Help with secondary app question!?!

[BluBard]

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Hey guy, I'm finishing up my secondary apps and one of the essay questions that I am struggling with is
"Explain any prolonged periods of non academic activity during or after full time enrollment in formal coursework?"
The thing is tried to apply to Pod schools and ended up changing my mind, retaking classes and going for DO, but how can I explain it? Should I just say I considered other branches of medicine? Thanks for the help

 

[baxt1412]

Yeah, I don't think ther eis anything wrong with that. You will need a good explanation though in order for it to sound convincing.

Typically the whole "need a good reason thing" is more important in terms of if an applicant applied only MD one cycle then DO the next without taking classes or something because the DO schools don't want people to settle for them, but i'd still have a good reason prepared for interviews and definitely for this secondary too.

get that secondary in... QUICK

 

[j4pac]

Come on bro...not that difficult. "I though I would like feet more than backs...but then realized that feet smell. That is when I knew that medicine was my calling." Done.

 

[BluBard]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it

 

[MPHOrtho13]

From your OP, it sounds like you spent your gap period taking classes (did you work, volunteer, etc. also?).

As someone mentioned above, they're just asking that question to ensure that you weren't twiddling your thumbs and/or simply applying to DO because you were rejected by MD. No need to talk about your former podiatry aspirations if you spent your time working towards the DO.

Keep it simple by saying something like, "Throughout my gap year, I continued to prepare for a career in osteopathic medicine by pursuing X, Y, and Z." If you want to get fancy, you can write a sentence about each X, Y, and Z. I graduated college years ago-- so this question really helped my apps because it afforded me the opportunity to highlight the reasons why I was 'unique' and a great fit for each school that asked it... So don't be afraid to use this question to your advantage!

Good luck! 🙂

 

[PlaqueBuster]

dont talk about podiatry if you did not matriculate into the school. Just say what you physicially did