Premeds Drowning in Secondary Essays
Applicants for medical school are experiencing extreme burnout due to the overwhelming number of secondary essays required by various institutions. The process is described as exhausting, time-consuming, and more stressful than the MCAT itself.
SOURCES (60)
“my application was verified friday morning and i've already received 10 secondaries out of the 15 schools i applied to. i spent the whole weekend (literally 8 hours a day) just completing 2 and i feel like i'm moving way too slowly. i did prewrite…”
“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I JUST GOT INVITED TO COMPLETE THEIR SECONDARY. I’m actually in shock bc my stats are below their median, hoping my writing and stories carry me through :). submitted by /u/Motor-Ratio-8980 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all I'm deciding between whether to complete a course credit, paid or volunteering based research project. Do medical schools value one over the other? submitted by /u/IDoPhotosynthesis_ [link] [comments]”
“So I’m a giga chud and submitted my primary on 6/29 so god knows when I’ll be verified….I’m hoping it’s mid-august. I am currently pre writing all my secondaries. Is that too late to submit secondaries? I feel like the neurotic Reddit threads are really getting to me like realllllly getting to me but I’d appreciate some honest insight. submitted by /u/pootcelebration [link] [comments]”
“I think I've cooked up some really good responses but completing all of my secondary apps made me realize how useless most of these questions are. 80% of them require a response that is you just telling them what they want to hear and glazing the school. It seems useless to me that they try to "get to know you better" when almost every real answer you could give to them is something they wouldn't want to hear. Also, "why our school" essays should not exist imo. Every”
“I’m worried that when writing my secondaries I’m talking too much about wanting to help rural or underserved patient populations when I don’t have the experience to back it up. I have about 100 hours volunteering at an unhoused shelter and 1000 of hours of clinical experience working in an ED that takes in rural/undeserved patients often. Idk if this doesn’t look like enough to adcoms for me to talk about it. Plus I’m ORM. submitted by /u/Key-Score-208 [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, I wanted to just ask for some advice for writing about a low MCAT score on secondaries. Questions like "please explain any inconsistencies" have been tripping me up bc I do not want to sound like I am making excuses. Thank you!! submitted by /u/ThatDudeInBlue1212 [link] [comments]”
“After 2 failed cycles, 3 MCAT attempts, and many nights staring at my ceiling wondering if I’ll ever become a doctor… I finally got an A from the only WL I was on!!! For the love of God someone please Giga Chad me🫡 submitted by /u/Classic_Second_5150 [link] [comments]”
“I’m a nontrad career changer and I have 250 clinical volunteering hours (another 250 projected) and 268 shadowing hours across several specialties I have a 520 MCAT and 3.75 gpa from undergrad (graduated 3 years ago) and a lot of research from undergrad as well as a publication from my current job My full time job is in data science and AIML at a pharma company building solutions to support drug discovery , clinical trials, early discovery etc. and I still work there / will not quit bc it doesn’”
“Hi, I’m in a bit of a conundrum and need some advice. So the two week deadline of one of my secondaries is tomorrow, but I’m still waiting on an updated LOR from my main clinical experience. l lowkey wrote the letter myself so I know that it hasn’t changed much except for adding one line, improved sentence structure, and an updated date — otherwise it’s the same. So should I submit my secondary on time but have an old recommendation letter, or should I wait for the updated letter and miss the tw”
“I didn't pre-write my secondaries (blah blah im a busy person and I couldn't build up the right mindset) and my amcas was verified a few days ago. My general rule of thumb is don't submit on the same day that I finish a secondary -- I always reread it aloud the next day to check for errors with a fresh brain. I did this with my DO secondaries a few weeks ago, but I spent a few days on each app because I had less to do at the time. Now I wrote my entire sec for my top school yesterday”
“Hey has anyone gotten a secondary from Morehouse, Meharry, Charles R, or Howard? submitted by /u/Limp-Inflation-8168 [link] [comments]”
“Howdy folks, Now three years out from an app cycle (and holy fuck it seems like its gotten even worse??? Big kudos to all of you MD and DO applicants), and just passed both COMLEX Level 1 and STEP1, I wanted to provide something I wish someone had told me before I picked my school. Especially w/r to a couple of metrics that get thrown around a lot and in my opinion mean fuck all (for the most part). Disclaimer: I am actually fairly happy with my DO school (without giving it away, pretty establis”
“Are y’all having people like read and review your secondaries? I’ve submitted 10 schools so far but they all come in so fast and because there are SO many essays and people have like jobs and stuff I just submit without other people reading them, but this feels bad and I always have like a sinking feeling after submitting them. submitted by /u/Warm_Inevitable_1795 [link] [comments]”
“I found out I needed to do it when one of my DO schools reached out and said my application was incomplete 🙃 submitted by /u/ADAP7IVE [link] [comments]”
“Need urgent help regarding application timing for MD!! My stats: cGPA: 3.85, sGPA: 3.70, MCAT: 505 (127/124/127/127) GA resident, ORM Strong research (including a first-author poster), leadership, and LORs. Good clinical/volunteering & writing I'm submitting my AMCAS primary this week, regardless, so it can get verified. The decision I'm trying to make is whether I should: Apply with my current 505 and continue through the cycle, OR Submit my primary now, but spend the next month stu”
“i am indeed a 06/13 mcat victim. hoping to get some feedback on my school list / advice on what to do too as a first-time applicant (application should be verified within the next couple of days) Me: 24F, ORM, Louisiana resident SES disadvantaged, first-gen, Vietnamese background ---> wrote about in my PS application is centered around improving access to healthcare by advocating for underserved patients, especially immigrant communities facing language, cultural, and financial barriers, whil”
“Other than my MCAT score all my application is pretty solid, so I want to attempt to apply. 4.0 GPA, 4 LORs, research, volunteer, clinical hours, and extracurriculars. Here is the list I have based on the schools that accept international students: AZCOM CCOM KCU LECOM LUCOM MU-WCOM MSUCOM NSU RVUCOM WCOM WCUCOM IUPCOM UNECOM submitted by /u/Aggravating_Way_1812 [link] [comments]”
“I’m a hater and idgaf. Genuinely getting fatigue seeing them on my insta. I don’t even engage with their content and click not interested. Insta just knows I’m in med school and I’m sure aamc sold my info. I’ve seen maybe one influencer actually having credentials to give advice since they’re already in med school and got a 515+. Love the resident and attending instas tho. They actually are interesting and usually aren’t selling courses. submitted by /u/Common-Appointment51 [link] &#”
“I am in absolute shambles. I took the MCAT last year and got a 499. Today, my 6/13/27 score came back and I did WORSE at 496. I honestly feel like maybe this is a sign for me to choose a different career bc how do I study longer and harder just to do worse. My FLs were even higher than last time so I just do not understand. I have my application ready and I have great extracurriculars and hours. My gpa is 3.5 and I’m ok with DO school. What do I do?? I felt so confident and was ready to submit m”
“Haven’t finished my primary, activities, or reached out for LoRs. I’m scheduled to take MCAT at end of July. Any advice? submitted by /u/xiaopingguo45 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all, I've been debating posting my conflict here, but I have felt so stuck lately and could really use some advice. For context, I moved back home with my parents after graduating last August to save money on rent. I work full-time as an MA at a clinic (very corporate, large, well-known healthcare org), I'm retaking my MCAT on September 11th (prev took on 04/25, unhappy with score), and I'm also working on applications. I started working at my last job in September 2025, it's”
“For example, for WashU I chose to write about how my undergrad had no premed track and how my mother’s death led to 4 gap years since I was grieving and didn’t have any direction on applying/MCAT. It’s 3,000 characters Do people use this space for that sort of thing? What else could I even put there? I have a SLU secondary asking the same thing but I can’t condense it to 1,000 characters without it losing its weight. What did you put in those prompts and if you left it blank, why? submitte”
“My top choice. Please god hurry up. The anticipation is killing me. Writing 30,000 pages worth of secondaries is making me lose motivation. (If you already have received yours please don’t comment bc that will send me over the edge.) submitted by /u/chocolatecow26 [link] [comments]”
“Im scared that im falling behind on secondaries by barely meeting the two week “deadline” , im stressed because i have a pretty low mcat and i feel like thats all the more i reason i should have everything ready and submitted within a few days I was going to prewrite but i got sick and fucked around too hard 🤡🤡 i feel like shit submitted by /u/2363ar [link] [comments]”
“which schools have sent interviews out so far? i saw someone post about getting an interview from TCU so i am just wondering which other MD schools have already sent IIs submitted by /u/Cultural_Society_787 [link] [comments]”
“Hello! My application is verified but waiting on mid June MCAT score. I have just been so burnt out and tired the last few weeks, but I am only doing secondaries this week and next week for around 25-30 schools. I want to have them mostly done by July 25th but is late July secondary submission still considered early?? I can’t stop stressing and thinking that my application is already late. Any input and advice is helpful and appreciated :) Thanks so much! submitted by /u/calculatorgi”
“It is so hard for me to write secondaries for MD schools when I only have a 508 mcat. I feel like every school I am applying to is a reach, and my effort will go unnoticed. I already applied and wrote all of my DO essays and was very motivated to write those bc those schools don’t feel like complete reaches for me, and just straight up put off my MD secondaries. I am only applying to 13 schools so it shouldn’t be the worst thing ever. I applied a month ago and am still not verified. ugh. s”
“This one is for the accepted student/med student/graduate lurkers (since this was removed from r/medicalschool ) Im curious… if you were on the fee assistance program through AAMC when you applied, did you get offered a scholarship with your acceptance? sharing stats would be helpful too. wondering if being on the FAP increases chances of scholarships or if it’s more merit based submitted by /u/Nervous_Builder_6138 [link] [comments]”
“Several top colleges are reducing or eliminating supplemental essays to ease student stress and address the rise of artificial intelligence. They are making it easier to apply—but probably harder to get in. Med schools like NYMC don't require secondary essays, instead MYMC has 3 optional questions asking if you have family who are faculty or alumni at NYMC, and 2 yes or no questions asking if you have anything inappropriate on your social media. At most schools, secondaries are a large part”
“2:07 AM https://preview.redd.it/605ja6dmycch1.png?width=220&format=png&auto=webp&s=61194f2cda921109c89b191f5286b3e048ed485d (yes this happened. yes the time is in the time zone the school is located. yes it’s a t10 school.) submitted by /u/Critical-Concert628 [link] [comments]”
“anyone else feel like their essays are highkey ass? i can't stop stressing about the quality of my essays. also i just looked over a secondary i already submitted and saw an egregious typo lol... this might be my last straw submitted by /u/mangojelly_ [link] [comments]”
“wanted to ask how long it’s taking people to submit secondaries for schools? FYI I didn’t prewrite but I’ve submitted 6 and it feels like I can take bits and pieces of some of them and use information for another app? how long has it been taking people on average to submit one? I have been able to do 5 in 3 days so far submitted by /u/Extension-Mind5718 [link] [comments]”
“I'm a reapplicant, and have been rewriting my secondaries so far. I'm deep into the process, and I genuinely don't understand how the f I'm supposed to rewrite all of them. I scrapped and rewrote my entire primary application, and any impactful long secondary, but some of the shorter ones are even harder to rewrite, especially if I don't switch topics. For example one school as 5 essays under a thousand characters. I completely rewrote 2 of them with my new experiences over t”
“I swear MD schools coordinate with each other. “Let’s wait until they get completely caught up… then send 10 within 12 hours” submitted by /u/hopeful520 [link] [comments]”
“im a non-trad premed applying this cycle and am really struggling to solidify my school list so would welcome any and all advice! my undergrad GPA was not great. I brought it up with a DIY postbacc program, but its still sitting below the median for most schools. I retook the MCAT in june and am hoping to score 515+ based on my FLs but wont get the score for a couple more weeks. I have a strong central story in my application based around the research I've been doing for the past 2 years (pe”
“mcat still required. Wondering if there would be any reason to choose the tradition path over EA. submitted by /u/12321bruh [link] [comments]”
“This is like my 100th mistake so far on secondaries. I’ve been oh so careful on the essays but damn. On the very last page of a secondary where you put your signature and the date, I wrote my birth date instead. I immediately submitted because I had already triple checked everything else. The application form accepted the date. Will anyone care or even notice? For clarity, I mean the part where you say stuff like “I promise everything I said true and I cannot change anything I submit” subm”
“soooo much writing omfg. so repetitive. so many MINOR wording changes. ...but hey at least i got an 8 on my PREview that was released today. that'll TOTALLY get me an A...right...right???? submitted by /u/MaterialSilver6110 [link] [comments]”
“high school senior here and discovered this r/ like a few months ago. I'm pretty (very) interested in medicine with hopes of going to med school and coming from the bay area, i know alot of people choosing cwru for premed. I've heard about its med school being amazing (a T20 iirc) but what about premed undergrad there? alot of upperclassmen ik choose the UCs because instate tuiton etc but since i can afford it, it has been on my radar. anyone have advice/thoughts? i have read similar pos”
“still haven’t pre-written any secondaries bc i’m burnt out from mcat (06/13), preview (06/25), and casper (today) please tell me im not the only one 🙃 ha ha ha submitted by /u/Objective_Oven5648 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I'm 2 years out from applying but starting to save for applications, MCAT study resources, etc. My folks said they would give me up to $5000 to use a med school app consulting company if I wanted it or felt like I needed it. We have no one in my family in medicine and so I'm just out here figuring all the processes out by myself with a bit of help from pre-med advisor at school. I guess these services help review your apps, your secondaries, advise you, etc. I've got the money sa”
“Hi guys. I'm applying to 33 schools, trying to prioritize Illinois and Texas Schools. I also have to take the CASPER test. Anyone have suggestions on general deadlines? Want to make sure I get everything done in a timely manner. submitted by /u/Similar_Bandicoot831 [link] [comments]”
“I applied to maybe 35 schools and submitted June 15th, so ik I won’t be getting secondaries for a while, but the fact that I’ve pre-written NOTHING is… concerning. Someone please make me lock in. submitted by /u/Cincodemayo21 [link] [comments]”
“I have a master doc of all the secondary responses I’ve answered. Not even organized by prompt or at all. Just a bunch of random paragraphs. Then, now that I’ve done a bunch already, I’ve just been cutting and pasting and shoving them together or slightly editing to answer these new prompts. I haven’t even been revising much. Maybe I was born for emergency med. I’ve even started triaging my secondaries. I get pissed when I have a question that my slop of words won’t answer. submitted by &#”
“I applied MD last cycle with my MCAT (504) in September and got 0 interviews. I retook the MCAT this June but had a panic attack during the exam and voided. Since I've been trying to better my mental health and took a short break. I'm currently unsure if I should test again in a few weeks or just apply with my 504 to MD and DO this time. I'm unsure if I should rewrite every single thing in my app for MD Pls don't be mean, I'm struggling ECs: 3.7 cgpa 3.6 sgpa 290 non-clinical”
“Hello am an asian female gamer premed, anyone else with the same niche on the same boat ? 😭😭😭 #stressed aboht being over represented in medicine submitted by /u/No_Distribution_7725 [link] [comments]”
“need some advice. is retaking the mcat twice and getting the same score worth discussing for this type of secondary? I'm already going to be talking about getting 3 C's in my freshman year (upward trend since then though) but is it also worth mentioning the mcat or just ignore that? submitted by /u/AggravatingSun512 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, would appreciate unfiltered school list advice! (More on the non-WA/IL schools) Thank you! Context: 24 Asian Male, WA resident, Undergrad and 2 gap years in IL, 505->510(129/125/128/128), 3.91 GPA 3.84sGPA, Primary Submitted 6/26 Volunteer Clinical: 300 Volunteering Non-Clinical: 192 ->524 (Anticipated) Leadership (Undergraduate): 544 Paid Clinical: 878 -> 3426 Clinical Research (Some minimal lab experience outside of this but no pubs or posters): 330 -> 1370 Shadowing: 55 Sports”
“i feel like i shot myself in the foot and talked about so many patient stories and experiences in my primary application. as i'm trying to prewrite secondaries, i fee l like i have nothing new or different to talk about. submitted by /u/hellokitty272 [link] [comments]”
“I am supposed to test for the MCAT 7/31, which means I'll be applying late this cycle. I was hoping to have a great MCAT score which would offset my late application. My FLs so far have been a 500(FL1)/507(FL2)/510(unscored)/505(FL3). Super bummed. I am trying to decide if I should just wait until next cycle so I can hopefully increase my score more. The other factor is that I am a nontraditional applicant. My sGPA is a 3.86 but cGPA is. 3.5 due to me not caring while obtaining my business d”
“im unsure on how to use the additional comments essay for secondaries if the schools already have a why us. i don't have any extenuating circumstances that need to be considered. should i use it to explain dips in my stats: i have a b- in ochem 1, and retook the mcat and only receieved 3 pts higher with a 124 in cars both times, or mention a new research pub in submission, or just leave it blank? any advice would be greatly appreciated! submitted by /u/Scared_Statistician7 [link]”
“im unsure on how to use the additional comments essay for secondaries if the schools already have a why us. i don't have any extenuating circumstances that need to be considered. should i use it to explain dips in my stats: i have a b- in ochem 1, and retook the mcat and only receieved 3 pts higher with a 124 in cars both times, or mention a new research pub in submission, or just leave it blank? any advice would be greatly appreciated! submitted by /u/Scared_Statistician7 [link]”
“i’m trying to make a school list and was wondering if I should split it MD and DO with my stats, im a NJ resident and was wondering if people had success with these stats either at a NJ school or a OOS friendly school submitted by /u/IntelligentBoot7200 [link] [comments]”
“Secondaries are coming in fast and in the back of my mind all I can think about is even if I write the most awe inspiring, tear jerking, profound secondary I possibly could, my application will be balled up and thrown in the rubbish with an arc only Steph curry could replicate due to my low ass GPA. Sitting at a 3.24 sGPA here and I’m realizing no school, MD or DO, is to be taken for granted. How do you keep your optimism with the context we are in????? submitted by /u/ClutchCobra [l”
“definitely user error here, there must be something I'm missing, but my brain is fried. On the prerequisite part of Medical college of Wisconsin secondary, how do you enter course info????????? I can type in the Academic Coursework search bar to the right but nothing happens. HELP submitted by /u/sticky_note1 [link] [comments]”
“Even with my prewriting I couldn't prepare for the post-verification onslaught. I want to write quality essays but polishing takes up so much time. At my current pace, I can't get all of em within two weeks. I literally woke up with my mind feeling slower cuz of all the writing. How many schools did y'all send to within their first two weeks? How bad is it to send them outside the two weeks? Lastly how much time y'all are spending on each essay, cuz I don't know if I'm sp”
“I have a secondary with no word or character limit and it’s a very secondary so I can’t go by past examples. I’m at 1000 words right now because I love writing and combined previous essays, but I realize I should probably trim it. What do you think is the longest secondary that would be acceptable? submitted by /u/WhereverWhoresGo- [link] [comments]”