Secondaries, how much does grammar matter?

[MaybeDr]

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I am notoriously terrible at grammar and english in general. When writing secondaries how much does grammar really matter to the reader?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve grammar before application season opens back up?

 

[medic86]

Of course it matters.

Have someone good with writing proofread/edit your essays before submitting.

 

[mimelim]

Piss poor grammar is a huge turn off. You have infinite time to prepare your application for us. Not having reasonably good writing in any part of an application is a red flag. We get a couple thousand applications a season. No matter what your scores are, there are going to be a large number of applicants with the same or better scores than you. Why do I need to bother reading your hard to decipher application if I can replace it with a better one instantaneously? Unless you are a 'gotta have' applicant, something like this can tank an application considerably.

Many if not most have someone else proofread their essays before sending them out. You should also pre-write most secondaries before you even get them.

 

[HaitianDrSoph]

I am notoriously terrible at grammar and english in general. When writing secondaries how much does grammar really matter to the reader?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve grammar before application season opens back up?

Have an English teacher proofread/edit for you. Grammar definitely matters. One of the requirements of medical school is English class

 

[Kelevra]

It matters. If a doctor's handwriting is also crap, imagine what it's like when things are not only sloppy, but also look like the doctor blew an aneurysm while writing.

I would search Amazon for a great pocket English/grammar kit. Learn about the rules in there. This is good for life, because yes, your professor or PI may correct your PS, but they will not always be there.

Additionally, you should want them to look at your applications for content and flow, as opposed to being distracted by a sentence on page six that began on page one.

 

[MrLogan13]

Of course it matters. Writing like one is illiterate would be a huge turn off.

 

[MaybeDr]

I'm referring to proper commas and other things of that nature. I personally think an essay can flow without proper commas everywhere. I miss them here and there sometimes. I'm not a terrible writer. I just lack the grammatical foundation because it's been so long since I took a class that actually stressed grammar. I'm just wondering if adcoms are going through each essay saying, "there should be a comma here."

My PS is covered. The quick turns over on the secondaries is what worries me. I don't think I will have any resources to help me proofread and put in proper grammar rules.

 

[HaitianDrSoph]

I'm referring to proper commas and other things of that nature. I personally think an essay can flow without proper commas. I'm not a terrible writer. I just lack the grammatical foundation because it's been so long since I took a class that actually stressed grammar. I'm just wondering if adcoms are going through each essay saying, "there should be a comma here."

My PS is covered. The quick turns over on the secondaries is what worries me. I don't think I will have any resources to help me proofread and put in proper grammar rules.

Commas can definitely hinder the flow of an essay. You don't want the reader to get stuck reading a sentence over and over because he doesn't fully understand what was meant.
If you are worried about the quick turnover, I would recommend looking up the essay prompt for the schools you are really interested in and start working on them now. They are usually recycled year after year and you can find most of them on SDN actually.

 

[MaybeDr]

Piss poor grammar is a huge turn off. You have infinite time to prepare your application for us. Not having reasonably good writing in any part of an application is a red flag. We get a couple thousand applications a season. No matter what your scores are, there are going to be a large number of applicants with the same or better scores than you. Why do I need to bother reading your hard to decipher application if I can replace it with a better one instantaneously? Unless you are a 'gotta have' applicant, something like this can tank an application considerably.

Many if not most have someone else proofread their essays before sending them out. You should also pre-write most secondaries before you even get them.

Would 2-3 weeks be sufficient for pre-writing secondaries or should I get started now?

 

[HaitianDrSoph]

Would 2-3 weeks be sufficient for pre-writing secondaries or should I get started now?

Get started now or asap. 2 to 3 weeks will not be enough especially because you will probably be getting multiple secondaries around the same time, expecting to turn them in around the same deadline

 

[MaybeDr]

Get started now or asap. 2 to 3 weeks will not be enough especially because you will probably be getting multiple secondaries around the same time, expecting to turn them in around the same deadline

Should I just aim to complete about one a week until I start receiving them late June?

 

[HaitianDrSoph]

Should I just aim to complete about one a week until I start receiving them late June?

One secondary a week? Sure that should be fair for most schools. But some of them were ridiculous with like a zillion different essay prompts. So they may require more time. Also as you are writing your secondaries, do some research on the schools' mission statements to see if they match your interests so you can really focus on the ones that fit you. That will cut out some wasted time, and your proofreader will have less work to do

 

[mimelim]

Would 2-3 weeks be sufficient for pre-writing secondaries or should I get started now?

If you are concerned about your writing, I would start them as early as you can. I would find people that will give you honest feedback and also people that know this process to help you out.

 

[MrLogan13]

I'm referring to proper commas and other things of that nature. I personally think an essay can flow without proper commas everywhere. I miss them here and there sometimes. I'm not a terrible writer. I just lack the grammatical foundation because it's been so long since I took a class that actually stressed grammar. I'm just wondering if adcoms are going through each essay saying, "there should be a comma here."

My PS is covered. The quick turns over on the secondaries is what worries me. I don't think I will have any resources to help me proofread and put in proper grammar rules.

Missing commas not only change the flow of an essay, they can also completely change the meaning of a sentence.

 

[musicalfeet]

Missing commas not only change the flow of an essay, they can also completely change the meaning of a sentence.

View attachment 190078View attachment 190079View attachment 190080

Kind of off topic here, but I actually laughed out loud on those images...

 

[MaybeDr]

Those are obvious though haha. I wish I could find a good example. I feel as though everyone has the deficiency I'm referring to. There are some complex scenarios in which it is difficult to tell if a comma belongs there or not. Some real textbook English BS that one resents in high school.

I'll figure out I suppose. I really can't imagine myself writing something so bad that an adcom will notice.

I've always heard that the hemingwayapp is pretty useful when writing secondaries. Has anyone used it before?

 

[blackroses]

Why don't you just do what everyone else has suggested and have someone who teaches English, grammar, or business communication edit your secondaries? That seems like a much better idea than "figuring it out I suppose."

 

[MaybeDr]

Why don't you just do what everyone else has suggested and have someone who teaches English, grammar, or business communication edit your secondaries? That seems like a much better idea than "figuring it out I suppose."

That's what I was implying by figuring it out (figuring out a solution 😉). I have a few people in mind. I could probably spread out the workload evenly throughout the 4 people that I trust.

 

[mehc012]

I've always heard that the hemingwayapp is pretty useful when writing secondaries. Has anyone used it before?

Huh, I hadn't seen that. I'll have to test it out a few times. I tend to overcomplicate my sentences, so the red highlights could be useful for me. I don't think I'd listen to all of its advice, though - a few adverbs here and there won't hurt you, and I'm sure as hell not diminishing my vocabulary just to use shorter words unless I'm hitting a character cap!

 

[sreautwyh]

I would find people that will give you honest feedback and also people that know this process to help you out.

 

[MrLogan13]

Those are obvious though haha. I wish I could find a good example. I feel as though everyone has the deficiency I'm referring to. There are some complex scenarios in which it is difficult to tell if a comma belongs there or not. Some real textbook English BS that one resents in high school.

I'll figure out I suppose. I really can't imagine myself writing something so bad that an adcom will notice.

I've always heard that the hemingwayapp is pretty useful when writing secondaries. Has anyone used it before?

People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. [emoji16]

 

[wanderer]

Having an essay with many errors is like driving down a road with many speed bumps. Given the number of alternatives, you're going to be insta-rejected by any place that reads secondaries before sending out invites.

 

[gyngyn]

My favorite: Eats, shoots and leaves.

 

[caffeinemia]

My favorite: Eats, shoots and leaves.

Ughhh. I hate your lack of an Oxford comma. 🙂

OP. You should have a reader or two. A good reader should be able to catch all the grammatical issues and help you refine your writing. Like the PS, there is still the expectation to write concise, cogent material.

 

[gyngyn]

Ughhh. I hate your lack of an Oxford comma. 🙂
.

The book! That's the point.

 

[caffeinemia]

The book! That's the point.

Cute 🙂 a sharp witted attending.

 

[doctorjunior]

Reading your essay (or any written work) out loud helps a lot as well. This helps with finding misspelled words, syntax, and punctuation. You'd be surprised how many mistakes you find reading aloud rather than silently reading.

 

[jamcat]

There are commas, and there are commas. Some commas are simply a matter of style. A classic example of this is the oxford comma. Commas also typically signify a slight pause, so their use or lack of use can help you create the flow that you desire. Those are fine.

Then there are commas that either change the meaning of the sentence, make it grammatically incorrect, or just seriously mess up the flow. Those are not fine.

 

[Goro]

100% agree. When a borderline applicant is discussed, if s/he has a poorly written essay, it will be mentioned, and that's not a good thing.

Get some copy editors. The more eyeballs, the better.

Of course it matters.

Have someone good with writing proofread/edit your essays before submitting.

 

[caffeinemia]

100% agree. When a borderline applicant is discussed, if s/he has a poorly written essay, it will be mentioned, and that's not a good thing.

Get some copy editors. The more eyeballs, the better.

Wrong!!! Some eyeballs are good. Too many eyeballs = too many opinions = some are bad or inexperienced = you will spun in circles.

 

[Goro]

The writer is always free to ignore advice!

Wrong!!! Some eyeballs are good. Too many eyeballs = too many opinions = some are bad or inexperienced = you will spun in circles.

 

[caffeinemia]

The writer is always free to ignore advice!

Assumes that writer can tell good from bad advice, which is tough since writer already has poor grammar/spelling!

 

[ridethecliche]

Have an English teacher proofread/edit for you. Grammar definitely matters. One of the requirements of medical school is English class

You're missing an article.

Assumes that writer can tell good from bad advice, which is tough since writer already has poor grammar/spelling!

You are too.

You're missing an article.
You are too.

You're kind of a dick.

 

[HaitianDrSoph]

You're missing an article.



You are too.



You're kind of a dick.

 

[caffeinemia]

You're missing an article.



You are too.



You're kind of a dick.

I didn't assume anything. See first line of first post.

 

[mehc012]

I didn't assume anything. See first line of first post.

That was "you are [missing an article] too" not "you are assuming something"

 

[caffeinemia]

That was "you are [missing an article] too" not "you are assuming something"

Incorrect. He had quotes above his responses. Furthermore, can readily exclude pronouns and articles for sake of brevity. Get over it.

 

[mehc012]

Incorrect. He had quotes above his responses. Furthermore, can readily exclude pronouns and articles for sake of brevity. Get over it.

The intent of his post was clearly to make two grammar corrections and then to mock himself for doing so. In a thread about using proper grammar.
I'm not disagreeing that you can readily exclude them and still be understood (though I think it looks/sounds incredibly dumb) and never said that you couldn't, so I'm not sure why you're telling me to get over it.