The following is a comprehensive list of medical school secondary essays. Click on each school name to review the secondary essay prompts for each school. Check out our medical school secondary essay examples devoted to answering the most common secondary essay prompts on this list.
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Important: while we take care to update the list regularly, you are responsible for your own results. That includes checking with the official admissions office to make sure you have the most up to date med school secondary essay prompts.
Medical School Secondary Essays List:
Albany Medical College (Albany, New York)
Albany Secondary Essay Prompts:
- Describe yourself (1,000 characters)
- Describe a significant challenge that has prepared you for the MD career path (1,000 characters)
- Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores (1,000 characters)
- Has your college or university, graduate or professional school attendance been interrupted for any reason? If yes, please explain. Also, please explain any extended gaps in activity/employment in your post-graduate history (1,000 characters)
- Tell us one thing about yourself that would help the Admissions Committee determine if you should be admitted to our program (1,000 characters)
- If your school has a Premedical Advisory Committee but you are not using that service, please indicate why (1,000 characters)
- In the "Work and Activites" section on your AMCAS application, you provided the following list of experiences (lists all experiences). Please select the experience that you feel has been the most meaningful in influencing your desire to pursue a career in medicine, explain why, and also describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession. (1000 characters)
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (Bronx, New York)
If you answer any of the questions below as “yes”, please explain in up to 3000 characters:
- I have taken time off from school between high school and college.
- I have taken time off from school during my undergraduate years.
- I have taken at least a year off from school since college graduation, including this year that I am applying.
- I have taken and received credit for online science core courses (e.g. chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics and mathematics) that were taken prior to the Covid Pandemic (earlier than Spring 2020)
- I have applied previously to medical school.
- I have submitted an AMCAS application to Einstein previously.
- I am/was a graduate student in the Sue Golding Division of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
- I was accepted to medical school previously but did not attend.
- I was previously enrolled in medical school.
- I can attest that I have fulfilled the Albert Einstein College of Medicine COMPETENCIES (https://einsteinmed.edu/education/md-program/curriculum/educational-competencies.aspx) for admission. If you answered, "no" to the above question, please explain. For example, if you plan to take pre-medical course work in the coming summer, fall, or spring, please list the courses and tell us when and where you will be taking them. If your answer was, "yes," please write “NA” in the box below. (3000 characters)
- I will have a Baccalaureate Degree by the time I matriculate into medical school.
- I am presently holding a deferral from another medical / graduate / professional school.
- I have received a grade of "F" during my college/graduate school years.
- I have received a grade of "D" during my college/graduate school years.
- I have received a grade of "W" during my college/graduate school years.
- I have received a grade of "I" during my college/graduate school years.
- As an undergraduate, I transferred from one college to another.
- I have been the recipient of a warning notice for a non-academic issue that did NOT result in a disciplinary action.
- I have been subject to a disciplinary action and/or administrative action, expunged or not, while an undergraduate or graduate student.
- I currently have disciplinary charges pending.
- I have been prohibited or suspended from practicing in a professional capacity because of alleged misconduct.
- Please tell us the year Parent/Guardian received their highest academic degree, the name of that degree and the name of the school. If high school or less, please write "high school or less."
- If you were employed during the academic year, other than during winter and summer breaks, please write the number of hours you worked per week, and tell us what you did and why you were employed.
- Please provide your Race as you indicated it on your AMCAS application
- Please provide your Ethnicity as you indicated it on your AMCAS application
- If you indicated, above, that you will have, "Two individual letters (up to 5 are allowed)," please provide the names, titles and institution of your letter writers; please use a separate line for each. Please note that one letter must be from your major and your second letter from a science faculty member (two science letters from two different faculty members in the same department is acceptable). If this does not apply to you, please write “NA” in the box below.
- If you are a Post-Baccalaureate student (not a Master’s Degree student), please indicate whether a letter or statement of “Good Standing” been included in your letter packet? If “yes,” please indicate the name, title and school from which the letter has been submitted. If “no,” please indicate when such a letter or statement will be uploaded to the AMCAS Letter Writer. If this does not apply to you, please write “NA.”
- Did you take your last science course more than 5 years ago?
- If you have an Undergraduate Pre-Professional Advisory Committee at your college or university, and have chosen NOT to request a letter from that Committee, please tell us why not.
- Have you worked in basic or clinical research at Einstein/Montefiore?
- Have you participated in an Einstein/Montefiore Pipeline Program during high school, college or after?
- If you answered "yes" that you have worked with us here at Einstein/Montefiore, will a letter from an Einstein/Montefiore faculty member be included in your evaluations? Please tell us the name, title and department of the letter writer.
- Do you have a family member who is a current employee (non-faculty) of an Einstein/Montefiore affiliated hospital?
- Do you have a SIBLING who is currently enrolled as an Einstein medical or graduate student?
- Do you have a family member who is currently a Faculty member at an Einstein/Montefiore affiliated hospital?
- Do you have a family member who is an Einstein Alumnus (MD, MSTP or PhD degree only)?
- Anything else you would like to share with us? (4000 characters)
University of Alabama School of Medicine (Birmingham, AL)
- Where do you see yourself in your medical career fifteen to twenty years from now?
- Please share any information you want us to know about you that is not included in your AMCAS application or in this secondary application.
- Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics or experiences that would add to the educational environment for your classmates.
- Please describe if and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your preparation for applying to medical school.
- Describe a patient interaction with the healthcare system. This could be a direct patient observation (in person or virtual) during a shadowing experience, a personal experience within the healthcare system, or a family member or friend who had a memorable interaction within the healthcare system. What did you learn from this experience?
- Describe a fulfilling or challenging community service experience and how you grew personally from the experience.
University of Arizona College of Medicine (Phoenix, AZ)
- What achievement are you most proud of in your life? What aspect(s) of this achievement will you bring to our medical school? (1000 characters)
- The UA College of Medicine - Phoenix practices Inclusive Excellence, which celebrates the differences, talents, and unique qualities of all individuals. Please describe how you will pursue Inclusive Excellence in your studies while contributing to the collaborative environment at the College of Medicine - Phoenix. (1000 characters)
- Servant Leadership is a Core Value and Attribute we deem essential for our students to possess. To us, it is service to others where one possesses personal humility along with a strong professional will. Describe a time where you have practiced this skill or have seen this in another. What traits were exemplified, and how will you apply these traits to your career in medicine? (1000 characters)
- Throughout your application you have given us a sense of how you intend to contribute to the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix. We would now like to know about how you anticipate the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix will contribute to your goals and passion for medicine. What aspects of our program and community appeals most to you, and how do you plan to make use of specific resources and opportunities here? (1000 characters)
- Were there any significant disruptions in your academic, volunteer, work, or personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee? (optional, 1000 characters)
- Please reflect on your entire application, is there anything you would like to further share with the Admissions Committee? Items to consider: connection(s) to Phoenix and/or our medical community, your plan during this application season, gap(s) in your education, personal and/or academic challenges. Do not repeat any information already mentioned in the primary or secondary applications. (optional, 1000 characters)
- I previously applied to any medical school (select yes if you submitted a primary or secondary application). (Yes/No)
- If yes, please provide specific examples that illustrate how you are a stronger applicant this cycle. (optional, 1000 characters)
University of Arizona College of Medicine (Tucson, AZ)
- Please share a meaningful experience you have had working or volunteering in the health professional field or a time in your past in which you were responsible for the care and well-being of someone else. What did you learn from this as it relates to becoming a physician? (350 words)
- Discuss a time in your life in which you have failed at something other than an academic experience. How did you confront the failure and what did you learn from it? Please describe how you typically approach challenges that you face in your life. (350 words)
- "The mission of the University of Arizona College of Medicine Office of Admissions is to select a diverse cohort of students who will become the future leaders in advancing health care to the distinct communities that comprise Arizona and the United States. Consistent with the mission of The University of Arizona College of Medicine, selection of individuals with a demonstrated commitment to serve as care providers, physician scientists, clinical leaders, medical educators and/or public health experts, including advocates for rural and urban underserved populations, is highly valued. Applicants seeking admission should exhibit qualities of altruism, academic excellence, leadership and dedication to becoming lifelong learners through research endeavors and academic development." Please describe the role(s) you can play in helping the College of Medicine to achieve its mission. (350 words)
- Describe the effect that your experiences with engaging diversity have had on your own growth and development. Provide an example and describe how it will impact your career in the medical profession. (350 words)
- (optional) Share any disruptions in your academic/volunteer/work/personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (no limit)
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — College of Medicine (Little Rock, AR)
LETTER OF STRONG TIES
Non-Arkansas residents who have strong ties to Arkansas are given preference over non-residents without strong ties to the state. Therefore, if you have strong ties to Arkansas (you have lived in Arkansas, you have a parent or close relative who resides in Arkansas, you attend(ed) an Arkansas college, etc.), you must describe your ties to Arkansas in a letter to be uploaded using the Upload Documents section of this application.
MD/PhD COMBINED DEGREE APPLICANTS
The College of Medicine offers a combined MD/PhD degree program. Applicants who selected the MD/PhD program in the AMCAS application and complete the two additional AMCAS application essays should review the program details by copying and pasting the following URL into a browser.
MD/PhD Program | College of Medicine
Complete the MD/PhD program application form on the website and use the Upload Documents section to include this document with your application.
MD/MPH COMBINED DEGREE APPLICANTS
The UAMS College of Medicine offers a combined MD/MPH degree program. Applicants may review the program details by copying and pasting the following URL into a browser.
MD/MPH Program | College of Medicine
To apply to this program, please fill out the “Intent to Pursue Combined Degree Form” and use the Upload Documents section to include the document with your application.
Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas)
1. In addition to training as a competent physician, please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply. Options include:
a. Clinical Research
b. Healthcare/disparities/medical underserved communities
c. Academic Medicine
d. Community Health
e. Simulation in medical education
f. Health systems science
g. Telehealth
h. Advocacy
i. (connected to #1) What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1000 characters)
2. Are you planning to matriculate into medical school immediately after completing your undergraduate education? If not, please explain what activities and/or careers you have pursued in the time between your college education and your application. (limit not stated)
3. Indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating you, including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, prevailing over adversity. You may expand upon but not repeat TMDSAS or AMCAS application information. This section is mandatory. Please make sure you submit an essay or your application will not be reviewed by the committee. (2000 characters)
Boston University School of Medicine (Boston, MA)
- Are you expecting to go on to medical school directly after completing your undergraduate degree?* (Post bac work is NOT considered undergraduate. If attending a post bac program prior to entering medical school, the answer is NO and should be explained.) If you took gap year(s), please use this space to explain what you have been doing prior to applying to medical school. (1400 characters)
- If you have spent more than 4 years as an undergraduate, please explain below. (You may skip this question if you have graduated within 4 years.) (1400 characters)
- Please provide a narrative or timeline to describe any features of your educational history that you think may be of particular interest to us. For example, have you lived in another country or experienced a culture unlike your own, or worked in a field that contributed to your understanding of people unlike yourself? Or, have you experienced advanced training in any area, including the fields of art, music, or sports? This is an opportunity to describe learning experiences that may not be covered in other areas of this application or your AMCAS application. It is not necessary to write anything in this section. Also use this section to explain any impact that COVID-19 may have had on your educational/ research/volunteering or employment plans. (2000 characters)
- Boston Medical Center is the largest safety net hospital in New England, serving primarily people who are publicly insured, people of color, immigrants, and low-income people in the Greater Boston Area. Why are you specifically interested in beginning your medical education in this environment, and how do you feel that your previous experiences will prepare you for this unique learning environment? (3000 characters)
- Optional Essay: Use the space below to provide additional information you feel will provide us with a comprehensive understanding of your strengths as a candidate for a career in medicine. This should include only information NOT already included in your AMCAS or other sections of the BUSM Supplemental Application. Most applicants leave this blank. Yes, it's really optional. (3000 characters)
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (Greenville, NC)
- Why have you chosen to apply to the Brody School of Medicine and how do you think your education at the Brody School of Medicine will prepare you to become a future physician? (250-300 words).
- The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on everyday life. From your perspective, reflect upon what you have learned or experienced during this time and how will this impact you going forward. (250-300 words). Items to consider incorporating in your response may include but are not limited to: • Academic: Did Covid-19 interrupt your studies? Were you able to interact with your professors and classmates? Did your school require students to move to pass/fail grading systems? Did your MCAT exam get cancelled or delayed? • Clinical Experiences and Community Service Activities: Did you hold a job? Were you able to gain clinical experiences, either in employment or volunteerism? Did you pursue volunteer opportunities in response to community needs during the pandemic? • Personal: How did the pandemic affect you or those close to you? Did you face any personal challenges because of Covid-19? Has Covid-19 changed or challenged your perception of pursuing a career in medicine?
- East Carolina University’s motto is Servire- “To Serve.” Tell us about your most meaningful community service project or experience. (250-300 words)
University at Buffalo – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (The State University of New York)
- In 500 words or fewer, please explain your reasons for applying to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo. Please be specific.
- In 500 words or fewer, please explain how you would respond to a fellow student who muttered a racist or homophobic statement under their breath in your presence and that of other peers.
California Northstate University College of Medicine (Elk Grove, CA)
Please complete the following essay questions.
1. (Required) Why have you chosen to apply to CNUCOM? (250 words maximum)*
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2. (Required) In the medical profession, you will be exposed to students, faculty, colleagues, and patients of various cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. How has your involvement with diverse populations prepared you for potentially four years in Elk Grove, the greater Sacramento area, and the rest of the Central Valley? (250 words maximum)
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3. (Required) Did you have a Pre-Health Advisor at your undergraduate institution? If so, please tell us about your experience. How did it help you in your journey to to apply to medical school? If not, please let us know how you worked independently to find out more about applying to medical school and the path of your journey to apply?
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4. (Required) In which direction would you like to see healthcare progress over the next decade? (250 words maximum)
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5. (Required) If your education has not been continuous since high school, please explain why. Examples of discontinuities include time taken off while obtaining your undergraduate degree, in addition to gap years. (250 words maximum)
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6. (Required) If you have previously applied to medical school, what have you accomplished since that time that would warrant your admission now? (250 words maximum)
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7. (Required) Is there anything you would like the Admissions Committee to know that is not reflected elsewhere in your application? (250 words maximum)
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8. How do you feel about standardized tests? How did you prepare for the MCAT? What tools or preparatory courses/material did you use and how did you study? Do you feel like your score reflects how you will perform in medical school? From what you have learned, do you think it will help you in the way you will study or prepare for USMLE exams?
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Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland, Ohio)
Required:
- The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience, how you handled the uncertainty or stress, and what you learned about yourself as a result. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 characters), and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
Optional:
- One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve2 Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a prerequisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or another scholarly project, please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that research can be broadly-defined and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis and can include both medical and non-medically-related investigations. If you have not completed research, please indicate that in the text box below. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 characters), and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
- Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? Please limit your response to 3,500 characters.
- If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us what you are doing during this gap, and why. Please limit your response to no more than 1000 characters, and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Los Angeles, CA)
- Have you experienced an uneven performance in grades and academic achievement? If so, please explain. What did you do to improve? (800 characters maximum)
- If you are currently not a full-time student, please list and describe your current activities. (800 characters maximum)
- Describe the role you play in your immediate family. (800 characters maximum)
- Describe your community and socioeconomic environment. (800 characters maximum)
- Describe the most significant community, public service, and leadership activities you have been involved in over the last six years. (800 characters maximum)
- Describe how your experience, community, and family background impact your understanding of underserved communities. (800 characters maximum)
- Other than healthcare access, what are some of the most important healthcare issues confronting under-resourced communities? How would you address them? (800 characters maximum)
- Please describe how your experiences and personal attributes contribute to the mission of Charles R. Drew University. (800 characters maximum)
- Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain. (800 characters maximum)
- Please share the degree to which COVID-19 has caused disruptions in any of the following areas of your life that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider: Academic, Research, Volunteer, Work, Personal Life, Financial Situation, Family. (1200 characters maximum)
- Please provide any additional information, which will give the Admissions Committee greater insight into you as an applicant. (800 characters maximum)
- How did you hear about our program?
Chicago Medical School — Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science (North Chicago, IL)
- Please write a short essay about why you are applying to the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. (550 words max)
- Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. (550 words max)
- (Optional) Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. For example, if you are not currently completing a degree, please share your planned or current activities for this application cycle. You may also wish to include any impact that COVID-19 has had on your educational, research, or extracurricular plans. (300 words max)
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (Cleveland, Ohio)
- At Cleveland Clinic and CCLCM we are deeply committed to anti-racism and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, healthcare, and our communities. We invite you to share a specific life or work experience that aligns with and will allow you to uniquely contribute to the DEI initiatives at CCLCM. Please limit your response to 1000 characters and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
- We all have targeted areas for improvement (TAFIs) in our personal and professional lives. Please share a current TAFI you have identified that does not include the acquisition of medical/scientific knowledge. How did you recognize this TAFI, and what steps are you taking to address it? How are you measuring your progress and how will you know when you reached your goal?
- Please tell us about a time when you prioritized the needs of others (excluding family) before your own. In addition, tell us about a time when you put your own needs first. For each, please explain your decision making process and the outcome.
- What does your ideal career entail ten years after medical school graduation?
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (New York, NY)
- Have you previously applied to Medical School? (200 characters)
- If you took time off from your undergraduate studies, please briefly summarize your reasons for doing so. (250 words)
- Did you work for compensation during college (either during the school year or summers)? If so, what did you do? How many hours a week did you work? (300 words)
- If you have graduated from college, please briefly summarize what you have done in the interim. (300 words)
- Please describe your most meaningful leadership positions. (300 words)
- Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (300 words)
- Is there anything else you would like us to know? (400 words)
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (Camden, NJ)
- Please write a personal mission statement for yourself as a student at CMSRU. How will CMSRU help you fulfill your mission?
- Please describe your anticipated educational, employment, volunteer or other activities between completing your AMCAS application and matriculating to medical school.
- Tell us about something that makes you a unique applicant to CMSRU.
- Medical school involves hard work and can be stressful at times. Tell us about activities that you use to help maintain a work-life balance and respond to stress.
Additional essay for PC3 Primary Care 3 year track:
- For applicants with a serious interest in the PC3 track: please write a short statement that describes your desire to become either a primary care Internist or a primary care Pediatrician and the qualities that make you an excellent choice for the PC3 track and for residency at Cooper. (1000 characters)
Creighton University School of Medicine (Omaha, NE)
- Please state your reasons for applying to Creighton University School of Medicine. (2000 characters)
- In Creighton's Jesuit, Catholic tradition, the mission of the School of Medicine is to improve the human condition with a diverse body of students, faculty and staff who provide excellence in educating students, physicians and the public, advancing knowledge and providing comprehensive patient care. Please describe the role(s) you can play in helping the School of Medicine achieve its mission. (2000 characters)
- How have your experiences with diverse populations prepared you for being a future physician? (2000 characters)
- Describe how you have dealt with a personal challenge or major obstacle that you have overcome. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during the challenges you might face in medical school.(2000 characters)
- Describe how the COVID pandemic prepared you for medical school? Include in your answer how it impacted your decision to apply to medical school and what you learned about yourself from the pandemic. (2000 characters)
- Please describe your current activities/employment if you are not currently enrolled as a fulltime student. (2000 characters)
University of California Davis – School of Medicine (Sacramento, CA)
- Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee (This could include explanation of metric trends, institutional actions, legal violations, etc.) Please enter N/A if no concerns to report. (500 characters)
- Do you have a connection to Northern or Central California? [yes/no] Please explain (500 characters):
Special Program Prompts:
Rural-PRIME:
- Are you interested in applying to the Rural-PRIME program? [yes/no] Please describe how your experiences with rural communities make you a good fit for the Rural-PRIME program. (500 characters)
- Describe your future plans to serve a rural underserved community. (500 characters)
TEACH-MS:
- Are you interested in applying to the TEACH-MS program? [yes/no] Please tell us what experiences have shaped your desire to be a primary care physician in urban underserved communities. (500 characters)
ACE-PC:
- Are you interested in applying to the ACE-PC? [yes/no] Please tell us what attributes or experiences would make you a good fit for an accelerated program in primary care. (500 characters)
REACH:
- Are you interested in applying to the REACH program? [yes/no] Please tell us about your ties to Central California and what you have done, or plan to do, to make a positive change in Central California. (500 characters)
Tribal Health PRIME:
- Are you interested in applying to the Tribal Health PRIME? [yes/no] What experiences have you had with rural and/or underserved communities/populations? More specifically, what involvement have you had with tribal communities/populations? (500 characters)
University of California Irvine – School of Medicine (Irvine, CA)
UC Irvine Secondary Essay Prompts:
- What personal accomplishment are you most proud of and why? (1500 characters, not including spaces)
- Please describe to the Admissions Committee a challenge or disappointment you have overcome and what you learned about yourself from that experience. (1500 characters, not including spaces)
- (Optional) Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? If so, please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (1500 characters, not including spaces)
- This essay is only for applicants that have already received their baccalaureate degree. Please clarify for the Admissions Committee your activities (school, work, and/or volunteer, travel, etc.) since receiving your undergraduate degree. You may list them in chronological order or you may incorporate them into an essay, stating why you chose particular activities. If you have just received or will receive your undergraduate degree this year, please discuss your plans for current year. (1500 characters, not including spaces)
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MD/PhD-specific Essay Prompts:
- What research accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
- Please describe to the Admissions Committee a research challenge you have overcome and what you learned from that experience.
- What does it mean, to you, to be an MD/PhD?
- Please list all posters, manuscripts (published or planned) you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.
University of California Riverside – School of Medicine (Riverside, CA)
UC Riverside Secondary Essay Prompts:
- The mission of the UCR School of Medicine is to improve the health of the people of California and, especially, to serve Inland Southern California by training a diverse workforce of physicians and by developing innovative research and health care delivery programs that will improve the health of the medically underserved in the region and become models to be emulated throughout the state and nation. What experiences, skills, and abilities will you bring to the class to fulfill this mission? (250 words)
- The values of the UCR SOM are integrity, innovation, inclusion, excellence, accountability and respect. Please choose one of the values and tell us how you have personally experienced it or have seen it emulated in a clinical setting. (250 words)
- In what type of healthcare setting do you see yourself practicing medicine? (250 words)
- Tell us about a personal challenge you have faced in your life thus far and how you demonstrated resilience and grit to overcome it. [Please do not write about studying for or taking the MCAT.] (250 words)
- (Optional) If there is anything you would like the committee to consider about your candidacy that is not explained elsewhere in your application, please use this space to tell us. (250 words)
University of California San Diego – School of Medicine (San Diego, CA)
- This should be a true autobiographical statement. Topics to be included are family, childhood, primary and secondary school years, undergraduate years, and, if applicable, what you’ve done since completing your bachelor’s degree. You should also discuss the motivational factors which led you to a career in medicine, including any disadvantages or obstacles which might put your accomplishments into context. A repeat of your AMCAS statement will not be acceptable. Please note: if you are applying to the MD/PhD program, please include why you are specifically interested in seeking MD/PhD training at UCSD. (6000 char)
- Some medical school applicants are already focused on pursuing a particular career pathway in medicine. While many students will change from this pathway during medical school, knowing of your potential interests does help us to assign interviewers. Your choice below does not influence how the Admissions Committee selects students to interview. Please select from one of career pathways listed below. In addition to this selection, please provide a brief description of your future career goals: (400 char)
- Academic Medicine (Working as a faculty member at a School of Medicine either as a clinician, a clinician-educator, or a clinician investigator. This could be in any field of medicine)
- Primary Care and/or work in underserved communities (Working as a general internist, a pediatrician, or a family medicine physician and/or spending the majority of your time working in a community currently underserved by the medical profession)
- Public Health, administrative leadership in medicine (Pursuing an MPH and/or working for a public health department or organization; working in health care policy; working as a hospital administrator)
- Specialist in private practice (Working in a private practice or managed care setting as a subspecialist. Examples include cardiologist, infectious disease specialist, obstetrician, orthopedic surgeon, general surgeon, anaesthesiologist, radiologist)
- Other/undecided
- If you are an out-of-state applicant, please let us know if there are specific reasons for your interest in the UCSD School of Medicine (1000 characters)
- Do you consider yourself to be a member of a group that is marginalized in a way that systemically affects access to quality education or healthcare?(Y/N) if Yes, Please describe how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacted you and your community? (4800 characters)
Program specific:
- For PRIME-HEq: Please describe your interest in the PRIME-HEq program. Topics to include are longitudinal experiences that you’ve had with underserved communities, including the type of community that you’ve worked with and your level of involvement. Additionally, you should discuss the length of time that you’ve spent working in these communities. (4800 char)
- For GHAC: Please describe your interest in Global Health. The term Global Health can have many meanings; for our purposes, we find the definition provided by Koplan et. al. in their 2009 Lancet publication useful: “the area of study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide”. In your essay, be sure to describe any personal or professional experiences that have shaped your interests, and how Global Health issues have influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine. (4800 char)
- For PRIME-TIDE: Please describe your experiences with American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, including the type of community and your level of involvement. Please provide the length of time you spent working in or exposed to these communities. Be sure to detail any personal or professional experiences that have shaped your interests, and how American Indian and Alaskan Native issues have influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine. Finally, please delineate how completion of the PRIME-TIDE program will help you obtain your medical education goals. (4800 char)
University of California San Francisco – School of Medicine (San Francisco, CA)
- If you wish to update or expand upon your activities, you may provide additional information below. (500 words)
- If you are 2022 or earlier college graduate, please use the space below to tell us what you have done since completing your undergraduate degree. (350 words)
- Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (350 words)
University of Central Florida College of Medicine (Orlando, FL)
- Please list each course you have taken, or are projected to take, in an online environment. (500 characters)
- If you are NOT a Florida resident, please describe any connection to UCF COM, UCF, or Florida. (500 characters)
- If you do not expect to spend the academic year enrolled in an academic program, please explain how you will use this time. (500 characters)
- In this space, provide brief details regarding academic difficulties, grades below "B minus," or course withdrawals. (500 characters)
- What breakthrough in clinical or research medicine would you like to see occur within the span of your career in medicine? Why? (750 characters)
- The complexity of healthcare delivery increasingly requires interdisciplinary teamwork. What lessons have you learned from sports, music, business or other experiences have prepared you to succeed in this environment? (750 characters)
- We often hear that students want to pursue medicine to help people. Why did you choose medicine and not some other field where you can help others, such as nursing, physical therapy, pharmacology, psychology, education, or social work? (750 characters)
- Please share with the Admissions Committee why you are specifically interested in UCF COM. (750 characters)
- Please provide a short essay to help us understand who you are. This essay should be different from your AMCAS Personal Statement. UCF COM places great value on the broad diversity of our students within the classroom. We believe the diverse characteristics of each individual in the class are important factors in serving the educational missions of this school and of our community. Please discuss any unique, personally important and/or challenging experiences in your background that have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and service to others. These may include experiences such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, cultural background, or other significant events or circumstances that you feel have shaped your character and defined you as an individual. We are also interested on your thoughts about what you can contribute to your class and the medical profession in general. (4000 characters)
University of Chicago – Pritzker School of Medicine (Chicago, IL)
- Please write a short essay about why you are applying to the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. We suggest that you limit your essay to about 550 words.
- Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. We suggest that you limit your essay to about 550 words.
- Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. For example, if you are not currently completing a degree, please share your planned or current activities for this application cycle. You may also wish to include any impact that COVID-19 has had on your educational, research, or extracurricular plans. We suggest that you limit your text to about 300 words.
- If your school has a premedical committee or premedical advisor who composes a letter for each applicant from your school and you chose not to avail yourself of this service, please provide an explanation in the text box below for your decision not to do so. We suggest that you limit your text to about 200 words.
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Cincinnati, OH)
- Please explain both of the following:
- the specific reason(s) you have chosen to apply to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and
- how you will utilize the unique features of our curriculum, institution, city, and/or our mission to achieve your career goals.
- Please describe the reasons that you have chosen to specifically apply your skills to the career of a physician and what specific ways your personality, talents, attributes, etc. will contribute to the practice of clinical medicine.
- The University of Cincinnati is highly committed to selecting and cultivating students who can transform the field of medicine through the use of their distinct talents and attributes. Please tell us how you offer “diversity of thought” to our incoming class. Please also consider sharing unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background that represent the diversity that you bring.
- Please explain, if applicable, any ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic specifically and negatively impacted and/or caused significant hardship for your academic performance between the months of March 2020 and September, 2022.
- We understand that all applicants have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please use the space below to describe any personal (ie, non-academic) life-altering experiences or changes to your plans related to the pandemic between March 2020 and September 2022.
- Cincinnati Medicine is preparing for a hybrid interview season (both in-person and virtual interviews will be available). Should you be invited to interview with Cincinnati Medicine, we ask that you indicate your interview preference below:
- The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has a new dual-degree program. The MD/MPH Program is a new opportunity to students to enhance their education and pursue passions in the public health sector. If you are interested in applying to this program, would you like a representative from this program to contact you with the application?
200 character limit for all minus interview preference question.
University of Colorado School of Medicine (Denver, CO)
Colorado Secondary Essay Prompts:
MD Program, (All applicants write this one)
1. The pillars of our curriculum are Leadership, Curiosity, and Commitment. Tell us about how you have embodied one or more of these attributes in your path to medicine thus far. In which of these areas do you see the most opportunity for personal growth and why? Limit this response to 1000 words.
Fort Collins program:
*Please note: MSTP applicants CANNOT apply to these programs.
1. Please tell us why you are interested in being a part of the 4-year CUSOM at CSU (Fort Collins Branch campus)? With the background that FCB’s smaller class sizes and unique structure lead to a highly interactive curriculum, please tell us how this campus matches your learning style and personal philosophy. Limit your statement to 1500 characters, including spaces (approximately 300 words).
Rural program:
*Please note: MSTP applicants CANNOT apply to these programs.
1. Describe your personal and professional goals in becoming a rural physician. In particular, describe your interest and ability to spend your clinical year in a rural community. You may also include how past experiences living and/or working in a rural area and your ties to or interest in rural Colorado communities aligns with your goals. Limit your statement to 1500 characters, including spaces (approximately 300 words).
University of Connecticut School of Medicine (Farmington, CT)
1800 character limit each
- Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?
- How will the University of Connecticut School of Medicine best serve your needs of becoming a physician or physician scientist?
- Please take a moment to explain how the COVID-19 pandemic directly and personally affected you as it pertains to preparing for medical school. (e.g. MCAT test date delay, financial impact, research/clinical experiences, self-quarantine, etc.).
Dartmouth Medical School (Hanover, NH)
- Please indicate your plans for the 2022-2023 academic year. If in school, please list your courses. If working, let us know something about the nature of your job. If your plans or courses change subsequently, please inform the Admissions Office by email at [email protected] (no word limit)
- Please reflect on your primary application and share something not addressed elsewhere that would be helpful to the Admissions Committee as we review your file: (no word limit)
- Please tell us specifically why you are interested in Geisel: (no word limit)
- Geisel School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Reflect on a situation where you were the “other”. (250 words)
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)
- At the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, students are provided with curriculum and experiences enabling them to become an "Outstanding Physician, AND...," dedicating themselves to important societal missions. What missions do you want to embrace? What have you done toward your missions? (800 characters)
- Respond to the following and indicate how these areas of experience have impacted your progress toward your future career goals in relation to becoming an "Outstanding Physician, AND...".
- Describe your most unique leadership, entrepreneurial, or creative activity. (800 characters)
- Describe your most important volunteer work and why it was meaningful. (800 characters)
- Describe your most scholarly project (thesis, research or field of study in basic or clinical science or in the humanities) and provide the total number of hours, dates and advisor. (800 characters)
- Describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your pathway to medical school. Include any academic, personal, financial or professional barriers, as well as other relevant information. (800 characters)
- Did you experience or are you anticipating time between graduating from college and matriculating into medical school? If yes; Describe the activities in which you participated or are planning to participate. Examples include additional schooling, employment, or caring for a loved one.(800 characters)
- Do you identify as being part of a group that has been marginalized (examples include, but are not limited to, LGBTQIA, disabilities, federally recognized tribe) in terms of access to education or healthcare? If yes; Describe how this inequity has impacted you or your community and how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacted you and your community. (800 characters)
Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia, PA)
- If you are a recent graduate, please tell us what you have been doing since graduation. If you have not yet graduated, please discuss your current activities and engagements. We understand that it may have been difficult to obtain clinical or volunteer service experiences during the pandemic; therefore, be sure to discuss any traditional and /or nontraditional clinical exposures and volunteering experiences that you have done during this time. (no limit)
- What else do you feel is important for us to know about you? Are there any challenges over the last year that impacted your medical or non-medical service experiences? You can use this space to highlight something not addressed in your application, including new experiences not in your AMCAS application. (1000 words)
Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, NC)
- Describe a situation in which you chose to advocate for someone who was different from you or for a cause or idea that was different from yours. Define your view of advocacy. What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? (400 words)
- Not achieving a goal or one’s desire can sometimes be disheartening. What have you learned/gained from your setbacks and disappointments and how does this translate to your current way of thinking? (400 words)
- Describe a situation in which you had to utilize your values to interact with people from different backgrounds. How did those values impact the relationship? (400 words)
- Leadership, teamwork, and communication flow synergistically. What do you value most as a leader and as a contributor? What attributes do you possess as a leader and as a team member and how do you apply them on a daily basis? (400 words)
- Critical thinking involves a number of characteristics. Research experience enhances critical analysis skills. Describe any research experience or another situation in which you utilized critical thinking. How will critical thinking be important in your future career? (400 words)
East Tennessee State University – James H. Quillen College of Medicine (Johnson City, TN)
- What makes you interested in Quillen? Discuss your perceptions on how attending Quillen would align with your future goals and your hopes for how it will shape you into the physician you want to become. (1500 characters)
- Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own. (1500 characters)
- Applicant choice. Please select only one of the following questions to answer. Be sure to indicate your choice by starting with the number associated with the question: (1500 characters)
- There is no doubt that the level of stress brought on by medical schools can impact a student's mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss the ways you plan to manage your own health and well-being during medical school.
- Describe an experience you have had during your life that has given you a unique understanding of human suffering and what did you learn from this experience?
- Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.
Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk, VA)
2000 characters max each
- Briefly describe your exposure to medicine:
- What do you think you will like best about being a physician?
- What do you think you will like least about being a physician?
- Describe yourself and your medical career as you see it ten years from now:
- Please indicate your reasons for applying to EVMS.
Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA)
- List your entire curriculum plan for the current academic year. If you are not currently in school, please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. (200 word max)
- Briefly describe your health-related experiences. Be sure to include important experiences that are in your AMCAS application, as well as any recent experiences. (200 word max)
- Briefly describe your interest in Emory and the Emory degree program you have selected. (200 word max)
- What do you consider to be the role of the physician in the community? (200 word max)
- If you have any updates or new information to report since you have submitted your AMCAS primary application, please briefly describe below. (200 word max)
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (Boca Raton, Florida)
- Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year (1200 char)
- Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What makes you a good fit for our College of Medicine? (1600 char)
- Your AMCAS application should reflect your community service experiences. However, tell us more about your most meaningful community service involvement, particularly an experience that really inspired you. How did your involvement move you? (Experience does not need to be related to patient care) (1600 char)
- Good leaders add value to the healthcare profession. They have passion, motivation, conflict resolution skills and integrity, among other attributes and traits. Tell us about your leadership experience(s) and/or key leadership skills. Have you organized a fund raiser, had a club organization/leadership role? How do you motivate or influence people? (1600 char)
- Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome an obstacle or were faced by a difficult challenge or decision. What valuable lessons did you learn? How do you think the experience prepared you for a career as a future physician? (1600 char)
- Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. Describe what uniqueness you would bring to the Schmidt COM. We are proud to already have a medical school rich in cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you add to our culture? (1600 char)
- You may have worked during or after college. Having to maintain paid employment can be challenging, yet it can also develop a number of qualities that can help you succeed in medical school, as well as beyond. Tell us about your most meaningful paid employment. What was it about the experience that made it meaningful? What qualities and skills did the job help you develop and strengthen? (Experience does not need to be related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1600 char)
- As a community FAU Schmidt COM has made a commitment to be anti-racist and address systemic racism in education and healthcare. Institutionalized racism can be defined as “macro level systems, social forces, institutions, ideologies, and processes that interact with one another to generate and reinforce inequities among racial and ethnic groups.” As a future medical student at FAU, how can you play an active role in addressing and dismantling systemic racism? (1600 char)
- One of the values of the FAU Schmidt College of Medicine is to provide the best medical care for all people. A major challenge for all physicians to provide the best medical care are Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). These can be defined as “conditions in the social, physical, and economic environment in which people are born, live, work, and age.” What will you as a future doctor do to address SDOH? (1600 char)
Florida International University College of Medicine (Miami, FL)
- Are you a re-applicant to medical school? If yes, please explain how your application has improved since the last time you applied and/or what you have learned from the experience. (1000 characters)
- Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please explain what you will be doing prior to your planned matriculation into medical school. (600 characters)
- If you have taken a gap year(s), please explain what you have been, or will be doing since graduating from your undergraduate institution. (600 characters)
- Use this area to explain any exception to the prerequisites at your institution. (1000 characters)
- Is there any additional information about your academic record that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? Please include any academic difficulties or course withdrawals. (1000 characters)
- Miami is a vibrant and multicultural, multilingual city. You will be exposed to cultures and languages different than your own while living and studying in this city. Please explain in detail an experience in which you collaborated, worked, or were exposed to diverse backgrounds. Please describe the impact the experience had on you. (1200 characters)
- Why did you choose to apply to FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine? (1200 characters)
- Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during the challenges you might face in medical school. Describe any support system you had at your disposal and how you utilized these resources. (1200 characters)
- If you are accepted into medical school, how do you envision your lifestyle will change, and what challenges may await? Similarly, what do you think will be the most rewarding and difficult part of practicing medicine in the future? (1200 characters)
- Please share any disruptions and/or challenges you have experienced this application year as a direct result of COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider in conjunction with your application. The following are some examples of topics for consideration, but are not limited to: academic preparations; extracurricular activities and/or experiences; personal and/or professional opportunities; or lessons and insights gained as a result of COVID-19. (1000 characters)
- If you are NOT a Florida resident, please describe any connection to FIU, FIU HWCOM, or South Florida. (600 characters)
Florida State University College of Medicine (Tallahassee, FL)
500 words for all
- Please provide a description of your family. (Optional)
- Please provide a description of where you grew up (i.e. rural area, large city, etc.) (Optional)
- Indicate what you do for fun and diversion (hobbies, special interests, etc.). (Optional)
- What is a unique trait, experience, or interest that we would not normally learn about you? (Optional)
- If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you are comfortable voluntarily sharing with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (Optional)
- Why are you choosing to apply to the FSU College of Medicine? Please be specific describing what is particularly attractive about FSU COM.
- What do you feel are your personal and scholastic qualifications for the study of medicine? (Optional)
- How do you feel you will contribute to the success of the FSU College of Medicine and our unique mission? (Optional)
- If you have previously interviewed or applied to the College of Medicine, what steps have you taken to improve your application? (Optional)
- In what field/specialty of medicine do you envision yourself working ten years from now? Please list no more than three (3) specialties.
- Write a short statement describing how you envision using the specialty/ies you listed above to advance our mission.
- COVID-19: The Admissions Committee understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (Optional)
- If FL has previously been your state of residence but it is not your current state of residence, explain (Optional)
- If you were never a FL resident, explain ties to FL (Optional)
- Criminal/academic discipline question (Optional)
University of Florida College of Medicine (Gainesville, FL)
- If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2022 and May 2023, please detail your current and planned activities below. (250-500 words)
- The medical profession is frequently described as being both a science and an art. One could summarize this by saying that patients must “be well cared for” (science) but they must also “feel well cared for” (art). We work to teach our students not only the scientific principles of medicine, but also the core values of medicine, often called “professionalism”. Toward this end we keep patients at the center of our education and often reflect on their stories with our students. The exciting advances in our understanding of the biological basis for disease have led to the emergence of a host of targeted therapies and amazing technologies improving the duration and quality of our patients’ lives. The better a physician knows his/her patient, the better decisions they will make together as they approach important healthcare related questions. This so-called shared decision-making model is one key feature of patient centered care. Practicing the art of medicine in this way yields a physician patient relationship (PPR) that is both therapeutic and mutually enriching. However, many of these same technologies have the unintended consequence of separating us from our patients, both literally and figuratively. In addition, the industrialization of medicine and use of electronic health records have led to a decrease in the time physicians spend with their patients further eroding the strength of the PPR. At the UFCOM, we have many strategies to equip our students to preserve their own humanity and that of their patients. One of the most important is the ability to make connections with and get to know their patients. Frequently such connections become the student’s first taste of the joy of medical practice. In fact, the UFCOM version of the Hippocratic Oath includes the following affirmation. “I will remember with gratitude and humility those whose illness or injury provided examples from which I learned, and, in their honor, I will continue the pursuit of knowledge.” In our polarized society, the importance of such virtues as humility and gratitude have perhaps never been greater. Over the last two decades, the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley has offered strong scientific support for the importance of such virtues as gratitude and humility in human well-being. But it should also be remembered that philosophers and theologians have cherished these virtues for centuries. For example, when mounting a legal defense for a friend, Cicero observed, “while I wish to be adorned with every virtue, yet there is nothing which I can esteem more highly than the being and appearing grateful. For this one virtue is not only the greatest, but is also the parent of all the other virtues.” Offering a similar endorsement for the virtue of humility, Augustine of Hippo observed, “Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” Students at UFCOM regularly write about and discuss encounters with patients that shape their professional identity in important ways. In so doing, we all learn to become better physicians and human beings. Here are two such reflections, by our students, one a poem and the other an essay. Read and reflect on both and then choose one and describe how the writer grew from the experience. Consider the affirmation from the Hippocratic Oath in your response. (500 words)
- The profession of medicine has always had an explicit contract with society about our expertise and competence but it also includes an important affirmation. Namely, that we will subordinate self-interest to patient interest when the needs of our patients require us to do so. This does not mean we do not take care of ourselves and one another, but it does mean we willingly take on risks to ourselves that many others would not. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this commitment to light as many medical professionals labored on the front lines caring for the sick despite the potential dangers. When we consider medical practice and hence, medical education, one could ask what sorts of virtues or character traits equip young medical professionals for such a noble calling. Many come to mind including courage, compassion, intellectual honesty and integrity. But recently attention has been given to the ability to stay with a task or course even when one is tired, discouraged and the work is daunting and laborious. Terms such as “resilience”, “endurance”, “perseverance”, “determination” or “grit” describe this character trait. Dr. Angela Duckworth has explored this in detail in her book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” (Angela Duckworth). Cultivating this virtue, in ourselves and one another, offers a tangible means to lean against the depersonalizing and emotionally exhausting forces at work in healthcare. As physicians, we have the privilege of caring for people who are in the most difficult places of their lives. Being present during these times can be both a source of joy as we help our patients, but can also challenge our own emotional health and resilience. Struggling to make sense of suffering induced by disease, social forces and human agency has brought an occasion for growth among many of us who work in healthcare. As you grow into your new identity as a physician, you will come face to face with the suffering of other human beings. In fact, we will all have to face our own losses as we go through medical training and practice. Put simply, none of us is exempt from suffering. As the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) once observed, “When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.” Holocaust survivor and renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, (1905-1997) wrote an account of his time in the concentration camp called, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. It has sold more than 10 million copies in 24 languages and offers profound insights into how finding meaning in suffering sustains us during our darkest times. Below are several quotes from Dr. Frankl that deal with finding purpose and meaning in suffering. After reading and thinking about his insights, choose one or two and tell us about experiences where you have seen these principles at work either in your own life, or in the lives of others. (500 words)
- “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
- “If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.”
- “A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the 'why' for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any 'how.'”
- “Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself - be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. “
- (Optional) If you think there is any additional information that would help the admissions committee in its review of your application, including any disruptions in your academic/volunteer/work/personal life related to COVID-19, please use the space below. (750 word limit)
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine – Quinnipiac University (North Haven, CT)
Quinnipiac Secondary Essay Prompts:
- What non-academic advice would you give to your younger self? (150 words)
- Describe a situation in which you did not get something you felt you deserved and how you handled it. (150 words)
- What is the toughest feedback you have ever received; how did you respond to it and what did you learn from it? (150 words)
- Other than work/life balance, what do you believe the biggest challenge you will face as a practicing physician will be and how do you anticipate responding to it? (150 words)
- (OPTIONAL) If you were to have a theme song, what would it be and why? (150 words)
And these extra questions in Demographic Information section:
- If you will not be enrolled as a full-time student, how will you be spending/intend to spend your time during your application year? (Limit 150 Words)
- What area of medicine do you envision yourself working in at the end of your training? What is shaping your vision? (Limit 100 Words)
- OPTIONAL Is there anything not captured in your application that you would like to share? (Limit 150 Words)
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Washington, DC)
- Please provide the Admissions Committee with a brief summary of your activities, academics, employment or other occupations to account for full-time activity (approx. 30-40 hours/week) from the point of application through matriculation in 2023. (750 characters)
- The MD Program includes substantial content in Clinical Public Health (population health, health systems science, health policy, and community health) to prepare GW graduates for an expanded scope of practice required to be successful 21st century physicians. What are your specific interests and experiences related to that aspect of the MD Program? (350 characters)
- What is your most meaningful clinical experience to date, involving direct patient contact? (350 characters)
- Describe how current issues regarding advocacy and social justice have impacted your motivation for medical school? (500 characters)
- What makes you a unique individual? What challenges have you faced? How will these factors help you contribute to the diversity of the student body at GW? (750 characters)
- What is your specific interest in the MD Program at GW? What opportunities would you take advantage of as a student here? Why? (1750 characters)
Georgetown University School of Medicine (Washington D.C.)
- Are you/will you be enrolled as a student at Georgetown University during the 2022-2023 academic year? (Y/N)
- Have you ever participated in any of the following Georgetown Programs? (check all that apply):
- The Georgetown University Academy for Research, Clinical, and Health Equity Scholarship (ARCHES)
- Pedro Arrupe S.J. Scholarship for Peace (ARRUPE)
- Gateway Exploration Program (GEP)
- Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP)
- Georgetown University School of Medicine Summer Immersion Program (GUSOM SCS)
- Cultivating Opportunity & Realizing Excellence (CORE) Leadership Program
- The Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians, with cultural humility, who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. With our Jesuit values of Cura Personalis, People for Others, and Community in Diversity, we are steadfast in our commitment to racial justice and to addressing the health inequities exacerbated by the recent pandemic. Please describe how your values, life experiences, and your identity will contribute to these GUSOM priorities.
- Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application?
- Why have you chosen to apply to the Georgetown University School of Medicine and how do you think your education at Georgetown will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (3000 characters)
Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts)
- On average how many hours per week did you devote to employment during the academic year?
- If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. (4000 characters maximum)
- If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4000 character maximum)
- (Optional) The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.)
- The interview season for the 2022-2023 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2023. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank.
Howard University College of Medicine (Washington, DC)
- Have you lived in communities which are medically underserved, or where the majority of the population is economically and/or educationally disadvantaged? (Please indicate, Yes or No and then explain/describe briefly in 250 words or less).
- Have you worked (volunteer or paid employment) with medically underserved, economically disadvantaged, and/or educationally disadvantaged populations? (Please indicate, Yes or No and then explain/describe briefly in 250 words or less).
- After residency, do you plan to practice medicine in an underserved or disadvantaged community? (Please indicate, Yes or No and then explain/describe briefly in 250 words or less).
University of Hawaii at Manoa – John A. Burns School of Medicine (Honolulu, HI)
*No assigned word limit
A) Describe in detail how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted you. (600 word limit)
B) Describe a personal experience that has demonstrated your resilience. (600 word limit)
C) Describe any personal connection to JABSOM and/or Hawaii and the Pacific that you may have. (600 word limit)
D) If you are a re-applicant to JABSOM, please complete the following additional essay. Describe what efforts you have made to further improve your application to the MD Program. (600 word limit) Optional
University of Illinois College of Medicine (Chicago, IL)
1. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future.
2. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply.
a. Simulation
b. Clinical Research
c. Basic science research
d. Interdisciplinary collaboration
e. Healthcare disparities
f. Academic medicine
g. Global Health
h. Community Health Urban
i. Community Health Rural
j. Innovation Medicine
3. Have you applied for admission to medical school previously?
4. Have you ever matriculated into and not completed a professional/graduate program?
5. Please describe any abrupt changes that you experienced in your preparation for application for medical school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine (Iowa City, IA)
- We understand you may be applying to multiple medical schools. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Carver College of Medicine. (1500 characters)
- Describe any unique personal characteristics or obstacles you may have overcome that will influence your contribution to a diverse healthcare system. (1500 characters)
- Please list and briefly describe all medically related experiences (paid/volunteer) you have completed during the past 5 years. Do NOT forecast future hours. Please include experiences listed on your AMCAS and also provide any additional experiences NOT listed on your AMCAS. (Up to 15 entries and 175 characters per description)
- (If applicable) If you are a reapplicant to the Carver College of Medicine, how have you strengthened your application? (1500 characters)
- (If applicable) If you are not currently in a degree-seeking program, please indicate what you will be doing from the time you complete this secondary application to the start of medical school. (1500 characters)
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University (Huntington, WV)
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5000 characters)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5000 characters)
- If you are not presently attending school indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrolment in medical school. If still in school, enter N/A. (2000 characters)
- (Optional) Please share any disruptions in your academic, volunteer, work, and/or personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (5000 characters)
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD)
- Briefly describe your single, most rewarding experience. Feel free to refer to an experience previously described in your AMCAS application.
- Are there any areas of medicine that are of particular interest to you? If so, please comment.
- Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity; include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician.
- Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from the experience?
- Wonder encapsulates a feeling of rapt attention … it draws the observer in. Tell us about a time in recent years that you experienced wonder in your everyday life. Although experiences related to your clinical or research work may be the first to come to mind, we encourage you to think of an experience that is unrelated to medicine or science. What did you learn from that experience?
- (Optional) The Admissions Committee values hearing about each candidate for admission, including what qualities the candidate might bring to the School of Medicine if admitted. If you feel there is information not already addressed in the application that will enable the Committee to know more about you and this has influenced your desire to be a physician, feel free to write a brief statement in the space below. You may address any subject you wish, such as being a first generation college student, or being a part of a minority group (whether because of your sexual orientation, religion, economic status, gender identity, ethnicity) or being the child of undocumented immigrants or being undocumented yourself, etc. Please note that this question is optional and that you will not be penalized should you choose not to answer it.
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
The following questions allow the Admissions Committee to become acquainted with you as an individual. Please answer the questions in 3-5 sentences. Each answer must be 65 words or less.
- What is the most fun you’ve had lately?
- If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be?
- What are three things you don't care about at all?
- Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved.
- Are you a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine?(Y/N) IF yes, Which Group? How does under-representation affect your community?
- Have you previously applied to medical school (M.D. , D.O., international)?(Y/N) IF yes, Upon reflection, what do you think went wrong?
Essay Questions:
- What do you see as the physician's role in Public Health? Please answer the question in 150 words or less.
- (Optional) Is there anything else you would like us to know?(Y/N) If yes, please answer the question in 200 words or less.
University of Kansas School of Medicine (Kansas City, KS)
Provide relatively brief (1,000 character maximum) answers to the following questions. Use Notepad or other non-formatting text editors if you would like to copy-paste your answers from drafts prepared elsewhere. If you copy-paste more than 1,000 characters into a text box, you will lose your answer when you click the button. Required fields are marked with an asterisk.*
1. Describe your health care experiences that involved direct exposure to physicians’ clinical duties and how they have shaped your desire to apply to medical school.
2. Describe examples of leadership experience in which you have significantly influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
3. Beyond academics (grades and MCATs), describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to address this challenge.
4. Give an example of what you have done to make your community a better place to live.
5. Describe how you relate to someone who is very different from you. Examples of differences may be cultural, racial, religious, economic, gender/sexual orientation, lifestyle.
6. If you are not a Kansas resident, what is your specific interest in applying to the University of Kansas School of Medicine?
7. If necessary, update the information contained in your AMCAS application. Indicate grades earned, alterations in your proposed course work or graduation time, additions to your extracurricular activities, or other pertinent information.
8. If there are discrepancies in your application that have not been explained in your personal statement, use this space to clarify. Examples may include unexplained gaps in time, multiple undergraduate institutions attended, multiple course withdrawals, inconsistent academic performance, inconsistency between academic performance and MCAT scores.
9. If you are currently enrolled, or plan to be enrolled during the next academic year, in a graduate or professional degree program, please describe your status within the program and your intention to complete the program. You must also request a letter from your graduate program advisor or from the dean of your professional school. This letter must include acknowledgement of your application to medical school and a description of your status in the program.
10. If you are no longer a full-time student, briefly describe your current employment, community, medical, and/or educational activities.
11. For Repeat Applicants Only: Since your last application, note any relevant academic, employment, and personal experiences that enhance your ability to be a better physician.
12. For Combined MD/PhD Program Applicants: Do you also want to be considered as an “MD-only” applicant?
*13. Have you ever been convicted for violation of a regulation or law relating to controlled substances (answer YES or NO)? If yes, provide appropriate explanation(s), including the date(s) of conviction, case number(s), and the jurisdictional court(s) involved.
*14. Have you ever been convicted of a felony (answer YES or NO)? If yes, provide appropriate explanation(s), including the date(s) of conviction, case number(s), and the jurisdictional court(s) involved.
University of Kentucky College of Medicine (Lexington, KY)
For everybody:
1. Please elaborate on why this is your preferred campus. (750) (Choose which campus you want to go to)
2. What competencies and qualities do you feel a physician should possess? (1500)
3. Describe the most significant community service activity in which you have participated. What did you learn from that experience? (2000)
4.Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful? (1500)
5.In providing patient care, should physicians maintain emotional distance or empathize with patients' emotional state? (1500)
6. It is impossible to have predicted the drastic impact caused by the novel coronavirus identified as COVID-19. Describe the impact you have witnessed of this pandemic on those around you. (1500)
7. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or life/work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2000)
OOS Prompts:
In the individual assessment of each applicant, the UK College of Medicine prioritizes attributes that reflect our mission. Although not essential, certain applicant characteristics will enhance potential to contribute to the college and to the profession of medicine: Commitment to the State: As a state medical school, the UK College of Medicine gives preference to Kentucky residents, and non-residents who have strong ties to the state, including previous attendance at a Kentucky college or university. Commitment to Underserved Populations: Certain geographic areas (rural counties) and patient populations (non-majority) have challenges in receiving safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable health care. The UK College of Medicine values individuals who have demonstrated interest in serving these areas or populations in the future. Diversity: A diverse educational environment enriches both medical education and patient care. The UK College of Medicine strives for each class to represent the people of the Commonwealth, and therefore considers each applicant’s educational background, life experiences, cultural identity, and socioeconomic background. The University will not discriminate based on race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, or age.
Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine? (1000 characters)
Please elaborate on personal characteristics and any accomplishments and experiences that you feel help to demonstrate your potential to contribute to the college and to the profession of medicine. (1000 characters)
Please elaborate on any Kentucky ties: personal, familial, etc. (750 characters)
Loma Linda University School of Medicine (Loma Linda, CA)
(275 words max each)
- What makes LLUSM particularly attractive to you?
- Our medical curriculum integrates spiritual, ethical, and relational issues from Christian perspective into the practice of medicine. Weekly chapel services and religion courses are part of this program. Please respond to the above as it relates to your personal educational and career goals.
- What personal attributes make you a desirable candidate for admission to LLUSM?
- Identify experiences in your life that illustrate your service to others.
- Discuss how your spiritual origins, development, and experiences have influenced and been integrated into your daily life.
- Please describe your current involvement (or reason for not being involved) with a church or religious group.
- If you have already graduated, describe your activities since graduation and your planned activities prior to matriculation into medical school.
- Explain any impact that COVID-19 or recent events in American society may have had on your educational, research, volunteering or employment plans.
Louisiana State University HSC – School of Medicine at New Oreleans (New Orleans, LA)
Prompts for applicants to Primary Care Scholars program and Rural Scholars Track:
- Please provide specific information about your immediate and extended family that live in rural or underserved communities in Louisiana. (i.e., relationship, community, occupation, etc.)
- List all extracurricular activities during college, e.g., volunteer work, clubs, etc. Please indicate the duration and nature of your participation.
- Describe your involvement in your home community prior to and since attending college, e.g., community groups, activities, or volunteer efforts, etc. Please indicate your length of time of involvement.
- List your hobbies and interests.
- Based on your own personal experience, observations and insights, describe the roles and responsibilities of a rural or primary care physician.
- Why do you feel you are a suitable candidate for the Rural Scholar Track (RST), and/or the Patrick F. Taylor Primary Care Scholar Program (PFT)?
Primary Care Scholars program applicants:
- What other career possibilities have you considered?
- Describe your personal experiences and knowledge of rural and/or community life.
- Do you have any commitments or obligations that will interfere with practicing medicine in Louisiana immediately following completion of a residency program (i.e., military, ROTC, religious, etc.?) If yes, please describe.
Rural Scholars Track applicants:
- What medical specialty possibilities have you considered?
If you wish, you may attach an essay of reasonable length (500-600 words) using the prompt "your values". This is an optional essay.
Loyola University Chicago – Stritch School of Medicine (Maywood, IL)
- Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become. Minimum 100 Words
- Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. Minimum 100 Words
- Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments. Minimum 100 Words
- Describe your leadership style. Provide a specific example of how you have applied your leadership style. Minimum 100 Words
- Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem. Minimum 100 Words
- Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine? If so, please list the affiliation and their years of attendance.
Complete if applicable.
- Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.
- Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.
- If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.
- Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.
- If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.
University of Louisville School of Medicine (Louisville, KY)
- Why are you choosing to apply to the University of Louisville School of Medicine?
- How well did your high school prepare you for college?
- What determined your choice of college(s)?
- How do you assess your college record?
- Please describe any circumstances adversely affecting your academic performance while in college.
- Describe your most significant personal accomplishments and/or experiences and how these may relate to your potential to contribute to the medical community.
- What has been your most significant contribution to your community, through service or volunteerism? What was its impact on the community and on you?
- How have your cultural experiences shaped the way you see yourself contributing to the medical field and strengthened your ability to provide equitable care for a diverse patient population?
- List and describe any additional experiences, interests, hobbies, or skills not included in other areas of your application or that you have completed since submitting your AMCAS application.
- How has the pandemic affected the way you view the healthcare system and/or see yourself contributing to the medical field?
- Discuss briefly why you have decided to pursue medicine and how your personal characteristics align with those you believe are most needed by physicians.
- Practice after residency: How do you see yourself practicing medicine after residency training? (Please include choice of medical practice and location).
- (Optional) If you are a reapplicant, what has changed from your previous application or your approach to this year's admissions cycle?
- If you are not a Kentucky resident, please explain any personal or familial ties to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. If you are a Kentucky resident type "Not Applicable" in the text box below.
Mayo Medical School — Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Rochester, MN)
Please submit answers to the following questions (500 words or less each).
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine? Please tell us in a few sentences why you are interested in the top choice track you indicated.
- We are all differentiated from or connected to one another by individual inflections that constitute our diversity. Explain how your relationship with your own diversity and to the diversities of others manifests in your personal and professional activities.
- Share with us your thoughts about the relevance – or not – of diverse learning environments in which you wish to learn medicine.
Medical College of Georgia – School of Medicine (Augusta, GA)
1) Please discuss your primary interest in attending the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
2) Please describe your motivation for becoming a physician. What contributions do you feel that you could make to the medical profession in the future?
3) The Admissions Committee regards the diversity of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of our school. The Admissions Committee strongly encourages you to share personal challenges that you have overcome and that are unique to you. These challenges may include the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, region of residence with respect to its health professional needs, ties to MCG, culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or life and/or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.
4) Please describe the geographical area in which you would most likely practice medicine and why. Please include the country, region, state, city and/or town in your response.
5) Please explain any inconsistencies in your academic record. This may include below average course performance, grade trends, MCAT scores, etc.
6) Please explain any disruptions to your medical school application this cycle that the admissions committee should consider, as it relates to COVID-19 (Examples include: academics, volunteer/clinical experiences, personal life, etc.)
Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI)
- Explain how your unique background, identity, interests, or talents will contribute to the MCW learning community. (1000 characters)
- How will MCW uniquely prepare you for your future goals? (1000 characters)
- Recount a time when you made a decision you regret. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? (2000 characters)
- The Medical College of Wisconsin is committed to educating health professionals who are dedicated to improving health equity across the diverse populations we serve. Share with us what you have learned or how you have grown through working with or serving people from cultural backgrounds or groups different than your own. How do you believe you can contribute to improving health equity or reducing health disparities as a physician? (2000 characters)
Medical University of South Carolina – College of Medicine (Charleston, SC)
- What are your medical practice goals?
- Describe your employment status since you completed your bachelor's degree (part-time, full-time, and dates) (only if you have graduated)
- In what region of the country do you want to practice medicine? Why?
- What areas of medicine are you interested in at this time, or what areas do you plan to pursue?
- Do you have any accomplishments or experiences that make you a unique applicant?
- Explain any impact that COVID-19 may have had on your educational, research, volunteering or employment plans.
- We desire to train students and physicians to work with the diverse patients of our state and nation. Please share at least one experience that has impacted your appreciation for diversity and your ability to relate to those who are unlike you. Do share what you learned from the experience as well.
Meharry Medical College (Nashville, TN)
Why do you wish to attend Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine?
Please describe a personal situation of failure, significant challenge or a major obstacle that you have overcome. Include a description of your coping skills and lessons you learned about yourself from that situation.
Mercer University School of Medicine (Macon, GA)
230 words each, maximum.
- If you wish to discuss your perceptions of your academic readiness for the rigors of a medical school curriculum or explain poor grades in college coursework or MCAT scores to the Admissions Committee, please do so below.
- What is your understanding of the practice of rural medicine?
- Do you consider yourself to have been raised or to be residing in an area that is medically underserved or in a county that consists of medically underserved populations? By medically underserved we mean populations vulnerable to poor health due to difficulties accessing adequate health care services. This may be due to factors including but not limited to: education level; poverty; being uninsured or underinsured; lack of a usual source of care other than the emergency department; belonging to a socially marginalized group with poorer health outcomes; cultural or language barriers to receiving quality medical care; distance or lack of transportation to needed medical care. Please explain.
- The mission of Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) is to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the health care needs of medically underserved and rural areas of Georgia. Summarize your work and learning experiences that you believe reflect congruence with this mission. Based on your understanding of our mission, where and what do you envision yourself doing after completion of medical school and residency?
- If you wish to, please briefly explain below to the Admissions Committee experiences, attributes or qualifications you believe are unique to you that can add to the diversity of the educational environment at MUSM.
- Please explain to the Admissions Committee factors that you could not highlight above that would help the Admissions Committee better understand your unique circumstances. If you would like to briefly highlight any substantial updates with regard to your application (example, volunteer experiences) that have occurred after you submitted the Primary AMCAS Application, please summarize them below.
Morehouse School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA)
- What percent of your professional time do you anticipate devoting to: 1. Administration 2. Teaching 3. Patient Care 4. Research. (999 characters)
- Briefly explain the reasons for your selections in the Perceptions of Your Medical Career Section (regarding community size you want to practice in). (999 characters)
- If the answer to any part of this section (Personal Data) is 'Yes', give specific details below. If the answers are 'No', please enter Does not apply: (with respect to optional questions regarding previous med/dental school attendance, dismissals and/or convictions). (999 characters)
- Type a brief statement setting forth the key motivational factors in your decision to apply to Morehouse School of Medicine and any information about yourself you feel would be of interest to the Committee of Admissions in the consideration of your application. (999 characters)
Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York, NY)
- If you are currently not a full time student, please briefly describe the activities you are participating in this academic year. (100 words)
- If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity or a commitment to a particular community, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Aspects might include, but are not limited to significant challenges in or circumstances associated with access to education, living with a disability, socioeconomic factors, immigration status, or identification with a culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. Completing this section is optional. (150 words)
- What is the toughest feedback you ever received? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it? (250 words)
- Describe a situation that you have thought to be unfair or unjust, whether towards yourself or towards others. How did you address the situation, if at all? (200 words)
University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD)
- If you’ve experienced academic problems while in college and/or graduate or professional school please describe and explain below. Please be sure to include withdrawals, incompletes, poor grades, etc. (1000 characters)
- If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information. (1000 characters)
- Please explain what you will be doing during the 2022-2023 academic year. If you graduated/will graduate in 2022, what are your plans during this gap year? (1000 characters)
- Please let us know if you have a specific reason you are interested in attending the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and/or if you have any special ties to our institution (optional). (1000 characters)
- Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 characters)
- Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 characters)
- Without limiting the discussion to your own identity, please describe how you envision contributing to the core values of diversity and inclusion at our School of Medicine, and in the medical profession. (1500 characters)
- What does it mean to you to enter into a profession? (1500 characters)
University of Massachusetts School of Medicine (Worcester, MA)
- We would like to learn how you developed and demonstrated core professionalism competencies that are required of entering medical students. Please respond to the first prompt (#1; Diversity). Then select three of the other six prompts (#2-#7). Each response should be 150-200 words. Use the text box below for your answer. Separate each of your four responses by writing the competency above/before your response (example: Teamwork - All teams have their struggles, but they can be overcome...).
- UMass Chan Medical School strives to be a diverse academic community mindful of the fact that diversity makes our community stronger and benefits the patients we serve. Share your definition of diversity. Describe an example where you contributed to the diversity of a group, team or class. Connect this to how you will contribute to the diversity of the UMass Chan Medical School community. (Diversity)
- Describe a time when you have made a decision that was not popular and how you handled this. (Leadership competency)
- Describe a time when you were on a team that was dysfunctional in some regard. How did you address the situation? (Teamwork)
- Describe a meaningful interaction you have had with a person whom you have helped at work, school or another activity. (Empathy/Compassion)
- Have you ever been in the middle of a situation where there was poor communication? What did you do to improve it? (Communication)
- Describe a time when you have ""thought outside the box"" to solve a problem. (Inquiry)
- Describe a time when you suffered a setback. How did you respond to this challenge? (Persistence/Grit)
- Please discuss any part of your application that you feel requires further explanation. For example, discuss grades or MCAT scores that do not reflect your true ability, and/or a gap in time that is not explained elsewhere in your application. Discuss any impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on your academic, service, extracurricular or employment experiences.If you are reapplying to T.H. Chan SOM, highlight how you have strengthened your application. (250 word limit)
- If you have participated in T.H. Chan SOM or UMass Memorial Health Care, or UMass Chan Medical-Baystate sponsored programs (SEP, Summer Research Program, Worcester Pipeline Collaborative, AHEC, BaccMD, HSPP, Academic Internships, BSEP, Summer Scholars) please describe how these programs helped you decide to apply to T.H. Chan SOM. (200 word limit)
- Why did you apply to T.H. Chan SOM? (200 word limit)
- If you are currently taking a gap year, in what activities are you engaged? (200 word limit)
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey of Rutgers (Rutgers Biomedical & Health Sciences ) (Newark, NJ)
- We are committed to an environment which fosters collaboration, humanism, equity and social justice. How do you envision yourself contributing to the NJMS community?
- We seek students who are self-aware, resilient and adaptable. Discuss a personal or professional challenge you’ve experienced and how you resolved it. Please include insight on what you learned about yourself as a result.
- If you will not be a full-time student between June 2022 and August 2023, please describe in detail your planned activities, including projected time commitment for each activity.
- If you have chosen to pursue one or more “growth” years prior to your planned matriculation to medical school in 2023, please share insight on your decision.
- If you are a re-applicant, please share what you have done to enhance your candidacy and re-application?
- Please elaborate on challenges not thoroughly addressed anywhere else in your application (Please feel free to address any or all of the following if applicable: impact of COVID, institutional actions, academics, MCAT, personal difficulties, etc.).
- Please discuss any additional information you feel may help us in our review of your candidacy.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Piscataway, NJ)
- Please use this space if you would like to provide additional information to the admissions committee. You may choose to elaborate on or clarify details you have previously provided.
- Prompt asking to describe interest in primary care if interested in PACCE.
- Please feel free to comment on any course grades, GPA trends, or MCAT scores and what you have learned about yourself.
- If you are applying with a state of legal residence that is not NJ, please indicate your connection to NJ (mark all that apply) and explain this connection.
University of Miami – Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine (Miami, FL)
500 words each
- What have you done during the recent COVID-19 pandemic that will better prepare you to be a medical student and future physician?
- Why have you selected the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for your medical education? Please be as specific as possible.
- Please provide a chronological list with dates AND a brief description of your clinical experiences/shadowing.
- Please provide a chronological list with dates of your community service/volunteering.
- Please discuss a situation where you had to use your leadership skills.
- Please briefly discuss your research experience.
- Please provide a chronological list with dates of your employment.
- What have you done to help identify, address and correct an issue of systemic discrimination?
- (Optional) Provide a description of any activities involving the FINE ARTS (dance, drama, music, art, photography, etc. OR (Optional) Provide a description of any activities involving SPORTS (organized team sports, recreational activities that you play, watch or follow)
- (Optional) Describe your most meaningful involvement in STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS.
- (Optional) Provide a description of your most memorable TRAVEL experience.
- (Optional) Provide a description of your HOBBIES and what you do for fun and relaxation.
- For reapplicants (if applicable): If you applied previously, describe how you have strengthened your candidacy since your last application?
University of Michigan Medical School (Ann Arbor, MI)
Essay 1
Comment on how you hope to impact medicine in the future. If examples are needed, feel free to refer to our seven Paths of Excellence. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).
OR, if applying to the Medical Scientist Training Program:
Describe why you are applying to the University of Michigan MSTP. If you are interested in a specific department, program, or area of research for your Ph.D., please provide a brief explanation. We recognize that your interests may change. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).
Essay 2
Please respond to only one of the following two prompts. Do not exceed 2500 characters including spaces (about 400 words).
Describe your identity and how it has impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward individuals different from yourself and how this will impact your interactions with future colleagues and patients.
If you recognize and/or represent a voice that is missing, underrepresented, or undervalued in medicine, please describe the missing voice(s) and how increased representation in medicine could impact the medical community.
Essay 3
How was your journey to medical school affected by the COVID pandemic? Please feel free to describe any positive or negative aspects. Do not exceed 2500 characters including spaces (about 400 words).
Essay 4
Outside of medicine, and beyond what we can read in your application, please tell us what you’re curious about, or what you’re passionate about, or what brings you joy – and why. Some examples include listening to historical novels, exploring national parks, woodworking, baking cupcakes, podcasting, knitting, playing pickleball, filmmaking, making music, etc. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words). (word count updated based on applicant reports)
University of Minnesota Medical School (Minneapolis)
All questions are required and have a 1,500 character maximum (including spaces), unless otherwise indicated.
- Our physicians pride themselves on giving outstanding care to patients, while looking for better and more equitable ways to do so. As you think about being a future physician and advocate for patients, describe a time when you advocated for someone or something. What did you learn from this situation?
- Describe a time when you experienced an obstacle, challenge or failure. How did it affect you? What did you learn?
- Describe a time when you personally experienced, observed, or acted with explicit bias. What did you learn about yourself and the experience?
- Our families and communities tend to shape our individual worlds and perceptions. Think about the communities that you are an active part of, whether it be a cultural group, family, religious group, neighborhood, etc. Describe the world that you are most comfortable in and how it has shaped who you are. How will this impact your future as a physician and the patients you will serve?
- Why do you want to go to medical school in the state of MN? (Consider the state of Minnesota and its population.)
- The COVID-19 pandemic has created innumerable challenges, loss, and uncharted territory in public health. Describe your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with navigating COVID-19. Please tell us what impact, if any, this has had on your path to medical school.
- The University of Minnesota Medical School is committed to building an anti-racist community. Please share your reflections on, experiences with, and greatest lessons learned about systemic racism. (Consider this country's history, racism, racial injustice, anti-black racism, and the impact of the murder of Mr. George Floyd on the Minnesota/Twin Cities community).
- How will your unique attributes (religion, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ideology, intellectual heritage, and/or experiences) add to the overall diversity of the University of Minnesota Medical School community?
- What other pertinent information would you like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee? This is an opportunity for you to discuss an aspect of your journey to medicine that you have not already presented in your application. You may also update us with any current experiences that were not included in your AMCAS application. (Optional; 900 character maximum)
Minnesota Health Pathways Description
The University of Minnesota Medical School is a world class leader in medical education, research and patient care. Our mission is to provide innovative education and training, research that advances medicine and clinical care that improves the lives of our patients. We are one school with two campuses. Beginning in Fall 2023, a new curriculum designed in three phases: a systems-based Foundations Phase; Clinical Immersion Phase; and Specialty-specific Transition Phase, will launch. The new curriculum will include a component called Minnesota Health Pathways. These pathways are longitudinal courses completed during the Foundations phase focusing on one of five different underserved and/or under-resourced communities in MN. The Minnesota Health Pathways have been designed to allow students to individualize their experience while still achieving a set of shared learning goals. All pathways will be available at both campuses and all students will have to enroll in one pathway.
Select your pathway interest(s) below (you may select more than one). Once you make your selection there will be additional questions that you will be required to answer
- Indigenous Health Pathway
- The University of Minnesota Medical School is dedicated to educating future physicians who have demonstrated an interest in serving Indigenous communities.
- Describe your experience in and ties to Indigenous communities, including your familiarity with life in an Indigenous community or your Indigenous community.
- What do you view as the greatest healthcare needs in Indigenous communities? Describe your future practice and how you will help fill these needs as a future physician.
- List each city or town you've lived in, starting with your place of birth and indicating which is your hometown. We define hometown as the place you lived the longest between birth and age 18. You are limited to listing 15 residences. If you need to include more, please contact the Office of Admissions for assistance. Please use only numbers in the population field.
- Rural Health Pathway
- The University of Minnesota Medical School is dedicated to educating future physicians who have demonstrated an interest in serving patients and families in rural Minnesota.
- Tell us how you define the term "rural community" as it applies to Minnesota.
- Describe your experience in and ties to rural Minnesota areas, including your familiarity with life in a rural Minnesota setting.
- What do you view as the greatest healthcare practice needs in rural Minnesota communities? Describe your future practice and how you will help fill these needs as a future physician.
- List each city or town you've lived in, starting with your place of birth and indicating which is your hometown. We define hometown as the place you lived the longest between birth and age 18. You are limited to listing 15 residences. If you need to include more, please contact the Office ofAdmissions for assistance. Please use only numbers in the population field.
- Urban Communities Pathway
- The University of Minnesota Medical School trains a culturally aware workforce qualified to meet the needs of the diverse populations we serve. Tell us why you are interested in engaging and/or working with urban underserved communities, and describe any experiences you have had serving underserved communities.
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Pathway
- The University of Minnesota Medical School is committed to dismantling the health disparities affecting Minnesota’s 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Describe your experiences engaging and/or working with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and explain why 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive health care is important.
- Immigrant/Refugee/Global Health Pathway
- The University of Minnesota Medical School strives to have our community better reflect the broad identities of our state. Describe your interest and/or experience engaging or working with refugee, immigrant, and global health communities. How do their experiences differ from the traditionally underserved and how will your experience prepare you to serve our refugee, immigrant, and global populations?
University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine (Jackson, MS)
1. Please describe your motivation for pursuing the medical degree. (3000 characters)
2. Please discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic affected your academic preparation for medical school or opportunities for shadowing, volunteering, research, etc. Please also discuss any other impact of the pandemic that you would like the admissions executive committee to know. (2500 characters)
University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine (Columbia, MO)
- Please describe any element within your candidacy not fully addressed on the AMCAS application that you want the Admissions Committee to consider. (1200 characters)
- Please let us know information regarding how you heard about our school, and any factors (programs, people, mission, geography ect.) that led you to apply. (1200 characters)
- Please discuss (e.g. using specific personal traits, education, life experiences, etc.)
- how you will add to the overall diversity of the medical school and the practice of medicine AND
- how you will contribute to an inclusive learning environment at the medical school and the practice of medicine. (2000 characters)
- Has COVID-19 significantly impacted your medical school application? (This question is optional, and if your application wasn't greatly impacted by the pandemic, then don't feel like you have to answer.) [check yes/no] If yes (2000 characters):
- Please think about how the following were impacted, but do not limit your response to these considerations:
- Volunteering experiences
- Health care experiences (shadowing and direct patient care experiences)
- Academics and MCAT (pass fail courses, online courses, etc.)
- Have you previously applied to the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine? (check yes/no)
- [If yes] In the space provided below, please provide the Admissions Committee with a brief application history (including when you first applied and the number of application attempts). Please describe in detail the ways in which this application is superior to your previous application(s). (3000 characters)
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Briefly describe the reasons for your campus/site choice and comment on one or two factors that are most important to you in choosing where you wish to pursue your medical education. (1000 characters)
- NYITCOM values diversity, equity, and inclusion. How will your background and experiences add to our inclusive culture and how will this focus influence your future role as a physician? (1000 characters)
- Describe a challenge you’ve faced and the steps you took to overcome it. (1000 characters)
- Describe the community in which you see yourself practicing medicine. (1000 characters)
- Have you previously applied to NYITCOM? If yes, what specific steps have you taken to strengthen your credentials for the current application year? (1000 characters)
- How and where did you learn about NYITCOM? (250 characters)
New York University School of Medicine (New York, NY)
- If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application.
- If you have taken any time off from your studies, either during or after college, please describe what you have done during this time and your reasons for doing so.
Please limit your answer on the following essays to a maximum of 2500 characters each.
- The Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to evaluate a wide range of student qualities and life experiences that are complementary to demonstrated academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills and leadership potential. What unique qualities or experiences do you possess that would contribute specifically to the NYU Grossman School of Medicine community?
- The ultimate goal of our institution is to produce a population of physicians with a collective desire to improve health for all segments of our society through outstanding patient care, research and education. In this context, where do you see your future medical career and why? If your plans require that you complete a dual degree program, please elaborate here.
Please answer only one of the following three questions:
- The most meaningful achievements are often non-academic in nature. Describe the personal accomplishment that makes you most proud. Why is this important to you?
- Conflicts arise daily from differences in perspectives, priorities, worldviews and traditions. How do you define respect? Describe a situation in which you found it challenging to remain respectful while facing differences?
- Describe a situation in which working with a colleague, family member or friend has been challenging. How did you resolve, if at all, the situation as a team and what did you gain from the experience that will benefit you as a future health care provider?
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (Northeast Ohio Medical University) (Rootstown, OH)
- What do you hope to achieve from your experience as a NEOMED student? (5000 characters)
Northwestern University – Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago, IL)
- PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Given the distinctive educational philosophy and integrated curriculum at FSM, describe how your personal characteristics and learning style would align with the institution. (200 word max)
- COPING SKILLS: Describe specific steps you take to manage your stress and maintain wellness while balancing personal, educational, and professional responsibilities. (200 word max)
- FUTURE CAREER PLANS: Feinberg’s mission is to train future leaders in medicine who will serve their patients, communities and society. Describe one specific goal within medicine and how FSM, located in Chicago which is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, will help you achieve this professional goal. (200 word max)
- COVID-19 IMPACT: Describe how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your pathway to medical school. Include any academic, personal, financial or professional challenges, as well as any other relevant information. (200 word max)
- POST-UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCES (if applicable): If you have a year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe both your completed activities and future plans during the gap period. (200 word max)
- REAPPLICANT (if applicable): If you are a reapplicant this cycle, please address steps taken to improve your application for medical school. (200 word max)
- Personal Narrative: The Feinberg School of Medicine values diversity as a measure of excellence. We define diversity as the totality of the characteristics and experiences of our students. We believe that a diverse student body improves the educational environment and the ability of our graduates to serve an increasingly diverse patient population. Everyone has their own narrative. Please provide more detail about how your experiences would enrich the Northwestern community. (200 word max)
University of Nebraska Medical Center – College of Medicine (Omaha, NE)
- Are you the first person in your immediate family to pursue a career in healthcare? If not, what medical professions are your immediate family members a part of? (N/A if not applicable) (100 characters)
- If you have been away from full-time academics for more than two years, please explain. (N/A if not applicable) (750 characters)
- If you are a re-applicant to the UNMC College of Medicine, how is your application different this year? (N/A if not applicable) (750 characters)
- If this is your first application to UNMC, but not your first application to medical school, what is your rationale for applying to UNMC this cycle? (N/A if not applicable) (750 characters)
- What is your personal rationale for applying to the UNMC College of Medicine, especially if you are not from Nebraska? (1,000 characters)
- What are you most proud of in your life? (1,500 characters)
- Tell us about a time when you have had to overcome adversity. (1,500 characters)
- What have been the positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on your personal and professional life? (1,000 characters)
- Given the potential impact on shadowing opportunities since 2020, how do you know that you want to be a physician and what the career entails? (1,500 characters)
University of Nevada School of Medicine (Reno, NV)
1. Describe your primary motivation for applying to UNR Med, your most important connection(s) to the state of Nevada and any plans for using your career in medicine to support our vision of a healthy Nevada.
2. Describe a time when you were faced with a significant life crisis, a personal struggle, or an academic or professional failure. How did you respond and how did your experience impact your future actions?
3. Nevada faces health care challenges that include racial and ethnic health disparities, a shortage of physicians in our rural communities, and inadequate medical services for our LGBTQ community and for non-English speakers. Describe how your prior experiences have prepared you to deliver care to underserved patients.
4. Describe and share what you learned from an experience providing direct patient care.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine (Las Vegas, NV)
Each question has a 250 word limit.
1. Describe how your background and future goals will contribute to the mission of the UNLV School of Medicine.
2. Briefly discuss how you envision yourself contributing to the care of our growing and diverse population in the state of Nevada.
3. Provide a BRIEF chronological summary of your time since graduating from high school up to the point of applying to medical school.
4. You are welcome to share with the Admissions Committee any disruptions or impact to your application components, the application process, and/or your personal life due to COVID-19. This field is not required
5. If you have any other information you believe is important for the Admissions Committee to consider, please include it here. Do not restate information already in your primary AMCAS application.
University of New Mexico School of Medicine (Albuquerque, NM)
1. At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a community of diverse learners that will go on to contribute to the diversity of the medical field. Are there any aspects of your experience that you are most proud of or that you feel you have been unable to highlight with your application materials already submitted? If so, please explain how this will contribute to the diversity of a learning community and your future medical community. (2000 characters)
2. What do you see as the most important characteristics of a physician? How do you plan to cultivate them during your training? (2000 characters)
3. While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. Identify what you think is the most significant issue the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and walk us through the process of solving this problem at a local or national level. Explain your reasoning along the way.
4. Clinical outcomes are often the downstream outcome of broader policies that impact health inequities. What is a public health policy that has impacted the health outcomes of our community for better or worse? (2000 characters)
5. Please tell us about a situation in which working with a team was challenging. What was your role? What was challenging? How was it handled? What did you learn? (2000 characters)
6. Please describe how COVID-19 has effected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2000 characters)
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Medicine (Chapel Hill, NC)
- Tell us about a peer who is deserving of recognition but whose accomplishments may not be acknowledged adequately. Why do you think their accomplishments have gone relatively unacknowledged? (250 words)
- Please share your thoughts and experiences with navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. This could include the barriers you have faced in applying to medical school, creative ways you have overcome those barriers, feelings of grief and loss, thoughts on the role of health care professionals, challenges associated with racial health inequities, or other reflections on living through a global pandemic crisis. (250 words)
- How will your values and attitudes foster a positive educational environment and benefit your future patients? Tell us about the sources of those values and attitudes (e.g. family, places you’ve lived in, things you have read, life experiences, etc). (250 words)
- Tell us about a time when you observed or personally experienced biased behavior. What did you do to address this situation or what would you do in the future? Through either situation we are interested in what you learned. (250 words)
- What motivates you to apply to the UNC School of Medicine? (200 words)
Reapplicant Prompt: What has changed about you as a candidate since your last application to medical school? What has made you a stronger applicant? (200 words)
University of North Dakota – School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Grand Forks, ND)
- "The School of Medicine & Health Sciences is a community-based medical school, and because of the unique circumstances of our regional location, we place special emphasis on the unique skills needed to provide care for patients and populations in rural and Native American communities across all competencies. The primary purpose of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences is to educate physicians and other health professionals for subsequent service in North Dakota and to enhance the quality of life of its people. Other purposes include the discovery of knowledge that benefits the people of this state and enhances the quality of their lives." Please explain the steps you have taken towards, and how you will fulfill different aspects the school’s mission.
- Reflect on personal experiences of resilience and emotional intelligence throughout your life and how this has prepared you in your pursuit of a career in medicine.
- Describe your experiences with diverse populations. Examples include a summary of a volunteer experience, study abroad, employment, self-taught endeavor or a formal course on diversity that includes direct interaction with individuals or groups from socio-economic disadvantaged, diverse cultures, rural, or other backgrounds.
- Describe your research activity. Examples include the outcome of a formal research experience, course-dependent undergraduate research, thesis, or capstone project.
- Describe your creative activity. Examples include the on-going production of art forms, artistic performance, or other creative efforts, such as photography, painting, musical talents, needlework, cooking, wood-working, building cars, yoga instructor, dancing, theatre performance, writing, gaming etc.
- Expand and reflect on medical and/or clinical experience as it relates to the mission of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences. This may include a summary of physician shadowing, clinical observation, community service, volunteer work, and/or employment. Examples include, but are not limited to, work in a clinic, hospital, as a first responder, clinical lab, public health, home health visits, assisted living, nursing home care, youth camps, or relevant military duty.
- Expand and reflect on leadership and team experience. This may include a summary of leadership roles or teamwork in employed positions, extracurricular activities, organizations, volunteer services, or any other leadership or team experiences.
- What are your career plans if you do not ever get admitted to medical school?
- If needed, update the information in your AMCAS application (i.e., grades in recent courses, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation, additions to extracurricular activities, unreported legal and institutional infractions, etc.).
- Are you currently enrolled in a grant-funded and/or degree-granting post-baccalaureate program and/or advanced degree? If so, what is your timeline for completion?
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (Rochester, MI)
- How have your experiences serving others contributed to your personal growth, and how would your experiences contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in our community? (400 words)
- Describe your motivation to attend OUWB. (250 words)
- (Optional): Is there anything you want the admissions committee to know about your qualifications for medical school that are not already represented in your application materials? For example, if you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. Note: This space is provided for new information only, not to promote qualifications already highlighted in your other materials. (400 words)
- (Optional): If you are a re-applicant to OUWB, please describe improvements you have made to your current application from previous cycles (please include academics, experiences, and/or personal characteristics). (400 words)
Ohio State University College of Medicine (Columbus, OH)
Required Essays for those applying to REGULAR M.D., M.D./PhD and the Primary Care Track:
- The mission statement of The Ohio State University College of Medicine is to "improve people's lives" through innovation in research, medical education, and patient care. Please describe how your past experiences predict your potential to contribute in two of these three areas. (250 words or less)
- The OSU COM Admissions vision statement states that the admissions committee will assemble a class that displays "diversity in background and thought." Why is "diversity in background and thought" a desirable characteristic for a medical school's student body? (250 words or less)
- (Optional) Please use the space below to communicate anything you would like to share with the admissions committee related to the pandemic. Possible topics might include, for example: your biggest lessons and insights from the pandemic; creative ways in which you were able to serve your community during the crisis; or hardships you may have faced as a result of the virus or quarantine. (250 words or less)
Additional Required Essays for Primary Care Track applicants:
- How do you feel ready to choose a career in family medicine? Please provide any examples of exposure and/or experiences not already mentioned in your application.
- "Health is Primary" is a communications campaign to advocate for the values of family medicine, demonstrate the benefits of primary care, and engage patients in our healthcare system. The aim is to build a primary care system that reflects the values of family medicine, puts patients at the center of their care, and improves the health of all Americans. How do you plan to reflect the values of Family Medicine in your future career? (250 words or less)
Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine (Portland, OR)
- What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1550 characters)
- Tell us about a time you went into a situation completely unprepared. (1550 characters)
- Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1550 characters)
- In 1990, Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence (EI) as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. The components of EI include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Briefly describe one example of a time you harnessed your EI to resolve a difficult situation, AND one example of a time your failure to use your EI compounded a difficult situation. What did you learn about yourself in each of these situations? (2050 characters)
- Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1550 characters)
- Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU's definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service. (1550 characters)
- Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If so, use the space below. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage. (1550 characters)
- We know that many of our applicants in the OHSU UME Program may have familial relationships with individuals who are OHSU faculty, residents, staff, or current students who serve as evaluators in our admissions process. We have added this question in hopes to prevent perceived or actual conflicts of interest that can occur when an applicant has a family member (or someone with a similar close personal relationship) they may encounter through the admissions process. If you have any such connections, please list those individuals’ names and departments below. (1550 characters)
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine (Oklahoma City, OK)
It’s all biographic checkboxes unless you’re applying to the Tulsa track.
Tulsa SCM track only:
- Please submit an essay (450 words or less) that explains your interest and commitment to Community Medicine.
- Please explain (in 250 words or less) how you expect the SCM track to enhance your medical education.
- Please enter any additional community or volunteer experience not included on your AMCAS application. (no word limit)
- Please enter any other relevant life experience that you feel might have an impact on your application to the SCM track. (no word limit)
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine (Hershey, PA)
- If not currently enrolled in a full-time academic program, please summate your activities from the time of graduation from your baccalaureate program through the time of this application, as well as your plans between now and your matriculation to medical school. (Maximum 75 words)
- Is there a unique aspect of your application that should be considered by the admissions committee? (Maximum 75 words)
- Explain why you decided to apply to the Penn State College of Medicine. (Maximum 75 words)
- Write a short paragraph describing a significant experience you have had working in a team setting. (Maximum 250 words)
- Write a short statement describing how you envision using your medical education to advance care for under-represented or marginalized populations. (Maximum 250 words)
Ponce School of Medicine (Ponce, Puerto Rico)
List/describe:
Academic honors
Research experience/ Publications
Community service/ volunteer work
Essay: Explain your interest in graduate studies and your long-range professional plan.
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, (Philadelphia, PA)
- The Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) is deeply committed to recruiting a diverse class to enrich an inclusive team-based learning experience. How would you and your experiences contribute to the diversity of the student body and/or how would you contribute to an inclusive atmosphere at PSOM? Please explain and limit your response to 1,000 characters.
- We are all navigating through challenging times, and physicians and physician-scientists must contend with many instances of uncertainty. Describe a time when you faced a situation that was ambiguous, confusing, or uncertain, and how you navigated making a decision without complete information (3000 characters).
- Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)
- At UPSOM, diversity and inclusion are measures of distinction, integral to achieving institutional excellence, and essential to the development of future physicians who become leaders in medicine. Describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past, and how you hope to grow that commitment in medical school. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)
- Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)
Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, IL)
- Rush Medical College is located on Chicago’s near west side and serves a diverse patient population. We seek to train physicians who can connect with diverse patient populations with whom they may not share a similar background. Tell us about a life experience that has broadened your own world view or enhanced your ability to understand those unlike yourself and what you learned from this experience. (1000 characters)
- As an anchor institution, Rush is embedded in its strategies to improve the societal and structural determinants of health, which improve the economic vitality of Chicago’s west side neighborhoods and help residents achieve better health. Using your own experiences, describe how you have impacted and/or changed a person or community. (1000 characters)
- Do you have direct patient care/contact experience beyond shadowing/observing? Answering "yes" demonstrates you have had active interactions with patients and/or clinical participation in their continuum of care. (if yes you fill out a 400 char description of activities for EACH experience)
- If applicable, describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your application to and/or preparation for medical school. (1000 characters)
- (Optional) Use this space to provide additional information, which is non-COVID related, you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your application (1000 characters)
Saint Louis University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO)
- Do you wish to include any comments to the Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine Admissions Committee (e.g. why you chose to apply to SLU, other extenuating circumstances, etc.)? (1000 characters)
- Describe briefly any experiences and/or skills that have made you more sensitive or appreciative of other cultures or the human condition. (1000 characters)
MD/PhD additional question:
- Relate your current thinking about the type and scope of clinical career that you seek. Remember that most applicants cannot identify at this point the specific medical disciplines they might choose for residency programs. However, you may have preliminary ideas about your relative interest in direct patient care vs. consultative service, translational vs. basic research, academic medical center vs. corporate, etc. (max 3,000 characters)
Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota (Sioux Falls, SD)
Given the mission statement of the school, please explain how your experiences and long term goals would help meet the mission.
Given the diversity statement of the school, explain how your background and experiences with diversity will bring value to the school.
Describe how your experiences in health care or social care activities will help you become a good physician.
Briefly describe a crisis or significant challenge in your life, how you have worked through the crisis or challenge, and what you have learned from this experience.
What are your career plans in the event that you are not admitted to a medical school this year or after several applications?
Stony Brook School of Medicine at University Medical Center (Stony Brook, NY)
- Will your education be continuous between college and medical school matriculation? (500 words)
- If NO, please explain what you have done or plan to do during the gap period and why.
- If YES, please tell us about your proudest accomplishment to date.
- Describe an obstacle you've overcome and how it defined you. (500 words)
Respond to one (500 words):
- Please describe how you, as a future physician, plan to address the social determinants of health.
- What, in your opinion, is the role of a physician in addressing systemic racism and societal injustices?
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (Springfield, IL)
Essay question #1: SIU School of Medicine uses a holistic approach to identify and select a diverse student body best suited to fulfill its mission: to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research, and service to the community. In what ways do you believe you would contribute to this mission? Please limit your answer to 300 words or less.
Essay question #2: To be successful as a student at SIU School of Medicine and as a practicing physician, you must be flexible and committed to cultivating and employing critical interactive and learning skills. Describe your experiences that demonstrate: contribution in a teamwork setting; engagement in self-directed and life-long learning (taking personal initiative to identify and address your learning goals and needs); and exposure to the small group tutorial process used in a problem-based learning environment. Please limit your answer to 500 words or less.
Essay question #3: If you have previously applied to SIU School of Medicine, please describe how you feel you have strengthened your credentials since that application. Please limit your answer to 300 words or less
Stanford University School of Medicine (Stanford, CA)
1. PRACTICE SETTING What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals and clinical practice setting:
a. Academic Medicine (Clinical)
b. Academic Medicine (Physician Scientist)
c. Non-Academic Clinical Practice
d. Health Policy
e. Health Administration
f. Primary Care
g. Public Health/Community Health
h. Global Health
Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1,000 characters)
2. CURRICULAR INTERESTS
How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1,000 characters)
3. BACKGROUND
Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (E.g., I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a supermarket cashier and a high school principal. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama.) (600 characters)
4. CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. You are strongly encouraged to share unique attributes of your personal identity, and/ or personally important or challenging factors in your background. Such discussions may include the quality of your early education, gender identity, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, or any other life or work experiences. (2,000 characters)
5. Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. (1,000 characters)
6. ADVOCACY Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1,000 characters)
7. (Optional) SPECIAL INSIGHTS Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences. (1,000 characters)
8. (Optional)ANYTHING ELSE? Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (1,000 characters)
SUNY Downstate Medical Center – College of Medicine (Brooklyn, NY)
- (If applicable) Please describe your activities for the period of September 15 to July 1:
- Living in NYC
- What will be your support system while in medical school? (Limit 150 words)
- Describe what personal, urban experiences prepare you to live and study in New York City (Limit 150 words)
- Specific reason(s) for SUNY Downstate?
- Why do believe you are a good fit for SUNY Downstate?
- What is your experience with diversity, health equity and social justice?
SUNY Upstate Medical University – College of Medicine (Syracuse, NY)
- If you earned your baccalaureate degree prior to this past June, please provide a brief statement indicating your plans for the upcoming academic year:
- You might consider yourself disadvantaged if you grew up in an area that was medically or underserved or had insufficient access to educational opportunities. Do you consider yourself within this description? If you answer Yes please explain your particular circumstances regarding why you consider yourself a disadvantaged applicant.
- If you are interested in Primary Care, are you interested in receiving more information about potential scholarship opportunities?
- We understand that the COVID-19 crisis disrupted many aspects of our lives. Please share if you had any curricular impacts during this time, for example, change to pass/fail courses or to online coursework or if you anticipate any deficiencies in experiences as a result of COVID-19.
- Please upload an essay, under 500 words, answering the following question:
- Upstate Medical University is strongly committed to providing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for the patients we serve and all who work at, study at, or visit our campus. As a potential partner in this effort, please describe your commitment to eliminating health inequities, discrimination, or other forms of social injustice. (500 words)
University of South Alabama College of Medicine (Mobile, AL)
Out-of-State Applicants
Although our primary obligation is to residents of the State of Alabama, we do consider competitive, out-of-state applicants with strong ties to the State of Alabama.
Please write a brief essay explaining your ties to the State of Alabama.
Optional Essay – 500 words maximum
The learning community at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine benefits from the inclusion of students with broad life experiences, as well as students from diverse backgrounds. The Admissions Committee encourages you to share life experiences that you may have had and/or important factors in your background that illustrate your readiness for practicing medicine in a multicultural society.
University of South Florida College of Medicine (Tampa, FL)
- Do you believe the competitiveness (i.e. course requirements, experiences, academic performance, etc.) of your application for medical school has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? (1500 character max)
- What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career (Private Practice, Academic Medicine, Public Health, Health Care Administration, Health Policy, or Other)? Describe the knowledge, skills, and attributes you have developed in preparation for the career path you have chosen in the previous question. (1500 character max)
- (optional) The USF Morsani College of Medicine’s Scholarly Concentrations program aims to support the educational development of medical students by providing opportunities for academic endeavors in areas of special interest. This program facilitates self-directed learning, enhances interactions between students and fosters relationships between students and faculty. Scholarly concentrations provide a forum where diversity of ideas and perspectives are valued. Each concentration includes elements of course work, practical application and scholarly presentation. Please review our Scholarly Concentrations website to determine which concentration would be of interest to you and answer the following question: (Scholarly Concentrations Program | USF Health) a. How would the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s Scholarly Concentrations Program help your personal career goals? (1500 characters)
- The USF Morsani College of Medicine strives to educate a very diverse set of students who bring a variety of strengths and interests to the field of medicine. The definition of diversity is broad and includes (but is not limited to) lifestyle, race/ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status and distance traveled through life. The definition of strength is also broad and includes (but is not limited to) humanism, scholarship, intellectual curiosity, research, and leadership. How do you feel your particular experiences, interests, and passions will add to the strength and diversity of the USF class and ultimately to the field of medicine? (2000 characters)
- If you have experienced academic difficulties, please explain the situation and how it was resolved. (Please explain all grades less than a "B", including B-, or any "withdrawal" on your transcripts). (2000 characters)
- If you have chosen the SELECT program or BOTH, please explain how your experiences and career goals match with the mission of the SELECT program. (MD SELECT Program | USF Health) (1500 characters)
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
- What is the nature of your interest in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine? (2,000 characters)
- How do you plan on contributing to the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Community?
- LKSOM seeks an engaged student body with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and interests to enhance the medical school experience for everyone. Please use the space below to describe what makes you unique as an applicant, an obstacle that you had to overcome, or how you will contribute to the LKSOM community. (2,000 characters)
- Tell us about your special interest in the campus you selected. (2,000 characters) **There are 2 campuses: 1. North Philadelphia and 2. St. Luke's campus in Bethlehem, PA. The one you select is the one where you will be considered for admission.**
- What are your plans for the current year - June 2022 until June 2023? (2,000 characters)
- The Coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us. Please use this space to describe to us how you were impacted academically, personally or professionally by COVID-19. (2,000 characters)
Texas A & M Health Science Center – College of Medicine (College Station, TX)
- Describe briefly any experiences and/or skills that have made you more sensitive or appreciative of other cultures or the human condition. (3500 characters)
- The Texas A&M College of Medicine embraces the Aggie Core Values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service. Briefly discuss what activities demonstrate best that you would be a good custodian of these core values. (3500 characters)
- Describe any circumstances indicative of some hardship, such as, but not limited to, financial difficulties, personal or family illness, a medical condition, a death in the immediate family or educational disadvantage not mentioned in your primary application essays; OR describe any key academic, personal, or financial barriers that COVID-19 may have posed on you or your immediate family. (3500 characters)
- (Optional) List the area (or areas) of medicine that appeals to you and briefly explain. (Limit your explanation to 50 words or 250 characters for each area of interest you list.) Do not leave blank. If not applicable, please so indicate (250 characters) (The optional question is related to a list of areas of medicine listed on the A&M Secondary Portal) correction: there's not a list. Say what interests you at this time.
2022-2023 prompts for EnMed (A&M's engineering & medicine program) (notice essay length is listed in words, not characters like the regular MD prompts above).
- How did you hear about the EnMed program? (100 words)
- Explain your interest in the EnMed medical education program: (250 words)
- How will the EnMed medical education meet your goals and interests in ways that a traditional MD-only program would not? (150 words)
- What creative, engineering, innovation, or entrepreneurship related activities have you participated in outside the classroom? Describe how these have prepared you to create innovative medical technologies. (150 words)
- What knowledge, skills, and experiences have you acquired inside the classroom during your education that are most relevant to EnMed? (150 words)
- What role do you envision yourself taking in the process of creating and translating new medical technologies during your future medical career? (150 words)
- Do you have an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or computer science? (Yes or No)
Texas Tech University HSC – Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (El Paso, TX)
- The mission of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is to provide an outstanding education and development opportunities for a diverse group of students, residents, faculty, and staff; advance knowledge through innovation and research; and serve the needs of our socially and culturally diverse communities and region.” Recognizing the components of this mission and that PLFSOM is located on the US/Mexico border, please describe why you are interested in applying to our school. (300 words or less)
- The Foster SOM student honor code states “In my capacity as a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso School of Medicine medical student, I will uphold the dignity of the medical profession. I will, to the best of my ability, avoid actions which might result in harm to my patients. I will protect the dignity of my patients and the deceased and will protect their confidential information in accordance with the prevailing standards of medical practice. I will not lie, cheat, or steal. I will enter into professional relationships with my colleagues, teachers, and other health care professionals in a manner that is respectful and reflective of the high standards and expectations of my profession. I will not tolerate violations of this Code by others and will report such violations to the appropriate authorities.” Please describe past experiences or personal attributes that reflect your affinity with this honor code. (300 words or less)
- Please describe any unique personal experiences or disadvantage (educational, financial or otherwise) and their significance to you in your pursuit of a medical degree. (300 words or less)
Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine (Lubbock, TX)
Areas of Interest
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is responsible for providing primary health care to 108 counties of West Texas. We are interested in hearing about the areas of medicine that interest you.
Please indicate the area(s) of medicine you are interested in and briefly describe your significant activities for each respective interest in the available text box (if checked, a box will appear with a 100 word limit)
Practicing in an underserved area
Rural health
Medical Research
Medical Academics
Primary Care
Border Health
Public Health
Other (Please describe below)
ESSAY PROMPTS :
The only prompts that are REQUIRED are 2. and 7.
- Have you experienced any road bumps in your academic career? (Low academic performance, dropping, retaking, or failing courses, etc.) (yes or no)
- If so, please explain your circumstance. (250 words or less)
- Please share any lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that you would like the admissions committee to consider – either regarding yourself or your community – about any or all of the topics below? (300 words or less)
- Disruptions in your academic, volunteer, work, community and or personal life.
- Creative ways in which you were able to serve your community during the crisis.
- Hardships you may have faced as a result of isolation, quarantine or illness
- If you are applying to a dual degree program, please briefly describe your motivation to pursue this program and any other pertinent information. (e.g. research interests, steps taken to prepare yourself) (Note that if you select more than one program in this section you will be required to rank them in order of importance. 200 words or less)(note that you get 200 words for each program if you choose more than one) (MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD/PHD, MD/JD, or NONE)
- Are you applying to our MD & E program? (yes or no)
- Describe your motivation to pursue this program, be sure to include how you expect to benefit from the program. (200 words or less)
- How do you anticipate this program making you a more efficient caregiver? (200 words or less)
- Please list the highest-level math/chemistry/physics course you have taken or are currently taking. (200 words or less)
- What projects have you been involved in that require programming and/or machine languages? What languages do you prefer? ( 200 words or less)
- Are you applying FMAT? (yes or no)
- What motivates you to participate in the FMAT program (200 words or less)?
- What experiences have you had that would prepare you for this intensive program (200 words or less)?
- What, in your opinion, distinguishes Family Medicine from other medical specialties (200 words or less)?
- Have you experienced any hardship or adversity, personally or professionally? (yes or no)
- If so, please share your experience with us. (200 words or less)
- Please tell us about your favorite recreational/leisure activities (200 words or less)
- Do you consider yourself from West Texas or as having West Texas ties? (yes or no)
- If yes, what town or county did you reside in, or what other factors would you cite? (100 words or less)
- Have you participated in any special programs offered by a medical school to help prepare yourself for medical school and a career in medicine? (yes or no)
- If yes, what was the name of the program and where was this program hosted (sponsoring school)? (100 words or less)
Thomas Jefferson University — Jefferson Medical College (Sidney Kimmel Medical College) (Philadelphia, PA)
- Describe how the pandemic has affected your educational, work, or research plans? What has your own experience informed you about the challenges of providing equitable and inclusive care to future patients? (2500 characters)
- Do you have any additional information that hasn't been covered? (4000 characters)
Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA)
- Do you wish to include any comments (in addition to those already provided in your AMCAS application) to the Admissions Committee at Tufts University School of Medicine? Please explain briefly. (1000 characters)
- Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Include in this explanation if you will be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, etc. (1000 characters)
- How might you contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine? Please explain briefly. (1000 characters)
- Given how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the world these past few years, please contextualize how your experiences have been affected which might include your personal, professional and educational journey. (1000 characters)
- Do you have any withdrawals or repeated coursework listed on your transcript(s)? Please explain briefly. (1000 characters)
- Did you take any leaves of absence or significant breaks from your undergraduate education? (Do not include time off after graduation.) Please explain briefly. (1000 characters)
- We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores) and that you believe might adversely affect your likelihood of medical school acceptance. We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer 'No'. (1000 characters)
- Have you ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a Misdemeanor crime, excluding 1) any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile 2) any convictions which have been expunged or sealed by a court, or 3) any misdemeanor convictions for which any probation has been completed and the case dismissed by the court (in states where applicable)? (1000 characters)
Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans, LA)
- Tulane University School of Medicine’s mission statement states: We improve human health and foster healthy communities through discovery and translation of the best science into clinical practice and education; to deliver the highest quality patient care and prepare the next generation of distinguished clinical and scientific leaders. Briefly describe the reasons for your interest in Tulane University School of Medicine. (150 words)
- What disparities in health do you believe are pertinent to the New Orleans patient population? How would you attempt to address them as a medical student at Tulane? You may support your answer by using past involvement working in a similar patient population to compare and/or describe your interest in any student activities offered at Tulane or in New Orleans. (150 words)
- Who knows you best and how would they describe you? (150 words)
- What have you been pursuing since you graduated? (No word max)
- Please list any leadership positions (clubs, organizations, paid work) you may have held. (100 words)
- Please list your hobbies and major non-academic interest. (150 words)
- (Optional) Tulane University School of Medicine values the diversity of its patients, faculty, staff, and students. Do you identify with a particular group that you believe is underrepresented among medical professionals? These include groups oriented around, but not limited to: ethnicity, race, sexuality, religion, disability, and economic background. (60 words)
- In what ways did the COVID-19 pandemic alter/interrupt your medical school application? (No word max)
University of Texas at Austin (Dell Medical School) (Austin, TX)
In an effort to give a greater number of applicants the opportunity to present themselves to Dell Med’s admissions team, the school uses a unique video secondary application. If selected for further consideration, the applicant receives an email invitation with details on how to prepare and submit the video through a free online portal. The secondary application consists of questions that address specific aspects of the school’s mission. In a two-minute response for each question, the candidate speaks to how their experiences will help them contribute to this work. The priority deadline for the secondary application is Nov. 16; application will be reviewed only after the secondary is submitted.
Candidates who feel they would represent themselves better in a written format are given the opportunity to request a written version of the secondary application.
(Note: Candidates do not receive the same set of questions.)
University of Texas Medical School at Houston
- Please discuss one of the following: (2500 characters)
- A challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn?
- Any academic road bumps in your academic career (low academic performance, failing course, dropping/retaking of courses). Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn?
- Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. What did you learn from this experience and how have you applied this learning to your work and/or life? (2500 characters)
- What would you like to contribute and be remembered for in medicine? (2500 characters)
University of Texas SMC at Dallas – Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, TX)
- Describe a group project or activity that you are most proud of. Consider the following in your response: What aspect makes you most proud? How was it accomplished? How did you deal with disagreement or conflict in the group? How did you get fellow group members to embrace a position or view your perspective? (2500 characters)
- Describe a time that you have witnessed someone acting unethically or dishonestly, or an experienced behavior of harassment or discrimination. Consider the following in your response: What did you do? What made the situation difficult for you personally? Describe your reaction and what you might do differently now in retrospect. (2500 characters)
- Describe an interaction or experience that has made you more sensitive or appreciative of cultural differences, and/or how you have committed yourself to understanding and aiding in the pursuit of equity and inclusion in your academic, professional or personal life. (2500 characters)
- (Optional) Have you engaged in any public service activities for a duration of one year or greater in length (examples: Military, Peace Corps, Teach for America, etc.). Yes or No? If so, please describe the experience and impact on your personal and professional development. (2500 characters)
- (Optional) Please explain any academic discrepancies or extenuating circumstances that you feel the Admissions Committee should know. (2500 characters)
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (Edinburg, TX)
- The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education. (300 words)
- Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (300 words or less)
- Describe a time when the awareness of your own limitations resulted in a favorable outcome for you or someone close to you. (350 words or less)
- In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you. (150 words max; bullet points are acceptable)
- Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency: (100 words or less)
Part 2: Essays (Optional)
- Is there any personal characteristic, capability, or experience that you believe would be important for us to know in order to assess your potential as a medical student and practicing physician? Note: This must be something you have not covered elsewhere in the primary or secondary application. (optional,150 words or less).
- Do you have any suggestions for improving medical care and access in the community of the Rio Grande Valley? How can the School of Medicine help to improve the situation? (optional, 300 words or less)
Part 2: Video Response (Required)
Submit a 2-minute video that answers one of the two questions below.
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has commitments to diversity, inclusion, and health equity. What do these terms mean to you? What is their importance to medical education and practice, as well as to the health of our society in general?
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine's Honor Code requires that medical students live honestly, advance on individual merit, and demonstrate respect for others. UTRGV SOM subscribes to the highest Code of Professional Conduct. Our aim is professional behavior beyond reproach. Briefly explain the relevance of a school of medicine’s honor code to your anticipated development as a future practitioner of medicine.
University of Toledo College of Medicine (Toledo, OH)
Essays
1. One of the AAMC Core Competencies for entering medical students involves cultural competence. The competency involves several distinct domains, including:
a. Demonstrating knowledge of socio-cultural factors that affect interactions and behaviors;
b. Showing an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity;
c. Recognizing and acting on the obligation to inform one's own judgment;
d. Engaging diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship, and work;
e. Recognizing and appropriately addressing bias in selves and others;
f. Interacting effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
Discuss a specific experience from your life that you feel demonstrates your level of competence in one of the above domains. (Clearly indicate which of the six domains above that you are responding to.) As part of your discussion, explain how you feel this experience will impact your future contribution to the culture of diversity and inclusion at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences and later in your career as a physician. Max word count: 600
2. One of the AAMC Core Competencies for entering medical students involves resilience and adaptability. This competency involves the ability to tolerate stressful or changing environments or situations and adapt effectively to them. Additional characteristics of this competency are persistence and the ability to recover from setbacks.
Discuss a specific experience from your life that you feel demonstrates your level of competence in resilience and adaptability as described above. As part of your discussion, explain how you feel this experience will help you meet new challenges you may face in medical school. Max word count: 600
3. (Optional) Please use the space below for anything you might wish to discuss related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis. Possible topics might include, for example: your biggest lessons and insights from the pandemic; creative ways in which you were able to serve your community during the crisis; hardships you may have faced as a result of the virus or quarantine. (You will have an opportunity to specifically discuss impacts to your coursework/grades in a separate item). Max word count: 600
Affiliations and Experiences
1. We invite you to briefly discuss any other connections you may have to The University of Toledo, the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, the city of Toledo, or the region of Northwest Ohio or to provide additional information about the affiliations you noted above. Max word count: 500
2. Will one or more years have passed between your graduation from college/university (bachelor’s degree) and your expected matriculation to medical school? YES/NO
If ‘YES’, please briefly describe what activities you are/have been engaged in during the period between undergraduate and medical school. Max word count: 300
3. Are you a re-applicant to the MD program at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences?
If you indicated ‘YES,’: Please briefly describe how your application has changed since applying previously to our program. Max word count: 300
4. If you feel you have any aspects of your record that may potentially negatively influence your application to our medical school, we encourage you to use this space to discuss them in order to provide the admissions committee with further context about your application. (Examples of possible topics include MCAT scores lower than our class average, low grades, withdrawn course, institutional action/student conduct violation.) Max word count: 500
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences – F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine (Bethesda, MD)
- Medicine and Officership are time-honored professions that unite at “America’s Medical School” in rewarding and challenging ways. What are your thoughts and impressions about serving as a uniformed medical corps officer, and why do you want to pursue this career path? (1500 Character Limit)
- The Uniformed Services University features a unique curriculum that prepares students to care for those in harm’s way. Please describe what in your research about our school and its values attracts you to our institution’s mission and approach. (1500 Character Limit)
- Our Admissions Committee assembles classes of students with a wide range of backgrounds, skills, experiences, and talents. Please describe how a special quality or experience of yours has informed your ability to participate well in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.
Were there any significant disruptions in your academic/volunteer/work/personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider in reviewing your application?
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Nashville, TN)
- If applicable, please describe how the COVID-19 pandemic affected your pathway to medical school. You may discuss any academic, personal, financial, or professional alterations to your plans. NOTE: Disclosing certain hardships or obstacles that have been faced during this time will not negatively affect an application. (500 words)
- If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (200 words)
- Please reflect on the upbringing, background, and experiences in your life that have shaped who you are as a person and will help define the person you want to be in the future. In other words, what makes you who you are? (800 words)
- Tell us about a time when you interacted with someone who is different than you. What did you learn? What would you do differently? (600 words)
- Everyone needs help at various times in their lives. Describe a time you asked for help and what you gained from that experience that has influenced your approach to asking for help. (600 words)
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (Richmond, VA)
2000 character limit each.
- The last couple of years have been challenging for us all in various ways (i.e., dealing with the impacts of COVID, social unrest and injustices). Please describe a particular challenge you faced. What are some challenges others may have experienced? What did you learn about yourself and others during this time?
- Please briefly explain any lapses in your undergraduate education that are not explained in your application.
- Please briefly explain any low GPAs or poor grades.
- If not addressed in your application, what are you currently doing now?
MD/PhD applicants:
- Describe your motivation for obtaining a dual degree. (3000 characters)
- Describe your significant research experience(s) and your role in any publications. (10,000 characters)
- Describe scientific topics and/or labs at VCU that appeal to your future research aspirations. (1,000 characters)
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (Roanoke, VA)
600 word limit each
- From the following list of human qualities, choose the ONE you think is most important and explain your choice: intelligence, honor, humility, perseverance, optimism.
- What advice would you give someone your age but from a different culture who is new to our country?
- What do you think your chances of being accepted into medical school are this year? Please explain your answer.
- Please describe something you deserved but didn’t get and how you felt about it.
University of Virginia School of Medicine (Charlottesville, VA)
- Please briefly describe how the pandemic impacted your ability to pursue experiences like clinical work, shadowing, research, or community service.
- Please list any and all future activities in clinical work, shadowing, research, or community service that you plan to pursue in the upcoming year.
- Why are you interested in attending the University of Virginia School of Medicine? What factors will be most important to you in choosing a medical school? Please answer the question in 350 words or less.
- How will you contribute to the diversity of your medical school class and the University of Virginia School of Medicine? Please answer the question in 350 words or less.
- Describe a situation which you found challenging. How did you manage it? Please answer the question in 350 words or less.
University of Vermont College of Medicine (Burlington, VT)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Diverse environments can promote growth and provide an opportunity to reflect on preconceptions or biases. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (500 words)
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words)
- Please use this box to describe how the COVID19 pandemic may have adversely impacted your application. (Optional) (150 words)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (300 words)
Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Bowman Gray Campus (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
- We seek to train physicians who can connect with diverse patient populations with whom they may not share a similar background. Tell us one experience that enhanced your ability to understand those unlike yourself and what you learned from it. (200 words)
- Describe a non-academic challenge you have faced and explain how you overcame it. (200 words)
- From your list of "most meaningful experiences" on the AMCAS application, choose one that has been the most formative in terms of your desire for a career in medicine. Why did that experience have such meaning for you in your decision-making process? (200 words)
- Tell us about any specific reason(s) (personal, educational, etc.) why you see yourself here at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. (200 words)
- Please tell us an interesting fact about yourself that a casual acquaintance may find surprising or interesting. (50 words)
- If you have received a C+ grade or lower in any coursework, please explain. (200 words)
- If there is anything specific that you would like for us to know regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected you and your application you may do so here. (200 words) (Please note that this is optional. Also, please do not repeat any information provided in your previous required responses.)
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (Providence, RI)
- Summarize your activities during the 2022-2023 academic year. Describe how your activities are preparing you for a medical career (2000 characters).
- How will your unique attributes (e.g., cultural or socioeconomic background, lifestyle, work experiences) add to the overall diversity of the Alpert Medical School community? (2000 characters)
- What are your aspirations for your medical practice? Fast-forward to 15 years in the future: where do you imagine yourself? (3000 characters)
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine (Spokane, WA)
Please respond to each essay below (each <300 words):
1. How will you contribute to the mission and vision of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine? Support your response with your experiences and/or attributes.
2. What experiences have you had with rural and/or underserved communities/populations? What have you learned from these experiences?
3. Describe your connections to Washington communities and your interests in practicing medicine in Washington.
4. How have you built your resilience?
5. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics or experiences that would add to the educational environment for your classmates.
6. If you are a re-applicant to WSU ESFCOM, describe what you have done since last applying to strengthen your candidacy for our medical school. If you are not a re-applicant to WSU ESFCOM, please leave blank.
7. "Please share any disruptions in your academic/volunteer/work/personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider (not required). "
Washington University in St. Louis – School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO)
- Have you already completed your undergraduate education, have you had your college or graduate education interrupted, or do you plan not to be a full-time student during your application year? If yes, Describe in chronological order your activities during the time(s) when you were not enrolled as a full-time student. (2000 characters)
- Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (3000 characters)
- (Optional) Is there anything else you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions? Some applicants use this space to describe unique experiences and obstacles such as significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, and/or identification with a particular culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity and/or possibly challenges related to COVID or other issues in preparation for medical school. (3000 characters)
Wayne State University School of Medicine (Detroit, MI)
1250 character limit each.
- What characteristics and qualities are necessary for successful leadership? Do you think all physicians should be leaders? Please discuss your reasons.
- How would you address discordance between medical information vs disinformation? Discuss any impact on patients and society.
- What healthcare issues are faced by marginalized communities? Include the impact of at least one social determinant of health.
- Which of your experiences or activities align with WSU SOM’s mission? Please discuss how.
- Please answer if you have had a gap (career change, re-applicant, additional education, etc.). A “gap” is defined as a period of time between the end of your undergraduate education and the start of medical school. What activities have you participated in or plan to participate in during this period? How does this relate to your future career in medicine? Please mark N/A if this does not apply to you.
- If you are NOT a U.S. or Canadian citizen, please list and upload a copy of your current U.S. visa(s), including a permanent residency card (green card). *Please note, that non-Canadian international applicants are only eligible for admission if they have completed a degree at Wayne State University. International applicants are NOT eligible for federal student financial aid and must provide proof of funding prior to matriculation.
Weill Cornell Medical College (Manhattan, NY)
- Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Weill Cornell Medical College.
- Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it.
- If applicable, please tell us about any special circumstances related to COVID-19 that could help us understand you better.
- (Optional) If you are not attending college during the upcoming (2022-2023) academic year, what are your plans?
West Virginia University School of Medicine (Morgantown, WV)
- Why do you want to attend the WVU SOM? (150 words)
- Describe one of your experiences that will provide evidence to the Committee on Admissions that you will be able to contribute to the culture of collaboration at the WVU SOM. (150 words)
- Describe a time when you worked closely and successfully with another person who had a background different from your own. (150 words)
- Name a medical condition that is particularly prevalent in West Virginia. Describe one experience in which you cared for a patient with that specific medical condition. If you did not have the opportunity to care for an affected patient directly, please share a relevant shadowing, leadership/educational, research or service experience. (150 words)
- Which one of the AAMC Interpersonal or Intrapersonal Core Competencies is your strongest, and why? How will this competency enhance your ability to be an outstanding physician? (150 words)
- What is your life motto, and why? (150 words)
Western Michigan University School of Medicine (Kalamazoo, MI)
2000 character limit each.
- Describe why you wish to enroll at WMed. You should describe any connection that you have to Southwest Michigan.
- Describe what you bring to the practice of medicine - your values, skills, talents, and life experiences - and how you add to the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the medical profession.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in an unprecedented way. If COVID-19 impacted you, your academic plan, or your planned experiences, and you haven't noted elsewhere, please tell us about your unique circumstances.
- WMed Re-Applicants Only: Describe the changes to your application from previous cycles - include academics, experiences, and/or personal attributes.
Wright State University – Boonshoft School of Medicine (Dayton, OH)
1. If you have earned a medically related certificate/license, please select one of the following. Chose “other” for certificates/licenses not listed and explain this selection on the question that follows. Chose “none of the above” if you have not earned a medically related certificate(s)/license(s).
2. If you earned a medically related certificate/license, how many hours have you worked in that role since earning your certificate/license? If not, please enter N/A. (100 Characters)
3. Did you have a financial need in college that required you to take out educational loans?
4. Did you or your family overcome a significant economic hardship?
5. If there has been a significant economic hardship, please explain the circumstances. If none, please enter N/A. (500 Characters)
6. If you had paid employment during the summers after matriculating (entering) college, how many summers did you work?
7. Which of the following best describes the summer you worked the most hours?
8. If you had paid employment during the academic year after matriculating (entering) college, how many academic years of college did you work?
9. Which of the following best describes the academic year you worked the most hours?
10. Were you raised in a single-parent household?
11. Are either of your parents a graduate of Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine?
12. If your parents are graduates of Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, please list their name(s) and graduation year(s). Enter N/A if your parents are not Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Alumni. (100 Characters)
13. Are any of your relatives Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine alumni, current students, faculty or staff.
14. If you have relatives that are Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine alumni, current students, faculty or staff, please list their name(s). Enter N/A if you do not have relatives that are Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine alumni, current students, faculty or staff. (100 Characters)
15. Is this your first medical school application cycle?
16. Have you applied to Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in a previous cycle?
17. If you have applied to Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in a previous cycle, please indicate the year(s) of your previous application(s). Enter N/A if this is your first application to Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. (100 Characters)
18. Has there been/will there be a gap between achieving your bachelor’s degree and expected matriculation into medical school?
19. If there has been or will be a gap in your education, please describe how you have/will use this time. If not, please enter N/A. (500 Characters)
20. Would you describe yourself as a non-traditional candidate for medical school?
21. If you consider yourself a non-traditional candidate, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (500 Characters)
22. Briefly describe any extenuating circumstances which you believe are pertinent to your application (i.e. Poor grades, withdrawn courses, life events). If none, please enter N/A. (500 Characters)
23. If you have attended any allopathic or osteopathic medical school, as a candidate for an M.D. or D.O., please list the name of the school and explain the reason for separation. Enter N/A if you have not attended any allopathic or osteopathic medical school as a candidate for an M.D. or D.O. (500 Characters)
24. Do you have a connection to any of the following? Please select all that are applicable
25. If you indicated that you have connections to Ohio, Wright State University or Boonshoft School of Medicine, please explain. If none, please enter N/A. (500 Characters)
26. Briefly describe any effect the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had on your application (i.e. delayed MCAT, withdrawn courses, online coursework, pass/fail grading, etc.). If none, please enter N/A. (500 Characters)
University of Washington School of Medicine / Alaska WWAMI
Autobiographical statement
Autobiographical statement that includes (250-word limit):
- The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician
- Your prior experiences in healthcare
- Steps taken to explore a career in medicine
- Your eventual goals as a physician
- Personal attributes that would make you a good physician
Please do not repeat what you wrote in your AMCAS Personal Comments (this will already be on file with our office). If you have already covered all of the above topics in your AMCAS application, use this space to let the Admissions Committee know more about who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician.
Additional essays
4 additional short essays (250-word limit each)
- How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?
- What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?
- What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
- How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with?
For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application?
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (Madison, WI)
1. The Admissions Committee takes many factors into consideration when reviewing your application. A successful applicant is frequently one who communicates what makes them exceptional and why they will become an outstanding physician. You are invited but not required to provide additional information in this essay. Some applicants tell us about hardships and challenges that they have faced in their lives and how these experiences have helped them become caring and compassionate individuals. Other applicants use this space to emphasize a particular passion they have related to their future career in medicine. If you are not a resident of Wisconsin, you may want to tell us why you are interested in the University of Wisconsin or about a special connection that you may have to our state or people who live here. Our goal is to gain insight into you as a unique applicant. You may include anything in this essay that you feel is relevant. (Limit response to 500 words.)
2. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of UWSMPH. Explain how a learning environment that embodies these values is crucial to the education of tomorrow’s physicians. Reflect on how you might contribute to this mission. (250 words)
3. Many inequities exist at the intersection between health outcomes and historical, societal, economic, or other systemic factors. Choose a broader issue or policy that impacts health outcomes where you believe change is needed to advance health equity. Discuss the role you hope to play as a physician in addressing this issue. (250 words)
4. In a paragraph (200-300 words), please share how COVID-19 impacted your application in the following domains:
a. Academic
b. Volunteer
c. Research
d. Work
e. Personal Life
Topics to address might include the public health lessons and health care insights learned from the pandemic, creative ways in which you were able to serve your community during the crisis, or any hardships (economic, health, or other) you faced due to the virus or its mitigation efforts (e.g. social distancing, quarantine).
Required Essay for Re-applicants to UW-Madison:
1. Individuals who are reapplying are required to submit a statement indicating what has changed since the previous application to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health MD or MD/PhD program (e.g., additional academic work, new letters of recommendation, work and volunteer experience, life changes, etc.) (500 words)
Yale University School of Medicine (New Haven, CT)
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?
- (please select one of the following): MD applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions. MD/PhD applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.
- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine.
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine.
Optional Section:
- This section is optional. It should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the “Additional Information” section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. Please limit your response to 500 words.
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Would you like us to help you write compelling medical school secondary essays?
Check out our med school secondary essay tips in this video:
FAQs
1. How much time do I have to complete my secondary essays?
This completely varies from one school to the next – some secondaries are due back within two weeks, others within a month, so it's important to review your secondary essay deadlines and adhere to them strictly. Most importantly, you should not take longer than two weeks to submit your completed essays. Medical schools correlate the speed in which you submit your essays with your level of interest in their program, so it's important to ensure a prompt submission. With this said, do not rush your secondaries at the expense of quality.
2. What is the purpose of secondary essays?
Secondary essays provide admission committees with a chance to get to know you further to help them determine whether you will be a suitable candidate for their program. Through a variety of questions, admission committee members will learn more about your personal and professional characteristics, values, and unique skill set to see if they are in line with their core values and mission statement. The information you provide should not be copied from your AMCAS work and activities section and in general, should expand or provide new information that isn't found elsewhere in your application materials.
3. I have applied to 20 medical schools, how can I possibly complete all secondaries within a 2-week or 1-month timeframe?
You can certainly submit all secondaries on time; the key is to begin writing your secondaries before you have even received your secondary applications. Using the list we have provided above, you can begin creating an outline or a first draft responding to each prompt at the schools in which you applied. Keep in mind that secondary essay prompts can change from one year to the next, but more often than not, the theme of the essay remains the same. For example, one year a secondary essay prompt may ask: “How will you contribute to the diversity at our school?”. The following year it may ask: “Please share a unique, personally important, and/or challenging factor in your background, such as socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, etc, and explain how this factor has influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.” What's important here is to recognize that both prompts are asking for you to write a diversity essay.
4. Will every medical school I apply to send me secondary applications?
Not necessarily; while some schools send out secondary applications to all students who apply, other schools use primary applications as a way to weed out applicants. In these cases, schools will send secondaries to those they'd like to see continue in the admissions process.
5. If I didn't receive a secondary application, does that mean I have been rejected?
You haven't faced medical school rejection until you receive a rejection letter. Some schools will still consider applicants during a second round of admission review and interview invitation, so even though you did not receive a secondary application, you may still be considered for admission at a later date.
6. Are secondary applications free?
Not usually. In most cases, schools charge a fee that must be included when you send in your secondary essays. On average, this fee ranges from $50-$100, but some schools may charge more and some may charge less.
7. Some of my secondary essay prompts are optional, should I include something in this section?
It's common to see questions such as “is there anything else you'd like the admissions committee to know about you” in your secondary applications. First, it's important to know that even though a certain section may be optional, it could still be used in the overall scoring of your application materials. With this said, it's always important to remember quality over quantity. If you really do have something meaningful to add that could benefit your application, such as explaining any gaps or academic lapses, then it's a good idea to include this information here. An optional section doesn't have to only address a potential weakness in your application, it may also be suitable to use an optional essay to discuss a significant experience or a personal achievement. If on the other hand, you don't have anything else to include that would be beneficial, it's best to leave the prompt blank.
8. I am only allowed 300 words to create my essay. Help!
No matter the length of your secondary essay, your format should remain the same:
- Introduction, body paragraph (s) and conclusion
- Begin with an interesting, memorable opening sentence
- Use 1-3 main experiences to address the prompt
- Show, don't tell
- Finish with a strong conclusion that will leave the reviewer wanting to know more about you
- Ensure your essay is free from any grammatical errors or typos
9. How long will it take me to write a secondary essay?
These are typically shorter than your medical school personal statement, averaging 250-500 words. However, you can have more than one essay to write per school. The average number of secondary essays sent out by schools is 4. So, altogether, you may have to write 1000-2000 words! Remember, you want to use a similar process to writing your personal statement: create an outline, brainstorm ideas, write, edit, revise, and finalize your draft. This whole process will take 2-4 weeks (count on closer to 4 weeks if you are working, taking classes, or have other obligations), although you can work on multiple programs’ secondary essays concurrently. So, ensure you begin preparing your secondary essays either before or right after submitting your primary application to give yourself enough time.
10. Can I use the same answer for more than one program?
If more than one program asks the same or extremely similar question on a secondary essay and has the same word or character limit, yes, you can re-use an answer. However, do ensure you actually read the prompt carefully and adhere to the character limit instead of rushing and just trying to re-use answers. Even if you are re-using an answer or a portion of an answer, ensure you do read through it very carefully to make sure it meets all the requirements of the prompt.
11. Can I re-use an experience I mentioned in my personal statement or sketch?
It’s better to use different experiences if you can. However, if you really wish to, you can re-use an experience, but do not just regurgitate what you wrote word for word on your personal statement or sketch. Programs have most likely already reviewed your primary application so they do not need to read the exact same thing again, and repetition will likely hurt your chances at the program. Instead, think about the experience you want to re-use. Is there a different specific example you can use that is more suitable for the secondary essay? Alternatively, are there different lessons you can highlight that you learned? This way, even if you re-use the same experience, you are using different content to show a separate aspect of it, so it actually deepens the experience and what you gained from it, furthering what you discussed in your personal statement or sketch. Follow this link to find some excellent medical school personal statement examples.
12. What are the most common secondary essay prompts?
1. Why our school or program specifically?
2. Diversity
3. Overcoming challenges (adversity essay)
4. Future goals
5. Academic lapses/breaks
13. How do I address academic lapses, failures, or gaps?
Many students are scared of this type of secondary essay, but there’s no need to panic! This is actually an opportunity for you to address any shortcomings in your application. The key is to take a proactive and positive approach. You should clearly highlight what happened, and any mitigating factors (ex. stress, illness, family situation) but note that these are merely mitigating factors and NOT excuses. You must take responsibility for your shortcomings and end by addressing what strategies you have put in place to ensure this type of situation will not occur again. Be specific when you mention strategies, as this tells adcoms how you will hold yourself accountable.
14. I have no idea what area of medicine I want to pursue. What should I say when the prompt asks about future plans?
Medical schools do not expect you to know exactly what you want to do. It’s quite common for plans to change during medical school, as you gain more experience in the different fields of medicine. If you do have inclinations for a specific field, make sure you give examples to state why that field interests you. If you don’t have any concrete ideas, you can state that you are open to learning more about the different fields of medicine, but don’t leave it there; instead, use the space to talk about what aspects of medicine you do want to include. For example, do you want a purely clinical role? In what type of setting: clinical, hospital, rural, or urban? Do you want to incorporate research or teaching in your role? And why are you so inclined? This way, your answer is still quite in-depth and well thought out, even if you are not sure of the exact area you want to go into.
15. I feel I have only overcome minor challenges in my life. Can I use those experiences in my secondary essays?
Students are often concerned whether their experiences are “good enough” or “important enough.” The important thing to ask yourself is: did the experience truly impact me and did I learn and grow? Did the experience somehow push me further along the journey to pursuing medicine? If so, it does not matter how “big” or “important” your role was. The best experiences to include are those that genuinely impacted you. If you choose these types of experiences, they will genuinely come across strongly in your writing.
To your success,
Your friends at BeMo
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