Secondary Applications

One strategy for preparing for secondaries is to prewrite common secondary prompts. Some schools use the same secondary prompts every year, while other schools change them. Here’s a list of secondary questions sortable by school and year. 

• Use a Word, Excel, or Google document to track secondary prompts and start prewriting responses.
  • As you start receiving secondaries, track release and due dates in your tracking document. It’s likely that you’ll receive many secondaries all at once, so it’s important to prioritize deadlines.
• When writing, don’t worry initially about word limits. Try to write authentically and answer the question thoroughly.
• After you’ve written a response, don’t delete anything. Keep one edition of the response as fully written and copy/paste when you make edits to fit character/word limits for specific schools.
• Don’t repeat any information from your primary application when answering secondary questions. The admissions committee is going to read your entire application, not just your secondary responses and you should highlight different anecdotes and/or experiences than you did in your Personal Statement or Experiences section.
• Especially when prewriting general responses that can be adapted for different secondaries, be sure to proofread before submitting! Make sure the school name, any unique programs, and other school-specific information is correct for the school you’re submitting it to.

There are some secondary questions that are commonly asked by schools.

• Why are you interested in our school?
  • How to answer this question: Review the school website and try to incorporate specific aspects of the school mission, curriculum, research institutes/programs, and student extracurricular opportunities as they relate to your own experiences and interests. It shows that you researched their programs and features, and that you’re not just copying and pasting generic reasons that can apply to any other school.
  • Tie your interests and values to 1) that school’s mission statement and 2) a specific component of that school. Whatever you value, write about your experience, then write about how you plan to continue pursuing that interest by incorporating the name of a specific program or organization that you plan to get involved with at that school.
• How will you contribute to this school’s diversity?
  • How to answer this question: Many people tend to think of diversity as race and culture, but there are other possible ways to address this question. What unique experiences or perspectives do you have? What makes you different from other applicants?
  • Ideally, you’d find some way to relate your experiences/perspectives back to how they will help you in medical school, or at least relate it back to being able to use that unique experience or quality to connect with people. 
• What are your plans for your application year?
  • How to answer this question: Schools want to know what you’ve got planned from the time you submit your application until you would start their program. Whether you’re currently enrolled in courses or in a gap year, it’s important to highlight what your plans are for the months ahead. Ideally, you will continue pursuing some of the experiences you’ve described in your application.
• Describe a challenge and/or failure you’ve faced.
  • How to answer this question: Focus on a challenge that allowed you to grow as a person. Don’t blame others; be honest about your weaknesses. If faced with a similar challenge again, it’s important to address what you would do differently to prevent a similar result.
• How has COVID-19 affected you?
  • How to answer this question: This is a chance for you to provide context to challenges you faced, or opportunities you missed out on as a result of the pandemic.

Some schools have optional essays. Should I answer them?

Yes, you should take advantage of every opportunity to make your case for admission. If you’re unsure what to write about, adapt a response from another secondary. Just make sure you aren’t repeating information from other parts of your application.

When should I submit my secondaries?

Some schools have deadlines for their secondaries. Generally, submitting secondaries within 2 weeks is the standard. If you don’t submit secondaries in a timely fashion, that might signal to schools that you’re not really interested in their program.