I’ve been getting a ton of questions about secondary essays. As many of you know, I’m not a fan of the entire secondary application requirement. (See my piece, “The Medical School Admissions Process is Falling Short.”) Having said that, most pre-med candidates will have to complete several – if not many – secondary essays and do so on an expedited timeline. 

Secondary essay prompts vary, but there are a few that are standard fare, and one of the most important is “Why do you want to attend our school?” 

Medical school admissions officers want to be assured you know their institution, are seriously considering it, and will fit in well. In approaching the “why-our-school” question, do your research on the institution and link something specific about you with the school’s philosophy, curriculum, patient population, and/or extracurricular programs.For example, if you were a physics teaching assistant in college, you might link your use of the Socratic method with a school’s tutorial-based learning. In that way, you demonstrate knowledge of the school, show you connect well with it, and showcase your distinctive accomplishment.  

The paradox here is that – although you’re focusing your essay on one school – because so many institutions have overlapping philosophies, curricula, programs, and objectives – you can oftentimes use the same framework for many different institutions. That’s one strategic way to cut down the overwhelming workload that secondary applications present.  As you craft your essay, it’s key, however, to know and leverage the names of institution-specific programs like student-run clinics, summer travel scholarships, and/or primary care tracks, for example.