Frequently Asked Questions

Q:‎ ‎ Is this really worth $29?

Fair question! To break it down: as an ambitious med school applicant, it’s likely you

• … already applied to 16-25 medical schools, as per AAMC’s recommendation 🤷⚕️🏫
• … already spent at least $850 (on 16 schools alone) on Primaries, just for a chance 🥺
• … will spend an avg. of $75 per Secondary, or another $1200 on 16 schools 📝💲
• … will drop $2050 total these next few weeks, with no guaranteed return👋💸🕳️

Without a strategic approach to your secondaries, you’re essentially betting $2050 ($3175 for 25 schools), hoping your essays won’t get lost in the flood of 50,000 applications.

For $29, the Framework isn’t just a purchase, it’s a decision to elevate your essays and your chances of admission; it’s an investment into the arduous med school journey you’ve put into motion—priced at 1.4% of what the entire application process will cost. So, for $29? We think it’s worth the peace of mind & competitive edge you’ll get.

And if truly don’t find it useful, we’ll honor a full refund* (see the refund policy below); so there’s nothing to lose!

 

Q:‎ ‎ How is this different than an Excel or Google Spreadsheet?

Unlike static spreadsheets, the Framework is a dynamic tool built on top of many interconnected databases. This allows it to centralize relevant materials and provide the optimized writing spaces to strategically knit essays together. Spreadsheets just manually compile disparate info. The Framework does the heavy lifting so you can focus on writing. While spreadsheets store information, the Framework synthesizes it into an efficient system for tailored responses.

 

Q:‎ ‎ I’ve already started to submit Secondaries. Is the Framework for me?

Yes! Arguably more so, for 2 reasons:

1. You Already Have a Head Start
   Setting up your framework is easier now that you’ve started filling your quiver 🏹 with essay material—you’ve established your narrative & baseline responses to the 10 main themes, like:

    

   1. How do you contribute to Diversity🎨?
   2. How did you handle Adversity/Challenge🔥?
   3. What are your Future goals 🌠 ?
      

       

       

   And you’ve likely have material now for some of the 37 subthemes, like Integrity, Empathy, or Advocacy.

   The Framework frees you from manually searching your scattered Docs for existing material on themes. Instead, after adding all your material to your Notes, you’ll access them easily from any prompt in the framework.

2. You’re (more) Vulnerable to Burnout
   If you’ve been cranking out 5-10 quality essays a day, you may be one of the few writers able to write 150 effective essays with consistent quality (which is super impressive!) But simply having the stamina to might not mean it’s wisest.

    

   Simply having the stamina to sprint 50 miles doesn’t mean it isn’t wiser to ask for a ride, especially if your (mental) health is at stake. And especially if the finish line doesn’t consider HOW you got there, but THAT you did, and are worthy of further consideration.
   
   The Framework is your vehicle. With the energy you’ll save by writing from an optimized workspace, you’ll be ready when burnout threatens to compromise the clarity of mind you’ll need for what’s next: Interviews🎙️👔

 

Q:‎ ‎ What Schools Are Included? Which Details Are Included?

All US medical schools with MD Programs have been included, unless the school does not send send secondaries (i.e.Indiana University School of Medicine). We have not included Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (DO schools) ,or any schools in Canada or Puerto Rico at this time.

For schools included in the Framework, each will have its own profile page, color-coded to match its individual prompt pages, and also to differentiate between your different schools. Each school will have the following key details provided:
(see image below)

 

 

Q:‎ ‎ Which Prompts Are Included? Which Details Are Included?

All Prompts required by MD applicants are included. This means, prompts directed to specific programs (including, but not limited to PHD, MSTP, MD&E, FMAT, or other Dual Degree Prompts) may not be included. Please always confirm with the your school’s secondary application to ensure you answer any program-specific prompts.

Of the prompts included in the Framework, the following prompt details are provided:

• Word or Character Count (Max or Min)
• Whether it’s Optional (stated explicitly) or Conditional (i.e. if you’ve participated in a X program)
• Whether it’s specifically for Reapplicants
• The Main Theme or SubTheme each prompt falls under (based on our assessment, feel free to relabel them)
• **Due dates may be included if they’re fixed dates, not relative to your receiving them.

 

Q:‎ ‎ When Will All Prompts Be Updated to the 2023-2024 Cycle?

Keep track of schools updated in the Framework via our Prompt Tracker (2024) ⌚
(Just because we haven’t updated a school in the tracker yet doesn’t mean it hasn’t been sent!)

Each school page and prompt page will clearly indicate which cycle it’s from. 

 

Q:‎ ‎ What Notes Are Included?

Apart from the school and prompt details listed in the questions above, we do not provide further notes. Instead, we provide the spaces for your notes. These spaces are organized by themes and subthemes, and sync with every prompt page for easy access. Meaning: when you are assembling a response for a prompt with a “Clinical Experience” subtheme, you can quickly retrieve your notes on that subtheme without leaving the page.

 

Q:‎ ‎ What is Notion and do I have to pay?

Notion is a free platform for you to think, write, & and plan. Notion is robust enough to keep experts tinkering, yet intuitive enough for someone who just discovered the computer. If you want to utilize Notion’s A.I., however, you will need to sign up for a paid plan once your complimentary AI tasks are used. You can read more about that (and our thoughts on using A.I.) here.

 

Q:‎ ‎ What is a Notion Template? I’ve never bought one before.

With Notion, you can create many Workspaces: think of them like Notebooks, dedicated to a project of choice. A Notion Workspace can be as simple as a notebook with subpages, or customized to be as complex as a Dashboard, Calculator/Tracker, Website/App, etc. When people engineer these custom Workspaces, they sell them as Notion Templates, which can be bought and installed on your own Notion account.

The Secondary Framework is a robust Notion Template that we’ve spent countless hours fine-tuning so that it can free you as much as possible to focus on the parts of your secondaries that matter most.

 

Q:‎ ‎ What happens after I purchase the Secondary Framework?

If you already have (or choose to create) a Gumroad account, after your purchase, you’ll be directed to the Framework Setup Guide within Gumroad. This page can be accessed from your Gumroad library at any time. If you don’t have an account, you’ll be sent a link to the Framework Setup Guide. Once you’ve accessed the Framework Setup, you’ll follow the (super simple) steps to download and customize your Framework, and be primed to craft AdCom-captivating essays.

 

Q:‎ ‎ Is there a sample or demo of the Framework?

Indeed there is! You can check out this example of the Secondary Framework and see some ways it can streamline and optimize your secondaries app process today!

Sample Secondary Framework [DEMO▶️]

 

Q:‎ ‎ What is the Refund Policy?

We grappled with the feasibility of a refund policy for awhile. Similar to buying a downloadable eBook, once you’ve purchased the Framework, there’s technically no way for us to force you to actually give it back or delete it.

But we’ve decided to take the risk:

We’ll offer a 7-day 100% money-back guarantee, 🔄️if you truly don’t find it helpful.

Since you could totally just finesse us, download the Framework, & quickly ask for a refund (which we simply must trust you won’t do 🥲), we’ve decided we will ask for one condition: In exchange for your refund, we ask that you respond to one of the following prompts:

1. What would you need from the Framework for it to be a good fit? And briefly describe a unique, but absolutely useless skill you have and probably wouldn’t share in your secondaries. (200 words)
2. What would you need from the Framework for it to be a good fit? And briefly share one aspect of healthcare that will significantly transformed (or made obsolete) by emerging tech such as A.I. or V.R. (200 words)
3. What would you need from the Framework for it to be a good fit? And briefly share something you believed about the world as a child that you later learned was embarrassingly inaccurate? (200 words)

 

And we’re being completely serious 😎. We figure this way we know you’ve made an attempt to use the framework, and if you do secretly keep it, at least we get some insights (and entertainment) in return. Then, you’ll receive 100% of every penny spent back.

 

Q:‎ ‎ What is FutureMD.org?

You may see “Powered by FutureMD.org” on the Framework. While the Secondary Framework has been in the works for awhile, we recently launched FutureMD to be a future resource hub for tools, such as the Framework. While there isn’t much on it yet, we have lots of plans to be revealed super soon.

 

Q:‎ ‎ I have more questions. Where can I ask them?

Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@futuremd.org for any further questions or concerns!