After you submit your AMCAS application, you will begin to receive secondary essay prompts. Some schools send the prompts automatically, while others are the result of a pre-screening process. It may seem overwhelming at first, but many of the schools will use at least some of the same prompts and you can start preparing now for some of the most common question types.
But first, some advice:
Get organized. With a number of different schools, prompts, and a quick turnaround time, we cannot overemphasize the importance of setting up a system that will work for you. Pick what you like, a Word or Excel file, calendar reminders, file folders, a legal pad. But make sure you keep an overarching list that includes the name of each school you’ve applied to, secondary essay prompts, submission dates, and status.
You’ll also want a way to organize your essay responses so that you can efficiently retrieve and recycle content when possible. Once you have final drafts, we recommend that you keep copies organized in folders by school and by question type, e.g., a Harvard Medical School folder, and a diversity essay folder. Name the files in a consistent convention that uses the school name, prompt type, and word count, e.g. “HarvardMed_Diversity_500”. This way if you receive a similar diversity prompt from another school, you will easily be able to access the final version you used for Harvard, make any necessary updates (e.g., wordcount, school name, etc.), and then save it with an updated name.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Don’t hesitate to re-use content. You will—and should—recycle your secondary answers for different prompts and use aspects of your secondary drafts for your super-short answers too.
Submit your essays promptly. Submit your responses no later than two weeks after receipt of the prompts.
Read the full blog post for common secondary essay prompts and guidance on how to approach your responses.
But first, some advice:
Get organized. With a number of different schools, prompts, and a quick turnaround time, we cannot overemphasize the importance of setting up a system that will work for you. Pick what you like, a Word or Excel file, calendar reminders, file folders, a legal pad. But make sure you keep an overarching list that includes the name of each school you’ve applied to, secondary essay prompts, submission dates, and status.
You’ll also want a way to organize your essay responses so that you can efficiently retrieve and recycle content when possible. Once you have final drafts, we recommend that you keep copies organized in folders by school and by question type, e.g., a Harvard Medical School folder, and a diversity essay folder. Name the files in a consistent convention that uses the school name, prompt type, and word count, e.g. “HarvardMed_Diversity_500”. This way if you receive a similar diversity prompt from another school, you will easily be able to access the final version you used for Harvard, make any necessary updates (e.g., wordcount, school name, etc.), and then save it with an updated name.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Don’t hesitate to re-use content. You will—and should—recycle your secondary answers for different prompts and use aspects of your secondary drafts for your super-short answers too.
Submit your essays promptly. Submit your responses no later than two weeks after receipt of the prompts.
Read the full blog post for common secondary essay prompts and guidance on how to approach your responses.
