Dealing with open-ended questions

[shraf]

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Hi everyone....

I was wondering how you guys are dealing with open-ended questions on secondaries. More specifically, do you think it's ok to use your response to another school's somewhat general question?

 

[pianola]

Hi everyone....

I was wondering how you guys are dealing with open-ended questions on secondaries. More specifically, do you think it's ok to use your response to another school's somewhat general question?

Ideally you will want to reorient your essay slightly to match the school's exact prompt. Reading the question carefully is important. That said, I've certainly reused essay material between my secondaries.

Hope that helps!

 

[shraf]

well the exact prompt i'm talking about here is one like:

Do you wish to include any comments (in addition to those already provided in your AMCAS application) to the Admissions Committee at X University?

No matter how carefully you read that it is still completely open-ended

 

[BeardedRunner]

Well maybe you wrote an essay on how you would add to the diversity of the school or maybe something about research... I would add that in.

 

[pianola]

well the exact prompt i'm talking about here is one like:

Do you wish to include any comments (in addition to those already provided in your AMCAS application) to the Admissions Committee at X University?

No matter how carefully you read that it is still completely open-ended

Sounds fine so long as you have a very clear thesis statement for your essay. I mean, if you start writing about your family background, for example, you may need to really drive the point home about WHY you're choosing to address this in the additional comments section. There's a difference between writing about your family background when the prompt requests that you do so and choosing to write about it on your own. You want to have a clear thesis statement so that your readers don't think, "Why on earth is s/he addressing (XYZ) in the additional comments section(?)"

I mean, sure, go for it. The less work the better. The good news is that there are no laws saying you can't send in the same essay twice and I don't think schools will be conferencing with each other to figure out if you've 'plagiarized' from yourself.

Good luck.