Prewriting secondaries?

[DielsAlder]

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Hi,

So I am fairly new to these forums and just learned that some people prewrite secondaries. However, I heard that some schools change their essays from year to year. Given that fact, would it still be worth it for me to prewrite them? I am not too busy besides my gap year job. And yes, I am applying to a lot of schools.

 

[ManOfDiligence]

It's worth it. Start now.

 

[Shazam243]

It's worth it. Start now.

+1

 

[ZymurgySurfer]

Is there a generic question that you're answering like in the primary? Or are the essays school-specific?

 

[DielsAlder]

I believe a lot of the essays are school specific, but there is a lot of overlap if some schools ask generic questions (Why ____ school of medicine?). Could someone also post how to find secondary topics? I found a thread from 2005 but I am assuming a lot has changed since then.

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

Even if 10% of the schools change the prompt (and it is probably less than that), you have 90% of your work done already. So yes, it is worth it.

 

[Kochanie]

My school sent them to us which was nice even though I'm applying in two years. I think it's fairly easy to find them but there are a few schools that specifically do not allow the questions to be let out.

 

[kyamh]

It's also pretty easy to figure out whether a school uses the same essays or not. Check last year's thread, then compare it to the year before and the year before that. Chances are, if the school has used the same essays for 2-3 years in a row then they will be the same for your year as well.

 

[DielsAlder]

I see, thanks everyone!

 

[DielsAlder]

Sorry to resurrect my old thread, but when can I expect secondaries to come in? Should I expect every school to send them in by June 27th, since my AMCAS is already verified?

 

[mehc012]

Sorry to resurrect my old thread, but when can I expect secondaries to come in? Should I expect every school to send them in by June 27th, since my AMCAS is already verified?

Schools won't even SEE your application until June 27th. Places who screen post-secondary may get them out right away, but others may take longer, especially if you are not considered the ideal applicant for a particular school (i.e. may wait a few rounds). So, no, I would not expect to get every secondary by June 27th, at all.

 

[Spica]

The timing of the receipt of the secondaries greatly depends on the school. Some schools start sending out their secondaries in the end of June/1st of July because they do not screen and just send them to everyone who applied. Others do a screening process to see if your application matches the minimum requirements. Still others just do not release their secondaries to anyone until mid- or even end-July. So just pre-write the secondaries you can find and be patient. Good luck.

 

[ace12345]

Pre-writing is absolutely essential. When you get the link to 15 secondaries on the same day you'll know what I mean