Secondary Writing Tips
Overview
Like any skill, writing secondaries is a learned skill that gets better with practice. But it differs fundamentally from writing an academic essay or even a personal statement. While responses to both essay and secondary prompts must both be sound and well-written, secondary responses function to persuade the reader (admissions committee member) to recommend you for the next step in the admissions process (an interview) based on how well you describe your experiences. A secondary essay must sell both your experiences and your ability as a future medical student to build on your unique skills and attributes.
We offer secondary writing support for MD and DO schools.
Our Top Ten Secondary Writing Tips
Start early. Pre-writing has never been easier with secondary questions from previous years being online! Be careful as prompts have been known to change from year to year!
Read the secondary prompt carefully. Make sure you are telling a story that is a good fit for the question and your experience fits the school’s values and priorities.
Obtain edits and critiques from many people - we offer a service for this! Review comments on structure, organization, and quality of writing. A great learning activity is to review the essay yourself before reading the reviewer’s critiques and then see if your analysis aligns with the reviewers.
Identify what the deadline is for the secondary. Don’t submit too late!
Find three to five colleagues or mentors who will review your grant in addition to your main reviewer. Provide dates when you will send drafts. Find people who will provide in depth feedback on the content and narrative and not just editorial comments.
Spend half of your time on the Diversity prompt. This should be the first thing you write and rewrite and rewrite. Seek input on this draft early and often. This is by far the most common prompt.
Make it easier for the reader to hear your voice. Tell them what is innovative about you. Limit yourself to three key messages and repeat these so they are clear. Present a focused narrative directly related to your aims.
Show that you can succeed. Tell them about how you have successfully completed similar projects or taken on relevant challenges. Demonstrate that the relationship between you and medicine is established and not just in name only.
