Secondaries

[premed2024_123456]

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Does it look bad to submit secondaries within a day or two of receiving them? I've prewritten all of them and for the schools where the prompts haven't changed I don't have much to do, but I don't want to look like I am rushing/don't care.

 

[Dee2daK]

No. It doesn’t. If you have them completed to your satisfaction, submit them.

 

[deleted1194381]

nope it doesn't. General rule of thumb is 2 weeks of receiving them I think

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This isn't dating where you have to look cool than looking desperate. Just get it done and submit it when it is "perfect" to you.

 

[premed2024_123456]

This isn't dating where you have to look cool than looking desperate. Just get it done and submit it when it is "perfect" to you.

haha, thank you for the advice! There are so many 'unsaid' rules in these applications that I want to make sure I get everything right.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Does it look bad to submit secondaries within a day or two of receiving them? I've prewritten all of them and for the schools where the prompts haven't changed I don't have much to do, but I don't want to look like I am rushing/don't care.

No. It doesn't look bad. Submit and check them off your list.

 

[MiddleEMed]

Dumb question to add – but I spent months writing and re-writing and getting multiple people to look over my primary application materials. I was very happy with how it turned out.

For secondaries... is it expected to put the same 'finesse' into the writing and the "storytelling" of the responses this time around? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to pre-write due to working full-time and undergoing minor surgery in June, and so now I'm stressing about not being able to produce the same 'quality' of secondary writing for the flood of secondaries I'm receiving.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Dumb question to add – but I spent months writing and re-writing and getting multiple people to look over my primary application materials. I was very happy with how it turned out.

For secondaries... is it expected to put the same 'finesse' into the writing and the "storytelling" of the responses this time around? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to pre-write due to working full-time and undergoing minor surgery in June, and so now I'm stressing about not being able to produce the same 'quality' of secondary writing for the flood of secondaries I'm receiving.

Different problem from OP and not a dumb question.

Obviously the ideal is to have the secondaries reflect the same communications skills and polish as the primary. However the reality is that it doesn't always happen because applicants don't necessarily pre-write secondaries for a variety of reasons and they have less time for the secondaries and many more secondaries than primaries.

At the same time, realize that doctors have to know how to communicate and don't have months to write emails or reports either. So med schools want to see that you can write and communicate. Your secondaries don't have to be Shakespeare -- adcom don't want to read him in your essay anyway -- but they should be clear, answer the question posed, show fit with the specific program you're writing for, and not contain tons of typos.

Does that help?