secondaries

[yjj8817]

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For secondaries, do I have to somehow tie every answer to medicine even if what I talk about is not related to it at all?

 

[danib2k15]

Absolutely not! It is highly likely that all of your activities and interests do not all relate to/revolve around medicine. When you are talking about medicine, go for it. If you're talking about a hobby. a challenge, etc. you do not have to connect back (Unless the questions specifically ask you to make a parallel to a career in medicine.) Just speak honestly about your experiences and don't worry about making it all connect to medicine. They want applicants with diverse interests and activities! Good luck!

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Not at all. If they ask about a meaningful community service experience you can talk about anything. They're asking because they want doctors who care about that sort of thing, they don't need you to spell out how serving your community will make you a better doctor.

 

[yjj8817]

Thank you so much!

Another question...I talked about a certain volunteer experience in a positive light in my personal statement. If I talked about this same volunteer experience but about an outcome that wasn't so successful, but taught me a very good lesson, would this contradict what I said in the ps?

 

[danib2k15]

Was it a single event or a long term volunteering commitment? Sort of hard to tell based on your description but it might be something like this? I absolutely loved being a teaching assistant in college and it was a very positive and meaningful experience for me overall. However, I wrote several essays on a challenging situation that involved working with others. That experience, however, does not change the fact that I loved my role as TA throughout my three years. Having a meaningful situation that was extremely positive and influential does not mean that there weren't moments or aspects that were challenging. In fact, it's likely that those lessons learned contribute to how positive an experience that was because you gained insight and skills.

 

[caffeinemia]

What are your hobbies -- hunting... because it increases my fine motor control to help my passion for surgery. How uhhh genuine that would sound 🙂