Tell us something about yourself....

[AverageMan]

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"Tell us something about yourself that isn't in the rest of your application" That acursed question is giving me headaches, and it appears on a number of apps (Yale and Dartmouth are the examples I can think of right now). I don't know what to write for it that isn't a rehash of something else covered in my app. Any thought of what one can write for this question? Thanks

 

[IndyZX]

talk about an interesting hobby of yours. maybe you like reading. perhaps you can talk about a recent book youve read and why you liked it and how it made you think abotu things in a new way or something.

just some ideas. im probably going to talk about my poker prowess. 🙂

 

[beastmaster]

I'm confused as well. Wouldn't one expect all relevant information to already be included in an AMCAS? Who would leave out something that is still important enough to write an arbitrary secondary about.

 

[brats800]

because you wouldn't include your uncanny poker ability or your desire to be the first 22 year old to scale mount everest or something like that on your application, even though that single goal or ability may play a large part in molding who you are and why you want to be in medicine (maybe)

 

[LaurieB]

I have a 3.45 GPA, and didn't bring it up in my AMCAS application becuase I didn't feel like it was that big of an issue. Do you think I should address it in my secondary in a section like this one. I had a difficult major in college, but maintained mostly B's consistently and I'm actually totally comfortable with how I did. Although, now I'm worried about how this will all look to admissions committees.

Also, I used to be fluent in Mandarin Chinese, but have let it slip so I haven't said much about this in my application. It's something I'm very proud of, but I want to be totally clear that this is a dormant skill. Is anyone else in the same situation?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[efex101]

Also, you do NOT necessarily have to fill out anything just for the h@ll of it. I did not fill it out.

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by indyzx
talk about an interesting hobby of yours. maybe you like reading. perhaps you can talk about a recent book youve read and why you liked it and how it made you think abotu things in a new way or something.

just some ideas. im probably going to talk about my poker prowess. 🙂

What if your hobby is going down to Dallas once a year and beating the crap out of some Longhorns? Or at least watching the Sooners do it. Should I put that on there? 😀

 

[indiamacbean]

Another strategy is to write a somewhat generic "where I see my practice in ten years and why X school will help me get there." If you compose a good mission statement, this will help schools evaluate your commitment and forethought in entering into medicine. This was the strategy that I used at Yale and Dartmouth and it worked at both schools for me. It is also good to have this questions down as you will most likely be asked it in one form or another on the interview trail.

LaurieB.-I'm not sure if I would use this section to explain grades. focus on the positives here or write something intelligent that will stand out of the pack.

 

[IndyZX]

sooner-pillow: i wish i had a comeback.

indianmacbean: thats a good idea, too. i can see how a well written mission statement would be a good plan.

 

[indiamacbean]

Sorry, I forgot to add that I wouldn't under any circumstances leave these sorts of things blank. From talking to interviewers and students while interviewing it seemed clear that it was a good idea to fill these in. just think of it as a chance to stand out. granted this is just my experience. cheers.

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by indyzx
sooner-pillow: i wish i had a comeback.

Well, you could point out that my other hobby is watching the Sooners lose to OSU...🙁 😉

 

[efex101]

Well, I heard from adcoms to be as brief as possible. One actually looked at me and said "do you think that I want to read thousands upon thousands of secondaries? the shorter the better for me!" Go figure.

 

[Columbia22]

Very well, where should I begin? My father was a relentlessly self- improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. A sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical.

 

[Wilford Brimley]

Originally posted by Columbia22
Very well, where should I begin? My father was a relentlessly self- improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. A sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical.

That story brought a tear to my eye.

 

[demografix]

If this question was an optional question on the Yale app last year, I definitely didn't write anything and still interviewed.

 

[SonGoku]

Originally posted by Columbia22
Very well, where should I begin? My father was a relentlessly self- improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. A sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical.

Thanks I needed a laugh. I've been staring at Mt Sinai's "Why are you special?" question for the past hour and I keep backspacing over everything I write. Nothing sounds right.

 

[ninebillion]

Originally posted by Columbia22
Very well, where should I begin? My father was a relentlessly self- improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. A sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical.

Haha, I think that's from Austin Powers or something... Maybe it was Dr. Evil who said it. But I think it's a great model for what the adcoms like to see.

 

[SonGoku]

It was Dr. Evil sharing during the group therapy session. What a riot.

 

[ironey]

Well, to be a bit boring, I had this exact question from Dartmouth last year. I just wrote about what I liked in life and what I was learning about life during my two years off from school.

In fact, this was one of my favorite essays. Being a little non-traditional (a little older, a non-science major), I was glad to be able to share something not directly related to medicine with the ad com.