Style of Writing for Secondaries?

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I already asked a question earlier about what kind of thing to write about for Baylor's secondary, but I'm confused about the secondaries in general. I know I'm pretty late in turning all this in anyway...but I have no idea what kind of style to use when writing.

I assume all the schools will get my AAMC personal statement, which starts out kind of as a in-the-moment story, and then gets more traditional in describing how I decided to go to med school. So I don't want to write all these things over again...but mainly I don't know what kind of style to use...either more of a story (like describing a moment when I was doing a hobby) or just more straight-forward and descriptive.

Does anyone have any ideas? Or any short examples of the kind of essays you wrote?

Thanks!

 

[steve007]

Originally posted by karen44
I already asked a question earlier about what kind of thing to write about for Baylor's secondary, but I'm confused about the secondaries in general. I know I'm pretty late in turning all this in anyway...but I have no idea what kind of style to use when writing.

I assume all the schools will get my AAMC personal statement, which starts out kind of as a in-the-moment story, and then gets more traditional in describing how I decided to go to med school. So I don't want to write all these things over again...but mainly I don't know what kind of style to use...either more of a story (like describing a moment when I was doing a hobby) or just more straight-forward and descriptive.

Does anyone have any ideas? Or any short examples of the kind of essays you wrote?

Thanks!

Karen, I think it really depends on how many words/characters you're alloted (sp) to make your point. Some schools (NWestern, SUNY SB, CWRU, Yale) give you ample space to use plenty of descriptive words. Schools like Duke and U Pitt seem to want things to be very brief (they give you just enough space to use full sentences). So, I guess my advice is to just try to adapt to the guidelines you're given. - 007

 

[MeowMix]

Biblical. I like to talk about the flaming pit and the uncircumcised slain by the sword (the Book of Ezekiel is my best model for this). This conveys the appropriate tone of serious commitment.

 

[AlternateSome1]

Originally posted by MeowMix
Biblical. I like to talk about the flaming pit and the uncircumcised slain by the sword (the Book of Ezekiel is my best model for this). This conveys the appropriate tone of serious commitment.

I started laughing when I read this...but then I saw your quote. Is this a joke?



~AS1~

 

[Paws]

Hi Karen44,

I think this is a good question; what I have tried to do is stike a balance between a sort of formal essay style where I might actually repeat the question just to be sure I am answering it (I know, I feel like I'm back in elementary school ... ) and a more casual style like I am writing a letter to my grandmother.

It's hard to desrcibe, but I have tried to find something between friendly and honest and a more slightly formal tone. But I definitely have tried to be more honest and "myself" and that can mean different things to different people.

I want them to get a good sense of who I am and that's what I am trying to express in these essays.

Hope that helps !

 

[swankydude]

PAWS AND KAREN:

You are right on the money. The Baylor "open question" is in many cases the same answer that you gave on your essay with a slightly different tone and a slightly different way/angle of presenting the ideas in your personal statement.

An alternative approach is to use the open question to let the adcom know something else/NEW on your application that in some shape or form motivated you to medicine or make you a great candidate.

For example, Karen you said that you started your personal statement with a "in the moment story" then I would recommend that you can use the same experience but take it to the next level b/c you enough room to explain yourself on the secondary app. Think about it in this way, there is more than one way one can interpret a situation--always in a positive light of course. Continue your in the moment experience and relate it to your belief, desire, interest, etc.... for medicine.

Think about it... if you wrote a really good essay.... than it would be really hard to say something completely new that is worth mentioning, right? Because some medical schools, unlike Baylor, will not afford you the opportunity to have a free open question... therefore their decision will be based primarily on your personal statement.

Take home message:

1)Use open question to explain on any part of your personal statement that will reveal your passion for medicine.

2)Use it to mention something NEW that will shade light on your motivation to practice medicine.. go to Baylor... etc.....

Most SDNers applying to medical school and Baylor know the answer to this question.. but they will not give you a straight answer b/c it will affect their chances of getting an interview..

My question is this: can you imagine yourself in a class like that for FOUR YEARS + competing for residency positions??

Good Luck. Just my .02

 

[AvgApplcnt]

I'm responding to say screw all the people who withhold advice because they think it affects their chances. If giving somebody insight is gonna affect your own chances, you probably won't get in anyway.

That said, the style I've been using definitely depends on the response lenght. With Ohio State, you get 50 words, with others you can babble endlessly, so that's really important. I usually start straight composition style like I'm answering a question, then by the 2nd or 3rd sentence of the intro paragraph I get really casual and loose. By "casual" and "loose" I mean that I write the stuff as though I'm writing a letter to a friend but I still maintain a formal tone in the writing. Kind of like the tone you see in a magazine article in the Sunday new york times or something. Usually by the end I break into more use of adjectives and sometimes superlatives (though I really try to stay away from those). My aim in the last paragraph or sentence is to make a grandiose statement from a modest or humble point of view. Humble in the sense that only the school I'm applying to will help me acheive my grandiose goals.

I hope some of this made sense. It's 5am and I've been awake all night.

PM if I didn't make sense.

 

[Outer Space]

Originally posted by AvgApplcnt
I'm responding to say screw all the people who withhold advice because they think it affects their chances. If giving somebody insight is gonna affect your own chances, you probably won't get in anyway.

PM if I didn't make sense.

Most people probably don't respond because it's really hard to give advice without giving examples - especially on how to answer secondaries. And of course giving examples - even just the structure - is problematic and can have negative effect on a bunch of people. For most secondaries people use very similar structures but the details are different. Every person finds their own structure that they will use again and again. Whether it was effective, you know when you get your invitation. In my responses I tried to figure out the type of applicant the school wanted and emphasize these qualities in my essays. For my state school, for ex., I "dumbed down" my application and tried to make it sound as down to earth as possible - did not mention any research experiences at all, and did not give them any research recs. For top 20 type of school, i emphasized whatever they were proud off - international program, then international experience, research, then research. I tried to add as many details and specifics to my essays as possible when it concerned the schools programs, etc. Hopefully it worked.

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

For questions like "Why do you want to come to this school," do you guys recommend styling it with an intro, body, conclusion, etc. I'm doing Northwestern's and don't know if I should just jump right in to answering their questions about their curriculum, or if I should make it a formal essay.

 

[xanthines]

I write mine in such a way that if I can't comfortably read it aloud, I write it so that I can. In my opinion, I think this is the best comprimise of formality and readability. Basically, it should sound like a dictation of someone speaking intelligently. Kind of like NPR, I guess.

-X