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We’ll be speaking about understanding the role of the secondary application and how to tailor your responses for each school.
As mentioned, we’re Inspira Advantage. We’re a globally recognized admissions consulting and test prep firm with over 16 years of experience. We specialize in helping students gain admissions to top graduate healthcare programs, including medical residency, dental, veterinary, PA, nursing school, etc., with a 94% acceptance rate. That’s something we’re incredibly proud of.
Part of what we do and what we stand for is starting this process as early as possible, which is why we offer something called pre-health advising for college freshmen. Our team helps students build a tailored academic timeline, including course selection and GPA strategy, finding impactful experiences like research, shadowing, clinical and non-clinical volunteering, extracurricular and leadership roles, and more. We also help students make their applications stand out from the rest with stellar personal statements and interview prep. These efforts lay a strong foundation to help differentiate our applicants and leave a lasting impression.
In addition, our tutors provide personalized, one-on-one test prep for the MCAT, DAT, and GRE. We begin with diagnostic tests, then move into custom study plans and progress tracking. Our students on average see a 15-point increase on the MCAT with 45+ hours of tutoring. Our 60-hour programs even include score guarantees. For the MCAT, that would be a 515 guarantee; for the DAT, a 21; and for the GRE, a 320.
When it’s time to apply, our all-inclusive application process offers unlimited support through the entire application cycle. This includes crafting a personalized narrative and school list, perfecting personal statements and secondary applications with unlimited edits, and then providing interview prep, scholarship guidance, and waitlist strategy. We stand by our students until they receive their acceptances.
We have one clear goal: to create the most competitive candidates and applications, ensuring our students shine in the competitive admissions landscape. If you’d like to know more about us, we do offer personalized consultations via video, phone, or email. No matter where you are in the process, we’re here to help and support you. We want to make sure we address any questions either one-on-one or during the Q&A with Katie tonight.
I’m currently a resident in my fourth of six years in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Wisconsin. That’s after completing my MD degree at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. I’ve taken loads of educational courses, writing courses, teaching courses, and I’ve been on the resident and medical student review board, applicant review board, admissions committees, and interview committees throughout the whole process. So, I’m familiar with the process.
I’m currently an advisor or counselor with Inspira, and I just love talking about this stuff.
Let’s get started by understanding what a secondary application is and why it’s important, and why it’s in your best interest to shine on your secondary.
Secondaries matter because they are an individualized, tailored set of questions that schools send out after your primary application. Your primary application covers all the basics—courses, grades, activities (including work, non-clinical volunteering, research, etc.)—and secondaries are more specific to each school.
They’re so important because they allow you to demonstrate how you’d fit at that particular school. It lets you show how your interests align with their interests and their mission. Often, no matter how they phrase it, they’ll ask you in one way or another, “Why this school?” It’s important that you create well-constructed, individualized answers for each program. They might follow similar themes, but each answer should be tailored to that specific institution.
Craft a memorable narrative. This doesn’t mean fabricating anything; it means effectively composing and demonstrating your own narrative, passions, and interests. Your secondary application should extend the narrative you began in your primary application.
Also, showcase your fit: In my opinion, the primary goal of the secondary application is to show that you’ve done your research on the school and that your values align with theirs.
You want to balance quality and speed. When you receive a secondary application, you want to balance turning it around quickly (because schools often have rolling admissions) with the quality of your responses. You need to be thorough and polished, but also timely.
Another is pre-writing your secondary applications. A good tactic is to pre-write secondary essays, because many schools use the same prompts year after year. You can start drafting them before you even receive the official invitations. Just remember you’ll need to customize each answer to avoid generic responses.
Ensure you avoid generic answers. It’s very noticeable when applicants recycle answers without adapting them. Make your answers specific to each school, mentioning things like research programs, student organizations, or outreach initiatives they actually have.
To craft a strong response, be specific. Go to the school’s website and find out about their faculty research or campus culture. If you claim to be passionate about serving underserved communities, find the actual organizations or clinics the school runs and mention them specifically.
Provide clear examples. Highlight your strengths by showing a longitudinal commitment, such as long-term research or continuous volunteering that you can discuss in depth.
Stay concise but meaningful. Do not add fluff. Clarity is key. A shorter, more concise answer is far more compelling than a longer, repetitive one.
Again, avoid generic responses. Tailor each answer to that school’s specific program, mission, and culture. Mention faculty by name if it’s relevant, reference student groups, or community outreach you’ve read about on their website.
It’s about demonstrating genuine interest—showing that your background and future goals align with their offerings.
A common question is whether you can reuse stories from your primary application. It’s acceptable to reuse an experience if you’re adding new depth or insight. Ideally, though, if you have a second strong experience, use that to demonstrate additional growth or skills. You want to give them new data points to show who you are.
Your secondary application should reflect a cohesive narrative. If your primary application centers on research and innovation, then your secondary essays should expand on that in ways that are genuine and compelling. Show, don’t just tell. Don’t just say you did something; walk us through how it changed you or what you learned.
Some challenging prompts include ethical or moral dilemmas (e.g., “You’re at a dinner party with a neighbor who won’t vaccinate her child. How would you respond?”). There’s often no single “right” answer. Schools want to see your thought process, empathy, and ability to navigate gray areas.
Questions about adversity can also be challenging. They can be personal. If the experience is too heavy or personal, you might not want to share all the details. But if it shows significant growth and resilience, it can be a powerful story. Just be sure it’s something you can discuss maturely and reflectively.
Finally, the “Why Us?” question is almost universal. Make it very specific to the program’s curriculum, community outreach, research, or any unique track they have. Never just talk about “prestige.”
A structured approach for each answer is helpful:
Again, proofread carefully for grammar, spelling, and clarity. That’s such an easy way to demonstrate professionalism and attention to detail.
I wouldn’t use the exact same story in the exact same way, because I think you’re really losing an opportunity to advertise yourself, if that makes sense. But if you can add some introspective or retrospective component, analysis, growth, or something in the secondary that kind of adds to the primary application story, I think that would be acceptable.
But just thinking of those two things: if you use a different story, it’s additional data and information and advertisement, basically, for yourself. But if you feel like that opportunity was so meaningful for you that you can expand on it and really demonstrate some authentic kind of growth or learning from it, then I think it would be acceptable to use in the secondary.
Q: Do you have any tips for avoiding being repetitive in your answers, since the questions aim at similar topics?
A: It can be hard. Even the best writers sometimes have redundancy. If you feel questions overlap in theme, try giving a different piece each time—offer a different “advertisement” for yourself with each answer.
For example, if you have all the questions in front of you and two prompts seem similar, break up your answer so you have a different response that still demonstrates your points. Sometimes I have two or three examples of why I’d fit a school’s values: interest in research, underserved populations, or a specific area they fund, like liver transplants. Let’s say I have these three areas. In the first question, I might talk about my general research interest and a specific research interest. In the second question, I’d discuss my interest in underserved populations or passions that I have and how my CV demonstrates that interest. That way, you give different pieces in each answer and avoid sounding repetitive.
At the same time, sometimes there will be redundancy. You can reframe or reword so it’s not obviously repeated, but it can be difficult. That’s my main tip for breaking it up so it’s not exactly the same answer.
Q: Going off that, is it okay to bring back something from your primary application? For example, if you wrote about overcoming a challenge in your personal statement, can you use it again, or should you create a new example? How often do they compare them side by side, or is it okay to reinforce that idea?
A: Depending on how much detail you included in your primary application, you can reuse it. Two things are at play: first, the secondary is an additional opportunity to shine. If you showed one area of resilience in your primary application, the secondary can be another way to show you’re qualified, resilient, and capable. In that sense, having a second example can offer more evidence.
On the other hand, if you feel strongly about that first example and you have the room and ability to expand on it in your secondary, it’s reasonable. If it was a meaningful obstacle you only touched on or alluded to in your primary application, and you have the emotional and introspective capacity to expand on it, that’s fine as long as you add additional information. I wouldn’t use the exact same story the same way, because you’d lose an opportunity to advertise yourself. If you can add introspective or retrospective analysis, growth, or some new insight, it’s acceptable. If you have another story, that’s extra data for them, but if the original was significant, you can deepen it in your secondary.
Perfecting your writing style can be tricky. Writing multiple meaningful, distinct stories takes more time than people expect. It’s similar to writing a personal statement: you might think you can jot it down, do one or two edits, and be done. Sometimes it requires deeper thought to ensure authenticity, conciseness, meaningful content, and reflection. It shouldn’t just be a list of activities.
Balancing all of this, knowing there’s a time limit, can be challenging. Give yourself enough time to edit properly. Take a couple of days away from it, then revisit before submitting.
Avoid using overly complex language. If you’re including medical details, be sure you’re using them correctly, because any inaccuracy can become a red flag. It’s often better to use simple, clear language. Also, avoid fluff. A shorter, concise answer is preferable to a long, filler-heavy one.
Grammar and spelling errors are another common issue. It might seem obvious, but many applications contain small errors that could have been caught by spell check. Sometimes it happens when copying text from elsewhere. It’s not usually a dealbreaker, but it’s an easy way to show attention to detail and care.
Maximizing impact is about advertising yourself accurately. Use words that show engagement and activity. Align your experiences and interests with each school. Focus on “show, don’t tell.” I don’t want a bullet-point CV; I want to understand how those experiences affected your growth and preparedness for medical school.
Ensure each response adds depth beyond your primary. If you can provide new, strong data instead of repeating the same example, do so. If you have two strong examples, share them. Show different sides of your strengths and growth.
Personalization is key—for both the school and for yourself. Be genuine, not what you assume the reader wants to see. If your secondary responses feel canned or generic, it’s noticeable. It should be an extension of your personal statement, reflecting who you are.
Depth over breadth: a single experience over three years shows more longitudinal dedication than short, scattered ones. That’s where passion and commitment stand out.
Authenticity matters. If I sense a genuine connection in your personal statement and secondary, it compels me to advocate for you. If your answers seem generic or recycled, it does the opposite.
You’ll see challenging prompts, often with no clear answer. For instance, “Your neighbor has an infant and doesn’t want them vaccinated. You’re a pediatrician—what do you do?” This is an ethical, moral, or social dilemma, and you don’t want to lean too far in one direction or the other. At this stage, you may not feel you have full medical authority, so it can be tricky.
Authenticity matters. They want to see how you’d genuinely talk to this person. That shows interpersonal communication skills—something beyond black-and-white thinking. You’re working in a gray area, and they want to see your thought process.
If you need statistics or specific facts, do some research and include them, but it’s mostly about how you approach the situation.
Questions about adversity can be tough because people have different scales of what adversity means. Some have faced very complex, emotionally charged issues. Talking about that can be challenging, so think carefully about how the reviewer might interpret your story. If you’re comfortable and it shows growth and resilience, it can be powerful. Just find a mature, introspective way to discuss it.
The “Why Us?” question should be specific to the school. Avoid mentioning prestige or rank. Any medical school will still produce a doctor. Focus on their unique interests and how you’re a good fit.
Align experiences with the school’s values. Use a structured approach: identify the problem, describe how you addressed it, and discuss the outcome or growth. “Show, don’t tell.” Proofread carefully for spelling and grammar, and make it concise.
Connecting your experiences often involves examples like DEI. If a program emphasizes diversity, mention leadership roles you’ve had that promote inclusivity. Demonstrate how your experiences align.
Sometimes you need to reframe experiences to fit a new question, like geographic location. If you have no direct ties, look at local demographics or notable research that resonates with your background. Think creatively to tie your experiences to theirs.
Maintaining a strong narrative helps reviewers follow your journey. You don’t have to be one-dimensional, but it’s helpful if there’s a chronology or thematic thread.
Double-check and triple-check for clarity, conciseness, and school-specific detail. Sometimes it’s helpful to step away for a couple of days, then review with fresh eyes as if you were the admissions reader.
If you mention something from your primary, add depth instead of repeating. Submitting early is key because it’s rolling admissions. Balance timeliness with quality.
Q: On average, how long or how many questions are the secondaries? Do you have a number in mind?
A: They vary. The minimum is two; the maximum might be six. The length of responses also varies. Some schools offer optional questions about a rural track or other specific programs, and you only answer if it applies. Most schools have at least two or three core questions: usually “Why this school?,” “How do your values align with ours?,” and possibly a character-based prompt.
If you Google, you can find sites that post previous years’ secondaries, including for DO schools. That’s a good resource.
Q: How are interviews usually structured?
A: There are a few formats. One is a traditional panel interview, possibly with one or two interviewers, or a small group, who ask questions and take notes. Another common format is the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). That involves stations—maybe eight to ten—where you spend a few minutes at each. Some might be scenarios or puzzles to assess interpersonal skills and thought processes. Others might be ethical prompts or role-play situations. Some stations might just be standard interview questions.
Many schools use MMI because it shows more than just how you answer straightforward questions. Some still use a traditional format, but those two methods are the most common.
Q: Is there a general rule of thumb for how long it should take before you finalize and submit your secondary? Is there a window where it’s too fast or too long?
A: I don’t think “too fast” exists. Schools generally review them as they arrive. “Too long” can be problematic. There isn’t a strict cutoff, but I recommend one to two weeks after you receive it. Some students aim for a week. Sometimes ten secondaries arrive at once, which can be overwhelming. In that case, do your best. Pre-writing helps you submit faster while maintaining quality.
Q: What’s the usual timeframe between submitting your primary application and receiving secondaries?
A: I encourage people to submit their primary the first day it’s open, whenever that date is each year. If you do, you might start seeing secondaries in about three weeks to a month. Some schools send them sooner. After that, you can see a surge if you applied to many schools, then it tapers off.
Q: Is there a difference between MD and DO schools in the types of questions asked?
A: Not really. The only distinct question you’ll see for DO is, “Why DO over MD?” You can’t just say it’s easier to get in. You need to show genuine interest in osteopathic medicine, likely with a DO letter and relevant experiences. Otherwise, the prompts are similar.
Q: Are secondaries required by every medical school, or only some?
A: Almost all schools send secondaries, partly because they charge a fee. It’s in their interest to send one to anyone who applied, though some schools do initial filtering. If they feel you don’t meet certain criteria, they might not send one. But in general, you can expect a secondary from nearly every school.
Q: Do the costs vary?
A: They’re usually around 50 to 100 dollars, based on my experience.
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