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Dr. Marinelli is joined by Dr. Flick to break down some secondary application questions that you may be working through. Secondaries have been discussed before on the podcast, but Dr. Marinelli believes it’s a good to get some other opinions and approaches toward them.

[0:50] “Why do you want to go to this school?”

Spend a lot of time hunting around on the school’s website. Find some things that are truly unique to the school and identity how you can connect to them. Keep it short and simple, too. Dr. Marinelli and Dr. Flick think talking about two aspects is the ideal amount.

[3:47] “How can you contribute diversity to this school?”

Think of different ways of being diverse. Maybe you have a diverse education, grew up in a different way, or have a diverse background in sports. These can all be diverse things that you bring to the school.

[5:54] “List your activities.”

Don’t copy and paste these from AMCAS, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when answering this, either. Just use point form and list them.

[8:00] “What challenges have you had in life?”

Make sure you get someone else to read your answer, because sometimes answers can come off as if you have been sheltered your whole life. Everybody goes through something, so just make sure your challenge demonstrates a good quality in you.

[13:26] “Do you have anything else to add?”

If that’s the only question on the secondary, then definitely fill it in. If it’s one of two or three, just leave it blank. It’s very rare that something has come up between your primary and secondary application. Everything you have wanted to say should have been said by now. If there are overarching issues, you can use this space to address them.

[18:02] Last thoughts from Dr. Flick.

Don’t try to meet the maximum word limit if you don’t have to. Try to be as concise as you can.