Hello all! This is Lori. I have answered many questions in this forum and the pre-med forum (I am on a different computer and cannot login in...forgot my name and password) and I am in need of some advice. I just received some secondary apps today. Can anyone steer me in how to write these essays (how long?...how to write a good on, etc)? Are there any good books or websites that might be of assistance? I would appreciate any advice you can give. Thank you!!!!

Hi again! Wanted to let you know that I checked out premededge.com (nothing on secondary statements), the premedzone.com (nada!). I am at a total loss. Any info would be appreciated!

Did you try here at MomMD!!? We have an essay writing course here - http://www.mommd.com/admissions.shtml

Although not specific to secondaries you could try them, there is a link to an essay writing service too

Sethina

Thanks Sethina! I read those a few days ago. For the life of me, I could not figure out where I read them. I searched high and low through all the websites dealing with interviews, etc and could not find them. They were right under my nose! Thanks so much!

Lori, One of the most helpful things I learned about secondaries is to focus exactly on what it is about that school that makes it of interest to you (in comparison to others.) For example, do they have a special research lab doing stuff you are interested in, or do they focus on primary care/some other area that you expect to go into? For example, if they are doing a bunch of research in cancer...relate it to your volunteer expereince on an oncology unit or in a cancer lab. What do they have that makes them a perfect fit for you? Go to the website for the school and learn about it in detail. Talk with students there to find out more if you need it. Learn their mission statement. Be informed about what they are proud of. (All of this will also be helpful when you interview there.) The school wants to know that you know about them and are choosing them among others. They want to be sure you think (and are very confident) that it is a good fit. If you don't...then why should they? In one of my interviews, I was asked, "let's say we have 4 excellent candidates that are equal in ability and we need to pick among them. Why should we choose you?" Without missing a beat, I was able to say how I was a perfect fit for the school, how I was exactly what they are looking for....supported by examples/details. You should think like that when you are writing your secondary.

One other thing that may be helpful is to make your secondary very personal. This is the opportunity for you to show them who you are (in greater detail than on your primary application.) I shared a very personal story in my secondaries and think it was helpful...people asked about it at almost all my interviews. That reminds me...what you write in your secondaries probably will be asked about later...so one way to direct your interviews is to set yourself up with something interesting/important to say (set it up here in your secondary). Good luck!

Doctormom's reply helps a lot. thanks. I too am getting secondaries. to all the other mommd's out there who are getting them -- are you having as hard a time with them as I am? They make me so nervous...I've never been good at selling myself. And although I know deep in my heart that I want to be a doctor and have grades and MCATs that support this, I have the worst time explaining WHY. I think it's largely because I feel like I need to defend my right to be a doctor, even though that's rarely the question. People what to know "why will you be a good doctor?" more than they want to know "what makes you think you should be a doctor?" But my mind always switches the two questions when I sit down to write...
Thanks for the space to vent...and I look forward to hearing other suggestions about how to approach these secondaries.
--Jen