Is it frowned upon to submit the same PS/ EC descriptions?

[partypantss]

So a bit of background, I applied very late last cycle (August MCAT, marked complete throughout September/ October) and received 1 interview (Downstate) that led to now me currently being on the "alternate list" with that school. GPA 3.71 (all A's past 5 semesters) BCMP GPA somewhere close to it. MCAT 29 (9PS 10VR 10BS) I applied to 15 schools last cycle, this cycle I'm applying to around 20 (a handful of the original 15 I am not reapplying to.)

Anyway, my main question is: when I reapply this cycle, is it okay that my activity descriptions and personal statement are all pretty much exactly the same? Not a great deal has changed from last time I applied. The only differences are: A continuation of EC's that are already on my app, (so will update dates/hours) another year of solid school performance that raised my GPA, one new LOR and the biggest change is that I'm applying right in June instead of late.

If your supposed to change your PS, I don't really know how I would, since nothing has really changed this past year. All of my thoughts and motivations for pursuing medical school are the same.

Thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PatrickStarMDPHD]

Here is what I am doing as a fellow reapp: Much of my original motivation for pursuing medicine is still very much the same. I just revised ~75% of my PS to appear less research, and more clinical and service oriented. I kept about %25 because it was great and I could not afford to lose it.

I rewrote 90% of my activities with better descriptions since I feel the previous application process made me a better writer because of all the secondaries and such.

Try your best to find ways to improve your writing, and maybe include new experiences. How was your old PS?

 

[partypantss]

Here is what I am doing as a fellow reapp: Much of my original motivation for pursuing medicine is still very much the same. I just revised ~75% of my PS to appear less research, and more clinical and service oriented. I kept about %25 because it was great and I could not afford to lose it.

I rewrote 90% of my activities with better descriptions since I feel the previous application process made me a better writer because of all the secondaries and such.

Try your best to find ways to improve your writing, and maybe include new experiences. How was your old PS?

Thanks for the response. For my writing, I don't really feel like it has changed at all in the past year. I have always been a very solid writer based on feedback from my English classes. I don't think I am any better now so I doubt I will suddenly write better descriptions of my activities, especially since I already spent so much time on them.

My PS covers three events that are responsible for my goal to become a physician. I talk about a time when I had to perform emergency CPR, one of my shadowing experiences and then the recent death of my parent. I have no idea "how good" it is, since it's impossible for me to judge my own PS accurately. If I had to rewrite it I just honestly don't know what else to talk about. However, I would like to know if it's necessarily a bad thing to keep it the same.

Pretty much, if not changing anything looks really bad, then I will have to find ways to change things. If it isn't that big of a deal, then I would rather not try to force myself to change things just for the sake of changing things.

I will definitely read through my app again though to see if there are ways to improve, I just doubt there will be much that I want to change.

 

[gyngyn]

We will compare the two applications.
If there are no differences we will assume that you are either lazy, unimaginative or that you don't think we will check.
There is also the possibility that you paid someone to write your essay and don't want to waste the $.

I could go on but I think you get the gist.

 

[PatrickStarMDPHD]

We will compare the two applications.
If there are no differences we will assume that you are either lazy, unimaginative or that you don't think we will check.
There is also the possibility that you paid someone to write your essay and don't want to waste the $.

I could go on but I think you get the gist.

I was also wondering how different the two personal statements should be? Provided that ~80% of the personal statement has been rewritten, is it ok to keep stronger aspects of the old personal statement in the new one?

 

[partypantss]

We will compare the two applications.
If there are no differences we will assume that you are either lazy, unimaginative or that you don't think we will check.
There is also the possibility that you paid someone to write your essay and don't want to waste the $.

I could go on but I think you get the gist.

Thanks, in that case I will have to find ways to change it up. I have the same questions as patrickstarMDPHD, how different would you say is enough? Should I try completely re-writing a new PS/ work experience descriptions?

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks, in that case I will have to find ways to change it up. I have the same questions as patrickstarMDPHD, how different would you say is enough? Should I try completely re-writing a new PS/ work experience descriptions?

You can always find a better way to say something.

 

[DrPatriot]

I submitted really late last year and I also added a good number of schools to this year's app.

That being said, I tweaked my PS very minorly to incorporate the experiences I have added in the last couple months. My PS tells who I am and rewriting it completely wouldn't give the impression I wanted an adcom to have of me. I asked an admissions adviser at one school I applied last year if she thought it would be a problem that I barely changed some of the stuff including the PS and she didn't seem to think it was going to be a huge concern since they didn't get to view my app last cycle.

I don't want to come across as lazy but at the same time I feel my PS and descriptions only needed very minor changes to convey who I am and give me the best shot at getting accepted. I hope that my app will be viewed as different based on the additional experiences I added and the fact that I applied to new schools and submitted the app early.

 

[premed_noob]

I submitted really late last year and I also added a good number of schools to this year's app.

That being said, I tweaked my PS very minorly to incorporate the experiences I have added in the last couple months. My PS tells who I am and rewriting it completely wouldn't give the impression I wanted an adcom to have of me. I asked an admissions adviser at one school I applied last year if she thought it would be a problem that I barely changed some of the stuff including the PS and she didn't seem to think it was going to be a huge concern since they didn't get to view my app last cycle.

I don't want to come across as lazy but at the same time I feel my PS and descriptions only needed very minor changes to convey who I am and give me the best shot at getting accepted. I hope that my app will be viewed as different based on the additional experiences I added and the fact that I applied to new schools and submitted the app early.

the admissions officer told you that they didn't view your app last cycle?? how late was really late? I would have assumed that all apps get the decency of at least having a preliminary set of eyes run through them

 

[DrPatriot]

the admissions officer told you that they didn't view your app last cycle?? how late was really late? I would have assumed that all apps get the decency of at least having a preliminary set of eyes run through them

I submitted the primary in late August and my secondaries in late September and early October. I ended up taking the MCAT again in January so I know some of the schools waited until February to review my app since they accepted the Jan MCAT.

But yeah at this school, she pulled up my application in her office when I visited her last month and said they didn't get to my application before the seats were filled and the waitlist was very long so I got a rejection letter.

 

[partypantss]

the admissions officer told you that they didn't view your app last cycle?? how late was really late? I would have assumed that all apps get the decency of at least having a preliminary set of eyes run through them

They still look at your app if it's submitted in August/ September/October, but the problem is that by then, often many of the interview spots are already taken. So they generally become much more strict about giving away the few remaining spots. That's the issue with rolling admissions. Basically unless your an absolute top of the line candidate with a 40 MCAT, 3.9 GPA and saved a school of puppies from a fire, you are better off applying earlier.

 

[Grace184]

@gyngyn @Goro I definitely understand the importance of revising the PS- mine is going to be 99% revised. But as far as activities/achievement explanations, is it necessary to revise those?

 

[Goro]

I don't think it's necessary.

@gyngyn @Goro I definitely understand the importance of revising the PS- mine is going to be 99% revised. But as far as activities/achievement explanations, is it necessary to revise those?

 

[partypantss]

I don't think it's necessary.

Oh.. Okay thank you, you just saved me many hours of work. I thought the previous comments were saying that I should rewrite both, but if it's just the PS then that is much more manageable.

 

[gyngyn]

@gyngyn @Goro I definitely understand the importance of revising the PS- mine is going to be 99% revised. But as far as activities/achievement explanations, is it necessary to revise those?

The PS should definitely be buffed up
The EC's should be reviewed for effective writing but are probably fine as is.

 

[tturchi51]

Change your PS! I applied to dental school last year and the dean of admissions told me one committee members that interviewed me was "strongly discouraged" by the fact I didn't change it

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

@You're My Boy Blue

Your answer to your thread post.

 

[You're My Boy Blue]

Thanks @oOKawaiiOo

What about secondary essays? Should those be rewritten as well?

 

[partypantss]

Thanks @oOKawaiiOo

What about secondary essays? Should those be rewritten as well?

Good question, I was wondering the same thing today. If I had to guess, I would say yes, it's probably a good idea to at least touch them up. Hopefully an ADCOM can give us an informed answer.

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks @oOKawaiiOo

What about secondary essays? Should those be rewritten as well?

Yes!