Crappy secondary essay prompts

[SailCrazy]

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Please add your own "worst secondary prompt" to the list!
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I know it’s been lamented before, but I just can't hold it in.

The "Why our medical school?" essays are horrible.

I just submitted mine from Iowa last night. What could they possibly be learning about their applicants from this question? It seems to me that it could easily be rephrased as:

"We have a huge inferiority complex and are afraid that we're a safety school for you. Are we?
(Please check one of the following boxes.)
____ Yes
____ No"

Either that or:

"Make us feel good. Sorry, kneepads are not provided. Please be quick, we have other applicants with whom we'd like to spend some 'quality time.'"


This prompt is so weak. I think I wrote a pretty decent response, but I resented every minute of it.

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[tigress]

It should be a thread about what are the worst essay prompts. I vote for Maryland's "What does it mean to be entering a profession?" essay and Ros Franklin's "life in discovery" essay. Neither of which I'm doing

 

[LJDHC05]

It should be a thread about what are the worst essay prompts. I vote for Maryland's "What does it mean to be entering a profession?" essay and Ros Franklin's "life in discovery" essay. Neither of which I'm doing

If that's the case, BU's essay needs to be put up there as well:

"Please write a 250-500 word reflection on the concept of professionalism in medicine and the traits by which it is constituted. Focus your comments on ways in which you have been challenged by your own life experiences en route to a career in medicine, as well as on ways in which your own experiences have shaped your understanding of the profession of medicine and your own determination to undertake the obligations inherent in this career. Use this essay to provide us with insights that are not reflected in your AMCAS Personal Statement or other parts of your application."

 

[SailCrazy]

It should be a thread about what are the worst essay prompts. I vote for Maryland's "What does it mean to be entering a profession?" essay and Ros Franklin's "life in discovery" essay. Neither of which I'm doing

Agreed. I'm adding to my initial post to invite people to post their least favorite.

 

[ahd929]

Agreed. I'm adding to my initial post to invite people to post their least favorite.

MCO/MUO's "cultural competence" question, maryland's "profession" question, and every question from duke.

my brother applied to med school in 1997 (and he did over 20 secondaries), and he said that an application with an essay question was pretty rare. most of them were like penn's and gwu's are now - either no essays at all or a short question with a few lines to write in. of course, none of them were online either, so he had to do each one with a typewriter. still, i think i'd prefer to be doing this 8 years ago.

 

[Sweetlill1]

I remember really hating VCUs HAND-WRITTEN essay (from 2005 application season)... i mean why hand write anything, do they care about our handwriting? We are going to be doctors we are supposed to have bad handwriting...

 

[unfrozencaveman]

I would like to add all of the "describe something horrendously bad that happened to you" essays, where you either write something horrendously bad, and, despite having asked for it, are forced to make the adcom feel uncomfortable!!! That or you sit around wishing something awful had happened to you, so you'd have something to write about.

Such a lose/lose. Getting to know you better is one thing. That is just inappropriately nosey.

 

[RayhanS1282]

"Describe yourself"---there is no way I can write this without trying to come off like I am setting myself up for an on-line dating profile. You want to know more about myself---give me a ****ing interview. I'll dazzle your ass with my 1000 characters limit personality.

 

[angietron3000]

MCO/MUO's "cultural competence" question

yes! i hate this one! what does that even mean??

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I haven't received the secondary yet, but I'm dreading writing UC Davis's "Who is the most influential person in your life" essay. No one comes to mind immediately, so no matter what, I'm going to be writing a strained essay. Maybe I should cop out and write about Ghandi.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

As for the OP: I actually don't mind writing "why us" essays. I have a solid reason for wanting to go to every school that I applied to (except the 3 or 4 backups), so I don't think I'll have a problem writing the essays. It will help distinguish me from the many applicants taking the shotgun approach and applying to schools simply for the sake of applying.

 

[jbrice1639]

i have to say, the "why our school" essays are about the only secondary essays i really like. they don't repeat our amcas apps, and they actually have some relevance as opposed to recycled crap from every other secondary. plus, from the adcoms' perspectives, it shows who actually wants to go to their schools and who applied to 30-40 schools just hoping to get in anywhere. i applied only to schools that i have a specific desire to go to, and i really like having the opportunity to let those schools know what those reasons are.

but as for worst essays, it would have to be the "tell us why you want to become a doctor without repeating anything from your personal statement" essays.

 

[happydays]

"In 100 words or less, please summarize your life. (Hard returns count as 10 words, and please complete this application before it self-destructs in 5 minutes.)"

all the essays seem the same.