SECONDARY ESSAY STRATEGY 1 - DESCRIBE YOURSELF THROUGH AN EXAMPLE
The medical school secondary “describe yourself” prompt is common across secondary applications, no matter which program you’re receiving the secondary from. While it’s quite a big question that can feel both vague and overwhelming, it’s important to remember that this is a chance for you to demonstrate to admissions committees who you are beyond your accomplishments and academic achievements.
Congratulations on receiving a medical school interview invite! “Tell me about yourself” is typically the first question asked in traditional one-on-one medical school interviews, and this is one of the most important questions you should prepare for. This question is designed to highlight experiences that have contributed to your development and led you to medicine. A strong answer to these questions is essential to create a solid foundation for a med school interview that sets you apart from other candidates.
“Tell me about yourself” is often the first question asked in medical school interviews. This is a question we spend a lot of time honing with our students during our medical school . When answering, it is important to keep in mind that the interviewer is trying to get to know you as a person, including your background outside of medicine. We want to emphasize that the structure of your response as a clear, strong framework can provide a roadmap for your interviewer to follow as you lead them through the details. The framework and questions below are to help guide you brainstorm your response to this open-ended question. You do not need to answer every single question in the framework below.
11 Common Medical School Secondary Questions and How to Answer
In this post, we’ll discuss 11 of the most common medical school secondary questions and how to best answer them to impress admissions committees. We’ll also show you how to create a plan for completing your secondaries as quickly—and effectively—as possible.
One common secondary prompt is “describe yourself.” This can be worded in a variety of ways, including “tell us about yourself,” and so on, but the gist is the same.
The school wants to see what you will choose to focus on. How do you describe yourself, and what do you prioritize? How you choose to speak about yourself and what you choose to highlight will speak volumes about your values, and adcoms want to ensure they are only accepting applicants who they feel will be a positive addition to the student body.
This is bad intel! And this is a common mistake students make. You are applying to medical school to be an engaged medical student who is studying to be an excellent physician. Typically, interviewers will NOT ask you “” or “ if you answer the questions in your “tell me about yourself” response.
Medical School Secondary Essays Examples | Why Are You Unique?
Make sure you aren’t just doubling down on points or stories you’ve already covered. The medical schools requesting secondaries already have your primary application to reference. If you want to speak about something you already mentioned in your primary application, make sure you are adding more details and new context. It should not feel like you are repeating yourself.
describe yourself in only 1000 characters
Now that you know how to approach answering the “Tell me about yourself,” medical school interview questions, you are prepared to lay a strong foundation for your interview and impress your interviewer. With a clear understanding of who you are and what motivates you, your interviewer is free to delve into particular areas they find interesting or move on to other questions they may have. With the frameworks we have provided, you can confidently construct your narrative to convey your unique perspectives on how you will make an excellent future physician.
Why Us Medical School Essay Example and Writing Tips
You will certainly come across some version of this question on your secondary applications. Adcoms want to know how serious and enthusiastic you are about joining their program. While it may seem like this is a generic or easy-to-answer question—after all, you know why you applied to the medical school—adcoms are looking for details. How much research have you done on the program? What do you specifically have to offer the program?
medical school essay describe yourself
The ‘Describe yourself’ or ‘tell me about yourself’ question is only one of the common medical school secondary prompts you can expect to see in one form or another. Knowing which questions you are likely to be asked on secondaries will help you prepare your answers in advance.
Write A Tell Us About Yourself Scholarship Essay (3 Examples)
When answering this question, it’s important to come up with something different than what you have already shared in your personal statement. Secondaries are a chance to expand on what you have already expressed. Schools want to get to know more about you, and repeating yourself benefits no one.