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Find your college’s application essay prompts for 2023-24

Latest essay prompts for the top 100 schools.

At CollegeVine, our goal is to make the college application process a little less stressful, so we’ve compiled the latest essay prompts for the top 100 schools in one easy, searchable database.

Also, every year we create free guides on “ How to Write X School’s Essays ” for the top 100 schools. In these guides, we give you tips and tricks on how to approach each prompt. As such, our prompt database also contains a link to each school's Essay Breakdown.

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August 12, 2022

University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Tips [2022 – 2023]

University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Tips [2022 – 2023]

UPSOM places special emphasis on their collaborative problem-based curriculum and the fact that their medical students begin interacting with patients in their first year of medical school. Providing the best care to patients through research, education, leadership and diversity is central to their mission .

They seek future medical students who demonstrate high academic achievement, the attributes of curiosity and self-discovery, and an empathic will to serve others.

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University of Pittsburgh 2022-2023 secondary application essay questions

Pitt med secondary essay #1.

Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (250 words or less.)

Given UPSOM’s focus on one-on-one patient interactions, use an experience in which you were able to resolve a professional conflict. Emphasize the role that you played in finding a solution and the skills you employed to identify and implement a positive outcome that was mutually beneficial for all parties involved. I recommend using an issue that has a clear positive resolution.

The challenging problem you write about must have been important enough to you that it contributed to your maturity and growth. Rather succinctly, you’ll have to articulate the integration of this experience with “who you are today,” and explain how this challenging problem and its resolution imprinted you for the better, triggered growth, sensitivity, insight, understanding – or any other quality that is a mature attribute .

Pitt Med secondary essay #2

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. (250 words or less.)

This prompt replaces a broader prompt about diversity that asked applicants to address “opposing” racism, gender and identity discrimination, and misogyny. This new prompt flips the approach to your narrative about this relatively standard “diversity” secondary prompt . Instead of writing about “the fight” inherent in opposition, this prompt speaks to the higher order of diversity and inclusion as values of character and leadership. Also, they ask you not to speak to these values as ideals, rather, they ask for action – how have you demonstrated a commitment to these values? They seek a story, not a manifesto. The story should resonate with what others can expect to see from you in the future. What have you done to combat this problem? How have you advocated for diversity and inclusion?

Pitt Med secondary essay #3

Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words or less.)

Applicants may write about a hardship they encountered, if it is not addressed in another part of the application. Some applicants might explain a circumstance associated with an aberrant grade on a transcript, without blame, without complaint. 

Other applicants may write about a job opportunity or volunteer commitment that arose since submitting their AMCAS application. You may even respond with a positive situation. Perhaps explain some aspect of your talent that is not represented in the primary application and is not associated with medicine: will you judge a 4H competition, ride a bull, officiate at a wedding, play in a summer orchestra, run a marathon, have paintings displayed at a gallery opening, publish a short story, travel to provide humanitarian relief?

Applying to University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine? Here are some stats:

UPSOM average MCAT score: 516

UPSOM average GPA: 3.83

UPSOM acceptance rate: 3.5%

U.S. News  ranks UPSOM #14 for research and #10 for primary care.

Check out the Med School Selectivity Index for more stats.

Has this blog post helped you feel more confident about approaching your UPSOM secondary application? We hope so. It’s our mission to help smart, talented applicants like you gain acceptance to your top choice medical school. With so much at stake, why not hire a consultant whose expertise and personalized guidance can help you make your dream come true? We have several flexible consulting options— click here to get started today !

UPitt School of Medicine application timeline 2022 – 2023

Source:  University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s website

Mary Mahoney Admissions Expert

Related Resources:

  • How to Create Successful Secondary Applications , a free webinar
  • Writing About Overcoming Obstacles in Your Application Essays
  • Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

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University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine - Secondary Essay Prompts

Access our complete list of all Secondary Essay Prompts from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh , PA for the 2018 - 2023 admissions cycles.

1 . Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today.

2 . 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.

3 . Tell the Admissions Committee why you are applying to Pitt Med and why you think this school would be a good fit for you.

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Yale University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 2

You Have: 

Yale University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

Short Answers dominate the Yale application. So, in brief, they’re looking for confidence. When an essay must clock in at under 100 words, you don’t have time to waffle. There’s no room for you to circle your main idea with broad statements. You’ve got to get straight to the point, and clearly. The successful applicant will choose precise words that can do double — even triple duty — telling your story (literally), bringing vivid details to life, and highlighting your overall intelligence.

The Requirements: 1 list; 6 short answer questions; 1 additional short essay of 400 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s):   Why ,  Short Answer , Community ,  Oddball

Short Answer Questions

Students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the list provided..

There’s only one trick to generating a straightforward list of your academic interests: be honest. If you already know what you want to major in, or have it narrowed down to a few departments, you’re set! Don’t waste time trying to strategize. Choosing anything other than your true interests would be a misrepresentation of who you are and a disservice to you and the admissions office. This assignment will no doubt be most challenging for the undecideds, but to help you narrow your focus, try to tell a story with your choices. How can you use this to reveal something about what you value and what excites you intellectually? You could try to illustrate a general inclination (art history, studio art, and American studies). Or if you really feel like you could go any direction, try to show a balance, picking majors across domains that link to each other in a way that still makes sense (biology, psychology, classics)—you’ll thank yourself when answering the next question.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

You’ve only got 100 words, but if you chose wisely (and honestly) in the previous question, answering this one should be a cinch. Whether you listed one or several interests, your goal is to tell a cohesive story about your intellectual curiosity. Ideally, you should try to recount an anecdote that illustrates your engagement with your chosen field, or demonstrates your ability to link seemingly disparate fields. Perhaps you’re interested in both religion and astrophysics because each offers a way for you to contemplate our place in the universe. But while you may be tempted to wax philosophical, you should beware of veering into overly abstract territory. This is a great opportunity for you to explain how your intellectual interests relate to who you are as a person. Don’t waste it!

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

This is a short version of the Why essay, the mini Why. Yale wants to make sure you are psyched for the full college experience at their school. So, we’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. As a top school, Yale attracts many applicants based on its reputation alone, so it won’t do you any good to go on and on about the world-class education you will receive. Yale admissions officers know — and they know you know. Locate specific opportunities within your department and related programs and centers that really make your heart sing with excitement.

And make sure you talk about yourself! Yale doesn’t need a summary of its website (even if you write about a forgotten page deep in the Math Department website). Talk about your academic and professional goals and how Yale will help you achieve them. What unexpected classes might you want to take to sate your curiosity? How will you drive yourself to succeed? Don’t forget to include details about personal growth. If you think you can accomplish this and that on campus, what experience do you have to back up those claims? What about the Yale experience will enrich your life overall? Which extracurricular activities and organizations will you take advantage of? Do they offer quidditch ? If so, you should definitely play. Figure out why you’re applying to Yale over all the other schools out there – and then deliver it with eloquence and confidence.

Applicants applying with the QuestBridge Application will complete the questions above via the Yale QuestBridge Questionnaire, available on the Yale Admissions Status Portal after an application has been received.

Applicants submitting the coalition application or common application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):, what inspires you (200 characters or fewer).

200 characters is not a lot of characters, especially when it comes to a concept as broad as inspiration. You don’t have time to describe what the word means to you, and admissions officers don’t have time for vague answers (“nature”) or trite ones (“my mom”). First and foremost, have fun with this prompt. Think of the 200 character challenge as a game. Then, get specific. What experiences have launched some of your best ideas? Although you won’t have time to relate the whole story, you can draw upon your personal experience for a hyper-specific, memorable answer like “the color of fresh drosophila eggs” or “Goldie Hawn’s crazy eyes in Death Becomes Her .” You get the idea.

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters or fewer)

The previous question asked you what inspires you, and this one is asking you what you can do. What are you good at? It’s time to show your stuff. Reach beyond the traditional academic areas and toward skills you may have cultivated on your own time (e.g., gardening, rock climbing, baking, etc.). Then, think about how you might share this talent with others, whether that be through a course, book, or artwork. Maybe you’ve been making TikToks reviewing your favorite YA novels for some time now. Would you teach a class on the politics of the modern heroine in YA fiction? Perhaps you could talk about marine life for hours on end. Would you write a book on the idiosyncrasies of giant isopods? There is no right or wrong answer here, so write about the subject that interests you the most!

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters or fewer)

Since you have so much to say in so few words, our advice is to summarize this person’s accomplishments succinctly and leave room to offer admissions deeper insight into their influence on you, what you value, and the kind of person you aspire to become. The person you choose to write about can be someone in your local community—a friend, a teacher, a community leader—or someone you haven’t yet had the chance to meet IRL. Maybe there is a renowned scientist who inspired you to pursue your chosen field. Perhaps an artist or thought leader has altered your understanding of what it means to be human. No matter who you choose, remember that this should say more about you than it does about them, so stay the course!

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters or fewer)

This is one of the hardest prompts! What do they want to know?! Where do you start? Birth? School? Puberty? First, take a breath and calm down. Think about why they’re asking you this question and it will all fall into place. While many applications look similar, with impressive grades, extracurriculars, and teacher recommendations, this essay makes it so you can stand out from the crowd with your personality. Do you have a very sarcastic sense of humor? Do you make more dad jokes than your own father? Do all of your friends refer to you as the “artsy” one? Yale wants to know that you’re more than your transcripts, so take this opportunity to share a piece of yourself that they wouldn’t otherwise get to see. This prompt also lends itself to recycling previously written essays for other schools quite well, so you might want to consider revisiting it once you’ve made a dent in writing your supplemental essays for other schools.

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. 

1. reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. why did you find the experience meaningful.

Engaging with others in meaningful conversations about important issues can be intimidating and challenging, and the Yale admissions committee knows this. Nevertheless, we have all experienced standing up for our beliefs in some capacity, so scroll through your memory to identify a time when you had an uncomfortable conversation with friends, family, or even mere acquaintances. Maybe you engaged your grandparents in a conversation regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Were you able to clearly communicate your perspective? What did you take away from the discussion? Perhaps you learned that one of your friends was a passive supporter of an organization that you vehemently disagree with. How did you broach the subject and what was the outcome of your conversation? You don’t need to have changed someone’s mind (or your own!) to impress admissions here. You just need to show that you’re not afraid to engage with those who may have different opinions than you. College will present you with a plethora of opportunities to meet and interact with people who are very different from you, so show Yale that you’re game to learn, listen, share, and grow.

2. Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

“A community to which you feel connected” could be anything: your family, a club at school, your dance troupe, women in STEM… you get the idea. If you’ve been wanting to spin your 8-bit video game obsession into an essay, this prompt is offering you the opportunity to describe your community of old-school gamers. Whatever community you choose, remember to define your place within it. Who are you to your fellow community members? How does being in this community add to your life or identity? Why is it meaningful? As always, try to be as concrete as possible as you develop your story, giving examples as you go. Just brainstorming your topic may remind you of a video you made or photo you took that you can use as a jumping off point. You might even consider digging through old photos and notebooks as a way to brainstorm!

3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

This is a fabulous prompt because it’s just about as open-ended as it gets. If the other two essay prompts didn’t speak to you, this one is here to save the day! Yale wants to know what has made you into the person you are today. What you focus on here can really run the gamut, but it should be something that you feel will help you to contribute to Yale’s community in a unique way. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? What has influenced your identity? What do you believe and how will your worldview bring something of value to the community at Yale?

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university of pittsburgh essay prompts 2023

A Great Pitt Honors College Essay Example

What’s covered:, essay example , where to get feedback on your essay .

The University of Pittsburgh is a large public university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is known for its great academics. The David C. Frederick Honors College at Pitt offers even more opportunities to a select group of talented students. Given the highly selective nature of the Pitt Honors College, you need to have strong essays to help your application stand out and gain admission. In this post, we’ll share a real essay a student submitted to the University of Pittsburgh Honors College, and outline its strengths and areas of improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Pitt essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Prompt: If you could change anything in the world, what would it be? Explain why and how you would change it. (No word count given)

While growing up, I was constantly reminded about my health. When I would rant about my trivial problems, my mother would respond with: “the most important thing is you are healthy.” As a young and naive child, this response irritated me. I never understood the blessing of good health until I was diagnosed with migraines. Every month I was met with throbbing headaches that made me lose all sensation and control of my body.

On one New Year’s Eve, I went to visit family friends with my father and sister. The flashing lights on the television and little sleep triggered a migraine attack. Without my mother present, everyone was unfamiliar with my frightening symptoms. Out of panic, they decided to call an ambulance. That one simple call and visit resulted in a one-year battle with our insurance company. For months on end, my mother argued against the unfair and hurtful statements the insurance listed as reasons for their refusal of payment. These endless calls brought about extreme stress and frustration, but we did not have the means to pay. There was no other option but to keep on fighting.

This was my first memorable experience with healthcare and its failures. From that day forward, I associated care with payment. I became worried about affording medical treatment at an early age. And so, if I had the power to change the world, I would make healthcare more affordable. Every individual deserves to be treated without the worry of a costly bill.

While I realize that affordable healthcare is a point of debate in our nation, I maintain my stance that it is a human right. I also understand that it will take years to put into place, but this does not discourage me. I can help start the change. With Pitt Honors, I will be exposed to interactive research, a matched mentor, and personalized co-curricular activities. I will be able to become a skilled nurse with critical thinking abilities. With the development of leadership skills, I plan to make a difference. Whether it be taking a high position role at a no-cost clinic or shaping healthcare reforms, I know Pitt Honors College will help me achieve my dream. Whether it be taking a high position role at a no-cost clinic or shaping healthcare reforms, I plan to make a difference.

What the Essay Did Well

Something that makes this essay strong is how it takes time to tell a story and build an understanding for the author before we even learn what they would change about the world. The essay begins by introducing the idea of health, but because we aren’t told what they want to change yet, we are compelled to keep reading. Then, the anecdote helps us appreciate the personal connection this student has to affordable healthcare. They take the time to fully flesh out the context needed to answer the why aspect of the prompt, while at the same time building suspense for the what .

Additionally, this student went above and beyond the prompt by connecting it back to Pitt. They weren’t explicitly asked to discuss how an education from the Pitt Honors Program would help them change the world, but by including this paragraph it demonstrates genuine interest in the school. If an essay can prove that you can only accomplish your goals — especially such impressive ones like changing the world — by taking advantage of unique opportunities at that specific school, then admissions officers might feel they are denying you the chance to reach your full potential by not accepting you.

What Could Be Improved

The area that could use the most improvement in this essay is the last paragraph dedicated to Pitt. Although it’s great that this student took the extra step to include how attending the Honors College will allow them to achieve their goals, the paragraph is a bit vague. To improve it, there should be more specific details, about classes, programs, professors, etc, to show that they have done their research and think taking advantage of these offerings are the only way to change the world. 

For example, the essay says, “With the development of leadership skills, I plan to make a difference.” This sentence would be far stronger if the student mentioned a specific club or volunteer program they want to be a part of and how emerging as a leader in that experience would help them become a leader in the medical field. Or, they mention the Honors College will expose them to research and match them with a mentor, but they don’t elaborate on this. 

The entire paragraph could have just been dedicated to one specific professor whose research aligns with affordable healthcare and what this student hopes to learn from them. Having a more focused and detailed approach to why you want to attend a college will always make for a stronger essay than briefly touching on general opportunities offered at most schools. 

Want feedback like this on your University of Pittsburgh essay before you submit? We offer expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers.

Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

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University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: Tips & Prompts

  • Cracking Med School Admissions Team

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine cares deeply about social issues and recruiting a student body that solves healthcare issues through innovation . Pitt Med champions the fight against healthcare disparities. But, it wants medical students who approach these problems through out-of-the-box thinking and creative approaches. The University of Pittsburgh Medical School secondary application essay prompts reflects these values. Read all our University of Pittsburgh secondary essays tips below!

We would strongly recommend submitting the University of Pittsburgh early and it should be one of the first secondaries you submit. The prompts barely change each year, so we would also recommend pre-writing your Pitt Med secondaries. Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta have strong a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  Read our tips below and contact us if you need help with your UPitt Med secondary essays.  

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University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 – 2024

University of pittsburgh secondary essays: md prompts.

  • Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
  • 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. (250 words max)
  • Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words max)

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MSTP (MD/PhD) Essay Prompts

  • Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:
  • Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.

Tips to Answer UPitt Secondaries

University of Pittsburgh Secondaries Pre-Writing  Guidance:  We would strongly encourage medical school applicants to pre-write their University of Pittsburgh seconadries. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Admissions Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis and gives interviews on a rolling basis. But, it’s still important that you submit a strong University of Pittsburgh secondary application that is aligned with the school’s mission of innovation to improve health & society. If you need help with brainstorming or editing your secondary essays, contact us below!

  • Download  all  our HIGH-YIELD tips for secondary essays:  Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #1:  First, it’s important to know what UPitt looks for. These are qualities we’ve seen in medical school applications that receive interviews:

  • Any background in engineering or math. 
  • Innovation and creativity – especially shown in the problem-solving essay.
  • Desire to improve healthcare and medicine through analytical thinking (not necessarily through research; you could have a desire to invent a new medical device!) throughout one’s medical career.
  • Experiences solving problems in teams – shown in your primary application, letters of recommendation, and University of Pittsburgh secondary essays

This is the mission of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine:

One needs to be creative as a clinician because, despite all of the advances of modern medicine, each patient is unique, and diagnoses are not always obvious. One needs to be creative as an investigator because research, by its very nature, involves a quest for that which is unknown and, if discovered, constitutes the next piece of the vast, intricate puzzle we call life.

Compassion is a core principle of all the healing professions and should be the constant “north star” for any health care provider. One will be seeing people who are sick, at their most vulnerable, most freighted and dependent state. In that encounter, beyond any specific prescribed treatments for their illnesses, compassion is the most powerful healing act we can perform.

One needs leadership skills if one hopes to address the extremely complicated problems that we face in the delivery and financing of our nation’s health care. As a leader, one needs to embody the principles of justice and fairness and constantly strive to reduce health disparities in our society. Clearly, on this matter in particular, not to be part of the solution is to be part of the problem, which makes good leadership skills essential. 

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #2: For the University of Pittsburgh secondaries question, “ Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today, ” do not talk about difficulties with transitioning to college or learning how to study for difficult premed classes. These are too common and will not allow you stand out! 

Topics of strong UPitt essays Dr. Rachel Rizal & Dr. Rishi Mediratta have read:

  • Research challenge
  • Engineering project at school
  • Public health challenge and developing a new program to tackle a public health issue

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #3: You should ideally incorporate an example from your own life about how you have already contributed in combating systemic discrimination or how you’ve already tackled healthcare disparity issues, “ 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 .” Some students have successfully discussed a story through patient care or from a clinical experience. 

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #4: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a very community-oriented medical school. Talk about how you want to engage at University of Pittsburgh and around the Pittsburgh community as a medical student. How will you bring in problem solving, research, and innovative thinking to improve the Pittsburgh community? You can include your ideas in your various UPitt secondaries. 

  • Read our Cracking Med School Admissions Top 10 Current events to gather ideas about how you can help communities!

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #5: Don’t forget to incorporate a little bit about “Why University of Pittsburgh Medical School” throughout the essay(s) you respond to. Talk about projects and research you want to do at UPitt Med. 

  • Read out helpful blog post:  Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example

University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #6: Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below. If you want help with editing your UPitt Med secondary application, we can help you through our secondary essay packages . 

[ Read Essay Tips From Other Innovative Medical Schools:  Yale School of Medicine; Stanford School of Medicine; Duke School of Medicine; Mount Sinai Icahn Medical School ]

Your medical school application Coaches, Mentors, & Cheerleaders

We Personally Advise Every Student We Work With.

Dr. Rachel Rizal

Rachel Rizal, M.D.

Changing the trajectory of people’s lives.

Undergraduate Princeton University, cum laude

Medical School Stanford School of Medicine

Residency Harvard, Emergency Medicine

Awards & Scholarships Fulbright Scholar USA Today Academic First Team Tylenol Scholarship

Dr. Rishi Mediratta

Rishi Mediratta, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.

Advising students to attend their dream schools.

Undergraduate Johns Hopkins University, Phi Beta Kappa

Residency Stanford, Pediatrics

Awards & Scholarships Marshall Scholar Tylenol Scholarship Global Health Scholar

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University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2022 – 2023

  • Worded slightly differently. 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.  (250 words max)

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University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2021 – 2022

  • UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (250 words max)

University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2020 – 2021

University of pittsburgh medical school secondary application essay prompts: 2019 - 2020, university of pittsburgh medical school secondary application essay prompts: 2018 – 2019, upitt md application essay prompts.

  • UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? (250 words max)
  • Is there anything additional that you would like to address that is not already reflected in your application? (250 words max)

University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2017 – 2018

University of pittsburgh medical school secondary application essay prompts: 2016 – 2017, university of pittsburgh medical school secondary application essay prompts: 2015 – 2016, contact us with questions, we'll answer any and all your questions about medical school we typically respond within 1 business day..

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university of pittsburgh essay prompts 2023

College essay resources

The new university of pittsburgh essay prompts for 2019-20, school supplements.

The New University of Pittsburgh Essay Prompts for 2019-20

UPDATE!  Our new, fully updated guide to the 2019-20 Pitt prompts has been released!  Check it out here .  Need info on the Pitt Honors College application essays?   We've got a guide for that too.

The University of Pittsburgh has changed two out of its three supplemental essay requirements for 2019-20! Let's take a look at the new questions you'll need to answer if you want to attend this school. There's no required word limit for any of the questions, but Pittsburgh recommends keeping it to 200-300 words.

New Questions

Tell us about something you have read/watched/listened to that made an impact on you. Tell us why it made an impact.

What else should we know about you? Take this opportunity to tell the Admissions Committee anything else you think we should know as we review your application for admission.

The Old Question

If you could create a new product, process, business, or organization, what would this entity look like? (We especially encourage applicants interested in the College of Business Administration or the Swanson School of Engineering to respond to this question.)

  • For some help tackling this last question, check out our guide from last year.
  • To learn more about new supplemental requirements for every school, check out our Essay Updates page.

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Med School Insiders

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page .

About University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Secondary Deadline : November 15, 2023 Secondary Fee : $100 FAP Waiver : Full Fee Waived CASPer Required : No Screens Applications : No Accepts Application Updates : Yes/Email

The mission of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is to improve the health and well-being of individuals and populations through cutting-edge biomedical research, innovative educational programs in medicine and biomedical science, and leadership in academic medicine. We strive to implement this mission with the highest professional and ethical standards, in a culture of diversity and inclusiveness, and in an environment that enables all students, faculty, and staff to develop to their fullest potential.

MD Program Prompts have a  250-word limit .

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it.

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application

3. Is there anything additional that you would like to address that is not already reflected in your application?

1. Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:

2. Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (250 words)

The secondary application essay prompts from this medical school application cycle are the same as above.

Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on the medical school’s website. Med School Insiders does not guarantee the accuracy of the information on this page.

university of pittsburgh essay prompts 2023

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Michigan Quarterly Review

Beyond the Page: Decolonial Reading in How To Read Now

Before the stage at Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, I scribbled notes while Elaine Castillo crossed her legs and shared excerpts from her latest essay collection, How to Read Now . Under the soft spotlights, her critical reflections and sharp sarcasm captivated the audience. I found myself humming and nodding in agreement as Castillo deftly articulated many thoughts that had been occupying my mind.

On the ride home, I opened the hardcover book—and dug right in.

In her preface, the California-born writer clarifies the meaning behind the book’s title: How to Read Now rolls off the tongue more smoothly than a title such as How to Dismantle Your Entire Critical Apparatus.” And indeed, the book challenges its readers to do precisely that.

A daughter of Filipino immigrants and a fervent proponent of decolonial art and storytelling, Castillo’s mission is reflected in how she chooses to pronounce of her own last name. As she shares in the book, her family pronounces the name as Cast-EEL-yo, diverging from the Spanish colonizers’ Cast-EE-yo—a fact she lovingly describes as an act of “decolonial re-membering.”

In 2021, two books caused ripples in the literary world: Matthew Salesses’ Craft in the Real World and The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez. These How-To guides advocated for decolonizing writing workshops, particularly within American MFA programs, by decentering the white gaze and debunking the myth of a universal standard for craft and audience.

Castillo’s How to Read Now takes the battle to a broader front. While continuing to address her own MFA experiences and scrutinizing the predominance of white perspectives in workshop settings, Castillo explores the concept of decolonial reading in its most expansive form. She goes beyond the realms of text production and consumption to include movies, shows, monuments, society—and the world at large.

With a surgeon’s precision, Castillo dissects our consumption of the world through literature and media. She guides us on a journey of reckoning with the ways we interpret our surroundings and, as a result, how we situate ourselves within them.

However, Castillo does not seek to educate the reader in the traditional sense. On the contrary, she argues that the problem with our reading habits does not stem from ignorance. She rather suggests that “most people are vastly overeducated: overeducated in white supremacy, in patriarchy, in heteronormativity.”

One of the central concepts Castillo introduces in her collection is the distinction between the Expected Reader and the Unexpected Reader. She describes the expected reader as the presumed audience, a reader who is used to being accommodated through translations, italics, and footnotes, and who becomes unsettled when the text does not conform to their expectations. As Castillo emphasizes, these readers are often white and male.

On the other hand, the unexpected reader grows on the margins, engaging with art not crafted with them in mind. They glimpse into the lives of characters who do not reflect their cultural backgrounds or cater to their preexisting reservoirs of knowledge. These readers labor to connect with the material at hand, savoring a meal prepared to delight someone else’s taste buds. 

This distinction lays a foundational basis for the book’s main theme, prompting questions about who does the production, who does the consumption, and who’s being consumed. Driven by this concept, Castillo explores how a colonial hegemony dictates our interpretation of art and the world. She illustrates how writers of color, even when granted entry into literary and art circles, are expected to conform to specific roles and occupy a pre-defined niche she refers to as “the heart-porn of the ethnographic.” Castillo demonstrates how the literary world’s superficial efforts to “decenter” colonial narratives actually reinforce the prominence of white writers’ work. This dynamic pushes the marginalized writer to become a “Professional Person of Color,” ultimately placing them on a platform that tokenizes rather than empowers.

In Black Skin, White Masks , Frantz Fanon delves into the revolutionary concepts concerning the relationships between colonizers and the colonized, highlighting how the colonized sometimes internalize a sense of inferiority, striving to assimilate into the culture and language of the white colonizers. This behavior takes place, in Fanon’s opinion, because “A man who has a language consequently possesses the world expressed and implied by that language.”

Those Fanonian echoes underlie many of the arguments Castillo raises about decolonial reading, as when she critiques the notion that “…when our stories enter the mainstream, we must send the brightest of us, be on our best behavior, the way our parents turned on their “white people voice” when talking to teachers and taxman alike[.]”

In eight long-form critical essays, Castillo exemplifies her approach by deconstructing the literary contributions of Joan Didion, analyzing Peter Handke’s Across or Der Chinese des Schmerzes , and examining the contemporary discussions surrounding race in Jane Austen’s works. She asserts, “Being capable of engaging with both Austen’s work and the historical realities of its time period is not a mutually exclusive exercise, but a mutually formative one, the very stuff of being a reader in the first place.”

In “Honor the Treaty,” Castillo confronts the argument that demolishing monuments of slaveholders equates to erasing history. After thorough analysis, she concludes: “Those statues don’t just teach us about our past—they teach us how to read our past, and thereby how to live in our present.” Which leads her to believe that “To challenge these monuments—to question the old story they’ve had so long to tell—is not only a vital act of disobedience. It’s a revolutionary act of reading.” 

Continuing with the book’s central theme, Castillo critiques the superficial nature of “Representation Matters Art.” She explains how the inclusion of artists of color often arises not from a sincere interest in their humanity but as a tokenistic gesture to appease the white conscience. “Representation Matters Art believes we can salvage the settler colonial Western fantasy by simply casting John Wayne as Filipino this time.”

Online criticism of the book has sometimes focused on what they perceived as the vilification of white writers, misconstruing Castillo’s critique as a call to boycott white authors altogether. Castillo preemptively addresses this misconception in her book, explaining how what preoccupied her mind is not what, but rather how, we read: “We read them like they were just books, and they had things to say, and they were sometimes very powerful and fragile and beautiful; just like I was a person, and I had things to say, and I was sometimes very powerful and fragile and beautiful.”

Throughout the essays, Castillo employs a penetrating voice that delivers provocative statements, infused with a snarkiness that snaps like a whip. Simultaneously, she wraps her critiques in arresting prose. The book’s language mirrors the essential characteristic of its content: a blend of challenge and tenderness.

On the other hand, I found myself pausing over the book’s prevalent US-centrism—and for a reason. At the outset, Castillo hints at transcending the US-centric perspective, yet, in my view, she does not fully escape its confines. She states on the first page: “The we I’m talking about here is generally American… but in truth, it’s a more expansive we than that, too. A we of the reading world, perhaps.”

As I moved through the chapters, I, as a non-American, felt like an outsider at the periphery of a circle—not explicitly excluded, but not welcomed either. For a book that initially suggested it might include someone like me in its intended audience, the narrative and discussions leaned heavily, if not entirely, on references specific to American literature and media. The “margin” it refers to is distinctly American; the “writers of color” it mentions are nonwhite Americans. As someone who has always been an unexpected reader, I might not have found this focus problematic per se. However, given the book’s early promise of addressing a broader “we,” I couldn’t help but observe the assumed universality and inherent relatability of American culture to “the reading world.”

How to Read Now does not beat around the bush, yet it stops short of offering tidy conclusions. This appears to be a deliberate choice by Castillo: rather than presenting a manifesto on the correct way to read now, as the title might suggest, she pushes readers to pose new questions and dismantle their existing frameworks for reading the world.

Throughout the book, Castillo prompts readers to unlearn white supremacy, reckon with colonially imposed narratives, and recognize the significance of reclaiming and remembering distorted histories. She shows us why it’s critical to push back against “The idea that says us seeing each other means nothing if white people don’t see us, too[.]”

Abdelrahman ElGendy is an Egyptian writer whose work appears in The Washington Post , Foreign Policy , AGNI , Truthout , and elsewhere. He’s a Dietrich fellow at the University of Pittsburgh’s Nonfiction Writing MFA, and a Heinz fellow at Pitt’s Global Studies Center. A finalist for the 2021 and 2023 Margolis Award for Social Justice Journalism, he has received scholarships from Logan Nonfiction, Tin House, and Bread Loaf.

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  1. 60+ College Essay Prompts for 2023-2024 Applicants

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  3. Common Application Form 2023

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  4. 2023-2024 Common App Essay Prompts Announced

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  5. 60+ College Essay Prompts From Actual 2023-2024 Applications

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  1. How to Write the University of Pittsburgh Essays 2023-2024

    The University of Pittsburgh, or Pitt, is a public research university just a few miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. With a campus encompassing 132 acres, Pitt enrolls almost 20,000 undergraduates, and is composed of 17 different undergraduate and graduate schools. Pitt is moderately selective and is consistently ranked as one of the top public ...

  2. University of Pittsburgh 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

    University of Pittsburgh 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations. The Requirements: 1 essay of 200-300 words. Supplemental Essay Type(s): Oddball. Hello, future University of Pittsburgh grads. (We're speaking it into existence!) The prompt below is only for applicants who wish to apply to Pitt Honors. Let's dive in!

  3. Personal Statement

    This can be the University of Pittsburgh Application or the Common Application-we accept both and do not prefer one over the other. If you have already completed the application, you may complete the personal statement online. If you are an international applicant, please complete a Short Answer Question instead of a personal statement.

  4. Admissions

    Whether through your essay or short answers to the included questions, your writing can help Admissions staff get to know you better. When we assess college applications, we pay close attention to each student's essay and/or short answer responses. For students applying test-optional, this is doubly true, as, without your test scores ...

  5. University of Pittsburgh

    Not Required. 750 Words. If you have written a Common Application Personal Essay you are not expected to also submit a Personal Statement below. We will receive your Common App personal essay if completed. Submission of either the optional personal statement or Common App personal essay is required for scholarship review, if applying without ...

  6. Personal Statement

    A personal statement or the Common Application essay is required to be considered for scholarships or if applying test-optional. It may increase the likelihood that you are considered for guaranteed admission programs or given special consideration due to extenuating circumstances. The personal statement can be submitted with your application.

  7. 2 Great University of Pittsburgh Essay Examples

    Example 1 - Personal Statement for Pitt. Prompt: If you have written a Common Application Personal Essay you are not expected to also submit a Personal Statement below. We will receive your Common App personal essay if completed. Submission of either the optional personal statement or Common App personal essay is required for scholarship ...

  8. How to Write the University of Pittsburgh Essays 2020-2021

    Check out the 2021-2022 Pitt essay guide. The University of Pittsburgh, or Pitt, is a public research university just a few miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. With a campus encompassing 132 acres, Pitt enrolls almost 20,000 undergraduates, and is composed of 17 different undergraduate and graduate schools. Pitt has an acceptance rate of 59% ...

  9. University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg's 2023-24 Essay Prompts

    Additional Info Essay. Applicants who wish to provide a Personal Statement or Essay in support of their application after submitting their application can email it to [email protected]. Applicants must include their First Name, Last Name and home address as supplied on the application for admission. Read our essay guide to get started.

  10. PDF Frederick Honors Degree Program Essay

    Frederick Honors Degree Program Essay Using the space provided, please reply to the following essay prompt: If you could change anything in the world, what would it be? ... Frederick Honors College University of Pittsburgh . Created Date: 1/7/2021 10:04:12 AM ...

  11. 2,000+ College Essay Prompts for 2023-24 and How-To Guides

    Latest essay prompts. for the top 100 schools. At CollegeVine, our goal is to make the college application process a little less stressful, so we've compiled the latest essay prompts for the top 100 schools in one easy, searchable database. Also, every year we create free guides on " How to Write X School's Essays " for the top 100 schools.

  12. University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay

    University of Pittsburgh 2022-2023 secondary application essay questions. Pitt Med secondary essay #1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (250 words or less.)

  13. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

    Access our complete list of all Secondary Essay Prompts from . University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA for the 2018-2023 admissions cycles. 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 Copy all prompts

  14. Supplemental Application Documents

    This form is available for students who need to provide, or have someone provide on their behalf, additional information due to extenuating circumstances. In order to submit these documents, students must first apply for admission to the University of Pittsburgh. Fields marked with * are required. First Name. Middle Name. Last Name. Suffix. Email.

  15. University of Pittsburgh Secondary Application

    University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essay Prompts (If you have updated prompts, please submit them at updatesecondaries.com) Prompts have been updated June 2023. (Older essays, if available are below) Prompts: Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today.

  16. 2023-24 Yale University Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

    The successful applicant will choose precise words that can do double — even triple duty — telling your story (literally), bringing vivid details to life, and highlighting your overall intelligence. The Requirements: 1 list; 6 short answer questions; 1 additional short essay of 400 words. Supplemental Essay Type (s): Why , Short Answer ...

  17. A Great Pitt Honors College Essay Example

    Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay The University of Pittsburgh is a large public university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is known for its great academics. ... Read our Pitt essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year's supplemental prompts. Essay Example ... How to Write the USC Supplemental Essays 2023-2024. January 24

  18. University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: Tips & Prompts

    University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #1: First, it's important to know what UPitt looks for. These are qualities we've seen in medical school applications that receive interviews: Any background in engineering or math. Innovation and creativity - especially shown in the problem-solving essay. Desire to improve healthcare and ...

  19. The New University of Pittsburgh Essay Prompts for 2019-20

    The University of Pittsburgh has changed two out of its three supplemental essay requirements for 2019-20! Let's take a look at the new questions you'll need to answer if you want to attend this school. There's no required word limit for any of the questions, but Pittsburgh recommends keeping it to 200-300 words. New Questions

  20. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

    Secondary Deadline: November 15, 2023 Secondary Fee: $100 FAP Waiver: Full Fee Waived CASPer Required: No Screens Applications: No Accepts Application Updates: Yes/Email. Mission The mission of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is to improve the health and well-being of individuals and populations through cutting-edge biomedical research, innovative educational programs in ...

  21. 2022-2023 Pittsburgh

    20,654. Apr 22, 2022. #1. Thanks to @flyon_littlewing9587 for sharing this year's questions. 2022-2023 Pittsburgh Secondary Essay Prompts. 1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (250 words or less.) 2.

  22. 2023-2024 Pittsburgh

    Reaction score. 20,684. Mar 21, 2023. #1. 2023-2024 Pittsburgh Secondary Essay Prompts. 1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (250 words or less.) 2.

  23. Fall 2024 Resources

    If you're having issues with this step, check your junk/spam folder for emails from [email protected] or reach out to us at [email protected] or (412) 624-PITT [7488] (Option 1). If you have questions regarding your Pitt Account activation please contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk at +1-412-624-HELP (4357) and let them know.

  24. Beyond the Page: Decolonial Reading in How To Read Now

    Michigan Quarterly Review, founded in 1962, is the University of Michigan's flagship literary journal, publishing each season a collection of essays, interviews, memoirs, fiction, poetry, and book reviews.. 3277 Angell Hall 435 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003 Main Office: (734) 764-9265 [email protected]