The secondary "why our school" question, oh the horror

[alerk323]

Many schools ask this. If you're the perfect candidate, you will have enthusiastically researched each school before even sending in your primary, and only applied to the ones whose mission statement, curriculum and class life matched up with your unique little snowflake personality.

For the rest of us, there are probably a few schools you know a lot about and are excited about specifically. Those won't be so hard to write about. But if you're an average or below average candidate with 20+ schools on your list for many reasons you can't really write about, this question is for you.

So, let's share strategies for really writing a good "why this school" question that doesn't sound as forced as they usually do when you just browse the website for an hour. I have found school specific threads from this year's cycle as well as past years cycles to be incredibly helpful. Are there any types of things you guys have wrote about you found to work pretty well? Many schools have very similar curriculum 1st and 2nd year, so saying things like "I like your school because it has P/F" doesn't really stand out.

Anyway, just trying to get some ideas bounced around. I find these types of questions the most difficult and I think many say the same. Also, if any adcoms are listening, are there any types of essays that really stood out for you? Things that seem unique for us are probably not so unique to you guys.

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[thlaxer]

Some possible ideas: you could talk about their research, clinical and/or volunteering opportunities and other interesting things about their curriculum (e.g. if they're PBL or have special programs). If there's something about the student community that attracts you to the school, you could also mention that. Not very creative, but it's better than a blank essay . I think schools understand to some degree that not every interested applicant can write a compelling 'why us' essay since most people won't have had any experience with the school apart from reading their website, etc.

 

[Slack3r]

I applied to almost 40 schools, returned 30 or so secondaries and didn't have too much of a problem. Nearly every school has some unique aspect or program or something. Talk about that. Also,since many schools are also pretty similar, why not just reuse pieces of essays?

 

[CopaceticOne]

Every time I saw that question on a secondary I felt like this:

 

[moneytree]

Every time I saw that question on a secondary I felt like this:

Very relevant.

 

[MaenadsDance]

Is it really true that you're not supposed to talk about things like affordability, location, and proximity to family and friends? Because those are honestly the main criteria I see guiding my decisions a few years down the line...

 

[Optimus Lime]

Find their school's wikipedia page and copy and paste the entire page's text as your answer.

 

[tn4596]

Is it really true that you're not supposed to talk about things like affordability, location, and proximity to family and friends? Because those are honestly the main criteria I see guiding my decisions a few years down the line...

I dont think so. these are the main reasons why one would prefer one med school over another since the education is pretty much standardized.
If adcoms dont like it, tough luck.

 

[WorldChanger36]

Find their school's wikipedia page and copy and paste the entire page's text as your answer.

I am so doing this..... Not really. I will look at that though.

 

[MedPR]

I applied to almost 40 schools, returned 30 or so secondaries and didn't have too much of a problem. Nearly every school has some unique aspect or program or something. Talk about that. Also,since many schools are also pretty similar, why not just reuse pieces of essays?

Yep. Reuse parts of essays, then make it more personalized by talking about specific programs or opportunities. <5 minutes of reading their website will give you a decent idea of what to say. Maybe the people who have read my secondaries are naive, but many of them said "You really want to go there, huh? I didn't know you had special interest in that school". Not really, but I bet they would say that.

Find their school's wikipedia page and copy and paste the entire page's text as your answer.

+1

 

[MilkmanAl]

Here's another vote for reusing essays. Just make sure you change the school name for each one.

 

[NickNaylor]

I applied to almost 40 schools, returned 30 or so secondaries and didn't have too much of a problem. Nearly every school has some unique aspect or program or something. Talk about that. Also,since many schools are also pretty similar, why not just reuse pieces of essays?

I would be weary of reusing essays for this topic. Frankly if you have to do that, you're probably not doing it right. Everyone says that "all mission statements are identical," but I think that's true only superficially. There are very subtle differences that can be huge, and I would encourage you to look very carefully at a school's mission statement and the general "feel" you get for the school based on what you know. Do they seem research intensive? Then perhaps you might want to focus on your research experience when explaining why you want to attend there. Are they more community-oriented? Same thing.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking all medical schools are the same. They aren't, ESPECIALLY as you move up the reputation/ranking ladder. Those schools are looking for people that very specifically match their mission as an institution since they have the ability to reject a ton of applicants. Being able to articulate why you want to attend a school, directly or indirectly, is absolutely critical.

 

[ucsfstudents]

Schools like to brag about what makes them unique. That's usually stated on their website. Find out what that is and if you find it relevant, include it in your application. I agree that each school has something different to offer, and it might take some digging to find this out. The best source for this type of info is a medical student. Medical students are easier to track down than you think. Check a student group website for names. Usually the MS1s and MS2s are running those and have plenty of free time to chat to a premed student who shows interest in their school.

 

[thlaxer]

Here's another vote for reusing essays. Just make sure you change the school name for each one.

And make sure you get the city right as well