Secondaries

After completing AMCAS, the next step in the medical school application process is the secondary applications, sent by individual schools. Some schools send secondary applications to everyone, while others utilize varying degrees of selectivity. Secondary applications come in a variety of flavors, with a variety of price tags. My personal favorite is the $150 "processing fee" with no further questions. This seems a bit ridiculous, but can be a relief from the impossible questions posed by other applications.

You might wonder how there could be anything left to tell medical schools after having already submitted every detail one's life through AMCAS, but they have more questions.  A common question asks why you want to attend that specific school.  "I applied to 20 medical schools that I know nothing about, and will go wherever I am accepted" is probably not what they want to read.  I find this question understandable for schools to ask, but others I think are playing mind games.

For example, they might need an essay explaining just what you would do with 3 hours of free time.  Of course this is hypothetical, as you have never, and will never, have 3 hours of free time.  But just imagine, one day this happens, and your admission to medical school depends on the action you take.  Another fun one is, "write an autobiography explaining why you want to go into medicine, DO NOT repeat your personal statement."  Wait, wasn't that the main purpose of the personal statement?

These types of questions remind me of an interview I once had while looking for jobs in Charleston.

"Do you like dogs or cats?" Dr. Freud asks me. 

"Both!" I say enthusiastically.

"No, you have to pick one,"  he orders.

"Okay, dogs," I concede.

"Why?" 

"Well I guess they're more fun to play with."  He grunts and scribbles something.  Next question.

"If you couldn't work in research, what would you do?"

"Well I'm planning to go to medical sch-" 

"No healthcare," he interrupts.

"No science or healthcare?"

"No.  If you could not work in science or healthcare, what would you do?"  He repeats.  

I can't even remember how I answered this question, I just remember thinking this was such a ridiculous question and an impossible situation. How would it ever come to be that I would not be able to work in any aspect of science or healthcare??  I didn't get that job.

The one advantage of secondary applications over interviews is that there is time to think and review before blurting out an answer.  I was thankful to be at home with my family as I completed my secondary applications, aiming for the recommended 2 week turnaround.  They never once complained as I interrupted their few minutes of after-work relaxation, throwing essays at them, saying "here, read this!"