After an applicant has submitted their primary application, the majority of medical schools will request additional information in the form of the secondary application, or supplemental application. Dental schools vary greatly in whether they require a supplemental application or essays; many require a school-specific supplemental application fee as part of their process.
Secondary applications are school-specific; the questions asked will vary from program to program. They generally intend to gain a deeper understanding of each applicant, as well as a sense of why an applicant is a good “fit” for the school.
Schools vary on exactly when they distribute secondary applications—some will be sent out shortly after submission of the primary application, while others can take over a month. Regardless of when the secondary is received, applicants should aim to complete their secondary applications within two weeks. Some schools use an applicant’s response time as a way to gauge their interest in the program, so secondaries should ideally be completed within a few days for top-choice programs.
To prepare for writing secondary applications, applicants should:
- Review each school’s mission statement and familiarize themselves with the core values of the school and what their priorities are when reviewing candidates (to view a comprehensive list of all mission statements for MD schools, visit the MSAR Mission Statement Report)
- Do some research into common questions that are asked in secondary applications so that general responses can be crafted in advance
- Plan answers around specific, illustrative examples for their candidacy—make sure to not repeat or copy directly from the primary application; rather, add in new details and elements that expand upon your responses
- Remain organized and create a plan to prioritize and submit your secondaries in a timely manner
To pre-write secondary applications while waiting for one’s primary application to get verified: Visit the database of secondary applications for each school at Prospective Doctor. This database is technically unofficial, but is very reliable each year in terms of accuracy.
To view a workshop on secondary applications led by our office, please visit our website here. To view the presentation slides, click here.
For additional information, applicants can explore the AAMC definition of the secondary application as well as their Advising Corner: Preparing for Secondary Applications page. More resources can be found through The Princeton Review and Kaplan.
Fees
Note as well that just as there is a fee for filling out your primary application, there is also a fee associated with secondary applications. These fees are school-specific and will range, so ensure that you check each institution’s website information about cost—the average cost is around $75. You can also find information about cost and deadlines using the AAMC’s MSAR Report about Secondary Application Information.