Summer is Coming: Medical School Secondary Essay Survival Guide
On Game of Thrones, “Winter is coming” is a catchphrase used to warn characters of impending doom. But in medical school admissions, “Summer is coming” would be far more apt.
Why? Summer marks the beginning of AMCAS season, with candidates scrambling to complete their primary essays and fill out the online app (seriously, don’t underestimate how long it takes just to fill out the AMCAS).
In general, summer is a whirlwind for applicants, as they graduate, transition into new jobs, secure gap year activities, etc.
But summer also foreshadows the Real War to Come: secondary essays.
We’ve come up with Five Rules for Winning the War of Secondaries
- Don’t Bend the Knee to One “Dream” School
Yes, UCSF, Duke, and Johns Hopkins sparkle. But their secondaries (6,000-character autobiographies, anyone?) are time sucks. Begin with shorter, copy-friendly essays from mid-tier programs to rack up early completions and reusable paragraphs. By the time you tackle the prestige giants, you’ll have an arsenal of polished material.
- “Good and Done” Beats “Perfect and Late”
Secondaries range from 75-word blurbs (hi, Penn State) to 500-character snippets (looking at you, UCLA). In that cramped real estate, chasing an A+ is a luxury you can’t afford. Pre-write in May (there’s still time to get started), revise once or twice, then hit send within two weeks of receipt. Admissions offices timestamp enthusiasm. - Recycle Like Your Interview Depends on It—Because It Does
Diversity, leadership, challenge, “describe yourself”—different labels, same core stories. Copy-paste, trim, and tweak mercilessly. Even half an old essay is half a battle won. Reread abandoned personal-statement drafts; yesterday’s deleted story could be today’s hero moment. In this war, recycling isn’t lazy, it’s strategic.
- When Blocked, Research
If you want to “productively procrastinate”, the best way to do that is by perusing the schools’ websites and compiling personally relevant information about each school. Stash links and notes in a doc. Your eventual “Why Our School?” paragraph will then write itself and you’ll discover which programs truly fit. - Take (Calculated) Risks and Have Fun
Secondary readers slog through thousands of “I shadowed” sagas. They remember the applicant who compared cultural identity to soap-carving or traced their passion for community to the history of cheese-making. Quirky works if you anchor it in reflection: show growth, relevance to medicine, and tie-back to the school’s values.
“Summer is coming” isn’t a threat—it’s the starter pistol. Arm yourself with pre-written essays, a recycling mindset, and permission to be interesting.
gotStay strong, stay savvy, and keep typing.