MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract:
As pre-medical students entering the upcoming medical school application cycle, we have been accumulating knowledge on what to expect from the process through advisors, admission officers, the AAMC, third party sources, and peer-reviewed literature. So many resources focus on primary applications, that secondary applications have been, in our opinions, underemphasized. Nearly all medical schools have a secondary application that requires the applicant to write anywhere between one and five essays. The essays are are chance for the student to provide greater insight into their personal narrative and character traits, and distinguish themselves from other applicants. Based on data from 2016 provided by the AAMC, the average cost of a secondary application is eighty three dollars. With the average applicant applying to fifteen schools, secondary applications can easily become a financial barrier. We provide an informational guide to writing secondary applications, which includes tips and advice we have accumulated. At the end, we include annotated sample essays to serve as real-life examples. The ultimate goal when writing a secondary essay is to remain consistent with your personal theme or narrative that was conveyed in the primary application. We outline several possible personal competencies and qualities that can be worked into a response to any form of prompt. We also mention things to avoid, such as an over-use of I/me and an inflated sense of self-worth. We hope this document highlights the need to plan for secondary applications just as one would plan for their primary applications, and that you end the document with the direction and motivation to begin writing your secondary application essays early.

Reader profile:
I envision our resistance audience to be stressed out pre-medical students that are going through the current application process. These individuals might believe that secondary applications are not as important as the primary application or are unaware of the high costs associated with them. Also, we imagine skeptical students that don’t take advice well to be resistant to our guide. In order to combat this, we will establish our ethos early on in the document so these students can trust the information that is being presented to them.

Readers Response:
How am I supposed to focus on writing multiple secondary essays when I have to finish my primary application, study for the MCAT, get good grades, and gain clinical and research experience? I just have too much on my plate right now and I don’t have enough time to dedicate on these essays. Looking at the guide, I see they include a table of common themes seen throughout secondary essays. This is really helpful since it will give me an idea as to the type of questions medical schools ask for and I can start to think of ways to respond. The guide also gives help tips/tricks I can use to help me write secondary applications. I can probably start a journal where I write down memorable experiences that I can refer back to when writing these essays. Maybe if I use the information provided in this guide, I’ll be better prepared and motivated to navigate through the secondary application process.

J and K, nice profile of a truly stressed premed/predent.

Would a timeline help? I think that elements of document design will help your busy/stressed reader examine the document for a strategic skim. Then, as you describe, they might keep notes. What about a recording app on a phone, to speak an idea into an audio file? Would that help?