"Please share with us something about yourself"

[Slide]

Arrgh I'm writing my secondaries and this essay prompt keeps coming up! I'm stuck deciding whether to just leave it blank (some secondaries make it optional) or write something about my MCAT score and my junior year. How the heck are you guys approaching this one? I really don't know what to say, because if I write something, it may seem like I'm trying to compensate for something, but if I don't write anything, I'm basically the pieces of paper in my application.

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[silkworm]

Other than VCU, which other school has this topic?

 

[DrVanNostran]

Other than VCU, which other school has this topic?

Dartmouth and albany come to mind

 

[Dr Durden]

I think writing about the MCAT would be just as bad as leaving it blank. Surely you have some semi-interesting hobby outside of school or an intellectual pursuit to share besides standardized exam prep and its impact on your college life .

 

[DrVanNostran]

I wrote about something really different, I talked about being a diehard chicago cubs fan and how that affected my personality (for the better, who knows lol)

 

[Slide]

So far, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Baylor have these essays. I haven't cracked open Pitt and MSSM, but I wouldn't be surprised if these schools had them too.

 

[DrVanNostran]

Pitt is diversity and morals dillema...mssm is what makes you special or something and the other is why mssm

 

[DrVanNostran]

I think writing about the MCAT would be just as bad as leaving it blank. Surely you have some semi-interesting hobby outside of school or an intellectual pursuit to share besides standardized exam prep and its impact on your college life .

I agree, maybe write about somethink like saving an african monkey in the 80's wasn't such a hot idea

 

[Slide]

I'm thinking about writing about my jr. year. I felt that I pulled the impossible by staying alive. What made it so hard? I switched over to being a chemistry major, so I was forced to take nearly a science-only courseload (~20 hours of class a week), studying for the MCAT, trying to pull a club out of **** into prominence, helping produce a campus play, and working to support myself. Basically, it would be an essay about overcoming adversity, and that good stuff. That, or I could tell them my hobbies in cooking, movies, and nutrition & exercise.

 

[Dr Durden]

I'm pretty sure DrVN has this nailed. You want some angle that will help differentiate you besides another bland research or sob story from the ER that made you want to help people. Something that can be tagged to you in committee discussions as in "Hey, let's admit that one Cubs fan. He had good stats and interviewed well." LizzyM, an adcom member herself, urged a poker pro to keep this seemingly trivial pursuit in his personal statement for this same reason.

 

[ChymeChancellor]

I would take this space to share your favorite recipe with the adcom. Particularly if you have really great apple pie or pumpkin pie. It might induce them to accept you so you will bake them a pie or something similar. Also, if you know any cool codes for the Sega Genesis you should enter them in that section. The level select code for Sonic the Hedgehog will work wonders on the adcom. Good luck!

 

[Slide]

Hmm I wonder how adcoms would like to view a guy that's both interested in hardcore weight-lifting and gourmet cooking

 

[Dr Durden]

Better than they would a Sega cheater .

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Also, if you know any cool codes for the Sega Genesis you should enter them in that section. The level select code for Sonic the Hedgehog will work wonders on the adcom. Good luck!

Does that work on the Gamecube Compilation version too?

 

[jackieMD2007]

I wrote about something really different, I talked about being a diehard chicago cubs fan and how that affected my personality (for the better, who knows lol)

Hahaha, when my husband was writing for law school admissions, in the opening he noted that if things had gone his way, he wouldn't be applying to Law school at all, but on the mound at Wrigley, pitching for the Cubbies.

He's taking the bar on the 25th.
He got into 6 law schools.

 

[ClosetNerd]

I'm pretty sure DrVN has this nailed. You want some angle that will help differentiate you besides another bland research or sob story from the ER that made you want to help people. Something that can be tagged to you in committee discussions as in "Hey, let's admit that one Cubs fan. He had good stats and interviewed well." LizzyM, an adcom member herself, urged a poker pro to keep this seemingly trivial pursuit in his personal statement for this same reason.

I agree, I think what they are asking is stand out! Just don't make them think that you have no life and are really wierd. A little odd is fine, but Willy Wonka weird........

They want probably just want to find out your really a person.

Hmmmmmm... I should take some of my own advice. I better get back to these 2ndaries

 

[Carmenita79]

What should I write for this secondary???

 

[Sondra]

If you really want good ideas of what to write about, ask your friends/family. Send out an email to nearly everyone in your address book and ask them something like...

If you had to pick one thing that is makes me different from anyone else in your life, what would it be? Tell them to write you a couple of sentences or a short story about a particular incident.

I did this and asked these questions to everyone:
Why do you believe that I will be good doctor?
What qualities do you think I have that will make me a good doctor?
Can you give me an example of a time when you have seen me use the qualities, or a conversation or anything that you recall that would lead you to believe that I will make a good physician?

I was surprised by the answers I received. Some of the things I never thought about. Give it a try.

 

[-Lexi-]

Hmm I wonder how adcoms would like to view a guy that's both interested in hardcore weight-lifting and gourmet cooking

"Hmm.. Let's admit that chef guy; he's cut!!"

 

[DrVanNostran]

Hahaha, when my husband was writing for law school admissions, in the opening he noted that if things had gone his way, he wouldn't be applying to Law school at all, but on the mound at Wrigley, pitching for the Cubbies.

He's taking the bar on the 25th.
He got into 6 law schools.

Im with your husband, no wonder you said "old style" earlier---total north side thing. If I had it my way, Id be with the cubbies as well

So Jackie, your husbands career pends on where you get accepted right? Are you trying to stay in Chicago or go to NY?

 

[jackieMD2007]

Im with your husband, no wonder you said "old style" earlier---total north side thing. If I had it my way, Id be with the cubbies as well

So Jackie, your husbands career pends on where you get accepted right? Are you trying to stay in Chicago or go to NY?

Well....whether he'll have to re-take the bar or not.
We would MUCH PREFER to stay in Chicago, but I am also really excited about schools like UPitt, OSU, MCW, NYU....I know a lot of states are reciprocal with Illinois in terms of the bar. I moved across the country for him to go to school here. He is pretty down with it. It is easier not to move, but at the same time, we have the moving experience (huge moving truck and all) to handle it. His only rule was no California state bar. Apparently the CA bar is crazy.

EDIT: Yeah, if we all met up for a beer, you and my husband would probably talk about the Cubs the WHOLE time. He is a real Cubs fan (Since he was little!)

 

[DrVanNostran]

Well....whether he'll have to re-take the bar or not.
We would MUCH PREFER to stay in Chicago, but I am also really excited about schools like UPitt, OSU, MCW, NYU....I know a lot of states are reciprocal with Illinois in terms of the bar. I moved across the country for him to go to school here. He is pretty down with it. It is easier not to move, but at the same time, we have the moving experience (huge moving truck and all) to handle it. His only rule was no California state bar. Apparently the CA bar is crazy.

EDIT: Yeah, if we all met up for a beer, you and my husband would probably talk about the Cubs the WHOLE time. He is a real Cubs fan (Since he was little!)

Oh nice, I thinks its awesome how you guys are working together on this. I don't think I could do any of that lol. It looks like you two did your research on which schools would be great to apply to and what states are excellent for him to practice in. If you were to get into NYU or Pitt, both areas would be awesome for medicine and law.

So I guess since you moved across the country for him, its his turn to move for you Suppose you get into Pitt which is an unbelievabe school and you get into Loyola here in good old Maywood...where would you go? (Go PITT!!)

BTW: Diehard cubs fan for the past 19 years...I cried in 2003

 

[jackieMD2007]

Hey DVN,

I'm just hoping to be lucky enough to get into two places so I would have a choice like that. It might be that I only get into one school so the decision would be made for us. Whatever.

 

[farikanok]

"Please share with us something about yourself."

would it be a good idea to talk about adjusting to life in the US if you're an immigrant/asylee?

 

[Dr Durden]

Adjusting to a new country would certainly work.

 

[yolony]

=BTW: Diehard cubs fan for the past 19 years...I cried in 2003

What happened in 2003?






..

 

[45408]

Arrgh I'm writing my secondaries and this essay prompt keeps coming up! I'm stuck deciding whether to just leave it blank (some secondaries make it optional) or write something about my MCAT score and my junior year. How the heck are you guys approaching this one? I really don't know what to say, because if I write something, it may seem like I'm trying to compensate for something, but if I don't write anything, I'm basically the pieces of paper in my application.

"Let's NOT interview that guy who yakked about his MCAT score."


talk about something else.

 

[DrVanNostran]

What happened in 2003?






..

Ouch

Its all good, we are only 12 games out of the wild card, I still have hope

 

[Slide]

After talking to my friends, I decided that I'm either going to write about the time I acted in a play, or why I keep standing out against my other friends. For some reason, people seem to like my nickname, Bert. My friends say my name a million times because they think it sounds funny.

 

[DrVanNostran]

Whats up Bert-Yup I definitely would repeat that name a ton

BERTSKI!!!!

 

[CavalierMD]

For the VCU essay, I psychoanalyzed myself. I'm a psych major and in general obsessed with the stuff... so I started with one of those embarassing stories moms love to tell in public places... and analyzed it using some of my favorite theories I've learned over the years. Maybe the adcomm's nickname for me can be psycho-chick, or Freud-ette or something

 

[DrVanNostran]

For the VCU essay, I psychoanalyzed myself. I'm a psych major and in general obsessed with the stuff... so I started with one of those embarassing stories moms love to tell in public places... and analyzed it using some of my favorite theories I've learned over the years. Maybe the adcomm's nickname for me can be psycho-chick, or Freud-ette or something

I would trip if I did that Other than that, awesome essay topic freud-ette

 

[CavalierMD]

Thanks!! Now let's hope the adcommers in Richmond agree!