Should You Tackle the Hardest Secondaries First?
When medical schools send you a secondary application, they start the stopwatch. They time how long it takes you to respond, measuring your speed against other applicants. Why? It shows them you're on your game, and more importantly, it demonstrates that you really want to go to their school. Since most applicants receive secondaries in large batches, they often prioritize the schools that they want to go to the most. That means their response time is roughly a measure of how much they want to go to that school. Which begs the question:
What if you could show every school they were your top choice?
The way to do that involves the best strategy for responding to the most schools as quickly as you can. We’ll dive into the pros and cons of five such strategies and reveal our pick for the best approach.
1. Prioritize Your Best-Fit Schools
Prioritize secondary essays for schools that match your qualifications and experiences.
Pros:
- Maximize Your Chances: By focusing on the schools where your stats align perfectly, you can tailor your essays more effectively, showcasing why you’re a great fit.
- Boost Confidence: Knocking out essays for schools where you have a strong chance can build momentum and confidence.
Cons:
- High Pressure: You might feel more stressed trying to perfect these essays, knowing they are your best bets.
- Time-Consuming: Tailoring each essay to the school might take longer, potentially delaying your response to other schools.
2. Start with the Simplest Essays
Prioritize the secondary essays that require the least effort and time to complete first.
Pros:
- Quick Wins: Completing easier essays quickly can reduce the overall workload and stress.
- Build Momentum: Getting a few quick submissions under your belt can boost your confidence and give you a sense of accomplishment.
Cons:
- Low Impact: Easier schools might not be your top choices or the best fit, potentially wasting time and effort.
- False Sense of Security: The ease of these essays might lull you into procrastinating on the more challenging ones.
3. Conquer the Toughest First
Start with the most challenging and time-consuming secondary essays to get them out of the way early.
Pros:
- Front-Load the Effort: By getting the toughest essays out of the way, you can focus on the easier ones later with less stress.
- Higher Stakes, Higher Rewards: Completing the most challenging essays first might give you a competitive edge if you excel.
Cons:
- Burnout Risk: Starting with the hardest essays can be mentally and emotionally draining, risking burnout before you get to the easier ones.
- Time-Intensive: These essays will take the most time, potentially delaying submissions to other schools.
4. Maximize Efficiency with Reusable Essays
Begin with the schools that have essay prompts similar to others so you can efficiently reuse and adapt content across multiple applications.
Pros:
- Efficiency: Focusing on schools with similar prompts allows you to reuse and adapt content, saving time.
- Broad Coverage: You can cover multiple applications quickly by repurposing essays.
Cons:
- Less Personalization: Reusing essays can lead to less tailored responses, which might be noticeable to admissions committees.
- Potential Overlap: Similar essays might blur the uniqueness of each application, reducing the impact of your submissions.
5. Follow the First-Come, First-Served Method
Complete secondary essays in the order they arrive, addressing each application as it is received without prioritizing any particular school.
Pros:
- Simplifies Decision-Making: Following a first-come, first-served approach removes the need for strategic planning.
- Consistent Workflow: Handling essays as they arrive can keep you on a steady pace without overwhelming you at any point.
Cons:
- Random Prioritization: This method might not align with your strategic goals, leading to less efficient use of time.
- Missed Opportunities: You might delay important or high-priority applications by focusing on lower-priority ones first.
Our Pick: Strategy #4 – Tackle the Schools with the Most Reusable Essays
Why? Because efficiency is key during the secondary blitz. Here’s why this approach stands out:
- Time-Saving: With dozens of secondary essays to complete, reusing and adapting content can save hours.
- Broad Application: By efficiently completing essays for multiple schools, you can ensure that you're covering more ground quickly.
- Reduced Burnout: This method prevents burnout by avoiding the pressure of starting with the hardest or most critical essays. You maintain a steady pace, keeping your energy levels high throughout the process.
Time is ticking, no doubt, but now you have the strategy needed to maximize your productivity and get your essays submitted ASAP.
Good luck surviving the secondary rush - you got this!