I feel a little bit of pressure to get my secondaries done and sent asap. I feel pressured that some people at some schools are already receiving interview invites. But whatever. I won't sacrifice quality for expediency. I also recognize that, at some point, it's time to give up and hit the "Submit" button. So far, the secondary essays I've worked on have gone through 3-4 complete rewrites and more than a few re-wordings. When I finish one school's application, I sleep on it or let it simmer for a day before giving it one final read-through and submitting. I've had more than enough instances when, after submitting a grant I proofread multiple times, I looked at it the next day and went, "A TYPO? SERIOUSLY?!" Or worse, "OMG! A run-on sentence!"
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That's just my writing process. I received a few secondaries immediately after I submitted my AMCAS, coincidentally for the schools I liked the most. It worked out for me because I had the freedom to really work on these essays and receive good input that I can then use on other essays. Realistically speaking, it's hard to find reliable and critical readers to review *all* of my essays.
Since my AMCAS went through, I spent a good chunk of time worrying about my upcoming job change (T-minus 7 days!), probably unnecessarily. My current employment status will be different from what I stated on my AMCAS. I was all set to contact each school individually, but then realized that was probably what all the other panicked pre-meds do over every little detail. I figure, if I can address it in my secondary application somewhere, then I don't need to bother someone about it. If the school has a specific protocol listed on the website, then I'll follow that. If there's no opportunity to mention it in my secondary and I can't find any information about it, then I'll ask.
These are important thought processes that I need to keep in mind, otherwise I really will turn into a neurotic forum-addicted pre-med. I used to be the type of person who would run around in circles until a problem was promptly resolved. I've realized that this kind of mentality is not always healthy and very unproductive.
For this reason, I avoid looking through certain pre-med forums because people panic and it makes me panic. I also hate sifting through a 10+ forum pages of spam that consists of the same 4-5 phrases like: "No interview yet :(" "No secondary yet :(" "Secondary is still on hold." Talk about the school. Ask about the town/city/county/state. Watch a YouTube video and talk about it. Says the person that complains about it on a blog =P
One thing that I do want to do, eating and applications aside, is go back to drawing. I've been lazy about it. I started a bunch of sketches but I never transferred them into my computer. Now I don't know where I put them. I also want to look around for more doctors to shadow because I like to see new things. I'm undecided whether I want to look for a volunteer position in a lab. In this pre-med infested locale, they're tough to find and there will be more opportunities to do that in medical school. In terms of volunteering, I am already helping a senior center and can either commit more time or work with another agency. Now feels like the best time to work for an organization that I would otherwise not have the time to engage in medical school.
And now for my one hour of pewpewpew in video games before bed.
I'm glad my parents never let me have video games or cable tv. Otherwise I wouldn't have any self control as an adult.
Agreed, don't look at the forums!!! All they do is psyche you out. I made it just fine without any forums :)
ReplyDeleteI'll admit, it was helpful for the Work/Activities section of the AMCAS when it came to specific questions of "how should I enter this information," but beyond that, I haven't found it helpful at all.
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