if you can't find any "interesting things" about a school you're applying to does it hurt your app?

[mrh125]

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if you can't find any "interesting things" about a school you're applying to does it hurt your app to not mention it in the additional comments? Like some schools only have an addition comments section and don't specifically ask for me to tell me why I want to go there. For most schools I can find some cool stuff through googling, the msar, and the school's website, but for other schools I can't find anything. I mean I can easily bs some super long useless fluff, but if I just leave out "why this school" if i can't find anything does that hurt my chances of being admitted?

The other stuff i'm stuffing in the additional comments is how i'm the first person in my family to graduate and gap periods in college. Should I also mention about what i've doing since i graduated even if it doesn't explicitly ask for it?

 

[jm192]

1. You offer an MD program
2. You cost less than institution X
3. You are geographically closer to institution X.
4. I've got family there/near there

Those sort of things should qualify as interesting to you

 

[mrh125]

1. You offer an MD program
2. You cost less than institution X
3. You are geographically closer to institution X.
4. I've got family there/near there

Those sort of things should qualify as interesting to you

1 is the big reason for me. everything else doesn't apply and 1 alone justifies extremely high OOS costs for me. I'm trying to involve my interest in primary care and underserved communities, but when I can't even find any info about how the school addresses the needs of the underserved or the primary care shortage it just comes across as total BS.

 

[Amba]

1 is the big reason for me. everything else doesn't apply and 1 alone justifies extremely high OOS costs for me. I'm trying to involve my interest in primary care and underserved communities, but when I can't even find any info about how the school addresses the needs of the underserved or the primary care shortage it just comes across as total BS.

Then why apply there?

 

[mrh125]

Then why apply there?

because it's a US MD school where I have competitive OOS stats and I'm a california resident and medical schools in california are ridiculously hard to get into. If I was in TX for example this would be far less of an issue. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of schools I'm applying to that I love and would give anything to attend to because of the opportunities they provide me and how they match my interests, but there are some schools where it's like "EHHH". It's also hard when you get a lot more of this info during interview days at the school.

 

[Amba]

because it's a US MD school where I have competitive OOS stats and I'm a california resident and medical schools in california are ridiculously hard to get into. If I was in TX for example this would be far less of an issue. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of schools I'm applying to that I love and would give anything to attend to because of the opportunities they provide me and how they match my interests, but there are some schools where it's like "EHHH". It's also hard when you get a lot more of this info during interview days at the school.

Fair enough. There were a handful of schools like that on my list as well. If money isn't a huge issue, it doesn't really hurt to apply.

 

[mrh125]

Fair enough. There were a handful of schools like that on my list as well. If money isn't a huge issue, it doesn't really hurt to apply.

Did you get accepted to any of those schools? What did you do for the secondary prompts they provided?

 

[Shazam243]

You do not need to complete the additional comments section. There are many people here who have left it blank and still got in.

If you only have fluff (nonpersonal information that can apply to most applicants/be found on their website), then it might actually be better if you don't. The area is more so for you to explain things (bad semester, IA...) where you weren't provided opportunity to do so in other places of the application.

 

[Amba]

Did you get accepted to any of those schools? What did you do for the secondary prompts they provided?

Yep, I did. I wrote something that was honest. There is rarely a school where you like nothing about the program. If so, there is no reason applying.

You do not need to complete the additional comments section. There are many people here who have left it blank and still got in.

If you only have fluff (nonpersonal information that can apply to most applicants/be found on their website), then it might actually be better if you don't. The area is more so for you to explain things (bad semester, IA...) where you weren't provided opportunity to do so in other places of the application.

+1. I'm matriculating at my top choice after skipping the "optional" essay. Most of these are truly optional.

 

[DK2014]

1 is the big reason for me. everything else doesn't apply and 1 alone justifies extremely high OOS costs for me. I'm trying to involve my interest in primary care and underserved communities, but when I can't even find any info about how the school addresses the needs of the underserved or the primary care shortage it just comes across as total BS.

So you are applying because the school offers an MD program? Let us know how you turn out Mr. Davis.

 

[mrh125]

So you are applying because the school offers an MD program? Let us know how you turn out Mr. Davis.

lol You're acting like most people don't include a few schools like that and do the same. I'd let you know, but some dude above did the same and got accepted. No need for me to give an update later.