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The 2026-2027 DO School Specific Threads are now available in the School Specific Discussions forum. The 2025-2026 discussions are now available in the prior year discussions forum.
having some trouble focusing on writing secondary essays. I know the prompts arent difficult to answer, just need advice on how to get the ball rollin and keep it rollin
Make a mini-outline. Think of the topics you want to cover, then go back and expand on them.
When I applied, I had a ridiculous number of secondaries so I had to set up a system. On the first night I'd outline topics for each prompt, then I'd go back and expand on them until I developed a complete answer. Then the next day I'd edit for spelling/grammar/content and send. It was sort of like an assembly line, and it kept me on point.
Considering that adcoms only spend a few minutes on secondaries, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just do what you can and move on. Secondaries won't save you from poor stats no matter how brilliant. Keep that in mind.
I'm stuck writing one now, and what I normally do is just go at it in intervals. If I'm clearly not going anywhere, I take some time off and mess around on SDN for a little bit. Eventually, you'll have something you like and it's all downhill from there. That's how it works for me.