process.

Seconded. I almost decided to not write anything for this secondary. Luckily, I had an update on an activity in AMCAS that happened after I submitted the app and wrote a brief paragraph about that. So glad I did because you don't want any regrets or shouldacouldawoulda. There are the extra essays from TMDSAS that you could also try and repurpose for this secondary. And who knows, the secondary might change and have more direct questions.

 

[w0rldw3y3d]

I applied although I'm not sure if I'm competitive though.

 

[YoungDrHopeful]

It says the supplemental wpuld be available today, but it's not showing. Anyone else able to do the secondary for Baylor?

 

[AggieDoc45]

No, it says that it is down for me.

 

[YoungDrHopeful]

No, it says that it is down for me.

Okay I guess it might go up anytime during the day. Glad to hear I'm not the only one.