What makes a good secondary?

[GCS-15]

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I've noticed that a lot of the weed-out process happens when people submit their secondaries. I'm applying this cycle and since have basically finished my PS and 15 activities, so I started looking at secondary prompts. My question is: what are some qualities of a really good secondary?

Is it writing style? specific stories? connection to the school? Do some schools just give them out for fun and no matter how good, still won't give out an interview to someone? Any general advice is appreciated. I feel like after a while, they must all sound the same when someone reads them. Thanks!

 

[Goro]

The essays need to be well written. And yes, they all gel after awhile.

Tons of schools use secondaries as a tax on the hopelessly naive, or the pathologically optimistic.

I've noticed that a lot of the weed-out process happens when people submit their secondaries. I'm applying this cycle and since have basically finished my PS and 15 activities, so I started looking at secondary prompts. My question is: what are some qualities of a really good secondary?

Is it writing style? specific stories? connection to the school? Do some schools just give them out for fun and no matter how good, still won't give out an interview to someone? Any general advice is appreciated. I feel like after a while, they must all sound the same when someone reads them. Thanks!

 

[efle]

Is it writing style? specific stories? connection to the school?

I think you can hurt yourself with a crappy written one, but won't help yourself that much with a well-written one. If you have a lot of substance to share ("why our school" and your answer is drawn from a year of working in the hospital system there for example) that would be important.

Do some schools just give them out for fun and no matter how good, still won't give out an interview to someone?

yep, this def happens, a lot

 

[LizzyM]

Show that you are familiar with the school and that you know how to spell the name of the school and you know where it is located (some schools are tricky and the medical school is not in the same area as the undergrad).

 

[GCS-15]

Show that you are familiar with the school and that you know how to spell the name of the school and you know where it is located (some schools are tricky and the medical school is not in the same area as the undergrad).

I know this is a little off topic, but is there a way to see specific demographics of each school? Example: 75% of MS1 are from CA, 5% are from CT, etc etc. I want to narrow down my school list so I feel that this info would be useful to have. I purchased the MSAR but it doesn't get this specific - just lists the states that students came from, not the percentage.

 

[efle]

I know this is a little off topic, but is there a way to see specific demographics of each school? Example: 75% of MS1 are from CA, 5% are from CT, etc etc. I want to narrow down my school list so I feel that this info would be useful to have. I purchased the MSAR but it doesn't get this specific - just lists the states that students came from, not the percentage.

You can see overall percent that come from the state, and percent from outside the state. No further breakdown but I don't know how useful a further breakdown would be just of matriculant values. Like 5% of matrics being from CT isn't very useful if you don't know the % of applicants that were from CT.

What would you do with this info, btw? Worried that schools that take out-of-staters might still prefer applicants only from neighboring states or something?

 

[LizzyM]

I know this is a little off topic, but is there a way to see specific demographics of each school? Example: 75% of MS1 are from CA, 5% are from CT, etc etc. I want to narrow down my school list so I feel that this info would be useful to have. I purchased the MSAR but it doesn't get this specific - just lists the states that students came from, not the percentage.

Most schools will tell you something about the demographics of the current M1 class. Do keep in mind that this is a function of admission decisions plus the decisions of admitted students who have choices. Also, these demographics can change from year to year and are almost always subject to the variations one sees in dealing with small numbers (usually 100-150).

 

[moggat]

In my (limited) experience reading people's secondaries, make sure you actually answer the question they're asking. A well written vignette about a patient contact experience may not answer the actual question.

 

[Goro]

Bonus points if you know something about the school that's not merely vomited up from their website.

Show that you are familiar with the school and that you know how to spell the name of the school and you know where it is located (some schools are tricky and the medical school is not in the same area as the undergrad).