Can we assume committee readers of secondaries also have access to our AMCAS?

[mmc1900]

I am in the process of writing secondaries, and was wondering to what extent we should be re-introducing or explaining the topics we discussed in our AMCAS app. Is it fair to assume that any admissions committee would have the entirety of our application to review (i.e. activities list + Personal statement in addition to secondaries)? I am wondering how much information I should be explaining again in my secondaries but am also concerned that this would be considered repeating information. For example, I have spent the past year after graduation working, and listed this in my activities list and discussed it in some depth in my personal statement. I will likely also touch on this for the “what have you been doing post-grad”/“how are you unique” questions, but am not sure how far I need to go in introducing my current work and its impacts. I don’t want to leave them confused, but also don’t want to be redundant or waste characters. Any insight would be great - thanks in advance!

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[Catalystik]

I am in the process of writing secondaries, and was wondering to what extent we should be re-introducing or explaining the topics we discussed in our AMCAS app. Is it fair to assume that any admissions committee would have the entirety of our application to review (i.e. activities list + Personal statement in addition to secondaries)? I am wondering how much information I should be explaining again in my secondaries but am also concerned that this would be considered repeating information. For example, I have spent the past year after graduation working, and listed this in my activities list and discussed it in some depth in my personal statement. I will likely also touch on this for the “what have you been doing post-grad”/“how are you unique” questions, but am not sure how far I need to go in introducing my current work and its impacts. I don’t want to leave them confused, but also don’t want to be redundant or waste characters. Any insight would be great

Some schools give access to all parts of the application to each adcomm. Some schools so not, feeling it's fairer to compare applicants without the distractions of application elements that might bias the reader toward or against an applicant.

So that means you have to start from scratch explaining things, but need to switch it up so readers won't get bored, but using different vocabulary, variable details, different anecdotes, and perhpsperhaps different insights and impact comments (if called for).

 

[Catalystik]

The other strategy I advise to applicants is briefly mentioning something in the secondary and specifically noting that its detailed in PS or W&A or just AMCAS.

That could be frustrating to an Adcomm who can't access the cited essay.

 

[mmc1900]

Thanks @gonnif and @Catalystik for getting back to me so quickly! So just to confirm, there isn’t any way to know if a school will fall into the category will all parts given to the admissions committee vs. AMCAS separate from primary?

 

[Catalystik]

Thanks @gonnif and @Catalystik for getting back to me so quickly! So just to confirm, there isn’t any way to know if a school will fall into the category will all parts given to the admissions committee vs. AMCAS separate from primary?

An adcomm you knew well might spill it to you, but I doubt it. And policies vary from year to year as committees try out different approaches to see what works out best.