Writing Secondaries, Qualities Essay

[spenguin]

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Hey

Many schools have a "What qualities do you bring to XXXCOM" secondary essay

My questions are
1) How formal should you be?
2) Should you mention examples that demonstrate those qualities and/or how they would help you as a student/doctor?
3) Are they just looking for qualities that would make you a good medical student or also qualities that would make you pleasant to be around (friendly, personable, etc) [=> would you sound wishy washy for talking about how you are friendly, etc?]


Thanks

 

[MPHOrtho13]

Hi there... This is what I found most helpful for me:
1.) When in doubt, go formal-- always better to write eloquently with good grammar even if the prompt has an informal tone.
2.) When possible, show, not tell. For example, anyone can say they're a problem solver, but not everyone can give a memorable example of how they once solved a complex real-life problem on the fly that made everyone around them happy, happy, happy. Those who can do the latter (usually) have stellar essays.
3.) Personally, I wrote about qualities that I thought would make me a great fit at that particular med school, but would then also translate into being a good physician, citizen, etc. The same show, not tell, advice from #2 also applies here.

When I helped read for my undergrad's admissions (disclaimer: that's a different ball game than med school admissions), it was tough to like essays that overtly tried too hard to play into what the student thought an admissions officer wanted to hear. While you do want to put your best foot forward and show the committee why you're a great candidate, you also want your unique personality to shine though, so don't be afraid to personalize. Good luck! 🙂

 

[IIIIIII]

Hey

Many schools have a "What qualities do you bring to XXXCOM" secondary essay

My questions are
1) How formal should you be?
2) Should you mention examples that demonstrate those qualities and/or how they would help you as a student/doctor?
3) Are they just looking for qualities that would make you a good medical student or also qualities that would make you pleasant to be around (friendly, personable, etc) [=> would you sound wishy washy for talking about how you are friendly, etc?]


Thanks

1. Why won't it be formal.
2. Both.
3. Qualities that make you a good medical student and qualities that would make you pleasant to be around shouldn't be very different.

 

[nRomaleos]

Hi there... This is what I found most helpful for me:
1.) When in doubt, go formal-- always better to write eloquently with good grammar even if the prompt has an informal tone.
2.) When possible, show, not tell. For example, anyone can say they're a problem solver, but not everyone can give a memorable example of how they once solved a complex real-life problem on the fly that made everyone around them happy, happy, happy. Those who can do the latter (usually) have stellar essays.
3.) Personally, I wrote about qualities that I thought would make me a great fit at that particular med school, but would then also translate into being a good physician, citizen, etc. The same show, not tell, advice from #2 also applies here.

When I helped read for my undergrad's admissions (disclaimer: that's a different ball game than med school admissions), it was tough to like essays that overtly tried too hard to play into what the student thought an admissions officer wanted to hear. While you do want to put your best foot forward and show the committee why you're a great candidate, you also want your unique personality to shine though, so don't be afraid to personalize. Good luck! 🙂

Can you elaborate on your last paragraph on "tried too hard to play..."

For example, if I have record working in free-clinics, is it "trying too hard" if I applied to Davis for there 5 student run clinics?

 

[MPHOrtho13]

Can you elaborate on your last paragraph on "tried too hard to play..."

Sure. All I meant is that don't say anything that you can't back up with real-life examples. For example, if you say you're passionate about volunteering-- make sure you've volunteered or at least have a reason that would give a strong indication that you'd volunteer in the future (e.g., you were the recipient of great volunteer care, and therefore, as a doc, you want to give back in that same way). While most people don't do that, what many people do instead is write in their essays that they are, say, "compassionate", "honest", passionate about "holistic medicine", or some other characteristic that they think that you're looking for. Then, in an interview setting, when you ask them to provide an example of when they were compassionate, honest, etc., they can't provide you with an answer. Just carefully reflect on every item in your app and you'll be fine.

You've got a track record of working in free care clinics (which is wonderful btw), so it's certainly not a stretch to believe that you are genuinely applying to a school for their student run clinics. Come interview time, just be able to articulate why you're motivated to provide free care, and you'll do great. Good luck! 🙂