Secondaries - When to start?

[Shawnpremed]

To quickly turn in secondaries, when do you start them? Right after your primaries are done?

Is there a real need to turn in your secondaries within 24 hrs? I heard for example, that UC San Diego requires you to write a lifestory (literally from your first memories) of how you became interested in medicine. Then UCLA asks you to do their own version of the primary. I can't imagine turning this within a day or even a few days upon receiving the prompt. Are you all using the SDN's secondaries threads in advance to get the prompt?

Thanks!

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[NeuroChaos]

Are you all using the SDN's secondaries threads in advance to get the prompt?

Thanks!

Yes, we are using last years prompts. Start right away if you have the time. Some people like to await, but 90% of the time secondaries are the same as last year. Those essays can be difficult so you want to get an early start.

 

[Appless]

over the past 3 weeks ive been writing all the essay prompts for the schools im applying too. Remember that filling out secondaries can be much more the njust the essay prompts but still. Most arent bad, vandy, RFU, loyola, rush, usc, most of the UCs these are the only really bad ones that come to mind. The rest are normally pretty cut and dry.

 

[Shawnpremed]

Thanks all.

So if you're applying to 20 schools, you're really going to do most of them right away? Even if you don't know whether they'll send you or not?

What's considered taking too long to turn in a secondary? Over 1 week?

 

[Appless]

Thanks all.

So if you're applying to 20 schools, you're really going to do most of them right away? Even if you don't know whether they'll send you or not?

What's considered taking too long to turn in a secondary? Over 1 week?

The msar shows which schools screen and which dont, remember that very few schools screen, cali is the big state the screens but in general id say 90% of schools do not, after all they want money. So you could always only fil out schools who do not screen. Even the schools that do screen its often a very low screen like 3.2 gpa 27 mcat or something. Once again there are a few exceptions to this like UC schools, vandy, and mayo for one.

 

[235009]

Is there a real need to turn in your secondaries within 24 hrs?

i think if i come back in a couple years people on SDN will be saying you need to turn your secondaries in within an hour or else you are immediately rejected.

you should aim to turn your secondaries in within two weeks of getting them. however, if you are waiting for a committee letter that will arrive in august for instance then all you need to do is get your secondary in before your committee letter since noone will review your file until that letter is in. having said that, aim for 2 weeks, don't let it drag on.

 

[mvenus929]

you should aim to turn your secondaries in within two weeks of getting them. however, if you are waiting for a committee letter that will arrive in august for instance then all you need to do is get your secondary in before your committee letter since noone will review your file until that letter is in. having said that, aim for 2 weeks, don't let it drag on.

I agree here. A few schools will set a deadline of 4 weeks after they send it to you for you to complete it. Most people try to turn over their secondaries in a day or two (after all, the sooner you're complete, the more likely you are to be reviewed and be offered an early interview, and several people already have the essays written out), but if you get it in within two weeks, you should be fine.

Personally, I'm not working on essays yet. I have a vague idea of what I want to write for a few general essays, but I'm not going to answer any specific questions until the secondary is sitting in front of me.

Also, be sure to print off and keep a copy of your secondary on hand. It'll be helpful to review what the school knows about you if you have what they see in front of you.

 

[BluntSurgeon]

Personally, I'm not working on essays yet. I have a vague idea of what I want to write for a few general essays, but I'm not going to answer any specific questions until the secondary is sitting in front of me.

This is the strategy that I used last cycle, although I took it a slight step further. I actually looked at the prompts for my prospective schools and wrote down outlines/bulletpoints for a few of them. That way when they secondaries did come down the line, I was pretty much ready to start fleshing things out instead of wasting time thinking about what I was going to write. Using this strategy I generally had a 1-week turnaround time (depending on laziness).

 

[Shawnpremed]

Cool.
Would it hurt my appl to NOT have LOR's ready UNTIL the secondaries?

 

[BlueElmo]

Personally, I'm not working on essays yet. I have a vague idea of what I want to write for a few general essays, but I'm not going to answer any specific questions until the secondary is sitting in front of me.

Yeah, also it's kind of hard to work on secondaries unless the school actually sends them to you. It's just not the same as working on stuff from last year's, even if they are going to be identical. I prefer to wait until 6/24.

 

[UVAbme2009]

I don't get why it would take you two weeks to turn in a secondary. They are highly repetitive from school to school. They stay very similar to the previous year's. While you should take your time with them, they aren't as detailed nor do they need to be as refined as the PS.

If it takes you two weeks to bang out three 1000 character prompts, that's your choice.

 

[mvenus929]

This is the strategy that I used last cycle, although I took it a slight step further. I actually looked at the prompts for my prospective schools and wrote down outlines/bulletpoints for a few of them. That way when they secondaries did come down the line, I was pretty much ready to start fleshing things out instead of wasting time thinking about what I was going to write. Using this strategy I generally had a 1-week turnaround time (depending on laziness).

Well, it helps that according to last year's threads, most of the schools I applied to don't have essays. Last time I applied, though, I think my longest turn-around time was a week. Most I got out within 1-2 days.

Cool.
Would it hurt my appl to NOT have LOR's ready UNTIL the secondaries?

Schools aren't going to care about your LORs until secondaries. However, you should try to get them in as soon as possible. Better to just worry about your secondaries than trying to worry about your secondaries and getting your writers to submit your LORs.