2017-2018 Duke University

[CaptainSword1]

It's rough - I started pre-writing two weeks ago and still have two or three to go ...

At least you can see the light of the tunnel rather than I starting from scratch haha. I've been making myself do other secondaries rather than Duke's but I'm going to start it soon. Hang in there!

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[DBC03]

At least you can see the light of the tunnel rather than I starting from scratch haha. I've been making myself do other secondaries rather than Duke's but I'm going to start it soon. Hang in there!

Honestly, you're probably way ahead of the game now because there's nothing that makes you more productive than procrastinating from something you don't want to do!

 

[madscientist3]

Has anyone finished this monster yet? I'm aiming to get it back within a week aka this Wednesday but we'll see. It's thought provoking for sure!!

 

[DBC03]

Has anyone finished this monster yet? I'm aiming to get it back within a week aka this Wednesday but we'll see. It's thought provoking for sure!!

I wrote two essays in June - thankfully for prompts they kept. I still need to write four more (about myself/what I bring/research/additional info). Hoping to knock most out today. But then I generally sit on them for a bit to make improvements, so I'm thinking late next week is the absolute earliest I can hope to submit. I wish I could just knock them out quickly. But I want them to be good.


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[CoffeeFirst]

What are people writing for these prompts?! I am drawing a total blank!

-- Describe a situation where you have chosen to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? 600 words
-- What has been your most humbling experience and how will that experience affect your interactions with your peers and patients? 600 words
-- What qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine? 600 words
-- Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn from the experience? Describe at least one functional impact of the experience. 600 words

 

[Jaigantic]

What are people writing for these prompts?! I am drawing a total blank!

-- Describe a situation where you have chosen to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? 600 words
-- What has been your most humbling experience and how will that experience affect your interactions with your peers and patients? 600 words
-- What qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine? 600 words
-- Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn from the experience? Describe at least one functional impact of the experience. 600 words

>What qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine?

Well, I can eat a large Domino's pizza entirely on my own in one sitting, so there's that.

 

[DBC03]

What are people writing for these prompts?! I am drawing a total blank!

-- Describe a situation where you have chosen to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? 600 words
-- What has been your most humbling experience and how will that experience affect your interactions with your peers and patients? 600 words
-- What qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine? 600 words
-- Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn from the experience? Describe at least one functional impact of the experience. 600 words

Man, these are tough. I'm on my phone, so typing is nearly impossible, but I can PM you tonight with how I'm approaching some. I still can't figure out how to describe myself...


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[CaptainSword1]

What are people writing for these prompts?! I am drawing a total blank!

-- Describe a situation where you have chosen to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? 600 words
-- What has been your most humbling experience and how will that experience affect your interactions with your peers and patients? 600 words
-- What qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine? 600 words
-- Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn from the experience? Describe at least one functional impact of the experience. 600 words

I'm sure you can think of something for the last two questions (qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine & situation where you failed). But the question about humbling experiences is tough and odd. But the approach that I'm doing it just brainstorming, writing anything down that comes to mind that I can use for that specific question so I have an idea of what I want to ultimately write about.

 

[Dr.WhipnNaeNae]

Finally submitted. What a grind that was, hope it pays off Duke seems great.

 

[Dr. Brightside]

So there's the essay "Tell us more about who you are..." and asks about your origins and demographics. Then there's the other essay "Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics." What are you all writing for these, especially since they're almost the same?

 

[hs764]

So there's the essay "Tell us more about who you are..." and asks about your origins and demographics. Then there's the other essay "Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics." What are you all writing for these, especially since they're almost the same?

That's what I'm trying to figure out. I also wrote a bit about my origins in my personal statement, so it feels like a lot of repetition. I don't know if they want just a general timeline of my life or what.

 

[DBC03]

That's what I'm trying to figure out. I also wrote a bit about my origins in my personal statement, so it feels like a lot of repetition. I don't know if they want just a general timeline of my life or what.

I feel the same. My personal statement was a bit like the story of how i got here (or the story of my life). Are they wanting something more along the lines of demographics or something unique? It strikes me as a different take on the diversity question, but I don't feel like writing about what makes me "cool" would be the proper answer. I'm thinking of just methodically going through my background. Would love to hear from others as well. Thankfully I finished a first draft of the other answers, so I will be able to spend this week editing everything.

 

[akb5633]

I feel the same. My personal statement was a bit like the story of how i got here (or the story of my life). Are they wanting something more along the lines of demographics or something unique? It strikes me as a different take on the diversity question, but I don't feel like writing about what makes me "cool" would be the proper answer. I'm thinking of just methodically going through my background. Would love to hear from others as well. Thankfully I finished a first draft of the other answers, so I will be able to spend this week editing everything.

In the exact same situation as you; as said above, if anyone has advice for what they are looking for in the "Tell Us Who You Are" portion, please let us know!

 

[CoffeeFirst]

Man, these are tough. I'm on my phone, so typing is nearly impossible, but I can PM you tonight with how I'm approaching some. I still can't figure out how to describe myself...


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Let's brainstorm together!

 

[irishwristwatch]

Is the "Tell us who you are" essay only supposed to be filled out if you have notable gender/ethnic/socioeconomic attributes like Harvard's secondary? Or do we think it's meant to be a general 'tell us about yourself'. Asking as a straight, middle class, ORM. FWIW

I feel like there would be a lot of overlap between that & the core values essay & the qualities essay if it's a tell us about yourself. Thanks!

 

[enchantediris]

Is the "Tell us who you are" essay only supposed to be filled out if you have notable gender/ethnic/socioeconomic attributes like Harvard's secondary? Or do we think it's meant to be a general 'tell us about yourself'. Asking as a straight, middle class, ORM. FWIW

I feel like there would be a lot of overlap between that & the core values essay & the qualities essay if it's a tell us about yourself. Thanks!

Does it let you save the section without filling anything in? The box turns red if I try to click "save" with nothing in it.

 

[DBC03]

Is the "Tell us who you are" essay only supposed to be filled out if you have notable gender/ethnic/socioeconomic attributes like Harvard's secondary? Or do we think it's meant to be a general 'tell us about yourself'. Asking as a straight, middle class, ORM. FWIW

I feel like there would be a lot of overlap between that & the core values essay & the qualities essay if it's a tell us about yourself. Thanks!

I've been working on this and found that I've been telling the same story as I have already covered in my other 600 word essays, so I'm struggling with it. I feel that I should write something about my upbringing that indicates I will work well with people who are different from me. How to craft that in 500 words without repeating everything I've already covered is difficult.

 

[irishwristwatch]

Does it let you save the section without filling anything in? The box turns red if I try to click "save" with nothing in it.

Same for me, might end up just doing a few sentences because I surely can't write 400-500 more words unless I want to be super repetitive. Gonna go with brevity here

 

[hs764]

Same for me, might end up just doing a few sentences because I surely can't write 400-500 more words unless I want to be super repetitive. Gonna go with brevity here

What approach are you going with, more autobiographical or a "here's what I'll bring to medicine" kind of thing?

 

[DBC03]

Me earlier today: "I'm going to get all of these secondaries done." Me later today, "Ok, I might have a first draft of just the first Duke essay..."

I went with just straight autobiographical, hitting major points in my life that impacted who I am, how I act, and how I think. I mentioned experiences with different cultures. I am glad I went through it as I now recognize ways I need to change some of the other essays. I definitely need to rethink this one, but it was very helpful to get a bunch of thoughts on paper.

Now I still need to do the research essay and I'm going to add a brief note about why I'm choosing Duke. I'm thinking one per day max for quality, so I'm going to get started

 

[hs764]

Me earlier today: "I'm going to get all of these secondaries done." Me later today, "Ok, I might have a first draft of just the first Duke essay..."

I went with just straight autobiographical, hitting major points in my life that impacted who I am, how I act, and how I think. I mentioned experiences with different cultures. I am glad I went through it as I now recognize ways I need to change some of the other essays. I definitely need to rethink this one, but it was very helpful to get a bunch of thoughts on paper.

Now I still need to do the research essay and I'm going to add a brief note about why I'm choosing Duke. I'm thinking one per day max for quality, so I'm going to get started

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing as well. I figured since the others are so contemplative, that's probably more what they're looking for. It's a little reminiscent of my personal statement, but oh well. Good luck!!!

 

[DBC03]

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing as well. I figured since the others are so contemplative, that's probably more what they're looking for. It's a little reminiscent of my personal statement, but oh well. Good luck!!!

The whole time I, too, was thinking, "they can read most of this in my personal statement..." Good luck to you!

 

[ladorada]

How is everyone addressing the most humbling experience essay? Would talking about volunteering with under-served populations and the lessons I learned be appropriate or do you think they're looking for more of a situation that didn't go as planned kind of thing?

 

[Poloman4]

Duke's secondary was no joke. Hopefully I get a chance.. Best of luck everyone

 

[esadz3]

Has anyone else not gotten a secondary yet?

 

[liquidcrawler]

I have never took a pysch/soc course and had a pretty low mcat for that section (127). I studied philosophy and have ~500 hours experience working with underserved populations. Do you think this is adequate for the psych/soc expectation? Or does my lack of coursework and poor subsection score preclude me from a review?

 

[med2018ihope]

Finally finished this!! By far toughest secondary thus far. Good luck to everyone else still chugging along

 

[Civelle]

How is everyone addressing the most humbling experience essay? Would talking about volunteering with under-served populations and the lessons I learned be appropriate or do you think they're looking for more of a situation that didn't go as planned kind of thing?

I interpreted it as a time where I was arrogant, misinformed, etc. and then talked about how through the experience I learned. I think you can talk about under deserved pops as well and how you maybe didn't realize the true importance of helping these communities until actual being in the field. Many ways to attack this essay.

Also, if anyone is having trouble with the tell who you are vs community you grew up in essay PM me. I can tell you a little about what I wrote about and how I distinguished the two from each other!!!

Good luck everyone. The secondary will be worth it!

 

[star_7]

Do you know what they mean by travel awards in the Upload Files (optional) section? Getting a summer research grant from my school to do research in an international institution - would it count as the travel award? Cannot find any information on this.

 

[ironsnake]

Has anyone else not gotten a secondary yet?

Still haven't. Trying to be patient.

 

[DBC03]

I interpreted it as a time where I was arrogant, misinformed, etc. and then talked about how through the experience I learned. I think you can talk about under deserved pops as well and how you maybe didn't realize the true importance of helping these communities until actual being in the field. Many ways to attack this essay.

Also, if anyone is having trouble with the tell who you are vs community you grew up in essay PM me. I can tell you a little about what I wrote about and how I distinguished the two from each other!!!

Good luck everyone. The secondary will be worth it!

I'll PM you today. I wrote both responses, but would love some input.


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[DBC03]

How is everyone addressing the most humbling experience essay? Would talking about volunteering with under-served populations and the lessons I learned be appropriate or do you think they're looking for more of a situation that didn't go as planned kind of thing?

I went with a story about being self-centered, then my grandmother called me down on it. I was quite young, but it had a tremendous impact on my life so it seemed appropriate.


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[WHSJR]

To those who have their secondary already, is there any mention in the portal of what the average MCAT for last year was?

 

[SuaveCardigans]

To those who have their secondary already, is there any mention in the portal of what the average MCAT for last year was?

They mentioned 36/517 and 3.8. Im not sure if this is the true average or not

 

[Civelle]

To those who have their secondary already, is there any mention in the portal of what the average MCAT for last year was?

"The typical academic profile for a successful applicant is GPA range from 2.8 to 4.0 and typical MCAT range, using the OLD MCATS is 26 to 45 and the 2015 MCAT is 499-528 respectively. Please know that with very little experience with this new MCAT test, we will rely heavily on the longitudinal track record established through traditional academic exposures, and will consider whether there are other compelling grounds for admission, such as an exceptional and longitudinal track record of clinical and research exposure, community service, leadership practice, other significant activities and experiences outside of the classroom, and how the applicant’s background and experiences might contribute to the diversity of our program."

Their app portal says this. Leads me to think GPA > MCAT for them right now.

 

[contigoamigo]

Thoughts on what they mean by 'your community as a medical student'. Are they referring to the community you were nurtured in or the med school community? Maybe I'm just overthinking it...

 

[lickerwhicker]

Thoughts on what they mean by 'your community as a medical student'. Are they referring to the community you were nurtured in or the med school community? Maybe I'm just overthinking it...

I think they mean how you will contribute to the community you're writing about while in medical school and beyond. Like, how your medical education will help you contribute to the community that nurtured you

 

[wizarddoc2213]

Still wondering why Duke's adcom wants to read through all of these essays

 

[mdhopeful2018]

self-selection? Will weed out those who don't complete their secondaries.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Still wondering why Duke's adcom wants to read through all of these essays

I think it's because this serves as part of the interview process, since their interview day is all MMI format. So this is the 'get to know you' interview. That's how I look at it.

 

[DrivenAndDangerous]

I think it's because this serves as part of the interview process, since their interview day is all MMI format. So this is the 'get to know you' interview. That's how I look at it.

Glad I was asked in an essay format "Describe a situation where you were humbled" and "Describe the community you were nurtured in" instead of in an interview... Those were definitely thinkers

 

[TheBiologist]

Glad I was asked in an essay format "Describe a situation where you were humbled" and "Describe the community you were nurtured in" instead of in an interview... Those were definitely thinkers

and good interview material for other schools

 

[ChopinLiszt]

and good interview material for other schools

Yes! I've been thinking of my secondaries that way. I don't always think on my feet very well when I'm nervous, so hopefully going through all these questions beforehand will help.

It's still a lot of heavy questions for one secondary, though!

 

[Starling314]

What are they looking for in the "what qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine?" prompt? I'm not sure how to approach this one

 

[akb5633]

What are they looking for in the "what qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine?" prompt? I'm not sure how to approach this one

Literally working on this one right now as well (my last essay for this secondary - yippee!)

Anyhow, I've been tackling it by considering past clinical, volunteering, academic, and research experiences that held importance to me - and what traits these experiences required of me. I think the importance in this is not just saying what you can bring to medicine, but more so SHOWING that you possess these qualities.

 

[lord_leonan]

anyone else still not receive duke's secondary? was verified mid june

 

[Albanian24]

One essay left on this beast. Do you think they're really going to read everything? I filled in every single section to its max...lots of writing. Literally 7 pages single spaced.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

They'd better read all of it!
I've spent a lot of hours on this novel and I still have 3 essays to go.

I feel like maybe I'm bringing up too much heavy stuff from my past in my essays. Hopefully it'll just point to maturity and not be too personal?

 

[shadow522]

Has anyone finished this monster yet? I'm aiming to get it back within a week aka this Wednesday but we'll see. It's thought provoking for sure!!

i've submitted but only bc i applied mstp and decided to decline for md only consideration if i get rejected mstp (mostly bc i /dont/ feel like writing those monstrous essays and duke is not my first choice). best of luck to everyone with these essays!!

 

[thedarkniteeee]

i've submitted but only bc i applied mstp and decided to decline for md only consideration if i get rejected mstp (mostly bc i /dont/ feel like writing those monstrous essays and duke is not my first choice). best of luck to everyone with these essays!!

I also submitted for MSTP but havent gotten a secondary from Duke at all yet, was verified mid June and complete w/ lettesr by 07/06