Which is more important - PS or secondary essays?

[Dreaming big]

As the title states, which do Adcoms value more when looking at an applicant - Personal Statement or secondary essays from each individual college? Are they held to different standards because you have less time (well, kindof) to submit and work on the secondary after recieveing it?

THanks

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[Dianyla]

As with all questions on here, the answer is: It depends on the medschool.

For med schools that screen pre-secondary, your PS is the most important. Obviously. 🙄

Just do the best job you can on everything.

 

[the humming sea]

Personal Statement is way more important. They have to know that you are rushing through your secondary essays.

 

[NickNaylor]

Depends on the school. Some schools basically don't have secondaries, so obviously those aren't important. For schools that ask you why that school specifically, though, I think those would be very important (perhaps more important than the PS). If you come across as genuinely interested in the school and have good reasons why you want to go there, I would personally want to interview you. If it's obvious that you didn't do any research on the school, that's probably a deal breaker.

 

[Homoochan]

How about both

 

[ThaliaNox]

They're important in different ways. A rushed or poorly written secondary with a polished personal statement can mean that an otherwise attractive applicant doesn't really care about that school. Essays which are well written but generic or slightly off focus can mean that someone is applying to a ton of schools and is using the same essay for several, which can mean they're not as interested in that school, but are applying to cover their bases.

 

[NotAsking4Much]

Personal Statement is way more important. They have to know that you are rushing through your secondary essays.

I heard it's usually the same. PS only stand out if you have a phenomenal story that stands you out from all the other 5-6k applicants.

They spend roughly only several minutes going through your entire application. It's really more of a first glance type of thing.

 

[Law2Doc]

As the title states, which do Adcoms value more when looking at an applicant - Personal Statement or secondary essays from each individual college? Are they held to different standards because you have less time (well, kindof) to submit and work on the secondary after recieveing it?

THanks

Um, they are both "more important". This kind of question is not useful. The entire process is important, or they wouldn't make you do it. You have to realize that med schools are getting as many as 10,000 applications, and are doing what they can to separate the wheat from the chaff. As a result, it only takes a bad PS or a bad secondary essay to give them the ammunition they need to weed you out. So it is all important, the grades, the MCAT, the LOR, the essays (both PS and secondary), the interview, and so on. It is foolish to take the approach that you can work less on one part of the application. If you don't have time to do a good job on the secondary, that's a problem because you'd better believe the other ten thousand applicants applying to that school found the time. So no, there are no lower expectations. You give 100% on everything or you wait for a later cycle where you will have time to give 100%. This isn't a process where excuses count for much.

 

[ThaliaNox]

Personal Statement is way more important. They have to know that you are rushing through your secondary essays.

Never, ever, let a school get any kind of impression that you rushed your secondary essays. Every school want to think that you spent hours on their essays alone because that school is far more important to you than any other. Most people have a few schools that they DO spend more time on because that school is more important to them. Make every school think that that school is them.

 

[stevesavi]

How about both

Nope, this cant possibly be the answer. It could be neither, if they are of the same importance but not both since the question poses their importance relative to each other, given there is an overall "importance" and not some multiple "importance"s that cant be quantified relative to each other.

 

[ownage]

Personal Statement hands down.

Many schools do not have secondary essays. And most schools have secondary essays which are very short and are not even essays.

Some which do require secondary essays ask basically why you want to attend their school. They are doctors and they are smart enough to know that most applicants are going to write the same BS.

 

[Dreaming big]

Um, they are both "more important". This kind of question is not useful. The entire process is important, or they wouldn't make you do it. You have to realize that med schools are getting as many as 10,000 applications, and are doing what they can to separate the wheat from the chaff. As a result, it only takes a bad PS or a bad secondary essay to give them the ammunition they need to weed you out. So it is all important, the grades, the MCAT, the LOR, the essays (both PS and secondary), the interview, and so on. It is foolish to take the approach that you can work less on one part of the application. If you don't have time to do a good job on the secondary, that's a problem because you'd better believe the other ten thousand applicants applying to that school found the time. So no, there are no lower expectations. You give 100% on everything or you wait for a later cycle where you will have time to give 100%. This isn't a process where excuses count for much.

Im not asking in terms of "skimping" out on one, or doing less on the other. I was just wondering which schools would value more. I am pre-writing my secondaries right now and having friends and family edit them to make them the best as possible. It was a real question and had nothing to do with giving less than 100%...

 

[Law2Doc]

Im not asking in terms of "skimping" out on one, or doing less on the other. I was just wondering which schools would value more. I am pre-writing my secondaries right now and having friends and family edit them to make them the best as possible. It was a real question and had nothing to do with giving less than 100%...

But there is no "value more". They are all valued to the extreme. If you screw it up, you won't get in. Assume everything in the application process is valued the same, and you can't go wrong. It's foolish to focus on one thing over another, and if that wasn't your point, then I have to say I'm not sure what benefit knowing that one is more important than the other would be. There is no "more important" in this process. They are all important. The end.

 

[Dreaming big]

But there is no "value more". They are all valued to the extreme. If you screw it up, you won't get in. Assume everything in the application process is valued the same, and you can't go wrong. It's foolish to focus on one thing over another, and if that wasn't your point, then I have to say I'm not sure what benefit knowing that one is more important than the other would be. There is no "more important" in this process. They are all important. The end.

I guess you are right - maybe I am looking for something that doesnt exist. I just thought that I had read (maybe incorrectly, it seems) that some schools value secondary more because they are school specific. I was just trying to see if anyone else had heard of this