philosophy when writing secondaries

[Captain Sisko]

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I've decided to prewrite my secondaries while aamc is verifying my primary.

i was wondering if the general consensus for secondaries is to keep on with the theme that I'd be a good doctor or medical student, that I've thought this out, etc. or, should i try and give the reader a better feel for who i am as a person, perhaps so as to be a better fit in their school. i guess, obviously it's dependent on the question, but for really open ended ones, like Albany medical colleges "describe yourself" should i tailor it to "this is me as a person" or "this is why I'd be a good doctor"

I want to say i really did the latter in my primary. switch the focus for the secondary, or keep hammering it home?

thanks!

 

[NCKSD]

Tell them why you're an awesome unique person and then tell them why those things will make you a good doctor

 

[Ismet]

I've decided to prewrite my secondaries while aamc is verifying my primary.

i was wondering if the general consensus for secondaries is to keep on with the theme that I'd be a good doctor or medical student, that I've thought this out, etc. or, should i try and give the reader a better feel for who i am as a person, perhaps so as to be a better fit in their school. i guess, obviously it's dependent on the question, but for really open ended ones, like Albany medical colleges "describe yourself" should i tailor it to "this is me as a person" or "this is why I'd be a good doctor"

I want to say i really did the latter in my primary. switch the focus for the secondary, or keep hammering it home?

thanks!

You already answered why you are interested in medicine in your PS, and all you can do is speculate on how your personality/experiences might make you a good doctor. If you're asked a very open-ended question such as "describe yourself," I interpret that as the same as the common interview question of "tell me about yourself." When you're asked that, they're not looking for (at least I'm not looking for) you to talk about why you would be a good doctor. It's to introduce yourself to the reader/interviewer, so focus more on "this is me as a person." You can definitely delve into "this is why I'm interested in medicine" but I don't think that should be the key focus of this kind of question.

 

[Soulstice]

Do schools keep their secondaries constant enough to do this?

 

[Ismet]

Do schools keep their secondaries constant enough to do this?

yes

 

[Cynicalbrit]

Do schools keep their secondaries constant enough to do this?

It depends on the school. But if you do start pre-writing secondaries, the worst that can happen is you have to write another essay. At the very least, there's nothing to be lost by checking on last year's secondary questions and starting to brainstorm.

 

[Lucidity]

You already answered why you are interested in medicine in your PS, and all you can do is speculate on how your personality/experiences might make you a good doctor. If you're asked a very open-ended question such as "describe yourself," I interpret that as the same as the common interview question of "tell me about yourself." When you're asked that, they're not looking for (at least I'm not looking for) you to talk about why you would be a good doctor. It's to introduce yourself to the reader/interviewer, so focus more on "this is me as a person." You can definitely delve into "this is why I'm interested in medicine" but I don't think that should be the key focus of this kind of question.

I also would try to tailor these open ended questions to not only show "who you are" but also how you as a person would fit their program. Now, don't straight up say that I fit their program because of x, y, z...use it as an opportunity to highlight qualities that the institution favors in its matriculants. It is not always feasible but I tried to do it as often as I could in my secondaries.

 

[anguisette]

You already answered why you are interested in medicine in your PS, and all you can do is speculate on how your personality/experiences might make you a good doctor. If you're asked a very open-ended question such as "describe yourself," I interpret that as the same as the common interview question of "tell me about yourself." When you're asked that, they're not looking for (at least I'm not looking for) you to talk about why you would be a good doctor. It's to introduce yourself to the reader/interviewer, so focus more on "this is me as a person." You can definitely delve into "this is why I'm interested in medicine" but I don't think that should be the key focus of this kind of question.

I second this. Focus on you as a person. I believe secondary essays are used as a quick gauge for "fit" for the school. If it's open-ended, just tell them a little bit about yourself that you think is important (not necessarily what your skills/qualities/strengths are). If you look at a school's secondary app and realize that you can't write the essay because you don't have the experiences that fit the prompt (eg teaching or research), it probably means you're not a great fit for the school.

 

[survivordo]

Your personal statement should be looked at as broad general strokes to get them interested in you, your secondary should be thought of as more fine detail as to why YOU in particular are great for THAT school. Requires a little bit of research into what the school is actually into as well as a lot of BS but if you can make the school believe you are really a great fit you will find yourself with more interviews.

Survivor DO