GWU secondary

[Ubu]

Re: question #11.
1st page of secondary states that "application must be....answered only in the space provided." But question #11 seems to take a lot more space to answer than the teeny tiny space they provide.

Am I really supposed to crunch my response into that tiny space? really really??

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[trauma_junky]

The font size will shrink, don't worry. But if you feel you need to, and another sheet of paper

 

[cather]

They say though please do not submit responses on additional sheets in bold so I think I'm just going to write in the space given.

 

[quideam]

Did you guys get the secondary by snail mail or e-mail? GW downloaded my app from AMCAS, but I still haven't heard anything from them...

- Quid

 

[zinjanthropus]

Could someone post directions for accessing the GWU secondary (a link if there is one)?

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Are we able to type directly on the application itself without printing it out? I didnt know we can type things on Adobe.

I just printed the application and plan on using a typewriter to fill it out. But if there is an easier alternative, I would like to know about it. Let me know people. Take care!

DOCTORSAIB

 

[cather]

There is no link to the GW secondary. You get by pdf file via email.
I hadn't gotten any email so I just called up the school and they sent it to a different email that I access.

I thought maybe about just writing in pen on the ap. But xeroxing the aps beforehand so I have extra copies in case I screw up on one and then just writing in pen on one.

 

[Paws]

Technically, Adobe Acrobat (not Reader) should let you open right up into the document and then you just treat it like a funky word doc. I think it gives you a crosshair pointer, but otherwise you're good to go.

I'm still trying to figure out which secondaries will let me access directly into the document. I have Downstate's 2003 form and it doesn't seem to open in Acrobat.

I recommend going to your school's computer lab or a specialty internet/graphics place like Kinko's. I think it would be excellent to just work it like a Word doc.

 

[soonerpillow]

I can just type in mine like it's a Word Document. and it says it's Acrobat Reader.

And how confusing is there LOR section? What if we're sending a committee letter (that isn't composite, but just based on an interview) plus additional, individual single letters from professors?

 

[echostation]

soonerpillow, first off, Love the avatar...Sam Gamgee (sp?) rocks...

Secondly, ur right, it's extremely confusing cuz i'm in the same situation...the health advisor at my uni is using a composite letters of evaluation that encompasses her recommendation PLUS three other letters from other profs/or whoever else... I think perhaps you can click YES for both as it applies to us

What stumps me the most is question 11, what a pain in the rear, they give about less than two inches of space to answer this sort ofquestion that would take 2000 characters to answer...how can we "briefly describe" factors ALONGSIDE include highlights of our experiences that demonstrate our commitment to medicine...what dothey even mean by highlights...like times that were most rewarding to us during undergrad experiences or mention specific times where we learned something out us wanting to go to medicine? what a wierd question...

 

[trauma_junky]

My #11 answer,

Dude, cuz it like brings in the dough!

No really, I typed using acrobat. It shrunk the font to fit. It is still extremely readable.

 

[echostation]

yes but what i am confused about is...what do they mean by "highlights of our experiences" do they mean our most meaningful experiences? or times/points in our experiences where we learned something amazing that makes us more committed ot medicine or a point in time in one of our experiences whereby we did something to show our commitment to medicine?

 

[iamhere]

when you say they downloaded your application...how do you know this...does it appear on your amcas? is your amcas complete and verified then?

 

[echostation]

BUMP [I want Soonerpillow to read my response to him above in a few earlier posts above this one]

About the downloading, I'm not certain, I just got an email from GW with the respective attached PDF...I'm still stuck on oen of the main questions cuz of interpretational issues b ut i'll get that sorted tonite and try to send it by this week tops

 

[myhc]

summarize people. use phrases if you have to. bottom line: follow directions. i applied to gw last year and ran into question#11 too but somehow spit out a decent answer.

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by echostation
soonerpillow, first off, Love the avatar...Sam Gamgee (sp?) rocks...

Secondly, ur right, it's extremely confusing cuz i'm in the same situation...the health advisor at my uni is using a composite letters of evaluation that encompasses her recommendation PLUS three other letters from other profs/or whoever else... I think perhaps you can click YES for both as it applies to us

What stumps me the most is question 11, what a pain in the rear, they give about less than two inches of space to answer this sort ofquestion that would take 2000 characters to answer...how can we "briefly describe" factors ALONGSIDE include highlights of our experiences that demonstrate our commitment to medicine...what dothey even mean by highlights...like times that were most rewarding to us during undergrad experiences or mention specific times where we learned something out us wanting to go to medicine? what a wierd question...

Thanks! Sam is my hero.

yeah, and it gets even more confusing. My premed committee doesn't write a composite letter. They just write their own based on an interview. In addition to that, my profs will be sending theirs. Or just to save confusion, I can just have them skip GW. We'll see.

I think all we'll have space to do is list our experiences, plus a sentence or two about why we like GW. I'm not worried about it. If they don't care to make the space big enough, they don't really care about your answer. They get like 10,000 apps a year.

BTW, I'm still waiting on my e-mail from them....*crosses arms, begins tapping foot impatiently*

 

[soonerpillow]

I just started filling this thing out (despite not having received the e-mail (thanks, cather!)) and I began the infamous #1. I wanted to see how many characters I could fit in that space. I just kept typing and typing and the characters just kept getting smaller and smaller. I actually think they got to the microscopic level before I gave up. So, type however much you want, I guess, just send a microscope with it.

 

[Ubu]

just curious...how long of a response are you guys writing in? I have about a paragraph right now, but I don't think it answers the whole question. If I answer the whole question, I think I might make it too long.

 

[ATPase]

I typed a paragraph but not so much that it became microscopic. I definitely referred to "highlights" of my experiences- i.e. "when I worked at Children's Hospital" - and maybe typed a couple sentences before moving onto the part of the question about why GW, which also ended up being a sentence or two. I don't think this section will make or break my application, or at least I hope not.

RE the LORs - I called the admissions office today because I'm sending individual letters (i.e. from my current employer since I've graduated) in addition to the composite letter from my premed committee (this may not apply to the posters above because my school sends a composite cover letter and attaches the individual profs' letters - I just checked yes for the composite, no for individual letters.) The GW people said that additional letters can be sent, as long as the total doesn't exceed 5.

 

[SonGoku]

I agree, Question #11 is a real pain. The wording is funny too.

BTW, a big thanks to Sooner for the pdf. I still have nada from them even though I was transmitted 7/15.