MEDICAL SCHOOL SECONDARY ESSAYS

I heard I should complete all of my secondary essays within 24 hours of receiving them.
I heard the secondaries don’t matter.
I heard the secondaries are the most important part of the application.

Needless to say, there are many myths about secondary essays floating around. Alot of them, like those above, are not true. Every piece of your application is important and the most important part is largely dependent on the perspective of the person reviewing your documents. This is why I encourage my clients to put equal effort and thought into everything they submit. Don’t rush your writing; inevitably, this leads to sloppy work and weak documents.

Read my previous posts on secondary essays.

I would also like to congratulate our 2013 medical school applicants who have already received interviews at medical schools.

HOW DO I APPROACH SECONDARY ESSAYS?

A client wrote me today and asked: “Dr. Freedman, I am confused about my secondary essays. What should I write about?”

I encourage clients to read secondary essay prompts carefully. Many applicants don’t answer the actual question that is being asked. It is important to say something fresh that isn’t stated elsewhere in your application. Don’t drone on and try to be as succinct as possible. Think of the person reading your application — they have already read through your entries, personal statement, letters of reference and now they are reading your secondaries. This is a tiring process especially when the reviewer may have a huge stack of applications to review in one sitting.

Regarding optional essays, don’t feel that you must complete these. If you have nothing new to add and have done a thorough job representing yourself in the rest of your application, it is OK to leave this space empty. The thing that made me crazy when I screened medical school applications was reading something in a secondary essay that I had already read elsewhere.

Also be sure to proofread your secondary essays. More than once I read a secondary essay when an applicant referenced the wrong medical school rather than the school for which the secondary essay was intended. These applications were screened out because this spoke volumes about the applicant.

MedEdits provides comprehensive assistance for medical school applicants.

Visit: www.MedEdits.com

Medical School Secondary Essays

I heard I should complete all of my secondary essays within 24 hours of receiving them.
I heard the secondaries don't matter.
I heard the secondaries are the most important part of the application.

Needless to say, there are many myths about secondary essays floating around. Alot of them, like those above, are not true. Every piece of your application is important and the most important part is largely dependent on the perspective of the person reviewing your documents. This is why I encourage my clients to put equal effort and thought into everything they submit. Don't rush your writing; inevitably, this leads to sloppy work and weak documents.

Read my previous posts on secondary essays.

I would also like to congratulate our 2010 medical school applicants who have already received interviews at medical schools including Yale, Vanderbilt, Ohio State and Duke. Click Here to see where MedEdits' medical school applicants have interviews.

I am no longer accepting new clients this summer and if you are interested in working with me on interview preparation this fall, please retain my services soon. If you would like to work with me for the 2011/2012 admissions season, please contact me. Each year, I stop accepting clients earlier in the season as more people learn about my clients' success. Read a sampling of my testimonials.

Visit: MedEdits

Medical School Secondary Essays

I find that there are two major pitfalls when applicants complete secondary essays:

1) Applicants do not address the prompts or the questions asked.

Students understand the secondary essay is a place to convince the admissions member that you have something unique to offer. And, while this is true, do this within the context of what is being asked. Clients often write about topics or achievements that in no way relate the prompt.

2) Candidates often write too generally.

The rule in any essay is to be as specific as possible. Read each sentence and paragraph and ask yourself if someone else could have written your essay. If the answer is "yes," then you are being too general.

If you need help with your secondaries to earn medical school interviews, contact MedEdits.

Client Snippet: How Do I Approach Secondary Essays?

A client wrote me today and asked: "Dr. Freedman, I am confused about my secondary essays. What should I write about?"

I encourage clients to read secondary essay prompts carefully. Many applicants don't answer the actual question that is being asked. It is important to say something fresh that isn't stated elsewhere in your application. Don't drone on and try to be as succinct as possible. Think of the person reading your application -- they have already read through your entries, personal statement, letters of reference and now they are reading your secondaries. This is a tiring process especially when the reviewer may have a huge stack of applications to review in one sitting.

Regarding optional essays, don't feel that you must complete these. If you have nothing new to add and have done a thorough job representing yourself in the rest of your application, it is OK to leave this space empty. The thing that made me crazy when I screened medical school applications was reading something in a secondary essay that I had already read elsewhere.

Also be sure to proofread your secondary essays. More than once I read a secondary essay when an applicant referenced the wrong medical school rather than the school for which the secondary essay was intended. These applications were screened out because this spoke volumes about the applicant.

MedEdits provides comprehensive assistance for medical school applicants.

Visit: www.MedEdits.com