Personal statement vs. secondary essays - amount of effort

[rimanek]

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Many people, myself included, spent over a month perfecting the personal statement. Such focus and obsession/perfection seems next to impossible with secondaries given the number of essays. Is it generally expected for the secondaries to be somewhat less "sophisticated" in terms of how thought through and polished they are? I'm trying to figure out how much time to spend on each secondary essays given how many there are. I realize there is no right answer but I was just wondering what other people are doing...

 

[pagemmapants]

Many people, myself included, spent over a month perfecting the personal statement. Such focus and obsession/perfection seems next to impossible with secondaries given the number of essays. Is it generally expected for the secondaries to be somewhat less "sophisticated" in terms of how thought through and polished they are? I'm trying to figure out how much time to spend on each secondary essays given how many there are. I realize there is no right answer but I was just wondering what other people are doing...

I've been writing it out, going over it on the spot, then leaving it alone for a day or so and re-reading for grammar/spelling. Usually works out pretty well, although I recently caught a place in my Yale app where the quotation marks were replaced by upside-down question marks. 😡

I suck.

Then again, I'm pretty decent at writing on-the-spot essays so I usually don't change more than a few words on the 2nd day - I'm sure plenty of people just do them in a one-off style and get them in ASAP.

 

[greendot]

I don't spend anywhere near as much time on my secondary essays/answers as I did on my PS, though like the last poster I tend to write well first shot. I complete the essay, reread it myself in my head, then again outloud, then have a friend who is good with grammar give it a read. Then I read it again. By this point, I'm generally ready to submit the application. I try not to look my apps over after they are submitted though, fearing a missed grammatical mistake that will cause me unnecessary anxiety as there is nothing I can do about it.

 

[SitraAchra]

PS = 98%
Secondaries = 2%

 

[virluminous]

I'm very different. I find myself spending a lot of time researching something unique about each school and write about how I will fit in. I see secondaries as another opportunity to proof myself so I do put a lot of effort into it. granted that I don't have great stats and I don't write well so my approach is different. Yet it can't be possible for me to spend as much time on secondaries as the PS.

 

[thegenius]

PS = 98%
Secondaries = 2%

I'm afraid that the effort vs importance is misplaced. My guess is secondaries are more important than personal statements because you get to answer specific questions the university asks.

 

[dilated]

Writing the secondaries is usually simple - first run through, lay down some bull****, come back the next day and see how it reads, optionally show to friend for "lameness reading". Researching them (HOW MANY words on why I want to go to temple???) usually takes a lot longer.

 

[Overeducated]

Writing the secondaries is usually simple ... Researching them (HOW MANY words on why I want to go to temple???) usually takes a lot longer.

so true...

Need to finish georgetown research, then on to temple!

 

[greendot]

Good point in the last few posts ... I spend as much time researching each school as i need to effectively and convincingly answer the secondary questions. But the writing is much easier than the personal statement ... but then again, answering actual questions is usually easier than writing on a promptless blank sheet with the goal of selling yourself.

 

[wetlightning]

Good point in the last few posts ... I spend as much time researching each school as i need to effectively and convincingly answer the secondary questions. But the writing is much easier than the personal statement ... but then again, answering actual questions is usually easier than writing on a promptless blank sheet with the goal of selling yourself.

but what about the secondary questions that are not related to the school itself? i find the school ones fairly straightforward, b/c you have to link the school to your own interests...

but the more general ones like, "where you envision yourself in 10 years," "what special experiences would you like to talk about" <AHHH, i hate that one>

can anyone who knows members of adcom's or who's served on an adcom answer this??

i just don't know how much time to spend on these/what the schools are expecting for such general prompts

it's one thing for the PS, when they asked us why we wanted to be physicians, but how do you answer the 'special experiences' question? just talk about how your background qualifies you for being a doctor?

help, anybody? 😕

 

[Law2Doc]

PS = 98%
Secondaries = 2%

If you are saying that the AMCAS PS is 98% of the focus of adcoms in terms of essays, I doubt you are correct. As with everything in this process (GPA, MCAT, Interviews, PS, other essays, ECs, LORs) it is best to assume the following breakdown of importance:
Everything = 100% (of if you are an athlete, 110% 🙄 )
Anything in your application can help you in, and anything can keep you out. A better than average PS OR secondary essays will put you in better shape than an otherwise equal candidate with average, boring essays. Gramatical mistakes, misspelled words, or poorly conceived ideas in your secondary can give adcoms the reason they need to deny you an interview over someone else. Schools could nix the secondary essays if they felt the PS was adequate, (and some schools have,) so if a school requires additional essays you can bet they will use them as an additional criteria to either grant or deny you an interview.

 

[Law2Doc]

it's one thing for the PS, when they asked us why we wanted to be physicians, but how do you answer the 'special experiences' question?

This question is going to be quite easy for those who actually have had special experiences, and more difficult for those who haven't. And it is probably much easier for non-trads who have lived life outside of school and much harder for those who spent their life in their college's library or lab other than a token amount of shadowing. When a school asks questions like this, I think they are indicating that they are seeking students who bring to the table more than just a GPA and MCAT score. So find something else in your life to talk about. That's my uninformed two cents, though.

 

[wetlightning]

This question is going to be quite easy for those who actually have had special experiences, and more difficult for those who haven't. And it is probably much easier for non-trads who have lived life outside of school and much harder for those who spent their life in their college's library or lab other than a token amount of shadowing. When a school asks questions like this, I think they are indicating that they are seeking students who bring to the table more than just a GPA and MCAT score. So find something else in your life to talk about. That's my uninformed two cents, though.

yea, i realize the purpose of the question. i don't think i would have a paucity of experiences to describe (i'm a random german/english double major, and have spent more time in involved in literary and fine arts activities than typical premed stuff).

my point is, are we supposed to be tying these in with medicine? i feel like i did that already with my PS. for example, baylor's secondary simply says: 'write about special experiences,' whereas i've seen others that ask how special experiences have informed your decision to be a doctor.

if it's just writing about various experiences that we found interesting and rewarding, that would be a different story. anyway, thanks for the two cents. i'm totally hapless.

 

[Law2Doc]

yea, i realize the purpose of the question. i don't think i would have a paucity of experiences to describe (i'm a random german/english double major, and have spent more time in involved in literary and fine arts activities than typical premed stuff).

my point is, are we supposed to be tying these in with medicine? i feel like i did that already with my PS. for example, baylor's secondary simply says: 'write about special experiences,' whereas i've seen others that ask how special experiences have informed your decision to be a doctor.

if it's just writing about various experiences that we found interesting and rewarding, that would be a different story. anyway, thanks for the two cents. i'm totally hapless.

In my view it can be tied to medicine or needn't be -- both can work well or poorly. I would think anything that makes you an interesting individual, or emphasizes having had a chance to bring to bear some positive qualities or skillsets, can be good in either case. But with one caveat -- if your "special experience" suggests that your happiest moment is in a field distinct from medicine, it might open the door to a lot of concerns.