Writing Secondaries with low stats

[Myopicvisions]

As the subject suggests- looking for advice on what the focus should be when writing secondaries for a screened application.

My Mcat/GPA is low compared to the average but I received a secondary invitation to my surprise.

What should my focus be? Should I be heavy on the holistic approach with a nod to the metrics or should I address the metrics full on to answer the unasked question of why you when you couldn’t score our average?

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[Z_C]

I’m just some person so this is just my opinion, but you shouldn’t put yourself on defense to start out. If a university wants you to explain a shortcoming make them ask you. you only get so much space to talk yourself up, i wouldn’t spend those resources talking about things you did poorly, I’d focus on what you do well. : )

 

[averagepremed0101]

I only brought it up when it asked for any academic discrepancies, otherwise focus on your strengths!

 

[cj_cregg]

Your secondary answers should be the same regardless of your stats unless they are specifically asking you about any deficiencies/weaknesses in your application. They are not looking for an explanation of your metrics or why you didn't score the average. They are looking for an answer to the question that they asked you. Don't overthink it. Shoehorning an unrelated topics into the response to try to beef yourself up will do more harm than good.

 

[Goro]

As the subject suggests- looking for advice on what the focus should be when writing secondaries for a screened application.

My Mcat/GPA is low compared to the average but I received a secondary invitation to my surprise.

What should my focus be? Should I be heavy on the holistic approach with a nod to the metrics or should I address the metrics full on to answer the unasked question of why you when you couldn’t score our average?

Never bring attention to a negative.

Answer what the prompt is asking.

You do realize that 50% of a med school class will be below average, yes?

 

[Myopicvisions]

I’m just some person so this is just my opinion, but you shouldn’t put yourself on defense to start out. If a university wants you to explain a shortcoming make them ask you. you only get so much space to talk yourself up, i wouldn’t spend those resources talking about things you did poorly, I’d focus on what you do well. : )

Thankyou person who took time out of their day to respond.
I appreciate the response.

 

[Myopicvisions]

Never bring attention to a negative.

Answer what the prompt is asking.

You do realize that 50% of a med school class will be below average, yes?

Thankyou.

 

[The Deep]

As the subject suggests- looking for advice on what the focus should be when writing secondaries for a screened application.

My Mcat/GPA is low compared to the average but I received a secondary invitation to my surprise.

What should my focus be? Should I be heavy on the holistic approach with a nod to the metrics or should I address the metrics full on to answer the unasked question of why you when you couldn’t score our average?

Honestly, I just submitted a secondary where I used part of their "anything else" essay to describe why I had low grades (low motivation, etc), how I've grown during my gap years, and why I'm a different person now; I didn't compare my grades to their averages or anything. Then I shifted into talking more about myself and my interests. Will it be perceived badly? Who knows, but the adcom on the phone I spoke with told me that you can discuss low grades if you'd like in that sort of prompt. I think it also just fits in the context of my overall story.

With that said, I think you should just be true to yourself.