How to address red flags for schools WITHOUT "additional info" Q on secondaries?

[moonypadfootprongs]

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[Rogue42]

So, here is my 2 cents and my experience (n=1), take it with a grain of salt.

My philosophy when applying was to explain nothing. Medical schools will A. not care whatsoever B. care enough to ask you about it in an interview or C. care enough to deny you an interview, and NO explanation is going to change those outcomes (at least to me).

 

[moonypadfootprongs]

my initial reaction/opinion: why did you discuss this at all in any secondary at all or make it part of your challenge unless you had nothing else in your background to have a challenge or this was your own medical issue and even that is weak
1) family issues/medical issues will happen to all of us at some point in our lives
2) Withdrawals (W) are designed for exactly this external academic issue. Medical schools will understand this.

Other than saying "withdrawal due to family medical issue" there was nothing to explain. You took off school to deal with it.

My premed advisor told me to. They said that if I didn't address it in my secondary, adcoms would question my ability to handle med school when life stressors come up and that keeping them in the dark about it wouldn't do me any favors in terms of getting II's.