medical research application essay

10 Successful Medical School Essays

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-- Accepted to: Harvard Medical School GPA: 4.0 MCAT: 522

Sponsored by A ccepted.com : Great stats don’t assure acceptance to elite medical schools. The personal statement, most meaningful activities, activity descriptions, secondaries and interviews can determine acceptance or rejection. Since 1994, Accepted.com has guided medical applicants just like you to present compelling medical school applications. Get Accepted !

I started writing in 8th grade when a friend showed me her poetry about self-discovery and finding a voice. I was captivated by the way she used language to bring her experiences to life. We began writing together in our free time, trying to better understand ourselves by putting a pen to paper and attempting to paint a picture with words. I felt my style shift over time as I grappled with challenges that seemed to defy language. My poems became unstructured narratives, where I would use stories of events happening around me to convey my thoughts and emotions. In one of my earliest pieces, I wrote about a local boy’s suicide to try to better understand my visceral response. I discussed my frustration with the teenage social hierarchy, reflecting upon my social interactions while exploring the harms of peer pressure.

In college, as I continued to experiment with this narrative form, I discovered medical narratives. I have read everything from Manheimer’s Bellevue to Gawande’s Checklist and from Nuland’s observations about the way we die, to Kalanithi’s struggle with his own decline. I even experimented with this approach recently, writing a piece about my grandfather’s emphysema. Writing allowed me to move beyond the content of our relationship and attempt to investigate the ways time and youth distort our memories of the ones we love. I have augmented these narrative excursions with a clinical bioethics internship. In working with an interdisciplinary team of ethics consultants, I have learned by doing by participating in care team meetings, synthesizing discussions and paths forward in patient charts, and contributing to an ongoing legislative debate addressing the challenges of end of life care. I have also seen the ways ineffective intra-team communication and inter-personal conflicts of beliefs can compromise patient care.

Writing allowed me to move beyond the content of our relationship and attempt to investigate the ways time and youth distort our memories of the ones we love.

By assessing these difficult situations from all relevant perspectives and working to integrate the knowledge I’ve gained from exploring narratives, I have begun to reflect upon the impact the humanities can have on medical care. In a world that has become increasingly data driven, where patients can so easily devolve into lists of numbers and be forced into algorithmic boxes in search of an exact diagnosis, my synergistic narrative and bioethical backgrounds have taught me the importance of considering the many dimensions of the human condition. I am driven to become a physician who deeply considers a patient’s goal of care and goals of life. I want to learn to build and lead patient care teams that are oriented toward fulfilling these goals, creating an environment where family and clinician conflict can be addressed efficiently and respectfully. Above all, I look forward to using these approaches to keep the person beneath my patients in focus at each stage of my medical training, as I begin the task of translating complex basic science into excellent clinical care.

In her essay for medical school, Morgan pitches herself as a future physician with an interdisciplinary approach, given her appreciation of how the humanities can enable her to better understand her patients. Her narrative takes the form of an origin story, showing how a childhood interest in poetry grew into a larger mindset to keep a patient’s humanity at the center of her approach to clinical care.

This narrative distinguishes Morgan as a candidate for medical school effectively, as she provides specific examples of how her passions intersect with medicine. She first discusses how she used poetry to process her emotional response to a local boy’s suicide and ties in concern about teenage mental health. Then, she discusses more philosophical questions she encountered through reading medical narratives, which demonstrates her direct interest in applying writing and the humanities to medicine. By making the connection from this larger theme to her own reflections on her grandfather, Morgan provides a personal insight that will give an admissions officer a window into her character. This demonstrates her empathy for her future patients and commitment to their care.

Her narrative takes the form of an origin story, showing how a childhood interest in poetry grew into a larger mindset to keep a patient's humanity at the center of her approach to clinical care.

Furthermore, it is important to note that Morgan’s essay does not repeat anything in-depth that would otherwise be on her resume. She makes a reference to her work in care team meetings through a clinical bioethics internship, but does not focus on this because there are other places on her application where this internship can be discussed. Instead, she offers a more reflection-based perspective on the internship that goes more in-depth than a resume or CV could. This enables her to explain the reasons for interdisciplinary approach to medicine with tangible examples that range from personal to professional experiences — an approach that presents her as a well-rounded candidate for medical school.

Disclaimer: With exception of the removal of identifying details, essays are reproduced as originally submitted in applications; any errors in submissions are maintained to preserve the integrity of the piece. The Crimson's news and opinion teams—including writers, editors, photographers, and designers—were not involved in the production of this article.

-- Accepted To: A medical school in New Jersey with a 3% acceptance rate. GPA: 3.80 MCAT: 502 and 504

Sponsored by E fiie Consulting Group : “ EFIIE ” boasts 100% match rate for all premedical and predental registered students. Not all students are accepted unto their pre-health student roster. Considered the most elite in the industry and assists from start to end – premed to residency. EFIIE is a one-stop-full-service education firm.

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The tribulations I've overcome in my life have manifested in the compassion, curiosity, and courage that is embedded in my personality. Even a horrific mishap in my life has not changed my core beliefs and has only added fuel to my intense desire to become a doctor. My extensive service at an animal hospital, a harrowing personal experience, and volunteering as an EMT have increased my appreciation and admiration for the medical field.

At thirteen, I accompanied my father to the Park Home Animal Hospital with our eleven-year-old dog, Brendan. He was experiencing severe pain due to an osteosarcoma, which ultimately led to the difficult decision to put him to sleep. That experience brought to light many questions regarding the idea of what constitutes a "quality of life" for an animal and what importance "dignity" plays to an animal and how that differs from owner to owner and pet to pet. Noting my curiosity and my relative maturity in the matter, the owner of the animal hospital invited me to shadow the professional staff. Ten years later, I am still part of the team, having made the transition from volunteer to veterinarian technician. Saving a life, relieving pain, sharing in the euphoria of animal and owner reuniting after a procedure, to understanding the emotions of losing a loved one – my life was forever altered from the moment I stepped into that animal hospital.

As my appreciation for medical professionals continued to grow, a horrible accident created an indelible moment in my life. It was a warm summer day as I jumped onto a small boat captained by my grandfather. He was on his way to refill the boat's gas tank at the local marina, and as he pulled into the dock, I proceeded to make a dire mistake. As the line was thrown from the dock, I attempted to cleat the bowline prematurely, and some of the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life ensued.

Saving a life, relieving pain, sharing in the euphoria of animal and owner reuniting after a procedure, to understanding the emotions of losing a loved one – my life was forever altered from the moment I stepped into that animal hospital.

"Call 911!" I screamed, half-dazed as I witnessed blood gushing out of my open wounds, splashing onto the white fiberglass deck of the boat, forming a small puddle beneath my feet. I was instructed to raise my hand to reduce the bleeding, while someone wrapped an icy towel around the wound. The EMTs arrived shortly after and quickly drove me to an open field a short distance away, where a helicopter seemed to instantaneously appear.

The medevac landed on the roof of Stony Brook Hospital before I was expeditiously wheeled into the operating room for a seven-hour surgery to reattach my severed fingers. The distal phalanges of my 3rd and 4th fingers on my left hand had been torn off by the rope tightening on the cleat. I distinctly remember the chill from the cold metal table, the bright lights of the OR, and multiple doctors and nurses scurrying around. The skill and knowledge required to execute multiple skin graft surgeries were impressive and eye-opening. My shortened fingers often raise questions by others; however, they do not impair my self-confidence or physical abilities. The positive outcome of this trial was the realization of my intense desire to become a medical professional.

Despite being the patient, I was extremely impressed with the dedication, competence, and cohesiveness of the medical team. I felt proud to be a critical member of such a skilled group. To this day, I still cannot explain the dichotomy of experiencing being the patient, and concurrently one on the professional team, committed to saving the patient. Certainly, this experience was a defining part of my life and one of the key contributors to why I became an EMT and a volunteer member of the Sample Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The startling ring of the pager, whether it is to respond to an inebriated alcoholic who is emotionally distraught or to help bring breath to a pulseless person who has been pulled from the family swimming pool, I am committed to EMS. All of these events engender the same call to action and must be reacted to with the same seriousness, intensity, and magnanimity. It may be some routine matter or a dire emergency; this is a role filled with uncertainty and ambiguity, but that is how I choose to spend my days. My motives to become a physician are deeply seeded. They permeate my personality and emanate from my desire to respond to the needs of others. Through a traumatic personal event and my experiences as both a professional and volunteer, I have witnessed firsthand the power to heal the wounded and offer hope. Each person defines success in different ways. To know even one life has been improved by my actions affords me immense gratification and meaning. That is success to me and why I want to be a doctor.

This review is provided by EFIIE Consulting Group’s Pre-Health Senior Consultant Jude Chan

This student was a joy to work with — she was also the lowest MCAT profile I ever accepted onto my roster. At 504 on the second attempt (502 on her first) it would seem impossible and unlikely to most that she would be accepted into an allopathic medical school. Even for an osteopathic medical school this score could be too low. Additionally, the student’s GPA was considered competitive at 3.80, but it was from a lower ranked, less known college, so naturally most advisors would tell this student to go on and complete a master’s or postbaccalaureate program to show that she could manage upper level science classes. Further, she needed to retake the MCAT a third time.

However, I saw many other facets to this student’s history and life that spoke volumes about the type of student she was, and this was the positioning strategy I used for her file. Students who read her personal statement should know that acceptance is contingent on so much more than just an essay and MCAT score or GPA. Although many students have greater MCAT scores than 504 and higher GPAs than 3.80, I have helped students with lower scores and still maintained our 100% match rate. You are competing with thousands of candidates. Not every student out there requires our services and we are actually grateful that we can focus on a limited amount out of the tens of thousands that do. We are also here for the students who wish to focus on learning well the organic chemistry courses and physics courses and who want to focus on their research and shadowing opportunities rather than waste time deciphering the next step in this complex process. We tailor a pathway for each student dependent on their health care career goals, and our partnerships with non-profit organizations, hospitals, physicians and research labs allow our students to focus on what matters most — the building up of their basic science knowledge and their exposure to patients and patient care.

Students who read her personal statement should know that acceptance is contingent on so much more than just an essay and MCAT score or GPA.

Even students who believe that their struggle somehow disqualifies them from their dream career in health care can be redeemed if they are willing to work for it, just like this student with 502 and 504 MCAT scores. After our first consult, I saw a way to position her to still be accepted into an MD school in the US — I would not have recommended she register to our roster if I did not believe we could make a difference. Our rosters have a waitlist each semester, and it is in our best interest to be transparent with our students and protect our 100% record — something I consider a win-win. It is unethical to ever guarantee acceptance in admissions as we simply do not control these decisions. However, we respect it, play by the rules, and help our students stay one step ahead by creating an applicant profile that would be hard for the schools to ignore.

This may be the doctor I go to one day. Or the nurse or dentist my children or my grandchildren goes to one day. That is why it is much more than gaining acceptance — it is about properly matching the student to the best options for their education. Gaining an acceptance and being incapable of getting through the next 4 or 8 years (for my MD/PhD-MSTP students) is nonsensical.

-- Accepted To: Imperial College London UCAT Score: 2740 BMAT Score: 3.9, 5.4, 3.5A

My motivation to study Medicine stems from wishing to be a cog in the remarkable machine that is universal healthcare: a system which I saw first-hand when observing surgery in both the UK and Sri Lanka. Despite the differences in sanitation and technology, the universality of compassion became evident. When volunteering at OSCE training days, I spoke to many medical students, who emphasised the importance of a genuine interest in the sciences when studying Medicine. As such, I have kept myself informed of promising developments, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy. After learning about the role of HeLa cells in the development of the polio vaccine in Biology, I read 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' to find out more. Furthermore, I read that surface protein CD4 can be added to HeLa cells, allowing them to be infected with HIV, opening the possibility of these cells being used in HIV research to produce more life-changing drugs, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP). Following my BioGrad laboratory experience in HIV testing, and time collating data for research into inflammatory markers in lung cancer, I am also interested in pursuing a career in medical research. However, during a consultation between an ENT surgeon and a thyroid cancer patient, I learnt that practising medicine needs more than a scientific aptitude. As the surgeon explained that the cancer had metastasised to her liver, I watched him empathetically tailor his language for the patient - he avoided medical jargon and instead gave her time to come to terms with this. I have been developing my communication skills by volunteering weekly at care homes for 3 years, which has improved my ability to read body language and structure conversations to engage with the residents, most of whom have dementia.

However, during a consultation between an ENT surgeon and a thyroid cancer patient, I learnt that practising medicine needs more than a scientific aptitude.

Jude’s essay provides a very matter-of-fact account of their experience as a pre-medical student. However, they deepen this narrative by merging two distinct cultures through some common ground: a universality of compassion. Using clear, concise language and a logical succession of events — much like a doctor must follow when speaking to patients — Jude shows their motivation to go into the medical field.

From their OSCE training days to their school’s Science society, Jude connects their analytical perspective — learning about HeLa cells — to something that is relatable and human, such as a poor farmer’s notable contribution to science. This approach provides a gateway into their moral compass without having to explicitly state it, highlighting their fervent desire to learn how to interact and communicate with others when in a position of authority.

Using clear, concise language and a logical succession of events — much like a doctor must follow when speaking to patients — Jude shows their motivation to go into the medical field.

Jude’s closing paragraph reminds the reader of the similarities between two countries like the UK and Sri Lanka, and the importance of having a universal healthcare system that centers around the just and “world-class” treatment of patients. Overall, this essay showcases Jude’s personal initiative to continue to learn more and do better for the people they serve.

While the essay could have benefited from better transitions to weave Jude’s experiences into a personal story, its strong grounding in Jude’s motivation makes for a compelling application essay.

-- Accepted to: Weill Cornell Medical College GPA: 3.98 MCAT: 521

Sponsored by E fie Consulting Group : “ EFIIE ” boasts 100% match rate for all premedical and predental registered students. Not all students are accepted unto their pre-health student roster. Considered the most elite in the industry and assists from start to end – premed to residency. EFIIE is a one-stop-full-service education firm.

Following the physician’s unexpected request, we waited outside, anxiously waiting to hear the latest update on my father’s condition. It was early on in my father’s cancer progression – a change that had shaken our entire way of life overnight. During those 18 months, while my mother spent countless nights at the hospital, I took on the responsibility of caring for my brother. My social life became of minimal concern, and the majority of my studying for upcoming 12th- grade exams was done at the hospital. We were allowed back into the room as the physician walked out, and my parents updated us on the situation. Though we were a tight-knit family and my father wanted us to be present throughout his treatment, what this physician did was give my father a choice. Without making assumptions about who my father wanted in the room, he empowered him to make that choice independently in private. It was this respect directed towards my father, the subsequent efforts at caring for him, and the personal relationship of understanding they formed, that made the largest impact on him. Though my decision to pursue medicine came more than a year later, I deeply valued what these physicians were doing for my father, and I aspired to make a similar impact on people in the future.

It was during this period that I became curious about the human body, as we began to learn physiology in more depth at school. In previous years, the problem-based approach I could take while learning math and chemistry were primarily what sparked my interest. However, I became intrigued by how molecular interactions translated into large-scale organ function, and how these organ systems integrated together to generate the extraordinary physiological functions we tend to under-appreciate. I began my undergraduate studies with the goal of pursuing these interests, whilst leaning towards a career in medicine. While I was surprised to find that there were upwards of 40 programs within the life sciences that I could pursue, it broadened my perspective and challenged me to explore my options within science and healthcare. I chose to study pathobiology and explore my interests through hospital volunteering and research at the end of my first year.

Though my decision to pursue medicine came more than a year later, I deeply valued what these physicians were doing for my father, and I aspired to make a similar impact on people in the future.

While conducting research at St. Michael’s Hospital, I began to understand methods of data collection and analysis, and the thought process of scientific inquiry. I became acquainted with the scientific literature, and the experience transformed how I thought about the concepts I was learning in lecture. However, what stood out to me that summer was the time spent shadowing my supervisor in the neurosurgery clinic. It was where I began to fully understand what life would be like as a physician, and where the career began to truly appeal to me. What appealed to me most was the patient-oriented collaboration and discussions between my supervisor and his fellow; the physician-patient relationship that went far beyond diagnoses and treatments; and the problem solving that I experienced first-hand while being questioned on disease cases.

The day spent shadowing in the clinic was also the first time I developed a relationship with a patient. We were instructed to administer the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) test to patients as they awaited the neurosurgeon. My task was to convey the instructions as clearly as possible and score each section. I did this as best I could, adapting my explanation to each patient, and paying close attention to their responses to ensure I was understood. The last patient was a challenging case, given a language barrier combined with his severe hydrocephalus. It was an emotional time for his family, seeing their father/husband struggle to complete simple tasks and subsequently give up. I encouraged him to continue trying. But I also knew my words would not remedy the condition underlying his struggles. All I could do was make attempts at lightening the atmosphere as I got to know him and his family better. Hours later, as I saw his remarkable improvement following a lumbar puncture, and the joy on his and his family’s faces at his renewed ability to walk independently, I got a glimpse of how rewarding it would be to have the ability and privilege to care for such patients. By this point, I knew I wanted to commit to a life in medicine. Two years of weekly hospital volunteering have allowed me to make a small difference in patients’ lives by keeping them company through difficult times, and listening to their concerns while striving to help in the limited way that I could. I want to have the ability to provide care and treatment on a daily basis as a physician. Moreover, my hope is that the breadth of medicine will provide me with the opportunity to make an impact on a larger scale. Whilst attending conferences on neuroscience and surgical technology, I became aware of the potential to make a difference through healthcare, and I look forward to developing the skills necessary to do so through a Master’s in Global Health. Whether through research, health innovation, or public health, I hope not only to care for patients with the same compassion with which physicians cared for my father, but to add to the daily impact I can have by tackling large-scale issues in health.

Taylor’s essay offers both a straightforward, in-depth narrative and a deep analysis of his experiences, which effectively reveals his passion and willingness to learn in the medical field. The anecdote of Taylor’s father gives the reader insight into an original instance of learning through experience and clearly articulates Taylor’s motivations for becoming a compassionate and respectful physician.

Taylor strikes an impeccable balance between discussing his accomplishments and his character. All of his life experiences — and the difficult challenges he overcame — introduce the reader to an important aspect of Taylor’s personality: his compassion, care for his family, and power of observation in reflecting on the decisions his father’s doctor makes. His description of his time volunteering at St. Michael’s Hospital is indicative of Taylor’s curiosity about medical research, but also of his recognition of the importance of the patient-physician relationship. Moreover, he shows how his volunteer work enabled him to see how medicine goes “beyond diagnoses and treatments” — an observation that also speaks to his compassion.

His description of his time volunteering at St. Michael's Hospital is indicative of Taylor's curiosity about medical research, but also of his recognition of the importance of the patient-physician relationship.

Finally, Taylor also tells the reader about his ambition and purpose, which is important when thinking about applying to medical school. He discusses his hope of tackling larger scale problems through any means possible in medicine. This notion of using self interest to better the world is imperative to a successful college essay, and it is nicely done here.

-- Accepted to: Washington University

Sponsored by A dmitRx : We are a group of Chicago-based medical students who realize how challenging medical school admissions can be, so we want to provide our future classmates with resources we wish we had. Our mission at AdmitRx is to provide pre-medical students with affordable, personalized, high-quality guidance towards becoming an admitted medical student.

Running has always been one of my greatest passions whether it be with friends or alone with my thoughts. My dad has always been my biggest role model and was the first to introduce me to the world of running. We entered races around the country, and one day he invited me on a run that changed my life forever. The St. Jude Run is an annual event that raises millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. My dad has led or our local team for as long as I can remember, and I had the privilege to join when I was 16. From the first step I knew this was the environment for me – people from all walks of life united with one goal of ending childhood cancer. I had an interest in medicine before the run, and with these experiences I began to consider oncology as a career. When this came up in conversations, I would invariably be faced with the question “Do you really think you could get used to working with dying kids?” My 16-year-old self responded with something noble but naïve like “It’s important work, so I’ll have to handle it”. I was 16 years young with my plan to become an oncologist at St. Jude.

As I transitioned into college my plans for oncology were alive and well. I began working in a biochemistry lab researching new anti-cancer drugs. It was a small start, but I was overjoyed to be a part of the process. I applied to work at a number of places for the summer, but the Pediatric Oncology Education program (POE) at St. Jude was my goal. One afternoon, I had just returned from class and there it was: an email listed as ‘POE Offer’. I was ecstatic and accepted the offer immediately. Finally, I could get a glimpse at what my future holds. My future PI, Dr. Q, specialized in solid tumor translational research and I couldn’t wait to get started.

I was 16 years young with my plan to become an oncologist at St. Jude.

Summer finally came, I moved to Memphis, and I was welcomed by the X lab. I loved translational research because the results are just around the corner from helping patients. We began a pre-clinical trial of a new chemotherapy regimen and the results were looking terrific. I was also able to accompany Dr. Q whenever she saw patients in the solid tumor division. Things started simple with rounds each morning before focusing on the higher risk cases. I was fortunate enough to get to know some of the patients quite well, and I could sometimes help them pass the time with a game or two on a slow afternoon between treatments. These experiences shined a very human light on a field I had previously seen only through a microscope in a lab.

I arrived one morning as usual, but Dr. Q pulled me aside before rounds. She said one of the patients we had been seeing passed away in the night. I held my composure in the moment, but I felt as though an anvil was crushing down on me. It was tragic but I knew loss was part of the job, so I told myself to push forward. A few days later, I had mostly come to terms with what happened, but then the anvil came crashing back down with the passing of another patient. I could scarcely hold back the tears this time. That moment, it didn’t matter how many miraculous successes were happening a few doors down. Nothing overshadowed the loss, and there was no way I could ‘get used to it’ as my younger self had hoped.

I was still carrying the weight of what had happened and it was showing, so I asked Dr. Q for help. How do you keep smiling each day? How do you get used to it? The questions in my head went on. What I heard next changed my perspective forever. She said you keep smiling because no matter what happened, you’re still hope for the next patient. It’s not about getting used to it. You never get used to it and you shouldn’t. Beating cancer takes lifetimes, and you can’t look passed a life’s worth of hardships. I realized that moving passed the loss of patients would never suffice, but I need to move forward with them. Through the successes and shortcomings, we constantly make progress. I like to imagine that in all our future endeavors, it is the hands of those who have gone before us that guide the way. That is why I want to attend medical school and become a physician. We may never end the sting of loss, but physicians are the bridge between the past and the future. No where else is there the chance to learn from tragedy and use that to shape a better future. If I can learn something from one loss, keep moving forward, and use that knowledge to help even a single person – save one life, bring a moment of joy, avoid a moment of pain—then that is how I want to spend my life.

The change wasn’t overnight. The next loss still brought pain, but I took solace in moving forward so that we might learn something to give hope to a future patient. I returned to campus in a new lab doing cancer research, and my passion for medicine continues to flourish. I still think about all the people I encountered at St. Jude, especially those we lost. It might be a stretch, but during the long hours at the lab bench I still picture their hands moving through mine each step of the way. I could never have foreseen where the first steps of the St. Jude Run would bring me. I’m not sure where the road to becoming a physician may lead, but with helping hands guiding the way, I won’t be running it alone.

This essay, a description of the applicant’s intellectual challenges, displays the hardships of tending to cancer patients as a milestone of experience and realization of what it takes to be a physician. The writer explores deeper ideas beyond medicine, such as dealing with patient deaths in a way to progress and improve as a professional. In this way, the applicant gives the reader some insight into the applicant’s mindset, and their ability to think beyond the surface for ways to become better at what they do.

However, the essay fails to zero in on the applicant’s character, instead elaborating on life events that weakly illustrate the applicant’s growth as a physician. The writer’s mantra (“keep moving forward”) is feebly projected, and seems unoriginal due to the lack of a personalized connection between the experience at St. Jude and how that led to the applicant’s growth and mindset changes.

The writer explores deeper ideas beyond medicine, such as dealing with patient deaths in a way to progress and improve as a professional.

The writer, by only focusing on grief brought from patient deaths at St. Jude, misses out on the opportunity to further describe his or her experience at the hospital and portray an original, well-rounded image of his or her strengths, weaknesses, and work ethic.

The applicant ends the essay by attempting to highlight the things they learned at St. Jude, but fails to organize the ideas into a cohesive, comprehensible section. These ideas are also too abstract, and are vague indicators of the applicant’s character that are difficult to grasp.

-- Accepted to: New York University School of Medicine

Sponsored by MedEdits : MedEdits Medical Admissions has been helping applicants get into medical schools like Harvard for more than ten years. Structured like an academic medical department, MedEdits has experts in admissions, writing, editing, medicine, and interview prep working with you collaboratively so you can earn the best admissions results possible.

“Is this the movie you were talking about Alice?” I said as I showed her the movie poster on my iPhone. “Oh my God, I haven’t seen that poster in over 70 years,” she said with her arms trembling in front of her. Immediately, I sat up straight and started to question further. We were talking for about 40 minutes, and the most exciting thing she brought up in that time was the new flavor of pudding she had for lunch. All of sudden, she’s back in 1940 talking about what it was like to see this movie after school for only 5¢ a ticket! After an engaging discussion about life in the 40’s, I knew I had to indulge her. Armed with a plethora of movie streaming sights, I went to work scouring the web. No luck. The movie, “My Son My Son,” was apparently not in high demand amongst torrenting teens. I had to entreat my older brother for his Amazon Prime account to get a working stream. However, breaking up the monotony and isolation felt at the nursing home with a simple movie was worth the pandering.

While I was glad to help a resident have some fun, I was partly motivated by how much Alice reminded me of my own grandfather. In accordance with custom, my grandfather was to stay in our house once my grandmother passed away. More specifically, he stayed in my room and my bed. Just like grandma’s passing, my sudden roommate was a rough transition. In 8th grade at the time, I considered myself to be a generally good guy. Maybe even good enough to be a doctor one day. I volunteered at the hospital, shadowed regularly, and had a genuine interest for science. However, my interest in medicine was mostly restricted to academia. To be honest, I never had a sustained exposure to the palliative side of medicine until the arrival of my new roommate.

The two years I slept on that creaky wooden bed with him was the first time my metal was tested. Sharing that room, I was the one to take care of him. I was the one to rub ointment on his back, to feed him when I came back from school, and to empty out his spittoon when it got full. It was far from glamorous, and frustrating most of the time. With 75 years separating us, and senile dementia setting in, he would often forget who I was or where he was. Having to remind him that I was his grandson threatened to erode at my resolve. Assured by my Syrian Orthodox faith, I even prayed about it; asking God for comfort and firmness on my end. Over time, I grew slow to speak and eager to listen as he started to ramble more and more about bits and pieces of the past. If I was lucky, I would be able to stich together a narrative that may or may have not been true. In any case, my patience started to bud beyond my age group.

Having to remind him that I was his grandson threatened to erode at my resolve.

Although I grew more patient with his disease, my curiosity never really quelled. Conversely, it developed further alongside my rapidly growing interest in the clinical side of medicine. Naturally, I became drawn to a neurology lab in college where I got to study pathologies ranging from atrophy associated with schizophrenia, and necrotic lesions post stroke. However, unlike my intro biology courses, my work at the neurology lab was rooted beyond the academics. Instead, I found myself driven by real people who could potentially benefit from our research. In particular, my shadowing experience with Dr. Dominger in the Veteran’s home made the patient more relevant in our research as I got to encounter geriatric patients with age related diseases, such as Alzhimer’s and Parkinson’s. Furthermore, I had the privilege of of talking to the families of a few of these patients to get an idea of the impact that these diseases had on the family structure. For me, the scut work in the lab meant a lot more with these families in mind than the tritium tracer we were using in the lab.

Despite my achievements in the lab and the classroom, my time with my grandfather still holds a special place in my life story. The more I think about him, the more confident I am in my decision to pursue a career where caring for people is just as important, if not more important, than excelling at academics. Although it was a lot of work, the years spent with him was critical in expanding my horizons both in my personal life and in the context of medicine. While I grew to be more patient around others, I also grew to appreciate medicine beyond the science. This more holistic understanding of medicine had a synergistic effect in my work as I gained a purpose behind the extra hours in the lab, sleepless nights in the library, and longer hours volunteering. I had a reason for what I was doing that may one day help me have long conversations with my own grandchildren about the price of popcorn in the 2000’s.

The most important thing to highlight in Avery’s essay is how he is able to create a duality between his interest in not only the clinical, more academic-based side of medicine, but also the field’s personal side.

He draws personal connections between working with Alice — a patient in a hospital or nursing home — and caring intensely for his grandfather. These two experiences build up the “synergistic” relationship between caring for people and studying the science behind medicine. In this way, he is able to clearly state his passions for medicine and explain his exact motives for entering the field. Furthermore, in his discussion of her grandfather, he effectively employs imagery (“rub ointment on his back,” “feed him when I came back from school,” etc.) to describe the actual work that he does, calling it initially as “far from glamorous, and frustrating most of the time.” By first mentioning his initial impression, then transitioning into how he grew to appreciate the experience, Avery is able to demonstrate a strength of character, sense of enormous responsibility and capability, and open-minded attitude.

He draws personal connections between working with Alice — a patient in a hospital or nursing home — and caring intensely for his grandfather.

Later in the essay, Avery is also able to relate his time caring for his grandfather to his work with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, showcasing the social impact of his work, as the reader is likely already familiar with the biological impact of the work. This takes Avery’s essay full circle, bringing it back to how a discussion with an elderly patient about the movies reminds him of why he chose to pursue medicine.

That said, the essay does feel rushed near the end, as the writer was likely trying to remain within the word count. There could be a more developed transition before Avery introduces the last sentence about “conversations with my own grandchildren,” especially as a strong essay ending is always recommended.

-- Accepted To: Saint Louis University Medical School Direct Admission Medical Program

Sponsored by Atlas Admissions : Atlas Admissions provides expert medical school admissions consulting and test preparation services. Their experienced, physician-driven team consistently delivers top results by designing comprehensive, personalized strategies to optimize applications. Atlas Admissions is based in Boston, MA and is trusted by clients worldwide.

The tension in the office was tangible. The entire team sat silently sifting through papers as Dr. L introduced Adam, a 60-year-old morbidly obese man recently admitted for a large open wound along his chest. As Dr. L reviewed the details of the case, his prognosis became even bleaker: hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiomyopathy, hyperlipidemia; the list went on and on. As the humdrum of the side-conversations came to a halt, and the shuffle of papers softened, the reality of Adam’s situation became apparent. Adam had a few months to live at best, a few days at worst. To make matters worse, Adam’s insurance would not cover his treatment costs. With no job, family, or friends, he was dying poor and alone.

I followed Dr. L out of the conference room, unsure what would happen next. “Well,” she muttered hesitantly, “We need to make sure that Adam is on the same page as us.” It’s one thing to hear bad news, and another to hear it utterly alone. Dr. L frantically reviewed all of Adam’s paperwork desperately looking for someone to console him, someone to be at his side. As she began to make calls, I saw that being a physician calls for more than good grades and an aptitude for science: it requires maturity, sacrifice, and most of all, empathy. That empathy is exactly what I saw in Dr. L as she went out of her way to comfort a patient she met hardly 20 minutes prior.

Since high school, I’ve been fascinated by technology’s potential to improve healthcare. As a volunteer in [the] Student Ambassador program, I was fortunate enough to watch an open-heart surgery. Intrigued by the confluence of technology and medicine, I chose to study biomedical engineering. At [school], I wanted to help expand this interface, so I became involved with research through Dr. P’s lab by studying the applications of electrospun scaffolds for dermal wound healing. While still in the preliminary stages of research, I learned about the Disability Service Club (DSC) and decided to try something new by volunteering at a bowling outing.

As she began to make calls, I saw that being a physician calls for more than good grades and an aptitude for science: it requires maturity, sacrifice, and most of all, empathy.

The DSC promotes awareness of cognitive disabilities in the community and seeks to alleviate difficulties for the disabled. During one outing, I collaborated with Arc, a local organization with a similar mission. Walking in, I was told that my role was to support the participants by providing encouragement. I decided to help a relatively quiet group of individuals assisted by only one volunteer, Mary. Mary informed me that many individuals with whom I was working were diagnosed with ASD. Suddenly, she started cheering, as one of the members of the group bowled a strike. The group went wild. Everyone was dancing, singing, and rejoicing. Then I noticed one gentleman sitting at our table, solemn-faced. I tried to start a conversation with him, but he remained unresponsive. I sat with him for the rest of the game, trying my hardest to think of questions that would elicit more than a monosyllabic response, but to no avail. As the game ended, I stood up to say bye when he mumbled, “Thanks for talking.” Then he quickly turned his head away. I walked away beaming. Although I was unable to draw out a smile or even sustain a conversation, at the end of the day, the fact that this gentleman appreciated my mere effort completely overshadowed the awkwardness of our time together. Later that day, I realized that as much as I enjoyed the thrill of research and its applications, helping other people was what I was most passionate about.

When it finally came time to tell Adam about his deteriorating condition, I was not sure how he would react. Dr. L gently greeted him and slowly let reality take its toll. He stoically turned towards Dr. L and groaned, “I don’t really care. Just leave me alone.” Dr. L gave him a concerned nod and gradually left the room. We walked to the next room where we met with a pastor from Adam’s church.

“Adam’s always been like that,” remarked the pastor, “he’s never been one to express emotion.” We sat with his pastor for over an hour discussing how we could console Adam. It turned out that Adam was part of a motorcycle club, but recently quit because of his health. So, Dr. L arranged for motorcycle pictures and other small bike trinkets to be brought to his room as a reminder of better times.

Dr. L’s simple gesture reminded me of why I want to pursue medicine. There is something sacred, empowering, about providing support when people need it the most; whether it be simple as starting a conversation, or providing support during the most trying of times. My time spent conducting research kindled my interest in the science of medicine, and my service as a volunteer allowed me to realize how much I valued human interaction. Science and technology form the foundation of medicine, but to me, empathy is the essence. It is my combined interest in science and service that inspires me to pursue medicine. It is that combined interest that makes me aspire to be a physician.

Parker’s essay focuses on one central narrative with a governing theme of compassionate and attentive care for patients, which is the key motivator for her application to medical school. Parker’s story focuses on her volunteer experience shadowing of Dr. L who went the extra mile for Adam, which sets Dr. L up as a role model for Parker as she enters the medical field. This effectively demonstrates to the reader what kind of doctor Parker wants to be in the future.

Parker’s narrative has a clear beginning, middle, and end, making it easy for the reader to follow. She intersperses the main narrative about Adam with experiences she has with other patients and reflects upon her values as she contemplates pursuing medicine as a career. Her anecdote about bowling with the patients diagnosed with ASD is another instance where she uses a story to tell the reader why she values helping people through medicine and attentive patient care, especially as she focuses on the impact her work made on one man at the event.

Parker's story focuses on her volunteer experience shadowing of Dr. L who went the extra mile for Adam, which sets Dr. L up as a role model for Parker as she enters the medical field.

All throughout the essay, the writing is engaging and Parker incorporates excellent imagery, which goes well with her varied sentence structure. The essay is also strong because it comes back full circle at its conclusion, tying the overall narrative back to the story of Dr. L and Adam, which speaks to Parker’s motives for going to medical school.

-- Accepted To: Emory School of Medicine

Growing up, I enjoyed visiting my grandparents. My grandfather was an established doctor, helping the sick and elderly in rural Taiwan until two weeks before he died at 91 years old. His clinic was located on the first floor of the residency with an exam room, treatment room, X-ray room, and small pharmacy. Curious about his work, I would follow him to see his patients. Grandpa often asked me if I want to be a doctor just like him. I always smiled, but was more interested in how to beat the latest Pokémon game. I was in 8th grade when my grandfather passed away. I flew back to Taiwan to attend his funeral. It was a gloomy day and the only street in the small village became a mourning place for the villagers. Flowers filled the streets and people came to pay their respects. An old man told me a story: 60 years ago, a village woman was in a difficult labor. My grandfather rushed into the house and delivered a baby boy. That boy was the old man and he was forever grateful. Stories of grandpa saving lives and bringing happiness to families were told during the ceremony. At that moment, I realized why my grandfather worked so tirelessly up until his death as a physician. He did it for the reward of knowing that he kept a family together and saved a life. The ability for a doctor to heal and bring happiness is the reason why I want to study medicine. Medical school is the first step on a lifelong journey of learning, but I feel that my journey leading up to now has taught me some things of what it means to be an effective physician.

With a newfound purpose, I began volunteering and shadowing at my local hospital. One situation stood out when I was a volunteer in the cardiac stress lab. As I attached EKG leads onto a patient, suddenly the patient collapsed and started gasping for air. His face turned pale, then slightly blue. The charge nurse triggered “Code Blue” and started CPR. A team of doctors and nurses came, rushing in with a defibrillator to treat and stabilize the patient. What I noticed was that medicine was not only about one individual acting as a superhero to save a life, but that it takes a team of individuals with an effective leader, working together to deliver the best care. I want to be a leader as well as part of a team that can make a difference in a person’s life. I have refined these lessons about teamwork and leadership to my activities. In high school I was an 8 time varsity letter winner for swimming and tennis and captain of both of those teams. In college I have participated in many activities, but notably serving as assistant principle cellist in my school symphony as well as being a co-founding member of a quartet. From both my athletic experiences and my music experiences I learned what it was like to not only assert my position as a leader and to effectively communicate my views, but equally as important I learned how to compromise and listen to the opinions of others. Many physicians that I have observed show a unique blend of confidence and humility.

What I noticed was that medicine was not only about one individual acting as a superhero to save a life, but that it takes a team of individuals with an effective leader, working together to deliver the best care.

College opened me up to new perspectives on what makes a complete physician. A concept that was preached in the Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions in Medicine (GPPA) was that medicine is both an art and a science. The art of medicine deals with a variety of aspects including patient relationships as well as ethics. Besides my strong affinity for the sciences and mathematics, I always have had interest in history. I took courses in both German literature and history, which influenced me to take a class focusing on Nazi neuroscientists. It was the ideology of seeing the disabled and different races as test subjects rather than people that led to devastating lapses in medical ethics. The most surprising fact for me was that doctors who were respected and leaders in their field disregarded the humanity of patient and rather focused on getting results from their research. Speaking with Dr. Zeidman, the professor for this course, influenced me to start my research which deals with the ethical qualms of using data derived from unethical Nazi experimentation such as the brains derived from the adult and child euthanasia programs. Today, science is so result driven, it is important to keep in mind the ethics behind research and clinical practice. Also the development of personalized genomic medicine brings into question about potential privacy violations and on the extreme end discrimination. The study of ethics no matter the time period is paramount in the medical field. The end goal should always be to put the patient first.

Teaching experiences in college inspired me to become a physician educator if I become a doctor. Post-MCAT, I was offered a job by Next Step Test Prep as a tutor to help students one on one for the MCAT. I had a student who stated he was doing well during practice, but couldn’t get the correct answer during practice tests. Working with the student, I pointed out his lack of understanding concepts and this realization helped him and improves his MCAT score. Having the ability to educate the next generation of doctors is not only necessary, but also a rewarding experience.

My experiences volunteering and shadowing doctors in the hospital as well as my understanding of what it means to be a complete physician will make me a good candidate as a medical school student. It is my goal to provide the best care to patients and to put a smile on a family’s face just as my grandfather once had. Achieving this goal does not take a special miracle, but rather hard work, dedication, and an understanding of what it means to be an effective physician.

Through reflecting on various stages of life, Quinn expresses how they found purpose in pursuing medicine. Starting as a child more interested in Pokemon than their grandfather’s patients, Quinn exhibits personal growth through recognizing the importance of their grandfather’s work saving lives and eventually gaining the maturity to work towards this goal as part of a team.

This essay opens with abundant imagery — of the grandfather’s clinic, flowers filling the streets, and the village woman’s difficult labor — which grounds Quinn’s story in their family roots. Yet, the transition from shadowing in hospitals to pursuing leadership positions in high schools is jarring, and the list of athletic and musical accomplishments reads like a laundry list of accomplishments until Quinn neatly wraps them up as evidence of leadership and teamwork skills. Similarly, the section about tutoring, while intended to demonstrate Quinn’s desire to educate future physicians, lacks the emotional resonance necessary to elevate it from another line lifted from their resume.

This essay opens with abundant imagery — of the grandfather's clinic, flowers filling the streets, and the village woman's difficult labor — which grounds Quinn's story in their family roots.

The strongest point of Quinn’s essay is the focus on their unique arts and humanities background. This equips them with a unique perspective necessary to consider issues in medicine in a new light. Through detailing how history and literature coursework informed their unique research, Quinn sets their application apart from the multitude of STEM-focused narratives. Closing the essay with the desire to help others just as their grandfather had, Quinn ties the narrative back to their personal roots.

-- Accepted To: Edinburgh University UCAT Score: 2810 BMAT Score: 4.6, 4.2, 3.5A

Exposure to the medical career from an early age by my father, who would explain diseases of the human body, sparked my interest for Medicine and drove me to seek out work experience. I witnessed the contrast between use of bone saws and drills to gain access to the brain, with subsequent use of delicate instruments and microscopes in neurosurgery. The surgeon's care to remove the tumour, ensuring minimal damage to surrounding healthy brain and his commitment to achieve the best outcome for the patient was inspiring. The chance to have such a positive impact on a patient has motivated me to seek out a career in Medicine.

Whilst shadowing a surgical team in Texas, carrying out laparoscopic bariatric procedures, I appreciated the surgeon's dedication to continual professional development and research. I was inspired to carry out an Extended Project Qualification on whether bariatric surgery should be funded by the NHS. By researching current literature beyond my school curriculum, I learnt to assess papers for bias and use reliable sources to make a conclusion on a difficult ethical situation. I know that doctors are required to carry out research and make ethical decisions and so, I want to continue developing these skills during my time at medical school.

The chance to have such a positive impact on a patient has motivated me to seek out a career in Medicine.

Attending an Oncology multi-disciplinary team meeting showed me the importance of teamwork in medicine. I saw each team member, with specific areas of expertise, contributing to the discussion and actively listening, and together they formed a holistic plan of action for patients. During my Young Enterprise Award, I facilitated a brainstorm where everyone pitched a product idea. Each member offered a different perspective on the idea and then voted on a product to carry forward in the competition. As a result, we came runners up in the Regional Finals. Furthermore, I started developing my leadership skills, which I improved by doing Duke of Edinburgh Silver and attending a St. John Ambulance Leadership course. In one workshop, similar to the bariatric surgeon I shadowed, I communicated instructions and delegated roles to my team to successfully solve a puzzle. These experiences highlighted the crucial need for teamwork and leadership as a doctor.

Observing a GP, I identified the importance of compassion and empathy. During a consultation with a severely depressed patient, the GP came to the patient's eye level and used a calm, non-judgmental tone of voice, easing her anxieties and allowing her to disclose more information. While volunteering at a care home weekly for two years, I adapted my communication for a resident suffering with dementia who was disconnected from others. I would take her to a quiet environment, speak slowly and in a non-threatening manner, as such, she became talkative, engaged and happier. I recognised that communication and compassion allows doctors to build rapport, gain patients' trust and improve compliance. For two weeks, I shadowed a surgeon performing multiple craniotomies a day. I appreciated the challenges facing doctors including time and stress management needed to deliver high quality care. Organisation, by prioritising patients based on urgency and creating a timetable on the ward round, was key to running the theatre effectively. Similarly, I create to-do-lists and prioritise my academics and extra-curricular activities to maintain a good work-life balance: I am currently preparing for my Grade 8 in Singing, alongside my A-level exams. I also play tennis for the 1st team to relax and enable me to refocus. I wish to continue my hobbies at university, as ways to manage stress.

Through my work experiences and voluntary work, I have gained a realistic understanding of Medicine and its challenges. I have begun to display the necessary skills that I witnessed, such as empathy, leadership and teamwork. The combination of these skills with my fascination for the human body drives me to pursue a place at medical school and a career as a doctor.

This essay traces Alex's personal exploration of medicine through different stages of life, taking a fairly traditional path to the medical school application essay. From witnessing medical procedures to eventually pursuing leadership positions, this tale of personal progress argues that Alex's life has prepared him to become a doctor.

Alex details how experiences conducting research and working with medical teams have confirmed his interest in medicine. Although the breadth of experiences speaks to the applicant’s interest in medicine, the essay verges on being a regurgitation of the Alex's resume, which does not provide the admissions officer with any new insights or information and ultimately takes away from the essay as a whole. As such, the writing’s lack of voice or unique perspective puts the applicant at risk of sounding middle-of-the-road.

From witnessing medical procedures to eventually pursuing leadership positions, this tale of personal progress argues that Alex's life has prepared him to become a doctor.

The essay’s organization, however, is one of its strengths — each paragraph provides an example of personal growth through a new experience in medicine. Further, Alex demonstrates his compassion and diligence through detailed stories, which give a reader a glimpse into his values. Through recognizing important skills necessary to be a doctor, Alex demonstrates that he has the mature perspective necessary to embark upon this journey.

What this essay lacks in a unique voice, it makes up for in professionalism and organization. Alex's earnest desire to attend medical school is what makes this essay shine.

-- Accepted To: University of Toronto MCAT Scores: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems - 128, Critical Analysis and Reading Skills - 127, Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems - 127, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior - 130, Total - 512

Moment of brilliance.

Revelation.

These are all words one would use to describe their motivation by a higher calling to achieve something great. Such an experience is often cited as the reason for students to become physicians; I was not one of these students. Instead of waiting for an event like this, I chose to get involved in the activities that I found most invigorating. Slowly but surely, my interests, hobbies, and experiences inspired me to pursue medicine.

As a medical student, one must possess a solid academic foundation to facilitate an understanding of physical health and illness. Since high school, I found science courses the most appealing and tended to devote most of my time to their exploration. I also enjoyed learning about the music, food, literature, and language of other cultures through Latin and French class. I chose the Medical Sciences program because it allowed for flexibility in course selection. I have studied several scientific disciplines in depth like physiology and pathology while taking classes in sociology, psychology, and classical studies. Such a diverse academic portfolio has strengthened my ability to consider multiple viewpoints and attack problems from several angles. I hope to relate to patients from all walks of life as a physician and offer them personalized treatment.

I was motivated to travel as much as possible by learning about other cultures in school. Exposing myself to different environments offered me perspective on universal traits that render us human. I want to pursue medicine because I believe that this principle of commonality relates to medical practice in providing objective and compassionate care for all. Combined with my love for travel, this realization took me to Nepal with Volunteer Abroad (VA) to build a school for a local orphanage (4). The project’s demands required a group of us to work closely as a team to accomplish the task. Rooted in different backgrounds, we often had conflicting perspectives; even a simple task such as bricklaying could stir up an argument because each person had their own approach. However, we discussed why we came to Nepal and reached the conclusion that all we wanted was to build a place of education for the children. Our unifying goal allowed us to reach compromises and truly appreciate the value of teamwork. These skills are vital in a clinical setting, where physicians and other health care professionals need to collaborate as a multidisciplinary team to tackle patients’ physical, emotional, social, and psychological problems.

I hope to relate to patients from all walks of life as a physician and offer them personalized treatment.

The insight I gained from my Nepal excursion encouraged me to undertake and develop the role of VA campus representative (4). Unfortunately, many students are not equipped with the resources to volunteer abroad; I raised awareness about local initiatives so everyone had a chance to do their part. I tried to avoid pushing solely for international volunteerism for this reason and also because it can undermine the work of local skilled workers and foster dependency. Nevertheless, I took on this position with VA because I felt that the potential benefits were more significant than the disadvantages. Likewise, doctors must constantly weigh out the pros and cons of a situation to help a patient make the best choice. I tried to dispel fears of traveling abroad by sharing first-hand experiences so that students could make an informed decision. When people approached me regarding unfamiliar placements, I researched their questions and provided them with both answers and a sense of security. I found great fulfillment in addressing the concerns of individuals, and I believe that similar processes could prove invaluable in the practice of medicine.

As part of the Sickkids Summer Research Program, I began to appreciate the value of experimental investigation and evidence-based medicine (23). Responsible for initiating an infant nutrition study at a downtown clinic, I was required to explain the project’s implications and daily protocol to physicians, nurses and phlebotomists. I took anthropometric measurements and blood pressure of children aged 1-10 and asked parents about their and their child’s diet, television habits, physical exercise regimen, and sunlight exposure. On a few occasions, I analyzed and presented a small set of data to my superiors through oral presentations and written documents.

With continuous medical developments, physicians must participate in lifelong learning. More importantly, they can engage in research to further improve the lives of their patients. I encountered a young mother one day at the clinic struggling to complete the study’s questionnaires. After I asked her some questions, she began to open up to me as her anxiety subsided; she then told me that her child suffered from low iron. By talking with the physician and reading a few articles, I recommended a few supplements and iron-rich foods to help her child. This experience in particular helped me realize that I enjoy clinical research and strive to address the concerns of people with whom I interact.

Research is often impeded by a lack of government and private funding. My clinical placement motivated me to become more adept in budgeting, culminating in my role as founding Co-President of the UWO Commerce Club (ICCC) (9). Together, fellow club executives and I worked diligently to get the club ratified, a process that made me aware of the bureaucratic challenges facing new organizations. Although we had a small budget, we found ways of minimizing expenditure on advertising so that we were able to host more speakers who lectured about entrepreneurship and overcoming challenges. Considering the limited space available in hospitals and the rising cost of health care, physicians, too, are often forced to prioritize and manage the needs of their patients.

No one needs a grand revelation to pursue medicine. Although passion is vital, it is irrelevant whether this comes suddenly from a life-altering event or builds up progressively through experience. I enjoyed working in Nepal, managing resources, and being a part of clinical and research teams; medicine will allow me to combine all of these aspects into one wholesome career.

I know with certainty that this is the profession for me.

Jimmy opens this essay hinting that his essay will follow a well-worn path, describing the “big moment” that made him realize why he needed to become a physician. But Jimmy quickly turns the reader’s expectation on its head by stating that he did not have one of those moments. By doing this, Jimmy commands attention and has the reader waiting for an explanation. He soon provides the explanation that doubles as the “thesis” of his essay: Jimmy thinks passion can be built progressively, and Jimmy’s life progression has led him to the medical field.

Jimmy did not make the decision to pursue a career in medicine lightly. Instead he displays through anecdotes that his separate passions — helping others, exploring different walks of life, personal responsibility, and learning constantly, among others — helped Jimmy realize that being a physician was the career for him. By talking readers through his thought process, it is made clear that Jimmy is a critical thinker who can balance multiple different perspectives simultaneously. The ability to evaluate multiple options and make an informed, well-reasoned decision is one that bodes well for Jimmy’s medical career.

While in some cases this essay does a lot of “telling,” the comprehensive and decisive walkthrough indicates what Jimmy’s idea of a doctor is. To him, a doctor is someone who is genuinely interested in his work, someone who can empathize and related to his patients, someone who can make important decisions with a clear head, and someone who is always trying to learn more. Just like his decision to work at the VA, Jimmy has broken down the “problem” (what his career should be) and reached a sound conclusion.

By talking readers through his thought process, it is made clear that Jimmy is a critical thinker who can balance multiple different perspectives simultaneously.

Additionally, this essay communicates Jimmy’s care for others. While it is not always advisable to list one’s volunteer efforts, each activity Jimmy lists has a direct application to his essay. Further, the sheer amount of philanthropic work that Jimmy does speaks for itself: Jimmy would not have worked at VA, spent a summer with Sickkids, or founded the UWO finance club if he were not passionate about helping others through medicine. Like the VA story, the details of Jimmy’s participation in Sickkids and the UWO continue to show how he has thought about and embodied the principles that a physician needs to be successful.

Jimmy’s essay both breaks common tropes and lives up to them. By framing his “list” of activities with his passion-happens-slowly mindset, Jimmy injects purpose and interest into what could have been a boring and braggadocious essay if it were written differently. Overall, this essay lets the reader know that Jimmy is seriously dedicated to becoming a physician, and both his thoughts and his actions inspire confidence that he will give medical school his all.

The Crimson's news and opinion teams—including writers, editors, photographers, and designers—were not involved in the production of this content.

Which program are you applying to?

Medical school personal statement examples.

Get accepted to your top choice medical school with your compelling essay.

THE TOP 10 MEDICAL SCHOOLS

HAVE AN AVERAGE ACCEPTANCE RATE OF 5.3%

A GREAT MEDICAL SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT IS KEY IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

If you want to get into the best school, you need to stand out from other applicants.  

U.S. News   reports the average medical school acceptance rate at the top 100 med schools at 6.35% , but our med school clients enjoy an 85% ACCEPTANCE RATE .

How can you separate yourself from the competition successfully? By creating a great personal statement.

body:nth-child(2) > div.body-wrapper > main:nth-child(3) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div.row-fluid-wrapper.row-depth-1.row-number-6 > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div.row-fluid-wrapper.row-depth-1.row-number-7 > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > #hs_cos_wrapper_dnd_area-module-12 > #hs_cos_wrapper_dnd_area-module-12_ > h2:nth-child(2)">Medical School Sample Personal Statements and Essays

Here we present medical school personal statement examples to give you ideas for your own essay.

Pay close attention to the consistent format of these effective personal statements:

ENGAGING INTRODUCTION / UNIFYING THEME / COMPELLING CONCLUSION

Give the admissions committee readers a clear picture of you as an individual, a student, and a future medical professional. Make them want to meet you after they finish reading your essay.

Here's what you'll find on this page:

• How Sample Med School Essays Can Help You
• Before you Start Writing
• Writing Your Opening Paragraph
• Writing Your Body Paragraphs
• Writing Transitions
• Writing Your Conclusion
• Common Elements Between Personal Statements

Five Don'ts for Your Medical School Personal Statement

• Personal Statement Examples & Analysis
• Frequently Asked Questions

How can these sample med school essays help you?

You plan to become a physician, a highly respected professional who will have great responsibility over the health and well being of your future patients. How can you prove to the admissions committee that you have the intelligence, the maturity, the compassion, and the dedication needed to succeed in your goal? 

The medical school personal statement examples below are all arguments in favor of top med schools accepting these applicants. And they worked. The applicants who wrote these essays were all accepted to top medical schools - most to multiple schools. They show a variety of experiences and thought processes that all led to the same outcome. However, while the paths to this decision point vary widely, these winning essays share several things in common. 

As you read them, take note of how the stories are built sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, adding to the evidence that the writer is worthy of acceptance. This evidence includes showing a sustained focus, mature self-reflection, and professional and educational experiences that have helped prepare the applicant to succeed. 

As you write your medical school personal statement , include your most compelling, memorable and meaningful experiences that are relevant to your decision to become a doctor. Each sentence should add to the reader’s understanding of who you are, what your strengths are, and why you will make an outstanding physician. Your resulting essay will help the adcom appreciate your intellectual and psychological strengths as well as your motivations, and conclude that you are worthy of acceptance into a top medical school. 

Techniques for creating successful medical school personal statements

Before you start writing your med school personal statement.

Before you start writing your medical school personal statement you will need to choose a topic that will reflect who you are and engage the reader. There are a few strong ways to proceed. Try freewriting with a few of the following topic ideas.

Why medicine? Do you have a personal experience that made you certain about being a physician? How, when, did you know this was the right career for you? Is there a doctor you know (or knew) who emulates an altruistic moral character, someone who won your deepest respect? Can you show this person in action or describe them as they model inherent qualities, those for which you will strive as a physician?

How has a clinical experience been a real growth moment for you? Can you tell that story? Sometimes a clinical experience is deeply personal, something experienced by you or by someone in your family. Sometimes a clinical experience is about a patient whose situation taught you something deeply valuable, something honestly insightful about what good care means, about humanity, about empathy, about compassion, about community, about advantage and disadvantage, about equity and inclusion. 

Choose an experience outside the comfort of your own community, an experience where you were the outsider (uncertain, facing ambiguity) and this experience brought about a fresh, resonant understanding of yourself and others, an understanding that made you grow as a person, and perhaps brought about humility or joy in light of this geographical or cultural dislocation. Often this prompt includes traveling to other countries. Yet, it could work just as beautifully discovering people in close places that were previously unfamiliar to you – the shelter in the next town over, a foster home for medically unstable children, the day you witnessed food insecurity firsthand at a local church and decided to do something about disparity.

Read other successful personal statements in guides and publications. You can read sample personal statements that work here: medical school personal statement examples

The prompts above have great possibilities to be successful because they locate experiences that require better than average human understanding and insight. When we re-convey a moving human experience well, we tell a story that aims to bring us together, unite us in our common humanity. Telling powerful stories about humanity, in the end, presents your deeper attributes to others and demonstrates your capacity to feel deeply about the human condition. 

Be careful how often you use the first person pronoun, though you may use it. Revise for clarity many more times than you might do in other writing moments. Choose precise vocabulary that sounds like you, and, of course, revise so that you present to your readers the most pristinely grammatical you. 

Once you’ve looked at the sample medical school personal statements in the link above, try freewriting again according to one of the themes listed that applies to you. For instance, perhaps your prior freewriting aimed to describe a moment in your life that seeded your interest in medicine. Great. Save that file. Now, start again with a different topic, perhaps one from the linked page of sample personal statements. For instance, let your freewriting explore the time you traveled to another country to participate in a public health mission. What person immediately comes to mind? Hopefully this person is quite different from you in identity and culture. Make sure this comes across. Describe the scene when you first encountered this person. What happened? Tell that story. Why do you think you remember this person so vividly? Did the experience challenge you? Did you learn something deeper and perhaps more complex about humanity, about culture, about your own assumptions about humanity? Hopefully, you grew from this experience. How did you grow? What do you now understand that you did not understand before having had this experience? Hindsight may very well bring about perspective that demonstrates that you now understand the value of that human encounter. 

Here is a cautionary bit of advice about writing about childhood. Yes, it is relatively common to have had a formidable experience in childhood about illness, health, healthcare, medicine or doctors. Right? Most of us have had at least one critical health issue in our own family when still a child. Sometimes it is absolutely true that a moment in childhood began your interest in healthcare. 

One may have had a diagnosis as a child that turned one’s life path toward being health-aware. For instance, are you a juvenile-onset, Type I diabetic? Do you have a cognitive or physical disability? Were you raised in a home with someone who had a critical illness or disability? Did a sibling, parent or grandparent get gravely sick when you were young? 

Upon writing-up any of these situations for your personal statement, there is a catch-22. For medical school application activities, the rule of thumb is “nothing from high school.” So why then is it sometimes a good idea to write about a childhood situation in a personal statement? The answer has to do with the uniqueness of your story and the quality of hindsight through which you narrate it.

Let us slow down for a moment on the issue of writing about childhood. Typically, traditional applicants to medical school are steadfastly dedicated to their academic and pre-professional aims. Science curriculum, especially pre-med curriculum, is demanding and rigorous, and it trains science students to excel in empirical thinking and assessment. 

Sometimes, when asked to write a personal essay, hard core science students feel the rug pulled out from under them. Are you more confident and meticulous about action steps and future plans than you are confident about being a sage looking back on your life? Chances are your answer is “yes.” 

Of course you can write; you’re a smart person and a very good student. Yet, writing a heartfelt, perceptive essay about yourself or an aspect of your life for an application to medical school is unnerving even as you understand why your application might benefit from story-telling. Yes, your application should benefit from your engaging, authorial presence in the essay. An application that lacks this is wholly at a disadvantage. 

Perhaps you are gravitating to the choice to share a story about your childhood. 

For instance, what if you sat down to free-write the following prompt:

Draft an essay about a childhood experience that ingrained medicine as one of your inherent interests. Do so in a manner that demonstrates the value of hindsight while telling it.

Is it hard to stay calm about this prompt right now even though this prompt is precisely what could make your personal statement successful? The idea of this prompt is what many successful applicants have written well, and you can too. Why not seek professional guidance for your personal essay? Accepted has consultants who advise applicants through this process. We advise you on the whole process of developing a successful idea for an essay, help you mine your experiences, outline your strongest ideas, and after you’ve written them up, edit your drafts. You can view these personal statement services here: Essay Package

Back to tips. The key to writing a personal statement that frames a moment in childhood well is to stand firmly in the present and stay descriptive and perceptive. Write up that experience trusting you have insight. Quite a bit of time has passed since then, and that distance has given you the opportunity to see things a little differently now. 

Let’s presume you want to write about how as a child you had an older sibling with a cognitive impairment. You and your family witnessed time and again doors being shut, so to speak, on his ability to be included in school events or community events.

Free writing A: My older brother, G, had moderate cognitive impairment. He was never given field time in soccer games. When this happened, G cried. When this happened, I cried and felt hurt by how much time my parents spent trying to calm him down, eventually leaving the field, holding him close and bringing us back home, another Saturday wrecked. 

Example A has no benefit of hindsight.

Free writing B (with some hindsight): My older brother, G, had moderate cognitive impairment. Most of the time, kids were kind to him. “Hey G, how are you, man?,” they would say and high-five him. Most kids greeted him, offered him snacks and a seat on the sideline blanket. It was touching to see him included and seen at soccer games.

Further hindsight: G was rarely played in the game. 

Reflective comment: No harm would have been done in letting him play. It’s clear to me now how much more work we each need to do about inclusion. Community-based team sports are pretty good about extending kindness at the sidelines, but that is not the same thing as letting all kids play in the game. I am still grateful for every kindness extended to my brother, but perhaps letting him play in the game would have demonstrated to kids and parents alike a deeper message about the importance of inclusion over winning. The coaches meant no harm, but that is precisely how unconscious bias plays. Afterall, community by its very definition is about inclusion.

Standing tall on this matter brings out a maturity and vocabulary to master this kind of personal writing that Free Writing A lacks. You don’t want to go back in time and join your younger self and narrate from that perspective. The “return” to your former child typically results in replicating a childlike emotional capacity – and chances are, that’s not you anymore. You’ve seen more. You’ve grown more. You’re now formally educated. You’re more skilled at making connections between ideas and experiences. You can narrate a scene or circumstance and attach awareness of what you realize now it means – like the over-narratives of documentaries where the author sheds true insight about the meaning of past events. 

Most traditional applicants to medical school are just a few years older than teenagers. 

When hindsight brings great clarity and insight to the significance of an experience, we demonstrate a keener maturity and an understanding that in authoring an experience we have a responsibility to demonstrate how a personal experience becomes a valuable portal to understanding the situation of others. Hindsight done well can be a stunningly beautiful and engaging narrative skill.

Perhaps you would rather write about a clinical experience? If you write about patients, change names, change gender, change some context to assure anonymity. Nearly all healthcare workers are concerned about telling patient stories because we worry about appropriating someone else’s experience, or feel we may not have the right, literally since HIPAA set rules on patients’ privacy rights in 1996. We should be concerned about telling patients’ stories; however, how we tell them is key in honoring them. When we honor patients and convey their stories to others we demonstrate the reciprocity of the professional relationship. Physicians no longer have a prescriptive, patrician role. Physicians are no longer sole authorities. Physicians and patients establish a reciprocal relationship, a two way street wherein a physician steps into a space of illness with the patient and walks with them, with the goal of healing, curing and advocating for them. When doctors tell stories, they establish that patients matter, that these encounters matter, that doctors think about patients and often learn from them. 

How we write patient stories is best done humbly, of course. We can narrate a story that becomes exemplary for its insight and empathy – after all, insight and empathy are desirable traits of a physician. Be sure to show rather than tell, most of the time. Be sure to capture the sensory detail of people and place. For instance, is the patient sitting on a blue plastic chair under ultraviolet lights in the waiting room of a free clinic? Is a woman with her gray hair twisted in a bun wearing a cotton hospital gown, waiting against a concrete wall in a tiny examination room with the door open? (Setting makes a character more real.) 

Finally, your story perspective, what you see and understand, becomes another way of revealing who you are. 

How to write your opening paragraph:

A strong opening paragraph for a story begins “several pages in.” A strong story begins with you, the narrator, already standing in the ocean with water splashing at your knees. This is called a hook: “D began to bleed after the second attempt to start an intravenous line.” 

Then, get the basic narrative facts down, the 5 W’s, the who, what, where, when and why, so your readers will not be confused: “She was a patient in the infusion clinic in the cancer pavilion of a major Boston hospital. She came to the clinic for her first round of chemotherapy.”

What else about this moment engaged you? Did D come to her appointment alone via an Uber ride? Why wasn’t anyone with her? How did that make you feel? Did the two of you hold a conversation while you were trying to start an IV? Why do you think she started to bleed? How did she respond when she saw you were having trouble starting this IV? Why didn’t she have a Medi-port yet? Here, you are building fuller context for her story. Don’t race through the scene; rather, build it, slowing down time, using images and sensory details to “paint” with your words. Smaller details, necessary ones, help you portray D as an individual. 

“Semper Fidelis was tattooed on her forearm. ‘Thank you for your service,’ I said.” 

“‘This cancer thing,’ she said, ‘this is nothing.’”

“D’s comment set me back. She had triple-negative breast cancer. She had blood running down her arm to her hand, between her fingers and onto a stiff, white pillow case on which she rested her arm. Triple-negative breast cancer was much more than nothing. In fact, it was very serious.” 

What questions came to mind that provide several ways of reading this moment? Write them down. For instance,

• Did D not know about the gravity of her diagnosis?
• Was she steely and tough yet informed?
• Did she live through something much worse while enlisted as a Marine?

The questions themselves may wander too much to serve your personal statement as a succinct essay, which it needs to be. However, the answers to those questions may be exactly the additional content you need to develop this story’s acumen and perception as you demonstrate how getting to know the patient is a critical skill in order to help her. And now a theme is starting to come through: a doctor treats a patient, not a diagnosis. Voilà!

Moving forward: How does a doctor reframe clinical assumptions in this instance? What does a future doctor learn from a circumstance like this? 

Notice in the example above that the writing is active, uses details, and vivid language.

This writer has a palpable connection to the moment. One key to choosing one experience over another for your personal statement is how visual and vivid your recollection is. Often, moments worth mining for meaning are easy to recollect because they still have unresolved messages that need to be understood. Writing experiences helps us find their meaning, their sense. 

Notice as well, the scene above captures a moment of ambiguity, a concept particularly difficult for many health science professionals to embrace because there are multiple ways of looking at and understanding something. Stories send empiricism into the wind. People are not solely empirical. There is the self that is the body, which can be understood empirically, but there’s also the self that inhabits the body, the thinking/feeling/being and perceiving self. Stories are not about right answers. Stories attend to sentience and explore humanity. Patients’ lives are rife with uncertain moments, uncertain decisions, uncertain treatments, uncertain consequences, and uncertain outcomes. How does a physician engage with health uncertainty, understand it, and navigate it through pathways of humanity rather than pathways of diagnosis?

How does health care challenge you to grow in humanistic ways?

How to write your body paragraphs:

Once you have written a compelling scene, it might be a good idea to reflect upon why you were drawn to write about this experience in particular before your proceed. How does this scene illustrate meaningfully something worth explaining about becoming a physician? For instance, D’s scene was illustrative of an unexpected shift in perception that mattered when treating a patient with a serious cancer diagnosis. This unexpected shift happened to you, not to her. D’s been living with herself aplenty. Her point of view surprised you, not her, and reveals an incongruence between her perspective on her illness and yours.

Brief moments of ambiguity like this one can make us talk to each other, make us want to do something, can bring us to explore some further niche, specialty or research. Perhaps D brought you to peruse PubMed to research “Issues in Clinical Practice when Caring for Veterans” to see if you could find articles to help you help D and other veterans. Perhaps D’s comment was so truthful that you now volunteer with a veterans’ organization to scribe their stories for a war history museum? This “call to action” is a worthy story in a personal statement. Tell D’s story and conclude it with empathy and action. (Taking action to help is a demonstration of empathy.) Mindfully showing the experience with D as a catalyst to a path of action to help those under duress -- in distress, in crisis, or adrift in inequity -- matters.

Perhaps, follow this conclusion with a brief explanation of what principles now guide your humanistic path to medical school as long as they are principles that matter to your choice schools. 

Here are a few things to avoid in writing your medical school personal statement. Avoid talking about your scholastic path in preparation for medical school in your essay. The essay is not a place to reiterate scholastic achievements, for instance, a high GPA, academic honors, academic awards, publications, or MCAT scores because they’re front and center in other areas of your application. 

Instead, frame your medical school personal statement around a formidable experience that directly or indirectly led you to pursue medicine. This could be a struggle that you’ve overcome that demonstrates your fortitude (the story of a sociocultural disadvantage or disability), the first time you deeply understood the ramifications of health care disparities you will not forget. Likely, this would be a personal story about yourself or a family member, a clinical story or a mission trip, or a story about a patient from some other volunteer work that you’ve done. 

Additional topic ideas for your personal statement: What is a successful doctor? What does a successful life as a doctor look like? What happens to your understanding of best practices when a patient’s situation makes a best practice unrealistic, and what is the remedy? What epiphany, small or large, resides in you now since having mined a critical, clinical experience? Do you see a difference in the way you respond to patients since having had this experience? How has clinical experience matured you, deepened your awareness of living? If a patient experience became a catalyst for you to branch out or deepen your healthcare exposure opportunities, talk about that too. What opportunities? Why?

Writing effective transitions:

You are now ready to proceed to a conclusion that leaves your readers, the admissions committee, with a lasting impression of you – your life, your mind, your character -- as a 21 st century physician. 

Chances are, you’ll need to transition from the previous discussion of a time in the past to squarely speak about yourself here and now or in a comment toward the future. 

Can you sum up your main idea for the past experience? Consider the benefit of using a word or phrase -- thus, just as, hence, accordingly, in the same way, correspondingly -- and present your central idea again but only in a few repetitive words (called parallelism) or with synonymous words, creating internal unity in the essay. 

Be careful how you do this. The phrasing should feel necessary and fluid rather than reductive or even worse, phrasing that sounds like filler. 

The shift you’re making is from then to now, or from then to now and to the future as in “all this is to say.” Would you benefit from a fact, a quote, a statistic, or an informed prediction on the state of medicine, public health, or the future of medicine? 

Grammar tips: 

Transitional words can indicate:

• a process: first, second, next, finally…
• time: by lunch time, that evening, two weeks later…
• spatial sequences: down the block, two miles west, one bed over…
• logic sequences: likewise, however, evidently, in other words…
• meta-thought: as I say this, looking back, I have nothing left to say…

If grammar and idea flow are a concern, have a look at Accepted’s editing services: Med School Essay Package

A consultant will walk you through the inception of an essay, an outline, and editing from first through final drafts, including suggestions for idea development and transitions from one idea to another.

How to write your conclusion:

A strong conclusion for your medical school personal statement can highlight the relevance of a timely issue (for instance, the physician shortage in the U.S.), make broader inferences about something you’ve already discussed (for instance, the broader implications of a particular health care disparity), or a call to action that you now embrace (for instance, community-based work that you did during the pandemic that now has become a central interest). Altruism, or understanding another’s disadvantaged situation, should not be represented in your conclusion as “ideas alone.” Commitment to serve others is not solely aspirational (“As physicians, we must do everything we can about inequity"), but a strong conclusion puts ideals into action (“I have joined Dr. T’s research team to conduct qualitative research about how social strata paradigms impact health care inequity”). Action in the conclusion should be associated with an experience shown earlier in the essay and culminate as a demonstration that you have already begun shaping your path in medicine. You are not waiting to begin but have already begun facing the challenges and responsibilities of future physicians. This kind of conclusion shows vision, maturity, commitment and character.

If the story in the body of your personal statement is about an experience, the conclusion should show your growth since then and keep in alignment how you’ve grown with the medical school values and missions of the majority of schools on your list. So, if you’re applying to top-tier allopathic schools, your growth may be in the depth and orientation of your recent research, or in having established a tighter link between your clinical experience and research. 

If you’re applying to osteopathic schools, your growth should be in keeping with the osteopathic schools’ values and missions on your list and include recent hands-on experience, something with specific tasks and responsibilities, rather than shadowing, since shadowing is often seen as passive experience. It may be that you’ve become a licensed EMT and will work as an EMT in a relevant region or state during the gap year. It may be that you’ve been certified and now work as a harm reduction specialist for a particular organization in a particular city or county. 

If you’re applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools, each personal statement should align with the academic orientation of each pathway. Using the same personal statement for both AMCAS and AACOMAS applications is rarely a good idea. 

Accepted offers help with the whole application process: Primary Application Package

Other elements that each essay below have in common:

Accepted provides sample medical school personal statements with titles classifying types of narratives that have potential for success. Applicants do have some freedom of choice in what topic will serve their essay best. Why only “some” freedom in topic for this personal essay? Because this essay is one tool you will use to reach a professional goal. 

Not all essays help us reach professional goals. Writers of effective essays must take into account who will read them. Think about who your audience is. In this case, it’s a medical school admissions committee – not a friend, not a parent, not a peer. How will you write an essay on the same topic, let’s say a lab experience that went from bad to revelatory? You’d tell this story quite differently to your lab mates than you would to your professor, than you would to the president of your university, than you would in a grant application. 

Here’s what can happen when the “audience” isn’t considered sufficiently when writing about a passion. Let’s say you love playing soccer, and played on a Division 3 team as an undergraduate. Let’s say it didn’t matter to you that the team was Division 3 as long as it meant you could get on the field and play through your undergraduate years. It’s quite possible that one can write well about playing soccer, but one must do so in such a way that the reader really believes and understands the parallel between doing what you love and a future in medicine. Otherwise, the writer may very well convey that they love soccer. However, when written without the focus that medical school admissions committees will be readers, the essay could end up conveying that the narrator really wants to be a soccer coach, not a doctor. 

So, there’s only some freedom in topic and some freedom in writing approach - and the two must make sense together in order to facilitate accomplishing your goal. 

There is no “one-size-fits-all” to writing a successful medical school personal statement. There are, however, aspects to the sample essays on this site that stand out. 

First, each personal statement example is authored by someone who knows exactly what story they’re telling. No matter what their first draft looked like, by the time the final draft is ready to go, all fuzzy draft moments have been made lucid and engaging. All sections of the essay should have the polish and the same goals. 

• Why am I telling this in this way? 
• To what ends does each scene or moment speak?
• Have I revised enough to make every sentence demonstrate strong writing skills?

Each sample personal statement emphasizes narrative control, engages with a direct voice, has conclusive things to show and say, demonstrates logical steps in idea development, and presents effective framing of the composition as a well-written form that displays strong writing skills. 

Even when an essay includes a “bookend” structure (a narrative structure that begins and ends with X, with middle content about Y), the story of Y (i.e. a mission trip in Mexico) is the primary story framed by the X bookend story (i.e. the love of running) to give ballast to the context in which this writer wants us to understand the mission trip as well, as a parallel story of challenge, commitment, exhilaration, exhaustion and necessity.

The same is true for stories that contain contrasts. If you’ve traveled ten mile or ten thousand miles, it is quite possible you’ve encountered different assumptions than your own about health care, health care access, trust, understanding of middle-class or first-world beliefs about health, understanding beliefs from poor and disadvantaged communities, illness, health care in contrast with a different cultural standard than what you’re used to, different beliefs about health care access, and a lack of or cautious trust in deference to doctors. (See the “Nontraditional Applicant” and “The Traveler.”) The key to this kind of essay is first demonstrating the contrasts between the two realities (yours and the patient’s reality) and their relative assumptions. Second, demonstrate an understanding of beliefs amid the two experiences and aim to reconcile their adverse assumptions.

However you proceed with the paragraph by paragraph progression of your medical school personal statement, be sure to see how there’s deeper intuition or knowledge associated with how the ideas progress. Do not repeat yourself, or reiterate a statement or idea unless you are clearly doing so for rhetorical emphasis.

Then, kiss your draft goodnight. Let it sit for two or three days, and return to it time and again with fresh eyes – to trim, tighten, clarify, improve tone and intention, and importantly, to make sure you have direct regard for your audience, who it is, what they’re looking for, and how you are the person whom they seek, as you maintain a tone and direction consistent with your goals and what you’re seeking from an admissions committee. 

Many students focus on their own or family members’ medical conditions in their personal statements. The essay sometimes reads like a medical history. Taking this approach can hurt your application for several reasons: It may alert them to conditions that could impact your ability to perform in medical school,   indicate that you lack boundaries by oversharing , or suggest a lack of maturity in focusing only on yourself and family – rather than on helping others or serving the community.

Anything you share in your personal statement can be brought up in your interview. If you share details of painful events, losses, or failures that you have not yet processed or come to terms with, that disclosure could come across as an invitation for the reader to pity you. Accepting long-term changes in our lives transforms us; we are constantly evolving through our experiences. Until you have integrated this information into your identity, depending on how impactful it was, you may not be able to use the experience to shed insight on yourself quite yet. Use negative experiences that are at least a year or older depending on how long it takes you to process and reflect. Most importantly,   use them to show growth and resilience , not to create pity.

• DON’T demonstrate a lack of compassion or empathy. One of the creepiest essays I’ve ever read – it still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it – was a student’s description of how much she enjoyed anesthetizing and removing the brains of mice. Her intention was to share her love of science, research, and learning but the feverish glee with which she described these procedures lacked compassion for the creatures that lost their lives for her research project. This lack of respect for the sacredness of life made it an easy decision to reject her application. Research was probably a better path for her, especially since she wasn’t able to gauge the reaction her statements would have on her audience.
• DON’T bargain. The least fun essays to read are those that contain more promises than a politician’s speech. They include statements like, “If accepted into this program, I will….” The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If you really want to demonstrate what you are capable of achieving during your medical education,  give examples of what you have already accomplished . This approach is far stronger than making hollow promises.
• DON’T complain. Criticizing or pointing out the failures of healthcare professionals who have treated you or whom you have observed in the past will only reflect negatively on you. Since your application will be reviewed by doctors, as well as admissions professionals, it’s critical that you do not insult those from whom you are seeking acceptance. While it is true that medical mistakes and lack of access to care have devastating consequences for patients, their families and communities, identifying ways to improve in these areas without pointing any fingers would be more effective. By demonstrating your realistic knowledge of patient needs and sharing potential solutions, you can present yourself as an asset to their team.

Be careful what you write. Create a personal statement that is honest (not bitter), reveals your personality (not your medical history), and delivers a compelling explanation for your motivations for entering medicine (not empty promises). 

Do you want our expert advice on your medical school personal statement?

Med School Personal Statement Consultant Dr. Mary Mahoney

Med School Personal Statement Examples and Analysis

Now let’s explore what you can learn from some of these outstanding sample med school essays.

Medical school personal statement example  #1: Emergency 911 

“Call 911!” I shouted to my friend as I sprinted down the street. The young Caucasian male had been thrown fifteen yards from the site of impact and surprisingly was still conscious upon my arrival. “My name is Michael. Can you tell me your name?” In his late twenties, he gasped in response as his eyes searched desperately in every direction for help, for comfort, for assurance, for loved ones, for death, until his eyes met mine. “Flail chest,” I thought to myself as I unbuttoned his shirt and placed my backpack upon his right side. “Pulse 98, respiration 28 short and quick. Help is on the way. Hang in there, buddy,” I urged.

After assessing the patient, the gravity of the situation struck me into sobriety. The adrenaline was no longer running through my veins — this was real. His right leg was mangled with a compound fracture; his left leg was also obviously broken. The tow-truck that had hit him looked as though it had run into a telephone pole. Traffic had ceased on the six-lane road, and a large crowd had gathered. However, no one was by my side to help. “Get me some blankets from that motel!” I yelled to a bystander and three people immediately fled. I was in charge.

But my patient was no longer conscious; his pulse was faint and respiration was low. “Stay with me, man!” I yelled. “15 to 1, 15 to 1,” I thought as I rehearsed CPR in my mind. Suddenly he stopped breathing. Without hesitation, I removed my T-shirt and created a makeshift barrier between his mouth and mine through which I proceeded to administer two breaths. No response. And furthermore, there was no pulse. I began CPR. I continued for approximately five minutes until the paramedics arrived, but it was too late. I had lost my first patient.

Medicine. I had always imagined it as saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pain, overall making life better for everyone. However, as I watched the paramedics pull the sheets over the victim’s head, I began to tremble. I had learned my first lesson of medicine: for all its power, medicine cannot always prevail. I had experienced one of the most disheartening and demoralizing aspects of medicine and faced it. I also demonstrated then that I know how to cope with a life-and-death emergency with confidence, a confidence instilled in me by my certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, a confidence that I had the ability to take charge of a desperate situation and help someone in critical need. This pivotal incident confirmed my decision to pursue medicine as a career. 

Of course healing, curing, and saving is much more rewarding than trying and failing. As an EMT I was exposed to these satisfying aspects of medicine in a setting very new to me — urban medicine. I spent most of a summer doing ride-alongs with the Ambulance Company in Houston. Every call we received dealt with Latino patients either speaking only Spanish or very little broken English. I suddenly realized the importance of understanding a foreign culture and language in the practice of medicine, particularly when serving an underserved majority. In transporting patients from the field to the hospitals I saw the community’s reduced access to medical care due to a lack of physicians able to communicate with and understand their patients. I decided to minor in Spanish. Having almost completed my minor, I have not only expanded my academic horizons, I have gained a cultural awareness I feel is indispensable in today’s diverse society.

Throughout my undergraduate years at Berkeley I have combined my scientific interests with my passion for the Hispanic culture and language. I have even blended the two with my interests in medicine. During my sophomore year I volunteered at a medical clinic in the rural town of Chacala, Mexico. In Mexico for one month, I shadowed a doctor in the clinic and was concurrently enrolled in classes for medical Spanish. It was in Chacala, hundreds of miles away from home, that I witnessed medicine practiced as I imagined it should be. Seeing the doctor treat his patients with skill and compassion as fellow human beings rather than simply diseases to be outsmarted, I realized he was truly helping the people of Chacala in a manner unique to medicine. Fascinated by this exposure to clinical medicine, I saw medicine’s ability to make a difference in people’s lives. For me the disciplines of Spanish and science have become inseparable, and I plan to pursue a career in urban medicine that allows me to integrate them.

Having seen medicine’s different sides, I view this as a multifaceted profession. I have witnessed its power as a healing agent in rural Chacala, and I have seen its weakness when I met death face-to-face as an EMT. Inspired by the Latino community of Houston, I realize the benefits of viewing it from a holistic, culturally aware perspective. And whatever the outcome of the cry "Call 911!" I look forward as a physician to experiencing the satisfaction of saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pain, and overall making life better for my patients.

Lessons From Med School Sample Essay #1: Emergency 911

This essay is one of our favorites. The applicant tells a story and weaves a lot of information into it about his background and interests. Note how the lead grabs one’s attention and the conclusion ties everything together.

What makes this essay work?

• A dramatic opening paragraph

This essay has an unusually long opener, but not only is it dramatic, it also lays out the high-stakes situation of the writer desperately trying to save the life of a young man. As an EMT, the writer is safe in sharing so much detail, because they establish their bona fides as medically knowledgeable. With the urgent opening sentence (“Call 911!”) and the sad final sentence (“I had lost my first patient.”), the writer bookends a particularly transformative experience, one that confirmed their goal of becoming a doctor.  

• A consistent theme

The theme of a med school essay in which the applicant first deals with the inevitable reality of seeing a patient die can become hackneyed through overuse. This essay is saved from that fate because after acknowledging the pain of this reality check, the writer reports that they immediately committed to expanding his knowledge and skills to better serve the local Hispanic community. While not an extraordinary story for an EMT, the substance, self-awareness, and focus the writer brings to the topic makes it a compelling read.

• Evidence supporting the stated goal

This applicant is already a certified EMT, which serves as evidence of their serious interest in a medical career. In going on ambulance ride-alongs, the writer realized the barrier in communication between many doctors and their Spanish-speaking patients, which inspired the writer to take steps to both learn medical Spanish and shadow a doctor in a Mexican clinic. These concrete steps affirm that the applicant has serious intent.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #2: The Traveler

"On the first day that I walked into the Church Nursing Home, I was unsure of what to expect. A jumble of questions ran through my mind simultaneously: Is this the right job for me? Will I be capable of aiding the elderly residents? Will I enjoy what I do? A couple of hours later, these questions were largely forgotten as I slowly cut chicken pieces and fed them to Frau Meyer. Soon afterwards, I was strolling through the garden with Herr Schmidt, listening to him tell of his tour of duty in World War II. By the end of the day, I realized how much I enjoyed the whole experience and at the same time smiled at the irony of it all. I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany, to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.

Experiences like my volunteer work in the German nursing home illustrate the decisive role travel has played in my life. For instance, I had volunteered at a local hospital in New York but was not satisfied. Dreams of watching doctors in the ER or obstetricians in the maternity ward were soon replaced with the reality of carrying urine and feces samples to the lab. With virtually no patient contact, my exposure to clinical medicine in this setting was unenlightening and uninspiring. However, in Heidelberg, despite the fact that I frequently change diapers for the incontinent and deal with occasionally cantankerous elderly, I love my twice-weekly visits to the nursing home. Here, I feel that I am needed and wanted. That rewarding feeling of fulfillment attracts me to the practice of medicine.

My year abroad in Germany also enriched and diversified my experience with research. Although I had a tremendously valuable exposure to research as a summer intern investigating chemotherapeutic resistance in human carcinomas, I found disconcerting the constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research. In contrast, my work at the University of Heidelberg gave me a broader view of basic research and demonstrated how it can expand knowledge – even without the promise of immediate profit. I am currently attempting to characterize the role of an enzyme during neural development. Even though the benefit of such research is not yet apparent, it will ultimately contribute to a vast body of information which will further medical science.

My different reactions to research and medicine just exemplify the intrinsically broadening impact of travel. For example, on a recent trip to Egypt, I visited a small village on the banks of the Nile. This impoverished hamlet boasted a large textile factory in its center where many children worked in clean, bright, and cheerful conditions weaving carpets and rugs. After a discussion with the foreman of the plant, I discovered that the children of the village learned trades at a young age to prepare them to enter the job market and to support their families. If I had just heard about this factory, I would have recoiled in horror with visions of sweatshops running through my head. However, watching the skill and precision each child displayed, in addition to his or her endless creativity, soon made me realize that it is impossible to judge this country’s attempts to deal with its poverty using American standards and experience.

Travel has not only had a formative and decisive impact on my decision to pursue a career in medicine, it has also broadened my horizons – whether in a prosperous city on the Rhine or an impoverished village on the Nile. In dealing with patients or addressing research puzzles, I intend to bring the inquiring mind fostered in school, lab, and volunteer experiences. But above all, I intend to bring the open mind formed through travel.

Lessons From Medical School Sample Essay #2: The Traveler

No boring repetition of itinerary from this seasoned traveler! This student ties their travels to their medical ambitions through the effective use of short anecdotes and vivid images. Can you sense the writer’s youthful disappointment during early clinical experiences and mature satisfaction working in the retirement home?

This applicant effectively links the expansive benefits of travel to their medical ambitions. By sharing vivid anecdotes from and reflections on these experiences, the writer enables the reader to easily imagine them as a talented physician in the future.

• An engaging opening that frames the storyline Many fine application essays open with imagery so vibrant that the writing could be mistaken for fiction. This essay is no different. We meet the writer in the setting of a nursing home overseas, where they question whether their volunteer experiences there will help them determine their career path. Notice how the first sentence reflects a worry, “I was unsure of what to expect,” but by the final sentence, the writer concludes with satisfaction, “I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany, to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.” With this framing, we appreciate the essay’s theme.
• Reflections on and contrasts about varied experiences in medicine The writer’s reactions to various encounters reveal a maturing mind-set: the “unenlightening and uninspiring” experience volunteering in a New York hospital versus the feeling of being “needed and wanted” in the nursing home in Heidelberg; the “disconcerting . . . constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research” versus the “broader view of basic research and . . . how it can expand knowledge – even without the promise of immediate profit” at the University of Heidelberg. These reflections demonstrate a thoughtfulness born of experience.
• How traveling has expanded his potential as a physician Of the five tightly constructed paragraphs in this substantial essay, the final two paragraphs home in on how travel has had an “intrinsically broadening impact” and stimulated an “open mind” to people and situations. This kind of sophisticated view is a desirable trait to adcoms.
• Out-of-the-box theme Although this essay’s foundation is built on the writer’s sincere and dedicated aspirations for a medical career, they allowed themselves the space to write about the broadening intellectual benefits of travel, linking those benefits to professional potential. Even when writing about children working in a factory in Egypt, this applicant brings an expanded mind-set and greater cross-cultural understanding that will no doubt benefit them in their career.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #3: The Non-Traditional Applicant

"Modest one-room houses lay scattered across the desert landscape, their rooftops a seemingly helpless shield against the intense heat generated by the mid-July sun. The steel security bars that guarded the windows and doors of every house seemed to belie the large welcome sign at the entrance to the ABC Indian Reservation. As a young civil engineer employed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I was far removed from my cubicle in downtown Los Angeles.

However, I felt I was well-prepared to conduct my first project proposal. The project involved a $500,000 repair of an earthen levee surrounding an active Native American burial site. A fairly inexpensive and straightforward job by federal standards, but nonetheless, I could hardly contain my excitement. Strict federal construction guidelines laden with a generous portion of technical jargon danced through my head as I stepped up to the podium to greet the twelve tribal council members. My premature confidence quickly disappeared as they confronted me with a troubled ancient gaze. Their faces revealed centuries of distrust and broken government promises.

Suddenly, from a design based solely upon abstract engineering principles, an additional human dimension emerged – one for which I had not prepared. The calculations I had crunched over the past several months and the abstract engineering principles simply no longer applied. Their potential impact on this community was clearly evident in the faces before me. With perspiration forming on my brow, I decided I would need to take a new approach to salvage this meeting. So I discarded my rehearsed speech, stepped out from behind the safety of the podium, and began to solicit the council members’ questions and concerns. By the end of the afternoon, our efforts to establish a cooperative working relationship had resulted in a distinct shift in the mood of the meeting. Although I am not saying we erased centuries of mistrust in a single day, I feel certain our steps towards improved relations and trust produced a successful project.

I found this opportunity to humanize my engineering project both personally and professionally rewarding. Unfortunately, experiences like it were not common. I realized early in my career that I needed a profession where I could more frequently incorporate human interaction and my interests in science. After two years of working as a civil engineer, I enrolled in night school to explore a medical career and test my aptitude for pre-medical classes. I found my classes fascinating and became a more effective student. Today, I am proud of the 3.7 GPA I have achieved in competitive post-baccalaureate courses such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics.

Confident of my ability to succeed in the classroom, I proceeded to volunteer in the Preceptorship Program at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. I acquired an understanding of the emotional demands and time commitment required of physicians by watching them schedule their personal lives around the needs of their patients. I also soon observed that the rewards of medicine stem from serving the needs of these same patients. I too found it personally gratifying to provide individuals with emotional support by holding an elderly woman’s hand as a physician drew a blood sample or befriending frightened patients with a smile and conversation.

To test my aptitude for a medical career further, I began a research project under the supervision of Dr. John Doe from the Orthopedic Department at Big University. The focus of my study was to determine the fate of abstracts presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand annual meeting. As primary author, I reported the results in an article for the Journal of Hand Surgery, a peer-reviewed publication. My contribution to medicine, albeit small, gave me much satisfaction. In the future, I would like to pursue an active role in scientific research.

My preparation for a career as a medical doctor started with my work as a professional engineer. From my experiences at the ABC Indian Reservation, I realized I need more direct personal interaction than engineering offers. The rewarding experiences I have had in my research, my volunteer work at the Los Angeles County Hospital, and my post-bac studies have focused my energies and prepared me for the new challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead in medicine."

Lessons From Med School Sample Essay #3: The Non-Traditional Applicant

Here, an older applicant takes advantage of their experience and maturity. Note how this engineer demonstrates their sensitivity and addresses possible stereotypes about engineers’ lack of communications skills.

What works well in this essay?

• A compelling lead This story begins in a hot desert landscape, an unexpected and dramatic starting point. Can’t you just feel the heat and sense the loneliness of the remote Indian reservation? Equally powerful in this first paragraph is when the writer faces the need to suddenly and completely rethink their carefully planned approach to address the tribal leaders. Their excitement is dashed. Their confidence has plummeted. They are totally unprepared for the mistrust facing them and their plan, and they need to improvise –quickly. Who wouldn’t want to read on to see how they resolve this dramatic turn of events?
• Solid storytelling that leads to a satisfying conclusion This nontraditional med school applicant reinvents themself in this essay. After realizing that they want more human involvement and interaction in their work, they take this self-knowledge and show us the steps they took to achieve their new goal. The steps are logical and well thought out, so the writer’s conclusion that they are well prepared in every way for med school makes perfect sense.
• Evidence to support their theme Through taking prerequisite courses in medicine (and achieving high grades) to bedside hospital volunteering (which provides emotional satisfaction) to helping write a medical research paper (which provides a feeling that they are making a meaningful contribution), the writer offers evidence that they are well suited for their new goal of a career in medicine. Each experience shared is relevant to the writer’s story. Any reader will agree that the applicant’s future as a physician is promising.
• A thoughtful perspective From the opening paragraph, the writer shows their ability to adapt to new situations and realities with quick thinking and psychological openness. They assess each stage of their journey, testing it for intellectual value and emotional satisfaction. Journeys of reflective self-discovery are something adcoms value.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #4: The Anthropology Student

"Crayfish tails in tarragon butter, galantine of rabbit with foie gras, oxtail in red wine, and apple tartelettes. The patient had this rich meal and complained of “liver upset” (crise de foie). Why a liver ache? I always associate indigestion with a stomach ache. In studying French culture in my Evolutionary Psychology class, I learned that when experiencing discomfort after a rich meal, the French assume their liver is the culprit. Understanding and dealing with the minor – sometimes major – cultural differences is a necessity in our shrinking world and diverse American society. Anthropology has prepared me to effectively communicate with an ethnically diverse population. My science classes, research, and clinical experience have prepared me to meet the demands of medical school.

I first became aware of the valuable service that physicians provide when I observed my father, a surgeon, working in his office. I gained practical experience assisting him and his staff perform various procedures in his outpatient center. This exposure increased my admiration for the restorative, technological, and artistic aspects of surgery. I also saw that the application of medical knowledge was most effective when combined with compassion and empathy from the health care provider.

While admiring my father’s role as a head and neck surgeon helping people after severe accidents, I also found a way to help those suffering from debilitating ailments. Working as a certified physical trainer, I became aware of the powerful recuperative effects of exercise. I was able to apply this knowledge in the case of Sharon, a 43-year-old client suffering from lupus. She reported a 200% increase in her strength tests after I trained her. This meant she could once again perform simple tasks like carrying groceries into her house. Unfortunately, this glimpse of improvement was followed by a further deterioration in her condition. On one occasion, she broke down and cried about her declining health and growing fears. It was then that I learned no physical prowess or application of kinesiology would alleviate her pain. I helped reduce her anxiety with a comforting embrace. Compassion and understanding were the only remedies available, temporary though they were.

To confirm that medicine is the best way for me to help others, I assisted a research team in the Emergency Room at University Medical Center (UMC). This experience brought me in direct contact with clinical care and provided me with the opportunity to witness and participate in the “behind-the-scenes” hospital operations. Specifically, we analyzed the therapeutic effects of two new drugs – Drug A and Drug B – in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of this trial was to determine the efficacy and safety of these agents in improving functional outcome in patients who had sustained an acute cerebral infarction. My duties centered around the role of patient-physician liaison, determining patients’ eligibility, monitoring their conditions, and conducting patient histories.

I continued to advance my research experience at the VA Non-Human Primate Center. During the past year, I have been conducting independent research in endocrinology and biological aspects of anthropology. For this project, I am examining the correlation between captive vervet monkeys’ adrenal and androgen levels with age, gender, and various behavioral measures across different stress-level environments. I enjoy the discipline and responsibility which research requires, and I hope to incorporate it into my career.

Anthropology is the study of humans; medicine is the science and art of dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease in humans. From my work at UMC and my observation of my father’s practice, I know medicine will allow me to pursue an art and science that is tremendously gratifying and contributes to the welfare of those around me. My anthropology classes have taught me to appreciate cross-cultural perspectives and their relationship to pathology and its etiology. Firsthand experience with exercise therapy and nutrition has taught me the invaluable role of prevention. Medical school will now provide me with the technical knowledge to alleviate a crise de foie."

[ Click here to view an excerpt from the original draft of this essay. ]

Lessons From Medical School Sample Essay #4: The Anthropology Student

With a diverse background that includes anthropology studies, work as a certified physical trainer, and experience in clinical medical research, this applicant builds a strong case for their logical and dedicated choice of a medical career.

• An engaging opening that frames the storyline This writer cleverly uses an example from anthropology class, linking the description of a heavy, gourmet French meal to an appreciation for cross-cultural understanding that will be an asset during their medical career. Notice that the writer is not describing their own personal experience here but piggybacked on a class lesson to create a colorful, engaging opening.
• A solid variety of relevant experiences In this six-paragraph essay, the writer links their lessons from anthropology studies to a firsthand understanding based on observing how their surgeon-father related to patients, to becoming a physical trainer directly helping others, and then to two different kinds of medical research. Each experience builds logically and chronologically on what came before, adding to the substance of the applicant’s preparation for medical school.
• A powerful personal experience with a client In the third paragraph, the writer’s experience working with a patient with lupus is particularly strong and memorable. Their initial success with Sharon is followed by an almost immediate and radical decline in her condition. This is a moving anecdote that shows the applicant’s understanding of the limitations of medicine – and the power of compassion.
• An excellent summary paragraph that ties everything together The final paragraph isn’t the place to offer new information, and this one doesn’t. Instead, it reminds the reader about the strong foundation the writer built from academics to career and medical research. Readers will be persuaded that after these experiences and reflections, the applicant truly appreciates “cross-cultural perspectives and their relationship to pathology and its etiology,” as well as the “firsthand experience with exercise therapy and nutrition teaching the invaluable role of prevention.”

Don’t Write Like This!

As the time approached for me to set my personal and professional goals, I made a conscientious decision to enter a field which would provide me with a sense of achievement and, at the same time, produce a positive impact on mankind. It became apparent to me that the practice of medicine would fulfill these objectives. In retrospect, my ever-growing commitment to medicine has been crystallizing for years. My intense interest in social issues, education, and athletics seems particularly appropriate to this field and has prepared me well for such a critical choice...

I’ve been asked many times why I wish to become a physician. Upon considerable reflection, the thought of possessing the ability to help others provides me with tremendous internal gratification and offers the feeling that my life’s efforts have been focused in a positive direction. Becoming a physician is the culmination of a lifelong dream, and I am prepared to dedicate myself, as I have in the past, to achieving this goal.

Lessons from Don’t Write Like This

This is an excerpt from the original draft of the Anthropology Student’s AMCAS essay. We are not including the whole thing because you can get the idea all too rapidly from just this brief portion. Note the abundant use of generalities that apply to the overwhelming majority of medical school applicants. Observe how the colorless platitudes and pomposity hide any personality. Can you imagine reading essays like this all day long? If so, then imagine your reaction to a good essay.

More sample essays

The Dental School Applicant Sample Essay >>

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APPLICATION STRATEGY / PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ESSAY REVIEW / INTERVIEW PREP

Med school personal statement FAQs

1. when should i start writing my personal statement for medical school.

Typically, traditional applicants who have a goal of submitting their AMCAS or AACOMAS application in June write their personal statement after they take the MCAT in March. Starting the prewriting for the personal statement earlier than that is fine too; however, if an applicant plans to sit for the MCAT in the early spring, writing a compelling personal narrative while preparing for the MCAT can often be too much. Both require very different kinds of thinking. The intensity of studying for the MCAT, and the empirical thinking it requires, can interfere with the imaginative brainstorming needed to find your topic and develop it.  

Before focusing on the personal statement, look at all the elements of the primary application. As a whole, the personal statement, activities, MMEs, MCAT, transcript, biographical information and letters, will portray you. One element alone is not enough to bring out the whole you. It might help to strategize about how (and where) to highlight different elements of your background, experience, and character in the different parts of the primary application. Then work on the personal statement knowing what aspects of you are already represented in the other sections of the application. This way, each element adds value to the application and contributes to a more complete picture of you.

It makes sense to compartmentalize completing different parts of the application. Many applicants take the time they need to focus on one application component at a time, which seems to help them be thorough. 

Don’t underestimate how much time it takes to write well. Exploring ideas in writing, developing those ideas, showing rather than telling a story, staying clear, writing fluidly, surmising maturely and insightfully, takes much more time than most people anticipate. So, don’t wait until Memorial Day to write your essay and intend to submit on June 1. Give yourself the churn time writing well needs. Also, give yourself time to put a draft down for a day or two and return to it when you’re able to read it afresh. Sometimes, we revise over and over again in one sitting to the point that we can no longer hear the story or its sense because we have been rehearsing and revising a draft to beat the clock. Doing this is a risky way to go about the personal statement. Remember, this essay should be a very impressive part of your application, not merely one more part of the application to finish. At the end of the day, the medical school personal statement is a window that allows others to see you, know you as a person, know you better and beyond your achievements.

2. How do I find the perfect personal statement topic? Does one exist?

Certainly, some ideas are better than others, and one idea might work better for one person and not so well for someone else. However, there is no “perfect” topic. In fact, writing an essay with the approach of trying to out-psych this important application requirement is likely not the strongest way to find your best topic, nor is it the best way to engage your readers. 

Instead, consider the following approach. What is an experience you’ve had that matters greatly in helping others understand who you are as a future physician? Why medicine, not in general, but for you, demonstrated by way of a story about an experience that directly ties to being a physician or indirectly demonstrates your sound character as it corresponds with human qualities medical schools desire. When we read what kinds of people medical schools seek, it’s easy enough to identify quite a few character traits that appeal to many schools: compassion, resiliency, adaptability, selflessness, inclusivity, and altruism among them. What experience, when written with key details and description, reveals who you really are?

3. How do you choose the right amount of personal qualities to list?

A strong medical school personal statement should not replicate other parts of the application, with the exception of it being a specific story that stems from a particular experience associated with one of your activities. Otherwise, there’s no listing in this essay. Unfortunately, some applicants do treat the personal statement as an opportunity to list awards, accolades, and experiences, paragraph by paragraph. Meanwhile, medical school admissions officers can see these awards and experiences in the Experiences section of the application. Rarely, if ever, does this kind of writing bring out voice, vision and identity. Instead, tell a true story, revised with care and precision, that shines with voice, vision and identity.

4. Are there any topics I should avoid for my medical school personal statement?

Certainly, one idea might work better for one person and not so well for someone else. So, there’s a subjectivity in what to write and what not to write. Generally, however, there are some topics to avoid. Don’t write about a time you felt cheated, inconvenienced, frustrated or angry. Sometimes, secondary essay prompts will ask you about a struggle or a mistake, and for these answers, it’s best to show how you turned the situation around or keenly learned from it. Don’t get too caught in childhood. Many applicants do write about a time when they were not yet grown; however, don’t get swallowed by it. Write the scene and then stay in the present to demonstrate your maturity and worthwhile hindsight.

Remember -- no matter what the topic, tone matters. 

5. What kind of experience should I include in my personal statement?

6. can the experience i use on my med school personal statement be from outside of college.

Absolutely. It is relatively common for applicants to only portray themselves as students, and this can be a problem. Sometimes, when applicants write about themselves as excellent students the tone of such a personal statement can sound boastful or pleading. Neither quality is advantageous. 

Seeing oneself in any other light can result in a stronger “snapshot” of who you are, as long as the theme or topic of your personal statement still suits the intention of the application in the first place – demonstrating who you are as an appealing candidate for medical school. When we consider the writing task for the personal statement to be much more story-driven, readers go on a descriptive journey. What journey would you like to share?

7. Should I talk about challenges I’ve faced?

If other parts of your medical school application suggest a struggle – whether a lower MCAT score or a notable weak semester on a transcript – it might be advantageous to explain what happened and how you turned that situation around. Whether writing about a challenge in the personal statement or secondaries, the key is to demonstrate resilience. Applicants with physical or cognitive disabilities may choose to write about seeking assistance -- whether a doctor, therapist or a tutor -- and how learning alternative strategies helped them figure out how to attain higher academic achievement. 

Sometimes challenges are circumstantial. Sometimes families face financial hardship (did the family breadwinner become unemployed and therefore everyone else had to work more hours, including you?), emotional stress (due to an ongoing illness, Covid-19, or a divorce?) or trauma (a death of a loved one, a house fire, a veteran/sibling returning home with PTSD). Sometimes an applicant has been a caregiver for someone in the family. Sometimes an applicant has taken a leave from school because of someone else’s struggles, or the emotional fallout on the applicant from someone else’s struggle – the loss of a childhood friend, for instance. Self-care is reasonable. We might need to share a life moment in order to frame the context of a life struggle, showing it in the context of responsibility rather than recklessness or immaturity. Showing how you stepped up in a challenging time can show that you are accountable and caring, as long as the story is told to these ends, rather than suggesting resentment or self-pity. Again, neither of these tones is advantageous, nor is blame. 

Occasionally applicants have been challenged by a course or by a professor, a classmate or teammate and feel unduly subjected to bias. If there’s discrimination involved, that might be a story to tell. If there’s a personality clash, that might not be a good story to tell. 

Finally, as any story of challenge moves along, it’s important to demonstrate what you did, what you learned, how you adapted, or what you now value from having had this life experience that you did not understand before. 

Being a doctor is rife with challenges. In the end, your readers may come to understand how you are an insightful leader with great resilience or a compassionate, problem-solver.

8. How do I focus my personal statement to show that I want to go into medicine and not another field in healthcare?

Great question. On the one hand, it’s a good idea to demonstrate your compassion for others and empathy for people suffering from illness. On the other hand, these are favorable attributes for nearly all healthcare workers -- not only doctors -- but for physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers and psychologists too. Since most applicants have done some shadowing of physicians, it’s not unusual for these experiences to contain moments of learning about being a physician through shadowing or through work in a clinic. However, the more clinical the story, the better especially if you’re applying to osteopathic schools of medicine. If you’re applying to allopathic schools of medicine, it’s possible you have some interest in being a researcher, so telling a story about working in a physician’s lab might demonstrate your insights into the value of research in light of disease or patient care. If you already have an affinity for a specialty, telling how you came to know this could be the way to go.

9. Do I introduce my desired field of healthcare in my personal statement?

Maybe. If you’re very committed and have demonstrated a trend in your activities from general volunteer work (older listings) to more specialized experience in a field of medicine (more recent listings), it may be a good idea to write up how you came to know one field of medicine was really your passion. 

Bear in mind that announcing a deep interest in a particular field of medicine may make you “a good fit” or “not a good fit” for some schools. So, if you do write up a story about your desired field of medicine for your personal statement, be sure your list of schools corresponds with this. For instance, if you want to be an obstetrician and you convey this in your personal statement, be certain your schools have clinical exposure or better yet offer specializations in obstetrics, or a required rotation through a hospital for women, for instance.

Lastly, by no means must you announce a desired field of healthcare in your personal statement. You may be asked about your specialized interests in medicine in a secondary or in an interview, so it’s a good idea to think this through, but no, you don’t have to tackle this in the personal statement.

10. What should my character limit be? 

The AMCAS and AACOMAS character limit for the personal statement is 5,300 characters with spaces. The TMDSAS character limit for the personal statement is 5,000 characters with spaces. It’s a good idea to use most if not all of this space for your personal statement. Also, try to avoid the temptation to use the same personal statement for AMCAS and AACOMAS. The osteopathic schools seek applicants who know and prefer an osteopathic orientation to medicine, so the AACOMAS personal statement should demonstrate your fit with osteopathic medicine, based on what story you choose to tell and how you tell it, or at the very least, in the conclusion.

11. How do I know when I’m ready to submit my med school personal statement?

I highly recommend getting feedback about this from a strong mentor, advisor or consultant. Accepted offers comprehensive consultation for every part of the writing process, from brainstorming, to outlining, to mentoring on ideas, and editing until a client has a solid final draft in hand, ready for submission. You can review these services here: Initial Essay Package

Generally speaking, when you’ve accomplished FAQ #2 and #3, avoided the pitfalls in #4, revised for clarity and quality of ideas, developed ideas engagingly, and meticulously revised for quality of writing, then, you may be done.

12. What if I don’t have enough space to discuss everything?

Then your topic is too large or unfocused, in which case you need to focus and narrow the scope of your essays. Or you have a bit of editing to do to eliminate wordiness, digressions, or overstatement Ultimately, you want your essay to be focused, clear, and engaging.

13. Should I personalize my personal statement to the med school I am applying to?

Only if you’re applying to one medical school. Otherwise, your personal statement will reach all schools listed in your AMCAS application or AACOMAS application. It is okay, however, to speak toward the ideals of your first choice, aspirational schools on your list. Other times, applicants choose to write toward the schools that are their safest bets. 

Your secondary/supplemental essays will give you plenty of opportunity to show you belong at an individual school.

14.  Can I talk about mental or physical health in my statement?

15. should i address any bad grades that i got in school.

Generally yes, as long as bad grades are truly bad grades. It’s likely that you do not need to address a rogue grade of B on a transcript. If you had a bad semester or two, the question becomes how and where to address them. The answer is an individual one dependent on the context. The one certainty: You definitely don’t want your entire application to be a rationalization of those bad grades. 

See FAQ #7. 

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9 Steps to Writing Stellar Medical School Secondary Applications

• By Amit Pandey, M.D.
• June 30, 2022
• Accompanying Video , Pre-med
• Secondary Application

Much of a medical school applicant’s focus prior to submitting the primary application is on their personal statement. This is for good reason, as the personal statement is an important and difficult component of the initial application, which cannot be taken lightly. Equally important though is the secondary application. It is absolutely crucial not to overlook this part of the application process, no matter how drained you may feel.

Secondary essays must be handled with great attention and care. A systematic approach to secondary writing will facilitate this process. This post will outline 9 key strategies to use as well as pitfalls to avoid when crafting a secondary application.

How Secondaries Fit Within the Medical School Application Process

First of all, what is the secondary application? As its name suggests, it is the second component that is sent to an applicant after they submit the primary application. They are also referred to by some programs as the “supplemental application.” Each school has a unique secondary, which contrasts the common primary, which is sent to several schools through AMCAS, AACOMAS, or TMDSAS .

The secondary is a chance for each school to get more information from the applicant through a series of short essay questions. Questions will be unique to each program, though there is a fair amount of overlap among them. There is a spectrum of what secondaries actually look like. Some consist of several short answer questions while a few request a longer essay. The average secondary consists of 2-3 short essays about the applicant’s experiences and interest in that particular school.

For those who submit their primary in June, which is highly recommended, secondary invitations will arrive in late June and early July, continuing throughout the summer thereafter.

For more details on the background and approach, see our other content on secondary applications:

• Medical School Secondary Application Guide
• Secondary Applications – What to Expect and How to Approach Them
• How to Start Medical School Secondaries Early

Strategies for Crafting Outstanding Secondaries

1 | get organized.

Secondary applications can be overwhelming since they arrive in quick succession. Each school will send a different secondary with unique essay questions. This means you will be faced with several, possibly dozens, of applications within a 1-2 month period. This necessitates organization in your approach.

I recommend creating a spreadsheet listing each program with the following components: name of school, date of secondary receipt, submission deadline, number of essay questions, school ranking, and relative ranking of importance to you. See this example based on secondaries from a previous application cycle:

This system will allow you to keep track of each school and organize your approach based on the difficulty of the secondary and the school’s importance to you.

2 | Prioritize Certain Schools

You will have to decide which secondaries to do in which order, as you will likely get several at a time. Using the spreadsheet you created, you will have the information needed to make the decision.

• Top Choice: Consider applying to your top choice or best fit schools first. This will allow you to get ahead of the curve of rolling admissions , maximizing your position to get an interview.
• Most Competitive: Consider applying to the most competitive schools first for the same reason as above.
• Lower Rank: Consider submitting some secondaries for the lower ranked/lower preference schools prior to submitting higher ranked/higher preference ones. This will afford you some practice, possibly making your later secondary essays more effective. Once you have done this and honed your essay writing a bit, focus on the competitive or high-priority programs.
• Most/Difficult Questions: Consider tackling secondaries with a lot of questions first so that you have more content to work with for subsequent secondary applications.

3 | Tailor Your Response to Each Medical School

It is important to be specific in secondary applications. You have the opportunity to research the program and be informed about its strengths and weaknesses and how those pertain to your goals.

Background research and preparation is key for these essays. Take the time to look at the program website. See if you can identify a research, clinical, or community outreach aspect of the program that fits with your personal goals. It will be important in at least some essay responses to specifically answer the question: “Why is this program the right fit for me?” At the same time, be honest—it will show if you embellish or stretch the truth.

Learn more: How to Answer the Medical School Secondary “Why Us?” Question .

Along the lines of preparation and research, you can look up the previous essay prompts for schools you have applied to. This gives you more time to research, brainstorm, and prepare an essay response. This may be particularly useful for your high-priority programs. The Med School Insiders Secondary Database is up-to-date with secondary prompts from each school. It also contains previous high-yield writing tips on how to appropriately answer each prompt.

4 | Outline Prior to Writing

Create an outline prior to writing each essay. Secondaries contain multiple (sometimes several) essay questions each, so it’s important to plan and outline an answer to each question in an individual application before writing.

This will prevent you from repeating ideas or themes on questions that may overlap. You’ll also be better able to plan out a cohesive narrative across your secondary application—one that adds to and enhances your primary application.

Learn How to Develop a Cohesive Narrative for Medical School Applications .

5 | Focus on Quality Over Speed

Do not prioritize speed over quality of content. You must have well-written essays with well-crafted answers. Make sure you answer the specific question being asked, as the prompts will often be less open-ended than the personal statement.

Remember to answer the following overarching questions in your responses:

• What makes me unique?
• Why am I the right fit for this program?
• Why am I interested in this institution in particular?

Weaving these themes into your answers will strengthen your application for that institution specifically and ensure quality content. As much as you may want to send them off quickly and move on to your next set of questions, take time to edit and proofread thoroughly.

6 | DO NOT Repeat Your Primary Application

This is a crucial piece of advice and a common pitfall for applicants. The admissions committee already has all the information in your primary. This is your opportunity to show them something new.

Focus on different strengths and experiences that demonstrate why you are a great candidate. By repeating things, you will lose the chance to sell yourself further while actually hurting the strength of your application. If you do touch on an experience that has been described before, be sure to elaborate or shine a different light on the subject.

7 | Be Careful Copying and Pasting

With so many essay prompts coming in, some will invariably overlap between schools. It is acceptable to carry over common answers to multiple applications, but be very careful when doing so.

If copying and pasting a response, make sure you closely review it and ensure that it adequately answers the question. Furthermore, be sure there is no language or specific component referring to another school, as this is a clear red flag on your application. Tailor the response to the specific program, if possible.

8 | Take the Appropriate Amount of Time

One of my all-time favorite quotes is from legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden: “Be quick but don’t hurry.”

This could not be more applicable here. It is certainly important to be timely with your responses to prevent falling behind in the rolling admissions process, but you also do not want to compromise quality.

It is reasonable to take a few days to complete secondaries, particularly the more important ones. Try to respond within 7-14 days. You can work on multiple applications concurrently to stay fresh, coming back to essays in the next day or so to review.

The key is to ensure high quality. Don’t hurry. Timeliness is only helpful if the application is effective.

9 | Get Feedback

This last piece of advice connects closely with the prior point. Most applicants know that it is crucial to have their personal statement reviewed by others. It may be harder to do so for secondaries due to sheer volume, and therefore soliciting feedback may be overlooked.

While the time constraints and volume of essays is undeniable, I urge you to still seek feedback on secondary essays as often as you can. Particularly for your high-priority programs, your essays should certainly be reviewed by someone with experience in the medical school application process.

Med School Insiders offers Secondary Application Editing Services with rapid turnaround. Our team of doctors provide in-depth, professional, high-yield advice to help perfect your secondary applications. Our editors can assist with any part of the secondary process, from brainstorming ideas all the way to fine-tuning the details of the essay. We provide edits and feedback quickly to make sure you are on time and on target with all of your secondaries.

All of our advisors are real doctors who have served on medical school admissions committees, so they know what it takes to stand out.

Amit Pandey, M.D.

2024 TMDSAS Secondary Application Guide

Learn how to create a stand out TMDSAS secondary application, including secondary deadlines, costs, the types of questions asked, and critical strategies.

2024 AACOMAS Secondary Application Guide

Learn how to create a stand out AACOMAS secondary application, including secondary deadlines, costs, the types of questions asked, and critical strategies.

2024-2025 Medical School Application Timeline and Monthly Schedule

This is the medical school application timeline you should follow, including key dates and an ideal month-by-month preparation schedule.

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Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

September 6, 2018

How to Use Your Research Background to Get into Medical School

You’ve always been great at science and figured your research – whether in college, grad school, or professionally – would help you get into medical school.

Now you find it a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, you probably aced the MCAT science sections. On the other, you may be viewed (rightly or not) as one-dimensional, overly concerned with details, and prone to losing sight of the forest for the trees.

Physicians need a combination of science abilities and soft skills, and there are many ways your personal statement can fight the stereotype and show that you’re in fact a multi-dimensional human being with various interests and skills. Here are some questions to ask yourself when writing your winning personal statement :

1. What’s your story?

2. What’s your research about (in a nutshell)?

3. What is your role?

4. Don’t neglect the soft skills

5. Why medical school?

6. Need more help?

What’s your story?

Your personal essay, although short, must still include the personal details that will give the admissions committee a clear picture of you. A laundry list of your accomplishments and talents can’t portray you as vividly as an illustrative story can.

Of course, this means that you need to be selective about what story (or stories) you tell. Can you relate compelling episodes from your research experience that reveal why you’ll make a great doctor? Do you foresee research being an important part of your future medical practice? If so, then it could be an appropriate subject for your personal statement.

(If you aren’t quite as keen about a research career, or want to focus on a different side of your story, you might consider using research as one of your three meaningful experiences – you can always provide more information in your secondaries and interviews.)

What’s your research about (in a nutshell)?

If you decide that research has been a unique and defining experience for you, how can you best express this to the admissions committee? You know your subject matter inside and out, but not everybody needs – or wants – that much detail.

Treat your personal statement as a personal introduction, not as an in-depth technical description of your work (again, you can do that in your secondaries and interviews). Briefly outline the goals of your research project and why it is significant. Use ordinary language – you might ask your liberal arts friends to read it. If it makes sense to them, you’ve succeeded.

What is your role?

In describing what you do in the lab, try to go beyond the basic facts to provide some color. Compare these two descriptions:

I’ve been involved with the Johnson lab for the past three years. My main role is inputting and interpreting data. I’m involved in weekly group discussions and have authored a review to determine efficacy. I’m also working on another review now and I’m interested in collecting data from various articles.

This description is not inaccurate, but it’s not going to thrill anyone either. However, from these few lines, the applicant can pull out elements of curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration – some of the ideas that he wants to instill in the reader. But instead of making the reader do the work for you, bring them to the fore, as this applicant does:

I’ve been involved with the Johnson lab for the past three years. Inputting and interpreting data can be solitary work, but I thrive at our weekly group discussions where everyone shares their projects and helps each other with problems. My critical thinking skills have grown enormously through sharing the nuances of my data with my colleagues. For example…”

Don’t neglect the soft skills

Give equal time to the interpersonal skills that you gained through your research, along with specific examples of how you’ve used them. This will combat the stereotype of “science nerd” while showing the admissions committee that you’ve got what it takes for med school.

For example:

• You know patient interactions are important, so explain how interacting in lab meetings honed your empathetic and listening skills.

• You know that it’s essential to work closely with your classmates and colleagues, so write about tackling a problem with your mentor.

• You know leadership is important at medical school, so describe how you’ve trained students in the lab, or taken initiative in a new project.

Teamwork, communication, initiative, mentoring – these are just some of the qualities that medical schools look for in their students.

Why medical school?

Given your research background, you probably want to explain how it fits into your future. You aren’t expected to have all the answers at this point, but you should explain why you want to be a doctor in honest, heartfelt terms that go beyond a basic desire to “help people,” and implicitly answer the unasked question: why aren’t you going into pure research?

To get to the heart of this question, think about the people or events that were the catalyst for your decision to pursue medicine.

• Did you or a loved one experience a medical event?

• Were you exposed to health-related issues through your research?

• Did you have a significant experience while volunteering?

Don’t discount any experiences as too big or too small. Mundane essays about helping people in the abstract or facing a medical condition can become extraordinary when infused with your personality – both the big events and the nuances that make you who you are.

Just as important, you need to share your understanding of what practicing medicine will be like, based on your interactions with physicians. What do you love about the profession? Have you been inspired by doctors who balanced research and patient care? Knowing the challenges and difficulties, why is this still your career goal? Again, provide specific supporting examples. Your realistic expectations and first-hand observations will reflect your maturity and commitment to succeed as a physician.

Need more help?

As you’re writing about these things, make sure you do the following:

• Write a focused essay that goes beyond your GPA and MCAT scores.

• Select specific examples that demonstrate your strengths and make your essay come alive.

• Draw the reader into the story using anecdotes to illustrate your story and to bring out your unique experiences and perspectives.

You are more than just your science background. Let’s work together to bring your competitive advantage to light. Click here to get started .

Related Resources:

• From Example to Exemplary , a free guide • Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor? , a short video • How Can You Show Passion in Admissions?

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• 2024 Medical School Secondary Essays Examples

Be Memorable. Claim an interview spot. Get Accepted.

Our team of physician and medical student editors had the pleasure of helping students craft the following medical school secondary essays. 

“Why This School” Essay

Adversity essay, diversity essay, “how will you contribute to our school” essay, “future goals” essay, “academic lapses or breaks” essay, “why d.o.” essay, why are secondaries important, tell us about any specific reason(s) (personal, educational, etc.) why you see yourself here at the wake forest school of medicine..

The ending of the motto of the Moravian church, which has a strong historical connection with Winston-Salem, is “…in all things, love.” This concluding statement is an apt description of how I attempt to live my life. Wake Forest upholds such values of inclusion and love through the Lovefest tradition and programs such as the student-run DEAC Clinic. After working at free clinics in rural areas, I am committed to becoming a physician that will promote systems of care in the community. With my exposure to rural primary care, I want to use the Rural/Underserved Health experience offered to Wake Forest students through the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians to further my understanding and training in this career path. Furthermore, as an extension of working in primary care, I am interested in being a geriatrician. Wake Forest, as one of the best geriatric hospitals in the country, has a curriculum that aligns with my interests. I am confident that through research, service, and patient care, Wake Forest will shape me into a leader of rural health care for the geriatric community.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Wake Forest School of Medicine | Class of 2024

More Examples and Writing Tips for a Convincing  Medical School “Why Us” Essay | Click Here

Describe a significant challenge you have experienced in your life, share the strategies you employed to overcome the challenge, and what you learned from the experience..

One personal adversity I have overcome is my lack of self-confidence. I was always a quiet child who grew up with two older sisters doing most of the talking. As I aged, I came out my shell to an extent and became more outgoing. I have always struggled in one particular area: public speaking. My passion for medicine grew early as I observed my eldest sister work alongside physicians during her nursing training. However, my shy nature led me to select pre-nursing as my major, since nursing does not require the ability to speak publicly like being a physician often does. I did not truly consider a career as a doctor until my anatomy and physiology professor suggested I do so after recognizing my drive, aptitude, and passion. Even so, it took introspection and time to recognize that I held the potential to become a successful physician.

Over my undergraduate career, I have participated in many group presentations during classes without the benefit of being taught how to successfully prepare. On every occasion, I would become so nervous that I was unable to sleep the entire night prior. By the time I presented, I would be so distracted that I could not think straight, let alone get my point across clearly. This went on until I had the opportunity to participate in a class called Peer Instruction in Laboratory Occupational Training (PILOT), which was an extension of a class that I had succeeded in, Quantitative Biological Methods.

PILOT was designed to expose students to research articles and assist with laboratory techniques and homework. A large part of the grade for the class consisted of teaching a laboratory section of around 40 students for 15 minutes. I almost opted out of the class because of this requirement, but ultimately decided it was a great opportunity to work through my personal fear of public speaking and build my self-confidence.

I set a schedule six weeks ahead of the presentation to begin preparing. A few helpful peers offered advice, telling me that knowing what I wanted to say verbatim was a good way to improve confidence. Thus, I practiced daily until three weeks before the class. I found another tip online: practicing in the actual location of the presentation can help reduce nerves. Subsequently, I approached one of my laboratory teaching assistants and asked if he would let me practice in the laboratory. He was an excellent teaching assistant and took the time to watch me practice and provide feedback.

Ultimately, I felt that I was able to present eloquently and received an excellent grade. Life is full of challenges, and I learned that preparation is key to success. I planned and prepared early, pulled from available resources, and implemented advice from faculty and peers. This experience taught me that I do have the aptitude, strength, and drive to succeed in medical school and overcome any obstacle that I might face. I am eager to embrace more personal growth and realize my full potential as I continue on to medical school.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Nova Southeastern University College Of Osteopathic Medicine | Class of 2024

More Examples and The 6 Steps for Writing the Medical School Adversity Essay | Click Here

“do you consider yourself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body of tufts university school of medicine” if yes, briefly explain why..

I am a Muslim, Saudi woman, but I am not the preconceived notions of being close minded, uncultured, or oppressed. I’m a passionate helper, an open-minded extrovert, and a curious explorer of the world. 

Though I grew up attending a school that taught me to be a leader and encouraged competition, and though travelling the world allowed me to explore new cultures, homogeneity was the ‘norm’ everywhere I went until I attended school in the US. George C. Marshall High School showed me how enriching diversity is. There, in a mixture of backgrounds and ethnicities, I was an ‘other’ among many ‘others’. The following year in Nebraska was different, and I experienced the damage of prejudice when I was the only ‘other’. My experiences drove me to work to bring different people together to give back. Years later, at NYU, this personal passion pushed me to create a volunteer tutoring nonprofit organization. 

I believe the ‘other’ in me, with the uncommon background, the unique experiences, and the interesting perspectives, will contribute to the diversity of the student body at Tufts.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Class of 2024

Click here for More Examples and Steps on How to Write an Effective Medical School Diversity Essay

Explain how interactions with people who are different from you have shaped your worldview and relate how you would enrich the VTC community.

From my academic and work experiences, I have frequently worked with people who are different from myself. Working with students and professors from different backgrounds through college helped me appreciate different viewpoints, especially during my bioethics training.  Listening to my classmate, who was a Catholic hospice nurse, explain her differing stance on end-of-life care showed me to appreciate the legitimacy of different opinions. Likewise, I learned from sociology graduate students about the issue of the medicalization of mental illness, which I had not had to consider prior to speaking and working with them. These experiences will help me contribute to the community by enabling me to approach problems from multiple lenses and to listen to and value the input of experts in different fields.

My experiences engaging with different individuals will help me to enrich the community at Virginia Tech. As a tutor, I have been able to work with students of different ages and backgrounds with unique learning goals. For example, my student, Danny, was an adult student taking classes at a community college and had failed his statistics course three times before meeting with me. Even though I had excelled in math classes during school, I was able to listen to his frustrations and identify different ways to help him learn the content and be able to apply it for quizzes and exams. I helped him navigate through the material, and he ended up passing the course comfortably. By working with a wide variety of students like Danny, I have been able to understand the importance of listening actively to individuals’ struggles and unique experiences to learn about how to best help them and I am excited to apply this skill to help future individuals.

In addition to my experiences tutoring, I have been able to interact with individuals different from myself through volunteering. For example, at Judson Park, I volunteered by helping one resident, Ron, participate in art therapy. Ron had suffered two prior strokes and was wheelchair-bound and hemiplegic. I was able to help bring him down to the art room and organize supplies for him. Ron was unique in his needs, which was why he required individualized care to be able to participate in the art therapy. He also struggled with communicating verbally due to deficits from his prior strokes. I adapted by patiently waiting for him to respond at his own pace and looking for body language cues for what he needed at the moment. He was able to make incredible art creations, showing me the resilience of differently abled individuals.

These experiences have shown me the importance of valuing everyone’s unique perspectives and utilizing that consideration and compassion to help others. I can enrich the VTC community by providing this diverse perspective to help my peers and ultimately serve the greater community as a physician.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: University of Virginia School of Medicine | Class of 2024

Need help writing your secondary essays?

After residency, describe the community in which you see yourself practicing medicine..

Currently, I can see myself practicing medicine in a variety of clinical settings: a private specialty care system, a nonprofit medical facility, individual practice, or a different setting. I am open to all of the new experiences that medical school will bring, including exposure to a variety of clinical settings.

I have worked as a medical scribe at the largest non-profit health care provider in Seattle and have also volunteered for a private specialty hospital. Both of these experiences have exposed me to a different type of medical practice, and I have enjoyed both although in different ways. I loved the diversity of patients I encountered at the nonprofit and enjoyed experiencing different clinic visits whether for constipation or throat pain. At the specialty hospital, I was able to encounter unique and rare medical cases that I’ve only read about in books such as spina bifida or hydrocephalus. I was also able to witness the very specialized and personalized care. I am excited to explore the various clinical setting options in medical school and residency, and figure out which environment best suits my strengths and interests!

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Stanford School of Medicine | Class of 2024

Use this space if you’d like to address any identified deficiencies in your application.

When I suddenly lost my father to pancreatic cancer shortly before starting college, I was confused and frustrated about my loss. Although I had dreamt of becoming a doctor since I was a little girl, I was newly unsure of whether medicine was right for me. Because I lacked a tangible goal and motivation, my studies and grades suffered during my first years of college. However, once I began volunteering at the Children’s Hospital during my sophomore year, I developed a renewed sense of appreciation and passion for medicine. I started to care a lot more about school and enjoyed learning again. I began working extremely hard in my classes, and slowly but surely, my GPA rose.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine   | Class of 2024

How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine?

My professional ambitions have always aligned with a medical career, ever since I observed my childhood hero and oldest sister, Brittany, work alongside physicians as a registered nurse. At the time, I was only eight years old and not yet privy to the nuances of allopathic versus osteopathic medicine.

Throughout my experiences with the medical profession as a patient and mother, I have found myself disappointed with some of the allopathic medical treatments. I have myself been treated pharmaceutically with medications and became non-compliant with my treatment due to side effects. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with herpetic neuralgia. My neurologist prescription Neurontin, which helped with the symptoms but left me in a fog. I found myself questioning whether there could be a better method.

As an undergraduate student, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to a presentation by a doctor of osteopathy from Lake Eerie College of Medicine in Bradenton, FL. The speaker discussed osteopathic medicine, its principles, and manipulative medicine (OMM). He talked about a time when he bumped into an old friend who had been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. His friend’s condition was so severe that he needed a cane to ambulate independently. The D.O. performed OMM for his friend and provided him with a set of exercises to perform daily at home. Ultimately, the friend did not require the surgery his allopathic physician had recommended.

After listening to his presentation, I felt as though I had a breakthrough. I realized that I wholeheartedly supported these principles as the better solution that I had been looking for. With osteopathic medicine, I could practice medicine in a traditional manner while wielding a valuable skill set that could spare patients from invasive surgeries and pharmaceutical therapeutics causing undesired side effects.

Furthermore, while studying for the MCAT a year ago, I developed a constant waxing and waning neck pain that would radiate to my right shoulder and down my arm. This worsened over a period of four weeks, and I took increasing amounts of ibuprofen to calm the symptoms. A good friend of mine is a physical therapist who manipulated my spine and sent me home with instructions for an exercise plan. She also taught me how to self-evaluate my posture, which has been valuable in preventing additional episodes. I was incredibly impressed with the outcome of the treatment that used my own body and its muscles to treat the pain without using pharmaceuticals or leaving me with residual deficits. As such, my personal trust in natural treatments has emphasized to me that osteopathic medicine is the path I am meant to follow. 

The more I learn about osteopathic medicine, the more excited I am to incorporate its principles into my future practice. I am thrilled to learn and practice medicine with a holistic approach to evaluate and treat patients. As a healthcare partner to my future patients, I feel inspired to encourage the implementation of prevention, maintenance, and natural remedies into their treatment plans.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine   | Class of 2024

Why are secondary essays important?

• Schools ask these questions for a specific reason
• It’s your final chance to make a strong impression
• When they’re done right, you will lockdown an interview spot

Join over 1,500 of our accepted med school applicants by using Motivate MD's review service.

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The ohio state university college of medicine.

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University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

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Ansel N., MD/PhD

Radiation Oncology Resident Former Medical School: Ohio State

My name is Ansel Nalin. I am a current Radiation Oncology resident at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. I graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine MD/PhD program.

While in medical school, I tutored first- and second-year medical students, helping them review lecture material and prepare for block exams. I taught study strategies to first-year students adjusting to the medical school curriculum. I worked individually with students during board exam preparation. I also led a review course for MD/PhD students prior to taking Step 1. In addition to my role as a tutor, I was also selected by the Ohio State College of Medicine Academic Office staff to serve in a leadership role for two years. In this role I led the team of 40 students on the peer tutoring team. I met weekly with College of Medicine staff to plan academic programs benefitting first- and second-year medical students. Together we organized and managed academic resources for medical students including our peer tutoring programs, group review sessions, and student-led review lectures. I coordinated the tutoring assignments for medical students involved in the program; over 100 students utilized the programs. We oversaw the creation of new student-led anatomy review sessions that were incorporated into the medical school academic program.

While enrolled in the MD/PhD program, I completed my PhD in cancer immunology studying natural killer cell development. I also collaborated on translational research projects seeking to identify new cell-based therapies for cancer. I published multiple papers in high impact journals and had the opportunity to present my work at both local and international conferences. I continue to pursue research that develops immune-based therapies for cancer and plan to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.

I joined the team at Motivate MD to help students achieve their goals in medicine. I have benefitted from the support of many outstanding mentors, and I strive to have a similarly positive impact in helping students succeed. My experiences as a tutor and teaching assistant, in both undergraduate and medical school, have helped me develop excellent skills in communication and mentoring. In addition to my teaching and leadership experience, I have developed specific skills to help students with the application and interview process for medical school and residency programs.

Not only am I familiar with what makes a strong application, I am prepared to help students highlight their strengths in their essays and interviews. I have extensive writing and speaking experience from my graduate studies. I have coached other students in communicating effectively. From my own experience in interviewing for medical school and residency, I can help students gain confidence in their communication skills and clearly express their motivations and goals. As a member of the Motivate MD team, I am passionate about helping students work toward their goal of a successful career in medicine.

I am an OBGYN resident and graduate of the University of Cincinnati. Throughout medical school, I engaged in research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and UCCOM’s OBGYN department. I have a strong background in mentorship. In medical school, I was a part of an organization that would mentor local Cincinnati youths. I was also involved in mentoring medical students in the years below through her medical scholar’s program. I also have a lot of experience editing medical school essays and mentoring my scribes when I was a chief scribe during my gap years. I took two years off prior to applying for medical school. During this time, I completed research at WashU with a neuroimaging lab as a clinical research coordinator and scribed in an emergency department. The medical application process was daunting for me. I went through the process of taking the MCAT multiple times and struggled to figure out where I would be a competitive applicant. I chose to work for Motivate MD to assist students with this intimidating process and help in areas where I felt I was lacking guidance prior to medical school! I am very excited to get the opportunity to work with you!

Jisoo is a medical student at Harvard Medical School. She has a background in neurobiology wet-lab research, and has a strong interest in mentorship, especially of underserved populations. Everyone has a unique journey to medical school, and Jisoo is committed to helping applicants present their own unique journeys in a meaningful and comprehensive manner. She has lots of experience working with individuals that have diverse pathways to medical school and closely collaborates with applicants from the beginning to the end of their application process, providing individualized support for each applicant.

Hi! My name is Rhys (pronounced like “Reese’s Pieces”) and I am a medical student at Yale School of Medicine.

I have upwards of 9 years experience mentoring peers, most recently aiding students through the premedical path at my undergrad. I also have worked as an executive function/planning tutor for Los Angeles area high school and college students. Earlier in college, I worked as a research aide/teaching assistant helping students leverage “writing-to-learn” in order to improve their understanding of complex concepts.

After graduating  Summa Cum Laude  with a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Health Policy from the University of Southern California in 2021, I took a gap year primarily to scribe at a pediatric clinic to boost my clinical experience hours and to continue to work on a philanthropic start-up I co-founded while at USC.

At USC, I had multiple research experiences ranging from biomedical device research in a hybrid wet lab to policy analysis. I also was heavily involved in pro-bono consulting for non-profits and social enterprises.

I have personal experience approaching the common “Why Medicine?” question from a non-traditional angle (engineering major/activities and low clinical hours compared to non-clinical), tying in a non-standard major “X factor” extracurricular into the overall theme of an application, and expressing interest in dual degrees/interdisciplinary medical careers (policy, public health etc).

I look forward to helping you plan for and execute your unique path to medical school!

George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Hi Everyone! My name is Anthu Gnanakumar and I am a medical student at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. I majored in neuroscience and minored in English at the University of Virginia prior to taking a gap year and attending medical school. During my gap year, I worked as a medical assistant (MA) at endocrinology and pediatric primary care practices. I really value the hands-on experience I got through being an MA and would highly recommend taking a gap year if you are at all considering it!

I remember being daunted by the significant uptick in medical school applications during the pandemic and can empathize with the ever-increasing competitiveness of getting into medical school. I have mentored and advised multiple peers and friends from high school and college as they navigated the application process and look forward to extending that mentorship to many of you. It is my hope that we can work together to shape your narrative into meaningful essays and interview responses!

Duke University School of Medicine

Hi all! My name is Arthi and I’m a medical student at Duke. I am originally from New Jersey and went to Duke for undergrad where I was able to discover interests in medical humanities, global health, and peer mentorship. Having previously taught in an art studio, I found ways to engage with medical humanities through storytelling and creative arts with elders with dementia. In medical school, I help run a program that allows admitted patients to share their life story and with cartoon creations to simplify medical diagnoses. I also majored in global health and worked on projects in based in Uganda and India during undergrad that focused on studying how evidence-based interventions actually function in practice. I spent my gap year as a global health research assistant which allowed me to gain experience with all stages of project initiation, management, and dissemination. I’m working towards spending Duke’s MS3 research year engaging with global health implementation research on site. I don’t have any family in medicine so I asked for a lot of advice from upperclassmen and medical students throughout. I was a peer tutor for over 3 years and during my senior year, I started a peer advising program that’s goal was to reach beyond just academics. During that time, I mentored many premed students on course choice, finding research and volunteering experiences, applying to summer program and gap year jobs, MCAT, and building a school list. I continued many of these relationships since graduating and have been able to provide continued support through brainstorming and editing primary and secondary applications, interview prep, and ultimately decision making. One thing I’ve come to learn from my process and that my classmates is that there isn’t one right way to do things and it can be valuable to talk through and understand your priorities and the things that make you the most excited and craft your application around those. I know how stressful and draining each step of the application process can be and I would love the chance to provide some of guidance and support I received at whichever turn you need.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine Admissions Committee Experience

Hi! My name is Kate and I’m a current medical student at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City! I’m originally from Kingsport, Tennessee and attended Clemson University where I completed my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and a master’s degree in Applied Health Research. I have many years of experience as an advisor and mentor, mainly through working as study abroad ambassador and as a peer tutor and peer mentor through a Women in Engineering organization at my school. Later in college, I also worked as a teaching assistant for a challenging chemical engineering course in my degree. I also volunteered my time as a tour guide and was able to provide loads of advice and guidance to future students through that role. While finishing my master’s degree at Clemson University, I worked as a scribe at a gastroenterology clinic to boost my clinical experience hours. During this time, I also served as a mentor and health coach for a local volunteer organization with a mission to help people get off of government assistance. At Clemson, I had multiple research experiences ranging from social psychology to OB/GYN clinical research. I was also heavily involved with STEM outreach at local schools, ran a pitch competition, and volunteered as a conversational partner for international students who were learning English. I also spent the summer after I graduated college working at Interlochen Arts Camp as a camp counselor and reigniting my passion for theatre and the arts. I have had a slightly more non-traditional path to medicine (engineering degree/extracurriculars, taking a year to do a master’s, working at an arts camp), and I have a lot of experience in how to best weave together your own unique story in order to stand out to admissions committees. As a current medical student, I now spend my time working as an Admissions Ambassador and serving as a mentor to incoming students. I also currently interview for my medical school and so I can provide a lot of insight as I’ve sat on both sides of the Zoom interview screen. I look forward to helping you put your best foot forward in your applications and interviews for medical school!

Hello! I am a medical student at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons planning to apply into neurology this upcoming fall. I have extensive mentoring and advising experience both prior to medical school, when I served as a peer advisor for my undergraduate institution’s pre-health club, and as a medical student, continuing to advise undergraduates on essay writing, interview preparation, and general application and career advice. I also work as a mentor in the local community, tutoring and advising 8 th grade and high school age students interested in the health sciences. I have significant research and publication experience beginning as an undergraduate and continuing throughout medical school, having published four first-author manuscripts while contributing to multiple others. Prior to medical school, I spent a gap year as a National Institutes of Health Post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow, a role in which I studied Alzheimer’s disease proteomics and metabolomics. Currently, my research focus has shifted towards neuroinfectious diseases and contributions of infectious exposures to lifetime dementia risk. In addition to clinical medicine, I have a strong interest in public health and anthropology that informs my research and clinical pursuits. 

Hello! My name is Jessica, and I am a medical student at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. I completed my undergraduate degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology at Johns Hopkins University, along with a minor in Entrepreneurship & Management. At Hopkins, I played on the varsity tennis team, served as a peer tutor, and volunteered at the JHH Sickle Cell Infusion Center. After graduating from college, I took on a full-time position at the Sickle Cell Infusion Center as a clinical research coordinator. I stayed in this role for one gap year, where I ran the largest registry of sickle cell disease patients in the United States, helping to characterize disparities faced in health outcomes and access to care. Since starting medical school, I have become heavily involved in cervical cancer research, volunteering at the Chinese Hospital in downtown San Francisco, and advocating for vulnerable populations. As a first-generation medical student, I understand how overwhelming the application process is and how vital near-peer guidance can be. I’ve helped several applicants through their application writing and interview process, who will all be matriculating to medical school this upcoming fall. I look forward to helping you curate your own story, put your best foot forward, and pursue your dream career!

• Medical School Secondary Essays

Medical School Secondary Essays: All MD & DO Prompts

Featured Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Medical school secondary essay prompts are designed to help medical schools in the US find out more about you, from your past academic, professional and personal experiences to what your goals are for the future. The following is a comprehensive list of medical schools and their medical school secondary prompts for the most recent application cycle.  secondary essays You’ll find a list of medical schools ( MD and DO ) organized by state along with the medical school secondary essay prompts they are using for this cycle. 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. With this list you can start preparing your medical school secondary essays and increase your chances of getting in!

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 2 min read

Medical school secondary essay prompts: what med students say, “when the secondaries started rolling in and i realized that schools could have anywhere from two to six extra essays that i was going to have to write for every single one … i started to get a little nervous” - allison edwards, former bemo student and current student at dell medical school..

It’s true that writing medical school secondary essays adds more pressure to an already pressure-laden process of applying to medical schools. While two or six essays may seem manageable, you have to remember that you might be applying to anywhere between ten or twenty different medical schools, so they can add up. What’s more, you typically have only between two weeks, more or less, to complete all these essays, so, as Allison discovered, “it was a lot of late nights and days off spent writing these vast amounts of essays.”

However, another strategy to ease the pressure of having to write a sizable number of medical school secondary essays is to pre-write them, which you can do with the help of this article, as we’ve listed the most recent prompts used by allopathic and osteopathic schools in the US. But starting early, even before you apply, doesn’t only give you a head start. As Dr. Neel Mistry, MD, suggests, “It is advisable to start preparing for secondaries as early as possible so that you have enough time to revise.”

Writing multiple drafts is a valuable strategy for writing your primary application essays, but you may not have enough time if you don’t pre-write. However, if you do pre-write, you can perfect your essays and submit them well-ahead of any deadline. Dr. Monica Taneja, a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine , also recommends this: “I tried to pre-write secondaries starting in mid-June as there aren’t many changes year to year in prompts which are easily found online.” Dr. Taneja also found that “pre-writing allowed me to have <1 week turn around on all of my secondary application returns.”

But if you’re pressed for time, and aren’t able to pre-write, Dr. Taneja suggests re-using basic elements about your story, and infusing them in various essays. Many medical school secondary prompts tend to focus on the same subjects, so you can re-use essays, as long as you remember to add unique things about the school. As Dr. Taneja found, she “was able to morph different essays based on length to reduce overall writing.” 

Allopathic Schools

University of alabama heersink school of medicine (allopathic).

State of Residence Section:

1. Non-Alabama Resident with Ties to Alabama: Describe any ties or meaningful experiences you have had related to the state of Alabama or UAB Medical Center (1500 characters)

2. All Applicants: if the area you spent most of your life before college differs from where you currently consider your permanent address, please explain (1500 characters)

Essay Section:

3. Where do you see yourself in your medical career fifteen to twenty years from now? (750 characters)

4. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics or experiences that would add to the learning environment for your classmates. (750 characters)

5. Describe a patient interaction with the healthcare system. This could be a direct patient observation (in person or virtual) during a shadowing/clinical experience or a personal experience within the healthcare system. What did you learn from this experience? (750 characters)

6. Describe a fulfilling or challenging community service experience and how you grew personally from the experience. (750 characters)

7. UAB Medicine provides quality health care and compassionate service to every patient, every time, regardless of their individual differences or circumstances. Our academic medical center attracts patients from across the world who represent many cultures, religions, lifestyles, and economic backgrounds. 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? (750 characters)

8. (OPTIONAL): 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. (750 characters)

9. (OPTIONAL): Please share any information you want us to know about you that is not included in your AMCAS application or in this secondary application. (750 characters)

Additional Experiences Section:

10. You have a separate page to add any experiences that you did not have listed on your AMCAS application

University of South Alabama College of Medicine

In-State Applicants:

1. Although interests may change, what areas of medicine are you primarily interested in at the current time? (200 characters)

Out-of-State Applicants:

2. Although our primary obligation is to residents of the State of Alabama, we do consider competitive applicants from neighboring states and applicants with strong ties to the State of Alabama.

Please write a brief essay explaining your ties to the State of Alabama. (2000 characters)

Optional Essay

3. The learning community at the University of South Alabama Whiddon 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. (3500 characters)

Osteopathic Schools

Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Describe how specific attributes of ACOM’s mission and core values align with your professional goals and personal attributes?

2. The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine promotes values and equity from various cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. Discuss the role that diversity played in your decision to become an osteopathic medical school applicant.

3. What are your personal attributes that demonstrate the osteopathic philosophy? (500 words or less) 

  University of Alaska Anchorage/University of Washington WWAMI Program

Alaska residents can participate in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) program organized by the University of Washington School of Medicine and offered through the University of Alaska Anchorage.

1. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with? (250 words)

2. The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring? (250 words)

3. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 words)

4. Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine. (250 words)

5. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 words)

6. For Wyoming applicants: Describe your experiences in Wyoming that have influenced and/or informed your decision to pursue a medical career? (250 words)

University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson

1. 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? (Limit: 350 words)

2. 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. (Limit: 350 words)

3. "The mission of the University of Arizona College of Medicine of Admissions is to select a diverse cohort of students who will become the future leaders in advancing healthcare 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 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. (Limit: 350 words)

4. 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. (Limit: 350 words)

5. 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 Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

1. I previously applied to any medical school yes/no (select yes if you submitted a primary or secondary application). If yes, please provide specific examples that illustrate how you are a stronger applicant this cycle. (1000 characters)

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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, academic, or COVID-related challenges. Do not repeat any information already mentioned in the primary or secondary applications. (1000 characters)

Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine - Arizona

Maximum 500 words

1. 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.

2. Each of us relates to others through characteristics that make up our individual diversity. Tell us how your diversity is reflected not only in your personal and professional activities but also in your relationships with others, particularly in diverse learning environments.

A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

  1. What do you feel you can contribute to ATSU-SOMA?

2. Describe when you had to persevere in a challenge or obstacle, and what keeps you motivated to keep going towards your goals.

3. Any info you would like to share to the admissions committee?

Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. How did you become aware of Midwestern University/AZCOM? (max. 1500 words)

2. Why do you believe AZCOM would provide you with the type of osteopathic medical education you are seeking? (max. 1500 words) 

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine

1. 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.

Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. List any significant volunteer, community service and/or mission experiences you have had that is not listed on your AACOMAS application. Provide the organization name, hours/week, duration of experience, as well as a brief description of your duties.

2. Please tell us about any healthcare experiences you have had that are not listed on your AACOMAS application. Provide organization name, hours/week, duration of experience, and a brief description of your duties.

3. How do you plan to fulfill the ARCOM Mission in your practice as a physician?

4. What challenges do you expect to personally face most in the next 10 years as a healthcare professional?

5. How do you expect to overcome these challenges?

6. Describe an experience where you interacted with a person or people from a different background than you (ability, religion, gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, citizenship/ nationality, sexual orientation).

7. How did that interaction impact your mindset of the role of a physician?

8. If you are in a difficult basic science class and feel you are not fully grasping the information given in lecture, how would you alter your study habits or techniques to better understand the material and complete the course successfully?

9. What is a recent book you read that impacted the way you think about today's world?

10. Please explain how this book impacted the way you think about today's world.

11. How did you hear about ARCOM? (No limit)

University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

1 . If you wish to update or expand upon your activities, you may provide additional information below. (500 words)

2. If you are 2023 or earlier college graduate, please use the space below to tell us what you have done since completing your undergraduate degree. (350 words)

3. 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)

Stanford Medical School

1. Are there any current or pending disputes concerning your academic status?

If yes, please explain. (300-character limit)

2. Was your enrollment status ever interrupted during your undergraduate or graduate program, not including summer term (e.g. medical, personal, or academic reasons, military service, other)?

If yes, please explain. (150-character limit)

3. 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:

• Academic Medicine (Clinical)
• Academic Medicine (Physician Scientist)
• Non-Academic Clinical Practice
• Health Policy
• Health Administration
• Primary Care
• Public Health/Community Health
• Global Health

Please describe your motivation for this practice scenario. 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-character limit)

4. 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-character limit)

5. BACKGROUND

Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background.

(for example) 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-character limit)

6. CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Please describe which aspects of your life experiences, interests, and character would help you to make a distinctive contribution to Stanford Medicine. (2,000-character limit)

Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. (1,000-character limit)

8. ADVOCACY

Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1,000-character limit)

9. ANYTHING ELSE? (OPTIONAL) Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) (1,000-character limit)

Stanford also includes a fifteen question Health Attitude Survey where you give your opinion on several healthcare-delivery issues by choosing from six responses (Strongly Disagree/Moderately Disagree/Mildly Disagree/Mildly Agree/Moderately Agree/Strongly Agree)

 Check out some Stanford medical school secondary essay examples !

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

You only have 15 days to submit your secondary essays; all late applications will not be accepted.

1. 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)

2. 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...".

A-Describe your most unique leadership, entrepreneurial, or creative activity. (800 characters)

B-Describe your most important volunteer work and why it was meaningful. (800 characters)

C-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)

3. 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)

4. 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.

5. 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)

Essay Prompts for PRIME-LA (2000 characters)

1. What is the most important social issue confronting the health of marginalized and under-resourced communities? Describe the first steps you would take to address this issue.

2. In what way will graduating from PRIME-LA and obtaining a master's degree enhance your career in health care or health services for marginalized and under-resourced communities? (If you are considering a specific master’s degree (e.g., MPP, MPH, MBA, etc.), please incorporate your graduate degree plans or aspirations into your answer)

3. Describe how your experiences demonstrate your understanding of, and commitment to, marginalized and under-resourced communities.

4. What are your greatest strengths and your greatest challenges as you approach medical school?

5. Describe your most memorable experience as it relates to working with marginalized and under-resourced populations.

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine

1. 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 characters)

2. (OPTIONAL) Please describe how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacted you and your community? (4800 characters)

3. On your AMCAS Application, you were asked to identify your three “most meaningful” experiences. These activities have been auto-filled in your secondary application. In addition to the information, you provided on the AMCAS application, we would like to know if there are any additional activities you would consider among your most meaningful. This may include activities that you’ve already completed but couldn’t include as you were limited to three selections on the AMCAS application, or it may include a new activity that began after your initial AMCAS application was submitted. Use the “Add” button below to enter a new activity. We would also like to know if a letter of recommendation has been submitted on your behalf by somebody you worked with through this experience. If you do not have a letter from this experience, simply type N/A. This information allows Admissions Committee members reviewing your application to more readily match your letters to your experiences and thus facilitates the review of your application. DO NOT LIST ANY ACTIVITY MORE THAN ONCE. (100-character description for each activity you add)

4. 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 characters) 

• 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, anesthesiologist, radiologist)
• Other/undecided

University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine

1. What is the most fun you’ve had lately? (65-word limit)

2. If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be? (65-word limit)

3. What are three things you don't care about at all? (65-word limit)

4. Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved. (65-word limit)

5. Are you a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine? (If yes) Which Group? How does under-representation affect your community? (200-word limit)

6. Have you previously applied to medical school (M.D., D.O., international)? (If yes) Upon reflection, what do you think went wrong? (200-word limit)

7. (Optional): Is there anything else you would like us to know? If yes, please answer the question in 200 words or less.

University of California, Davis School of Medicine

1. Optional: 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)

2. Optional: Do you have a connection to Northern or Central California? (500 characters)

3. Activities: Please list the activities you would like to be considered in your application to UC Davis. The secondary activities may be used to highlight your experiences specifically relevant for UC Davis. You may use your most meaningful experiences listed in your initial AMCAS application or select/add others that may be relevant to UC Davis. Please only list three. The admissions committee will review all AMCAS application activities as well; this an opportunity to highlight your most meaningful and/or relevant to UC Davis School of Medicine.

Prompt for activities: Briefly describe this activity and its significance. How did it prepare you for a medical career? Include any supporting information (e.g. your contribution to the project or accomplishment as well as links to any publication, etc) (500 characters each activity)

University of California, Irvine School of Medicine

MD (1500 characters each)

1. What personal accomplishment are you most proud of and why?

2. Please describe to the Admissions Committee a challenge or disappointment you have overcome and what you learned about yourself from that experience.

3. (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.

4. (if already have an undergrad 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.

MD/PhD Prompts (1500 characters each)

1. What research accomplishment are you most proud of and why?

2. Please describe to the Admissions Committee a research challenge you have overcome and what you learned from that experience.

3. What does it mean, to you, to be an MD/PhD?

4. Please list all posters, manuscripts (published or planned) you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.

University of California, Riverside School of Medicine

1. 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 

2. 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.

3. In what type of healthcare setting do you see yourself practicing medicine?

4. 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)

5. (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.

6. (only if you are non-California resident) If you answered Yes, please explain your connection to Inland Southern California and the mission of the UC Riverside School of Medicine

California Northstate University College of Medicine

1. Why have you chosen to apply to CNUCOM? (250 words maximum)

2. 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)

3. 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?

4. In which direction would you like to see healthcare progress over the next decade? (250 words maximum)

5. 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)

6. If you have previously applied to medical school, what have you accomplished since that time that would warrant your admission now? (250 words maximum)

7. Is there anything you would like the Admissions Committee to know that is not reflected elsewhere in your application? (250 words maximum)

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?

California University of Science and Medicine

1. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills. What did you do? 1500 characters

2. Provide us with a specific example of something you did which helped build enthusiasm in others. 1500 characters

3. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team? 1500 characters

4. Describe the last time you were criticized by a peer or supervisor. How did you handle it? 1500 characters

5. What does it mean to be emotionally intelligent? How have you effectively used your skills in emotional intelligence in the past? 1500 characters

6. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person? 1500 characters

7. What would be the best example that shows you are a person of integrity? 1500 characters

8. If given the opportunity to attend medical school, where would you see yourself in ten years? 1500 characters

9. Diversity comes in many forms. How do you think you might contribute to the diversity of the class? 1500 characters

10. If you were enrolled in fewer than 12 units/credits for more than 1 semester/2 quarters during your undergraduate education, please provide a brief explanation below. Optional (500 characters)

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

1. The university’s vision statement is “Excellent health and wellness for all in a world without health disparities”. Describe how you envision yourself contributing to the CDU vision statement. (1200 characters)

2. Describe your commitment to transforming the health of diverse and underserved communities. (800 characters)

3. Detail the key motivational factors in your decision to apply to the CDU MD Program. (1200 characters)

4. Please describe a personal experience in which you have encountered discrimination. (800 characters)

5. How will you utilize your medical knowledge and skills to contribute positively to your community after completing medical school? (800 characters)

Kaiser Permanente Tyson School of Medicine

1. During your career as a physician, you will potentially encounter obstacles, and be required to overcome challenges. Please describe your experience with a situation that had an unfavorable outcome, including your reaction, how you might have responded differently, and what you learned about yourself. (250 words)

2. Kaiser Permanente is committed to advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity for all. How will you contribute to the diversity of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine? (250 words)

3. Lifelong learning is an essential process for continued professional development. This includes reflection and being open and responsive to constructive feedback. Please tell us about an area of intellectual exploration you’re passionate about, and your approach to exploring this area. (250 words)

4. (Optional) Please describe how you have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (no limit)

Loma Linda University School of Medicine

1. What makes LLUSM particularly attractive to you? (275-word limit)

2. Our medical curriculum integrates spiritual, ethical, and relational issues from the Christian perspective into the practice of medicine. Religion courses and weekly chapel services are part of this program. Please respond to the preceding statements as they relate to your personal educational and career goals. (275-word limit)

3. What personal attributes make you a desirable candidate for admission to LLUSM? (275-word limit)

4. Identify experiences in your life that illustrate your service to others. (275-word limit)

5. Discuss how your spiritual origins, development, and experiences have influenced and been integrated into your daily life. (275-word limit)

6. Please describe your current involvement (or reason for not being involved) with a church or religious group. (275-word limit)

7. If you have already graduated, briefly describe your activities since graduation and your planned activities prior to matriculation into medical school. (275-word limit)

8. Behavioral Expectations. LLU has expectations which include respect for all persons and high standards of personal and professional conduct. This includes abstinence from alcohol, nicotine, cannabinoids, and illicit drugs/substances in all forms. Please describe any use of the above substances within the past year. (No word limit)

Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Are you a TUCOM re-applicant who has previously interviewed? If yes, what was the result of that interview and what changes, if any, have you made which should effect a different outcome?

2. Have you attended any TUCOM information sessions on campus, at another location, or virtually? If yes, please list the event(s) in which you participated.

3. Please describe your understanding of osteopathic medicine including osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Please include your personal exposure to osteopathic medicine (if any) and demonstrate your understanding of the osteopathic principles and history of the profession.

4. Please describe your hobbies (or non-academic pursuits) and how they will influence your success as an Osteopathic medical student and/or Osteopathic physician in the future.

5. Please discuss how your life experiences and personal characteristics will contribute to your future success as an outstanding osteopathic physician.

6. When considering medical schools, what criteria are important to you and how does TUCOM align with those criteria?

7. Have you graduated or do you plan to graduate from a High School or equivalent (e.g. GED, ATB, etc.) - OR - College whose primary method of instruction is English?

8. Have you ever had a criminal conviction (this includes a judge or jury verdict, guilty plea, a plea of no contest or nolo contendere, and/or juvenile offenses), or any criminal conviction that you are currently appealing?

Western University of Health Sciences - College of Osteopathic Medicine

500-word limit each

1. What experience observing a DO solidified your desire/ambition to become an osteopathic physician? (This could be a formal shadowing experience (one-on-one with a physician), scribing, observing your own physician, friend, or family member who is a DO).

2. If you have not had the opportunity to shadow/observe a DO why is it important to you to become an osteopathic physician?

3. What was your most memorable community service activity and how did your activity benefit the community?

4. How does the COMP Mission statement align with your values?

5. Why do you want to attend COMP?

6. What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you and why are they important?

7. Have you participated in research? (y/n)

If yes, briefly describe your role and what skills you gained from participation in the research. Please provide us with the link to the publication or abstract if possible. Did you contribute to the published work as an author/coauthor? (y/n)

8. Briefly discuss any extenuating circumstances which you feel are pertinent to your application (poor grades, course withdrawals, lapse in your education, etc.).

9. If you have not taken any coursework for over 3 years, please explain why and what you have been doing during that period of time.

10. Are you a transfer applicant? (y/n)

University of Colorado School of Medicine

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 500 words 

2. Please describe how your background and/or your unique lived experiences contribute to our culture of inclusive excellence. Limit the response to 300 words.

3. (If reapplicant) Please explain how you and your application has changed since your previous submission. Limit this response to 1500 Characters.

4. Fort Collins Track: 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).

5. Rural Track: 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).

Colorado Springs Branch:

1. Please submit a short statement regarding your interest in the Colorado Springs Branch. You may address characteristics of the Branch that would be a fit for your strengths, experiences, and/or career plans. You may also note your ties to or interest in Colorado Springs or other similar communities. Limit the essay to 1500 characters, including spaces (approximately 300 words).

2. In the Colorado Springs Branch LIC, students work in multiple health systems across Southern Colorado (e.g. Colorado Springs, Cañon City, Pueblo) to understand the interface between academic and community medicine and participate in a curriculum focused on how physician leadership in quality improvement and community engagement can impact health equity. Please describe how participation in the Colorado Springs Branch LIC would advance your career goals, and how your life experiences have led you to an interest in our program. You may also note any ties to Colorado Springs or the Southern Colorado community, if applicable. Please limit your statement to 300 words.

Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Colorado

1. “ What unique characteristics, abilities, or skills will you bring to help advance the mission and vision of RVUCOM? ”

Yale Medical School

Required Essay 1 (Please limit your response to 500 words):

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?

Essay 2 (Please limit your response to 500 words):

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.

Essay 3 (Please limit your response to 500 words):

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.

 Read some Yale medical school secondary essay examples !

University of Connecticut School of Medicine

1. Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?

2. How will the University of Connecticut School of Medicine best serve your needs of becoming a physician or physician scientist?

3. The University of Connecticut School of Medicine realizes that each applicant brings a unique perspective from a broad range of experiences that have been influential in leading to a career in medicine. How will your own life experiences and unique identity enhance the UConn SoM classroom and community?

Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine

1. 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? If you are a re-applicant, please address steps taken to improve your application for medical school. (200 words)

2. Why is it important to you to go into medicine and become a physician? (200 words)

3. What quality or attribute do you think is most important in being a physician? Please explain. (200 words)

4. As a medical student and future physician, you will be faced with many uncertain situations. Please describe a situation when you were asked to do something that was beyond your capabilities. How did you handle the situation? Please provide a specific example. (400 words)

5. Netter SOM is a diverse and inclusive community, and we believe that each person brings their own unique experiences and attributes. How have your experiences, personal/family background or personal identity impacted your values and attitudes in working with others who will be both similar and different from you? (400 words)

6. If applicable, please address any withdrawals, repeated courses, leaves of absence or breaks in your undergraduate education that are not explained in your application. (250 words)

Georgetown Medical School

1. Are you/will you be enrolled in any program during the 2023-2024 academic year?

2. Have you ever completed one 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
• Graduated from Georgetown Experimental Medical Studies Program (GEMS)
• Graduated from Special Master's Program (SMP)

3. 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. (1000 Characters)

4. 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? (1000 Characters 

5. 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)

  Want to read some Georgetown medical school secondary essays ?

Howard University College of Medicine

1. 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) (3000 char max)

2. 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) (3000 char max)

3. 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) (3000 char max)

4. Please provide below any additional information you believe is important in evaluating your application (e.g. additional coursework, problems with academic record; disadvantaged, etc.) (Please indicate, Yes or No and then explain/describe briefly in 250 words or less)

5. Did COVID-19 impact you preparing your AMCAS application for fall 2024? (i.e. volunteer/work experience, financially, course registration, MCAT testing, etc.) [Please respond Yes or No and then explain/describe briefly in 250 words or less, indicate N/A if not applicable]

6. Why Howard University College of Medicine? (2500 char)

George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

1. If you selected regional medical campus preferred or regional medical campus only, please explain in detail your interest in regional medical campus and how it will be a good fit for your clinical education? (1750 characters)

2. 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 2024. (750 characters)

3. 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)

4. What makes you a unique individual? What challenges have you faced? What have you learned from your experiences? (750 characters)

5. 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)

6. Have you previously interacted directly with the MD Admissions Office through events, tours, fairs, webinars, or interviews? (Y/N) If yes, please explain (250 chars). 

Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University

Prerequisites: (1600 char limit incl spaces)

1. Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason)

2. Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution.

About Self:

3. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 char incl spaces)

4. Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 char incl spaces)

Experience (1600-character limit incl. spaces):

5. Describe your most meaningful community service experience that is unrelated to direct patient care. Why did you select this particular experience? In what way did you grow and learn from this experience? What did you enjoy most?

6. What traits do you feel you have developed through your experiences thus far (such as paid or unpaid work experiences) that will help prepare you to be successful in medical school and a future physician. Experience does not need to be related to patient care.

7. Leadership can be defined in many ways. One way of defining leadership is as a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective direction, or lead a group or an organization. Tell us about a time you executed your leadership skills.

8. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during challenges you may face during medical school and as a future physician. Describe any support system and/or resources you had available and how you utilized them.

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Primary Activity/Employment

1. 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. (Not sure of character limit, but it is less than 1000 for sure)

  2. If you have taken a gap year(s), please explain what you have been, or will be doing since graduating from your undergrad institution. (same as above)

Supplemental Essays

1. 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)

2. Why did you choose to apply to FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine? (1200 characters)

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. Use this area to explain any exception to the prerequisites at your institution. (OPTIONAL, 1000 characters)

6. 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. (OPTIONAL, 1000 characters)

1. 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)

For those who are not Florida residents, the following prompt will appear:

Please describe any connection to FIU, FIU HWCOM, or South Florida.

Florida State University College of Medicine

A. Personal Background (500 words)

1 . Please provide a description of your family. (Optional)

2. Please provide a description of where you grew up (i.e. rural area, large city, etc.) (Optional)

3. Indicate what you do for fun and diversion (hobbies, special interests, etc.). (Optional)

4. What is a unique trait, experience, or interest that we would not normally learn about you? (Optional)

5 . 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)

B. Self Critical Analysis (500 words)

1. Why are you choosing to apply to the FSU College of Medicine? Please be specific describing what is particularly attractive about FSU COM.

2. What do you feel are your personal and scholastic qualifications for the study of medicine? (Optional)

3. If you have previously interviewed or applied to the College of Medicine, what steps have you taken to improve your application? (Optional)

C. Additional Questions (500 words)

1. In what field/specialty of medicine do you envision yourself working ten years from now? Please list no more than three (3) specialties.

2. Write a short statement describing how you envision using the specialty/ties you listed above to advance our mission 

3. 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)

D. Florida Resident (200 characters)

The Florida State University College of Medicine accepts very few out-of-state applicants. Except under rare circumstances, out of state applicants are considered for admission only if their county of residence is geographically contiguous with the State of Florida, or if they can demonstrate significant ties to the State of Florida.

Is Florida currently your legal State of residence? (Yes/No)

Has it ever been your legal state of residence? (Yes/No)

If “yes,” please briefly explain: (Optional)

If you have never been a Florida resident or are not currently residing in Florida

(answered “no” to both questions above), please briefly describe any significant ties that you have to the State of Florida (Examples of significant ties include- but are not limited to- attending college within Florida; having strong family ties to Florida, owning property in Florida, etc.) (Optional)

E. Disclosures (500 characters)

1. Have you ever been charged with a violation of the law which resulted in, or is still pending could result in, probation, community service, a jail sentence, or the revocation or suspension of your driver's license (including traffic violations which resulted in a fine of $200 or more)? If "yes", please explain. (Optional)

2. Have you ever been or are you now under investigation for any academic or legal/conduct problems at any undergraduate or graduate institution? If "yes", please explain. (Optional)

University of Florida College of Medicine

1. If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between August 2023 and July 2024, please detail your current and planned activities below. (250-500 words)

2. 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. (250-500 words)

3. 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, chose 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.

• “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.”

4. (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. (4000 characters max)

Additional Questions

1. *REQUIRED If you are not a legal resident of Florida according to your AMCAS application, write a statement describing your association with the State of Florida below. This statement is required even if you have no ties to the State of Florida. (no apparent word count)

2. (optional) Reflect upon your life experiences, values and/or personal background. Do any or all of these helps frame how you envision your future contributions to the health and wellbeing of others as a physician and if so, how? (500 words max)

University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

1. 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? If yes, please provide specifics as to how your competitiveness was impacted. If no, type “N/A”. (1500 Characters)

2. 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, Other)

Describe the knowledge, skills, and attributes you have developed in preparation for the career path you have chosen in the previous question. (1500 characters)

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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)

University of Central Florida College of Medicine

1. If you are NOT a Florida resident, please describe any connection to UCF COM, UCF, or Florida. (500 characters)

2. 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)

3. In this space, provide brief details regarding academic difficulties, grades below "B minus," or course withdrawals. (500 characters)

4. What breakthrough in clinical or research medicine would you like to see occur within the span of your career in medicine? Why? (750 characters)

5. 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)

6. 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)

7. Please share with the Admissions Committee why you are specifically interested in UCF COM. (750 characters)

8. 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. (Up to 4,000 characters)

University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine

1. What have you done during the recent COVID-19 pandemic that will better prepare you to be a medical student and future physician?

2. Why have you selected the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for your medical education? Please be as specific as possible.

3. Please provide a chronological list with dates AND a brief description of your clinical experiences/shadowing.

4. Please provide a chronological list with dates of your community service/volunteering.

5. Please discuss a situation where you had to use your leadership skills.

6. Please briefly discuss your research experience.

7. Please provide a chronological list with dates of your employment.

8. What have you done to help identify, address and correct an issue of systemic discrimination?

9. Choose one of the following prompts (you can't do both)

(optional) Provide a description of any activities involving the FINE ARTS (dance, drama, music, art, photography, etc.

(optional) Provide a description of any activities involving SPORTS (organized team sports, recreational activities that you play, watch or follow)

10. (optional) Describe your most meaningful involvement in STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS.

11. (optional) Provide a description of your most memorable TRAVEL experience.

12. (optional) Provide a description of your HOBBIES and what you do for fun and relaxation.

Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicin e

1. Please provide an example that indicates your ability to function effectively as a productive member of a team working toward a common objective. Elaborate on leadership roles you held in this capacity and how you solved problems that arose. Indicate highlights learned from this experience. (Maximum 4000 characters)

2. Please share some personal examples of problem solving in a team environment and/or leadership experience that would lead to your success in a Problem Based Learning environment. (Maximum 4000 characters)

3. At NSU M.D., we value the unique perspective that each applicant brings. Identify any traits, life experiences, or interests that a professor or advisor would not normally know about you. (Maximum 4000 characters)

4. How has your academic work beyond the “traditional” pre-medical school requirements (i.e., introductory biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and introductory physics) prepared you for medical school and for a career in medicine? Please highlight any service-learning activities that align with humanism in medicine. (Maximum 4000 characters)

5. Is there a time gap between earning your last degree (baccalaureate or other) and the expected time of your medical school matriculation? If yes, please explain. (Maximum 4000 characters)

6. Were you employed full-time (or part-time) during your undergraduate or graduate years? If yes, please explain. (Maximum 4000 characters)

7. Do you believe that you are a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine? If yes, please explain. (Maximum 4000 characters)

8. Please explain any gaps or inconsistencies in either academic or standardized test performances throughout your undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate career. (No word limit)

Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. How did you learn about osteopathic medicine? (1000-character limit)

2. List and briefly describe your significant health care-related volunteer activities since graduation from high school. (2000 characters)

3. If you have ever matriculated into an M.D. or a D.O. program, please explain the reason(s) for leaving. Please use the following format: date, institution, status. If non applicable, please type "none" (1000-character limit)

4. If you were employed during the regular school year (excluding summers) while in undergraduate or graduate school, please list dates of employment beginning with your current position along with title or job description, level of responsibility, and number of hours per week. (2000 character)

Emory Medical School

(200-word limit each)

1. List your entire curriculum plan for the 2023-2024 academic year. If you are not in school, please briefly describe your plans for the coming year 

2. Briefly describe your health-related experiences. Be sure to include important experiences that are in your AMCAS application, as well as any recent experiences.

3. Briefly describe your interest in Emory and the Emory degree program you have selected.

4. Emory School of Medicine is committed to recruiting and educating medical students who will help deliver quality health care and will promote the health of our patients. In our community, this includes learning about and addressing the health care needs of our most under-served populations. Please describe any of your activities that have been in service to under-served communities.

5. If you have any updates or new information to report since you have submitted your AMCAS primary application, please briefly describe below.

Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

1. Please discuss your primary interest in attending the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. (300 words)

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? (300 words)

3. Please list any additional clinical experiences that are not included on your AMCAS application. Please include the physician’s name OR type of experience (i.e., Nursing, PA, EMT, E.R. Scribe, etc.) in the description column below along with the location, dates and total number of hours. If no additional experiences have occurred, please select "N/A."

4. The Admissions Committee regards the diversity of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of MCG and meeting the healthcare needs of a diverse patient population. Please describe how your own personal attributes, background, or life experiences, would contribute to the diversity of the class. (300 words)

5. The art of medicine requires resilience on the part of its practitioners. There can be perceived failure even when the medical team has done everything right. Please describe a time when you were a part of something that failed. What did you learn from this experience? (300 words)

6. 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. (300 words)

7. Please explain any inconsistencies in your academic record. This may include below average course performance, grade trends, MCAT scores, etc. Please enter N/A if not applicable. (300 words)

8. If applicable, indicate any special experiences, unusual factors, or other information you have not already addressed in your application. Please enter N/A if not applicable. (300 words)

9. Please discuss any disruptions to your medical school application as a result of COVID-19. This may include but is not limited to academic performance, clinical, volunteer, research and extracurricular activities. (300 words)

Morehouse School of Medicine

1. Briefly explain the reasons for your selections in the Perceptions of Your Medical Career Section.

2. 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.

Mercer University School of Medicine

1. Please provide below an alternate e-mail address (different from the one listed on the Primary AMCAS Application) to which we can send you correspondence related to your application. (Required)

2. Please provide a cell phone number at which you can be contacted in reference to your application. (Required)

3. Please address any institutional action, including honor code or conduct code violations, from your time as an undergraduate and graduate student. (Required)

4. 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.

5. What is your understanding of the practice of rural medicine?

6. 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.

7. 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?

8. If you wish to, please briefly explain to the Admissions Committee experiences, attributes, or qualifications you believe are unique to you that will strengthen the educational environment at MUSM.

9. 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.

10. Describe your experiences in service to others and your community and how they have helped prepare you to be a physician.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Georgia Campus

No secondary application required.

University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine

1. Resilience is “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.” Consider a challenge you have experienced. How are your attitudes and actions regarding your challenge a reflection of resilience? (600-word limit)

2. Describe your most important volunteer work and why it was meaningful. (600-word limit)

3. Describe any personal connection to JABSOM and/or Hawaii and the Pacific that you may have. If you do not have a personal connection to JABSOM and/or Hawaii, please describe your interest in attending JABSOM. (600-word limit)

4. 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)

Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM)

1. What characteristics of ICOM will help you become a successful osteopathic physician? (no character limit)

2. If this is not your first time applying to medical school, how have you improved your application? (Please type N/A if not applicable) (no character limit )

3. What does Osteopathic Principles and Practices mean to you and how will you integrate these into your future practice? (no character limit)

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Carle Illinois is looking for everything most other medical schools are looking for – and something more. If you are completing our secondary application, you have already passed the threshold for our competency checklist. Well done. Now we want to find out more about you.

Our secondary application is unique. We are looking for physician-innovators. Does that describe you? Our secondary application is your chance to demonstrate that you have the compassion, curiosity and creativity we believe a physician-innovator needs. We are asking you to complete a portfolio comprised of three artifacts and three very short essays (100 words each).

The portfolio provides an opportunity to SHOW US and TELL US how compassion, curiosity, and creativity have played out in your life through visual artifacts and short essays. How do you exemplify these values? How have you grown in these areas? Show us and tell us the connections between these values and your experience. The artifacts should be somewhat reflective in nature so share your thoughts and insights.

For example, if you did or are still doing work in a research lab, we are less interested in a detailed description of the science and more interested in learning what you actually did, how YOU contributed, and if you were able to be innovative. Was the activity you are presenting part of a class for credit or something you did on your own? Was this part of a team? If so, what was YOUR role? Show us and tell us who you are, and why you are a strong applicant for our program.

Each artifact should be uploaded as a PDF (one page for each value, formatted no larger than 8.5" x 11"). No hyperlinks or embedded videos are allowed. We encourage you to make your artifacts image focused. Your artifacts will be most powerful if you include multiple activities for each and clearly indicate the quality and depth of your experience, but only include that which is meaningful for the value. You may repeat experiences listed on your AMCAS application and/or include new ones.

Please do not include activities from high school or earlier unless they are of very high quality or impact (an example would be achieving Eagle Scout rank). Family interactions/relationships ("spending time with family") are unlikely to score well unless you can show how they are noteworthy or significant (an example would be full-time caregiver for a family member for a period). As you are completing your portfolio, please keep in mind that our screeners will evaluate your portfolio independently BEFORE they evaluate your AMCAS application so do not assume the screeners are aware of any of the information in your AMCAS.

Captions or other brief notes can be included on the artifact to help the screener understand your images. Don't provide an essay in place of a visual artifact unless you are an extraordinarily skilled writer! In addition to any notes included on your artifact, each artifact will be accompanied by a very brief essay (maximum 100 words) to give context to your artifact. While the content of your portfolio is of primary importance, our reviewers are also evaluating your presentation. This does not mean you have to be "artistic", but it is valuable to show an innovative approach.

1. Compassion

We believe in creating physicians who, in addition to solving healthcare's most complex problems, are also tender, kind, and warm. From day one, you will be working with patients.

Show Us - How have you changed the lives of others? What have you experienced that has fostered a deep sense of compassion? For example, have you had a moving volunteer experience? Have you learned through adversity and shared those lessons with others in need? Share with us the ways you’ve impacted a larger population and help us see how you will be the type of physician we would entrust with our most beloved community members.

Tell Us - In 100 words or less, explain how this artifact reflects Carle Illinois College of Medicine's value of Compassion.

2. Curiosity

Carle Illinois College of Medicine values lifelong learners. We want to see your passion for learning and growing!

Show Us - How have you explored new interests, cultures, or people? Have you identified a need and taken the initiative to respond to that need? For example, is there a research project or work experience you’d like to share? Has your curiosity fostered a deeper sense of vulnerability, resilience, or life-long learning? If so, how? Let us see where your curiosity has taken you.

Tell Us - In 100 words or less, explain how this artifact reflects Carle Illinois College of Medicine's value of Curiosity.

3. Creativity

The dictionary tells us that innovation is a new method, idea, or product. Often there is an outcome, a clearly defined result, or a new thing is discovered. The introduction of something new requires dynamic thinking and creative solutions. Creativity is key to innovation. Help us see your creativity!

Show Us - What are the ways you demonstrate you have an active mind? What are you really proud of? For example, have you used technology in novel or distinct ways? What innovative solutions have you employed in your work, healthcare, or hobbies? Have you taken a risk to respond to a problem, to express yourself, or to achieve your goals? Describe how you live and lead a creative life.

Tell Us - In 100 words or less, explain how your artifact reflects Carle Illinois College of Medicine’s value of Creativity.

Chicago Rosalind Franklin Medical School

(150 words each)

1. Please specifically discuss how, if admitted to our program, your admission would contribute to the diversity of the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science community.

2. Briefly share your plans for the upcoming academic year. Do you plan to work, conduct research, volunteer in a health care setting, participate in community service, attend school, travel, participate in leisure activities or other activities?

3. Have you ever had a major setback? What was the cause and how did you overcome it?

4. What areas of your life needs the most improvement, and what plans have you made to improve it?

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Describe a time you received feedback about your performance and disagreed with the feedback. What did you disagree with? How did you handle it?

5. 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.

6. Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Stritch School of Medicine?

Complete Questions 7-13 If Applicable

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Are you currently, or have you been, enrolled in any of the following programs?

• Applicant Boot Camp or Health Equity and Advocacy Leaders (ASPIRE)
• Early Assurance Program (EAP)
• Health Professionals Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP)
• Loyola University Chicago undergraduate (LUC)
• Loyola MA in Medical Sciences (LUC MAMS)
• Loyola MS in Medical Physiology (LUC MSMP)
• Loyola Masters in Infectious Disease and Immunology (INDIRI)
• Proviso United with Loyola for Educational Enrichment (PULSE)
• Medical Minority Applicant Registry (MED-MAR)

12. Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below.

13. If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

1. FEINBERG CURRICULUM: Describe which part (s) of Feinberg’s integrated curriculum you are most excited to engage in and best align with your learning style.

2. COPING STRATEGIES: Describe specific steps you take to manage your stress and maintain wellness while balancing personal, educational, and professional responsibilities.

3. 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, will help you achieve this professional goal.

4. POST-UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCES (if applicable): If you have one year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe both your completed activities and future plans during the gap period

5. REAPPLICANT (if applicable): If you are reapplying to medical school, please address steps taken to improve your application.

6. FEINBERG SCHOOL OF MEDICINE RELATIONSHIP

Do you or an immediate family member have an existing relationship with Feinberg School of Medicine?

7. Personal Narrative: The Feinberg School of Medicine values the totality of our students’ experiences. As everyone has their own narrative, please provide more detail about how your unique experiences would enrich the Northwestern community.

Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center

1. Rush Medical College is located on Chicago’s 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)

2. 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)

3. (Optional) If applicable, describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your application to and/or preparation for medical school. (1000 characters)

4. (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)

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

The mission of SIU School of Medicine is 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.

• Preference is given to established residents of central and southern Illinois who intend to practice medicine in the state.
•  Applicants should have a good foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
• Applicants are expected to demonstrate facility in writing and speaking the English language.
• Preference is given to applicants who will have earned a baccalaureate degree by the time of matriculation.
• Preference is given to applicants who have had sufficient recent academic activity to demonstrate potential for successful completion of medical school.

Although the Admissions Committee establishes no quotas, active efforts are made to recruit qualified applicants from groups who have been under-represented in the medical profession.

1. SIU School of Medicine uses a holistic approach to identify students who best 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 SIU’s mission and what barriers have you overcome in your life’s circumstances to reach this point in applying to medical school? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

2. Tell us about your lived experiences that will make you a better physician? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Have you ever been convicted with a misdemeanor other than a minor traffic offense? Have you ever been charged with a felony or a misdemeanor other than a minor traffic offense, or with misconduct on any college campus? If you answered 'YES' to any of the three preceding questions, please explain the relevant circumstances. (no character limit given)

Pritzker School of Medicine

1. Students at the Pritzker School of Medicine complete the majority of their clinical training at UChicago Medicine (UCM). UCM is one of the top ten most racially inclusive hospitals in the United States with a primary service area of 12 South Side zip codes where poverty is over double the state level. Additionally, our students lead six free clinics in diverse neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago.

Please share with us the personal and professional experiences that have best prepared you to work in this diverse clinical environment. (450 words)

2. (MD-Only Applicants)

All MD students participate in our longitudinal Scholarship & Discovery research program, which offers protected curricular time, mentoring, and funding for students to pursue their scholarly interests.

Please describe your research interests and share how our research opportunities will help you advance your career goals. (450 words)

3. 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. (450 words)

4. Optional Additional Information

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. We suggest that you limit your text to about 300 words.

University of Illinois College of Medicine

1. What characteristics, qualities, or attributes do you possess that have helped you to deal with conflict and change?

2. Which characteristics, qualities, or attributes of UICOM attracted you to apply for medical school here?

3. An important part of UICOM’s identity is the concept of “one college, three campuses.” The curriculum is identical on each campus; however, each campus has unique characteristics. Please describe what you have learned about at least two of our three campuses.

4. What are some of the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice? What does an individual’s response to prejudice and injustice reveal about their character? What is the role of a bystander who witnesses prejudice or injustice?

5. UICOM values a wide range of perspectives. Describe an aspect of your own perspective, value system, or lived experience that is important to you and how it would contribute to the diverse and collaborative community at UICOM.

6. Have you applied for admission to medical school previously?

If you are reapplying this year, please describe what you have done during the past year.

7. Have you ever matriculated into and not completed a professional/graduate program?

Please describe the circumstances of why you did not complete the program of study.

Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University

1. List any relative who is an osteopathic physician:

2. Why do you believe CCOM would provide you with the type of osteopathic medical education you are seeking? (1500 Characters)

3. Why should CCOM accept you into this year's class? (1500 Characters)

4. Upload a copy of your resume or curriculum vitae, which will include, but not be limited to the following information:

• Educational History (colleges attended and degrees earned)
• Employment History
• Medically-related work and volunteer experiences
• College extracurricular activities, honors, and leadership responsibilities
• Community activities, honors, and leadership responsibilities
• Hobbies and nonacademic interests

Indiana University School of Medicine

No secondary applications required.

Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Describe the experience (name & location of hospital/clinic, name & specialty physician, and amount of time spent shadowing).

2. Please share any other relevant information that you would like the MU-COM Admissions Committee to know about you. (300 words)

3. Indicate any changes or additions that have occurred since submitting your AACOMAS application. (Including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, research, military service, academic warnings, conduct violations, and/or convictions.)

4. Are you interested in practicing medicine in Indiana? If yes, please describe your interest and reasons why. If no, please explain why not. (300 words)

5. Describe your motivation for attending MU-COM and osteopathic medicine. Please be specific.

6. Please explain any gaps in education or employment longer than holidays and semester breaks.

7. In which area of medicine are you most interested in practicing and why (choose up to 3).

University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine

1. We understand you may be applying to multiple medical schools. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Carver College of Medicine. (1500-character limit)

2. Describe a personal characteristic, challenge, or experience that makes you unique. How will this influence your contribution to a dynamic healthcare system that advocates for all peoples? (1500-character limit)

3. 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. You may list up to 15 entries, 175 characters to describe EACH.

4. If you are a reapplicant to the Carver College of Medicine, how have you strengthened your application? (1500-character limit)

5. 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-character limit)

University of Kansas School of Medicine

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. Patients come from various backgrounds. Please describe how you will engage with patients whose backgrounds may differ from yours.

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 there are academic discrepancies in your application that have not been explained in your application, 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.

8. 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. Students in the MD program are considered and expected to participate full-time in MD program requirements and accompanying activities (e.g., service, research, etc.). Our experience over multiple decades has informed the SOM that participation in outside activities (e.g., employment, other degree programs, etc.) is not conducive to successfully navigating our curriculum and overall school requirements. Failing to meet program expectations can place the student at risk for administrative action, including dismissal.

9. If you are no longer a full-time student, briefly describe your current employment, community, medical, and/or educational activities.

10. 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.

11. For Combined MD/PhD Program Applicants: Do you also want to be considered as an "MD-only" applicant?

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

Read your secondary invitation carefully, they have a definite deadline.

1. Describe a time that you experienced a personal failure. What did you learn from the experience? How did it affect your personal growth? How did you show grit after the failure?

2. What kinds of things are you not good at? Why? How could this present a challenge in medical school?

3. Describe a situation in which you believe you or someone else were not treated fairly. How did you respond? What changes did you make or could be made to prevent someone being treated in this way in the future?

University of Kentucky College of Medicine

1. Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine? (1500 characters)

2. The University of Kentucky College of Medicine's (UKCOM) mission statement promotes a diverse and inclusive environment that provides excellence in education, equitable health care, and transformative research to improve the health and wellness of Kentuckians and beyond. Please describe how your past experiences or future plans contribute to enriching and enhancing the learning environment at UKCOM. (1500 characters)

3. If you are a non-Kentucky resident, you are required to elaborate on your Kentucky ties if applicable (personal, familial e.g.) (700 characters)

4. UKCOM provides MD programs at four campuses including the Lexington Campus, the Morehead Campus (Rural Physician Leadership Program), the Bowling Green Campus, and the Northern Kentucky Campus. You will apply to one of the four UK College of Medicine campuses. Please indicate your campus choice. Please elaborate on why this is your preferred campus. (700 characters)

5. What competencies and qualities do you feel a physician should possess? (1500 characters)

6. Describe a personal activity involving advocacy and/or community service that has impacted your personal values about delivering equitable patient care. (2000 characters)

7. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful? (1500 characters)

8. It is impossible to have predicted the drastic impact caused by the novel coronavirus identified as COVID-19. Describe how this has impacted your social interactions, connections with peers, and perception of teamwork. (1500 characters)

9. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your life and/or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2500 characters)

10. Describe a situation where you were not in the majority. (1500 characters)

University of Louisville School of Medicine

1. Why are you choosing to apply to the University of Louisville School of Medicine? (500 characters)

2. List the individuals who are providing letters of recommendation as a component of your complete secondary application (for example, Committee letter/institution name, Professor Smith/academic subject, etc.) The letter of recommendation policy can be found by copying and pasting the following URL into your browser Submit Letters of Recommendation — School of Medicine University of Louisville. (500 characters)

3. Describe your most significant personal accomplishments and/or experiences and how these may relate to your potential to contribute to the medical community. (1000 characters)

4. What has been your most significant contribution to your community, through service or volunteerism? What was its impact on the community and on you? (1000 characters)

5. Academic productivity and the ability to engage in extracurricular achievements can be impacted by a number of challenges. For example, students who come from rural areas, who held regular employment during college years, or who are the first in their families to graduate from college may not have the same access to opportunities and support as students from other environments. Adversity can shape both the person you are and what you have to offer your future classmates, colleagues and patients. Please describe any challenges that you consider significant in your lived experience. (500 characters)

6. The University of Louisville School of Medicine’s mission is to improve the health of our patients and the diverse communities we serve through excellence and leadership in education, patient care, research and community engagement. Describe how your life experiences and personal attributes prepare you to provide excellent and equitable care to diverse patient populations. (500 characters)

7. 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. (500 characters)

8. Discuss briefly why you have decided to pursue medicine and how your personal characteristics align with those you believe are most needed by physicians. (500 characters)

9. Practice after residency: How do you see yourself practicing medicine after residency training? (Please include choice of medical practice and location). (500 characters)

10. If you are a reapplicant, what has changed from your previous application or your approach to this year's admissions cycle? (250 characters)

11. 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. (500 characters)

12. Please list each place of permanent residence, beginning from birth, including the City, County, State, years in residence, and estimated population size. (1000 characters)

University of Pikeville - Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Have you previously applied?

2. Please describe your experience with osteopathic medicine, such as your care and treatment from a DO and your shadowing experience with a DO (including number of hours). Please describe how your experience has influenced your decision to apply to an osteopathic medical school.

Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans

1. (Optional) Disadvantaged scholarship information letter specifying disadvantage & copy of parent’s federal income tax return.

2. (Optional) Supplemental essay - 500 to 600 words of your values.

Louisiana State University of School of Medicine in Shreveport

1. Briefly describe the key motivational factor(s) in your decision to apply to LSU Health Shreveport and any additional information about yourself you feel would be of interest to the Admissions Committee in consideration of your application. (500 characters)

2. Second prompt for reapplicants: PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION ONLY IF YOU ARE A RE-APPLICANT TO LSU HEALTH SHREVEPORT. Since your previous medical school application, what academic, employment, volunteer experiences or other progress have you made that make you a more competitive applicant? (2000 characters)

Tulane University School of Medicine

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. Who knows you best and how would they describe you? (150 words)

4. Please list any leadership positions (clubs, organizations, paid work) you may have held. (100 words)

5. Please list your hobbies and major non-academic interests. (150 words)

OPTIONAL: The following questions are optional. Declining to answer a question will not negatively impact your application in any way.

6. 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)

7. In what ways did the COVID-19 pandemic alter/interrupt your medical school application? (no limit)

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William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Statement of Purpose:

The Mission of the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM) is to prepare men and women to become osteopathic physicians through an emphasis on primary care, lifelong learning, research and scholarly activities, and service, including osteopathic clinical service, and graduate medical education. Using a community-based training model, the COM will educate and train graduates who are committed to serving the healthcare needs of all individuals, with special attention directed to the medically underserved and diverse populations of the state, region, nation and across the globe.

In the space below (not to exceed 500 words), please explain how your ambitions and career plans will help WCUCOM fulfill this mission.

University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Have you previously applied to the University of New England (undergraduate, graduate, or professional)? (2000 characters)

2. Have you had any contact with UNE COM via alumni, faculty, staff or students? (2000 characters)

3. Are you related to any alumni of UNE COM? (2000 characters)

4. What is your interest in attending UNE COM? (2000 characters)

5. If you previously only applied to Allopathic medical schools, why are you now applying to Osteopathic Medical schools? Please be concise and specific. b) If this is more than your first round of application to medical schools, what have you done to enhance your preparedness? Please be concise and specific. (2000 characters)

6. UNE COM’s curriculum is built on a foundation of collaborative team-based education. Give an example of when you worked in an effective academic or professional group. Explain why a team-based approach is the right model for your medical education. (2000 characters)

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

1. Optional: If you have already received your bachelor's degree, please describe what you have been doing since graduation, and your plans for the upcoming year. (2000 characters)

2. Optional: If you interrupted your college education for a semester or longer, please describe what you did during that time. (2000 characters)

3. Briefly describe your single, most rewarding experience. Feel free to refer to an experience previously described in your AMCAS application. (2500 characters)

4. Are there any areas of medicine that are of particular interest to you? If so, please comment. (2500 characters)

5. 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. (2500 characters)

6. Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from the experience? (2500 characters)

7. 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? (2500 characters)

8. 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. (2500 characters)

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University of Maryland School of Medicine

1. How would you describe your cultural background? (optional, 1000 characters)

2. Describe here the reason why you are specifically interested in attending the University of Maryland School of Medicine. (1000 characters)

3. Have you previously met or attended/seen a presentation by a University of Maryland School of Medicine Admissions

staff member at an open house, college fair, conference, school visit, etc.? If yes, please explain. (1000 characters)

4. Aside from summer and holiday breaks, have there been any pauses or delays in your education semesters between high school and college, during college, or after college? If yes, please explain (1000 characters)

5. Please describe what you will be doing during the 2023-2024 academic year. If you graduated/will graduate in 2023, what are your plans for the coming year until you matriculate to medical school? (1000 characters)

6. If you’ve experienced academic challenges while in college and/or graduate or professional school, please describe and explain below. Please be sure to include withdrawals, incompletes, poor grades, etc. (Optional, 1000 characters)

7. Briefly describe your most meaningful exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 characters)

8. Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 characters)

9. Without limiting the discussion to your own identity, please describe how you envision contributing to the values of equity and inclusivity at our School of Medicine, and in the medical profession. (1500 characters)

10. What does it mean to you to enter into a profession? (1500 characters)

MSTP Prompts

1. Please indicate the MD/PhD program you are most interested in (drop-down menu).

2. Why are you applying to the MD/PhD Program at the UMSOM? (2500 characters)

3. Please list the name(s) of your MD/PhD letter of recommendation writers who can focus on your research potential. (2500 characters)

Harvard Medical School

1. If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters maximum) summarize your activities since graduation.

2. If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity not addressed elsewhere in the application that may illuminate how you could contribute to the medical school and that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, or other aspects of your personal or family background to place your prior academic achievements in context or provide further information about your motivation for a career in medicine or the perspectives you might bring to the medical school community. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. (4000 characters)

3. 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.) (4000 characters)

4. The interview season for the 2023-2024 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2024. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank. (1000 characters)

 HST Prompt:

The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering). Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). (4000 character maximum)

Boston University School of Medicine

1. Did you go on to college directly after high school? (1400 characters)

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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 Chobanian & Avedisian SOM Supplemental Application. Most applicants leave this blank. Yes, it's really optional. (3000 characters)

7. Re-Applicant Comment - This section may be used by re-applicants who wish to highlight specific areas of their application or to outline specific changes since their last application. (3000 characters)

Tufts University School of Medicine

(1000-character limit each)

1. 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?

2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Include in this explanation if you will be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, etc.

3. Please tell us about your journey to medical school and how your background and experiences will positively impact your future as a medical student and physician. If you have experienced personal circumstances or hardships that have helped you develop qualities that you believe will allow you to better serve your future patients and the medical community as a whole, please share those experiences in your response.

4. Tufts values include a commitment to social responsibility; to serve and advocate for all people, especially underserved and vulnerable patients and populations, by addressing social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, and stewardship of social resources. Have you done substantial work or volunteer service in such communities? (yes/no) If yes, Please describe the experience and how it may shape your desire to practice with vulnerable populations in the future.

5. Do you have any withdrawals or repeated coursework listed on your transcript(s)? (yes/no)

6. Did you take any leaves of absence or significant breaks from your undergraduate education? (yes/no) (Do not include time off after graduation.)

7. Because your academics will not be shared with interviewers until after you complete your interview, we encourage you to use this space to elaborate on any academic challenges you have overcome. 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). 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.'

8. 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)?

University of Massachusetts Medical School

"MD applicants must answer questions 1, 2, 4 and 6 while MD/PhD applicants must also answer question 7 in addition to 1,2, 4 and 6. Questions 3 and 5 are options but should be answered if you participated in a UMass Chan Medical/Baystate sponsored program and if you are taking/took gap time respectively."

1. 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...).

1) 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)

2) Describe a time when you have made a decision that was not popular and how you handled this. (Leadership competency)

3) Describe a time when you were on a team that was dysfunctional in some regard. How did you address the situation? (Teamwork)

4) Describe a meaningful interaction you have had with a person whom you have helped at work, school or another activity. (Empathy/Compassion)

5) Have you ever been in the middle of a situation where there was poor communication? What did you do to improve it? (Communication)

6) Describe a time when you have "thought outside the box" to solve a problem. (Inquiry)

7) Describe a time when you suffered a setback. How did you respond to this challenge? (Persistence/Grit)

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. Why did you apply to T.H. Chan SOM? (200-word limit)

5. If you are currently taking a gap year, in what activities are you engaged? (200-word limit)

6. Please describe an example of your personal and/or professional experience with and understanding of systemic inequity, exclusion, or lack of representation in health care in the United States. How did you arrive at this understanding? (200-word limit)

MD Tracks and Specializations

PURCH (Population Urban and Rural Community Health) - Please describe how a focus on population health and healthcare disparities will benefit you in your training and/or career. Please limit your response to less than or equal to 500 words.

LEAD@Lahey - Based on your interests and life experiences, please describe how you might be a good fit for the LEAD@Lahey Pathway at UMass Chan Medical School. What unique experiences and perspectives might you bring to the class? Please limit your response to 250 words or less. 

Central Michigan University College of Medicine

1. Please provide a brief summary of your affiliation with any County selected (there is a list of counties above the text box that you can select from) (250 words).

2. Describe your motivation for applying to the CMU College of Medicine and your future career in medicine. Finally, describe how your preparation and background will contribute to the mission of the CMU College of Medicine. (1000 words)

3. [REAPP ONLY]: If you have applied to any medical school in previous cycles, what have you done since your last application to prepare yourself for a career in medicine? If you have not applied to medical school previously, write “N/A” in the box. (500 words)

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

1. Imagine and reflect upon your life and medical career at the time of retirement. What do you envision being your proudest/most significant accomplishment? (500 words)

2. American society has been reckoning with a variety of systemic injustices throughout its history. Considering your life experiences up to now, share your thoughts and perspectives about this statement using the lens from which you view the world around you. (500 words)

3. Consider three or four words and/or phrases from your medical school application that you use to describe or characterize yourself. Pick one (or a completely different one) that is underdeveloped to provide additional written narrative to the committee as to why you’ve decided to pursue a career in medicine. (500 words)

4. Use the space below to reflect upon your COVID-19 public health crisis experiences, challenges, and/or insights. (500 words)

5. If you could present yourself to the Admissions Committee, what would you want to make sure they knew (or remembered) about you? (500 words)

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

400-words each

1. Oakland County has a diverse patient population with a health equity divide that has resulted in a vulnerable group of patients that are underserved. Given your understanding of social determinants of health, how would you go about addressing these inequities?

2. Describe how OUWB’s mission and values align with your professional goals and objectives.

3. Master adaptive learners in medicine represent a combination of both efficient problem-solvers and possess the ability to learn and innovate when faced with a novel challenge to deliver high quality healthcare. Think back to your educational journey and describe how you embodied the definition of a master adaptive learner.

4. 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.

5. Optional: If you are a reapplicant to OUWB, please describe improvements you have made to your current application from previous cycles (please include academics, experiences, etc.).

University of Michigan Medical School

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.

(1500 characters)

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. (1500 characters)

Please respond to only one of the following two prompts. (2500 characters)

Describe how your identity impacts 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.

How was your journey to medical school affected by the COVID pandemic? Please feel free to describe any positive or negative aspects.

(2500 characters)

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. (1500 characters)

 Try reading some University of Michigan medical school secondary essay examples !

Wayne State University School of Medicine

1. When reflecting on the roles and responsibilities of a physician, discuss what appeals and does not appeal to you. (1250 characters)

2. How would you address the inconsistencies between medical information and disinformation? How do these inconsistencies impact patients and society? (1250 characters)

3. List healthcare issues faced by marginalized communities and include their impact on social determinants of health. How would you address them? (1250 characters)

4. Which of your experiences or activities align with WSU SOM’s mission? Please discuss how. (1250 characters)

5. 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? (1250 characters) Please mark N/A if this does not apply to you.

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine

1. Please explain both of the following:

1) The specific reason(s) you have chosen to apply to WMed and

2) how you will utilize the unique features of WMed's mission, vision, and curriculum to achieve your career goals. (2000 characters)

2. Describe how you add to the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the medical profession and what you bring to the practice of medicine - your values, skills, talents, and life experiences. (2000 characters)

3. WMed Re-Applicants Only: Describe the changes to your application from previous cycles - include academics, experiences, and/or personal attributes. (2000 characters)

4. Optional: Please explain any connection you have to Southwest Michigan. (2000 characters)

5. Optional: Is there any additional information not included elsewhere in your application you would like the admissions committee to know?

(2000 characters)

Osteopathic Schools 

Michigan state university college of osteopathic medicine.

1. The MSUCOM curriculum stresses the importance of intrapersonal competencies, including personal responsibility and adaptability. Please tell us a time when you were faced with a challenge in these areas and how that challenge impacted your professional growth.

2. What does professionalism mean to you as a future physician?

3. You may provide additional information, not stated elsewhere, you feel may help the Admissions Committee gain a better understanding of your candidacy. This may include major life achievements or explanations of academic or non-academic discrepancies on your application. You may also include interests or work experiences.

University of Minnesota Medical School

1. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of the University of Minnesota Medical School. 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 learning environment 

2. How have your individual experiences and identity shaped who you are and who you will be as a physician? 

3. Describe a time when you used critical thinking to solve a problem that you encountered in any realm where you asked questions, gathered information, thought through possible solutions and their alternatives, and evaluated what you did critically. Please include in your discussion what you learned from this experience.

4. (Optional) Any 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.

Note: The primary mission of the UMN Medical School, Duluth Campus is to educate physicians dedicated to serving rural Minnesota or Native American communities. Only complete the Rural and/or Indigenous Health questions if your application presents a strong commitment to these communities. Most candidates accepted within the context of the Duluth Campus mission will be placed on that campus.

5. (Optional) 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. Reflect on what "rural Minnesota community" means to you. Describe your experience in and ties to rural Minnesota areas. What do you view as the greatest healthcare practice needs in rural Minnesota, and how will your future practice help fill these needs?

6. (Optional) 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. What do you view as the greatest healthcare needs in Indigenous communities, and how will your future practice help fill these needs?

Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

1. 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 track choice you indicated.

2. Each of us relates to others through characteristics that make up our individual diversity. Tell us how your diversity is reflected not only in your personal and professional activities, but also in your relationship with others, particularly in diverse learning environments.

MSTP Applicants

In the space below, write a brief paragraph (max. 500 characters) explaining why you are specifically applying to the Mayo Clinic MD-PhD Program.

**Note**: If you opt for MD-only consideration if rejected from the MSTP, then the application adds the MD prompts that you previously did not have to do.

University of Mississippi School of Medicine

1. Please discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic affected your academic preparation for medical school or extracurricular opportunities. Please also discuss any other impact of the pandemic that you would like the admissions committee to know. (2500 characters)

2. Please outline your motivation for pursuing the medical degree. (3000 characters)

William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Mississippi Campus)

Washington university school of medicine.

1. Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (3000 characters)

2. Is there anything else you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions? (Optional) Some applicants use this space to describe unique experiences, obstacles, and/or challenges they faced in their journey to medical school. (3000 characters)

3. Are you still a full-time student? If no, describe in chronological order your activities during the time(s) when you were not enrolled as a full-time student. (Optional) (2000 characters)

Saint Louis University School of Medicine

1. Will you be a full-time student for the 2023-2024 academic year? If you answer NO:

Please describe your current activities... (max 1,000 characters)

2. Do you have a premedical advisor? If you answer yes: How often do you meet?

3. 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.)? Please explain (1000 characters)

4. Tell us about a time when you were the other: (1000 characters)

5. Were you ever the recipient of any action (e.g. dismissal, disqualification, suspension, etc.) by any college for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violations? If you answer yes:

Please explain fully... (max 1,000 characters)

University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine

1. Why are you interested in attending the University of Missouri School of Medicine? (1200 characters)

2. How will you add a unique perspective to the medical school and the practice of medicine? (1200 characters)

3. How will you contribute to an inclusive learning environment at the medical school and the practice of medicine? (2000 characters)

4. Is there anything that was not fully addressed in your application and/or any additional updates since submitting the AMCAS application? (2000 characters)

5. (Re-applicant essay): Since your last application attempt how has your application improved? (3000 characters)

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

1. How will your diversity/diverse experiences (e.g., gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, from rural or underserved community, first generation student status) add to your career in medicine? (1000 Words)

2. Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a Physician. The questions below will help you get started but do not limit your responses to these considerations: (2500 Words)

Academic: Did your school move to an online-only curriculum? Were you able to interact with your professors? Did you have to leave an academic program stateside or abroad? Did your school require you to move to the Pass/Fail grading system? Did your original MCAT exam get canceled or delayed? Were there other academic barriers?

Professional: Did you hold a job? Did you have to go out and seek new job opportunities? Did you lose a job? Were there other financial or professional barriers that you faced?

Personal: Did you have to move out of a house or dorm? Did you have to cancel travel plans? Did you modify your planned experiences related to healthcare or volunteer opportunities? Did you seek out volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis?

3. If you are interested in rural healthcare or in practicing a specialty that meets the needs of underserved rural communities, please describe your interest in this aspect of healthcare.

1. What are you currently doing to maintain your academic knowledge? (2500 characters)

2. Describe a time when you had a personal failure. How did you move on from that experience? (2500 characters)

3. We are often too busy to plan future activities. Describe a time when you were so busy you had to react to situations rather than plan for them. (2500 characters)

A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. What particular qualities do you feel you can bring to KCOM? (Please limit your response to 500 words or less. All information provided in this section must be the original work of the applicant and not from another author.)

2. What specific experience/exposure have you had with osteopathic medicine? How has this influenced your decision to become an osteopathic physician? (Please limit your response to 500 words or less. All information provided in this section must be the original work of the applicant and not from another author.)

University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine

1. If you have been away from full-time academics for more than two years, please explain. (N/A if not applicable) (750 characters)

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. What is your personal rationale for applying to the UNMC College of Medicine, especially if you are not from Nebraska? (1000 characters 

5. What are you most proud of in your life? (1500 characters)

6. Tell us about a time when you have had to overcome adversity. (1500 characters)

7. Tell us something about yourself that will enhance the UNMC College of Medicine? (1500 characters)

8. What have you learned from working with people whose background is different from yours? (1500 characters)

Creighton University School of Medicine

1. Please state your reasons for applying to Creighton University School of Medicine. (2000 characters)

2. 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 to all persons. Please describe the role(s) you can play in helping the School of Medicine achieve its mission. (2000 characters)

3. Describe your experiences within multicultural settings and/or with disadvantaged or underserved populations and how they prepared you to for a future as a physician? (2000 characters)

4. 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)

5. Please reflect on your entire application, is there anything you would like to further share with the Admissions Committee? Gap(s) in your education, personal and/or academic challenges, etc. (2000 characters)

6. At Creighton we are committed to the service of others through non-medical volunteer activities. Please list all your non-medical community service hours post high school. Please list any experiences, including those previously described on your AMCAS application. Include a brief description, dates and number of hours for each event. (300 characters per description)

University of Nevada Las Vegas, School of Medicine

1. Why are you interested in the Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV and how does your background and future goals contribute to our mission?

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 list of your time since graduating from high school up to the point of applying to medical school. Do not write in essay form here. This should be a list by years.

4. (This field is not required.) 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 (for example during COVID-19).

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. You may also explain you ties to Nevada with more detail in this box or any information related to academic/MCAT improvement and resiliency.

University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine

1. Please share why you want to pursue your medical education at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine; describe any connections to Northern Nevada communities; and how you are prepared to contribute to UNR Med’s vision of a Healthy Nevada. (300 words)

2. Describe a time when you were part of a team that was struggling to meet objectives. How did you react? What would you do differently? What did you take away from this experience that will influence your approach to working on a team in the future? (300 words)

3. Reflect on and describe an experience where you provided care or service to individuals from populations that commonly experience health care disparities. Discuss what you learned about the socio-cultural or economic factors that affect underserved populations and describe how your interactions with these individuals motivated or prepared you for a future in medicine. (300 words)

4. Describe a time when you faced a significant life crisis or an academic, personal, or professional failure. How did you respond, what did you learn, and how did the experience influence your future actions? (300 words)

5. Please share an example of how you have used critical thinking and communication skills to develop a creative or innovative solution to a challenging problem. (300 words)

6. (Optional) You are invited to provide a brief statement regarding anything not previously addressed or disclosed in your application that you would like considered during the review of your application. If you are a re-applicant to UNR Med, we encourage you to outline any significant changes or new experiences from your previous application. (500 words)

Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine

1500-character limit for each

1. Why are you interested in pursuing this degree at Touro Nevada?

2. What award(s) or recognition(s) have you received within the last five years?

3. What volunteer experience have you had during the last three years?

4. What research experience have you had during the last three years?

5. Please tell us about your extracurricular activities or hobbies.

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

1. Please indicate your plans for the

2023-2024 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 limit)

2. 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 limit)

3. Please tell us specifically why you are interested in Geisel: (no word count)

  4. Geisel School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Reflect on a situation where you were the “other” (250-word limit)

Want to read some Geisel School of Medicine secondary essay examples ?

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

1. Please describe your anticipated educational, employment, volunteer, or other activities between completing your AMCAS application and matriculating to medical school. (1500 characters)

2. Tell us about something that makes you a unique applicant to CMSRU. How will CMSRU help you fulfill your mission? (1500 characters)

3. 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. (1500 characters)

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

1500-characters each

1. We are committed to supporting our NJMS community by enhancing collaboration between students, staff, and faculty, with a dedicated focus on humanism, health equity and social justice. How do you envision yourself contributing to the NJMS community?

2. We seek students who are respectful, self-aware, humble, resilient, team-oriented, and adaptable. Discuss a personal or professional challenge you have experienced and share insight on what you learned about yourself and how the challenge was resolved.

3. If you will not be a full-time student between June 2023 and August 2024, please describe in detail your planned activities, including projected time commitment for each activity:

4. If you have chosen to pursue one or more “growth” years prior to your planned matriculation to medical school in 2024, please share insight on your decision

5. If you are a re-applicant, please share what you have done to enhance your candidacy and re-application?

6. 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: Institutional Actions, Academic and/or MCAT inconsistencies, personal challenges,):

7. Please discuss any additional information you feel may help us in our review of your candidacy

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

1. RWJMS has identified the core values below as critical to our mission and vision. We strive to matriculate learners who embody these values: 

• R -- Respect, dignity and humanism for the diverse population we serve
• W -- Wellness and resilience
• J -- Joining learners hand in hand with care delivery
• M -- Making patients first with safe, compassionate, high-quality care
• S -- Science to advance human health

Please select a RWJMS core value that resonates the most with you. In two paragraphs or less, reflect on one of your experiences to discuss how you have built a foundation for this value and how it will contribute to our community of learners. (No Word Limit)

2. Discuss a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. Be sure to include the skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. (250 words)

3. Please feel free to comment on any course grades, GPA trends, or MCAT scores and what you have learned about yourself. (No Word Limit)

4. Please use this space if you would like to provide additional information to the admissions committee. (No Word Limit)

Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

1. Why are you interested in attending the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine? (500 words)

2. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Describe a circumstance where you sought to learn about a culture, group or idea different than your own and how that impacted you. (500 words)

3. Describe your experience with the field of medicine (or a related field) that has prepared you for advanced study in this area. Specifically, how have your life experiences prepared you to pursue a degree in medicine, including: coursework, clinical work, experiences in overcoming adversity, work opportunity, volunteer activities, and/or research experiences? (500 words)

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Please select the checkbox(es) that most adequately describes your campus and/or curriculum preferences below. Explain why SGL (small group learning) or PBL (problem-based learning).

2. Please identify your area of professional interest below (i.e. Family Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, etc.)

3. How did you learn about osteopathic medicine and why is it a good fit for you?

4. Explain why you are interested in attending Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine

5. Optional: Please describe any significant barriers or challenges you may have overcome in the pursuit of your personal/professional goals.

University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Background and Diversity

1. At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class? (2000 characters)

Interest and Suitability for a Career in Medicine

2 . Mentorship and clinical experience are integral to developing and understanding of the challenges and rewards of being a physician? Thinking back to your own road to applying to medical school, what is a patient experience or mentorship moment that was most formative to your progression so far? Please share this experience and explain how it fits into your motivation for pursuing a career as a physician. (2000 characters)

Problem Solving

3. There is a physician shortage in New Mexico. What is your understanding of the contributors to this problem, and what ideas do you have to address it? (2000 characters)

• Public Health

4. What aspects of public health do you think should be emphasized in the UNM SOM curriculum? Why? (2000 characters)

Self-Growth/Teamwork

5. Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (2000 characters)

COVID-19 Impact

6. Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2000 characters)

Reapplication:

7. Have you previously submitted an AMCAS application to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine? (Yes/No)

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. If you could strengthen one area of your application, what would it be? What have you done, or what do you plan to do, to address it and improve going forward? (300 words)

2. In the space provided, please explain the reasoning behind your selection above (why you chose the New Mexico location) (300 words)

3. Describe an experience you’ve had or an activity you’ve participated in that aligns with the mission of BCOM. (300 words max).

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

1. Have you previously applied to Medical School? Comments: (200 characters)

2. If you took time off from your undergraduate studies, please briefly summarize your reasons for doing so. (250 words)

3. 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)

4. If you have graduated from college, please briefly summarize what you have done in the interim. (300 words)

5. Please describe your most meaningful leadership positions. (300 words)

6. Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (300 words)

7. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (400 words)

For MSTP Applicants:

1. What academic honors have you received (e.g., prizes, scholarships, fellowships, honor societies)? (1000 words)

2. What are your major research interests? (20 words)

3. PhD Goals (1000 words)

4. Additional Information (1000 words)

5. There's also an "Experiences" section similar in format to the AMCAS Work/Activities section (no word limit)

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

1. If you are currently not a full-time student, please briefly describe the activities you are participating in this academic year. (100 words)

2. If you are committed to a particular community or if there is an important aspect of your identity not addressed elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here. Briefly also explain how such factors may have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. Completing this section is optional. (150 words)

3. What is the toughest feedback you ever received? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it? (250 words)

4. 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)

5. (Optional) Were there any adverse circumstances in your premedical preparatory journey including but not limited to impact from COVID-19? (100 words)

For MSTP applicants (note that question #4 above does not have to be completed)

6. (optional) 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)

7. What are your career goals? Describe which features of the MD/PhD Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai you will leverage to achieve them? (200 words)

8. Provide a one to three sentence summary of your current research interest. Limit your response to 100 words or less.

State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

1. Will you be attending college full-time as of September 15? If no, please describe your activities for the period of September 15 to July 1. (no word count)

2. What will be your support system while in medical school? (150 words)

3. Describe what personal, urban experiences prepare you to live and study in New York City. (150 words)

4. If you had a completed application to the College of Medicine in a prior application cycle, please highlight any changes since your previous application in a list with dates. If this question does not apply to you, enter "not applicable" in the text box below. (150 words)

5. Why do believe you are a good fit for SUNY Downstate? (300 words)

6. What is your experience with diversity, health equity and social justice? (300 words)

State University of New York Upstate Medical University

500 words or less

1. If you earned your baccalaureate degree prior to this past June (2023), please provide a brief statement indicating your plans for the upcoming academic year.

2. Which medical specialty do you currently plan to pursue?

3. 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.

4. 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. In 500 words or less, please answer the following question:

As a potential partner in this effort, please describe your commitment to eliminating health inequities, discrimination, or other forms of social injustice.

5. If you are interested in Primary Care, are you interested in receiving more information about potential scholarship opportunities?

6. 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.

New York Medical College

1. If you do not have any family members with a connection to NYMC for any of the below categories you can skip this section.

•  In this activity, please indicate if you have/had a family member (Grandparent, Parent or Sibling) that attended the NYMC School of Medicine. Applicable to alumni from School of Medicine only. Does not apply to alumni from NYMC-sponsored residency programs, NYMC Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences (GSBMS) or NYMC School of Health Sciences & Practice (SHSP)
•  In this activity, please indicate if you have a family member (Grandparent, Parent or Sibling) Applicable to full-time faculty at School of Medicine only
•  In this activity, please indicate if you have a family member (Grandparent, Parent or Sibling) Applicable to full-time employees at School of Medline only.

2. Please review the NYMC social media Policy. If you select YES, we ask that you please briefly explain what has been posted.

3. 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.

4. Please review the NYMC Technical Standards on our NYMC.EDU website for Admissions and Enrollment and attest to your understanding of them. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says policies related to student admission to view the link.

State University of New York at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

1. In 500 words or fewer, please explain your reasons for applying to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Please be specific.

2. 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?

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

UNIQUE LIFE EXPERIENCES

1. What unique life experiences, personal attributes and/or perspectives will you bring as part of the incoming class? Are there particular challenges or successes that you have encountered? If you do not wish to write anything, please write “NA.”

2. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? Please use this space to tell us anything about yourself that you would like us to know. If you do not wish to write anything, please write “NA.”

For MSTP applicants, the following are additional prompts in addition to the above that you must complete:

1. In the list below and in the following question, please indicate the field(s) of your prior research experience. Check all that apply.

2. Please describe briefly the field(s) in which you plan to pursue your future research. We are looking for the big picture, Aging, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Immunology, etc., not the specific focus. (250c)

3. Please list your previous scientific presentations and abstracts. List all authors, abstract titles, name of meeting, and date of meeting. List each meeting on a separate line. Please do not include the text of the abstract. (9999c)

4. Please list publications on which you are a co-author. List each on a separate line. Include names of all authors, title, journal, year of publication, and volume and page number(s). Please do not list papers that are “in preparation.” (9999c)

5. Please indicate which was your favorite course in college and why. (3000c)

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

1. (Optional) Please share any challenges and/or special circumstances that impacted your application. (200 words)

2. If you previously applied to medical school, briefly describe any experiences you have been part of since your previous application. (200 words)

3. Tell us about a community you identify with and how you're involved with it? (200 words)

Stony Brook University School of Medicine

1. Tell us how your past experiences and/or challenges have defined you (500 words or less)

2. Please respond to ONE of the following two questions: (500 words or less)

(1) Please describe how you, as a future physician, plan to address the social determinants of health.

(2) What, in your opinion, is the role of a physician in addressing systemic racism and societal injustices?

3. Will your education be continuous between college and medical school matriculation?

If NO, please explain what you have done or plan to do during the gap period and why. (500 words or less)

If YES, please tell us about your proudest accomplishment to date. (500 words or less)

Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine

1. Explain why the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell is a good fit for your medical education journey? 250 words

2. “The School of Medicine, in a culture of community, scholarship and innovation, is dedicated to inspiring diverse, promising students to lead and transform medicine for the betterment of humanity.” How do you feel you would contribute to the Zucker School of Medicine’s mission and values and where do you see this taking you in the future? 250 words.

New York University Long Island

NYULISOM seeks to admit highly motivated candidates whose experiences and professional goals directly align with our primary care mission and demonstrate a commitment to a future career as a general practitioner in fields of medicine that are anchored in the principles of primary care and address the growing physician workforce shortages in specific medical disciplines.

To advance this mission, acceptance to NYULISOM is paired with the offer of a directed-pathway to residency into one of four designated residency programs at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island.

• Internal Medicine
• Obstetrics & Gynecology
• General Surgery

Please indicate the specific residency track for which you wish to be considered and explain the reason(s) for your choice, including those experiences listed on your AMCAS application that have confirmed your decision to pursue this field of medicine in the context of primary care. If applicable, please also discuss any other factors –such as your personal journey, academic interests or activities not listed on your application— that have influenced your choice.

Please provide the response that applies to you:

If you are still in school, please tell us your planned academic, extracurricular, research, community service and/or work activities for the application cycle.

If you have graduated from college, please tell us what you have been doing since that time up until the present and your reasons for doing so. Please be sure to account for all your time since graduating.

(Optional) Please comment on any significant fluctuations in your academic record or inconsistencies in your MCAT score; if you took a leave of absence for any reason during college; or any application irregularities that you feel would be helpful for the admissions committee to consider when conducting its holistic review of your credentials.

(Optional) Please feel free to share any other information that you have not already included in your AMCAS application or secondary responses that you believe would be relevant for the admissions committee to know about.

New York University Grossman School of Medicine

MD Questions

1. If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application. (no limited provided)

2. 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. (no limit provided)

3. The Admissions Committee holistically evaluates a range of student qualities and life experiences that complement demonstrated academic excellence. What unique qualities do you possess that make you uniquely suited to become a physician or physician-scientist? How have your individual lived experiences shaped your core values and desire to be a future leader in our profession? (2500 characters)

4. Answer one of the three of the following (limit 2500 characters):

1) 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?

2) 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?

3) 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?

4) NYU Grossman School of Medicine strives to provide our students with the option of accelerating their medical educational training. In order to guide our curricular efforts to provide additional opportunities for early career exploration for our students, please select up to three residency specialties that are currently of interest to you. Please note that your selection in no way impacts your admissions decision (i.e., there are no right or wrong selections), that it is not binding in any way, and that you may select “Undecided” if you are unsure of your future career path. (a drop-down list of specialties will show up for this question)

MSTP Specific Questions

1. How many months of full-time research experience have you completed? When estimating this amount, you may convert part-time research into its full-time equivalent. For example, if you conducted part-time research for 1 year for ~50% of the time, this would equal 6 months of full-time research. Please do not include lab experiences associated with a course (e.g., organic chemistry course with lab).

2. What area of research would you like to pursue in your graduate training? (200 words max)

3. Please describe your ideal career. (200 words max)

Cornell Medical School

1. Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Weill Cornell Medical College.

2. Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it.

3. If applicable, please tell us about any special circumstances related to COVID-19 that could help us understand you better.

4. If you are not attending college during the upcoming (2023-2024) academic year, what are your plans?

  Want to read some Cornell medical school secondary essay samples ?

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - New York

“This Personal Statement is different than the essay that had been submitted with your AACOMAS application. In no more than three paragraphs that will fit on this single page (if the essay creates a second page, it is too long), please discuss how your background, experience or academic program has prepared you for meeting Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Mission, Goals, or Objectives.”

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine

1,000-character limit each

1. 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.

2. 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?

3. Describe a challenge you’ve faced and the steps you took to overcome it.

4. Describe the community in which you see yourself practicing medicine.

5. Have you previously applied to NYITCOM? If yes, what specific steps have you taken to strengthen your credentials for the current application year?

6. How and where did you learn about NYITCOM?

Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

2500-character max.

1. When you close your eyes and imagine your professional life 20 years from now, what do you see?

2. Tell us about a time where you felt that your persisted towards a goal or outcome you wanted even when there where challenges/barriers in the way. How did to you stay motivated to achieve your goal? Describe resources you used to overcome the challenge.

3. Medical school presents numerous emotional and professional challenges. Please share an instance where you faced a difficult academic situation and explain how you managed the situation. How did you promote your wellness during this situation?

4. East Carolina University’s motto is Servire- “To Serve.” Tell us about your most meaningful community service project or experience unrelated to patient care.

University of North Carolina School of Medicine

1. Describe an experience where you attempted a task and realized during the process that you were not ready for it. How did this experience impact your approach to trying new things? (250 words)

2. How will your life experiences foster a positive educational environment and benefit your future patients? (250 words)

3. Discuss your involvement in a service activity that has impacted your understanding of healthcare and your desire to pursue a career in medicine. (250 words)

4. What motivates you to apply to the UNC School of Medicine? (200 words)

5. Reapplicant essay available if you are one.

Duke University School of Medicine

1. Tell us Who You Are: Share with us your story. This is your opportunity to allow us to know how you wish to be addressed, recognized and treated. (500 words)

2. Working with Others: Trust and rapport are essential in your day-to-day interactions with people. How do you cultivate a relationship with a person who may be very different from you? (400 words)

3. Advocacy: 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)

4. Coping with Disappointment: Not achieving a goal or one’s desire can sometimes be disheartening. What have you discovered from your setbacks and disappointments and how does this translate to your current way of thinking? (400 words)

5. Leadership: 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)

6. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking involves a number of characteristics. Research experience enhances critical analysis skills. Describe any research experience or similar experience in which you utilized critical thinking. How will critical thinking be important in your future career? (400 words)

7. Understanding the Need for Healthcare Changes: Potential sources of health inequities exist. Duke’s Moments to Movement (M2M) is a collective stand to address these issues. Discuss your experience with disparities in health, health care and society. (400 words)

8. COVID-19 Implications: How has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced your journey to medical school? Have these events changed your outlook on medicine’s role in society? (400 words)

9. Further Information: Please let us know of any additional information that you would like us to consider while reviewing your application

  Here are some Duke medical school secondary essay examples for inspiration!

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

1. 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 or less)

2. Describe a non-academic challenge you have faced and explain how you overcame it. (200 words or less)

3. 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 or less)

4. Please share an experience that demonstrates how you have collaborated with others. (200 words or less)

5. Describe your future goal(s). Reflect on your past experiences and describe how these experiences will shape your goal(s). (200 words or less)

6. Tell us about any specific reason(s) (personal, educational, etc.) why you see yourself here at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. (150 words or less)

7. Please tell us an interesting fact about yourself that a casual acquaintance may find surprising or interesting. (50 words or less)

Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine

1. The MISSION of Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM) is to educate and prepare community–based osteopathic physicians in a Christian environment to care for the rural and under-served populations in North Carolina, the Southeastern United States, and the nation. Briefly describe how your career goals align with the CUSOM Mission (4,000-character limit)

2. What three qualities will you bring to CUSOM which will enhance the overall climate of our school? How do these qualities align with the CUSOM mission? (4,000-character limit)

3. Osteopathic medicine parallels allopathic medicine but has distinct principles and practices. Which of these principles and practices are of greatest interest to you and why? (4,000-character limit)

University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

1. 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 of the school’s mission. (1200 words)

2. 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. (1200 characters)

3. 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. (1200 characters)

4. Describe your research activity. Examples include the outcome of a formal research experience, course-dependent undergraduate research, thesis, or capstone project. (600 characters)

5. 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. (600 characters)

6. 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. (1200 characters)

7. 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. (1200 characters)

8. What are your career plans if you do not ever get admitted to medical school? (600 characters)

9.  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.). (600 characters)

10. 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? (600 characters)

11. Have you participated in any of these pathway programs: Scrubs Camp, Med Prep, CLIMB, Summer Institute, Pre-Med Day, etc? Please indicate all that apply. (Radio option)

12. UND SMHS REAPPLICANTS ONLY: When was your previous application, and, subsequently, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? Note any relevant academic, employment, clinical, and personal experience and/or development. (1200 characters)

13. Have you read the UND SMHS Standards of Capacity policy ( https://med.und.edu/policies/ _files/docs/4.14-standards-of-capacity.pdf), and are you prepared to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodations?

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

1. Greatest Challenge Essay: 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 and what you learned about yourself as a result. (2,000-character limit)

2. Based on your current maturity and wisdom, reflect upon an experience from the past few years that you would handle differently today. (1,000-character limit)

3. Gap Year(s) if applicable: If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us why you made this decision and what you will be doing or have done during this gap time. (1,000-character limit)

Optional Responses:

1. Research/Scholarly Work: 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 is broad-based 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/scholarly work, you will be able to indicate this in a radio button embedded within this response. (3,500-character limit)

Note that if you are applying to both the University Program and the CCLCM, the research response will default to the CCLCM required response.

2. Additional Information Response: 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? (2,000-character limit)

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

2. Research Essay: Please tell us about ONE research project to which you made a significant contribution. In your essay, describe your role on the project, the hypothesis of your research and whether you contributed to hypothesis generation, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results, and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. In addition, please briefly share your motivation for pursuing this research project and reflect on how this experience affected your future career goals. (3,500-character limit)

4. Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Directed Learning: The most successful medical students at our school are generally those who are intrinsically motivated, self-directed learners. Think of a time when you had to pursue a goal without clear external direction. Describe your approach and any new knowledge, perspectives, or skills that you acquired. (1,000-character limit)

5. Career Essay: What does your ideal career entail fifteen years after medical school graduation? (1,000-character limit)

6. Gap Year(s) if applicable: If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us why you made this decision and what you will be doing or have done during this gap time. (1,000-character limit)

1. Additional Information Response: 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? (2,000-character limit)

Northeast Ohio Medical University

1) NEOMED Personal Statement Please complete a brief personal statement of 5,000 characters or fewer addressing the question below: What do you hope to achieve from your experience as a NEOMED student?

Ohio State University College of Medicine

1. 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.

2. The OSU COM has a goal of assembling a class that is enriched with a broad range of unique experiences. Do you believe this is a desirable goal for a medical school's student composition? Please elaborate.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED ESSAYS ONLY FOR THOSE APPLYING TO THE PRIMARY CARE TRACK:

3. Please see our website for more information about applying to our program at medicine.osu.edu/pct. 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.

4. "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?

5. Please see our website for more information about applying to our program at medicine.osu.edu/cmt. Please give an example of a life experience that sparked your desire to practice medicine in a smaller community and apply to the Community Medicine Track.

6. Why are you interested in training in a smaller community, and what is the impact you hope to have by training in this setting?

The University of Toledo College of Medicine

1. The Admissions Committee considers a wide variety of factors in evaluating applicants, including fit between applicants and our program’s mission, goals, and culture. In the essays below, we invite you to share information about yourself with regard to two aspects of our program. We encourage you to provide information and insights that may not be easily gleaned from other aspects of your medical school application. In responding to the essay prompts below, you should interpret the questions to the best of your ability.

One of the AAMC Core Competencies for entering medical students involves cultural competence. The competency involves several distinct domains, including:

• Demonstrating knowledge of socio-cultural factors that affect interactions and behaviors;
• Showing an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity;
• Recognizing and acting on the obligation to inform one's own judgment;
• Engaging diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship, and work;
• Recognizing and appropriately addressing bias in selves and others;
• 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. (600 words)

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. (600 words)

3. (Optional) Please use the space below for anything you might wish to discuss related to the corona virus (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.) (600 words)

4. 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. (300 words)

5. Please briefly describe what activities you are/have been engaged in during the period between undergraduate school and medical school. (300 words, pops up if you answered "yes" to if you had a gap.)

6. 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.) (500 words)

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

1. The University of Cincinnati’s Next Lives Here initiative includes three platforms:

Inclusion: Intentionally engaging people and the contribution of diverse ideas.

Innovation: Challenging existing practices and paradigms and discovering the unknown.

Impact: Positively transforming our community and society in measurable ways.

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Mission:

We work together in a spirit of collaboration, inclusion, and service: To educate and train the physicians, scientists, and health professionals of tomorrow; To advance knowledge through impactful, innovative research; To improve health and well-being through compassionate, patient-centered care.

Considering the UCCOM mission, tell us why you’re applying here and how our mission aligns with your own.

Your response is limited to 2000 characters.

2. The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Values:

We are committed to excellence, diversity, and integrity in our students, faculty, staff, and all of our activities. We provide an inclusive environment where innovation and freedom of intellectual inquiry flourish.

Please share your personal journey to a career in medicine and let us know how the UCCOM values align with your own.

3. Academic Impact of COVID-19 (optional)

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.

4. Non-Academic Impact of COVID-19 (optional)

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.

MD-PhD Essays

1. Research Projects: Please summarize your past research experience(s). Discuss your role and contributions to the project(s). Explain how these experience(s) have prepared you for a career as a physician-scientist. (4000 characters)

2. Qualifications for MD/PHD: Please discuss your motivation and goals for joining an MD/PhD program. Elaborate on future career plans and how the University of Cincinnati MSTP will help you achieve those goals. (2000 characters)

3. Research Interests: Please discuss your research interests and how these align with the research opportunities provided at the University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children’s. Discuss potential MSTP faculty mentors whose research is of interest to you. (2000 characters)

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

1. 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)

2. If there has been a significant economic hardship, please explain the circumstances. If none, please enter N/A. (750 characters)

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. What is the primary reason that you have chosen to apply to the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine? (750 characters)

7. Are there any specific patient populations that that you desire to serve as a physician? (750 characters)

8. 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. (750 characters)

9. If you consider yourself a non-traditional candidate, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (750 characters)

10. 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. (750 characters)

11. 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. (750 characters)

12. If you are not a current resident of the state of Ohio, please describe your connection to Ohio. If you have no connection to the state of Ohio, please enter N/A. (750 characters)

13. If you have a connection to Wright State University, please describe your that connection. If you have no connection to Wright State University, please enter N/A. (750 characters)

14. If you have a connection to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, please describe that connection. If you have no connection to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, please enter N/A. (750 characters)

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. All applicants are required to answer the following question in the form of an essay. There is no specific word count, font or font size required. Please name the file using following format: "last name, first name, required essay".

"There are philosophical and tangible differences between osteopathic and allopathic medicine. Describe what being an osteopathic physician means to you, and what qualities make a good osteopathic physician. What have you done to gain knowledge and experience of osteopathic medicine?"

2. All applicants are required to answer one of the following three questions in the form of an essay. There is no specific word count, font or font size required. Make sure to include the question itself at the top of your essay. Please name the file using the following format: "last name, first name, selected essay".

1) Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics. What core values did you receive and how will these translate into the contributions you hope to make to your community as a medical student and later as a physician?

2) There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacle or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician?

 3) What has been your most meaningful life experience (i.e., family situation, clinical or shadowing experience, volunteer experience, etc.) that influenced your decision to pursue medicine?

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

1. Why are you applying to The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine? (Max 250 words)

2. Do you have family or friends in Oklahoma? Please explain (No word/character limit)

3. Where else are you applying? (no character limit)

If you go for the SCM track: (School of Community Medicine, in Tulsa)

1. Please submit an essay that explains your interest and commitment to Community Medicine. (Max 450 words)

2. Please explain how you expect the SCM track to enhance your medical education. (Max 250 words)

3. Please enter any additional community or volunteer experience not included on your AMCAS application. (Max 250 words)

4. Please highlight any other relevant life experience that you feel might have an impact on your application to the SCM track. (Max 250 words)

University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine

1. Please submit an essay that explains your interest and commitment to Community Medicine. (450 words max)

2. Please explain how you expect the SCM track to enhance your medical education. (250 words max)

3. Please enter any additional community or volunteer experience not included on your AMCAS application. (250 words max)

4. Please highlight any other relevant life experience that you feel might have an impact on your application to the SCM track. (250 words max)

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Are you currently enrolled in classes? Yes/No >> (If not), please describe your current activities (300 words)

2. Please describe something you deserved but didn’t get and how you felt about it. (300 words)

3. (Optional): Is there any additional information you would like the college to know about you? (500 words)

Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1550 characters)

2. Tell us about a time you went into a situation completely unprepared. (1550 characters)

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience and ability to overcome adversity. (1550 characters)

4. 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? (1550 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1550 characters)

6. Please discuss the roles Dignity, Respect and Deference play in how medical teams optimize patient care. (changed from last year) (1550 characters)

7. Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If yes, use the space below. If no, leave blank. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage. (1550 characters)

8. 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. If no, leave blank. (2050 characters)

Supplemental Information section with additional prompts:

9. Based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, do you believe that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers and how did that affect your experience and relationship with health care? Please explain. (4000 characters)

10. "While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity?" with options to select the severity of the following adversities: economic, educational, ethnic/cultural, family] Please describe the nature of the adversity and how social, economic, academic, or other circumstances affected you and your opportunities. (4000 characters)

11. We acknowledge that our application is not fully comprehensive. If there is anything additional you would like to let us know about you, please briefly state it here. (550 characters)

Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

500-words max.

4. How does the COMP Northwest Mission statement align with your values?

5. Why do you want to attend COMP Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon?

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

1. If you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here (500 characters).

2. The Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) is deeply committed to recruiting a class inclusive of diverse perspectives and experiences; this enriches the instruction we provide, enhances team-based learning, and ensures our students’ preparation to address the health needs of a pluralistic society. How would your life experiences contribute to the student body and how would you contribute to an inclusive atmosphere at PSOM? Please explain and limit your response to 1,000 characters.

3. 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).

4. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters

Read some UPenn medical school secondary essay samples !

Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

1. 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)

2. Is there a unique aspect of your application that should be considered by the admissions committee? (Maximum 75 words)

3. Explain why you decided to apply to the Penn State College of Medicine. (Maximum 75 words)

4. Write a short paragraph describing a significant experience you have had working in a team setting. (Maximum 250 words)

5. Write a short statement describing how you envision using your medical education to advance care for under-represented or marginalized populations. (Maximum 250 words)

Drexel University College of Medicine

1. Please discuss all of your current and recent activities and engagements that have prepared you for medical school. Please be sure to include any traditional and/or non-traditional clinical exposures and volunteering experiences that you have done that are not already included in your application. (2000 characters)

2. Why are you interested in Drexel? Please also explain how you meet various elements of our mission - compassionate care, diversity, spirited inquiry, collaboration, and opportunity. (1500 characters)

3. (optional) Please describe any extenuating circumstances that may have affected your medical or non-medical service experiences, including any circumstances that impacted your engagement in activities, academics, and MCAT that would have helped to prepare you for medical school. (1500 characters)

Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

1. Sidney Kimmel Medical College defines diversity as the richness in human differences. How will your own experiences allow you to contribute to the diversity of the student body and to provide equitable and inclusive care to your future patients? (2500 characters)

2. Do you have additional information that you would like to provide at this time? (4000 characters)

Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine

1. What is the nature of your interest in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine?

2. The Admissions Committee would like to know more about you. 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.

3. Tell us about your special interest in the campus you selected.

4. What are your plans for the current year - June 2023 until June 2024?

5. 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. Note: 2,000-character limit per essay question, including spaces.

6. Have you completed a pathway/pipeline program offered through LKSOM or another medical school? These types of pathway/pipeline programs include Diversity Scholars, STEP-UP, Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) or other similar programs sponsored by a medical school. (Y/N)

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

1500-characater limit

If you are applying to the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, please share with the Admissions Committee what primary care and/or psychiatry means to you, and why you believe you are a good fit for the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. (Still answer questions 2-4 below though. Only question 1 is substituted by this prompt)

1. Given Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s unique mission and values, please tell us why you believe you are a good fit for our institution.

2. List the five most important attributes you believe a physician should possess. Please choose one that you believe you embody and describe a personal experience that demonstrates this trait?

3. Geisinger Commonwealth values diversity, health equity, inclusion, and social justice. Tell us how you will share in this mission.

4. If you have previously applied to medical school, please describe your significant experiences between this year’s application and your previous application. If you are not a previous applicant, please type, “N/A” in the response area.

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

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. 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.)

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? (250 words or less.)

Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine

ESSAY QUESTION 1:

Why do you want to become a physician, and how are you a good fit for DUQCOM's mission?

PLEASE ANSWER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FROM QUESTIONS 2 - 4.

(maximum 400 words for each question)

ESSAY QUESTION 2 - Describe a situation in which you had to utilize your beliefs and values to interact with people from different backgrounds. How did those beliefs and values impact the relationship?

ESSAY QUESTION 3 - While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, DUQCOM also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for diverse communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to caring for patients in under-resourced communities as they relate to addressing health disparities, which is a key component of the mission of the College of Medicine.

ESSAY QUESTION 4 - Comment upon how you intend to utilize your medical training to impact the healthcare profession. Please include two of the following topics in your answer: application of knowledge in ethics, regional and global health disparities, health policies and economics, innovation and entrepreneurship, medical humanities, patient safety, quality improvement, and scientific discovery.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

No secondary application.

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

No secondary application. 

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

1. Summarize your activities during the 2023-2024 academic year. Describe how your activities are preparing you for a medical career. (2000 characters)

2. How will your unique attributes, life experiences, and interests add to the Alpert Medical School community? (2000 characters)

3. Reflect on a situation when you had to change course, and how you did so. (3000 characters)

Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine

1. Please discuss your primary interest in attending the Medical University of South Carolina. (2000 characters)

2. We desire to train students and physicians to work with the diverse patients of our state and nation. Please share any important aspects of your background, identity, and/or experiences that have impacted your ability to relate to and work with diverse communities and patient populations. (3000 characters)

3. For re-applicants- If you are a re-applicant, please describe what you have done since last applying (i.e. your activities, involvement, preparedness, etc.) to strengthen your candidacy for medical school. (2000 characters)

4. For out-of-state applicants- If you are not a legal resident of South Carolina, please describe in detail your strong Close Ties to South Carolina. Close Ties are defined as: (1) Having lived in SC for multiple years, (2) Parents who currently live full-time in SC, (3) Completed the majority of your education in SC (i.e. enrolled in or graduate of an undergraduate and/or graduate degree from a South Carolina institution), (4) and/or currently living in and/or working in South Carolina. (3000 characters)

University of South Carolina School of Medicine

No word limits.

1. (if applicable) What additional qualifications have you acquired since your last application?

2. (if applicable) Do you have any other ties to South Carolina that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider?

3. What are your medical practice goals?

4. Describe your employment status since you completed your bachelor's degree (part-time, full-time, and dates) (only if you have graduated)

5. In what region of the country do you want to practice medicine? Why?

6. What areas of medicine are you interested in at this time, or what areas do you plan to pursue?

7. Do you have any accomplishments or experiences that make you a unique applicant?

8. Explain any impact that COVID-19 may have had on your educational, research, volunteering or employment plans.

9. Working as part of a team is an important aspect of your medical education at our School of Medicine and as a practitioner in the future. Please share at least one experience where you worked as part of a team to accomplish a goal/objective. What was your role as a part of the team and what did you learn from working with others? How did you deal with conflict on the team and/or working with a team member who you disagreed with?

University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Question 1: Please consider sharing experiences, challenges, family or personal circumstances, interests, etc. that you believe would bring added value and unique lived experience to the learning community at USC School of Medicine Greenville. (5000 characters)

Question 2: If you are not a South Carolina resident, what relationships, bonds, or other interests or connections do you have to the state? (If not applicable, please write N/A) (5000 characters)

Question 3: Is there any additional information you would like the Admissions Committee to consider that has not been previously addressed? (If not applicable, please write N/A) (5000 characters)

Question 4: Why have you chosen to apply to USC School of Medicine Greenville and how do you think your education at USCSOM Greenville will prepare you to become a physician in the future? (5000 characters)

***Essay Question 1*** At USCSOM Greenville we are committed to Transforming Medicine One Doctor at a Time. Share how, as a physician, you will seek to transform medicine. (5000 characters)

***Essay Question 2*** Please describe a personal work, social or educational experience which felt inclusive and welcoming. (5000 characters)

University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine

1. Given the mission statement of the school, please explain how your experiences and long-term goals would help meet the mission. (1500 characters)

2. Given the diversity statement of the school, explain how your background and experiences with diversity will bring value to the school. (1500 characters)

3. Describe how your experiences in health care or social care activities will help you become a good physician. (1500 characters)

4. 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. (1500 characters)

5. What are your career plans in the event that you are not admitted to a medical school this year or after several applications? (1500 characters)

6. Please use this space to update the information contained on your AMCAS application (i.e. grades in recent courses; alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation; additions to your extracurricular activities) or anything else you want the committee to know. (1500 characters)

7. For repeat applicants only. Since your last application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? Please note any relevant academic, employment, clinical and personal experience. (1500 characters)

8. For non-South Dakota residents applying to the regular MD program – please describe your ties to South Dakota. (1500 characters)

9. Please share and explain any disruptions/hardships in your academic, volunteer, work, and/or personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (5000 characters)

10. Please use the space below for anything you might wish to discuss related to the corona virus (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; how the pandemic has affected your outlook on the role of medicine. (5000 characters)

11. Knowledge and skill are crucial, but why should a physician be kind? (5000 characters)

East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine

(All max 1500-character counts)

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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:

•  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.

Meharry Medical College

1. Why do you wish to attend Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine?

2. 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.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine

1. List all courses you are currently taking or plan to take within the current academic year (e.g., Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024). List course(s), title, and credit hours. (1000 characters) (I think it's only "optional" if you're not currently a student!)

2. (optional) Any additional information not previously provided in the personal comments of your AMCAS primary application? (500 characters)

3. (optional) Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to provide our applicants with an optional essay prompt for the year's UTHSC College of Medicine secondary application. Please use the text field below to share with us how you may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including academic, financial, medical disruptions, etc. It would also be helpful for us to know if any of your planned experiences in shadowing, volunteering, research, employment, or other activities have been suspended due to the pandemic. (2500 characters)

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. (Optional): If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (200 words)

5. (Optional): If applicable, please describe how the COVID-19 outbreak 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. (200 words)

6. (Optional): How did you first become interested in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine? (200 words)"

Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine

250 words each

1. BUCOM shares the values of our larger learning community at Baptist Health Sciences University such as integrity, professionalism, continuous improvement, and service as an expression of our Christian values. We foster a Christian environment where servant leadership is modeled in all aspects of learning, teaching, service, and business. Describe what it means to be a servant leader and how it connects to your decision to become an osteopathic physician.

2. Why did you decide to apply to BUCOM, and what personal values will you bring that will enhance our campus community during your time here?

3. After residency, describe the community setting, job role, and type of practice in where you see yourself.

Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine

Please write and ATTACH the short essay addressing ONE of the following questions:

Medical school requires a huge commitment in time and energy. How have you prepared for this commitment?

If you are a re-applicant, please tell us what you have done to strengthen your application.

1. Is there anything you want the admissions committee to know that you haven’t explained on your AACOMAS application?

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

1. 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)

2. Describe a time that you have witnessed someone acting unethically or dishonestly, or an experienced behavior of harassment or discrimination. What did you do? Describe your reaction, is there anything you might do differently now in retrospect. (2500 characters)

3. 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)

4. (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)

5. (Optional) Please explain any academic discrepancies or extenuating circumstances that you feel the Admissions Committee should know.

Baylor College of Medicine

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.

• Clinical Research
• Healthcare/disparities/medical undeserved communities
• Academic Medicine
• Community Health
• Simulation in medical education
• Health systems science

What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1,000-character limit)

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. (no limit)

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-character limit).

MD/PhD Applicants Additional Prompts:

1. Please describe your primary research Interests for PhD training. [Limit of 1000 characters]

2. Why do you think Baylor College of Medicine MD/PhD Program would be a good place for you to train to be a physician scientist? Please provide names of potential Baylor College of Medicine and/or Rice University faculty with whom you would like to work. (Will not limit final research project or mentor selection) [Limit of 1500 characters]

3. Tell us about a characteristic(s) that may enable you to interact with people from a wide range of ages, experiences, viewpoints, and backgrounds. [Limit of 1000 characters]

4. Published articles, please provide full citations:

5. Plans for the 2023-2024 academic year description [Limit of 1000 characters]

University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine

1. Describe a time when you advocated for someone whose social identity (e.g., race, gender, sex, religion, socioeconomic status, ability status, etc.) differed from yours. Explain the situation and why advocacy was necessary.

2. Describe a time you were wrong. Why were you wrong? How did you respond?

3. How do you define curiosity? Provide an example in which curiosity helped solve or expand your knowledge and experience outside of the academic environment.

4. What attributes do you look for in your physician(s)? Which of these attributes do you need to develop? How will you develop them?

5. John Sealy School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch serves patients throughout Texas, focusing on Galveston County and Gulf Coast Region. Are there particular characteristics of our school and/or the Galveston area in terms of location, history, or other attributes which make you especially interested in matriculating here?

B. There will also be an asynchronous Video you need to complete via SparkHire, follow the instructions given. Here is the SparkHire site with FAQS and info for candidates: SparkHire FAQS for candidates

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine

No secondary essays.

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School

1. Please discuss one of the following:

a) A challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past

b) 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?

2. 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)

3. What would you like to contribute and be remembered for in medicine? (2500 characters)

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

Four Required Essays:

1. Which potential barriers and facilitators exist for medicine of the future? How will you make a difference in this regard? (350 words or less)

2. Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (350 words or less)

3. 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)

4. In the event that you are accepted by two or more medical schools, what factors would you consider most important when choosing a school to attend. (100-word max; bullet points are acceptable)

Three Optional Essays: (truly optional)

1. [Optional] If you feel that the Admissions Committee should be aware of any academic discrepancies or extenuating circumstances, please explain them. (350 words or less)

2. [Optional] Describe any major hardships you have overcome to reach this point in your life. (350 words or less)

3. [Optional] How have volunteer work, hobbies, and/or extracurricular activities informed your beliefs about health care and a career in medicine? (350 words or less)

Required Video Response:

Submit a 2-minute video that answers one of the two questions below.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine prepares future physicians in accordance with the following values: patient advocacy, community focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, and lifelong problem solving. Select TWO (2) of these values and discuss what you have done in the past that resonates with them. How will you support and strengthen these two values when you practice medicine?

University of Texas Medical School at Houston

I have prior experience in primary care setting (general internal medicine physician, a general pediatrician, or a family medicine physician).

I have prior experience in a medical practice or social service for an underserved area:

I have prior experience in community or public health:

Describe the setting (urban/inner city; suburban; rural); your role and responsibilities; and approximate date range for any of the experiences you indicated in the previous section. If you answered (N) to the category, enter “N/A” or leave the box blank for that category.

Primary Care: (300-character limit)

Medical or Social service for underserved area: (300-character limit)

Community or Public Health: (300-character limit)

Describe any employment, family or other obligations that impacted your education that are NOT already indicated in your TMDSAS application. (750 characters) (optional)

Describe up to 3 of your activities/life experiences that align with our mission. Explain how they might demonstrate a commitment to underserved communities. The examples you select must be included in TMDSAS primary application. (1500-character limit)

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. 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 Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

1. 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 (100 words).

• Practicing in an underserved area
• Rural Health
• Medical Research
• Medical Academics
• Border Health
• Other (Please describe below)

2. Have you experienced any road bumps in your academic career? (Low academic performance, dropping, retaking, or failing courses, etc.). If so, please explain (250 words or less)

3. Please share any lessons learned during your academic journey. For example, a time a goal of yours was deterred and maybe even halted, how did you handle that situation? (250 words or less)

4. If you are applying to a dual degree program, please rank them in order of preference.

5. Are you applying to our MD & E program?

6. Are you applying to FMAT?

7. Have you experienced any hardship or adversity, personally or professionally? If yes, please share your experience with us. (200 words or less)

8. Please tell us about your favorite recreational/leisure activities (100 words or less)

9. Please share with us your ideal practice. For example: Where would you practice? Who would your patients be? What would your specialty be? (100-word limit)

10. Do you consider yourself from West Texas or as having West Texas ties? If yes, what town or county did you reside in, or what other factors would you cite? (100 words or less)

11. Do you consider yourself to be first generation? If yes, please explain your reasoning (Examples of Definition: both of your parents are born outside of the USA, both of your parents have education or a degree outside of the USA, both of your parents do not have an education higher than high school). If yes, then explain? (100 words or less)

12. Have you ever participated in any TTUHSC special programs?

• Middle School to Medical School (M2M)
• Early Dedication to Medical Education (EDME)
• Future Healthcare Professional’s Experience (FHPE)
• Summer Enrichment Program (SEP)
• Premedical Enrichment Program (PEP)
• Graduate Medical Education Sciences (GMES)

University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School

Texas a&m health science center college of medicine.

1. As a physician, you never know what type of patient you will serve. From your past experiences, please describe or highlight factors or situations that demonstrate your ability to work with individuals from multicultural communities. (3500 chars max)

2. The Texas A&M School of Medicine embraces the Aggie Core Values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service. Please elaborate on personal characteristics, values, accomplishments and/or any experiences that you feel will help to demonstrate your potential to contribute to the school and to the profession of medicine. (3500 chars max)

3. 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. What strategies have you used to address these circumstances? (3500 chars max)

4. OPTIONAL QUESTION: List the area (or areas) of medicine that appeals to you and briefly explain. (Limit your explanation to 50 words or 250 characters total) Do not leave blank. If not applicable, please so indicate.

EnMed - Specific Prompts: All are 250 words.

1. How did you hear about the EnMed program?

2. How will the Engineering Medicine program meet your career goals and aspirations in ways that a traditional MD program would not?

3. List the knowledge and skills you have participated in outside the classroom, then describe how these have prepared you to create innovative medical technologies.

4. List the knowledge and skills you have acquired inside the classroom, then describe how these have prepared you to create innovative medical technologies.

5. At the end of your career, what do you want to have accomplished in order to consider yourself successful?

TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine

Sam houston state university college of osteopathic medicine.

1. What do you like or dislike most about the area you are from (your hometown or where you graduated high school)? [800-character limit]

2. Describe a moment when you failed to accomplish a task or let yourself down. How did you grow from this experience? [800-character limit]

3. What do you consider the role of physicians in medically underserved Texas communities? [800-character limit]

4. Sam Houston State University's Motto is "The Measure of a Life is its Service." What is the most significant service contribution that you have made? [800-character limit]

5. As a DO physician, how would you plan to incorporate the tenets of osteopathic medicine into your future practice? [800-character limit]

6. Are you a Texas resident? [Yes or No]

7. Please share anything you would like to mention to the SHSU-COM Admissions Committee about yourself to strengthen your application. [500-character limit]

University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

OSTEOPATHIC KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCES, AND/OR RELATIONSHIPS

Please address each topic in a separate paragraph:

1. What experiences and/or relationships have motivated you toward a career in osteopathic medicine? (2,000-character limit including spaces)

ACADEMIC HISTORY

1. If you attended more than two colleges/universities, explain why. Community colleges are not needed. (1,000-character limit including spaces)

2. If applicable, please update the information contained on your TMDSAS application. Indicate any additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, additions to your extracurricular activities, name change, or anything else you feel the Admissions Committee should know. (1,000-character limit including spaces)

ADDITIONAL EVALUATIONS (Optional)

An additional evaluation letter may be submitted directly to UNTHSC Office of Admissions by the evaluator. A letter from an osteopathic physician is highly recommended. Please indicate the name of the evaluator and whether or not they are a D.O.

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

1. Did you live in a single parent household?

If yes, number of years/months:

Number of Years:

Number of Months:

2. Do you consider yourself financially disadvantaged?

If yes, please explain. (1,000-character limit including spaces)

3. Do you consider yourself educationally disadvantaged?

OPTIONAL ESSAY

One of the values of the University of North Texas System is Courageous Integrity which means one should model exceptional standards and act in the best interest of our community. These behaviors include:

• Build trust through consistent actions that are honest, transparent, and authentic
• Provide, accept, and support open and constructive feedback
• Hold yourself and others accountable for decisions, behaviors, actions, and results

Please select a specific instance where you have demonstrated Courageous Integrity and describe how this is indicative of your character (2,000-character limit)

University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Explain your understanding of osteopathic medicine and your interest in pursuing this pathway to becoming a physician.

2. UIWSOM is the first faith-based school of osteopathic medicine in Texas and mission driven. How will you contribute to the UIWSOM by fulfilling this mission?

3. Please describe your preparation for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Include any tools you may have used to prepare, length of study time, practice exams, etc.

4. If applicable, please answer the following:

If you are reapplying to UIWSOM, what have you done to strengthen your application since you last applied?

Are you a current or former student of the University of the Incarnate Word who falls in one of the categories below?

a) Current MBS student

b) Previous UIWSOM MBS student

c) Current UIW undergraduate student in Direct Admit program

University of Utah School of Medicine

1. Tell us why you are interested in pursuing a career in medicine at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. How does our program align with your personal and professional goals? What can you contribute to our exceptional learning experience? (300 words)

2. Describe how health disparities have impacted you, your community, and/or the communities you have served? What lessons have you learned and how do you plan to use this knowledge to address health equity as a medical student at our program and as a future physician? (300 words)

3. (for reapplicants) "Upon reflection and self-assessment, please share with us your areas of demonstrated growth since your previous application. Please highlight examples of your continued commitment to medicine." (300 words)

Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Southern Utah Campus

1. What unique characteristics, abilities or skills will you bring to help advance the mission and vision of RVUCOM? There is no text limit.

Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine

Record a short video (maximum 8 minutes) that answers the following questions:

• Who are you?
• What is your passion?
• What does service mean to you?
• Tell us about a physician you admire/want to emulate?
• Why Noorda-COM?

University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine

1. The Larner College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes active in-person participation and peer co-learning which translates into strong clinical practice. This relies on individual students preparing for, and being actively involved in, participatory class sessions. Please share your thoughts on the suitability of active learning for you. You may use any of the points below to guide your response. (Maximum 400 words)

• Navigating a group learning process.
• Personal contributions to such a learning environment and areas of growth.
• The value of balancing your learning with the teaching of your classmates.
• Any potential challenges to this approach to learning.

2. The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses an individual’s entire experiences. Diverse environments can promote growth and provide an opportunity for reflection. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself and how that challenged your preconceptions or biases. How will this experience influence your behavior in the future? (Maximum 400 words)

3. The Larner College of Medicine has core values that are reflected in our professionalism statement. How has your understanding of what professionalism means evolved over time? Reflect on a personal experience that contributed to your understanding of your own core values. (Maximum 300 words)

4. What unique opportunities at Larner College of Medicine would be meaningful to you in your education and how do these align with your larger goal of becoming a physician? (Maximum 250 words)

5. (Optional) Use this space to share any information, not presented elsewhere, that will clarify any aspect of your application. If you are a reapplicant, you may choose to share what you have done since your previous application. (Maximum 250 words) 

University of Virginia School of Medicine

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.

Tell us about a challenge or obstacle you experienced. How did you manage it? Please answer the question in 350 words or less.

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

1. You are approached by a neighbor whom you are friendly with and who knows you are headed to medical school. The neighbor wants your opinion on whether she should have her healthy 3-year-old child vaccinated against COVID. The neighbor is well-researched and thoughtful, bringing up data that suggests limited long-term benefits of vaccination, while pointing to concerning, documented side effects. How would you respond to this dilemma? (Comments are limited to 2000 characters. Research on the topic is encouraged)

2. How do you define “grit”, and how have you demonstrated this in the past? (2000-character limit)

3. Please briefly explain any lapses in your undergraduate education that are not explained in your application.

4. Please briefly explain any low GPAs or poor grades.

5. If not addressed in your application, what are you currently doing now?

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

1. Explain why integrity is more important than intelligence and perseverance using an example from your life (600 words).

2. Explain how your concept of diversity is both the same and different from the mainstream view (600 words).

3. Choose one aspect about yourself, not already reflected in your application, that you are most proud of. Explain your choice below (600 words).

4. Please describe something you deserved but didn’t get and how you felt about it (600 words).

Eastern Virginia Medical School

1. Briefly describe your exposure to medicine. (2000 characters)

2. What do you think you will like best about being a physician? (2000 characters)

3. What do you think you will like least about being a physician? (2000 characters)

4. Describe yourself and your medical career as you see it ten years from now. (2000 characters)

5. Please indicate your reasons for applying to EVMS. (2000 characters)

6. (Optional) EVMS is dedicated to inclusivity and supporting patients and students from diverse backgrounds. Feel free to share your personal experience or ties to communities from diverse backgrounds. Please explain in detail if you wish to respond. Some examples include but are not limited to race/ethnicity, culture, LGBTQ+, differently-abled/disabled, etc. (2000 characters)

7. (Optional) If you would like to discuss how race has personally affected your life, through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise, feel free to share your experiences, obstacles overcome, and how this impacted your education and road to applying to medical school. (3000 characters)

University of Washington School of Medicine

Washington state university elson s. floyd college of medicine.

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 learning environment for your classmates.

6. If you are a re-applicant to WSU College of Medicine, describe what you have done since last applying to strengthen your candidacy for our medical school. If you are not a re-applicant to the College of Medicine, please leave blank.

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

(One Page): Describe personal experiences that have shaped your desire to attend an osteopathic medical school that focuses on addressing rural and/or medically underserved populations and diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care.

West Virginia University School of Medicine

1. Why do you want to attend WVU SoM? How did you first hear about WVU SoM, and why do you feel you would be a good fit?

2. Describe a time when you worked closely and successfully with another person who had a background different from your own.

3. How do you see yourself serving the state of West Virginia if accepted?

4. 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?

5. What is your life motto, and why?

Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine

1. Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5000 characters)

2. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5000 characters)

3. If you are not presently attending school indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school. If still in school, enter N/A. (2000 characters)

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

1. Why do you want to be an osteopathic physician? (500 characters)

2. What advantage do you see in attending WVSOM over other medical schools? (500 characters)

3. Describe an ethically challenging situation you have been in, and how you responded. (500 characters)

4. What do you feel it will take for you to succeed in medical school? (500 characters)

5. Provide a brief comment about your study habits. (500 characters)

6. Describe a situation in work, volunteer activities, or organizations where you demonstrated your ability to work well with others. (500 characters)

7. What experiences (living, working or visiting) have you had in rural areas? (500 characters)

8. Briefly comment on how your volunteer experience benefited you. (500 characters) 

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

1. The Admissions Committee is committed to holistic, mission-aligned evaluation of all applicants. Review our institution’s mission. Using specific examples, discuss how and why you believe you are a good fit for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. (500 words max.)

2. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of UWSMPH and crucial to the education of tomorrow’s physicians. Reflect on how you would embody these values in your education or practice. (250 words max.)

3. Integrity, accountability, and compassion are UWSMPH core values. Pick one of these and reflect on your lived experience with it. (250 words max.)

4. 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 max.)

5. (OPTIONAL) If germane to your overall application, please share in a brief paragraph how COVID-19 impacted your application in any of the following domains:

• 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). (250 words max.)

Medical College of Wisconsin

1. Explain how your unique background, identity, interests, or talents will contribute to the MCW learning community. (1000 characters)

2. How will MCW uniquely prepare you for your future goals? (1000 characters)

3. 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)

4. 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)

There are also additional demographic checkboxes:

• I identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA) community.
• I am the first person in my immediate family to attend college (excluding siblings).
• I was born or grew up in a rural community.
• I am a military veteran (including active duty and those transitioning to civilian life).
• I come from an economically disadvantaged background.
• I attended an underperforming elementary, middle, or high school.
• My primary language is NOT English.
• I have overcome a significant hardship.

If you choose one or multiple, you have 2000 characters to elaborate.

 5. We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted academic, extracurricular, and personal activities that could affect your application and/or your application preparation. Do you have additional information you'd like to provide? (y/n) (2000 characters)

Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine

No secondary essay required.

Ponce School of Medicine

No secondary essay required. 

San Juan Bautista School of Medicine

University of puerto rico school of medicine.

No secondary essays required. 

As this information changes frequently, we encourage you to verify these details with the program(s) to which you are considering applying. If you see an error here, please notify us with the updated information, and we’ll send you a FREE copy of a BeMo book of your choosing! You can receive our Ultimate Guide to Med School Admissions, our Ultimate Guide to MMI Prep, or our Ultimate Guide to CASPer Prep! Please email our Student Support Team with any corrections, and we’ll arrange to send you your free book upon confirming the information: info [at] bemoacademicconsulting.com

1. 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.

2. Does every medical school send secondary applications?

Not every school uses secondary applications, but a majority do. 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. Schools that do not use secondary application essays have a different screening process, and typically look at your GPA, extracurriculars for medical school , your medical school personal statement and MCAT scores to help determine whether you should be invited for an interview.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. If I only have a 300-word limit, how should I structure my medical school secondary essay?

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

6. Can I use the same answer for more than one program?

If more than one program has similar medical school secondary prompts 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

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Application essays and future performance in medical school: are they related?

Affiliation.

• 1 Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. [email protected]
• PMID: 23330895
• DOI: 10.1080/10401334.2012.741536

Background: There is a paucity of research on whether application essays are a valid indicator of medical students' future performance.

Purpose: The goal is to score medical school application essays systematically and examine the correlations between these essay scores and several indicators of student performance during medical school and internship.

Methods: A journalist created a scoring rubric based on the journalism literature and scored 2 required essays of students admitted to our university in 1 year (N = 145). We picked 7 indicators of medical school and internship performance and correlated these measures with overall essay scores: preclinical medical school grade point average (GPA), clinical medical school GPA, cumulative medical school GPA, U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 and 2 scores, and scores on a program director's evaluation measuring intern professionalism and expertise. We then examined the Pearson and Spearman correlations between essay scores and the outcomes.

Results: Essay scores did not vary widely. American Medical College Application Service essay scores ranged from 3.3 to 4.5 (M = 4.11, SD = 0.15), and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences essay scores ranged from 2.9 to 4.5 (M = 4.09, SD = 0.17). None of the medical school or internship performance indicators was significantly correlated with the essay scores.

Conclusions: These findings raise questions about the utility of matriculation essays, a resource-intensive admission requirement.

• Education, Medical, Undergraduate
• Educational Measurement / methods*
• Forecasting
• School Admission Criteria*
• Schools, Medical*
• Statistics, Nonparametric
• Students, Medical*

Significant Research Experience Essay

If you’re applying to MD-PhD programs, you’re also required to write an essay that describes your significant research experiences. In this essay, please specify your research supervisor’s name and affiliation, the duration of the experience, the nature of the problem you studied, and your contributions to the research effort. This essay is limited to 10,000 characters.

If you were an author of a publication about your research, please enter the full citation in the Work/Activities section of your application.

Please note: If you change the program type to a Combined MD-PhD Program at a designated school after you submit your application to the AMCAS program, you will need to complete the MD-PhD and Significant Research Experience Essays before you can resubmit your application.

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This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

Published on 31.5.2024 in Vol 26 (2024)

Vulnerability to Cyberattacks and Sociotechnical Solutions for Health Care Systems: Systematic Review

Authors of this article:

• Pius Ewoh, MBA   ; 
• Tero Vartiainen, PhD  

School of Technology and Innovations, Information Systems Science, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland

Corresponding Author:

Pius Ewoh, MBA

School of Technology and Innovations

Information Systems Science

University of Vaasa

Wolffintie 32

Vaasa, 65200

Phone: 358 414888477

Email: [email protected]

Background: Health care organizations worldwide are faced with an increasing number of cyberattacks and threats to their critical infrastructure. These cyberattacks cause significant data breaches in digital health information systems, which threaten patient safety and privacy.

Objective: From a sociotechnical perspective, this paper explores why digital health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and provides sociotechnical solutions through a systematic literature review (SLR).

Methods: An SLR using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was conducted by searching 6 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Springer) and a journal ( Management Information Systems Quarterly ) for articles published between 2012 and 2022 and indexed using the following keywords: “(cybersecurity OR cybercrime OR ransomware) AND (healthcare) OR (cybersecurity in healthcare).” Reports, review articles, and industry white papers that focused on cybersecurity and health care challenges and solutions were included. Only articles published in English were selected for the review.

Results: In total, 5 themes were identified: human error, lack of investment, complex network-connected end-point devices, old legacy systems, and technology advancement (digitalization). We also found that knowledge applications for solving vulnerabilities in health care systems between 2012 to 2022 were inconsistent.

Conclusions: This SLR provides a clear understanding of why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and proposes interventions from a new sociotechnical perspective. These solutions can serve as a guide for health care organizations in their efforts to prevent breaches and address vulnerabilities. To bridge the gap, we recommend that health care organizations, in partnership with educational institutions, develop and implement a cybersecurity curriculum for health care and intelligence information sharing through collaborations; training; awareness campaigns; and knowledge application areas such as secure design processes, phase-out of legacy systems, and improved investment. Additional studies are needed to create a sociotechnical framework that will support cybersecurity in health care systems and connect technology, people, and processes in an integrated manner.

Introduction

Cybersecurity in health care systems entails the safeguarding of electronic information and assets against unauthorized access, use, and disclosure [ 1 ]. The main objective of cybersecurity in health care systems is to protect the privacy, integrity, and accessibility of health information to provide secure health care services. Despite the digital transformation in health care delivery, health care organizations are facing increasing challenges and crises, which include data breaches of patient health information and vulnerability in their critical infrastructure [ 2 ]. Research has highlighted that health care systems are becoming more vulnerable to cyberattacks as technology advances [ 3 ]. Furthermore, the internet and its diverse nature and connection to the delivery of telehealth and continuous health care services create multiple points of access for cyberattacks [ 4 , 5 ].

In high-income countries such as Finland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, integrated technology is used to monitor and manage health care systems. For instance, at least 10 to 15 medical devices are linked to each patient’s electronic bed in a public hospital [ 6 ]. These complexities increase the susceptibility of health care networks to cyberattacks [ 6 , 7 ]. Studies conducted through the simulation of medical devices have similarly revealed that pacemakers and pulse oximeters can be hacked and compromised without a physician’s knowledge [ 8 , 9 ]. Ransomware is another type of man-made malware that can disrupt health care systems by infecting computer systems, locking people out of their files, and then demanding a ransom payment in exchange for access to those files [ 10 , 11 ]. Cyberattackers can publish the exposed health information to the web or sell it on the dark web [ 12 ]. This type of attack can result in breaches of patient privacy, subjecting health care organizations to fines that are consistent with human health service regulations and European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policies for data breaches. For example, research has shown that, between 2012 and 2022, more than US $128,244,290 million in fines were paid in the United States alone for violations of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws on data breaches against health care organizations [ 13 ]. Although these fines were derived from no less than 111 health care organizations, many organizations have failed to report breaches.

Cybersecurity education is seriously lacking [ 14 , 15 ]. Moreover, a critical problem with cybersecurity in health care systems is the lack of involvement or recruitment of people with expertise and training in cybersecurity [ 16 ], resulting in considerable neglect of the cybersecurity infrastructure [ 17 ]. A systematic literature review (SLR) revealed that, between 2018 and 2019, more than 24% of the data breaches in all industries happened within the health care context [ 18 , 19 ].

Between 2009 and 2021, the US Department of Health and Human Services office reported 4419 health care data breaches, resulting in >314 million health care records being lost, stolen, or exposed [ 20 ]. In 2015, an estimated 113.27 million records were stolen and exposed, and in 2021 alone, the US Department of Health and Human Services also reported at least 2 health care data leaks daily [ 13 ]. The statistics clearly show an upward trend in health care data breaches over the past 10 years [ 21 ]. When considering this trend on a global scale, the number of health information breaches could potentially reach into the billions of health records. Organizations such as Vaastimo Oy Finland; National Health Service trusts in the United Kingdom; Anthem, Inc; Premera Blue Cross; and Excellus Health Plan have been victims of these threats and breaches of health information. Breaches and vulnerabilities in health care delivery, human safety, and protection of sensitive information are deeply disconcerting. However, it can be argued that research solutions are fragmented and sparse. There is a gap in the knowledge areas of health care cybersecurity in the literature and in practice regarding the vulnerability of health care systems and the reasons for cyberattacks. The argument and motivation are that a holistic approach to security is needed because humans are the weakest link in the cyberattack chain [ 11 , 22 ].

Coventry and Branley [ 6 ] have highlighted the need for resilience and changes in their studies on human behavior, technology, and processes as part of a holistic solution to the problem of health care system vulnerability. The information, technology, processes, objectivity and values, skills and knowledge, management systems and structure, and other resources dimensions by Heeks [ 23 ] also point out that avoiding security design reality gaps requires approaching the security functionality of a health information system as a sociotechnical system and not as a technical system. Security by design, or secure design, is an approach to cybersecurity that enables organizations to automate their data security controls and formalize the design of their infrastructure so that they can build security into their IT management processes [ 24 , 25 ].

In this study, a sociotechnical approach is defined as the interaction between humans and technology with the aim of creating technically efficient organizational information systems and user satisfaction [ 26 ]. Furthermore, conceptualizations of this approach are concerned with 3 primary dimensions: the social environment, technical environment, and organizational environment [ 27 ]. Sociotechnical design is identified as an approach to connect the integration of systems while ensuring that the multifaceted challenges and complexities in smart health care are well managed [ 28 , 29 ]. Smart health care can be defined as care that is equipped with smart IT, such as Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices that have the capabilities to anticipate and diagnose patient diseases; respond to treatments; guide, manage, and improve user comfort; and provide security and entertainment via hospital management systems. According to Coiera [ 30 ], “if healthcare is to evolve at a pace that will meet the needs of society, it will need to embrace the science of sociotechnical design.” Therefore, the application of a sociotechnical perspective in health care cybersecurity in this study aimed at better understanding and mitigating the multifaceted challenges and poor uptake and performance of health care system security within health care organizations.

This existing gap in knowledge and practice was a major motivation for this SLR. It is necessary to connect the fragmented research and manage this knowledge gap regarding why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks as the study by Coventry and Branley [ 6 ] did not address this aspect in detail. An SLR was conducted to develop proactive cybersecurity strategies to mitigate threats and vulnerabilities that result in health care data breaches by proposing sociotechnical solutions and recommendations. Furthermore, to link human behavior, technology, and processes as highlighted by Coventry and Branley [ 6 ] and supported by the narrative review by Mohan et al [ 31 ] for further research, these 3 core areas can be interpreted as a sociotechnical framework [ 27 ]. It is essential to mitigate the increase in breaches of health information and protect health care from cybercrime and cyberattacks on critical health care infrastructure. However, none of these studies have examined why health care systems are vulnerable to attack through a sociotechnical lens. On the basis of this knowledge gap identified in the literature, the following research questions (RQs) were raised: (1) Why are health care systems vulnerable to cyberattacks? (RQ 1) (2) How can health care systems be protected? (RQ 2).

The objective of this review was to explore from a sociotechnical approach why digital health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks, provide sociotechnical solutions, and identify the areas of health care systems that need further improvement.

Previous Literature Review

Regarding the existing literature on health care cybersecurity, our previous SLR identified the following review themes: (1) cybersecurity threats and trends: studies that provide solutions and insights into threats and trends have been conducted to address cybersecurity threats and trends in health care systems [ 2 , 6 , 11 , 17 , 32 , 33 ]; (2) cybersecurity vulnerability: some studies have also investigated the cybersecurity vulnerability of health care systems to provide solutions and future directions for health care services [ 22 , 34 - 36 ]; and (3) cybersecurity interceptions in health care: studies have also investigated cybersecurity interceptions with health care systems to protect the security posture of these systems [ 12 , 19 , 37 ]—Coventry and Branley [ 6 ] have highlighted the need for further studies on human behavior, technology, and processes to further investigate why health care systems are vulnerable and provide a holistic solution to this problem.

Therefore, there is a need for further studies to identify the reasons behind the increase in health information breaches in health care systems. This area of study through a sociotechnical lens is lacking. Accordingly, our SLR critically investigated why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and expanded this area of study from a sociotechnical point of view. This review is significant given the lack of SLRs on the areas linking human behavior, technology, and processes using a holistic approach from a sociotechnical viewpoint in this context and as the studies by Coventry and Branley [ 6 ] and Mohan et al [ 31 ] were based on narrative reviews.

Protocol and Registration

The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed to conduct our SLR using the checklist guide [ 38 ] ( Multimedia Appendix 1 ). The aim of this review was to identify the reasons why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and provide sociotechnical solutions. In the planning stage of this review, a protocol for the sources of information, search strategies, study selection, criteria for eligibility, and data collection processes was created, and this review was not registered.

Eligibility Criteria

A paper was selected for inclusion if it was published in English and comprised a full-text version of the manuscript, review paper, conference proceeding paper, report, news article or website, or white paper published between 2012 and 2022. The introduction, abstract, results, and discussion sections of the paper were checked by the authors for conformity with the study objectives and critical appraisal using the checklist guidelines before inclusion. Research papers were excluded if they were not relevant to the research areas—cybersecurity, cybercrime, ransomware, and health care. These criteria are presented in Textbox 1 .

Inclusion criteria

• Study types: published peer-reviewed and original research papers (empirical and conceptual papers)
• Bibliometric study types: white papers and cybersecurity news reports in line with health care and cybersecurity
• Period: papers published between 2012 and 2022
• Language: English
• Subjects and domain: computer sciences, health care, and cybersecurity
• Requirements for paper inclusion: full-text papers.

Exclusion criteria

• Study types: unpublished work, editorial letters, textbooks, and research in progress
• Language: any other languages
• Subjects: studies outside the domain of cybersecurity and health care

Information Sources

To identify original research papers and review papers on cybersecurity in health care systems published between 2012 and 2022, a total of 6 databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Springer, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and a journal ( Management Information Systems Quarterly ) were searched. Furthermore, bibliometric records such as website reports, white paper reports, and magazine reports that supported cybersecurity in health care were also collected for the review. As a means of verifying the papers identified in our search, we searched Google Scholar using a search string.

Search Strategy

The following search string and keywords were used: (“cybersecurity” OR “cybercrime OR ransomware”) AND (“health care”) OR (“cybersecurity in healthcare”). Multimedia Appendix 2 provides more information.

Data Extraction

A total of 70 papers were extracted and recorded in a Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp) spreadsheet. The extracted data included information such as author or authors, year of publication, method, problem, and solution. The first author independently charted the data and updated the table to ensure the quality of the key findings drawn from the papers based on the recommendations of the second author. Critical appraisal was conducted to ensure the quality of evidence and the relevance of the articles. The data retrieved from the selected articles were analyzed.

Data Synthesis

The data from the literature were analyzed and synthesized using qualitative themes, which are presented in the following sections. The data were analyzed to identify the causes of vulnerabilities; solutions provided in the literature; and areas of classification based on sociotechnical, technical, and social perspectives in health care systems.

Selection of Sources of Evidence

A total of 1257 papers were retrieved for the screening exercises. To determine whether the papers met our inclusion criteria regarding the topic domain, we began by scanning the abstracts and titles. The papers were reviewed by reading the full texts and determining their eligibility. Duplicated papers as well as those nonrelevant to cybersecurity, cybercrime, ransomware, and health care research were excluded. Furthermore, some papers were excluded after reading them in full and discovering that they were papers on research in progress. Finally, 70 papers were included in the analysis based on the eligibility criteria. Figure 1 illustrates the selection process.

The results of the SLR show the reasons why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and health care breaches. These reasons are the 5 vulnerability themes ( Figure 2 and Table 1 ). Furthermore, the 5 vulnerability themes were classified into social, technical, and sociotechnical approaches.

a ECRI: Emergency Care Research Institute.

b PECB: Professional Evaluation and Certification Board.

The results also revealed that >24% of the data breaches from all industry clusters originated in the health care sector alone ( Table 1 ) [ 19 , 21 , 84 ]. Other studies highlighted that organizations tend to spend more money on procuring new technology while committing only ≤5% of their budgets to the security of their critical health care systems [ 17 , 35 ]. Cybercriminals exploit health care systems due to the lack of investment, technology advancement as a result of digitalization, human error due to a lack of awareness and training, and old legacy systems, which enable cybercriminals to access valuable health information and sell it on the dark web for money and other gains [ 12 ]. The results reported a significant increase in data breaches and cyberattacks, with complex systems, IoMT devices, technology advancement, and network-connected end-point devices in complex connected heterogeneous health care systems identified as the major contributing factors.

The studies also identified a shortage of cybersecurity skills to contain cyberattacks or threats to health care organizations and systems [ 16 ]. The studies revealed that approximately 60% to 70% of health care organizations have witnessed breaches of health information without disclosure [ 85 ].

Human Error

Human error is a significant factor in the event of a cyberattack [ 11 , 22 ]. This shortcoming is one of the most crucial issues in health care systems as most cybercriminals use methods such as phishing to execute attacks with just a deceitful email. This is a social problem that can be addressed from a social approach. For example, human error posed a risk to the Geneva University Hospitals [ 86 ]. Table 1 shows that 11% (8/70) of the studies acknowledged human error as the primary social reason for health care system vulnerability. Human error is attributed to a lack of skills and is a major trend in this ever-changing technological landscape, playing a role in several cybersecurity breaches [ 56 ]. From a technological point of view, a lack of expertise from humans and threats from human-related events are responsible for >70% of data fraud and breaches in business organizations (McCue, A, unpublished data, May 2008) [ 80 ] because of the value of health information on the dark web [ 6 ] and breaches in business organizations (McCue, A, unpublished data, May 2008) [ 80 ]. Furthermore, human-related threats have recently emerged as a growing concern.

Old Legacy Systems

Old legacy systems have been the basis of system development from the dawn of the medical device, operating system, and embedded mobile device era. Legacy operating systems such as Windows ME, Windows 2000, MS-DOS, UNIX, and firmware provide the foundation for system development. However, these systems pose a significant threat to health care sectors and organizations in our current era. Table 1 shows that 16% (11/70) of the studies acknowledged the vulnerability of health care systems to attacks due to old legacy systems. Such attacks occur from a sociotechnical approach, with cybercriminals exploiting humans and technology. Many data breaches, system incompatibilities, and security risks in health care systems and sectors are associated with legacy systems. Similarly, our SLR found that 85% of medical organizations use outdated operating systems or infrastructure [ 12 , 16 ]. Furthermore, Fu and Blum [ 50 ] raised concerns about organizations relying on unsupported software, alluding to medical devices that run on Windows XP operating systems with service packs but lack security updates. In addition, the case of the National Health Service 2017 WannaCry malware, which interrupted health care operations and shut down numerous hospitals by infecting thousands of computers, was caused by Windows XP software [ 87 ]. The authorities had been informed about the bugs but failed to act due to negligence. When a medical device is compromised, cybercriminals use it as a gateway to abuse hospitals, health care system networks, and health information or data. Perriello [ 88 ] and Meggitt [ 89 ] highlighted another issue, Medijack , referring to hackers hijacking medical devices to construct a back entrance into a hospital network. As a result, the use of a network of old legacy medical devices for administrative processes and care delivery increases the opportunities for an attacker or cybercriminal to easily intrude into hospital or health care organization networks and exploit and compromise the network of medical devices and health information. In this era of rapid medical technological advancement, health care systems also lack built-in security safeguards. Legacy systems do not support new technologies, and so the network of medical equipment in intensive care units, recovery rooms, operating rooms, and electronic health records (EHRs) will lack proper and secure communication and interoperability. Outdated legacy systems and unsupported operating systems are vulnerable to high-speed attacks. Furthermore, these problems are attributable to the lack of important updates to health care infrastructure. To support our point, health and human services should provide more guidance on applying the National Institute of Standards and Technology framework to the health care industry and consider appropriate incentives that would allow health care organizations to phase out old vulnerable legacy systems [ 16 ].

Lack of Investment

Investment in the health sector will yield better outcomes and quality health care delivery. According to our analysis and results, the health care sector suffers from underinvestment, and crucial infrastructure and training for health care cybersecurity are disregarded [ 6 ], which is one of the primary causes of the increase in sensitive health information breaches. Investment can be seen in social (human) and technical (technology) aspects. As shown in the analysis in Table 1 , a total of 21% (15/70) of the studies acknowledged the lack of investment and advised both directly and indirectly regarding the necessity of cybersecurity investment in the health care industry [ 55 , 56 ]. The analysis acknowledged and revealed that the health care sector lagged more than other sectors in terms of health information protection and breaches. Furthermore, the findings of our SLR revealed that 80% to 85% of worldwide breaches occur in the health sector [ 4 ], whereas 45% to 90% of health care organizations have witnessed one or more threats or breaches [ 18 , 57 ]. Investment in critical infrastructure for health care and best practices in cyber hygiene will aid in the protection of health care systems from potential vulnerabilities. Proper investment will ensure the safeguarding of personal information and render health care systems more resilient to cyberattacks.

Complex Network-Connected End-Point Devices

Medical end-point devices have long served as a hospital’s backbone for treatment, diagnosis, and precision-based technological applications to complement health care service operations and management. To fully exploit their potential, the medical device development pattern has shifted from traditional-based medical device system development to a network of wireless, connected end-point technological devices with built-in communications and remote connectivity. Complex network-connected end-point devices have increased the cyberattack surfaces in conjunction with their complexity and technological systems as heterogeneity in nature of medical technology has evolved. Complex network devices are classified as a technical challenge from the perspective of technical security system design. The analysis in Table 1 shows that 51% (36/70) of the studies acknowledged network-connected end-point medical devices as the most significant technical reason for health care systems’ vulnerability to cyberattacks. The operational modes continue to evolve with more interconnections between new applications and devices such as cloud-based applications, third-party software, IoMT devices, and system networks in health care environments. Lechner [ 68 ] revealed that original equipment manufacturers are now creating interconnected medical devices without incorporating proper cybersecurity features into the development life cycle of medical and end-point device systems. The vulnerability of the end point requires urgent attention; otherwise, cybercriminals will continue to use the weakness of connected devices to access personal health information. According to research and cybersecurity stakeholders, wearables, implanted devices, and sensors may become the new targets of future exploits [ 6 , 8 ]. As shown in Table 1 , complex network-connected end-point medical devices also require medical technology security by design [ 72 , 90 ] as a solution strategy to protect critical health care infrastructure from breaches. In the past, medical device system development has primarily focused on critical performance and safety. Furthermore, the security aspects of these medical devices are not a factor during the planning and development process. The process indicates that developing traditional or stand-alone systems of noninterconnected devices was a suitable method for designing the traditional approach. These are the current legacy systems that lack interoperability, updates, security design, or compatibility. Furthermore, connected medical devices such as sensor-controlled drug infusion pumps, cardiac pacemakers, pulse oximeters, and network-connected x-ray machine components such as picture archiving and communication systems are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and attacks [ 5 ]. To continue solving cybersecurity issues in medical devices, developers and actors must recognize the importance of the health care environment’s complex operations. In addition, there should be incident reports, an audit trail in the device system database, and paper-based documentation of technical vulnerabilities [ 34 ]. Medical device manufacturers such as security experts or systems integrators must address this issue because, with a single cyber vulnerability, cybercriminals or hackers can exploit medical technology connected to the internet, compromising data integrity, wearable sensor readings, protected health information, patient safety, and care outcomes [ 2 , 50 ]. When cyberattackers manipulate systems or deposit a virus, this could cause medical device software or systems to malfunction, resulting in abnormal effects or different readings from the systems, such as implantable medical devices that take and display incorrect readings [ 5 , 8 ].

Technology Advancement (Digitalization)

Technology advancement has enabled unique access and benefits to revolutionize health care systems in terms of precision. Modern medical care now relies on health care delivery organizations, including hospitals and clinics, built on a backbone of connected computer-based infrastructure. Over the past 30 years, the expansive integration of new health care technology has changed the face of medicine [ 53 ]. However, the rapid digitalization in health care delivery, where medical devices are intertwined in a digital network setting and system to ensure the precision of health care delivery with the use of IoMT and digital devices, has created gateway access for cyberattacks, risks, and vulnerabilities [ 37 , 81 ]. Table 1 shows that 14% (10/70) of the studies acknowledged technology advancement due to digital transformation as the reason why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks. This type of attack and vulnerability usually occur from the technical areas of cyberattacks, for example, a technology error such as glitches and design errors. One example of vulnerability is St. Joseph Hospital in California, where the health information of 31,800 patients was made public through a basic internet search engine for >1 year without anyone noticing. The underlying issue was that security settings on the medical devices were not correctly configured [ 91 ]. As technology continues to evolve, IoMT will become more inseparable in health care service delivery, which will create more vulnerabilities if health care organizations continue to disregard cybersecurity threats without proactive readiness to address them in this era of Industry 4.0. These vulnerabilities pose threats to the security and privacy of human and health information.

Studies have shown the health care sector to be unequipped and lacking in investment [ 11 , 92 ]. For example, the use of electronic health technology, motivated by acts such as the Meaningful Use program introduced by the US government, has compelled many health care organizations to increase the use of digital technology in health care, such as EHRs and electronic data exchange, and comply with enhanced health care delivery management. Organizations began to focus on adopting new technology and spending less on security, creating part of the problem [ 32 ]. Technological advancements and a federal policy mandate ultimatum are 2 of the causes noted in this SLR that have increased health care industry exposure to cyberattacks and breaches of health information [ 17 ]. Therefore, an organization should have proper planning; be proactive instead of reactive; and ensure the protection of health technology, information, patient privacy, and security when implementing or adopting advanced technology [ 17 , 80 ]. One such process is to ensure that a medical technology statement of disclosure and liability is included during the procurement, integration, and adoption of a technology. Support services and maintenance during and after procurement and installation should be part of the procurement process. Furthermore, the device manufacturer should also consider security in product development planning. Digital technology should also have the capability to monitor and collate threats and patterns and log these in a risk assessment register for analysis and improvement or threat containment.

Causes of Vulnerabilities in Health Care Systems

Figure 3 shows the causes of vulnerabilities in health care systems, which complement the findings regarding health care vulnerability, and categorizes them accordingly. The following sections address these vulnerabilities.

How Can Health Care Systems Be Protected?

This study summarizes how health care systems can be protected from cyber threats and cyberattacks and presented in Table 2 .

a Not applicable.

b IoMT: Internet of Medical Things.

c IoT: Internet of Things.

Human-Related Case Type and Challenges

The protection of health care systems from cyberattack-related vulnerabilities caused by human error, such as identity theft and health information breaches, requires by law that health care organizations inform the human health office, regulatory bodies, and data owners [ 93 ] to ensure compliance with ethical and privacy standard regulations [ 94 , 95 ]. A security compliance officer should also be employed to guide and ensure that proper cyber hygiene measures are in place to avoid such occurrences. It is important to ensure that health information is encrypted to assure that data are unusable and back up data offline and on the web. Furthermore, in cases in which a health care organization is saddled with challenges due to insecure human behavior, such as employee negligence, a lack of skills, and cyber warfare, the organization must ensure proper training of all staff [ 62 ] and implement awareness programs using a comprehensive guide to avert cyber threats [ 36 , 41 ]. This proposed solution requires a social approach in designing guidelines and training programs.

Old Legacy Systems Case Type and Challenges

Interoperability and compatibility challenges in medical devices stem from human-related activities within health care systems, potentially impacting the persistence of outdated legacy systems [ 50 ]. Therefore, to holistically protect health care systems, proposed solutions involve sociotechnical measures due to the old legacy in human work processes, organizational structures, and technology tasks, as mentioned by Offner et al [ 2 ]. Organizations should adhere to policies and standards linked to the old legacy, ensure proper updates and upgrades, and implement patches. Modern equipment that supports security and carries out updates must be procured to avert crises and phase out legacy systems [ 16 ].

Lack of Investment Case Type and Challenges

Investment in critical health care infrastructure is very important to ensure a health care ecosystem that is secure from cyberattacks and vulnerabilities. The susceptibility of health care to cyberattacks is a result of the underinvestment in and neglect of cybersecurity infrastructures. Kruse et al [ 17 ] also highlighted that a health organization invests ≤5% in cybersecurity but tends to focus on integrating and delivering care. It is important for a health care organization to invest in technology, human behavior, and processes [ 96 ] to protect sensitive and valuable health information from breaches and attacks.

Complex Network-Connected End-Point Devices Case Type and Challenges

The increase in health information breaches in hospitals is attributed to complex network-connected end-point devices, which are vulnerable to cyberattacks because sensor-based medical devices and system networks are interlinked and connected to the internet [ 8 ]. Internet of Things devices are vulnerable because they can be controlled through a media access control address and network. A proposed solution identified in this SLR highlighted that health care can be protected though proper encryption of data and installation of network defenders [ 3 ]. It is important that medical device simulation and assessment be performed through vulnerability analysis to ensure that devices are not tampered with or compromised [ 8 ].

Technology Advancement (Digitalization) Case Type and Challenges

Technology advancement has revolutionized the health care delivery process using digital technological processes. Manufactured medical devices enable patients to be diagnosed remotely, and physicians can administer care using telemedicine. However, technological advancements still lack security in the design of these devices because security is an afterthought during development, which makes them vulnerable to cyberattacks [ 5 ]. A proposed solution is that health care organizations must ensure that medical device security starts from the planning stage [ 68 ] and that device manufacturers maintain and manage security in the pre- and postmarket phases. This solution paradigm must be catalogued as a technical measure. Hospitals with modern-day smart care should leverage comprehensive guidelines and compliance with standards such as those of the International Organization for Standardization or International Electrotechnical Commission 27001 or 27002, as well as cyber hygiene to enable effective and efficient care delivery processes [ 4 , 11 ]. Therefore, the implementation of solutions should always adopt a sociotechnical approach [ 96 ].

Intervention Application Areas and Domain Counts for 2012 to 2022

The selected studies from this SLR that discussed and presented knowledge interventions and solutions applied in some health care sectors between 2012 and 2022 are categorized and presented in Table 3 .

a PECB: Professional Evaluation and Certification Board.

b HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

c ECRI: Emergency Care Research Institute.

Knowledge Application Domains and Vulnerabilities

The vulnerabilities listed in Table 3 reveal that human error was associated with interventions linked to one of the knowledge application domains of training, awareness, education, and intelligence information sharing.

Employee training is important to avoid human factors or error challenges in health care. Table 3 shows the proposed solutions and interventions for training from 17% (12/70) of the studies. Figure 4 shows that training emerged in 2018 at 1% and increased to its peak between 2019 and 2021. However, this finding suggests the need for cybersecurity training in health care to manage human vulnerability challenges. This need is supported by the literature highlighting the importance of cybersecurity skills and education for health care professionals [ 16 ] and the need for investment in this area [ 17 ].

The solutions presented regarding educational intervention were derived from 3% (2/70) of the studies ( Table 3 ). Figure 4 shows that educational solutions emerged in 2017 and declined until 2020, when studies on educational intervention emerged. This finding is supported by research that shows a lack of educational skills [ 16 ]. Organizations must invest in educational training and skills to curb social and technical cybersecurity vulnerability in health care.

A total of 6% (4/70) of the studies in Table 3 presented solutions on awareness to address the vulnerability of human errors. This small number of studies has shown a decline and a lack of cybersecurity awareness program in health care systems. Figure 4 similarly shows that cybersecurity awareness emerged in 2016 and reached its peak at 2 studies. This has been validated by previous studies that indicate a lack of awareness programs and training [ 45 , 62 ].

Intelligence Information Sharing

Table 3 also shows that intelligence information sharing was a solution investigated in 7% (5/70) of the studies. It can be seen that information sharing emerged in 2014 and declined in 2015 before re-emerging in 2017 and 2018 at the rate of 1 study each year. This finding also shows that health care organizations should collaborate in training and intelligence information sharing to address cybersecurity challenges in health care.

The vulnerabilities listed in Table 3 reveal that old legacy systems were associated with interventions linked to the knowledge application domain of health policy and standards.

Health Policy and Standards

The knowledge intervention analysis indicates that 36% (25/70) of the studies acknowledged and were linked to health policy and standards ( Table 3 ). The analysis shows that governments and health care organizations have proposed more interventions or solutions regarding health policy and standards to regulate health care organizations. The policy studies shown in Figure 4 emerged in 2014 and continued to increase to their peak in 2018. Policies such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the GDPR, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act to engineer has helped to mitigate data breaches and vulnerabilities in health care organizations in addressing old legacy systems to avoid sanctions and fines in case of breaches. However, full implementation or enforcement of day-to-day monitoring in hospitals or health care organizations remains challenging.

The vulnerabilities listed in Table 1 reveal that a lack of investment was associated with interventions linked to the knowledge application domain of partnership.

Partnership

Partnership is key to sustaining and protecting health care systems from cybersecurity vulnerability [ 72 ]. When organizations fail to invest in critical cyber infrastructure, skills, and partnerships with governments and expert security organizations, it is likely that they will be vulnerable to cyberattacks and breaches of health information and lack the capability to protect health care systems from the vulnerability of underinvestment. Table 3 shows that partnership solutions were provided in 4% (3/70) of the studies, whereas Figure 4 shows that partnership emerged in 2018 and declined in 2021. There is a need for health care organizations to partner for better capability and structure to protect health care systems [ 64 ].

The vulnerabilities listed in Table 1 reveal that complex network-connected end-point devices were associated with interventions linked to the knowledge application domains of participatory design, network security, and encryption.

Participatory Design

Health care organizations and medical device manufacturers must jointly participate in designing processes and systems to avoid a sociotechnical design gap. This collaboration will help protect health care systems and increase the acceptability of organizational systems and productivity. Table 3 shows only 1 pertinent study in 2014. This infer that participatory design is one of the reasons for the vulnerabilities in complex network-connected end-point devices in health care systems. Health care systems comprise a complex environment that requires a sociotechnical and collaborative approach to addressing challenges [ 2 ].

Network Security

Network security solutions were covered in 23% (16/70) of the studies ( Table 3 ). A number of intervention solution studies were conducted in this domain. As shown in Figure 4 , the first increase was observed in 2014 with 4 studies, a decline to 2 studies was observed in 2017, and then the number of studies increased to 3 before a final decline to 2 studies in 2021. These studies still attest to the vulnerability of complex network-connected end-point devices, which require increased interventions to solve health care vulnerability challenges.

The encryption technological solution in this review was mentioned in 6% (4/70) of the studies. There was a limited number of solutions regarding encryption intervention in this review ( Figure 4 ). Encryption only emerged in 2014 with 2 studies, and there was a gap in studies until 2017 and 2018. This finding shows that health care organizations need to implement encryption technology to protect valuable health information from breaches and attacks [ 77 ].

The vulnerabilities listed in Table 1 reveal that technology advancement (digitalization) was associated with interventions linked to the knowledge application domains of machine learning, blockchain, and security design.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is a new area in which cybersecurity in health care systems is evolving. However, solutions were provided in only 11% (8/70) of the studies ( Table 3 ). This technology surfaced in 2014 according to Figure 4 . There was only 1 study in 2014 and 2015. No solutions were provided until 2018, and the number of interventions categorized under technology advancement increased from 2019 to 2021.

Blockchain technology is new and still lacking solutions according to this SLR, where only 1% (1/70) of the studies showed an effective intervention. Blockchain surfaced in 2019, as shown in Figure 4 . Additional solutions and interventions are needed as this area is promising and can be categorized under technology advancement (digitalization) as the key to protecting smart health care systems.

Security by Design

Security by design is a strategy that demands that health care organizations implement auto-based technology to protect digital health care systems. Table 3 shows that 9% (6/70) of the studies acknowledged security by design as a solution for technology advancement to prevent vulnerability in digital systems. Figure 4 shows studies on secure design in 2013 to 2014. There were no studies in 2015, whereas in 2016 to 2019, some studies provided interventions. There is a need for more solutions in this area to protect technological advancement or digital health care systems from vulnerability [ 68 ].

Summary of the Knowledge Application Domains and Vulnerabilities

In summary, the findings of this SLR indicate that interventions provided for the containment of health care cybersecurity vulnerabilities were limited over the past 11 years. This SLR also revealed that interventions regarding the rate of technological advancements in addressing health care cybersecurity challenges were inconsistent and lagging between 2012 and 2022. Findings also indicates that interventions in some of the mapped variables were scarce between 2012 and 2022 ( Table 3 ). Few or no solutions are provided to address the challenges in many domains regarding health care vulnerabilities.

Brief Summary of Findings

This SLR provided a synthesis of literature on cybersecurity in health care and identified the reasons why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks. This review analyzed 70 published studies and identified 5 vulnerability themes of cybersecurity in health care systems and also proposed sociotechnical solutions for health care organizations.

The findings indicate that the extensive vulnerability of health care systems is due to internet-connected devices and software applications. Health care organizations face significant challenges, such as medical end-point device complexities and saturated wireless medical technology resulting in its difficulty in securing an interconnected technological landscape.

Importantly, many cyberattacks occur within this interconnected network without the health care organization’s awareness, contributing to health information breaches.

Our findings also underscore that the crucial role of investment in health care organizations is a key panacea for addressing cyberattacks and threats. Thus, lack of investment leverages the other vulnerabilities.

In addition, this study found that lack of adequate preparation for the potential threats or vulnerability in shifting to the digitalization of health care is also a contributing factor to most successful cyberattacks on health care organizations.

We found that human activity also played a major role in subjecting health care systems to cybercrimes. The decision of humans to develop medical devices, health software applications, management systems, and processes in an effective and secured manner is vital in safeguarding health information. However, there is a bit of disconnect in the human-centric design in health care system development, most importantly during the planning of procurement of medical technology and systems and the integration between health care organizations and stakeholders such as medical device developers, health care professionals, cybersecurity compliance officers, and system integration experts. Generally, the findings revealed that health care organizations lack adequate cybersecurity preparations during transitions to digitalization.

The findings also revealed that the health care cybersecurity knowledge application domain areas in Figure 4 depict that more intervention studies over the past 11 years were focused on health policy and standards.

In Table 4 , solutions are proposed from a sociotechnical perspective to counteract cybersecurity vulnerabilities in health care organizations.

Further findings on the vulnerabilities and implications for future research are discussed in the following sections.

Table 4 is an integrated table that is presented in a stand-alone view for health care system solutions from a sociotechnical viewpoint.

To protect health care systems from attacks and vulnerabilities, as shown in Table 4 , through the intervention of effective and noneffective studies, it can be seen that sociotechnical intervention studies classified invention most often and were the most effective. There are patterns and convergences between technical solutions and sociotechnical solutions in their domain of applications and solutions, such as a lack of investment, complex network-connected end-point devices, old legacy systems, and technology advancement, which lean toward interventions.

While we can consider human errors in human-computer interactions and technology usability from a human perspective, design and management can be approached through a sociotechnical perspective [ 96 ]. This approach also considers the final users of digital health care systems. Organizations would benefit from leveraging the sociotechnical solutions and guide in Table 4 in the case of cyberattacks attributed to human error by training all staff to respond using a comprehensive guide to avert cyber threats [ 62 ]. Challenges of technology, such as network-connected end-point devices and technology advancement for digitalization, should be addressed through network and security solutions and encryptions [ 6 , 67 ].

Hospitals with modern-day smart care should leverage their comprehensive guidelines and standard International Organization for Standardization or International Electrotechnical Commission 27001 and 27002 compliances.

Health care organizations should ensure and implement proper cyber hygiene to enable effective and efficient health care delivery processes [ 4 , 11 ]. They should increase their budget for critical cyber systems to address the lack of investment [ 17 ] and phase out old legacy systems by increasing investment. These actions will enable resilience and preparedness for future response plans and mitigations.

a AIDE: Assess, Identify, Develop, and Evaluate.

b Not applicable.

c ISA: information security awareness.

d ANT: actor-network theory.

e CERT RMM: Computer Emergency Response Team Resilience Management Model.

f IoMT: Internet of Medical Things.

g HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

h GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation.

i HITECH: Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health.

j FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

k NIST-CSF: National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework.

l HICP: Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices.

m ITPOSOM: information, technology, processes, objectivity and values, skills and knowledge, management systems and structure, and other resources.

n EHR: electronic health record.

o e-PSG: electronic health record–specific patient safety goals.

p IoT: Internet of Things.

q FHSS: frequency-hopping spread spectrum.

r RSSI: received signal strength indicator.

s BYOD: bring your own device.

t PHR: personal health record.

u OCSVM: one-class support vector machine.

Implications for Future Research

Health care sectors have improved with policies and measures developed to control health information breaches and vulnerabilities. However, further research is needed in social and technical interception design, namely, the human factor. Managing complex end-point devices and investment on addressing health care vulnerability and breaches should be considered from a sociotechnical design and sustainability perspective.

Protecting Complex Network-Connected End-Point Devices

The protection of complex network-connected end-point devices for health care organizations involves several key measures. The network of interconnected medical end-point devices and the software systems that connect to the internet are becoming vulnerable to attacks and breaches. This is a growing issue; health care organizations tend to procure medical device technology without proper equipment planning and guidelines in place. This implies that security is overlooked and is not a major focus area. Examples include hospital beds connected to >10 medical devices, such as pulse oximeters, syringe pumps, and patient care monitors, which are connected devices and vulnerable to attacks [ 2 , 6 ].

To address this technical challenge, organizations can concentrate on developing advanced threat detection and mitigation techniques, such as network defenders tailored to intricate network-connected end-point devices in health care and the integration of artificial intelligence using machine learning algorithms to effectively identify and respond to emerging threats. Furthermore, the health care industry must take a sociotechnical approach [ 96 ] toward implementing standard guidelines and technical solutions via the protection of health care networks through planning and integrating network security protection and segmentation. In addition, health information exchange over the network should undergo steganography and encryption as a solution using blockchain technology. Therefore, the integration of a complex end-point medical device should use built-in security with alert response and communication in processes to monitor health care cybersecurity ecosystems for a healthy security posture.

Health care organizations should collaborate with security experts and health care professionals and implement user education and incidence response to catalog cyber vulnerability incidences for further analysis. The implication is that, if networks and end-point medical devices are not properly secured, this will lead to breaches of health information through the network, which will cause patient information to be hijacked by cybercriminals for political gains. Sponsored state actors may use this weakness to seize networks and systems of care delivery, demanding money from an organization before the latter can regain access. This approach will expose the health information of patients while they are receiving treatment and accessing health care services. This is an evolving challenge of the digital consequences of connected care. Building security through a design solution should be achieved from a sociotechnical approach as the human is the final user of systems of care.

Future research should focus on security by design before integrations of complex technology and design a simpler flow process with the disaggregation of complex network connections.

Increasing Investment in Cybersecurity

Investment in health care systems is critical to ensure the proper safeguarding of health care ecosystems from cyberattacks and vulnerabilities. To ensure efficient and secure health care, organizations should invest in human capital and technology to function effectively. An evaluation through research reveals that health care is lagging behind other sectors in terms of investment. This finding was confirmed by Kruse et al [ 17 ], who found that only 5% of health care investment is earmarked to protect health care, whereas a large percentage is allocated for health care delivery.

Insufficient investment in cybersecurity experts, awareness, and investment partnership plans will continue to subject health care employees to insecure behavior and result in a health care organization that is unprepared to mitigate cyber threats and other tactics used by attackers to disrupt evolving health care trends and patterns, particularly ransomware attacks.

Similarly, old legacy systems pose another security risk. Malicious actors can continue to exploit these systems to expose personal health information due to their limited capabilities and outdated organizational structure. Such vulnerability is worsened by a lack of investment in new cybersecurity infrastructure and computer devices to protect or process health information in a secure manner.

Health care organizations can engage in partnership with medical technology providers, application developers, and network solution integrators to develop strong systems and structures with seamless integration. Health care organizations should also develop and implement a framework for prioritizing cybersecurity investment based on risk assessments and threat intelligence. This approach can help identify the most critical areas of vulnerability within different departments, aiding organizations and policy makers in directing investments where they are most needed. Health care organizations should invest in humans and technology through training to ensure the development of necessary skills and investment in critical cyber infrastructure.

Awareness campaigns for patients and staff will help organizations recover from errors and breaches, whereas investment in technological security systems for health care will prepare health care organizations with the appropriate structure and system for resilience.

The findings presented in this paper are also highlighted in Table 4 . Investment challenges in health care cybersecurity should focus on a sociotechnical approach that involves human behavior, technology, and organizational processes and should not be segregated as a separate technical or social problem. Future research should focus on security and investment in smart health care for attaining sustainability and resilience.

Managing Technological Advancement

Health care industries and organizations have improved over the years and are continuing to forge the development of new capabilities, technological advances, and processes to manage the multifaceted challenges of health care cybersecurity. Complexity in technology advancement and networks of digital systems increase the number of attack surfaces, where cybercriminals take advantage of the digital gateway access and execute malicious software programmed with code, such as malware to compromise digital technology and health care system networks. However, technological development necessitates a proactive approach to cybersecurity, particularly when considering security-by-design principles.

Future research projects must concentrate on important areas to protect networks, systems, and applications against vulnerabilities. Health care organizations should collaborate with medical device manufacturers as part of the planning phase of procurement requirements to ensure specifications needs before the development of medical devices technology for seamless integration. Implanted devices, for instance, should be built with security by design and continuously updated when necessary. A 2-factor authentication security for critical medical technology is also necessary. In addition, it is important that health care organizations quantify the risk, ensure that proper National Institute of Standards and Technology and GDPR standard guidelines are followed, and conduct threat modeling and simulation to evaluate the protectability of health care systems as a guideline in managing cybersecurity vulnerability.

Collaborative (sociotechnical) efforts among academia, industry, and policy makers are essential to drive this research agenda forward and create a safer digital landscape for the future.

The technology procurement requirement and collaboration should consider the integration of social and technical processes during digital technology development with health care delivery processes.

Health care organizations can adopt a blockchain technology solution for the protection of health information and other applications such as EHR systems from malicious use and insider threats.

Future research should examine the use of blockchain for health care big data protection and processes to manage cybersecurity vulnerability.

Containing Human Error in Cybersecurity

Humans are at the receiving end of the cyberattack chain. An example is the case of the WannaCry attack that affected 150,000 computers. It was attributed to human error because humans were warned of the attack on Windows server legacy systems but they ignored the warning by clicking on malicious email links [ 38 , 43 ]. When an organization fails to train humans, cybercriminals take advantage of human weakness to exploit health care systems. Today, medical device manufacturers are building devices without considering humans as the final users or a participatory (sociotechnical) design approach. This is one factor of the clinical process and security dimension to protect critical infrastructure. Another factor is that, if a system is developed and does not start with security and support human usability, it becomes stressful for a human user to navigate the systems, which could cause them techno-stress, with the likelihood of mistakes. The health sector should use the Assess, Identify, Develop, and Evaluate technique to identify areas of human weakness, develop a new training method through simulations, and offer gamification training on issues such as phishing email deception and ransomware attacks. The implication is that, if humans are not trained, they will lead organizations to disaster because cybercriminals will continue to exploit the weakness of humans to cause more damage to health care systems. The consequences will include legal issues, fines, and possibly bankruptcy for health care organizations. Proper training and awareness campaigns should be implemented. Future research should focus on developing futuristic health care cybersecurity curriculums and training.

Practical Implications

Inadequate systems will cause health care systems and organizations to face increasing cyberattacks and setbacks in health information and patient safety. Moreover, a new trend reveals that, if implanted medical devices and technology are not protected, humans will be targeted by hackers seeking to make money or gain political power for ransom. However, implementation and adoption of the medical device security life cycle model [ 68 ] will protect medical devices, health information, patients, and organizations from harm and against future emerging threats. Thus, there is a need for the design of a cybersecurity sociotechnical framework toward sustaining smart health care systems.

Comparison With Prior Work

Previous narrative literature reviews by Coventry and Branley [ 6 ] and Mohan et al [ 31 ] highlight the need for an integrated approach in health care systems to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities. They emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach that connects human behavior, technology, and processes in a holistic way as a best strategy to tackle vulnerabilities, although the authors did not classify human behavior, technology, and processes from a sociotechnical lens. This systematic review supports their view by building and extending the literature on cybersecurity case challenge descriptions in all the tables in this paper to integrate human behavior, technology, and processes as a sociotechnical approach [ 2 , 23 , 26 - 28 ]. For example, an SLR conducted by Offner et al [ 2 ] reported that health care system vulnerability is a complex sociotechnical problem. Furthermore, for a health care organization to build resilience against cyberattacks and threats to avoid cybersecurity design gaps and vulnerabilities in the health care system, a strategic approach that integrates people, technology, and processes must be adopted [ 23 , 27 , 31 ]. The aforementioned aligns with the approach adopted in this study.

Different schools of thought have highlighted the key importance of investment in technology and humans to protect health care systems from cyberattacks and threats [ 6 , 8 , 11 , 19 , 36 , 56 ]. This corroborates our findings that cybersecurity investment plays a main role in health care systems.

This study also revealed that complex network-connected end-point devices were mentioned several times by different schools of thought. Moreover, existing literature has opined that complex network-connected end-point devices were the most mentioned vulnerability [ 5 , 17 , 18 , 35 , 53 ].

Furthermore, technology advancement through a digital transformation evolution has created precision, and managed health care delivery [ 32 , 94 ]. However, more effort is still required in designing security features in health care technology. This study highlighted that security by design is required for medical device technology in health care systems [ 9 , 34 , 68 ].

Health care organizations must ensure that the design of technology evolves with a secure design approach from conception to avoid breaches of health information by external and internal attackers [ 24 , 32 , 68 ].

The sociotechnical solutions in Table 4 will aid health care organizations in being resilient in dealing with vulnerabilities and cybersecurity breaches in health care systems through a comprehensive and holistic approach. The sociotechnical perspective defines the meaning and constructs of technology, humans and processes [ 6 , 19 , 31 , 36 , 37 ]. This approach is promising and effective in dealing with health care system and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Limitations

For this study, non–English-language articles on cybersecurity and health care were not included. Closed-access articles directly related to cybersecurity and health care were also not included. Textbooks linked to cybersecurity and health care were excluded. In addition, as cybersecurity is a broad topic, more time was needed for data analysis.

Conclusions

This study conducted an SLR (PRISMA guidelines) to investigate the body of literature on cybersecurity in health care systems because of the exponential increase in health information breaches and vulnerability issues surrounding medical device technology and networks. This study also examined why health care systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and threats.

In this review, sociotechnical solutions and mitigation strategies were proposed to protect patient health information, medical devices, and the critical cyber infrastructure of health care organizations from attacks and threats. We identified human error, lack of investment, complex network-connected end-point devices, old legacy systems, and technological advancement due to rapid digitalization as the causes of data breaches and the vulnerability of digital health care systems to attacks and threats. This study also revealed that research in the areas of education, awareness, training, collaborative partnerships, blockchain, and machine learning for health care cybersecurity is underrepresented. In addition, there was inconsistency in the publication of intervention studies. There is a gap in intervention studies published between 2012 and 2013, as shown in this SLR, as well as breaks in research publications between 2012 and 2022, as illustrated in Table 3 and Figure 4 .

As shown in Table 1 , of the 70 papers published between 2012 and 2022 and reviewed in this study, only 8 (11%) carried out research in the areas of human error–related perspectives where health care systems are vulnerable to attacks. This finding clearly shows that considerably more studies are required on human factors. We also identified from this review that network-connected end-point devices are the most vulnerable challenge that causes health information breaches. However, stakeholders have rolled out interventions in the areas of health policy, health care system support (network security), and training. The support and training target operational activities and health care delivery while investment in cybersecurity critical infrastructure is disregarded. Rapid technology advancement has resulted to an increasing risk of cyberattacks and threats because most manufactured connected medical devices were not built with security in mind. With the possible sociotechnical solutions in Table 4 , we form conclusions about how to protect health care systems as a sociotechnical solution in relation to the gap in research on technology, human behavior, and processes.

Health care organizations must concede that efficient and effective cybersecurity cannot be addressed with a technological process only but must also evolve beyond technological operation to a sociotechnical process that calls for a comprehensive knowledge of the human elements.

The profound implication of our findings steps further from just the concept of security. It deems it necessary for a major change in the approach to health care security by shifting from a reactive measure of patching and mitigation toward an approach of proactiveness and integration of detailed mechanisms that depend on complex sociotechnical dynamics at play in the design and development processes across the health care systems.

Our review emphasized the importance of a mandatory collaboration and cross-disciplinary engagement among stakeholders in health care, technology policy, and academia. The inclusion of a team-based effort from stakeholders will foster an integrated solution that responds to the challenges of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in health care systems.

In addition, our findings also give prominence to the great significance of investment in health care systems, such as in cybersecurity technology, medical devices, networks, health care professionals, and cybersecurity professionals, in advancing health care organizations. Furthermore, investment is imperative in cybersecurity education and training programs that will provide health care professionals and organizations with the updated knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity vulnerabilities constructively. Governments should provide additional financial incentives for health care organizations to facilitate cybersecurity sustainability in health care systems. Future research should explore the application of blockchain technology for safeguarding health care system data. Blockchain offers a secure decentralized architecture. Therefore, system developers should consider a human-centric design approach when integrating blockchain technology into health care systems.

By strengthening awareness culture, intelligence information sharing, and accountability in health care systems, health care organizations can equip their operations and workforce to become active front-runners in safeguarding patient data and health care critical infrastructure and assuring the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of health care systems. Consequently, our SLR implores for an exhaustive procedure regarding cybersecurity in health care that affirms and entwines the sociotechnical nature of the vulnerabilities and challenges. By merging a technical approach with human-centric strategies, health care organizations can protect health care systems from vulnerabilities and cyber threats and advance a culture of resilience, trust, and innovation in health care service delivery. The implications of this review present a sociotechnical solution for establishing more secure and resilient health care ecosystems. This paper provides health care organizations with a better understanding of and resilience to cyberattacks, threats, and vulnerabilities.

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the Finnish Cultural Foundation and University of Vaasa in Finland for their support in funding this research.

Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

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Abbreviations

Edited by A Mavragani; submitted 03.03.23; peer-reviewed by R Marshall, V Perez Jover; comments to author 27.07.23; revised version received 17.10.23; accepted 08.03.24; published 31.05.24.

©Pius Ewoh, Tero Vartiainen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 31.05.2024.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

How to Explain Research Experience When Applying to Medical School

Here's some advice about how to discuss research experience on med school applications and in interviews.

Premeds and Research Experience

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If you have been involved in research, it is important to be able to demonstrate in a clear and coherent fashion what your research is about and its broader implications for the field.

Research is an important component of the premedical experience and can make an applicant much more attractive to medical schools . Whether it is basic science laboratory research, a clinical study or a population-level investigation of a health topic, med schools are always impressed with applicants who show a predilection toward scientific inquiry.

In fact, some premed students even venture completely outside of the field of medicine to conduct research on topics as wide-ranging as ecology, sociology or engineering. All of these experiences can contribute to the growth of a premed student and significantly bolster a medical school application .

However, it’s one thing to be able to successfully take part in a research project, and another to be able to present one’s experience in research and reflect on its impact when it comes to applying to med school. Premed students sometimes struggle with presenting their research in a compelling fashion in their application essays or interviews .

Here are some tips that can help med school applicants present their involvement in research in a way that demonstrates sophisticated understanding and clarity of thought.

Become Actively Engaged in the Research

Unfortunately, premed students too often become involved in a research project and focus solely on mastering the day-to-day technical aspects of the work without a grasp of the actual science. For example, they may learn the experimental techniques in detail without understanding the underlying rationale behind the experiments, or what questions the experiments seek to answer.

Without an awareness of the underlying concepts and ideas that relate to a research topic, you limit yourself to being a technician. On the other hand, by taking a scholarly approach to research, you not only gain more from the experience, but you can present the experience in an impressive way when it comes to putting together your medical school application.

Take a Process-Driven Approach to Presenting the Research

There are multiple steps to conducting any type of research study, whether it is laboratory-based, clinical or epidemiological in nature. All research comes from a gap in our knowledge of a certain field.

When you present your research in a med school application or discuss it in an interview, it’s important to first present that gap in knowledge that you’re trying to fill. Basically, this is the research question that you are trying to answer.

Often, the specific question you are trying to answer is a part of a larger overarching question that your research team is studying. It helps to first introduce broadly the question that your team is seeking to answer, and then provide specific details about what you're studying.

Once you’ve introduced the question of interest, tell your reader or interviewer what approach you are taking to answer the question. This may be the experiments you’re using, or the clinical study or epidemiological approach that you may be employing.

After you’ve described the approach, it helps to present your research findings. Describe what your results show and what that means in terms of the question you’re trying to answer. Mention the implications of your findings for the field.

For example, if your experiments showed that a certain protein is expressed in high levels in a specific type of cancer cell, the implications of your findings may be that this protein can serve as a future pharmaceutical target for treating that type of cancer .

It’s important to keep in mind that in many instances, research does not yield definitive results. If this is the case, you should not feel demoralized or concerned about presenting your work. The most meaningful part of being involved in research is engaging at a scholarly level in the project, even if it does not yield results. Don’t be afraid to say that the study is still ongoing, that you have not achieved any definitive results, or that your results are so far negative.

If your research studies yield some data but you cannot draw definitive conclusions from them, it’s perfectly reasonable to present this data as preliminary findings.

Don’t Get Too Technical

One of the most common mistakes that applicants make when presenting their research is to get into too many technical details. The people reading your application or interviewing you are not necessarily experts in your field of research just because they’re doctors or professors at a medical school.

To show clarity and sophistication in your thought process, it's important to distill complex ideas into simple language that any person can understand. It’s true that specialized topics have their own complex terminology, but as you work on presenting your findings in a med school application, think about the meanings of each term as opposed to the term itself.

Practice Your Research Pitch

One of the best ways to learn to present your research in a clear and interesting way is through practice. If you’re involved in a research project, take every opportunity to give presentations on your research at lab meetings, research seminars or conferences .

As you get ready for your med school applications, practice distilling your research into a two- or three-minute presentation. By doing this, you’ll be able to organize your thoughts, get a better grasp of your work and develop clear explanations that show you have a command of the research.

Research in any field can be complex, and medical schools understand that as a premed student, you’re not necessarily an expert in your field of research. So do not feel overwhelmed by the idea of having to present your research. Just remember that demonstrating an understanding of the scientific concepts is not as difficult as you may think, and presenting your research in a coherent way will make you stand out among applicants.

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Mobile app effective in smoking cessation, triples chance of success

by University of Oulu

A new mobile application, developed under the leadership of researchers from the University of Oulu, has proven to be an effective aid for long-term smokers attempting to quit. A study conducted at Oulu University Hospital found that using the application tripled the success rate of smoking cessation compared to using written materials.

The study, appearing in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe , involved 201 smokers who participated in lung cancer screening as part of Finland's first pilot study on lung cancer CT screening, which began in Oulu in November 2022. Lung cancer CT screening has been shown to reduce both lung cancer and overall mortality in smokers, while also providing an opportune moment for smoking cessation interventions.

All participants had a long and heavy smoking history (≥15 cigarettes per day for at least 25 years or ≥10 cigarettes per day for at least 30 years). Participants were randomized into two groups: the study group , which used the mobile application, and the control group, which received written cessation materials in line with the national Current Care Guidelines.

After a three-month follow-up, 20% of those using the application had quit smoking , compared to 7% in the group that received written materials. This result was retained at the end of the six-month follow-up period.

The results indicate that active use of the application significantly improved the chances of quitting smoking. Even among those who did not completely quit smoking, a larger portion of mobile application users had significantly reduced their smoking compared to the control group .

The mobile application developed by the researchers is based on cognitive behavioral therapy . It aims to increase awareness of health-deteriorating behaviors and support the individual's active role in regulating their behavior. Features include weekly symptom surveys, mindfulness exercises, and a virtual support person. The application is currently available only for research purposes.

This newly published study is reportedly the world's first randomized clinical trial demonstrating the efficacy of a mobile application for smoking cessation in conjunction with lung cancer CT screening. According to the researchers, the application can be easily integrated into the lung cancer screening process.

In further studies, researchers will focus on investigating the efficacy of the mobile application outside the context of lung cancer screening and in combination with other smoking cessation methods.

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Adhesive coatings can prevent scarring around medical implants

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When medical devices such as pacemakers are implanted in the body, they usually provoke an immune response that leads to buildup of scar tissue around the implant. This scarring, known as fibrosis, can interfere with the devices’ function and may require them to be removed.

In an advance that could prevent that kind of device failure, MIT engineers have found a simple and general way to eliminate fibrosis by coating devices with a hydrogel adhesive. This adhesive binds the devices to tissue and prevents the immune system from attacking it.

“The dream of many research groups and companies is to implant something into the body that over the long term the body will not see, and the device can provide therapeutic or diagnostic functionality. Now we have such an ‘invisibility cloak,’ and this is very general: There’s no need for a drug, no need for a special polymer,” says Xuanhe Zhao, an MIT professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering.

The adhesive that the researchers used in this study is made from cross-linked polymers called hydrogels, and is similar to a surgical tape they previously developed to help seal internal wounds. Other types of hydrogel adhesives can also protect against fibrosis, the researchers found, and they believe this approach could be used for not only pacemakers but also sensors or devices that deliver drugs or therapeutic cells.

Zhao and Hyunwoo Yuk SM ’16, PhD ’21, a former MIT research scientist who is now the chief technology officer at SanaHeal, are the senior authors of the study, which appears today in Nature . MIT postdoc Jingjing Wu is the lead author of the paper.

Preventing fibrosis

In recent years, Zhao’s lab has developed adhesives for a variety of medical applications, including double-sided and single-sided tapes that could be used to heal surgical incisions or internal injuries. These adhesives work by rapidly absorbing water from wet tissues, using polyacrylic acid, an absorbent material used in diapers. Once the water is cleared, chemical groups called NHS esters embedded in the polyacrylic acid form strong bonds with proteins at the tissue surface. This process takes about five seconds.

Several years ago, Zhao and Yuk began exploring whether this kind of adhesive could also help keep medical implants in place and prevent fibrosis from occurring.

To test this idea, Wu coated polyurethane devices with their adhesive and implanted them on the abdominal wall, colon, stomach, lung, or heart of rats. Weeks later, they removed the device and found that there was no visible scar tissue. Additional tests with other animal models showed the same thing: Wherever the adhesive-coated devices were implanted, fibrosis did not occur, for up to three months.

“This work really has identified a very general strategy, not only for one animal model, one organ, or one application,” Wu says. “Across all of these animal models, we have consistent, reproducible results without any observable fibrotic capsule.”

Using bulk RNA sequencing and fluorescent imaging, the researchers analyzed the animals’ immune response and found that when devices with adhesive coatings were first implanted, immune cells such as neutrophils began to infiltrate the area. However, the attacks quickly quenched out before any scar tissue could form.

“For the adhered devices, there is an acute inflammatory response because it is a foreign material,” Yuk says. “However, very quickly that inflammatory response decayed, and then from that point you do not have this fibrosis formation.”

One application for this adhesive could be coatings for epicardial pacemakers — devices that are placed on the heart to help control the heart rate. The wires that contact the heart often become fibrotic, but the MIT team found that when they implanted adhesive-coated wires in rats, they remained functional for at least three months, with no scar tissue formation.

“The formation of fibrotic tissue at the interface between implanted medical devices and the target tissue is a longstanding problem that routinely causes failure of the device. The demonstration that robust adhesion between the device and the tissue obviates fibrotic tissue formation is an important observation that has many potential applications in the medical device space,” says David Mooney, a professor of bioengineering at Harvard University, who was not involved in the study.

Mechanical cues

The researchers also tested a hydrogel adhesive that includes chitosan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, and found that this adhesive also eliminated fibrosis in animal studies. However, two commercially available tissue adhesives that they tested did not show this antifibrotic effect because the commercially available adhesives eventually detached from the tissue and allowed the immune system to attack.

In another experiment, the researchers coated implants in hydrogel adhesives but then soaked them in a solution that removed the polymers’ adhesive properties, while keeping their overall chemical structure the same. After being implanted in the body, where they were held in place by sutures, fibrotic scarring occurred. This suggests that there is something about the mechanical interaction between the adhesive and the tissue that prevents the immune system from attacking, the researchers say.

“Previous research in immunology has been focused on chemistry and biochemistry, but mechanics and physics may play equivalent roles, and we should pay attention to those mechanical and physical cues in immunological responses,” says Zhao, who now plans to further investigate how those mechanical cues affect the immune system.

Yuk, Zhao, and others have started a company called SanaHeal, which is now working on further developing tissue adhesives for medical applications.

“As a team, we are interested in reporting this to the community and sparking speculation and imagination as to where this can go,” Yuk says. “There are so many scenarios in which people want to interface with foreign or manmade material in the body, like implantable devices, drug depots, or cell depots.”

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

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Press mentions, interesting engineering.

MIT engineers have developed a new adhesive, low-cost hydrogel that can stop fibrosis often experienced by people with pacemakers and other medical devices, reports for Maria Bolevich Interesting Engineering . “These findings may offer a promising strategy for long-term anti-fibrotic implant–tissue interfaces,” explains Prof. Xuanhe Zhao. 

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Related Links

• Xuanhe Zhao
• Hyunwoo Yuk
• Jingjing Wu
• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Related Topics

• Mechanical engineering
• Civil and environmental engineering
• Biomedical engineering
• Medical devices
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• National Science Foundation (NSF)

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