Are most secondaries good?

[pinkbowbunny]

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Pre-writing my secondaries has me thinking: Are most secondaries good? Even with pre-writing, the sheer volume of secondaries is intimidating. I recall when applying to undergrad hearing stories about avoidable mistakes on supplementals: using the wrong school name in the "Why School" essay, simple typographical errors, and procrastinating then writing and submitting the same day. I applied ED to my undergrad so I didn't experience a huge wave of supplementals to write.

Now when applying to med school, I wonder if things are different. Obviously, I don't know how anyone else is writing, so I can't tell. I'm curious to hear what others think.

 

[Pile O' Nephritis]

Keep in mind 57% of applicants get no acceptances. If most secondaries are bad, your goal is to be part of the percent that aren't, since the "average" applicant will be rejected by every school.

So it wouldn't surprise me if most secondaries *are* bad; they're the majority who are getting rejected.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd estimate that most applicants getting turned down for interview are not turned down because the secondary is bad but that others are better, more persuasive, more succinct, more responsive to the prompt.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

With ChatGPT, all essays are good now! 🙂

 

[Mpsll]

I'd estimate that most applicants getting turned down for interview are not turned down because the secondary is bad but that others are better, more persuasive, more succinct, more responsive to the prompt.

So then, what do the best secondaries you've read all have in common? I know you want to make your app cohesive and try to tailor responses to the mission, but how much does uniqueness matter to some of the common prompts of challenge/adversity/advocacy/etc.?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Secondary questions should be treated like written interviews. Recorded interviews are... interviews (see Dell , WashU, and other places that avoid using the "written" secondaries (seeing more dental schools doing this)). Do we want to meet you, yes or no? That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

 

[Goro]

Pre-writing my secondaries has me thinking: Are most secondaries good? Even with pre-writing, the sheer volume of secondaries is intimidating. I recall when applying to undergrad hearing stories about avoidable mistakes on supplementals: using the wrong school name in the "Why School" essay, simple typographical errors, and procrastinating then writing and submitting the same day. I applied ED to my undergrad so I didn't experience a huge wave of supplementals to write.

Now when applying to med school, I wonder if things are different. Obviously, I don't know how anyone else is writing, so I can't tell. I'm curious to hear what others think.

5% are great, 5% are bad, and 90% are all the same.

 

[Mpsll]

5% are great, 5% are bad, and 90% are all the same.

Wow, the more I learn about this process, the more I think standing out is impossible and that maybe luck plays a nontrivial role...

 

[LunaOri]

With ChatGPT, all essays are good now! 🙂

Or all are equally bad!

 

[notEinstein]

With ChatGPT, all essays are good now! 🙂

Ya know, I recently read that ChatGPT puts a lot of em dashes in its writing, and certain folks in academia look for em dashes as proof of AI use.

Made me freak out a bit, as I loveee the em dash. I am a nearly 40 year old non-trad and em dashes have been part of my writing for longer than the inventor of ChatGPT has been alive.

Now i’m worried adcoms willl think I wrote my secondaries with the GPT!

 

[Goro]

Ya know, I recently read that ChatGPT puts a lot of em dashes in its writing, and certain folks in academia look for em dashes as proof of AI use.

Made me freak out a bit, as I loveee the em dash. I am a nearly 40 year old non-trad and em dashes have been part of my writing for longer than the inventor of ChatGPT has been alive.

Now i’m worried adcoms willl think I wrote my secondaries with the GPT!

We take for granted that a lot of essays are being written with ai.

In some secondaries for my school, we can tell which ones are human written and which ones are not. We come up with special questions to crucify those applicants who use the AI written.

And no I'm not sharing!

 

[LizzyM]

Ya know, I recently read that ChatGPT puts a lot of em dashes in its writing, and certain folks in academia look for em dashes as proof of AI use.

Made me freak out a bit, as I loveee the em dash. I am a nearly 40 year old non-trad and em dashes have been part of my writing for longer than the inventor of ChatGPT has been alive.

Now i’m worried adcoms willl think I wrote my secondaries with the GPT!

I'm betting you were used to train the AI. 😉

 

[Rachapkis]

Here are a few pointers to avoid errors that I've seen. First, answer the call of the question. Do NOT recycle an essay you've written previously unless it is spot on. Second, understand the points you are trying to convey and get them across consisely. For example, if the question asks about a situation where you failed, think critically about what it is you want to convey about yourself (e.g., after something goes wrong, I think critically about why it went wrong and what I could have done better, and then I develop and implement an action plan to make sure it does not happen again) and make your point in as few words as possible, using plain English and simple declarative sentences. Do NOT treat your essay as a fiction writing assignment. Finally, although you want to submit your essay in a timely fashion, you don't want to rush. Proof your essay more than once after you've set it aside for a period, LISTEN to your essay using the read aloud function, and get someone in your kitchen cabinet to proof and comment on your essay.

 

[Rachapkis]

We take for granted that a lot of essays are being written with ai.

In some secondaries for my school, we can tell which ones are human written and which ones are not. We come up with special questions to crucify those applicants who use the AI written.

And no I'm not sharing!

I may be in the minority, but I view AI as a tool (like spell check or a calculator), not an illegal/unfair advantage. I see nothing wrong with plugging an essay into an AI program and asking AI to make the essay, for example, more succinct, understandable, relatable, and persuaive (unless, of course, using AI is against the rules). In the future, I suspect that using AI will become the norm, and the rub will be learning to use it to its greatest effect (e.g., making sure to tell it to eliminate all those pesky em dashes from one's writing!).

 

[Goro]

I may be in the minority, but I view AI as a tool (like spell check or a calculator), not an illegal/unfair advantage. I see nothing wrong with plugging an essay into an AI program and asking AI to make the essay, for example, more succinct, understandable, relatable, and persuaive (unless, of course, using AI is against the rules). In the future, I suspect that using AI will become the norm, and the rub will be learning to use it to its greatest effect (e.g., making sure to tell it to eliminate all those pesky em dashes from one's writing!).

I can't argue, because AI is here to stay.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Here are a few pointers to avoid errors that I've seen. First, answer the call of the question. Do NOT recycle an essay you've written previously unless it is spot on. Second, understand the points you are trying to convey and get them across consisely. For example, if the question asks about a situation where you failed, think critically about what it is you want to convey about yourself (e.g., after something goes wrong, I think critically about why it went wrong and what I could have done better, and then I develop and implement an action plan to make sure it does not happen again) and make your point in as few words as possible, using plain English and simple declarative sentences. . Finally, although you want to submit your essay in a timely fashion, you don't want to rush. Proof your essay more than once after you've set it aside for a period, LISTEN to your essay using the read aloud function, and get someone in your kitchen cabinet to proof and comment on your essay.

(sarcasm)
But... but... STORIES!!!! Show not tell!!!

(/sarcasm)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I may be in the minority, but I view AI as a tool (like spell check or a calculator), not an illegal/unfair advantage. I see nothing wrong with plugging an essay into an AI program and asking AI to make the essay, for example, more succinct, understandable, relatable, and persuaive (unless, of course, using AI is against the rules). In the future, I suspect that using AI will become the norm, and the rub will be learning to use it to its greatest effect (e.g., making sure to tell it to eliminate all those pesky em dashes from one's writing!).

I agree because many are using it that way now. The challenge is how you use it as a tool and whether AI will be a force of good or "evil."

 

[cupcakeliberty1]

(sarcasm)
But... but... STORIES!!!! Show not tell!!!

(/sarcasm)

Me seeing this after I submitted stories on stories on stories 😳

 

[alwaysrunning]

I'm betting you were used to train the AI. 😉

I know you are joking, but very soon there will be programs for applicants that "learn" from their previous writing and application to craft unique essays. I'm sure some applicants have found a way to do this already.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I know you are joking, but very soon there will be programs for applicants that "learn" from their previous writing and application to craft unique essays. I'm sure some applicants have found a way to do this already.

I think this will be more likely when one uses an assistantbot as a diary/journal to document all shadowing and experience reflections. I'd give it at least another year or so.