Is it bad if my secondary essays sound similar to my personal statement?

[Dr. Snow]

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I wrote about what I am passionate about in my personal statement and how that influenced my desire to become a physician.

Many of my secondary essays ask why I am "exceptional" or why I am diverse and I think what I said in my personal statement is the best answer to those questions.

How do I solve this issue?

 

[HomeSkool]

Your PS and secondary essays should sound like they were written by the same person but not to answer the same question. It's OK if they share some common themes, but they still need to address the prompt topics in a unique fashion and not borrow too heavily from one another. If they all say the same thing, adcoms will only have one real piece of data with which to evaluate you. The best way I know to avoid the problem you're having is to have a diverse group of people read them and tear them apart. Pick folks you know will give you honest feedback and not just blow sunshine up your butt.

 

[Phile98]

blow sunshine up your butt

Imma save this for later 🤣

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

I've seen applications where they discuss the same story or patient encounter-that makes me think you've only had one experience. I've seen copy/pasted paragraphs. I would try and be more declarative in secondaries where you can focus more on answering a specific question. Different prompts can have similar answers in content but not style (if that makes any sense).