repeating yourself in different parts of your application

[dw2158]

i've started doing some brainstorming for my PS. so far, every meaningful thing i'm coming up with has to do with the service program i'm doing this year (i'm working full time as a medicaid advocate for people with mental illness and receiving training on lots of topics related to social justice). this is great because i have a lot to say and have a couple of examples of specific incidents that have influenced my thoughts about medicine, but i was wondering... most schools have a part on their secondaries where they ask what you've been doing since graduation. i know that is usually limited to a short number of characters, but do you think it's bad for me to use my experience this year as the framework for my PS in addition to talking about it in many secondaries? thanks!

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[Jolie South]

If this experience has had a serious impact on you, I don't think it's silly to put it in your PS.

Surely, you can't tell everything there is to tell only in your PS. If asked again in secondaries, think of different aspects to talk about that you didn't mention already.

 

[LizzyM]

You should explain in the AMCAS essay why you want to be a physician. If you are concerned about social justice issues, that's great, but you need to relate why you'll be able to do the most good as a physician rather than as a social worker or other professional who will spend more "face time" with clients, or as a policy wonk (no face time but the potential to impact millions).

The essay about how you've spent your time since graduation is a completely different question and need not address why you are choosing to apply to medical school.