2023-2024 Rochester

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2023-2024 Rochester Secondary Essay Prompts

1. (Optional) Please share any challenges and/or special circumstances that impacted your application. (200 words)
2. If you previously applied to medical school, briefly describe any experiences you have been part of since your previous application. (200 words)
3. Tell us about a community you identify with and how you're involved with it? (200 words)

Good luck to everyone applying!

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Does Rochester Med use nbme shelf's or inhouse? Verbiage on the website is not clear thanks
 
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Secondary prompt from last year:
If you previously applied to medical school, briefly describe any experiences you have been part of since your previous application. 200 words
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Maybe a stupid question, but during the past admissions cycle, I applied to only one medical school (early decision) that was not Rochester. Should I still answer this prompt? All of the activities that I've been doing since then over the course of my senior year of college were already described in my primary AMCAS application.
 
juleppedMint said:
Secondary prompt from last year:

Maybe a stupid question, but during the past admissions cycle, I applied to only one medical school (early decision) that was not Rochester. Should I still answer this prompt? All of the activities that I've been doing since then over the course of my senior year of college were already described in my primary AMCAS application.
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I would leave it blank. That's what I've seen as the general consensus if it's your first time applying to that school. If you applied there last year, fill it out.
 
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Secondary received OOS. @wysdoc
1. (Optional) Please share any challenges and/or special circumstances that impacted your application. (200 words)
2. If you previously applied to medical school, briefly describe any experiences you have been part of since your previous application. (200 words)
3. Tell us about a community you identify with and how you're involved with it? 200 words
 
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Does anyone know if the optional question is truly optional here? I could write about COVID but I feel like that wouldn't necessarily be a special circumstance and I don't want to answer it just for the sake of answering it
 
confusedcurls said:
Does anyone know if the optional question is truly optional here? I could write about COVID but I feel like that wouldn't necessarily be a special circumstance and I don't want to answer it just for the sake of answering it
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I wasn't planning on answering it. I also don't feel like COVID is special and at this point I've kind of made up for it. Could just be me though. Did you end up answering it?
 
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Rugged Shark said:
I wasn't planning on answering it. I also don't feel like COVID is special and at this point I've kind of made up for it. Could just be me though. Did you end up answering it?
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This is exactly my situation. As of right now I haven't written anything for it and don't have any ideas, I am probably going to submit without it
 
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Do we have to answer the community we identify with question?
 
Is the first prompt genuinely optional... or is it one of those it's optional but really not things.
 
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Does being the first generation in your family to grow up in America count as a "community you identify with"? Or would answering from an ethnic community standpoint be stronger?
 
burntoutgiftedkid said:
Does being the first generation in your family to grow up in America count as a "community you identify with"? Or would answering from an ethnic community standpoint be stronger?
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That’s what I’m going with but specifically Indian
 
"Tell us about a community you identify with and how you're involved with it?"
Should we go in-depth with "how you're involved with it" and talk about one aspect or talk about multiple aspects and cover more breadth?
 
Has anyone received the md/phd secondary? If so could you post the question(s) ?
 
Rooks said:
excellent, thank you. I guess it helps to read. :rofl:
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I don't think the identifying with a community question is optional...the email from Rochester says "You are required to complete the essay on Rochester's supplemental application and a few brief questions." and that essay is in the "essay" section of the secondary portal. Unless I'm missing something I think that one is required.

@megaknight
 
bananacreampie said:
I don't think the identifying with a community question is optional...the email from Rochester says "You are required to complete the essay on Rochester's supplemental application and a few brief questions." and that essay is in the "essay" section of the secondary portal. Unless I'm missing something I think that one is required.

@megaknight
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Hmm I was going off of "You are not required to complete any essays on Rochester's supplemental application, just a few brief questions."
 
Rooks said:
Hmm I was going off of "You are not required to complete any essays on Rochester's supplemental application, just a few brief questions."
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maybe they sent u a different email? I got mine pretty early lol so maybe they changed it?
 
Rooks said:
Hmm I was going off of "You are not required to complete any essays on Rochester's supplemental application, just a few brief questions."
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Oh wow they totally changed it. Mine last year said that, but mine this year (received 7/7) on that same line says "You are required to complete the essay....and a few brief questions."

Maybe they considered their 200 words to not be an "essay" and that's why they said you don't need to complete an essay? Weird lol.
 
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well thats a big yikes :cryi:
 
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well that's rough, I emailed admissions and explained what happened. it be like that sometimes.
 
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Hey everyone,
If you are going to contribute to a school thread like this one, PLEASE post accurate information from THIS YEAR'S school communications. Be sure what the questions are and be sure you have seen them all.

A couple of you have posted assumptions and what seems like the email from last year's application, causing problems for yourself and for the applicants who trusted your report.

Please be sure, please be accurate, and please read every email from your schools to the very end.
If you submit in a hurry and miss some things, it will only appear careless to those reading your application.
You don't have to use up the full word count on things you write, or write on questions that are clearly not applicable to you.
But every chance you have to tell more about your experiences or to point out why you are a good fit for a school is a chance you should take advantage of.
 
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wysdoc said:
Hey everyone,
If you are going to contribute to a school thread like this one, PLEASE post accurate information from THIS YEAR'S school communications. Be sure what the questions are and be sure you have seen them all.

A couple of you have posted assumptions and what seems like the email from last year's application, causing problems for yourself and for the applicants who trusted your report.

Please be sure, please be accurate, and please read every email from your schools to the very end.
If you submit in a hurry and miss some things, it will only appear careless to those reading your application.
You don't have to use up the full word count on things you write, or write on questions that are clearly not applicable to you.
But every chance you have to tell more about your experiences or to point out why you are a good fit for a school is a chance you should take advantage of.
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I don't mean to detract from the point of your message, but just as a heads-up, the wording mixup from last year's email was on the Rochester side of things. I received their secondary email invitation on 7/6 and it did indeed say "You are not required to complete any essays on Rochester's supplemental application, just a few brief questions. Below are some important deadlines to keep in mind."

It appears they forgot to update the email initially, then fixed it for the later waves of secondaries.
 
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Doja Stan said:
I don't mean to detract from the point of your message, but just as a heads-up, the wording mixup from last year's email was on the Rochester side of things. I received their secondary email invitation on 7/6 and it did indeed say "You are not required to complete any essays on Rochester's supplemental application, just a few brief questions. Below are some important deadlines to keep in mind."

It appears they forgot to update the email initially, then fixed it for the later waves of secondaries.
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Thank you, that is exactly what happened to me. I listened to their instructions and double-checked their email. I wasn't trying to rush, I was really careful. :(
 
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Rooks said:
Thank you, that is exactly what happened to me. I listened to their instructions and double-checked their email. I wasn't trying to rush, I was really careful. :(
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I honestly thought the community question was optional because of their email, and also because other schools frame that question as an optional essay to see if you are underrepresented in medicine or have an adversity you want to discuss. :/
 
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Update: they were very kind and said they would add in my essays manually. :)
 
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I am struggling with the community question, specifically with what could be considered a community. Like could I talk about a community I am involved with through a hobby or stick to demographic communities or like the actually community I live in?
 
Lifeisabeach1 said:
I am struggling with the community question, specifically with what could be considered a community. Like could I talk about a community I am involved with through a hobby or stick to demographic communities or like the actually community I live in?
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Also struggling with an approach to this question.
 
juleppedMint said:
Thank you!
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I don't know if that's true. I've seen advice that says to not answer if it asks if you specifically applied to that school in the past (because you didn't), but since Rochester's question is asking about medical school in general, then you should answer it and just explain the situation. Otherwise would come off as dishonest if somehow Rochester was able to find out you did apply to any med school last year.
 
Lifeisabeach1 said:
I am struggling with the community question, specifically with what could be considered a community. Like could I talk about a community I am involved with through a hobby or stick to demographic communities or like the actually community I live in?
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I think if your community (as in the one you live in) has some kind of specific special characteristic (ethnic, cultural, etc.) I’d write about that. If you happened to be LGBTQ that would also be a slam dunk. Personally, as someone with none of these I’m going to write about being a part of my school’s student-athlete community. I’m not sure if it’s ideal but it’s all I have and I’m sure they don’t expect all of us to live in some unique and special community. I think the hobby route is a good one.
 
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II just now! IS, complete 7/7
 
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