Worst Secondaries

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ChocolateKiss

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For those of you picking which schools to apply to, I thought it would be useful to have a list of schools who have awful secondaries (so you can think twice about applying if you're not REALLY sure you'd like to go to these schools).

Annoying secondaries:

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)

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Annoying secondaries:

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
 
Annoying secondaries:

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
 
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ChocolateKiss said:
For those of you picking which schools to apply to, I thought it would be useful to have a list of schools who have awful secondaries (so you can think twice about applying if you're not REALLY sure you'd like to go to these schools).

Annoying secondaries:

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)

I kind of thought of this the opposite way - if the secondary is a monster, a lower percentage of people who designated the school on AMCAS will submit the secondary. That means less competition for those who actually do turn it in.

This is why I say if you only apply to one Top-10 reach school, apply to Duke. They screen and their secondary comes out pretty late (middle-late August I think), so by the time you get it, an early applicant should be mostly finished with the initial wave of secondaries anyway. The secondary is awful, but it's much more effective at thinning the herd than schools like Harvard and UPenn with easier secondaries.
 
Annoying secondaries:

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)
5. University of Chicago (I heard second-hand)

what do you mean by prompts?
 
Dr. Giggles said:
I kind of thought of this the opposite way - if the secondary is a monster, a lower percentage of people who designated the school on AMCAS will submit the secondary. That means less competition for those who actually do turn it in.

This is why I say if you only apply to one Top-10 reach school, apply to Duke. They screen and their secondary comes out pretty late (middle-late August I think), so by the time you get it, an early applicant should be mostly finished with the initial wave of secondaries anyway. The secondary is awful, but it's much more effective at thinning the herd than schools like Harvard and UPenn with easier secondaries.

My MSAR says Duke doesn't screen. Is this an error?
 
I second Davis and USC... especially Davis! I thougth I was done, and then clicked on the "optional" part, and realized I wasn't even half-way there! By far my worst secondary!
 
Schaden Freud said:
My MSAR says Duke doesn't screen. Is this an error?

Duke gives the secondary to all applicants. But a lot of people don't do it so... you have a good chance of getting the interview if you do it. My first invite was from Duke, needless to say i was shocked because I don't have the greatest stats. But what's interesting is that Duke is not rolling and they make a decision in March after they've interviewed all applicants. So you have plenty of time to do their secondary which wasn't bad because even though there were a lot of prompts they were short and easy to do.
 
Wookey said:
Duke gives the secondary to all applicants. But a lot of people don't do it so... you have a good chance of getting the interview if you do it. My first invite was from Duke, needless to say i was shocked because I don't have the greatest stats. But what's interesting is that Duke is not rolling and they make a decision in March after they've interviewed all applicants. So you have plenty of time to do their secondary (which wasn't bad at all).

Thanks!
 
Georgetown pissed me off because its $115 and you have to write an entire page on why you want to go there, which is difficult if you are like me and only applied there because it has a decent rep.

UVA - 3 essays
Chicago - 3 essays
BU - 1 ridiculous "optional" essay.
Case - 2 essays, 1 is about your commitment to research
Northwestern - 3
Ohio state - 2 essays, 1 is about your personal altruism
 
Schaden Freud said:
My MSAR says Duke doesn't screen. Is this an error?

I was going on anecdotal evidence from a friend who said Duke wouldn't send her a secondary because her GPA and/or MCAT weren't high enough. I could be wrong, but I thought Duke screened. Maybe this has changed in the last year, who knows.
 
Carmenita79 said:
Annoying secondaries:

what do you mean by prompts?

Prompts are like questions that are posed to the writer....such as, "explain your motivation to pursue medicine."
 
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bertz413 said:
what are you guys going to say is your motivation to go to a particular school?

Probably whatever reason I chose to apply there (probably a unique feature of their curriculum or location.... or maybe "your average stats are really low so I thought you'd accept me").
 
butmylipshurtrealbad said:
I second Davis and USC... especially Davis! I thougth I was done, and then clicked on the "optional" part, and realized I wasn't even half-way there! By far my worst secondary!


UC Davis was definitely the LOOOOONGEST secondary ever. I fell for the trick of the "optional" part too! They sneak it in...and of course, you have to do it.
 
diosa428 said:
Yeah that caused confusion last year too, but Duke does not screen for secondaries.


I have heard some schools screen, but only cut out people with GPA<3.0 and MCAT<24, so for the most part they are unscreened.
 
1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)
5. University of Chicago (I heard second-hand)
6. Vanderbilt (2000 word autobiography and 2 other long essays)
 
ND2005 said:
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)

You get 250 words for each of the question prompts...not terrible, but not particularly fun, either. On the plus side, it might cut down on the number of people completing the secondary (a la Duke).

I second UC Davis being really bad, and I would add UC San Diego, as well (2 page autobiography summarizing your life to date).
 
What are secondaries like for NYU and Mt. Sinai?
 
UConn has a terrible secondary - something like 6 essays that are all reasonably long and annoying to write.
 
Rafa said:
What are secondaries like for NYU and Mt. Sinai?

I barely remember now, but I don't believe either of them have any written questions...at most they just ask if you've applied to them/medical school before, and if you have any alumni relatives. Then you pay the fee and submit. :)
 
Rafa said:
What are secondaries like for NYU and Mt. Sinai?

1. What is your credit card number?
2. What is the expiration date of your credit card?
3. What is the name on the card; what is your billing address?
 
1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)
5. University of Chicago (I heard second-hand)
6. Vanderbilt (2000 word autobiography and 2 other long essays)
7. UConn (6 essays, each with 3 pg upper limit)
 
Do it said:
1. What is your credit card number?
2. What is the expiration date of your credit card?
3. What is the name on the card; what is your billing address?
As painful as paying for all this will be, that sounds pretty good :thumbup:.
 
Thank you Do it do it and WayChanger. :)
 
DF38 said:
As painful as paying for all this will be, that sounds pretty good :thumbup:.

I agree, we are paying $100 regardless, I'd rather be raped quick rather than slowly. Secondaries are a sham, at least some schools don't waste your time and get to the point right away.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)
5. University of Chicago (I heard second-hand)
6. Vanderbilt (2000 word autobiography and 2 other long essays)
7. UConn (6 essays, each with 3 pg upper limit)
8. Columbia (need my grades AGAIN?)
 
Sansfrontier said:
8. Columbia (need my grades AGAIN?)

That was a relic from when Columbia did not participate in the AMCAS. Emails from the admissions office confirmed that that portion was actually optional. I suspect it will be gone entirely this application cycle.
 
UIC was a pain...lots of questions, and the Word document that you're supposed to fill out is full of glitches.

Georgetown's was crappy too...write a full page, single-spaced about why Georgetown is better than every other medical school...or something like that :smuggrin:
 
WayChanger said:
That was a relic from when Columbia did not participate in the AMCAS. Emails from the admissions office confirmed that that portion was actually optional. I suspect it will be gone entirely this application cycle.

They could have made it easier on us much earlier...
Those applying this cycle should be relieved.
 
1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)
5. University of Chicago (I heard second-hand)
6. Vanderbilt (2000 word autobiography and 2 other long essays)
7. UConn (6 essays, each with 3 pg upper limit)
8. Columbia (need my grades AGAIN?)
9. University of Kentucky (about 8 or 9 essays, and an added essay for out of staters that is supposed to be a personal statement of intent, but CANNOT be your original personal statement, or rehash any of the subjects covered in the original personal statement--they want you to explain why you want to go to med school, why U of Kentucky, what influenced your decision etc...it SUCKED. I applied there as a last minute close to home school too, and it was way too much work)
 
Can someone confirm or deny the Uof chicago?
 
kevster2001 said:
Can someone confirm or deny the Uof chicago?

I was told there were a few long essays... something to the effect of "Describe a time when you truly helped someone and what that experience taught you about your values" and "Describe a personal hardship you have had, how you dealt with it and who you turned to for help".... and some generic why medicine, why chicago, etc essays.
 
I vote columbia.

Sansfrontier said:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Duke (lots of essays and hard prompts)
2. UC Davis (ten essays with 6000 character limits each)
3. UMiami (last year had 6 prompts)
4. Univ of Southern California (5 long essays--I heard second-hand)
5. University of Chicago (I heard second-hand)
6. Vanderbilt (2000 word autobiography and 2 other long essays)
7. UConn (6 essays, each with 3 pg upper limit)
8. Columbia (need my grades AGAIN?)
 
I think I'm having a panic attack.
Do we have a hyperventilating emoticon around here?
 
Do it said:
1. What is your credit card number?
2. What is the expiration date of your credit card?
3. What is the name on the card; what is your billing address?

:laugh:

I remember putting off the NYU secondary because I was expecting to write several essays like the others. I finally came around to doing it then I was like :eek: I still think that's kinda cheesy though because they didn't care enough to get to know more about their applicants.
 
Case Western was really not that bad. In fact, I think that was one of my fastest secondaries. I think it's harder to write "why do you want to go here" type essays or ethics essays than it is to write "describe your research" essays.

I second Boston University, though. Not because it was long, but because
a) Optional? Who are we kidding?
b) It was annoying and way way way too pretentious. So pretentious it was just silly.


I disliked SUNY Stonybrook's secondary for the same reason. Three page-long essays that were much too pretentious.
 
Does anyone know if the secondary essay prompts stay the same from year to year for each school?
 
Pains in my ass:

Duke (see other posts)
U. Minnesota (Almost as bad as Duke, Massive essays ~7, some funky grade/course entry thing, and a bunch of other hoops to jump through) <- I think they might have even wanted transcripts
Northwestern (only 3 essays, but a strict deadline)
Loyola (Just a bunch of essays)
 
Okay, don't cross a school off your list because of the secondary; that's stupid. But to answer the question, I hated BU's optional essay because it felt like you HAD to do it, and it was a stupid question. I actually really didn't like the secondaries that just requested a check (like NYU) because I wanted the opportunity to add more info, instead of just feeling like I was throwing money away.
 
Thundrstorm said:
Okay, don't cross a school off your list because of the secondary; that's stupid. But to answer the question, I hated BU's optional essay because it felt like you HAD to do it, and it was a stupid question. I actually really didn't like the secondaries that just requested a check (like NYU) because I wanted the opportunity to add more info, instead of just feeling like I was throwing money away.

out of curiosity, what's the awful BU question?
 
ltrain said:
out of curiosity, what's the awful BU question?
The concept of professionalism in medicine has become an issue of great interest in the last several years. While there are many definitions of professionalism, the following commentary sets out the key points:

Medicine is not a trade to be learned, but a profession to be entered. A profession is characterized by a specialized body of knowledge that its members must teach and expand, by a code of ethics and a duty of service that put patient care above self-interest, and by the privilege of self-regulation granted by society. [Snyder L, et. al. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142;560-582.]

Please write a 250-500 word reflection on the concept of professionalism in medicine and the traits by which it is constituted. Focus your comments on ways in which you have been challenged by your own life experiences en route to a career in medicine, as well as on ways in which your own experiences have shaped your understanding of the profession of medicine and your own determination to undertake the obligations inherent in this career. Use this essay to provide us with insights that are not reflected in your AMCAS Personal Statement or other parts of your application.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=210160
 
Thundrstorm said:
The concept of professionalism in medicine has become an issue of great interest in the last several years. While there are many definitions of professionalism, the following commentary sets out the key points:

Medicine is not a trade to be learned, but a profession to be entered. A profession is characterized by a specialized body of knowledge that its members must teach and expand, by a code of ethics and a duty of service that put patient care above self-interest, and by the privilege of self-regulation granted by society. [Snyder L, et. al. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142;560-582.]

Please write a 250-500 word reflection on the concept of professionalism in medicine and the traits by which it is constituted. Focus your comments on ways in which you have been challenged by your own life experiences en route to a career in medicine, as well as on ways in which your own experiences have shaped your understanding of the profession of medicine and your own determination to undertake the obligations inherent in this career. Use this essay to provide us with insights that are not reflected in your AMCAS Personal Statement or other parts of your application.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=210160


oh sh**.
 
The secondary for Rush is awful, and I am not a fan of U of C's also.
 
I definitely agree with UConn, BU, University of Minnesota, and Columbia, and I want to add Yale.

UConn's essays were so frustrating, I didn't complete the secondary (I think this was their intention).

BU WAS really pretentious, and that optional essay was lame. I spent several weeks working over my response to that topic, and then decided not to send the secondary afterall.

UofM for the reasons above, and that they require THEIR OWN LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION that are different, but only slightly different, from those required by EVERY OTHER SCHOOL.

Yale sucked because they had their own online submission system that, at least for me, was full of bugs at the time I applied last July.

:thumbdown: :thumbdown: :thumbdown: to all
 
So, I'm new to posting on SDN and for some reason cannot start another thread. Just wondering about what secondaries are available (ie while I'm waiting for MCAT scores to turn in AMCAS and TMDSAS). I know UT SW is, and Wash U says it will be available June 2006 - but I cannot access it. Is there some trick? Anyone else having trouble?

Thanks!
SN
 
jlweinst said:
I definitely agree with UConn, BU, University of Minnesota, and Columbia, and I want to add Yale.


I am not sure what Yale's was like last year, but the 2007 secondary is on-line and available to all. It was pretty easy the only essay (<500 words) was why do you want to attend yale?
 
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