Pre-Writing Secondaries?

[MedPR]

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I saw this mentioned in the pre-allo forum... Is this something people really do? Do you just go to the 2010, and 2011 threads of the schools you apply to and see what their secondary essay was?

 

[Iliketoytles]

I saw this mentioned in the pre-allo forum... Is this something people really do? Do you just go to the 2010, and 2011 threads of the schools you apply to and see what their secondary essay was?

Yup. It's very important to do this. You'll get clumps of secondaries, so like... 3 schools will send you secondaries one day, then you'll get 2 more the next day, then 3 more a couple days after that. It's difficult to keep up with them all without it getting backed up. If the essays are prewritten, you'll be able to knock out the secondaries as they come.

Also (fortunately), many of the secondary essays for the schools are very similar, so some only require small tweaks. Yes, the same essay can be used for different schools (just make sure you use the appropriate school name if you mention it in your essay).

 

[MedPR]

Yup. It's very important to do this. You'll get clumps of secondaries, so like... 3 schools will send you secondaries one day, then you'll get 2 more the next day, then 3 more a couple days after that. It's difficult to keep up with them all without it getting backed up. If the essays are prewritten, you'll be able to knock out the secondaries as they come.

Also (fortunately), many of the secondary essays for the schools are very similar, so some only require small tweaks. Yes, the same essay can be used for different schools (just make sure you use the appropriate school name if you mention it in your essay).

But aren't there dozens of different prompts? Do you write an essay for every prompt possible?

 

[NeuroLAX]

But aren't there dozens of different prompts? Do you write an essay for every prompt possible?

It is a very good idea to pre-write as many of the secondary essays as you can, as a lot of secondaries do not change much from year to year and they do start to pile up quickly. The ones with similar topic/slightly different prompts you will just need to tweak a little and tailor it to the specific school if need be.

 

[MedPR]

It is a very good idea to pre-write as many of the secondary essays as you can, as a lot of secondaries do not change much from year to year and they do start to pile up quickly. The ones with similar topic/slightly different prompts you will just need to tweak a little and tailor it to the specific school if need be.

Ok so you suggest going through the school specific threads for those that I am applying to and taking a look at their secondary essay for the last 2-3 years, right? There's also a list somewhere of "possible secondary topics" that are just a compilation of random secondary essay prompts for no particular school. Would it be better to prepare for that list instead?

 

[CopToEM]

Yes, pre-write them, it gives you something to do while you wait 30 days for your MCAT score. There's zero reason to wait for an invite to begin writing them and they will appreciate your punctuality when you return them promptly.

[EDIT]: Also, some schools (like DCOM) will accept your secondary before you even receive the invitation to submit one. Of course, it's a gamble as they may never ask you but if you're certain that you're competitive it's perfectly OK to do so. If you look around on the forums you'll figure out the schools that are fine with that.

 

[MedPR]

Yes, pre-write them, it gives you something to do while you wait 30 days for your MCAT score. There's zero reason to wait for an invite to begin writing them and they will appreciate your punctuality when you return them promptly.

[EDIT]: Also, some schools (like DCOM) will accept your secondary before you even receive the invitation to submit one. Of course, it's a gamble as they may never ask you but if you're certain that you're competitive it's perfectly OK to do so. If you look around on the forums you'll figure out the schools that are fine with that.

No shirts in OMM lab huh? I guess I better start working out.

 

[NeuroLAX]

No shirts in OMM lab huh? I guess I better start working out.

There's a thread for that http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=886477&page=4

And I do not recommend going through the general list of essay prompts. Stick to the school-specific stuff for last year only and you'll be fine.

 

[MedPR]

There's a thread for that http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=886477&page=4

And I do not recommend going through the general list of essay prompts. Stick to the school-specific stuff for last year only and you'll be fine.

Ok thank you. Going to start working on that as soon as I get my primary apps finished.