Question number 2 on DMS secondary??

Possibly talk about why you want to attend DMS?

 

This was a tough one for me last year, too. I did tell them why I wanted to attend DMS and I expanded on the experiences I've had that make me want to be a physician. But, in retrospect, I don't think that's what they are looking for. Definitely mention why DMS. But, other than that, tell them something about you that makes you special -- give them a reason to want to interview you as opposed to someone else.

Keep in mind that they receive over 6,000 applications for 500 interviews and 75 seats (these numbers are approximates) - so when they give you a blank space and say "fill it up," they want you to intirgue them, to make them interested, etc. In a lot of my secondaries, I wrote about being the administrator of my grandmother's estate while in college and the legal battles I had to fight. The point of the essay was not to say "poor me" but to demonstrate (not tell them directly) that I can withstand lots of pressure while doing well in biochem classes, have leadership qualities, etc. This is just what I did, but the bottom line is that you should give them something that will impress them and make them want to meet you. Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

 

A request: I haven't gotten my dartmouth secondary yet (presumably because the address it's going to is in a rural area and stuff usually takes longer). Could somebody post what the questions are (obviously apart from name and birthday and such)? Thanks!

 

I don't know if I'm too late to be of any help or not, but I used the 2nd question to discuss the reasoning behind choosing the major I did. I talked about my Information Technology degree and how I thought I would put it to use in combination with an MD. Anything unique about yourself. Use the space to discuss something that you think will make you stand out.

 

jcd311, that's very interesting. I am very proud to be a math and physics major. I think that's what makes me stand out and I'm not afraid to admit that. For that question, I basically wrote about my hobbies and what I like to do in my spare time. I think that's pretty boring stuff though... so I might revise it with some of the ideas presented here!