Official 2008 Secondary Questions Thread

[Boogsie]

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Do all school send an email when the secondary is complete (application, payment, photo, and rec letters)?

How long should I wait before emailing or calling to be sure?

I have only received an email from Cornell saying my secondary is complete, which was the fourth one I submitted. I have not heard anything from GW, Columbia, or JHU. I sent my forms in by priority mail with delivery conformation, so I know they have been received by tracking them.

Has anyone heard from these schools?

 

[viciouz]

Hey quick question guys.

I am from UCI, and when schools ask about Introductory Biology classes, do they want the lower division classes or the upper division classes? I ask this because they also want to know what labs I've taken, and UCI offers no lower division bio labs that correlate with the lower dvision classes.

Any info will help thanks.

 

[GoSouthernGo]

So, I received that email on Monday from UIC with a password and a link to check the status of my application. And when I logged in, it told me that my application was, "Process Complete - Contact College Admissions at 312-996-5635 for Further Information." I never received a second email that someone mentioned with a link to the secondary, but I was able to use the link and see the secondary. So, I emailed UIC to ask about that "Process Complete" status, and here is the email answer I got:

"Since there is a fee associated with our supplemental application, our
policy is to only send our supplemental application to individuals we are
seriously considering for a seat in our class. We will not know this until
we receive you MCAT score. We will contact you regarding our supplemental
after we receive your MCAT scores."

That's fine by me (no MCAT score until mid-July), but it would have been far simpler and less confusing if they'd simply said that in an email rather than sending me a password and a status page that says my process is complete. Bizarre. Anyway, just thought I'd share in case anyone else was a little boggled too.

I had the same message and called UIC - they said they need MCAT scores before you can have a secondary. But if you got the first e-mail you'll get the secondary when they get your scores.

 

[Phoenix.]

I had the same message and called UIC - they said they need MCAT scores before you can have a secondary. But if you got the first e-mail you'll get the secondary when they get your scores.

Thanks, good to know! I wrote the answers to the secondaries over the holiday, so I'm glad it looks like I'll eventually get their secondary and will get to use them.

Funny how EVMS and University of Miami also screen, but already sent their secondaries out to those with no MCAT. And given what you said above, it seems that even with UIC the real screening is actually by gpa rather than MCAT.

 

[keys]

For the georgetown secondary, when hit the Preivew Button, for some reason, the bottom of my statement is not showing up.. is this happening to anyone else?

 

[Jsmooth]

just got an email from boston for registration? but even so, i can't seem to access the actual secondary application...they've got some weird system goin on...

 

[FlowLimited]

For the georgetown secondary, when hit the Preivew Button, for some reason, the bottom of my statement is not showing up.. is this happening to anyone else?

Someone posted that they had called and Georgetown was working on the technical issues with their application. Supposedly it should be fixed sometime today.

 

[premeddick]

just got an email from boston for registration? but even so, i can't seem to access the actual secondary application...they've got some weird system goin on...

They didn't email out the login id and the password. I tried to do the "i forgot" but that didn't work either. Perhaps they are waiting to send out the login data until they have sent out all of these pre-secondary emails. Did anyone call and find out?

 

[bunface]

for those who received the evms secondary, when did you get this and was it an email invite? i was amcas verified on june 14th, but still hasn't gotten the secondary yet..

 

[FlowLimited]

for those who received the evms secondary, when did you get this and was it an email invite? i was amcas verified on june 14th, but still hasn't gotten the secondary yet..

The EVMS secondary is through an email invite. They do some screening so secondaries are not sent to everyone right away. So far, I only know of two people on here that have gotten one from them. So don't worry, I haven't gotten one yet either.

 

[Daydreamer2008]

Do all school send an email when the secondary is complete (application, payment, photo, and rec letters)?

How long should I wait before emailing or calling to be sure?

I have only received an email from Cornell saying my secondary is complete, which was the fourth one I submitted. I have not heard anything from GW, Columbia, or JHU. I sent my forms in by priority mail with delivery conformation, so I know they have been received by tracking them.

Has anyone heard from these schools?

I received the "complete" email from GW today. But I also submitted my letters electronically, and mailed my app priority 2 days after I got the secondary.

 

[Boogsie]

Thanks daydreamer.

I guess I should give it some more time. I also sent my letter electronically. According to the USPS, they received it on the 07/02, so maybe they just haven't entered into their system.

I think if I don't hear anything in a week, I'll email GW.

 

[146233]

I received the "complete" email from GW today. But I also submitted my letters electronically, and mailed my app priority 2 days after I got the secondary.

Nice!

 

[FlowLimited]

Folks, just got this response from Georgetown if anyone was wondering:

Thank you for your patience. We have been having some technical difficulties with the secondary application. Our tech people are finishing up fixing the problems this afternoon and things should hopefully be back to normal late this evening or tomorrow morning.

If you encounter more problems or have more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your interest in our program.

Sincerely,
Office of Admissions
Georgetown University School of Medicine

 

[little pebble]

They didn't email out the login id and the password. I tried to do the "i forgot" but that didn't work either. Perhaps they are waiting to send out the login data until they have sent out all of these pre-secondary emails. Did anyone call and find out?

Login's your e-mail, and you set the password plus do a security question. However, I can't login either...

 

[Jaded03]

Hey quick question guys.

I am from UCI, and when schools ask about Introductory Biology classes, do they want the lower division classes or the upper division classes? I ask this because they also want to know what labs I've taken, and UCI offers no lower division bio labs that correlate with the lower dvision classes.

Any info will help thanks.

I'm sure they MUST have some lower division labs associated with your Bio courses. If the lab is incorporated into your discussion, the course is considered lecture WITH lab.

On the chance you do NOT have undergrad lab AT ALL, (which I think is a bit weird that UCI would do it), then add UD labs as necessary.

It would help if you told us what it did ask for specifically.

 

[Daydreamer2008]

I just got rejected from U of Nebraska pre secondary! Lame-o's I mean just cuz i'm not a "nebraska resident". argggg. what a waste of $30

 

[doctortobe2012]

would anyone be willing to PM me a copy of (or summary of) their pitt secondary question #1 (significant moral or ethical dilemma)? this one is a toughie. tia!

 

[146233]

would anyone be willing to PM me a copy of (or summary of) their pitt secondary question #1 (significant moral or ethical dilemma)? this one is a toughie. tia!

It's supposed to be hard. Don't ask other people for their answers. Just acknowledge the dilemma/issue, discuss the implications of any specific decision, and identify your reasons for selecting a particular position. Schools are more concerned with the thinking process you use to get to your decision rather than your final answer itself.

 

[anotherpremed]

Do all school send an email when the secondary is complete (application, payment, photo, and rec letters)?

How long should I wait before emailing or calling to be sure?

I have only received an email from Cornell saying my secondary is complete, which was the fourth one I submitted. I have not heard anything from GW, Columbia, or JHU. I sent my forms in by priority mail with delivery conformation, so I know they have been received by tracking them.

Has anyone heard from these schools?

I heard from GW and Cornell today that I was complete. GW will take time since the applications are via snail mail.

 

[melissainsd]

Does Mayo require LORs? I know they don't have a secondary.

Yes, and they are very important. Also, they have a secondary, it is just pre-screened and on the phone.

 

[nskittles57]

Folks, just got this response from Georgetown if anyone was wondering:

Thank you for your patience. We have been having some technical difficulties with the secondary application. Our tech people are finishing up fixing the problems this afternoon and things should hopefully be back to normal late this evening or tomorrow morning.

If you encounter more problems or have more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your interest in our program.

Sincerely,
Office of Admissions
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Thanks for the update...I was beginning to wonder when they were going to get it fixed!

 

[GreenMudPhud]

Is it just me, or have secondary releases been kinda scarce this week? Not that I'm complaining seeing as I still have 5 unfinished ATM.

 

[chickenlittle84]

Question. Most secondaries ask you to tell them about what you will be doing the next year if you are not in school. I will be in my current position until early August, and I have a job lined up once this position ends. The thing is, I have a verbal job offer, but I have to wait for HR to finish doing the background check and a TB test before I can get anything on paper...they are backed up and are taking their time putting the paperwork through. As long as there is no problem with the paperwork, the job is mine, they have stopped looking for others to fill it, etc.

I feel really paranoid even asking this, but is it okay for me to talk about this position on the secondaries? And if, by some freak chance, something doesn't work out, do I just write a letter to schools and explain?

Thanks!

 

[146233]

Boy, UIC's secondary sure tested my patience. Repeating the list of coursework (just like most others), repeating my list of extracurricular activities... two required essays... All this for a measly state school.

 

[Phoenix.]

Question. Most secondaries ask you to tell them about what you will be doing the next year if you are not in school. I will be in my current position until early August, and I have a job lined up once this position ends. The thing is, I have a verbal job offer, but I have to wait for HR to finish doing the background check and a TB test before I can get anything on paper...they are backed up and are taking their time putting the paperwork through. As long as there is no problem with the paperwork, the job is mine, they have stopped looking for others to fill it, etc.

I feel really paranoid even asking this, but is it okay for me to talk about this position on the secondaries? And if, by some freak chance, something doesn't work out, do I just write a letter to schools and explain?

Thanks!

Well, if you want to talk about it, perhaps you can just be upfront and say that you have an offer to start at that position in August, and that you're looking forward to that opportunity/job. If something happens, and they ask about it at the interview, just explain whatever happened (if it fell through). I don't think you'd have to send them an update letter to say it fell through if you made it clear that it was tentative. I can't imagine that would be a reason to reject you. Things happen. I don' think that telling them about the plans/jobs you have lined up for your year off is going to hurt in any way. But it's your call. Just do whatever you feel comfortable doing. If you don't feel secure in mentioning the specific job yet, don't. You could just say that you're exploring getting a job doing ________ starting in August and leave it at that. And then update them when you start the job.

 

[chickenlittle84]

Thanks that's good advice! I guess my paranoia about signing a lease before getting the final paperwork from HR, for which there could be financial consequences should anything go wrong, is spilling over into my applications!

 

[prznpremed]

How bad is it to leave an answer blank, like for Jeffersons:

If there is any additional information you would like to provide please include it in the box below.


I really have nothing to add. I also am not the worlds most stellar applicant, so I feel like I should say something along the lines of "I like your school b/c ..."

Thoughts?

 

[FlowLimited]

How bad is it to leave an answer blank, like for Jeffersons:

If there is any additional information you would like to provide please include it in the box below.


I really have nothing to add. I also am not the worlds most stellar applicant, so I feel like I should say something along the lines of "I like your school b/c ..."

Thoughts?

It's not bad at all. If you don't have anything to add, don't write anything. If you want to say something about why you want to go to Jefferson you can, but it's only 500 characters so they aren't expecting much (if anything).

 

[doctortobe2012]

How bad is it to leave an answer blank, like for Jeffersons:

If there is any additional information you would like to provide please include it in the box below.


I really have nothing to add. I also am not the worlds most stellar applicant, so I feel like I should say something along the lines of "I like your school b/c ..."

Thoughts?

i think you should add something if you can. don't write something just for the sake of filling empty space, but i feel that there is so much about an applicant that the school can't see from just the AMCAS application. you should take every opportunity to let the school know more about you and your motivations for going to med school. i think i just took a couple of sentences from one of my secondaries dealing with what qualities/characteristics/experiences i would bring to their incoming class.

 

[Phoenix.]

It's not bad at all. If you don't have anything to add, don't write anything. If you want to say something about why you want to go to Jefferson you can, but it's only 500 characters so they aren't expecting much (if anything).

Yeah, I left that blank too. In hindsight, perhaps I should have written a line or two about what stood out to attract me to their program. But I was already a little tired of lengthly/multiple essays, and was excited to view this app as having no essay questions. Heh. If I hadn't already sent it out, I'd probably write a few lines. It's up to you. I wouldn't just make up some bs, but if something stands out in their program, mention it. Also, if you have something you'd like to explain about your app or what you're up to this year, it can't hurt to add it.

 

[FlowLimited]

I wouldn't just make up some bs, but if something stands out in their program, mention it. Also, if you have something you'd like to explain about your app or what you're up to this year, it can't hurt to add it.

👍

 

[viciouz]

Boy, UIC's secondary sure tested my patience. Repeating the list of coursework (just like most others), repeating my list of extracurricular activities... two required essays... All this for a measly state school.

Yah seriously... don't these schools get our AMCAS Apps? All the info is right there. I swear it is.

 

[146233]

It is. Either they're hoping you'll put something new, too lazy too look for it themselves, or hope you'll get pissed and not submit. 😀

 

[Ruz]

UCSD sent out their secondary

 

[PlayMeSomeMusic]

So I know this is silly, but I'm having a terrible time figuring out which acts I want to list as alturistic..

My friend tried to coax things out of me by saying things like "what have you done that you didn't/wouldn't get recognized for" or "we've been practicing the Golden rule since kingergarten" but I still am having a hard time thinking of something worth wild.. yes i've volunteered and done all sorts of projects and even did some pretty gross things that definitely weren't for my benefit when i became CNA certified..

but I still don't know what to write for this question because I feel like it should be more than just your everyday volunteer work I guess... I'm not really sure but I was wondering if anyone would share a little.. Maybe a PM if you don't want to post on here.. I'm not looking to steal anybody else's it's just one of those questions that's got me stumped and I just need an example of something so I can rack my brain and come up with my own lol. Sorry for the long post.. Thanks 😀

 

[spanamit]

UCSD sent out their secondary

I don't think they sent their secondary.

It is just an email acknowledging the receipt of application.

At least that is all I have received today.

 

[doctortobe2012]

I don't think they sent their secondary.

It is just an email acknowledging the receipt of application.

At least that is all I have received today.

yes, i've heard that UC's generally don't send secondaries until september (but it may be as late as sometime during spring, depending on how competitive an applicant you are).

 

[Ruz]

My mistake, you guys are right.

 

[campanile]

On Tulane's secondary, it asks for the field of medicine that you are most interested in and gives you a lot of space for it...Does this mean you aren't supposed to just write one word but an actual reply for it? What would you write if that's the case? Why you are interested?

 

[doctortobe2012]

On Tulane's secondary, it asks for the field of medicine that you are most interested in and gives you a lot of space for it...Does this mean you aren't supposed to just write one word but an actual reply for it? What would you write if that's the case? Why you are interested?

yep, actual reply. my take on it is that if you're given the space to, you should always support your response with something concrete. for instance, if you're interested in primary care, say why you are, what you have done to test this interest, what led you to decide on primary care, etc. etc.

 

[viciouz]

yep, actual reply. my take on it is that if you're given the space to, you should always support your response with something concrete. for instance, if you're interested in primary care, say why you are, what you have done to test this interest, what led you to decide on primary care, etc. etc.

Yah for the Tulane Secondary, I wrote about wanting to be a Surgical Oncologist because I volunteered on an Oncology Ward for 6months, and I shadowed different surgeons in surgery. Not only that, I do research on Cancer, and shadow and Oncologist now.

 

[campanile]

cool, thanks doctortobe2012 and viciouz.

I realized have another question. NJMS asks for three letters of rec and I called to ask if you could send more than that. They said yes and I asked how many max. They just said don't overwhelm us. I didn't want to keep pushing for a number. Do you think 6 is too many? Or is 5 better?

 

[mc4435]

How are you guys approaching the questions like "Please explain why you chose our school to study medicine." ? I have a hard time putting something like "Umm cause I thought I could get in there?" haha. I think there was a question like this before but I can't find it.

 

[mvenus929]

How are you guys approaching the questions like "Please explain why you chose our school to study medicine." ? I have a hard time putting something like "Umm cause I thought I could get in there?" haha. I think there was a question like this before but I can't find it.

I wrote about merits of the program. Things like a very mixed curriculum (PBL, lectures, journal reviews...), or maybe student body demographics (diverse, or not so diverse...). Just find something you like about the school and write about it.

 

[NBCDTT]

I havent gotten ANYTHING from UCSD, should i be worried??

 

[somethingpositi]

I havent gotten ANYTHING from UCSD, should i be worried??

I haven't gotten anything either. I wouldn't be worried about it yet.

 

[j-weezy]

Anyone get that somewhat worthless email from Vanderbilt?

 

[MassTransport]

Anyone get that somewhat worthless email from Vanderbilt?

Yes. I can't figure out how to edit the list, but Vandy does e-mail invite, for anybody industrious enough to add the school.

 

[j-weezy]

Yes. I can't figure out how to edit the list, but Vandy does e-mail invite, for anybody industrious enough to add the school.

I don't think it's an email invite - just saying they received our AMCAS application... which is why I think it's worthless haha...

"Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has received your AMCAS application via electronic transmission. We are so excited that you are an applicant to Vanderbilt's 2007 First Year Class! Invitation to complete our secondary application and interview at VUMS will be mailed as soon as the screening of your application is completed. If an interview is granted, the submission of the Vanderbilt online secondary application is required before scheduling your interview. We ask only those who have been invited to interview to complete the Vanderbilt online secondary application. "