One of the most popular secondary questions asked by medical schools is “why our program?” Saying why you’re attracted to a particular school can be a hard thing to explain, especially when you’ve looked at so many programs that they’ve all begun to blur. I think that’s why I so often see the same answer:…
Secondary Essay Tips
Starting Your Secondaries? STOP! Watch This Video First
Our recent masterclass, How to Create Successful Secondary Applications, included a practical breakdown of the most common med school secondary questions and how to approach them successfully. If you weren’t able to join us, find an hour out of your day to watch the recording of the session. Secondaries serve a very different purpose than…
5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Medical School Application Essays
Your medical school personal statement is your first chance to let the adcoms see who you are beyond your stats. An engaging, well-written essay will make them want to meet you for an interview to learn even more about you. There are 5 application essay killers that you need to avoid. This blog post will…
3 Tips for Writing the Optional Essay in Medical School Secondary Applications
Many medical schools include an optional essay in their secondary applications. Obviously, this “optional” essay is not required, and the essay prompt sometimes emphasizes this point. Often, the question will include the stipulation that you cannot include anything that was already mentioned in your primary application or other essays. Some schools even state that most…
A Medical School Admissions Expert’s Guide to Postbacs and Med Schools [Episode 376]
Could a postbac program boost your chances of acceptance to medical school?[Show summary] Dr. Barry Rothman, an Accepted consultant with 19 years of experience in health professions advising, shares his expert guidance for applicants considering postbac programs and medical school. Learn how this admissions cycle will differ from other cycles, and how you can best…
Track Your Secondary Application Progress with a Spreadsheet
After you have submitted your primary application, the real fun begins! Depending on how many schools you are applying to and the number of school systems, it can be challenging to keep track of all of your secondary applications and deadlines. To help you get organized, I’m sharing a spreadsheet I’ve created for you so…
Applying to Med School During COVID-19 [Episode 372]
What unique challenges can this year’s med school applicants expect to face, and how can they be overcome? [Show summary] Dr. Herman “Flash” Gordon, Accepted medical admissions consultant, walks med school applicants through applying during COVID-19, as well as disclosing thorny issues like academic discipline or a criminal record. How COVID-19 is impacting medical school…
Get a Head Start on Your Med School Secondaries
Right now, most premeds are counting down the days until May 28th, when the 2021 AMCAS application will open. After you put the final touches on your application and click “submit,” how do you plan to spend your time? Rewatching all nine seasons of The Office on Netflix Perfecting your indoor hoops game Finishing that…
What NOT to Write in Your Medical School Secondary Application Essays
Since the number of secondary applications that you receive can be overwhelming, you may be tempted to take a few shortcuts. Some shortcuts are warranted while others are just too risky to consider using. To ensure that you are one of the “lucky” few who receive a medical school interview, avoid the following egregious errors:…
Successful Medical School Secondary Application Strategies
Use the following strategies to get organized and to help you write better secondary essays. Taking the time to think about how you will approach your secondaries can give you the “big picture” perspective you need to do your best work. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, trying a new approach can make all the difference in…
Med School Admissions Veteran Shares Her Experience: How to Get In [Episode 314]
Accepted admissions consultant Cydney Foote sheds light on the medical school application process [Show Summary] Are you not quite ready to submit your AMCAS application? Don’t panic. We’ve got the advice you need to polish off your personal statement, MMEs, and activity descriptions. Listen to the podcast for answers to “How many schools should you…
Accepted to Med School in Mid October: How Did He Do It? [Episode 288]
Interview with Ryan Crane, Entering Medical Student [Show Summary] Ryan Crane already knows he is going to medical school next fall, having been accepted at two schools in October! The medical school application process is long and ardurous, and Ryan knew he had some weaknesses to overcome. Listen to how Ryan overcame those weaknesses with…
Secondary Essays: Completing the Jigsaw Puzzle
By the time admissions people start reading the secondaries they already know a little bit about you. They have seen your transcript, GPA, and MCAT score. They have also reviewed your AMCAS essay so they should know what you think is most important for them to know. But of course pieces are still missing from…
Will Your Secondaries Score Interviews?
The thing we hear again and again from our med school experts is that the biggest error applicants make in their secondary essays is failing to answer the question. It sounds easy, right? Just answer the question. But when you’re answering so many essays for so many schools – and you’re feeling anxious and…
Secondary Application Tips: The Experts Speak
Congrats! You’ve completed your AMCAS app and are starting to hear back from med schools. It’s not time to sit back on your laurels just yet. You’ve still got a lot of work ahead of you, and a great secondary essay is one of the keys to a med school acceptance. But how do you…
4 Tips for Writing Successful Secondary Essays
If you sent your AMCAS application off promptly in June, you’re now working your way through secondary application essays. When writing your secondaries, keep in mind that the purpose of the secondaries is to show your fit with the specific school, not to show why you want to go into the medical field – that…
How to Write Succinct Secondary Essays
As you start to work on your secondary essays, one of the things that will become clearer and clearer is that you’re working within some VERY tight character limits. You may sit and stare at your computer screen, thinking you have nothing to say, but once you start writing, you may see that you have…
Prepare for Secondaries and Interviews
This post is the last in our series on applying to med school in the most efficient and timely manner. You’ve got six months to make this happen. Make sure you do it right by following the tips in Med School Action Plan: 6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply. It can be…
How to Create Sizzling Secondary Applications
You’ve taken the MCAT, completed all the pre-reqs, and maybe shadowed a physician, done some research, and volunteered. Now it’s time to make sure you’re all in for the last legs of this long journey. In this series, we’ll discuss how you can continue to navigate your way to a med school acceptance by analyzing…
Applying to Med School: How to Juggle Secondaries
First and foremost, congratulations on having pummeled through the past few years as a premed, beasting the MCAT, shadowing in hospitals, doing research, volunteering about a bagillion hours, and successfully submitting your primary application through AMCAS. You’ve come a long way, and I imagine you are anxiously awaiting that ominous “secondary application.” “Wait, I already applied to medical school and told…
