PTCAS Essay and Custom Questions

[Tom4130]

Does anyone know if there would be a downside to using parts of your PTCAS essay for a program's custom question? One of the custom questions for a school I am applying to asks something very similiar to the PTCAS essay but I don't know if I can just basically copy/paste specific parts of my essay or if they will read both and look at me as lazy...

What I wrote about on the essay expresses what I wanted to say in the best way I could describe and since the other custom questions asks same thing I feel like I would only be writing something not as good.

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[Azimuthal]

Do not copy and paste. When I had my interview, my essay and supplemental was read beforehand by both the Dean and interviewing professor. In fact, I was number two to arrive on interviewing day. I was greeted by the Dean who was running the entire event and when introducing myself, she already knew by essay background and told me who I would be interviewing with that day.

My supplemental essays also asked for information I included in my main essay. I just elaborated on those experiences and made it more detailed in the supplementals. That worked out fine for me because there is just so much you can say with the space limitations of the main essay.

 

[Tom4130]

My supplemental essays also asked for information I included in my main essay. I just elaborated on those experiences and made it more detailed in the supplementals. That worked out fine for me because there is just so much you can say with the space limitations of the main essay.

Alright, I will be sure not to, but answering how I developed my interest in PT can't really be changed to much...Anyway, I was planning on going into more detail about certain things that I was not able to on my essay, but was wondering what would be too long of an answer for the custom questions. There seems to be no limit. Any suggestions?

 

[Tom4130]

I know I just posted this but I just realized that my concern was over a PTCAS program and a non-PTCAS program. Knowing this, do you still think it matters?

 

[Azimuthal]

Knowing that... I guess it wouldn't matter much. For the length, I kept mine to two short paragraphs while I have heard others do from one to five. It just depends on how much information is needed to best clarify the information you are trying to relay. You can also contact the admissions coordinator at the specific school and see what s/he recommends. Good luck.