TMDSAS Optional Essays

[ponies2015]

How long were y'all's essays for TMDSAS? I'm struggling making it to the 2500 character limit and I was wondering if it was okay to be below that.

Also for the first optional essay, I'm having trouble finding something to talk about. Is this where you talk about any disadvantages you've had or like an addition to your personal statement talking about ECs...?

Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented.

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[DokterMom]

How long were y'all's essays for TMDSAS? I'm struggling making it to the 2500 character limit and I was wondering if it was okay to be below that.
Also for the first optional essay, I'm having trouble finding something to talk about. Is this where you talk about any disadvantages you've had or like an addition to your personal statement talking about ECs...? Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented.

Don't try to 'stretch' your content beyond what it needs to be just to fill some imaginary 'word quota'. If you can say it well in fewer words, that's a PLUS, not a MINUS.

And while "unique circumstances" can be disadvantages that you've overcome, they could also be unique opportunities you've had, unusual circumstances you've found yourself in, something interesting you did -- very open to interpretation. It doesn't have to be something medical in nature, though if you can tie it in, that's a bonus. Maybe a hobby? Leadership experience?

Imagine all of the interviewers getting together at the end of the interview day to discuss that day's applicants, and one of them was trying to describe you to the committee without resorting to what you look like. What 'interesting tidbit' do you want to hand them that they can use to remember you by? "Oh yeah, Ponies - s/he's the one that trained race horses..."

 

[BZG64]

I didn't do the optional essays because a lot of the secondaries for Texas schools are some version of those essays. I didn't want to be redundant so I just left those blank.

 

[Vans42]

Find a way to spin it - from everything I've heard (from people who were interviewers), the "optional" essays are not optional.

Those two essays helped me a ton, both topics were huge discussion points for me and the interviewers.

 

[whatbout2morrow]

As UTHSC-Houston, UTMB and UTHSC-San Antonio do not have secondaries, it is advisable to complete the optional essays.

 

[DokterMom]

What can be helpful is to write down everything you want the school to know about you. I mean everything. Your 'qualifications' will fit in any number of places, but chances are there are things that don't fit well -- hobbies and interests, non-academic awards, family circumstances, etc. -- Things that make you look like an well-rounded, interesting, fun person. Write those things down too. The optional essays are great places to bring those things up or weave them into an interesting story.

 

[Mm8978]

I am having a really hard time thinking up things to write about on the optional essay. My problem is that for my personal statement I touched briefly on 3 experiences that motivated me to pursue medicine, however, these experiences are pretty much all I can think about writing. Does it look bad to go into detail on two of those experiences (and what I learned from them) in my optional essays or is it going to come off as redundant?

 

[accueil]

I am having a really hard time thinking up things to write about on the optional essay. My problem is that for my personal statement I touched briefly on 3 experiences that motivated me to pursue medicine, however, these experiences are pretty much all I can think about writing. Does it look bad to go into detail on two of those experiences (and what I learned from them) in my optional essays or is it going to come off as redundant?

Are you also applying through AMCAS? If so, you could use an edited version of your most meaningful description for the question asking about unique experiences. You really should try and write something. I was sooo happy when I put the finishing touches on my PS and finished all my activity descriptions that I decided not to put the effort into answering the optional essays. Of course, the next day I very much regretted it. Don't give yourself extra reasons to ask "could I have done anything more?"

 

[CitrusJ]

Are you also applying through AMCAS? If so, you could use an edited version of your most meaningful description for the question asking about unique experiences. You really should try and write something. I was sooo happy when I put the finishing touches on my PS and finished all my activity descriptions that I decided not to put the effort into answering the optional essays. Of course, the next day I very much regretted it. Don't give yourself extra reasons to ask "could I have done anything more?"

The problem there is it specifically asks you not to put things you've already stated somewhere in your application.

Personally I just wrote one of the Optional Essays and not the other. They're defintiely a chance to show more of yourself to the Admissions Offices, so put anything about yourself you think is relevant/useful that you haven't touched on

 

[kk123]

For Optional Essay 2-Personal Characteristics: "Please describe any personal characteristics and/or important or challenging experiences you have had that will contribute to the diversity (broadly defined) of or provide educational benefits to the student body."
I was thinking about writing about coming from a socio-economically disadvantaged background, how I overcame obstacles associated with that disadvantage, and how overcoming those challenges strengthened some personal attributes.
Is that the kind of thing they are looking for? I'm not really sure what "diversity (broadly defined)" and " provide educational benefits to the student body" means....

 

[ponies2015]

I was going to talk about how I'm a crossfit enthusiast and a fitness competitor but I don't know if that's appropriate? Like it's a personal characteristic but I don't know if it will contribute to diversity...

And it's not really a life experience or unique circumtance

 

[Leira23]

If you were physically abused as a child and overcame that abuse and growing up from a family of divorce, etc. should you mention that in the optional essays or leave it out?