Medical school applicants often underestimate just how much writing is required during the application process. After submitting your AMCAS, AACOMAS, or TMDSAS primary application, you’ll likely receive secondary applications from most of the schools on your list, each with multiple essay prompts. In total, applicants may end up writing 50 to 100+ essays in just a few weeks.

At AcceptMed, we work with students to craft high-quality secondary essays while avoiding the burnout that often comes with the overwhelming volume of writing. Many students start strong but quickly find themselves exhausted, struggling to write unique and thoughtful responses. This exhaustion, known as ‘essay fatigue,’ can lead to rushed, repetitive, or uninspired essays that weaken your application.

What is ‘Essay Fatigue,’ and Why Does It Happen?

Essay fatigue occurs when applicants become mentally drained from writing dozens of secondary essays in a short period. This can lead to:

• Diminished creativity – Essays start sounding repetitive or generic.
• Procrastination – You struggle to start writing because the workload feels overwhelming.
• Lower-quality writing – Essays feel rushed, and responses lack depth.
• Missed or delayed submissions – Taking too long to submit secondaries lowers your chances of securing interviews.

Because medical school admissions operate on a rolling basis, late submissions can negatively impact your application. To stay competitive, you need to balance speed and quality—without exhausting yourself.

How to Stay Organized and Reduce Overwhelm

The first step in avoiding essay fatigue is staying organized. If you try to tackle all your secondaries at once without a plan, you’ll quickly feel overwhelmed.

1. Create a Secondary Essay Tracker

Use a spreadsheet or document to track:

• Each school’s secondary essay prompts.
• Word limits for each response.
• Submission deadlines.
• Which essays you’ve completed and which still need edits.

Having a clear visual of your progress can make the workload feel more manageable and help you prioritize submissions effectively.

2. Pre-Write Common Secondary Essay Responses

Many secondaries ask similar questions, such as:

• "Why do you want to attend this medical school?"
• "Describe a challenge you’ve overcome."
• "How will you contribute to diversity in medicine?"

By pre-writing flexible responses to these common themes, you can save time and avoid writing from scratch for every school.

Writing Strategies to Prevent Burnout

Once you have a system in place, the next step is developing a writing strategy that maintains quality without draining your energy.

1. Set Realistic Daily Writing Goals

Instead of trying to write 10 essays in a single day, break it up into smaller, achievable goals.

• Aim to complete 2-3 essays per day instead of pushing for excessive output.
• Use a time-blocking method, such as writing in 90-minute focused sessions followed by breaks.
• Set a personal submission timeline, prioritizing schools with rolling admissions first.

2. Use Essay Templates—But Customize for Each School

A big mistake applicants make is copying and pasting the same essay for multiple schools without customizing their responses. Instead, use a template structure while tailoring each essay.

Start with a Core Template:

• For "Why This School?" essays, have a basic structure that highlights your strengths and values.
• Then, customize the content by mentioning specific programs, mission statements, or faculty unique to that school.

Example:
Instead of writing a completely new essay for each school, modify a base response:

"I am drawn to [School Name] because of its emphasis on community engagement and underserved populations, which aligns with my experience volunteering at a free clinic. The [specific program] at [School Name] will allow me to further develop my skills in patient advocacy and healthcare accessibility."

3. Use the Pomodoro Technique to Stay Productive

The Pomodoro technique is a time-management method that helps maintain focus while preventing burnout:

• Study for 25 minutes → Take a 5-minute break.
• After 4 rounds, take a longer 15-30 minute break.

This structure prevents mental exhaustion while keeping you productive.

Avoiding Repetition Across Multiple Essays

One of the biggest challenges with writing dozens of essays is keeping them fresh and avoiding repetitive themes.

1. Rotate Your Core Stories

• If you wrote about a leadership experience in one essay, use a different experience for another essay.
• Have a list of 4-5 key experiences you can draw from, rotating them across different prompts.

2. Use Different Angles for Similar Questions

• If multiple schools ask about diversity, approach each response from a unique perspective.
• Example: One essay might focus on cultural background, while another discusses linguistic diversity or unique experiences in healthcare.

Take Care of Yourself: Preventing Mental Exhaustion

Writing fatigue isn’t just about the number of essays—it’s also about managing stress and maintaining motivation.

1. Schedule Breaks and Reward Yourself

• Take one full day off per week from writing.
• Reward milestones—after submitting 5 secondaries, treat yourself to something enjoyable.

2. Don’t Skip Exercise and Sleep

• Even a 20-minute walk can improve focus and reduce stress.
• Avoid sacrificing sleep for the sake of writing—fatigue leads to lower-quality essays.

3. Stay Motivated with an Accountability Partner

• Pair up with a fellow premed friend—check in daily on your progress.
• Set up friendly competitions (e.g., “Who can finish 3 essays first today?”).

Writing multiple secondary essays is one of the most challenging parts of the medical school application process, but with the right strategy, you can stay productive without burning out.

• Stay organized with an essay tracker—prioritize schools with rolling admissions.
• Pre-write common essay themes to save time.
• Write in structured sessions using time-blocking or the Pomodoro technique.
• Use essay templates but customize responses for each school.
• Rotate key experiences across essays to avoid repetition.
• Take care of your mental and physical health—schedule breaks, sleep well, and reward progress.

By following these strategies, you’ll submit polished secondaries efficiently while maintaining strong writing quality—and ultimately, increase your chances of medical school acceptance.