How important are the "why us" essays?

[deleted969405]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Lets say I keep it general and write about how I like that their curriculum is patient-centered, write about a few opportunities that I will take advantage of such as volunteering at student run clinics, and talk about their great research facilities. Obviously each point will be specific to the school, but if I keep it general like that, how will that affect my chances of matriculation?

 

[Moko]

These types of questions help screen out people who haven't looked through the school website. They also help adcoms figure out which folks may be more likely to attend if accepted.

As it stands, what you wrote could probably be copy-and-pasted to any other school (what similar schools don't have a patient-centered curriculum, volunteering, or research capabilities?). Your response meets the bare minimum that is expected, so it's unlikely to help nor hurt, which is usually the case for these types of questions in my opinion.

 

[907914]

These types of questions help screen out people who haven't looked through the school website. They also help adcoms figure out which folks may be more likely to attend if accepted.

Your response meets the bare minimum that is expected, so it's unlikely to help nor hurt.

How powerful is a line like “Having working in simulated environments in both a simulation center and in the field while in the military, I know how valuable hands on learning - and I believe that the simulation center available at XSOM can further add to...”

Things like that where we bring in how the school can contribute to something we already have experience in/with?

 

[gyngyn]

How powerful is a line like “Having working in simulated environments in both a simulation center and in the field while in the military, I know how valuable hands on learning - and I believe that the simulation center available at XSOM can further add to...”

Things like that where we bring in how the school can contribute to something we already have experience in/with?

meh.

 

[Moko]

How powerful is a line like “Having working in simulated environments in both a simulation center and in the field while in the military, I know how valuable hands on learning - and I believe that the simulation center available at XSOM can further add to...” Things like that where we bring in how the school can contribute to something we already have experience in/with?

Ehh. I wouldn't be swayed one way or another.

(Nvm, gyngyn beat me to it)

 

[907914]

meh.

Guess I am SOL lol

I am assuming that is neutral and bland then? What makes a ‘why us’ not- neutral (positive or negative) other than support network, family in the area, yadda yadda?

 

[907914]

Ehh. I wouldn't be swayed one way or another.

(Nvm, gyngyn beat me to it)

Well, same question to you if you wouldn’t mind - what makes a ‘why us’ positive or negative as opposed to neutral?

 

[rdyotz]

Well, same question to you if you wouldn’t mind - what makes a ‘why us’ positive or negative as opposed to neutral?

Go all out and include a deposit check with your secondary.

 

[deleted969405]

@Moko @gyngyn what would make for a great "why us" essay? And how important are these essays? Are they worth delaying the submission of my secondary a few days?

 

[907914]

Go all out and include a deposit check with your secondary.

Lol Well, I have already submitted 18 of my 21 schools with lines along the lines of that one above (tailored experiences to whatever the website of the school emphasizes) so meh. It is a personal quandary at this point so that maybe I can improve my answers for interviews, because I thought tying personal experience in would be all the rage.

 

[gyngyn]

Lol Well, I have already submitted 18 of my 21 schools with lines along the lines of that one above (tailored experiences to whatever the website of the school emphasizes) so meh. It is a personal quandary at this point so that maybe I can improve my answers for interviews, because I thought tying personal experience in would be all the rage.

The question is also "meh" so don't feel bad.

 

[Physician.EXE]

Lol Well, I have already submitted 18 of my 21 schools with lines along the lines of that one above (tailored experiences to whatever the website of the school emphasizes) so meh. It is a personal quandary at this point so that maybe I can improve my answers for interviews, because I thought tying personal experience in would be all the rage.

Haha I've been writing similar things, except I focused on flipped classroom/active learning.

 

[gyngyn]

@Moko @gyngyn what would make for a great "why us" essay? And how important are these essays? Are they worth delaying the submission of my secondary a few days?

This type of question is neither sensitive nor specific. They are not worth much more than a look at the website (unless you have an actual answer!).

 

[Moko]

I am assuming that is neutral and bland then? What makes a ‘why us’ not- neutral (positive or negative) other than support network, family in the area, yadda yadda?

Things that are net positive:
- Proximity to family
- SO located in city
- SO willing to relocate but their career only has jobs available in certain cities
- Ability to tolerate being in said city (having lived here before, went to undergrad here, been in similar towns/cities, etc.)
- School- or city-specific things, e.g someone who is interested in infectious diseases or epidemiology may want to be close to the CDC for fellowship opportunities, etc. (a weak positive)
- Essentially, any reason that would make an applicant choose us over a similarly-ranked or higher-ranked school

Things that are net negative:
- Not showing enough interest to even look through the school website
- Wrong school name in the application... Most "top" schools probably get very touchy when they're accidentally called Harvard
- No clear reason given for why you would even consider coming here if accepted (probably a bigger issue for lower-ranked schools, or for schools located in the middle of nowhere)

These lists are obviously by no means exhaustive. For the overwhelming majority of folks, they'll be putting down more or less the same things...

@Moko @gyngyn what would make for a great "why us" essay? And how important are these essays? Are they worth delaying the submission of my secondary a few days?

Just don't write something that would make you stand out negatively and you'll be fine. Not worth delaying a secondary for this.

 

[rdyotz]

Lol Well, I have already submitted 18 of my 21 schools with lines along the lines of that one above (tailored experiences to whatever the website of the school emphasizes) so meh. It is a personal quandary at this point so that maybe I can improve my answers for interviews, because I thought tying personal experience in would be all the rage.

Then walk into your interview with a roll of benjamins and slyly pull one out to pay the deposit. There is no way that could backfire.

 

[710118]

My inclination is that those essays don't help separate anybody out except for the people who write total nonsense. Almost everybody says the same thing because the truth is, most medical schools aren't unique.

 

[deleted969405]

My inclination is that those essays don't help separate anybody out except for the people who write total nonsense. Almost everybody says the same thing because the truth is, most medical schools aren't unique.

do adcoms really get this though? Are people truly that lazy that they can't do a basic google search?

 

[AnMDtoB]

Any pro tips out there for schools that have basically nothing that's truly unique about them? (Think: they have a webpage titled "Why X SOM?" and no unique programs/curriculum features/student groups etc. mentioned in there or anywhere else on their website)

I don't want to submit 2,000 char of nonsense but I feel like my options are limited -_-"

 

[710118]

do adcoms really get this though? Are people truly that lazy that they can't do a basic google search?

I would probably guess 3 types of people fall into this camp.

1) High stat applicants who don't want to bother researching a lower ranked school.
2) Low stat applicant applying to higher ranked schools and not really believing they have a shot
3) people who try and get too creative which ends up backfiring

 

[AnMDtoB]

Are people truly that lazy that they can't do a basic google search?

Guess you haven't spent that much time on SDN /s

(just do a brief scroll through the threads and you'll see quite a few)

 

[Bonne Nuit]

do adcoms really get this though? Are people truly that lazy that they can't do a basic google search?

Posters here are not really representative of the premeds I've encountered out in the wild, and, yes, many adults actually are that lazy.

Having been on the other side of applications processes at various points in my life, I know it's not limited to medical school. My rough estimate is that, in any process requiring an application, ~50% of the applications are going to contain stupid/easily avoidable errors, and the bottom 10-20% are going to be downright sloppy. You start to wonder what some of these people are thinking. I would have assumed that the financial burden of applying would make for more careful premeds, but I also saw some truly astonishing errors from the last cohort of premeds I met, so who knows?

 

[Goro]

Lets say I keep it general and write about how I like that their curriculum is patient-centered, write about a few opportunities that I will take advantage of such as volunteering at student run clinics, and talk about their great research facilities. Obviously each point will be specific to the school, but if I keep it general like that, how will that affect my chances of matriculation?

I'm underwhelmed as well.

Hint: try not to take the lazy way out of doing these...you have some 5-10,000 applicants who are as hungry, if not hungrier than you.

 

[Goro]

Are people truly that lazy that they can't do a basic google search?

From seeing reams of ORMs who have the HBCs on their lists, without a shred of evidence of service to communities of color, the answer is YES!

And these from people with tons of research hours. Yet they can't lift a finger to search a school's admissions website.

 

[deleted804295]

I've whittled down my school list to schools that have opportunities in a very niche interest I have. If you have a niche interest in medicine and the schools you apply to have these opportunities then I'm sure it would be of benefit. But I'm no adcom so I can't say one way or another.

 

[Kardio]

Things that are net positive:
- Proximity to family
- SO located in city
- SO willing to relocate but their career only has jobs available in certain cities
- Ability to tolerate being in said city (having lived here before, went to undergrad here, been in similar towns/cities, etc.)
- School- or city-specific things, e.g someone who is interested in infectious diseases or epidemiology may want to be close to the CDC for fellowship opportunities, etc. (a weak positive)
- Essentially, any reason that would make an applicant choose us over a similarly-ranked or higher-ranked school

Things that are net negative:
- Not showing enough interest to even look through the school website
- Wrong school name in the application... Most "top" schools probably get very touchy when they're accidentally called Harvard
- No clear reason given for why you would even consider coming here if accepted (probably a bigger issue for lower-ranked schools, or for schools located in the middle of nowhere)

These lists are obviously by no means exhaustive. For the overwhelming majority of folks, they'll be putting down more or less the same things...


Just don't write something that would make you stand out negatively and you'll be fine. Not worth delaying a secondary for this.

That's disappointing - I held back on writing about the hiking opportunities a school's environment offered because it felt shallow. Instead I wrote about their curriculum. RIP.

 

[deleted969405]

I'm underwhelmed as well.

Hint: try not to take the lazy way out of doing these...you have some 5-10,000 applicants who are as hungry, if not hungrier than you.

Are they really going to be using these essays as a way to screen out applicants tho? (I understand screening out applicants who give false information or are so general that they could apply to every medical school in the country, but if a general essay was constructed on a few points of the school that I like, would that be cause for not getting an II?) It's a little difficult because the info that are on their sites is pretty much all "patient-centered curriculum" and "world renowned research facilities".

 

[deleted969405]

That's disappointing - I held back on writing about the hiking opportunities a school's environment offered because it felt shallow. Instead I wrote about their curriculum. RIP.

Wake Forest? I wrote about hiking their lol

 

[Kardio]

Are they really going to be using these essays as a way to screen out applicants tho? (I understand screening out applicants who give false information or are so general that they could apply to every medical school in the country, but if a general essay was constructed on a few points of the school that I like, would that be cause for not getting an II?) It's a little difficult because the info that are on their sites is pretty much all "patient-centered curriculum" and "world renowned research facilities".

I think it's more about identifying the apps of high-stat applicants who want a safety school (and making sure they don't waste an interview slot on said applicant)

Wake Forest? I wrote about hiking their lol

Negative

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Are they really going to be using these essays as a way to screen out applicants tho? (I understand screening out applicants who give false information or are so general that they could apply to every medical school in the country, but if a general essay was constructed on a few points of the school that I like, would that be cause for not getting an II?) It's a little difficult because the info that are on their sites is pretty much all "patient-centered curriculum" and "world renowned research facilities".

Other adcoms said that neutral/bland/boring "why us" essays are unlikely to help much, but also unlikely to hurt.

A sloppy essay, on the other hand ("And that's why I want to go to Wrongname School of Medicine"), may get you weeded out.

If you really want to write a stellar "why us" essay, you're going to have to do the legwork and research the school beyond their website/MSAR.

 

[deleted969405]

I think it's more about identifying the apps of high-stat applicants who want a safety school (and making sure they don't waste an interview slot on said applicant)

How high we talkin here lol. what LizzyM who be considered high stats?

 

[Goro]

Are they really going to be using these essays as a way to screen out applicants tho? (I understand screening out applicants who give false information or are so general that they could apply to every medical school in the country, but if a general essay was constructed on a few points of the school that I like, would that be cause for not getting an II?) It's a little difficult because the info that are on their sites is pretty much all "patient-centered curriculum" and "world renowned research facilities".

Everything in the app is fair game, and it's a seller's market.

I suggest that if all you're getting from a med school website is the bolded above, then you're not doing your research.
SDNers are advised not to obsess on single metrics, or even essays.

 

[Kardio]

How high we talkin here lol. what LizzyM who be considered high stats?

High is a relative word. If you're blowing the school's average out of the water, they might wonder why you're applying there.

510 is high for BCOM or ARCOM. 510 is not high for HMS or Stanford.

 

[deleted804295]

Are they really going to be using these essays as a way to screen out applicants tho? (I understand screening out applicants who give false information or are so general that they could apply to every medical school in the country, but if a general essay was constructed on a few points of the school that I like, would that be cause for not getting an II?) It's a little difficult because the info that are on their sites is pretty much all "patient-centered curriculum" and "world renowned research facilities".

How do you expect them to screen if not for the essays? They absolutely screen out applicants because of essays. If it were just stats schools would not bother with essays they could just use a computer.

 

[907914]

That's disappointing - I held back on writing about the hiking opportunities a school's environment offered because it felt shallow. Instead I wrote about their curriculum. RIP.

I needed to talked about hiking for like 3 sentences in my primary. Is that sufficient? Otherwise, I prolly shoulda had more hiking in the Why us essays (I’m looking at you, UVA...)

 

[sadpremed121]

How do you expect them to screen if not for the essays? They absolutely screen out applicants because of essays. If it were just stats schools would not bother with essays they could just use a computer.

I’m convinced the essays are also an excuse for them to take our application money and run. I would say take the essays seriously but honestly 99% of response are going to be the same and any attempt to try to stand out will just look stupid.

 

[Kardio]

I needed to talked about hiking for like 3 sentences in my primary. Is that sufficient? Otherwise, I prolly shoulda had more hiking in the Why us essays (I’m looking at you, UVA...)

Haha I was in VA visiting family recently and poker around their undergrad campus. Absolutely beatiful - I'd have a real answer to "Why us?" from UVA if only I was competitive for them!

 

[907914]

I’m convinced the essays are also an excuse for them to take our application money and run. I would say take the essays seriously but honestly 99% of response are going to be the same and any attempt to try to stand out will just look stupid.

At least in reading personal statements, they were all basically the same except for those of non-trads (like, more than just a gap year real non-trads). I would assume that this translates to the secondaries as well.

 

[907914]

Haha I was in VA visiting family recently and poker around their undergrad campus. Absolutely beatiful - I'd have a real answer to "Why us?" from UVA if only I was competitive for them!

They are my number 2 OOS school behind Duke!