Full time job, 31 school apps

[Premedgirl27]

Hello everyone,

I will be working a 40hr/week job for the next year, and will be applying to medical school in June. I have 31 schools on my school list, is this a feasible number while working full time? I am a pretty good/fast writer in general. However, I want to make sure I have an adequate amount of time to complete each secondary to the best of my ability in a decent time frame. Should I decrease my school list #?

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[honey0102]

Hello everyone,

I will be working a 40hr/week job for the next year, and will be applying to medical school in June. I have 31 schools on my school list, is this a feasible number while working full time? I am a pretty good/fast writer in general. However, I want to make sure I have an adequate amount of time to complete each secondary to the best of my ability in a decent time frame. Should I decrease my school list #?

I'd say it is definitely doable. It does take time to write secondaries, but if you can dedicate time each evening and on weekends to writing a few, I think it should definitely be fine.

 

[medtech2MD]

Hello everyone,

I will be working a 40hr/week job for the next year, and will be applying to medical school in June. I have 31 schools on my school list, is this a feasible number while working full time? I am a pretty good/fast writer in general. However, I want to make sure I have an adequate amount of time to complete each secondary to the best of my ability in a decent time frame. Should I decrease my school list #?

I worked full time and completed 28 secondaries. I was also volunteering during that time. Looking back I probably should have revised my list a bit and saved time/money but I can tell you it's doable. I do wonder how good some of the essays I rushed were, but I ended up with 5 interview invites, 4 of which I attended with 2 waitlists and 2 acceptances so I'm happy with my cycle. Just make sure your list is smart and focus more on which schools you're applying to rather than just having a long list. Best of luck!


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[freak7]

I did exactly 31 while working full time.

 

[theonlytycrane]

start writing now. J/w, why 31 schools?

 

[liquidsodium]

It's doable. Prioritize your preferred schools just in case you realize you don't have the time to do all. That said, I noticed that my writing style/choice of content evolved over time, so my slightly later secondaries ended up being significantly better than my first couple (one of which unfortunately belonged my top choice).


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[libertyyne]

I worked full time while applying to a large number of schools.it is doable, you have to stay motivated and work late into the night. I also tended to get more efficient as time went on.

The thing you should make sure you have is adequate pto for travel days or an explicit understanding with your boss to take time off during the week to go interview.

 

[trimethylpurine]

Currently doing this as well - 30 schools + working full time and volunteering.

I generally wake up pretty early and try to get in a couple hours of writing before I head to work so my mind is fresh.

 

[carrots28]

You can do it. I completed 40 secondaries to MD and DO schools while working a full time and a weekend job. What helped was tackling secondaries right away when they came in. Some came as soon as I submitted the primary. I also added some schools later in August so I could fill them out a bit later and not be too overwhelmed. Also, I created a spreadsheet of all the schools and when the secondary arrived with login information. This helped me keep track of everything and quickly find information.

 

[libertyyne]

You can do it. I completed 40 secondaries to MD and DO schools while working a full time and a weekend job. What helped was tackling secondaries right away when they came in. Some came as soon as I submitted the primary. I also added some schools later in August so I could fill them out a bit later and not be too overwhelmed. Also, I created a spreadsheet of all the schools and when the secondary arrived with login information. This helped me keep track of everything and quickly find information.

Spreadsheet is key in organization. Another suggestion is if you have Gmail create a folder for application and then subfolders with each schools email messages in there.

 

[kegar99]

I would definitely start prewriting those essays if I were you. Look up the secondaries for your school list from last year and start writing responses as soon as you finish your primary. The vast majority of secondaries don't change from year to year. That'll give you more time to craft your responses, and then you won't be worried about trying to write 30 all at the same time.

 

[Premedgirl27]

Thanks for the advice everyone! These are very good tips, and I think I will start pre-writing my secondaries throughout the next month. I am applying to 31 schools because I am a Cal resident, and I am having trouble taking off schools. I figured what is an extra 6 apps, I guess

 

[DrBallerBro]

I did 40 as a CA resident while working full-time. Spent a couple all-nighters. It was knarly but looking back it wasnt the most horrible thing in the world

 

[hopeful doc]

I did 40 as a CA resident while working full-time. Spent a couple all-nighters. It was knarly but looking back it wasnt the most horrible thing in the world

Gnarly*

 

[hopeful doc]

And I did a large number of schools working full time as well. What made it extra hard was my inability to start. Had I just started Pre-writing (the secondaries are nearly identical to the year before, and you can find those prompts on the school specific pages of sdn) it wouldn't have been so bad. Just don't be so over-intimidated that you dont start tackling it early, cause that's what happened to me. It all ended up working out though. Good luck!!

 

[mistafab]

Yup - I did that.

It ended up being that only ~22 were worth applying to. Oh well, an extra $400 was fine to make a mistake with.