experiences of essay writing during primary and secondary school

ELT CHOUTARI

Nepal’s first digital elt magazine, my experience of teaching writing in school.

Introduction

I have been teaching English for a decade and a half. I started teaching English from a private English medium school in Kailali . As a novice teacher, I had an energy and ideas to teach.

Later I got a mentor; a head teacher of a reputed school in the region. She was quite inspiring for teachers. It was a turning point in my career. I found myself motivated to make changes in the classroom as I learned many things from her.

Chalk-and-talk method was the main teaching way in this part of the country in those days. It does not promote student-centred activities nor does it enhance their creativity. Many English teachers wish to improve students’ writing skills. However, it is not an easy job. Writing skill receives less attention in my context although it is well specified in our school curriculum. It has been evident that writing plays a significant role in improving overall English language proficiency.

Writing practices

I teach the English language to the upper primary and secondary level students. Writing is an expressive skill and it is felt one of the most challenging language skills to be taught and learnt in my context. I believe writing is not merely a transfer of ideas from one’s brain to paper; it involves organising and structuring ideas. Writing skill begins with copying the given text and ends with free writing provided that students have mastered the skill of combining letters into words and basic vocabulary. Learners have to learn vocabulary and a pattern of writing. Likewise, they need to generate ideas to be organised and a point to be developed; the theme to be explained in the piece. Many students are fluent and coherent in speech but they do not produce coherent pieces in writing of the same speech.

Students do the writing tasks both as homework and classwork. These kinds of writing tasks they do are completing exercises given in textbooks or practice books, answering comprehension questions, filling in the blanks and so on. They are also required to write short paragraphs and essays on different familiar topics.

Here is an example of a paragraph on the topic ‘library’ written by a student of upper primary level:

One of the other examples are writing is book reviews. The following is the book review on ‘The Alchemist’, an international bestseller written by one of my students:

In general, one of the objectives of teaching writing at the upper primary level is to develop skills in students’ to express their personal thoughts, insights, feelings and ideas. Teachers assign various activities depending upon the level of students and objectives of the lessons in this level. Some writing exercises aim to develop the ability of students to think independently giving them room for innovation. Students generate ideas on paper, construct paragraph and develop abilities to use grammar, vocabulary and punctuation marks properly.

My Experiences

Students usually answer questions, write paragraphs and essays. Most of the exercises are based on textbooks. I follow learner-centred activities to develop writing skills rather than writing on the board and making students copy it. Learners go through different stages of writing and they learn to write by doing. Furthermore, I provide maximum opportunity for them to think on the related topics, generate ideas and make notes of them. Then they are encouraged to organise those ideas.

In my experience, my students show a positive attitude towards writing. They pay attention to writing, describe the surrounding nearby them and try to get the meaning from what they write. They practise reading out what they write. They are careful of their spellings. Some of them also summarise the written texts in some instances.

However, it is not always easy for my learners to write as they lack confidence in it but I feel happy with them when they try improving the use of new vocabulary and sentence structures and make a flow of writing. My students commonly make errors in writing but for me, the errors are of great interest and usefulness. I collect the errors, study them, classify them in various ways and implement different ways to tackle them. The learners primarily commit errors in grammar, punctuation marks, contextual vocabulary and parts of speech. I have experienced that the more exposure they receive in the English language, the less error they commit. Therefore, I recommend teachers to provide maximum exposure in English and provide specific feedback to their errors rather than saying good, excellent or try again, improve your writing etc.

Students frequently write answers of short and long questions, write paragraphs and essays. Most of the exercises are text book focused. I employ learner centered activities to develop writing skills excluding write on the board and make student copy it. I attempt to provide maximum opportunity to think related ideas and make notes of them. Then they are encouraged to organize those ideas.

Ms. Shanti Upreti teaches English at upper primary and secondary level in Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya, Teghari-Kailali.

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Wow really great article regarding teaching…Nice to read mam and keep writing

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Essay Writing: A complete guide for students and teachers

P LANNING, PARAGRAPHING AND POLISHING: FINE-TUNING THE PERFECT ESSAY

Essay writing is an essential skill for every student. Whether writing a particular academic essay (such as persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository) or a timed exam essay, the key to getting good at writing is to write. Creating opportunities for our students to engage in extended writing activities will go a long way to helping them improve their skills as scribes.

But, putting the hours in alone will not be enough to attain the highest levels in essay writing. Practice must be meaningful. Once students have a broad overview of how to structure the various types of essays, they are ready to narrow in on the minor details that will enable them to fine-tune their work as a lean vehicle of their thoughts and ideas.

In this article, we will drill down to some aspects that will assist students in taking their essay writing skills up a notch. Many ideas and activities can be integrated into broader lesson plans based on essay writing. Often, though, they will work effectively in isolation – just as athletes isolate physical movements to drill that are relevant to their sport. When these movements become second nature, they can be repeated naturally in the context of the game or in our case, the writing of the essay.

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• 270  pages of the most effective teaching strategies
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• Links to  high-quality video  tutorials
• Clear objectives  easy to match to the demands of your curriculum

Planning an essay

The Boys Scouts’ motto is famously ‘Be Prepared’. It’s a solid motto that can be applied to most aspects of life; essay writing is no different. Given the purpose of an essay is generally to present a logical and reasoned argument, investing time in organising arguments, ideas, and structure would seem to be time well spent.

Given that essays can take a wide range of forms and that we all have our own individual approaches to writing, it stands to reason that there will be no single best approach to the planning stage of essay writing. That said, there are several helpful hints and techniques we can share with our students to help them wrestle their ideas into a writable form. Let’s take a look at a few of the best of these:

BREAK THE QUESTION DOWN: UNDERSTAND YOUR ESSAY TOPIC.

Whether students are tackling an assignment that you have set for them in class or responding to an essay prompt in an exam situation, they should get into the habit of analyzing the nature of the task. To do this, they should unravel the question’s meaning or prompt. Students can practice this in class by responding to various essay titles, questions, and prompts, thereby gaining valuable experience breaking these down.

Have students work in groups to underline and dissect the keywords and phrases and discuss what exactly is being asked of them in the task. Are they being asked to discuss, describe, persuade, or explain? Understanding the exact nature of the task is crucial before going any further in the planning process, never mind the writing process .

BRAINSTORM AND MIND MAP WHAT YOU KNOW:

Once students have understood what the essay task asks them, they should consider what they know about the topic and, often, how they feel about it. When teaching essay writing, we so often emphasize that it is about expressing our opinions on things, but for our younger students what they think about something isn’t always obvious, even to themselves.

Brainstorming and mind-mapping what they know about a topic offers them an opportunity to uncover not just what they already know about a topic, but also gives them a chance to reveal to themselves what they think about the topic. This will help guide them in structuring their research and, later, the essay they will write . When writing an essay in an exam context, this may be the only ‘research’ the student can undertake before the writing, so practicing this will be even more important.

RESEARCH YOUR ESSAY

The previous step above should reveal to students the general direction their research will take. With the ubiquitousness of the internet, gone are the days of students relying on a single well-thumbed encyclopaedia from the school library as their sole authoritative source in their essay. If anything, the real problem for our students today is narrowing down their sources to a manageable number. Students should use the information from the previous step to help here. At this stage, it is important that they:

●      Ensure the research material is directly relevant to the essay task

●      Record in detail the sources of the information that they will use in their essay

●      Engage with the material personally by asking questions and challenging their own biases

●      Identify the key points that will be made in their essay

●      Group ideas, counterarguments, and opinions together

●      Identify the overarching argument they will make in their own essay.

Once these stages have been completed the student is ready to organise their points into a logical order.

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

There are a number of ways for students to organize their points in preparation for writing. They can use graphic organizers , post-it notes, or any number of available writing apps. The important thing for them to consider here is that their points should follow a logical progression. This progression of their argument will be expressed in the form of body paragraphs that will inform the structure of their finished essay.

The number of paragraphs contained in an essay will depend on a number of factors such as word limits, time limits, the complexity of the question etc. Regardless of the essay’s length, students should ensure their essay follows the Rule of Three in that every essay they write contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Generally speaking, essay paragraphs will focus on one main idea that is usually expressed in a topic sentence that is followed by a series of supporting sentences that bolster that main idea. The first and final sentences are of the most significance here with the first sentence of a paragraph making the point to the reader and the final sentence of the paragraph making the overall relevance to the essay’s argument crystal clear. 

Though students will most likely be familiar with the broad generic structure of essays, it is worth investing time to ensure they have a clear conception of how each part of the essay works, that is, of the exact nature of the task it performs. Let’s review:

Common Essay Structure

Introduction: Provides the reader with context for the essay. It states the broad argument that the essay will make and informs the reader of the writer’s general perspective and approach to the question.

Body Paragraphs: These are the ‘meat’ of the essay and lay out the argument stated in the introduction point by point with supporting evidence.

Conclusion: Usually, the conclusion will restate the central argument while summarising the essay’s main supporting reasons before linking everything back to the original question.

ESSAY WRITING PARAGRAPH WRITING TIPS

●      Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea

●      Paragraphs should follow a logical sequence; students should group similar ideas together to avoid incoherence

●      Paragraphs should be denoted consistently; students should choose either to indent or skip a line

●      Transition words and phrases such as alternatively , consequently , in contrast should be used to give flow and provide a bridge between paragraphs.

HOW TO EDIT AN ESSAY

Students shouldn’t expect their essays to emerge from the writing process perfectly formed. Except in exam situations and the like, thorough editing is an essential aspect in the writing process. 

Often, students struggle with this aspect of the process the most. After spending hours of effort on planning, research, and writing the first draft, students can be reluctant to go back over the same terrain they have so recently travelled. It is important at this point to give them some helpful guidelines to help them to know what to look out for. The following tips will provide just such help: 

One Piece at a Time: There is a lot to look out for in the editing process and often students overlook aspects as they try to juggle too many balls during the process. One effective strategy to combat this is for students to perform a number of rounds of editing with each focusing on a different aspect. For example, the first round could focus on content, the second round on looking out for word repetition (use a thesaurus to help here), with the third attending to spelling and grammar.

Sum It Up: When reviewing the paragraphs they have written, a good starting point is for students to read each paragraph and attempt to sum up its main point in a single line. If this is not possible, their readers will most likely have difficulty following their train of thought too and the paragraph needs to be overhauled.

Let It Breathe: When possible, encourage students to allow some time for their essay to ‘breathe’ before returning to it for editing purposes. This may require some skilful time management on the part of the student, for example, a student rush-writing the night before the deadline does not lend itself to effective editing. Fresh eyes are one of the sharpest tools in the writer’s toolbox.

Read It Aloud: This time-tested editing method is a great way for students to identify mistakes and typos in their work. We tend to read things more slowly when reading aloud giving us the time to spot errors. Also, when we read silently our minds can often fill in the gaps or gloss over the mistakes that will become apparent when we read out loud.

Phone a Friend: Peer editing is another great way to identify errors that our brains may miss when reading our own work. Encourage students to partner up for a little ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’.

Use Tech Tools: We need to ensure our students have the mental tools to edit their own work and for this they will need a good grasp of English grammar and punctuation. However, there are also a wealth of tech tools such as spellcheck and grammar checks that can offer a great once-over option to catch anything students may have missed in earlier editing rounds.

Putting the Jewels on Display: While some struggle to edit, others struggle to let go. There comes a point when it is time for students to release their work to the reader. They must learn to relinquish control after the creation is complete. This will be much easier to achieve if the student feels that they have done everything in their control to ensure their essay is representative of the best of their abilities and if they have followed the advice here, they should be confident they have done so.

WRITING CHECKLISTS FOR ALL TEXT TYPES

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ESSAY WRITING video tutorials

Essay On My Experience in School As A Student

Through the lens of a student, this essay offers an insightful look into what it’s like to attend school. From tackling demanding coursework and balancing extracurricular to forging lasting friendships and creating memories that will stay with you forever – life as a student is both rewarding and challenging!

My Experience in School as a Student

1. Introduction

As a student, I have had to find ways to manage the unique academic pressures of school. From juggling assignments and exams each semester, there were always plenty of challenges during my educational journey; however, these also brought positive moments – like gaining new knowledge that has been essential for growing both personally and professionally.

2. Body Paragraphs

Navigating the social scene of school can be a tricky endeavor, as finding one’s place among peers is key. At first, I found it difficult to make friends and fit in; however, over time I was able to foster genuine connections with others that have since flourished into lasting relationships.

Through participation in extracurricular activities, I grew as a person and developed new abilities. From sports to clubs, these experiences taught me valuable skills while also allowing me the chance to have fun with friends . Of course, all this took effort; it was key for me to find harmony between my school work and extracurricular so that neither suffered from neglect!

My school career has given me more than just an education; it taught me the invaluable lessons of resilience and responsibility. I acquired new skills, like problem-solving and communicative proficiency, that have benefited my endeavors outside of academia. Amidst all those textbooks and presentations, there were some truly remarkable moments: field trips exploring unfamiliar terrain, passionate performances in plays alike to a professional stage production ,and ultimately watching dreams fulfilled as we crossed the graduation finish line together .

3. Conclusion

Through highs and lows, my time spent in school has been a journey of growth and learning. From mastering new skills to forging meaningful friendships, I have come away with invaluable life lessons that will stay with me forever. Looking back on it all now, I am truly thankful for the enriching experiences this chapter had to offer.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

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• How To Use Childrens Essays As Indicators Of Progress

How to use essay writing in primary school to measure curriculum impact

By using structure strips and comparative judgement, essay writing becomes a simple and effective end-of-topic assessment activity

• The link between essay writing and Ofsted’s ‘intention, implementation, impact’ agenda
• How pupils can use structure strips for essay writing
• How to use comparative judgement to mark essays
• What makes a good essay

Read in 3-5 minutes…

In 2019, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, announced in a series of speeches that Ofsted would be shifting the focus of their inspections to the quality of education being offered in each school.

And with that flap of a butterfly’s wing, tornados raged across England’s schools, as senior leaders tore up curriculum plans and started again from scratch.

Ofsted suggested that curriculum can be understood through three lenses, which fortuitously, as is often the case in education, all begin with the same letter.

Intention, implementation and impact thus became top agenda items for every SLT meeting in the country.

In the first article of this series I suggested that this renewed focus isn’t really anything to worry about.

In fact, if handled with a level head, it should be an exciting and energising opportunity for teachers and leaders to carefully consider the torches that they will pass on to the next generation.

Exactly what knowledge being handed down is best described as the ‘intended’ curriculum, and we have explored knowledge organisers as a useful tool to set out these intentions.

The manner in which that knowledge is then sequenced – and how pupils interact with it – is perhaps less straightforward, but we have also explored using work booklets and quizzing as safe bets to support the ‘implemented’ curriculum.

What about the last ‘I’ in Ofsted’s triumvirate: ‘impact’?

There are a few different ways that we assess impact at Reach. We frequently have conversations with pupils about their learning. They should be able to speak confidently, authoritatively and with precision and enthusiasm about their topic.

Every half term we have a parent celebration event where they will present on what they’ve learned. We also use end-of-unit quizzes, giving us an overview of how much of the key knowledge has been retained over the term.

But perhaps the most transformational aspect of our foundation curriculum has been the introduction of essay writing.

At Reach, every child from Y2 upwards writes an essay at the end of each half term based on the topic that they are learning about.

In the younger years, the essay question will be relatively straightforward – for example, “How did the way people live change throughout the Stone Age?”

We give children a ‘ structure strip ’, with prompt questions for each section of the essay. The questions for each paragraph on the structure strip are linked to one of the six lessons in the work booklet.

So when writing the first paragraph, pupils will be prompted with, “How long ago was the Stone Age?” and, “What were the names of the different eras in the Stone Age.”

By answering these questions, pupils begin to construct a very impressive essay. It is also a chance to revisit, recall and play about with the knowledge, further embedding it in memory.

It’s true that to begin with, the essays are quite similar, but we are very comfortable with this.

After all, we’re not trying to trip them up, and writing essays is a new procedure for them. We want to give them lots of practice with a clear scaffold, so that by the time they get to year four or five, when we say “We’re writing an essay,” the class think, “Piece of cake, I’ll start with an overview of the topic’.

As pupils get older, the essays become more sophisticated. For example, after studying the civil rights movement in the US, our year sixes answer the question ‘“Civil disobedience was more important than legal decisions during the civil rights movement.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?’

This essay title forces pupils to apply their disciplinary skills as well as their substantive knowledge.

Due to the detailed work booklets we use for each unit, we know that all pupils are familiar with many incidences of civil disobedience: Rosa Parks refusing to stand on the bus; the Montgomery bus boycott; the Greensboro sit-in; the march from Selma to Montgomery.

However, they have also been taught about the legal aspects of civil rights: Jim Crow Laws; Brown vs the Board of Education; the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’; the Fourteenth Amendment; and the various Civil Rights Acts.

It is not enough, now, for our Y6s to simply restate what they have learned. Instead, we are asking them to make a judgement. Which was more important? What is the relationship between them?

In doing so, they are beginning to think like a historian thinks – exploring history as a discipline as well as a subject.

This, of course, is only possible with lots and lots of domain specific knowledge, which is why the detailed curriculum is so important.

To begin with, we found it difficult to assess the essays. After all, we hadn’t really considered what made a ‘good’ piece of history writing before.

Instead we were giving creative literacy tasks based loosely on some period (‘pretend to be a Victorian child and write a diary entry ’).

Now, though, we have a bank of essays for each unit of work that teachers can use before teaching a new topic to gain an idea of what can be expected.

We comparatively judge the essays of each unit, ranking them from best to worst. This gives a clear indication of an ‘expected standard’ essay, as well as ‘greater depth’ and working towards.

These essays are also useful indicators of progress, as year-on-year you can watch a child’s essays improve and become increasingly sophisticated.

In terms of professional development, looking at the differences both between high and low attaining essays, and also essays across years, can be extremely valuable.

It is fair to say (and was surprising to us) that all children love the essay writing. We often have difficulty ushering them to playtime during these lessons.

There seems to be something very satisfying about having a lot to write about and demonstrating that you have mastered a particular topic.

For many children, we also often get the best writing of the half term in these lessons.

So although some may baulk at the idea of essay writing in primary schools, I’d encourage you to give it a whirl at the end of your next topic.

It gives pupils a chance to apply their knowledge in a fulfilling way. It gives leaders a clear indication of how much pupils have learned in their topic. It gives you another great piece of writing for each child.

And it begins to show all pupils that each subject is a discipline, and that they can master, challenge and perhaps even add to the powerful knowledge within it.

What makes a good essay?

While analysing some recent essays together, teachers at our school noticed some common features of the best essays.

These top pupils organised their ideas in a very logical way. For example, they may have written, “There are several reasons that John is regarded as one of the worst kings in history”. Second, the best essays were balanced. So that same essay would list John’s shortcomings, before launching into an “However…” paragraph.

The best essays were also precise and detailed. They gave lots of examples to back up any points being made.

The importance of learning the facts included in the booklet can’t be stressed enough, then, as the pupils who have this automated found writing a doddle.

Jon Hutchinson is assistant headteacher at Reach Academy Feltham. Follow him on Twitter at @jon_hutchinson_ . Find all six articles in this series on taking a curriculum deep dive, here .

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Developing essay-writing skills at secondary

Australia and new zealand, international schools, whole school, tes resources team.

Take students through the steps to effective essay writing in any subject with these skills lessons and supporting tools

Most students have a love-hate relationship with essay writing. They recognise that it’s one of the best vehicles through which to demonstrate their understanding of a particular topic or subject area, but crafting an essay can take a long time.

Why not make the prospect less daunting with this collection of hand-picked lesson ideas? We’ve also chosen some top tools to help learners to develop their skills, and their confidence, at each stage of the essay-writing process.

Essay writing guides

Essay Writing Toolkit

Discursive Essay Writing for GCSE: Revision Sheet

How to write an essay

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Sentence openers - analyitical & essay writing

AQA English Language and Literature Structure Strips

GCSE AQA New Spec French Writing Mat - 150 Word

@AllRoundRes ULTIMATE PEEL Paragraph Guide! + Planning Pages!

PEE Paragraph Sentence Starters

Classroom displays and student handouts.

Writing Purposes - Helpsheets/Posters for Literacy and English

Paragraph Writing: Structure Strips for GCSE English Literature (AQA)

FREE Signposting Posters for Classroom Display

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Students Share Their Best School Experiences and What We Can Learn From Them

• Share article

Today, five students from my classes contribute short pieces about their favorite moments, and what others might be able to learn from them.

You might also be interested in these two other posts:

• Students Describe Their Favorite Teachers
• ‘He Was a Very Good Listener’ - Students Write About Their Most Memorable Teachers

Response From Leslie Servin

During my time in high school I had it really good moments, but my best moments that I’ve experienced are in a particular class during my senior year, in Sacramento, Calif. So I was basically a new student in these kind of classes and also I’m English learner. I remember my first presentation in this class. I didn’t want to do it, but finally I did it and that one was my best moment. When I went to present I felt afraid, and then when I presented I felt so good for the effort I applied on. Now I feel so much better than my first day of presentations because I now know that I can do whatever I want to do. The learnings that I acquire made it so good this moment because I know that I have to trust on me. Something teachers or students can learn from my experience is that we have to overcome our fears and not let them control ourselves because we can’t know our capabilities if we are afraid.

Response From Jesneel Singh

The best moment in class was when I was in 9th grade in sixth period. That was when I got into poetry and spoken word. Having that “character and scene” class made my life even greater. Not knowing anything about poetry, hating on poems about reading and writing it in the past. That class was fun in many ways. For example; there was this one time where we had to write our own plays and poems and perform them in front of the class. I felt alive, and the creative side of me came out. When I wrote my first poem in freshman year. I realized that it was fun and unique. I felt like I wanted to write more and more. When I performed my first poem to that class I found my passion. Since that day and today I have written over 400 poems and made two books. I have performed on many stages in small audience and in school. That was a good day for me because I can write my thoughts down and write the truth about the world. Teachers and students can learn from this experience that, you can find what best fits you.

Response From Nancy Ramirez

I would say my best class moment would be from my sophomore year in high school. For my Spanish class, our teacher decided we would do a class circle (Editor’s note: see “How To Practice Restorative Justice in Schools” for more information on class circles) for the day. She asked us a sequence of questions which required us to give a more in depth and heartfelt answer each time, starting with something along the lines of “How are you feeling?” and ending with “Why do you think that is?” A class circle which only should have lasted one day extended to three, with each and every single one of us having to share our deepest and darkest fears and insecurities. By then it felt more than just a class and opened my eyes to very different ways of teaching styles. I believe there is much to learn from this experience, both then and now. I have come to deeply appreciate not only the class but the teacher as well. This experience showed me the extent a relationship with your classmates and your teacher can go....

Response From Oscar Salazar

The best moment I’ve ever experienced in school was last year when I was a sophomore. I took biology last year and towards the end of the year we got to dissect a fetal pig. I know that it sounds gross but it’s really not. That’s what I thought at first too. I did lots of fun experiments in that class that were new to me, such as making a small ecosystem in a bottle and dissecting owl pellets to find mouse skeletons. I think that these experiences were really fun and interesting. I’ve never done anything like that in a class before.

I think that when teachers introduce students to hands-on activities and projects the students enjoy it more. Since we have more energy it’s a good use of it. We learn better when we’re allowed to move around and be creative. Our lives aren’t going to be pen on paper or books forever. It’s best to get us students to explore the world using our skills that we learn and strengthen our understanding of daily life that is sometimes hidden from us and exposed to us abruptly once we turn into adults.

Response From Kayla Guzman

What has been my best moment in a class? I’ve had many great moments but perhaps the most best moment took place in my English class about a month ago. I had a 10-15 minute presentation and I felt pretty confident. 30 minutes before my presentation I decided to incorporate an actor for visual appeal, to correspond with my presentation. I felt even more confident, assure that I would captivate the audience’s attention and keep them engaged. When my presentation started, I gave a signal to my actor which led me to drop my 8 notecards all over the floor. I was aware that the time was ticking, so I quickly grabbed all the notecards off the floor. I became overwhelmed with embarrassment, listening to the echoing laughter of the audience as I tried to rearrange the cards. The cards in my hand then became extremely restraining. My anxiety levels rose, and the disorganized cards just added stress to my emotions. I placed the cards down, and felt a great sense of relieve. My words, my explanations, my connections all flowed out my mouth with harmony, and I felt more natural and free as I presented my topic.

My presentation was a diagnosis of a character with schizophrenia, explaining the symptoms and the reasoning behind my diagnosis. The movement of my hands and my exaggeration presented by a drive of passion, along with my visual representative, kept the audience captive. I felt like a completely different person. By the end of the presentation I was sweaty, not by nervousness but because I left it all on the floor. I realized that the key to presenting with people is not getting their attention just by visual appeal. You need to let your heart pour out so that you can captivate their hearts, reach their souls. You can’t just be the center of attention, you need to give the audience attention, you need to talk to them. First and foremost, you can’t present without emotions. Anything you present should be built off of passion. As long as you can find a connection between yourself and the topic and exude your passion, you will keep the audience engaged.

Thanks to Nancy, Jesneel, Kayla, Leslie, and Oscar for their contributions!

(This is the last post in a three-part series. You can see Part One here and Part Two here .)

The new “question-of-the-week” is:

What was the best moment you ever had in the classroom?

In Part One , Jen Schwanke, Amy Sandvold, Anne Jenks, and Sarah Thomas shared their top moments. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with them on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here. In Part Two , Meghan Everette, Jeryl-Ann Asaro, Jeffery Galle, and Kara Vandas shared their memories. I also included comments from readers.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

If you missed any of the highlights from the first six years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. They don’t include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the “answers” category found in the sidebar.

This Year’s Most Popular Q&A Posts

Classroom Management Advice

Race & Gender Challenges

Implementing The Common Core

Best Ways To Begin The School Year

Best Ways To End The School Year

Student Motivation & Social Emotional Learning

Teaching Social Studies

Project-Based Learning

Using Tech In The Classroom

Parent Engagement In Schools

Teaching English Language Learners

Student Assessment

Brain-Based Learning

Reading Instruction

Writing Instruction

Education Policy Issues

Differentiating Instruction

Math Instruction

Science Instruction

Advice For New Teachers

Author Interviews

Entering The Teaching Profession

Administrator Leadership

Teacher Leadership

Relationships In Schools

Professional Development

Instructional Strategies

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column .

Look for the next “question-of-the-week” in a few days.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Life Changing Experience — The Most Meaningful Experience of My High School Years

The Most Meaningful Experience of My High School Years

• Categories: Life Changing Experience Personal Experience

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Published: Sep 12, 2023

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Essay on My First Day in School: Sample in 100, 200, 350 Words

• Updated on  
• Jan 23, 2024

Essay on My First Day in School: The first day of school is often considered an important day in every child’s life. It is a time of a mix of emotions, like nervousness, excitement, homesickness, feelings of shyness, and likewise. But did you know these feelings are responsible for making our day memorable?

As children, we all are like a blank canvas, easily dyed into any colour. Our first day in school is like a new world to us. As a child, we all have experienced those feelings. So, to make you feel nostalgic and refresh those special feelings, we have brought some samples of essay on my first day in school.

Quick Read: Essay on Best Friend

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on My First Day in School in 100 words
• 2 Essay on My First Day in School Sample in 200 Words
• 3 Essay on My First Day in Day in School in 350 Words
• 4 FAQs 

Essay on My First Day in School in 100 words

It was a cloudy day when I took my first step into the compound of my school. I was carrying a new backpack that was filled with notebooks. Though the backpack was a bit heavy, instead of focusing on the weight, I was excited about the beginning of my journey on my first day in school.

My classroom was at the end of the corridor. As I entered my classroom, my class teacher introduced me to the class and made me feel welcome. Activities like reading, solving problems in groups, and sharing our lunch boxes slowly and steadily transformed the new student with a sense of belonging.

The whole day progressed with mixed excitement as well as emotions. As the bell rang, declaring the end of the school day, the school felt like a world of possibilities where the journey was more than textbooks.

To improve your essay writing skills, here are the top 200+ English Essay Topics for school students.

Essay on My First Day in School Sample in 200 Words

It was a sunny day and the sun was shining brightly. With my new and attractive backpack, I was moving through the school gate. It was my first day in school and I was filled with nervousness and excitement. From the tower of the building to the playground everything was bigger than life. As a school student, I was about to enter a new world. 

The corridor was filled with the echo of students. As I entered the classroom, wearing a mix of curiosity and excitement, my classmates and class teacher welcomed me with a warm smile. After a round of introductions and some warm-up activities, strangers gradually started tuning into potential friends. At lunchtime, the cafeteria was filled with the smell of delicious food. However, I hesitated before joining the group of students but soon enough, I was laughing with my new friends and sharing stories. The unfamiliar were now my friends and transformed my mixed emotions into delightfulness. 

The bell rang for the next class and I stepped out for new learning in my new academic home. My first day of school had many memorable stories, with old subjects and new introductions of knowledge. The day was spent learning, sharing and making new memories. 

Also Read: Essay on Joint Family in 500+ words in English  

Essay on My First Day in Day in School in 350 Words

My first day in school started by stepping onto the school bus with a bag full of books and a heart full of curiosity. It was like I was starting a new chapter in my life. After travelling a long way back, I stepped at the gate of my school. The school gate welcomed me with open arms and greeted me with a sense of excitement as well as nervousness.

As I entered the classroom, I found many new faces. Arranging my stuff on the seat, I sat next to an unknown, who later on turned into the best friend of my life. I entered my class with a welcoming smile, and later on, I turned everything in with ease. During our lunchtime, the cafeteria was filled with the energy of students. 

At first, I hesitated to interact with the children, but later on, I was a part of a group that invited me to join the table. At lunchtime, I made many new friends and was no longer a stranger. After having delicious food and chit-chatting with friends, we get back to our respective classrooms. Different subjects such as mathematics, science, and English never left the same impact as they did on the first day of school. 

The teacher taught the lessons so interestingly that we learned the chapter with a mix of laughter and learning. At the end of the day, we all went straight to the playground and enjoyed the swings. Moreover, in the playground, I also met many faces who were new to the school and had their first day in school, like me.

While returning home, I realised that my first day was not just about learning new subjects; it was about making new friends, sailing into new vibrant classrooms, and settling myself as a new student. The morning, which was full of uncertainty at the end of the day, came to an end with exciting adventures and endless possibilities. With new experiences, I look forward to new academic and personal growth in the wonderful world of education.

Also Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months?

Also Read: Trees Are Our Best Friend Essay

My first day of school was filled with mixed feelings. I was nervous, homesick, and excited on the first day at my school.

While writing about the first day of school, I share my experience of beginning my journey from home. What were my feelings, emotions, and excitement related to the first day of school, and how did I deal with a whole day among the unknown faces, these were some of the things I wrote in my first day of school experience essay. 

The first day of school is important because, as a new student, we manage everything new. The practice of managing everything is the first step towards self-responsibility.

Along with studying my favourite subjects, I share fun moments and delicious foods with my friends in school. 

Parents are filled with emotions on the first day of their child. As school is the place to gain knowledge, skills, and experience, parents try their best to give their children the best academics they can.

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Deepika Joshi

Deepika Joshi is an experienced content writer with educational and informative content expertise. She has hands-on experience in Education, Study Abroad and EdTech SaaS. Her strengths lie in conducting thorough research and analysis to provide accurate and up-to-date information to readers. She enjoys staying updated on new skills and knowledge, particularly in the education domain. In her free time, she loves to read articles, and blogs related to her field to expand her expertise further. In her personal life, she loves creative writing and aspires to connect with innovative people who have fresh ideas to offer.

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My Writing Experience (Essay Sample)

Writing is not an easy task. It requires a lot of effort, skills, and critical thinking ability in order to piece together words and weave them in such a way that would leave the readers in awe once they’ve read it as well as open their minds to endless possibilities. These are the goal of writing, and ever since I’ve started I’ve tried my best to reach the point where every article and every piece that I write is not only a jaw-dropper but also an eye-opener. Nonetheless, starting a career in writing is not as easy as it sounds like. Personally, I had to overcome a lot of difficulties and obstacles in my life in order to learn how to write, and much more, as I become a writer myself. Starting when I was a little kid, I find it hard to have a complete grasp of the grammatical rules in writing. As my teacher taught me how to write poems, short essays, and even short stories, I was able to somehow learn that grammatical rules need not make a writer stiff and blindsided but learning it could even make a person a more creative writer by being able to play by the rules. As I reached high school I started writing longer stories, business memos, and formal letters. This experience is indeed one of the most significant parts of my writing career since it taught me how to combine both formal and creative writing skills that is required for a professional writing career.

As I went through college, my experience as a writer has become even more proficient especially as I read through classical works of Machiavelli, Aristotle, Plato, and many more individuals who have written very effective and powerful texts that have been used for centuries even after their deaths. As I read through them, I learnt many other skills in both thinking and writing that made my skill repertoire a lot more diverse than what I was before.

Today, even while working as a writer, I never forget to go back to the fundamentals and read, in order to keep myself fresh from new perspectives and ideas that I could use in the future. Although my main goal of being able to write a world-renowned book is far from my reach, I constantly remind myself every time that I write that this goal is a destination. And, for every destination there is an underlying journey that one must take and that is where I am right now. And, as I work through every essays and every article that I’m tasked to do, I simply make sure that I pour my best into it.

As any writer would admit, the path to becoming world-renowned is not an easy one. Each of the classical books and poems that have been written has an underlying story that is filled with emotions such as joy, pain, anger, and sadness. Nevertheless, all of these books have one thing in common; all of them want to deliver a message, all of them wanted to change the world with the smallest possible contribution that they could give. This is the main goal of a writer. And as I trod through this difficult path today, I make sure that this goal is always there in order to serve as my guide. A guide throughout the whole experience, for the past, the present, and future.

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• Essay on My School Life in English for Students and Children

Best Things About the School Life for Students

School Life is the best time of our life as we make new friends, learn new things and build our career there. School time is the only time which we enjoy most, and when we enter college, we always miss our school life. School life teaches us lots of new things and prepares us to face all the challenges of life. I love my school life and really enjoy it. I have lots of friends, and all my teachers love me. I love my school and enjoy going there every day to meet my friends and learn new things. 

Everyone keeps on saying that school life is the best time of your life. When listening to these phrases from their elders, the school students think about what is good about this life. All we do in the entire day is to attend the classes and to do the homework. But once school life gets over, the students realise that school life was the best time of their life.

Apart from learning great things in school, you make new friends, play different sports and create memories for the rest of your life. The students also learn many life skills like teamwork, good manners, etc., and understand what they want to become in their life.

About My School and School Life

I study in the reputed private school in my city, and I am glad to be a student of this school. My school is one of the most renowned schools in my town. It is very beautiful and huge. My school has all the facilities for sports, study and other activities. Built-in a three-storey building, it is a Co-Ed and Senior Secondary School having Science, Arts and Commerce stream. The atmosphere at my school is delightful. We have a huge playing ground where we all students play different games like Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, etc. We have a separate Basketball and Tennis court, as well as a small and beautiful garden for kids.

The students practice these sports every day. The school also has a big swimming pool and sports area for indoor games. In this area, the students can play Table Tennis and Chess. There is also a big skating rink. Different physical training teachers train us for all these sports. These sports not only keep us fit but also increase our stamina and coordination.

School life is not just limited to studies and sports. There are also other activity rooms such as the music room, art room, and dance room. The Art room is a big hall with lots of colourful charts and various types of paints. The students can portray their imagination and can create beautiful art here. Dance and music are also very important in school life as they help the students express themselves in a new manner. The different movements in dance help the students in unwinding themselves.

My school has a big library where we all read different kinds of books, novels and comics. Apart from the library, my school has well-equipped scientific labs where we all practise various experiments of Chemistry, Physics and Biology. I have learned a lot of things in these labs. My school also has a big computer lab with trained technical staff that help us to learn everything about computers. I love playing on the computer and learning new things in the computer lab. In the computer lab, the students learn about using MS Word and PowerPoint. The computer lab is also called the ICT lab. The ICT teacher teaches the students about the internet and how to use it safely.

All the staff at my school are very polite, educated and experienced. Our teachers not only teach us but also prepare us for various competitions, and every year, my school wins many prizes in various competitions. I have even represented my school in a hockey championship and scored the second position.

The classrooms are big and decorated beautifully with different artwork done by the students. Various projects and models are kept in the classroom for the students to keep on revising their concepts. The teachers use smartboards, and every day a new word is taught to enhance the students’ vocabulary. Every day one student presents the ‘Thought for the Day’. These positive thoughts keep us motivated.

All the teachers at my school are very dedicated and punctual. They always teach us discipline and ask us to come to school on time. Our teachers love us, and they teach us in a very simple and easy way. Whenever we fail to understand anything, they try to make us understand it again without shouting at us. They give equal attention to all the students, and that is why my school has an excellent academic record. 

The teachers are well qualified. They use different techniques to teach us the concepts. The atmosphere in the school is fun-filled and fruitful at the same time. The school’s entire staff, from the security guard to the teachers, is very helpful and polite.

We learn many life skills also in school. Discipline, hard work, and punctuality are some of them. During sports classes, we learn teamwork and work together to win.

The best part of my school is its auditorium where all the school events and competitions take place. Our school auditorium is one of the best auditoriums in the town with a great sound and light facility. It is fully air-conditioned with lots of seats. Every year, my school organises an annual cultural festival which lasts for two days. Many cultural events take place within these two days like singing, dancing, debate competition, etc. I love to participate in a poem writing competition every year, and many times I have won prizes as well. Every year, the toppers of our school get awarded on this annual cultural day and we all students love to participate in various events of the annual cultural day.

We also have school assemblies in our Auditorium. Sometimes the students from other schools come and participate in the different competitions organised in our schools. These events are called inter-school competitions. These events are very good as we get to learn new things from other students and make many new friends.

Apart from the annual cultural day, my school is famous for organising one of the biggest annual sports meets. I love this annual sports meet because sports are my favourite. In this annual sports meet, various sports competitions are organised, and almost 50 schools participate in these competitions and win multiple titles. Me, my friends, and our seniors also participate in these competitions and make our school proud by winning in them. My school has great teachers, excellent faculty and all the facilities that one student needs to excel in his/her life.

The biggest reason behind the success and fame of my school is our Principal Sir. He is 50 years old, yet very active and disciplined. He has an attractive personality, and his knowledge is commendable. He loves all the students and always spare some time from his busy schedule to monitor the progress of all the students. I admire his personality and principles. He always encourages us to take part in various extracurricular activities, and it is the result of his support & dedication that the students of my school always perform better in all the competitions. We all are fortunate to have him as our Principal.

Principal sir awards the students who participate and win in different cultural and sports events. He has a good memory and remembers the name of every child. The students feel proud when Principal sir calls them by their names.

After each term, assessments are also being conducted in the school. The teachers prepare us for these assessments, and the results are also shared with the parents. The assessment is a good system as students understand the learning gaps and can work on them. The teachers are very helpful as they assist the students wherever it is required.

I love my school and my school life. Every day I learn new things here and enjoy it with my friends. All my teachers love me and always support me. I have learned discipline and punctuality from my teachers, and it will help me a lot in my future. I am proud to be a student at this school, and I will always miss my school after leaving it. My school life has taught me many things and given me some best friends who will be my friends forever. I wish all the success to my school and love everything about my school life. 

The different experiences which the students get in school life help them to become better human beings. When they leave school, they are not just taking the memories with them, but they take many friends, a career and good manners for life. It is the first place where the students come out of their family circles and create a new one with their teachers and friends. 

One should also remember that everyone is not privileged enough to get an education. If one gets this opportunity, then be grateful and work towards being a better human being. Cherish your school life and stay motivated.

FAQs on Essay on My School Life in English for Students and Children

1. Do you think Sports are important during school life?

2. What are life skills learnt during school life?

Some of the Life Skills learnt during school life are:

Punctuality

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Everything You Need to Know About Medical School Secondary Essays

Padya Paramita

June 21, 2021

You’ve uploaded your transcript, MCAT score, extracurricular information, personal statement, and finally clicked the submit button on the AMCAS . You might want to use the next couple of weeks off to relax. But, you’ll have to wait a few more months for that nap, because the medical school application grind is far from over. After hitting the submit button on the AMCAS, your secondaries will slowly start rolling in. So, before you decide to start checking things off your bucket list, it’s time to prepare for your medical school secondary essays .

Although medical schools don’t typically begin sending out secondary applications until early July, you shouldn’t just sit around doing nothing. Rather, prepare yourself to have common essay topics ready for the minute the prompts are sent out. To help your preparation for medical school secondary essays , I’ve outlined the basics of the secondary timeline, the most common prompts alongside a few dos and don’ts to help gear you for the process.

Medical School Secondary Essays: The Timeline

Turnaround from primary to secondaries.

The timeline for medical school secondary essays is just as important as actually sitting down to answer the essay prompts themselves. If you submit the AMCAS immediately after it opens (as you should), you can expect secondaries around early July. Most medical schools don’t set deadlines for secondary essays. The ones who do usually set them for November. Some, however, give you a deadline based on when you receive the secondaries, for example within two weeks or a month upon receipt.  

Depending on the medical school, your secondary essays will start rolling in either a few weeks after you’ve submitted the primary application or once the school checks to ensure that you’ve met their cutoff scores (typically set low at a 3.0 GPA and 500 MCAT score). To be clear: most schools do not read your application until your secondaries have been submitted. The faster you submit the AMCAS, the quicker your verification will be completed, followed by the arrival of your secondaries. The sequence continues: the faster you finish your secondaries, the quicker and more likely you are to receive interview invitations. It is no exaggeration to say that the timing of your medical school secondary essays will shape your chances of being accepted into any medical school.

Obviously, you want to increase your chances of getting admitted and should apply to around 25-30 schools. But what this also means is that you could have four or five secondary essays coming in from each program—some schools have no secondaries, while others have up to nine. When the secondaries from the schools on your list pour into your inbox one by one, it can naturally feel overwhelming. Finding the perfect balance between timeliness and high quality is not easy. But we’re here to help.

How Long Should You Take?

It’s important to remember that your every move counts. Medical school admissions committee members will indeed be paying attention to the time you’ve taken to turn in your secondaries, so approach them very carefully. If you take a month to turn in your responses, they will think they’re low priority and will hesitate to extend an interview invite to a student who is unlikely to attend the school if offered acceptance.

Remember that med schools admit students on a rolling basis. If you take your sweet time, adcoms will already have started reading applications and making decisions about which applicants they want to call for interviews. The longer you wait to turn in your secondaries, the further back you fall in the pile. And the less likely your chances.   

A helpful rule-of-thumb to follow for medical school secondary essays is to return your responses within two weeks of the date you received them. The two-week turnaround time is long enough to carefully write and edit your essay, but short enough to show your enthusiasm for the school.

While two weeks is ideal, if you’re drowning under a lot of secondary essays, you may have to pick and choose which schools you want to take more time with. So, how do you know which of your schools and secondary essays to prioritize?

The Impact of Secondaries on Your Medical School Timeline

Since the medical school application process is rolling, spots at schools get filled up on a first-come first-serve basis. As time passes in the application cycle, your chances of acceptance grow even slimmer because more and more students are given precious interview slots on top of more students submitting their primary applications before the AMCAS closes. As overbearing as the burden of completing almost 70 essays can get, you must try hard not to lose focus and prioritize making each day count in the application process. One misstep or slowing down at any stage could leave you behind the rest of the applicant pool. The secondary turn-in timeline is no different. The longer you take to submit your secondary essays, the further you push back your own timeline, and other students’ chances will climb over yours. 

Instead, keep yourself strictly on track. As soon as you submit the primary application, start writing responses to the common prompts such as “why this program?” or “what will you contribute to our school?” That way, by the time a school sends you their prompts, you’ll be ready, and will only need to adjust or edit your responses slightly, according to the different ways the questions are phrased.

If you stick to the two-week submission schedule and write strong essays that tell unique stories and are edited with finesse, medical schools are more likely to appreciate your hard work. 

Examples of Common Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts

You should put approximately 25-30 medical schools on your list to stay on the safer side of the intensely competitive medical school admissions process. Schools often have a range of 2-9 secondary questions for you to answer. Take a moment to do the math. This means that you could end up writing over seventy medical school secondary essays . You only had to write one personal statement in the primary, so the number of essays you have to write for the secondary stage can seem like a massive mountain to climb. 

The good news is, there will be some overlap in the kinds of prompts among the schools. That said, you should expect each school’s essays to need quite a bit of tweaking to adjust to specific prompts. And don’t expect to be able to reuse every essay you write! But preparing for typical prompts is a strategic starting point. Listed below are a number of secondary essay prompts that are common among many medical schools:

• Explain why you wish to attend this particular medical school.
• What diverse or unique element will you bring to this medical school community?
• If you graduated before you applied, summarize your activities since you graduated
• Describe a challenge you overcame or a time when you faced an ethical dilemma and how you learned and grew from that experience.
• Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
• Describe a meaningful leadership position.
• What are your goals as a physician?
• What research or independent academic work have you completed, and what did you accomplish or learn?
• What do you think is the role of a physician in a community?
• Describe a humbling experience and what you learned from it.
• Elaborate on an area of interest outside of medicine (e.g., hobbies)
• Describe the characteristics that make you who you are. How will they impact your success as a medical student and physician?
• From the list of activities and experiences listed in your AMCAS application, please select one that has most impacted your decision to enter medicine.
• Is there any other information you would like to share with the admissions committee?

Medical schools often send some combination of these prompts, or similar questions relating to your identity, meaningful experiences, or goals. So even if you don’t know exactly which medical school secondary essays to expect, the list above should give you a clearer picture of what to prepare for. 

Dos and Don’ts of Medical School Secondary Essays

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with what you can expect out of your medical school secondary essays , it’s time to go over some dos and don’ts to make sure you avoid common mistakes and stay on track to write standout secondaries.

• Think about your primary application - When writing medical school secondary essays , it’s important that what you wrote in your primary application stays in the front of your mind. You definitely should not repeat experiences that you already outlined in your personal statement or activities list. But, if there’s something you didn’t get to talk about in-depth—such as an important part of your cultural background or an impressive research internship, this is the place to write about it!
• Answer what the question is asking - Too many people get caught up in what they want to say and completely fail to answer the question. A lot of medical school secondary essays will have similar prompts, with very slight differences. For example, one school might ask “What makes you diverse,” while another asks “What makes you diverse? How has this influenced your life?” Although they are basically asking the same thing, double-check that you are answering all questions. This is why it’s important that you first read the question and highlight all keywords and phrases. Understand what the school wants to know when writing your medical school secondary essays , and outline your essay accordingly. Make sure your answer directly responds to the question and doesn’t take any significant detours.
• Ensure that you’ve followed all directions - A good place to start the secondary process is to read the prompts very carefully. Identify the task at hand and ask yourself: what is the question really asking? You can treat the task as a to-do list, and elaborate on each point on the list to form an outline of your essay. Look through the prompt guideline—word limit, page limit, formatting requirement—and ensure you stick to them. You might be reusing bits and pieces from one school’s essay for another. That’s okay. But make sure you’ve edited it to fully answer the latter school’s question and formatting requirements. If admissions committees see that you haven’t completed all parts of the prompt, or that you’ve crossed the limit or format guidelines, it’s an automatic red flag. You will not receive an interview if you fail to meet schools’ instructions. It might seem like a minor thing, but such mistakes definitely happen, especially when you’re writing so many applications.
• Leave yourself plenty of time to edit - You must appear professional on your medical school application, and secondaries are an important part of that. Once you’ve finished writing your essays, edit them as much as possible. There will be a lot of essays to go through and you’ll be under a time crunch, but you need to read and reread them to ensure quality. Make sure you avoid run-on sentences and that you’ve made each word count. Careless errors such as grammatical or spelling mistakes will not reflect well on you
• Think strategically - The medical school application process is notoriously cutthroat. You have to pick and choose your battles. When writing medical school secondary essays , you should not answer all your reach schools first. You should focus on the schools you’re most likely to attend in order to demonstrate interest, but don’t be too ambitious. Check to see which of the schools on your list—especially schools you’re more likely to get into—have secondary prompts that can be easily answered with solid responses that you have already prepared. You definitely want to be smart in the balance of submitting secondaries both promptly and strategically. 
• DON’T Provide mixed messages - Remember, you need to keep your primary application in mind when filling out your secondaries. If some bit of information in your secondary application doesn’t match what you’ve already said in your primary application, admissions committees will notice. Don’t write something in your essays that contradicts what you’ve stated as a value or credential previously.
• DON’T Exaggerate - Writing about something you can’t speak in depth about might lead to trouble on multiple fronts. If you do so in your essay and you’re asked about it in an interview, you will be in trouble. In a similar vein, you shouldn’t highlight something that was a minimal experience. You will be competing against brilliant students who have versatile stories to tell. Talking about a minor burn you got three years ago might not be a great way to fill up the space allotted for your secondaries.
• DON’T Write about a high school experience - You’re an adult now. You’ve gone through years of life experiences that have greatly impacted your motivation to become a doctor. Unless it was something extremely formative and absolutely integral for your medical school application, don’t waste your secondaries reliving your high school glory days.
• DON’T Use flowery language - This is not a poetry competition and neither are you studying for the SAT. There’s no need to be pretentious and show off your vocabulary in your medical school secondary essays . While it’s good to mix up your word usage and not repeat, don’t go all out with the metaphors or thesaurus.com. Admissions committees want to know more about you and what you’ll bring to their program. Don’t take the attention away from the story by adding too many long words that ultimately don’t make sense.
• DON’T Repeat yourself - The admissions committee already has your AMCAS application. Repetition will not help you at all! If you basically reiterate what you said in the personal statement during your medical school secondary essays, admissions officers will be bored and unimpressed. Instead, you need to provide new information. That doesn’t mean that you cannot talk about the same activities or experiences—you certainly can. It means that you need to discuss another angle of each particular experience. For example, if you previously talked about the ways shadowing at a hospital changed your engagement with patients, maybe you could now discuss how your shadowing experience influenced which type of medicine you would like to pursue, such as pediatrics or epidemiology. Your admissions officers should constantly learn new things about you.

Writing all of the medical school secondary essays can initially feel like an impossible task. But if you follow all the instructions, convey a story that you haven’t told in your AMCAS application, and turn in a well-polished essay, you can hope to impress admissions committees and take one step closer to that dream of becoming a doctor. 

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