For those with an II...

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Just wanted to create this thread to lighten up the mood and stress some applicants are having this cycle.

For those currently with an II:
Have you looked back at your secondaries and thought "Man, how did I get an II writing that?".

I'm asking because some of the secondaries I wrote at the beginning of the cycle, I almost want to cringe because of how much better my essays have gotten near the end lol. Just want to see if others are in the same boat as me. Also feel free to mention the types of errors you made (small/large, grammar/spelling/poor sentence structure or word choice).
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Just wanted to create this thread to lighten up the mood and stress some applicants are having this cycle.

For those currently with an II:
Have you looked back at your secondaries and thought "Man, how did I get an II writing that?".

I'm asking because some of the secondaries I wrote at the beginning of the cycle, I almost want to cringe because of how much better my essays have gotten near the end lol. Just want to see if others are in the same boat as me. Also feel free to mention the types of errors you made (small/large, grammar/spelling/poor sentence structure or word choice).
Click to expand...
I intentionally try not to look back at my other secondaries unless I need to copy paste something but I definitely go through the "damn I really wish I used this phrase in that secondary I already submitted." In those cases it's more of just a feeling of relief that my "weaker" response was not as bad as I thought.
 
I know ppl go nuts about typos but after Duke’s monumental secondary, which I proofread about 6 times in full before sending, I found that there really was no limit to how many errors you can catch unless you had like 5 different ppl reading your essays. Yes with each edit you clear things up but there is likely going to be that occasional comma, or a repeated word that given the time crunch simply will be hard to fix completely.
So i realized that one small blip here and there is not going to kill your application if the rest of the app is solid. Misplacing the NAME of the school is likely lethal but even for that ive seen ppl posting on here reporting success after such an egregious mistake.

All in all, yes secondaries are important but i dont think its the end of the world if you happen to make a small typo in a 4000c essay etc.
 
Definitely. I spent 6 months on my PS, 3 months on my WA, and 2 months on my secondaries...I get to the preinterview reread to refresh my mind of what I said and talking points...and I think “Damn, what did I do in all that time, this is ****?”
 
Duke was my last secondary and I cranked out the five essays out in an hour, then submitted without any proofreading because I was soooo done with writing and really wanted to finish. Somehow got an interview. Reread my essays and I was like "this is literal trash".
 
Enterococcus said:
Duke was my last secondary and I cranked out the five essays out in an hour, then submitted without any proofreading because I was soooo done with writing and really wanted to finish. Somehow got an interview. Reread my essays and I was like "this is literal trash".
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*Spent like 5 hours on each essay with three peer reviews and is still waiting on Duke*

Do you think the “themes” cane together or anything like that?
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Whewwww it's a relief knowing that I'm not alone hahah. With the mentality on SDN that secondaries are the most important aspect of an app (now that I think about it, you can post just about anything, such as grades, MCAT, EC, PS, LOR, secondaries, here on SDN asking how important this factor is and you will find a lot of people saying it's the most important factor hahaha) it's good to see that there are others in the same boat as me!
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I'd venture as far as to say that the vast majority of applicants have typos in their materials at some point. There are just sooooo many steps and each step involves sooooo much writing. The committees have to be used to it by now and I'd doubt they penalize applicants for it unless it is something particularly egregious
 
and 99 others said:
I'd venture as far as to say that the vast majority of applicants have typos in their materials at some point. There are just sooooo many steps and each step involves sooooo much writing. The committees have to be used to it by now and I'd doubt they penalize applicants for it unless it is something particularly egregious
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“Fartmouth school of medicine”
“University of Washington in Saint Louis”
*typed a secondary on phone and phone autocorrected “I am good..” to “I am groot...”
 
MemeLord said:
“Fartmouth school of medicine”
“University of Washington in Saint Louis”
*typed a secondary on phone and phone autocorrected “I am good..” to “I am groot...”
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I was thinking just substituting school names with a different school name. But I appreciate your creativity.
 
MemeLord said:
The ‘I am Groot’ happened to me on a secondary to a school I have an II at...Fartmouth was in a pm and the other is something I have seen while editing people’s secondaries like 3 different times...
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Suffice to say, most application writing is trash but success can still be yielded lol
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Just wanted to create this thread to lighten up the mood and stress some applicants are having this cycle.

For those currently with an II:
Have you looked back at your secondaries and thought "Man, how did I get an II writing that?".

I'm asking because some of the secondaries I wrote at the beginning of the cycle, I almost want to cringe because of how much better my essays have gotten near the end lol. Just want to see if others are in the same boat as me. Also feel free to mention the types of errors you made (small/large, grammar/spelling/poor sentence structure or word choice).
Click to expand...
My Gtown page essay had three typos in it, and I felt like half my secondaries were straight steaming piles of ****. But apparently people like my ****, because I also felt the same about a English paper last semester and got an A :laugh: it was so bad I wanted to go apologize to the Prof after and yet he liked it?? Felt like my secondaries were just buzzword after buzzword (even if they were genuine)
 
u_raptor said:
My Gtown page essay had three typos in it, and I felt like half my secondaries were straight steaming piles of ****. But apparently people like my ****, because I also felt the same about a English paper last semester and got an A :laugh: it was so bad I wanted to go apologize to the Prof after and yet he liked it?? Felt like my secondaries were just buzzword after buzzword (even if they were genuine)
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I still gotta make that secondary essay mad libs
 
u_raptor said:
My Gtown page essay had three typos in it, and I felt like half my secondaries were straight steaming piles of ****. But apparently people like my ****, because I also felt the same about a English paper last semester and got an A :laugh: it was so bad I wanted to go apologize to the Prof after and yet he liked it?? Felt like my secondaries were just buzzword after buzzword (even if they were genuine)
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The reason buzzwords are even a cliche thing that people are advised to avoid is because when they are used and supported by actual compelling stories/evidence (as I'm sure is the case with you), they are effective, but in most cases the support is missing and people just rely on the words that they think adcoms want to hear.
 
and 99 others said:
The reason buzzwords are even a cliche thing that people are advised to avoid is because when they are used and supported by actual compelling stories/evidence (as I'm sure is the case with you), they are effective, but in most cases the support is missing and people just rely on the words that they think adcoms want to hear.
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This x100. Buzzwords are a fantastic mechanism for lazy writing if the support is there.
 
u_raptor said:
Ouch :sorry:
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No no no, the Lawl was to me not to you. It was like “Lawl, what’s a ‘humility’” You are very humile. So much so that you are equally happy from duke to gtown lol
 

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MemeLord said:
No no no, the Lawl was to me not to you. It was like “Lawl, what’s a ‘humility’” You are very humile. So much so that you are equally happy from duke to gtown lol
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Lol now you made me feel like I am bragging through you, RIP I can't win :laugh: :arghh:
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Dang....... Now that I read your post again, I just thought of a much better diversity essay I could have used incorporating my work with the underserved instead of the really generic cultural essay I used...
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I mean hey, I talked about my own experiences with culture for some of the diversity essays! I wouldnt fret!
 
MemeLord said:
*Spent like 5 hours on each essay with three peer reviews and is still waiting on Duke*

Do you think the “themes” cane together or anything like that?
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Maybe the person assigned to screen you is being slow. I'm sure you're a better writer than me.

Honestly, I don't think I had overarching themes, but I think the unedited nature of what I wrote meant that my "personality" was probably there in a much more raw form. Talked a lot about context and interdisciplinary thinking, both in the context (how ironic) of identity, lived experiences, and intellectual/academic ambitions. Before the interview invite, I got a call from the dean who mentioned a very specific thing on my primary that was only very briefly mentioned on my secondary.
 
Enterococcus said:
Maybe the person assigned to screen you is being slow. I'm sure you're a better writer than me.

Honestly, I don't think I had overarching themes, but I think the unedited nature of what I wrote meant that my "personality" was probably there in a much more raw form. Talked a lot about context and interdisciplinary thinking, both in the context (how ironic) of identity, lived experiences, and intellectual/academic ambitions.
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Dang. I really downplayed the academic, scholarly, and research side of my application...I prewrote before getting MCAT back...in hindsight, probably should’ve changed gears...
 
MemeLord said:
Dang. I really downplayed the academic, scholarly, and research side of my application...I prewrote before getting MCAT back...in hindsight, probably should’ve changed gears...
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I don't think that that's necessarily a problem. You have so many cool non-academic experiences!
By the way, I ninja-edited my post after you responded. The dean of admissions called me before my interview invite and brought up a unique non-academic hobby I took part in (which was not really mentioned on my secondary). Perhaps that played a much larger role in my getting an II.
 
Enterococcus said:
I don't think that that's necessarily a problem. You have so many cool non-academic experiences!
By the way, I ninja-edited my post after you responded. The dean of admissions called me before my interview invite and brought up a unique non-academic hobby I took part in (which was not really mentioned on my secondary). Perhaps that played a much larger role in my getting an II.
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*checks phone history for any missed calls from NC*
 
Enterococcus said:
I swear I'm paranoid about phone calls now so I answer every single call even if I know it's a robocall.
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I got thrown off by a call from Detroit. Thought it was UMich, was just my phone interview for WMed. I am doing the same thing - answer all calls.
 
Enterococcus said:
I swear I'm paranoid about phone calls now so I answer every single call even if I know it's a robocall.
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Lol I had to reschedule one, and apparently they decided to call to ask me about a new date. I was trying to take a nap so my GF answered thinking it was a telemarketer. I SCRAMBLED out of that bed when she said "oh you are from X? he's sleeping why do you need him" :laugh: :laugh:
 
u_raptor said:
Lol I had to reschedule one, and apparently they decided to call to ask me about a new date. I was trying to take a nap so my GF answered thinking it was a telemarketer. I SCRAMBLED out of that bed when she said "oh you are from X? he's sleeping why do you need him" :laugh: :laugh:
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So, the person who had my phone number before me bought viagra in bulk from a "pharmacy" in India (I can't make this stuff up) which prompted these "companies" to call literally dozens of times a day asking if he wanted to "refill" his prescription. I was lucky enough to inherit this number and now receive those calls every single day. This all worries me deeply because I immediately just reject any call from a number that is not in my contacts.

Why me
 
and 99 others said:
So, the person who had my phone number before me bought viagra in bulk from a "pharmacy" in India (I can't make this stuff up) which prompted these "companies" to call literally dozens of times a day asking if he wanted to "refill" his prescription. I was lucky enough to inherit this number and now receive those calls every single day. This all worries me deeply because I immediately just reject any call from a number that is not in my contacts.

Why me
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You should just keep saying “yes.” Get this dude all the erections he can have. I feel he deserves them.
 
MemeLord said:
You should just keep saying “yes.” Get this dude all the erections he can have. I feel he deserves them.
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Well they're not an actual pharmacy and thus don't have records other than phone number. When I say yes they then ask for my credit card info.

The business is legit, they actually send the viagra (according to what the previous owner of my number has told me. not from personal experience, I swear)
 
Low key putting I am groot in my next secondary to get an II
 
When I HAd words left over in my essays, At times I really felt like adding in “i would love to go to your school. Please just let me know” but didnt.
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Was just reading one of my secondaries to use for another and found that as I was listing certain things (X, Y, and Z), I omitted a comma and just used two "ands" (X and Y and Z). Is this something that will break my application? Otherwise, I am a very good fit for this school
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You good, bruh. If I can say "I am groot" then you can say "and and."
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Lets assume tho that they notice it, will it be a deal breaker (this school is perhaps the best fit school for me lol)
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The omission of a comma will have no impact on your application outcome. Small mistakes like this really won't matter and are not deal breakers. Finding tons of them every couple of sentences, maybe. But not one or two.
 
pchemdestr8 said:
Thanks, my editor didn't catch it and neither did I so it doesn't sound very wrong (at least if you read it fast lol), but NOW that I've caught it it sounds awkward lol. Lets assume tho that they notice it, will it be a deal breaker (this school is perhaps the best fit school for me lol)
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Not a deal breaker either way imho. But I am not in the position to make the decision about your application.
 
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