When addressing a school in secondaries is it ok to just say I'd like to attend X or do I need to say I'd like to attend X SOM or X School of Medicine

[PreMedStudent55555]

---

Members don't see this ad.

The title sums it up. I.e if I'm talking about Harvard, can I just say "I'd like to attend Harvard..." or do I need to say "I'd like to attend Harvard's school of medicine". Or can I use the abbreviation SOM all the time. I ask because I don't want to sound informal but in light of character count and the fact that reading Harvard's school of medicine a couple of times gets repetitive, I was wondering if just saying Harvard would be cool.

 

[puahate]

I am prewriting and I am wondering this too

 

[dr_kateb]

Spell it out. Increases your character count.

 

[Catalystik]

The title sums it up. I.e if I'm talking about Harvard, can I just say "I'd like to attend Harvard..." or do I need to say "I'd like to attend Harvard's school of medicine". Or can I use the abbreviation SOM all the time. I ask because I don't want to sound informal but in light of character count and the fact that reading Harvard's school of medicine a couple of times gets repetitive, I was wondering if just saying Harvard would be cool.

You can use any abbreviation that the med school uses for itself on its website. And note, they don't all have "School of Medicine" in their names.

 

[lalalallala]

Agreed with the above user. Say the full name once probably and then you can switch to whichever shorter version they're using. For Cornell - they say Weill Cornell - so you should say that. For NYU, I would say NYU not New York University School of Medicine.

 

[907914]

I would recommend calling the school by their name. If you submit a secondary calling a school "X" then your application may seem disingenuous.

 

[965978]

You can use any abbreviation that the med school uses for itself on its website. And note, they don't all have "School of Medicine" in their names.

I think "College of Medicine", "Medical School", "School of Medicine", and "Medical College" about sums it up?

 

[Catalystik]

I think "College of Medicine", "Medical School", "School of Medicine", and "Medical College" about sums it up?

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Michigan State University of Human Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Etc

 

[LizzyM]

Just don't pre-write and forget to edit for each school. Don't call her Emily when her name is Grace. 😉 You laugh, but it happens every single year on the secondaries.

 

[965978]

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Michigan State University of Human Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Etc

I stand corrected!!!

 

[DameJulie]

Abbreviation is fine in secondaries. You can abbreviate it throughout, especially when the prompt already did it for you (e.g. why NYU?)

For those schools who are so famously abbreviated (e.g. UCLA, UCSF), adcoms probably aren't interested in full spellings.

Source: My pre-health adviser

 

[OchemOficionado]

I did all of the above (except the Grace/Kelly mix up). What I did depended on the required character count.

 

[mellie0]

I would write the whole thing the first time around and then use the abbreviation moving forward. It does get repetitive if you keep writing the whole name out every time.

And by the way, it's Harvard Medical School, not Harvard School of Medicine 😉

 

[getdown]

You're applying to their medical school therefore implying that that's the particular school you'd like to attend not their journalism or physics or architecture program. A little common sense goes a long way.