The time is quickly arriving when all medical school applicants will become swamped with secondary applications. Each medical school requires different information. The following are suggested tips for writing these sometimes challenging essays.

(1) Timing is critical. The general rule is to complete each secondary application within two weeks of receiving it.

(2) Prioritize Schools. If faced with more secondaries than you can handle – prioritize. Complete the secondaries from the schools you are most interested in attending and/or have the greatest chance of being offered an interview first.

(3) Be Thorough - Do Not Rush. The essays in your secondary application are equally important as your personal essay and in some cases more important. Do not rush through them.

(4) Research Each School. Before starting to write any essays, spend some time reviewing the website, the mission statement and the curriculum of the medical school. (This is something you want to repeat again before interviewing.) Try to incorporate in your essays some of the information you learn so that you stress why you are a good match and what you can offer their school. In essence you want to personalize each essay. Try to reinforce how your past experiences match their mission statement or how your interests match their specialty offerings. Each school has a special focus (such as a unique curriculum, strong research base, a focus on the underserved or primary care). Think about what you have to offer that aligns well with their focus or mission and reinforce that in your essay.

(5) State School Essays. When completing an essay for your state school do stress why you want to go there just as you would any other school. Financial reasons and proximity to home are important reasons but you still want to reinforce why you are a good match for the school.

(6) Share Additional Information. Each secondary application is a place for you to show a little more of yourself. Try to include information in your essay that you may have not been able to incorporate into your AMCAS application.

Again this is the final piece of information that will be considered by admission committees prior to interview offers so put the time in to each and personalize them.

By guest blogger Theresa Davies-Heerema, Ph.D., who has advised many medical and dental school applicants during her career in post-graduate education.