TOUGHEST secondary questions to answer

[drmota]

i gotta give it to albany's "what one life experience would you want to talk about if you come for an interview". it's driving me crazy. there's so many i want to pick but can't pick one. what did you guys do? and what do you think were the worst secondary questions so far?

honorable mention: also albany: "describe yourself"...uhhhhhhh
-mota

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[pseudoknot]

Davis' question about the most influential person in your life is definitely the hardest for me. I really don't know how I'll do it. Rosalind Franklin's "talk about how you find growth and discovery in your life" is so annoying I think I might not send it in.

 

[BooMed]

Rosalind Franklin's "talk about how you find growth and discovery in your life" is so annoying I think I might not send it in.

'nuff said

 

[drmota]

Davis' question about the most influential person in your life is definitely the hardest for me. I really don't know how I'll do it. Rosalind Franklin's "talk about how you find growth and discovery in your life" is so annoying I think I might not send it in.

ros franklin's takes the crown for cheesiest question no doubt.
-mota

 

[Nakhrewali]

I would have to say that UConn takes the cake for one of THE most annoying secondaries out there:

1. Describe your motivation to become a physician.

2. What do you see as the most significant issue the medical profession will face in the next forty years?

3. Based upon your experiences in the health care field, what insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician? (Provide details of your health care experiences without providing actual patient names).

4. What personal benefits have you gained from your major extracurricular activity?

5. What personal benefits have you gained from your research and/or teaching experience?

6. Given the opportunity to share dinner conversation with one person (alive or deceased) who has made a significant contribution to science, medicine, or human service), identify the individual you would select and why?”

blech.

 

[n2egc5sm1s]

Besides Albany's, I think that the "define professionalism" and "why are you unique" questions rather hard. UConn's didn't seem to be too hard... it was pretty easy to recycle several of my other essays for that one. I actually enjoyed the "who do you want to have a dinner conversation" question.

Thank goodness I didn't apply to Rosalind Franklin.

 

[zurned]

albany's is ridiculously open ended, which makes it hard. And also, Mount Sinai's "what makes me unique, someone who adds to Mt. Sinai community?" is hard.

 

[pseudoknot]

I don't mind "why are you unique/what do you add to the class" so much; it's obnoxious because it's so hard to answer without sounding like (or becoming) an egomaniac, but it's also pretty standard, and it's something we'll be asked at interviews.

"Define professionalism" is pretty bad. I've been sitting on BU now for several weeks, and I'm starting to think I should have just sent it in without the essay immediately, but now I have to do it. It'll probably end up going out really late.

I also hate the ones that ask "why medicine," because hey, why not read my AMCAS personal statement?! I'm considering a one-sentence reply to that for Columbia.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I find USC's distinction between the contributions you'll make to the educational environment in addition to the diversity of the class utterly lame.

 

[Overeducated]

Worst so far IMHO...

1) USC - how can you contribute to the educational environment and diversity of class? Ick.
2) UC Davis - most influential person in your life? going to have to rely on a cheezy, clichéd answer
3) BU and Univ of Maryland - professionalism stuff
4) Albany - what one life experience would you like to talk about? ugh.
5) UCLA, VCU several other schools - where do you see yourself in 10 years? ...I don't even know where I see myself in 12 months.

Not sure if I'm forgetting something...

Rosalind Franklin's essay didn't bother me initially... though I still managed to semi-screw it up, I think.

 

[chaeymaey]

BU and Case Western

 

[Shredder]

i gotta give it to albany's "what one life experience would you want to talk about if you come for an interview". it's driving me crazy. there's so many i want to pick but can't pick one. what did you guys do? and what do you think were the worst secondary questions so far?

honorable mention: also albany: "describe yourself"...uhhhhhhh
-mota

duke. more trouble than its worth, the whole thing.

 

[argonana]

Where do you see yourself in ten years.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I DON'T KNOW!
I'm shamefully tempted to drop UVa's application because of this question.

 

[DrYo12]

Davis' question about the most influential person in your life is definitely the hardest for me. I really don't know how I'll do it. Rosalind Franklin's "talk about how you find growth and discovery in your life" is so annoying I think I might not send it in.

No way, dude. "If the practice of medicine were to cease to exist, what would you do?"

WTF.

 

[Turkeyman]

No way, dude. "If the practice of medicine were to cease to exist, what would you do?"

WTF.

Seriously? Wow...yeah I'll give that a WTF too.

 

[Law2Doc]

No way, dude. "If the practice of medicine were to cease to exist, what would you do?"

WTF.

You can say you'd probably die of some previously curable disease because there are no doctors around to fix you???

 

[angietron3000]

No way, dude. "If the practice of medicine were to cease to exist, what would you do?"

WTF.

em.. I don't think they're asking this one anymore.. unless I'm missing that page?

my least favorite right now is ucsd's autobiographical sketch. blech.

 

[willthatsall]

Vandy's 2000 word autobiography and pretty much all of Duke. Especially the futuristic technology question with the ethical dilemmas...

 

[indo]

"have you ever been convicted of a crime?" crap.

 

[drmota]

"have you ever been convicted of a crime?" crap.

hahaha

i'm sorry if that wasn't intended to be funny but damn that got me laughing.
-mota

 

[medhacker]

Where do you see yourself in ten years.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I DON'T KNOW!
I'm shamefully tempted to drop UVa's application because of this question.

That used to be a standard essay question on the AMCAS some years ago

 

[MoosePilot]

I liked Rosalind Franklin's because it tied in to the "theme" behind my apps.

Not that I really *liked* any of them.

 

[n2egc5sm1s]

Someone mentioned Case Western's... they asked a pretty standard question + a research question. Since I had a research write-up already done... Now Western (Osteopathic)... now that one is nasty. It might be their way of filtering out the Western-as-backup students.

 

[JohnnyNU82]

I have to put my vote in for Albany's "Describe yourself." It so open-ended I don't even know where to start.


ughhhhhhhhhhhh I suck....maybe I'll start with that!

 

[LJDHC05]

I have to put my vote in for Albany's "Describe yourself." It so open-ended I don't even know where to start.


ughhhhhhhhhhhh I suck....maybe I'll start with that!

Self-loathing isn't one of those physician qualities that AMC is looking for...

Seriously though, I'm in the same Albany boat. I started something the other night and read it and realized thay my self knowledge is about as deep as a puddle and that I described myself as something completely vague and not me...usually those questions require a few glasses of scotch and water to answer thoughtfully. Now comes the hardest question: Dewars, Jonnie Walker or Dimple Pinch?

 

[ShyRem]

I didn't find the "describe yourself" question too hard at all. Perhaps because i'm a non-trad and have had more time to become comfortable and familiar with what looks back in the mirror every day, good and bad. I do recall that in my early 20s that would have been a very difficult question.

And I would vote for Balvenie myself. Or Oban. Barring those, I suppose Dimple Pinch, but it's a bit sweeter than the Balvenie and Oban.

 

[argonana]

That used to be a standard essay question on the AMCAS some years ago

I'm not surprised that it's been dropped. I think it's important to think about this question, but I cringe at the thought of putting something down in writing.

Ah well, I know I'll have to deal with it in interviews, so I better get used to it!

 

[SpeedRacer]

I have to put my vote in for Albany's "Describe yourself."

you should start with: I'm a Capricorn who enjoys long walks on the beach...

 

[MoosePilot]

I'm not surprised that it's been dropped. I think it's important to think about this question, but I cringe at the thought of putting something down in writing.

Ah well, I know I'll have to deal with it in interviews, so I better get used to it!

Well, the big thing I'd keep in mind to maybe help you break the writer's block on this question is that it's not asking you to fortell the future. It's understood that you have to show some ego in order to answer this question well. Assuming you get into our medical school, assuming you get to pick your residency, assuming you do well enough there to move on, what is *one* future that you can see for yourself in ten years?

Use the opportunity to tell them more about you. Where you want to be, no matter how uncertain, is different from where I want to be. That's why it's a good question.

 

[argonana]

Well, the big thing I'd keep in mind to maybe help you break the writer's block on this question is that it's not asking you to fortell the future. It's understood that you have to show some ego in order to answer this question well. Assuming you get into our medical school, assuming you get to pick your residency, assuming you do well enough there to move on, what is *one* future that you can see for yourself in ten years?

Use the opportunity to tell them more about you. Where you want to be, no matter how uncertain, is different from where I want to be. That's why it's a good question.

Thanks, Moose. The self-assurance factor is blocking me up a bit, but this is really helpful.

 

[red dot]

temple:
why temple? cuz i wanna go to medical school. if i had to pick one word to describe your website, i'd say "sparse." i guess "i like your school because it has doctors in it and medical things and stuff" won't cut it...

irvine:
what makes me unique and how does it make it so that i contribute? i dunno. i'm not unique. i know a bunch of people out there who have my background, and thus will contribute the same thing. i like your school a lot. i love the campus i love the area around the campus i love the nice people working on the campus and you have classes that will make me a competent doctor. i can contribute by helping people. period.

i guess the above is what i really what i wanna say, and this thread seemed like a good outlet for that... and forget the word-cap: i think short, sweet and sincere should fly. but that's not what gets you into med school.

 

[drmota]

temple:
why temple? cuz i wanna go to medical school. if i had to pick one word to describe your website, i'd say "sparse." i guess "i like your school because it has doctors in it and medical things and stuff" won't cut it...

irvine:
what makes me unique and how does it make it so that i contribute? i dunno. i'm not unique. i know a bunch of people out there who have my background, and thus will contribute the same thing. i like your school a lot. i love the campus i love the area around the campus i love the nice people working on the campus and you have classes that will make me a competent doctor. i can contribute by helping people. period.

i guess the above is what i really what i wanna say, and this thread seemed like a good outlet for that... and forget the word-cap: i think short, sweet and sincere should fly. but that's not what gets you into med school.

i've gotta say i kinda like the "why do you wanna go here" questions cuz it makes you actually research the school a little. you should download the catalogue from temple's website...its there somewhere... it made me actually want to go to the school.
-mota

 

[drmota]

I have to put my vote in for Albany's "Describe yourself." It so open-ended I don't even know where to start.


ughhhhhhhhhhhh I suck....maybe I'll start with that!

i sent a mass e-mail to all my friends asking them to describe me in 2 sentences or less. it was invaluable in obtaining an objective and realistic view of myself that i could put into words. give it a shot if you're as stuck as i was.
-mota

 

[red dot]

i've gotta say i kinda like the "why do you wanna go here" questions cuz it makes you actually research the school a little. you should download the catalogue from temple's website...its there somewhere... it made me actually want to go to the school.
-mota

thanks for the tip! by the way, did you (or anyone else) happen to also apply to drexel and jefferson? if you got into all 3 which would you pick? i talked to this girl who's actually from the area and she said that jefferson was the one that is more respected but is definitely academically harder than the others

 

[drmota]

thanks for the tip! by the way, did you (or anyone else) happen to also apply to drexel and jefferson? if you got into all 3 which would you pick? i talked to this girl who's actually from the area and she said that jefferson was the one that is more respected but is definitely academically harder than the others

probably jefferson. it has great research funding, if you're into that. temple supposedly has awesome faculty and i would think you would get a lil more pampered there. i probably wouldn't be able to fully decide until i visited but drexel would be 3rd, no doubt.
-mota