Beyond the Primary: Mastering Medical School Secondary Applications📝

cmikail

So you've hit 'submit' on your primary medical school application. What's next on your journey to a white coat? Enter the secondary applications.

Once you’ve submitted your primary application to medical school, the next step is completing secondary applications for the schools you’ve applied to. Some will forward secondaries to all applicants, whereas others will screen primary applications first and only send secondaries to applicants who meet the criteria.

What’s the purpose of secondary applications? They allow medical schools to examine your activities and goals more deeply to determine if you’re a good fit for their program. Secondaries usually contain short essay prompts that require introspection about yourself, your academic and clinical experiences, your relationships with others, and why the school is particularly attractive to you.

As a head start, it’s a good idea to review as much as you can about the school—their mission statement, curriculum, special programs, clinical opportunities, etc.—before sitting down to write their secondary application.

What topics do secondary applications concentrate on? Secondaries will vary, but common themes include discussing how you overcame a significant obstacle, experiences you’ve had serving on a team or as a leader, your work with diverse populations or social advocacy efforts, and how you’d help fulfill the school’s vision.

How much time do I have to submit my secondaries? They should typically be completed within two weeks of receiving them (or sooner if the school gives you an earlier deadline), as many schools have rolling admissions. Because you’ll likely receive more than one secondary application at a time, it’s important to stay organized and schedule yourself wisely, prioritizing schools by due date, then likelihood of admission. It’s best to focus first on schools you have the best chance of attending.

While efficiency is important, so is the quality of your responses. Make sure you’ve answered every element of every essay question (they’re often multi-pronged) and that you’ve proofread your responses carefully before submission.

Still have questions about secondaries? Let me know in the comments below!

-Claudia Mikail, MD, MPH