utrgv essay prompts 2023

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2022-2023 UT Rio Grande Valley

• Thread starter wysdoc
• Start date Apr 21, 2022

Plain-spoken Texan

• Apr 21, 2022
• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has commitments to diversity, inclusion, and health equity. What do these terms mean to you? What is their importance to medical education and practice, as well as to the health of our society in general?
• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine's Honor Code requires that medical students live honestly, advance on individual merit, and demonstrate respect for others. UTRGV SOM subscribes to the highest Code of Professional Conduct. Our aim is professional behavior beyond reproach. Briefly explain the relevance of a school of medicine’s honor code to your anticipated development as a future practitioner of medicine.

burnt the salmon again

• Jun 2, 2022

Below are the prompts. 1. The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education. (300 words) 2. Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (300 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 you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you. (150 word max; bullet points are acceptable) 5. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency: (100 word or less)  

• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine's Honor Code requires that medical students live honestly, advance on individual merit, and demonstrate respect for others. UTRGV SOM subscribes to the highest Code of Professional Conduct. Our aim is professional behavior beyond reproach. Briefly explain the relevance of a school of medicine’s honor code to your anticipated development as a future practitioner of medicine. (300 words or less)

Full Member

Any 1 get a secondary for this school yet??  

Idkyet said: Any 1 get a secondary yet?? Click to expand...

manutdhtx123

• Jun 7, 2022

app transmitted 5/26 and still havent got secondaries  

manutdhtx123 said: app transmitted 5/26 and still havent got secondaries Click to expand...

• Jun 9, 2022

the same thing for me transmitted 5/27 and no secondary  

crabrangoon35

• Jun 13, 2022

Has anyone heard yet? My primary was transmitted 5/20 and I haven't received anything .  

Cleans his metal mask with gasoline

Nothing from UTRGV on this end. Submitted 5/21, transmitted 6/8.  

deleted1129521

they probably haven't started reviewing apps yet  

UTRGV has an Early Decision phase that they will probably read the applications for first, then turn to reading the Regular Decision ones. ED is only an option for people living in or originally from the RGV. In the meantime, we have the secondary prompts posted up in the first post in this thread, so you can work on those and plan a cinematic masterpiece for the upload video.  

Diabolic-Acidosis

• Jun 14, 2022

Secondary just now 6/14, transmitted primary 5/18  

hopingbutnotexpecting

secondary received 6/14, primary was submitted 5/20 transmitted 6/3  

• Jun 16, 2022
• What is your first name?
• What are your strengths?
• How long have you been doing what you do?
• What kind of projects do you enjoy working on?
• What companies have you done work for?
• What relevant education do you have?
• What do you like to do for fun?
• Don't say your last name.
• Don't share your contact info.

hopingbutnotexpecting said: the video section also has a "create a personalized video to introduce yourself" in addition to listing topics to talk about in this video, including: Here are some things we would like to hear about: What is your first name? What are your strengths? How long have you been doing what you do? What kind of projects do you enjoy working on? What companies have you done work for? What relevant education do you have? What do you like to do for fun? Here are some things you should NOT mention: Don't say your last name. Don't share your contact info. I assume this is separate than the 2 minute video essay? Or would they like that all to be combined ? Click to expand...

Iwanttobeadoctor08 said: are you an ED applicant? Click to expand...

FarmHand said: I suspect these instructions are just the default settings of the video recording program in the application. There is only 1 slot for a video upload and seeing that the limit is 2 minutes I don't think we could touch on all of these topics and answer the main prompt. Click to expand...

The invite to secondary email did mention briefly mention uploading to YouTube (which they did last year) so I was thinking they maybe wanted that intro video in the upload portal and the essay onto YouTube - but the secondary portal itself has no mention of YouTube , so I feel like that is doubtful  

hopingbutnotexpecting said: The invite to secondary email did mention briefly mention uploading to YouTube (which they did last year) so I was thinking they maybe wanted that intro video in the upload portal and the essay onto YouTube - but the secondary portal itself has no mention of YouTube , so I feel like that is doubtful Click to expand...

• Jun 17, 2022

TXcode2Med said: ED Applicant: Transmitted 6/13 Secondary received 6/17! Something I noticed in the secondary FAQ, which is not mentioned on their public site is the following: This seems sort of odd since it's not mentioned anywhere on their site and I don't know of any other Texas schools that enforce a prereq expiration. I applied ED so I am locked into this process and definitely have older coursework as a non-trad. I do have recent coursework as well but and a recent MCAT. Thoughts @wysdoc ? Thanks! Click to expand...

wysdoc said: Have never seen this on the site before and given how many people take 1 or more gap years it seems unlikely that this would keep anyone from applying. MCAT scores have to be within 5 years fo Click to expand...

NonED applicant, transmitted 5/23, secondary received 6/17!  

Also received secondary today! IS, non ED, transmitted 5/24  

They don't screen for mission fit correct? just by stats? for the secondary invitation.  

anyone else's secondary application portal link not working?  

sushirolltoobig

Transmitted May 25th but no Secondary yet but other friends transmitted later w/o Early Decision have gotten it. Should I be worried?  

sushirolltoobig said: Transmitted May 25th but no Secondary yet but other friends transmitted later w/o Early Decision have gotten it. Should I be worried? Click to expand...

for those with not secondary, have your stats passed their minimum?  

Iwanttobeadoctor08 said: for those with not secondary, have your stats passed their minimum? Click to expand...

• Jun 20, 2022

I had emailed the admissions office and didn't get a response, but it must've been a common question - they added in red letters "Please disregard the [introductory video], and only answer one of the two questions above!" @wysdoc  

Medium Well Done

• Jun 21, 2022

Secondary received 06/17.  

globaldoc27

Transmitted 6/9. Secondary received 6/21.  

• Jun 22, 2022

secondary received 6/22  

kitties5ever

• Jun 28, 2022

Does anyone know how to upload the file for the video? In previous years we send a youtube link, but this year there are no instructions.....I tried to upload the file as a .mov and it says the file type was incorrect. What file type is it supposed to be? Thanks in advance! *****Nevermind, I figured it out. I just uploaded my video on YouTube first and downloaded my video from YouTube as a MP4 file.  

JustBoughtAHammock

• Jun 29, 2022

Secondary received 6/29 Verified 6/15 MCAT Submitted 6/22  

I don't know if it's me, but the link for the secondary in my email is dead.  

pugsygirl17

• Jul 5, 2022

"Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (300 words or less)" For this prompt, are y'all interpreting as personal relationships or professional relationships? I guess I'm confused if it's asking how we decide if a friend is trustworthy or if it means someone more professional like a doctor or boss? Thanks!  

pugsygirl17 said: "Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (300 words or less)" For this prompt, are y'all interpreting as personal relationships or professional relationships? I guess I'm confused if it's asking how we decide if a friend is trustworthy or if it means someone more professional like a doctor or boss? Thanks! Click to expand...

Billiboy said: personally I went the friend/family route. Only wrote a few sentences but elaborated more on the source part of the question. Click to expand...

johnsonthehopeful

• Jul 7, 2022

Iwanttobeadoctor08 said: They don't screen for mission fit correct? just by stats? for the secondary invitation. Click to expand...

deleted1138554

• Jul 8, 2022

Does UTRGV usually send emails letting students know that they have at least received their application or do they just send you an email if they invite you to complete their secondary? If it is the latter, has anyone received secondary invites this month? If so, when was your application transmitted and what are your stats?  

xang3lx said: Does UTRGV usually send emails letting students know that they have at least received their application or do they just send you an email if they invite you to complete their secondary? If it is the latter, has anyone received secondary invites this month? If so, when was your application transmitted and what are your stats? Click to expand...

jademoon said: From what I understand, they automatically send secondary email invites to everyone who passes their stats screen. I believe the minimum stats for an automatic secondary are 3.2 sGPA, 3.0 cGPA, 500 MCAT (do NOT quote me on this though.... I can't seem to find the page with the official screening stats). All applications that don't hit this minimum are screened for mission fit like mentioned earlier in this thread. Click to expand...

xang3lx said: What if I qualify for everything except for the MCAT? I did not do well on my mcat and will be retaking in August, but I'm unsure if they'll wait until my second score comes in before hopefully sending a secondary or send me a secondary but not an interview invite if I don't do well again. Click to expand...

skeptastic said: I'm not sure if this will help ease your mind, but I am above their median MCAT and above they 90th percentile GPA and still yet to receive a secondary. It seems to me that they have a careful screen, so if you are a good fit in their eyes, you'll probably be okay. They don't seem to just be handing these secondaries out based on stats alone. Click to expand...

• Jul 9, 2022

skeptastic said: I'm not sure if this will help ease your mind, but I am above their median MCAT and above their 90th percentile GPA and still yet to receive a secondary. It seems to me that they have a careful screen, so if you are a good fit in their eyes, you'll probably be okay. They don't seem to just be handing these secondaries out based on stats alone. Click to expand...

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UT Rio Grande Valley - Secondary Essay Prompts

Access our complete list of all Secondary Essay Prompts from UT Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg , TX for the 2018 - 2023 admissions cycles.

1 . Which potential barriers and facilitators exist for medicine of the future? How will you make a difference in this regard?

2 . Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy.

3 . Describe a time when the awareness of your own limitations resulted in a favorable outcome for you or someone close to you.

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.

5 . If you feel that the Admissions Committee should be aware of any academic discrepancies or extenuating circumstances, please explain them.

6 . Describe any major hardships you have overcome to reach this point in your life.

7 . How have volunteer work, hobbies, and/or extracurricular activities informed your beliefs about health care and a career in medicine?

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• Secondary Essay Prompts

Secondary Essay Prompts – University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

Secondary Essay Prompts for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine in Harlingen, TX.

2019 – 2020

• Supplemental Questions:

List three adjectives that characterize the community in which you grew up.

Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency: (100 word max)

• In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the “best fit” for you. (150 word max)
• The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education. (300 word max)
• Learning Experiences:

DESCRIBE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD UNRELATED TO SCIENCE OR MEDICINE.

PART 1: Required

PART 2: Select 2 out of the 3*

• briefly describe the experience
• state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)
• what you learned about yourself through that experience

*Experiences may be used more than once to address each category. Limit your answers to the space provided.

• A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you: (150 words)
• Our Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. Submit a 2 minute video that answers the question below. To submit a video of your response, please upload the video to YouTube as Unlisted. Do not upload it as Private. Enter the URL of the uploaded video into the text box below.

How does your background and/or experiences align with UTRGV SOM Mission?

• A community service experience: (150 words)
• A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction: (150 words)
• A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc.): (150 words)

2018 – 2019

In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the “best fit” for you. (150 word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind:

Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving.

Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education.

• Our Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. Submit a 2 minute video that answers the question below. To submit a video of your response, please upload the video to YouTube as either Public or Unlisted. Do not upload it as Private. Enter the URL of the uploaded video into the text box below.

A community service experience: 150 words

A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction: 150 words

A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc.): 150 words

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.

2017 – 2018.

• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine community and bring educational benefits to our student body. (1000 characters)
• 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)
• Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and how do you think your education at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (1 page, formatted at your discretion, upload as PDF)

2017 – 2018

• List three adjectives that characterize the community you grew up in
• Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency (100 word max)
• In the event you are accepted into two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the “best fit” for you (150 word max)The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: patient advocacy, community-focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, lifelong problem solving.
• Choose TWO of these values and explain their importance to you, as well as how they integrate with each other. Finish by indicating how this integration will impact your medical school education (300 word max)

Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine: Part 1: required Part 2: select 2 out of the 4

• Briefly describe the experience
• State the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)
• What you learned about yourself through that experience

Part 1 (required)

• A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you (150 word max)

Part 2 (select 2/4)

• A community service experience (150 word max)
• An employment experience (150 word max)
• A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction (150 word max)
• A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc) (150 word max)

Secondary essay webcast with Dr. Jessica Freedman, founder and president of MedEdits Medical Admissions.   Read more about Dr. Freedman.

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

Topics covered in this presentation:

• When should I submit my secondary essays?
• Pay attention to the word/character limits.
• Can I recycle secondary essay prompts for multiple schools?
• Identify topics that you left out of your primary application.
• And, much more.

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine Admissions Requirements

Learn more about this school:

Secondary Essay Prompts for Other Schools

Do you want to see secondary essay prompts for other medical schools?

Select a school below:

Secondary Essay Prompts By School

*Data collected from MSAR 2022-2023, 2022 Osteopathic Medical College Information Book, and institution website.

Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on each medical school’s website. MedEdits does not guarantee it’s accuracy or authenticity.

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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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To review the admission requirements for  your  program visit UTRGV.edu/gradprograms . 

*Don’t forget! We are currently offering a $0  application fee for most graduate programs. 

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Submit Official College Transcripts

By email:  [email protected] 

Address: 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 

The Graduate College

Marialice Shary Shivers Bldg. 1.102

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Edinburg, TX 78539-2999

Reminder:  Eligible graduate programs are temporarily waiving the GRE or GMAT entrance exam for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 Academic Year Application cycle. Graduate Certificate programs do not require GRE or GMAT entrance exam.

Take advantage of: 

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We’d love to hear from you!

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What is an Official Transcript vs an Unofficial Transcript?

An official transcript is sent to UTRGV directly by another university through regular mail or as a secure email.

An unofficial transcript is sent by the student and does not come directly from the  institution.

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Applying to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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Acceptance Rate

How hard is utrgv to get into.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) acceptance rate is 85.00% for 2023-2024 admission. A total of 13,542 students applied and 11,511 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is relatively high, making it somewhat easy to get into UTRGV.

UTRGV's acceptance rate places 32nd out of 77 Texas colleges with competitive admission .

The median SAT score is 1020 and the ACT score is 19 at UTRGV. UTRGV's SAT score ranks 43rd out of 59 Texas colleges that consider SAT score for admission .

To apply to UTRGV, the SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2023-24, UTRGV's acceptance rate is 85.00% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 49.00%. 5,585 men and 7,957 women applied to UTRGV and 4,580 men and 6,923 women students were accepted.

Among them, 2,382 men and 3,254 women were enrolled in UTRGV (Fall 2023).

• Admission Trends

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: July 3, 2024)

Median SAT and ACT Score

In 2024, 1,561 students (28% of enrolled) have submitted their SAT scores and 1,453 students (26%) have submitted their ACT scores for seeking degrees at UTRGV.

The median SAT score is 1,020 with 520 SAT EBRW and 500 SAT Math median scores. The 75 th percentile SAT score of EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading / Writing) is 570 and the 25 th percentile is 470. The SAT Math 75 th percentile score is 540 and 25 th percentile is 440 .

The median ACT composite score is 19 with 75 th percentile score of 22 and 25 th percentile score of 16 at UTRGV. The median ACT math score is 18 and the ACT English score is 18.

How competitive is UTRGV's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are relatively low compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,121, ACT: 23 - public research university with high research activity).

• SAT Score Trends

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript) and English Proficiency Test to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not reqired, but considered in admission process at UTRGV. The english proficiency test is reqired .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

General Admissions Information

Application fee is $50 for applying graduate schools. The following table provides general admission information for applying to UTRGV.

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Share your experiences and thoughts about The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!

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Ut essay prompts

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Too often, you'll find a tool that's powerful but not very easy to use. We recommend that you submit everything at least a week in advance. In an address at American University in 1963, he spoke kindly of the Soviet Union, thereby easing the Cold War. Results may be used to develop interventions and anti-bullying policies to help employees address workplace bullying in their organizations, thereby ensuring a more positive work environment. Secondly, Facebook also has social groups which offer individuals a chance to meet and participate in discussions with people who share common interests. This essay, written for a similar prompt, could work well with just a few tweaks (which we'll explain below). Avoids using the first person or phrases like "I believe" or "I think". COVID-19 isn't the first time a public health crisis has fueled the cycle of poverty. You can learn more about the process here. What's the difference between the personal statement and supplemental essays?

Achieve Essay Success- College entrance essay prompts

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Essays & Short Answers

Summer/Fall 2025 Essay

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Please keep your essay between 500–650 words (typically two to three paragraphs).

The Common App personal essay will complete the UT Austin essay requirement.

Spring 2025 Essays

All freshman Spring 2025 applicants must submit Topic A in ApplyTexas.

Please keep your essay between 500–700 words (typically two to three paragraphs).

Spring 2025 Essay Topic

Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

Submitting Your Essay

You can submit your essays:

• In conjunction with your application.
• Using the Document Upload System in MyStatus.

*Students do not need to submit other Common App essays. We’ll only review what is required.

Short Answers

Submit the required short answers to prompts in your admission application. Answers are limited to no more than 40 lines, or about 250–300 words per prompt, typically the length of one paragraph.

Summer/Fall 2025 Prompts

• Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?
• Think of all the activities — both in and outside of school — that you have been involved with during high school. Which one are you most proud of and why? ( Guidance for student s: This can include an extracurricular activity, a club/organization, volunteer activity, work or a family responsibility.)

Optional Short Answer

Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance.

Spring 2025 Prompts

• Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.
• The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, “To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society.” Please share how you believe your experience at UT Austin will prepare you to “Change the World” after you graduate.

Submitting Your Short Answers

You can submit your short answers with either your Common App or Apply Texas application. Short answer responses must be completed in order to submit your application.

Transfer applicants must submit one essay responding to Topic A. Applicants to the School of Architecture are required to upload Topic D in addition to Topic A. 

Essay Topics

Topic a (required).

The statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school/college or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admission committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and the other application information cannot convey.

Topic D (School of Architecture majors only)

Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study, describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?

Submitting Your Essay(s)

Fall 2025 UGA Essay Questions

  david graves        may 22nd, 2024 in blog.

For First Year students applying to UGA for Fall 2025, we will keep the same longer personal essay (250-650 words) as before, using the essay prompts from the Common App . The shorter UGA specific essay (200-300 words suggested) topic will also remain the same as last year, with the following essay prompt:

“ The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).”

• FYI – We are not restricting you to the exact years of 8th-9th grades, but rather the general timeframe of the middle to high school transition, which can extend somewhat further than one year on each end. Feel free to use your discretion in your choice of the timeline focused on the shift to your high school years.

As always, we also share an essay from an enrolling First-Year student that we believe shows great writing skills:

As a middle-schooler on the brink of entering high school, I was like lost cattle entering a vast social and academic wilderness. In the center, a winding, sun-soaked desert path stretched far into the horizon, beckoning my gaze with its promise of adventure and discovery. Enter The Alchemist and its magnificent idea of the “Personal Legend”– a life goal so lofty that it made locating my locker on the first day of high school appear easy. Forget about the difficulty of making new hobbies or friends; the content from this novel sure played an essential role in determining my ideology related to pursuing my future.

The protagonist enthusiastically praised the significance of believing in one’s dreams, which led my younger self down the correct path. Generating profits after extensive hours of work through my business, navigating changes in learning after COVID-19, and confronting adversity due to my darker skin color all presented difficult periods where persistence and faith were important in progress. Although self-belief was a crucial aspect of pushing through difficult times, it also motivated me to be more confident. Taking risks, from soloing in my 8th-grade jazz band to giving my crush a cringeworthy love letter, changed my belief in embracing adversity.

Furthermore, the book’s emphasis on interacting with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems mirrors my journey into the real world. Whether developing a dancing board at a Purdue summer camp or a calculus Halloween graph, collaboration enforces the ability to work with others who may share different ideas. Diverse backgrounds boosted my understanding, tolerance, and empathy while increasing my engineering career readiness. Not only was The Alchemist a great book, but it enforced critical systems that I use until this day to succeed in life. The Alchemist played an essential role in instilling new concepts I needed as an adolescent. “And when you want something, all the universe conspires you to achieve it.” Thank you, Paulo Coelho.  – Josh W, Collins Hill HS.

• This essay gives us insight into the student’s feelings and thoughts, and he shares his ideas through descriptive word choice. This is an excellent essay, but please know that we are not expecting this level of writing from the applicant pool overall. This essay example is meant to show our applicant pool how to express themselves through examples, personal growth and emotion. When we are reviewing essays, we are looking more at the student’s voice coming through and less on technical writing skills.

Tags: admissions , essays , file reading , freshman admission

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Entry to a Major Essays

Instructions & guidance.

There are three essay portions to the application: “Statement of Purpose,” “Outstanding Achievements” and “Additional Information.” Although “Outstanding Achievements" and “Additional Information” are optional, it is highly recommended that you complete these essays.

This application uses plain text formatting. You are encouraged to use a word processor like Microsoft Word to compose your essays and to check your word count (250 words for each essay), spelling and grammar. You can then copy and paste your text onto the application text area. 

Do not use AI text generators such as ChatGPT to complete your ETAM application. Using AI text generators may be considered plagiarism and/or cheating according to Student Rule: 20.1.2.3. Suspected use of generative AI may constitute a violation of the Texas A&M Honor Code and will be referred to the Aggie Honor System Office for investigation. More information may be found through the Aggie Honor System Office.

The University Writing Center  is a resource available to help prepare and/or review your essays. View this brief video with ETAM essay tips and information about ETAM-related services from the University Writing Center.

Essay Topics

Additional information for each essay topic is provided below:

• Statement of Purpose:  You will write one “Statement of Purpose” for each major you select. Your statement of purpose should explain your reason for selecting this major and include academic areas of interest, future professional career goals and strengths you would bring to the department. You should clearly articulate why you are interested in a specific major. You can also write about student organizations you have joined within the major or faculty you have met from this major and include all accomplishments related to the major.
• Outstanding Achievements:  Avoid using major-specific language. All majors you apply to will have access to read this essay. Use complete sentences; do not use bullet points. This section gives you an opportunity to discuss any outstanding achievements you feel are notable for departments to consider. Outstanding achievements should include leadership roles, major projects related to engineering, work or internship experience and scholarships you have received. You may use awards from your time in high school — particularly if they are related to engineering, science, math, or any leadership or extracurricular activities such as band, UIL, etc. This is also a great space to discuss AP credit and other academic qualifications.
• Additional Information:  Avoid major-specific language. All majors you apply to will have access to read this essay. This section allows you the opportunity to give additional information you want the committee to consider. You can include extenuating circumstances or other factors influencing your academic performance.
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Why are so many people attending the U.S. Open? It’s not just for the tennis . . .

When i was invited to attend the tournament over labor day weekend, my first thought wasn't who was playing, by gabriella ferrigine.

When a good friend reached out to ask if I’d like to attend the U.S. Open with her (in courtside seats sponsored by her investment firm employer, no less) I jumped at the opportunity. The Grand Slam tournament — set amid the summer’s final feverish days — had long been on my bucket list as a New Yorker. 

As a lifelong runner and intermittent tennis player, one might assume my response to my friend would be related to the world-class athletes we’d get to see play. Instead, I smirked in amusement when, after replying with an enthusiastic “YESSSS” to my friend’s text, we each sent variations of the same messages simultaneously, neither of which were about tennis.

“ We need to plan our fits .”

“ We can dress so cute .”

“ And get the honey deuce .”

Call it womanhood, call it brat summer, but I have a hunch that our instinctive, knee-jerk responses to the news that we’d be attending the U.S. Open together speak to a larger cultural phenomenon. That is, at least for some of the tens of thousands of Open-goers who have flocked to Flushing Meadows Corona Park since the event kicked off late last month. 

“It’s like Black Friday at Walmart,” Long Islander Sally Neal told the New York Times of the crowds this year, the most in the tournament’s 142-year history. 

So why are so many people attending the U.S. Open? It depends on who you ask.

"If you wanna go to the atmosphere, you go to the f**king club, right?"

When it comes to tennis, there’s no denying the U.S. Open’s historical relevance and influence. While not as old or perhaps as prestigious as Wimbledon, which is held annually in London, the U.S. Open is an athletic juggernaut in its own right. Household names like the legendary Serena Williams and John McEnroe are among those who have earned the title of most championships won at the tournament. At last year’s U.S. Open, fledgling phenom Coco Guaff ’s singles victory marked the most-viewed major tennis final ever on ESPN.

Vinkan Cinaroglu, a 30-something from San Antonio, Texas, told Salon he’d flown to New York to celebrate his birthday and attend the U.S. Open with family. Cinaroglu, an ardent tennis fan, felt confident that more people were present at the event for the game itself than for the social atmosphere. “If you wanna go to the atmosphere, you go to the f**king club, right?” he added, noting how he’d paid a visit to The Box and Little Sister, two nightclubs in downtown Manhattan. 

I was introduced to Scott, a 37-year-old IT worker from Washington, D.C., after he tapped me on the shoulder from across the aisle to politely inform me that my lip gloss had fallen out of my purse. 

“I’m here for tennis,” Scott affirmed before I’d even finished asking my question. He had taken the train from D.C. to see Novak Djokovic, the defending U.S. Open champion who is the same age as Scott. The Serb was surprisingly knocked out of the tournament early, in the third round of play. 

Rose, 35, an attorney sitting in corporate seats, said she also felt the pandemic had to do with why some fans were more invested in attending the U.S. Open this year than they might have been in the past. “After COVID, you appreciate these things a lot more, at least for me,” she said.

And yet, while the opportunity to watch really good tennis remains the true linchpin of the U.S. Open’s relevance, its undeniable social-calendar appeal cannot be discounted. 

“It’s the event of the season,” said Asatta Mesa, a 25-year-old Strategy Associate at JP Morgan told me. “It’s a great social experience with friends. Frankly, I did not learn much about tennis. I learned that this stadium existed in Queens.” Mesa, who was attending her second night of the Open, noted how much of the chatter she’d overheard on her first evening of attendance — in a relatively higher section — had demonstrated an obvious dearth of tennis knowledge.

“There [were] lots of questions being asked about who was playing, which indicated to me that people didn’t come for the players themselves,” she said.

"It’s not only just a drink, it’s part of the aura."

Leading the charge for why some people might come is the event’s signature Honey Deuce cocktail. Served in a souvenir highball cup, the $23 dollar drink melds Grey Goose vodka with lemonade and a splash of Chambord raspberry liqueur and is garnished with a trio of melon balls meant to resemble tennis balls. The Honey Deuce, which is set to hit $10 million in sales, is practically synonymous with the tournament, having become a cultural phenomenon in its own right since it was first introduced in 2007. “It’s become one of the more Instagram-worthy cocktails,” mixologist and Honey Deuce creator Nick Mautone told The Athletic.  

For Mesa, however, social media didn’t factor heavily into her decision to buy a ticket. “I don’t know that I’m here for the ‘Gram,” Mesa said. “Just more because it’s something one does in New York City.”

And it’s true — after making our way through the dawdling crowds outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, clutching our Deuces tightly to our chests, the first thing we did after sitting down was take a photo of our drinks in front of the court. “It’s not only just a drink, it’s part of the aura,” Oscar Peña, the lead supervisor of a Grey Goose Bar stand in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center said to The Athletic. “When you think of the U.S. Open, you automatically think Honey Deuce right after that.”

Then there are the off-court names. In recent years, it feels as though the U.S. Open has become an end-of-summer opportunity for celebrities, influencers and upper-echelon New Yorkers to congregate to be, well, seen. This year’s tournament drew stars like Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, sporting her trademark oversized sunglasses, and Paris Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky, freshly minted gold medalists in their respective sports. Ben Stiller was only a few rows in front of me, tossing fans intermittent “Blue Steels” and pausing for selfies whenever he got up to use the bathroom. And the U.S. Open’s Opening Night Gala — a yearly event supporting the U.S.T.A’s charitable efforts — saw songwriter Lin Manuel-Miranda in attendance and Alec Baldwin helm an auction block. As ballet dancer Misty Copeland honestly admitted to the New York Times, she had not read up on tennis ahead of attending her first U.S. Open this year. She had, however, watched “Challengers.” 

“I’m excited to just experience it all for the first time,” Copeland said.

Copeland and I were simpatico in that regard. Part of that excitement was rooted in my desire to see some of the Open’s storied glitz and glam; however, I was surprised to see that most of the crowd — even in the pricey seats where I was — had opted for relatively unremarkable attire. While many of the spectators sported incredible hair styles, smelled like department stores and wore Cartier bracelets and Italian leather loafers, I had expected significantly more ostentatious energy than I actually witnessed. I suppose this is what distinguishes the U.S. Open from other premier events that amalgamate sports with socializing, like the Kentucky Derby.  From my courtside vantage point, it hardly felt like people were trying to draw attention to themselves, subverting my initial assumptions. 

Though the U.S. Open’s crowd was clearly bifurcated into tennis devotees and society seekers, relatively everyone was on the same page when it came to engagement. As the match between the U.S.’s Frances Tiafoe and Aussie Alexei Popyrin crept into its closing rounds, the crowd was locked in, each rally eliciting “oohs” and “aahs” that uncannily mirrored the sound effects spliced into Wii Sports’ virtual tennis. When a few overzealous fans couldn’t contain their excitement, and yelled “C’mon, 'Foe!” just as the American was readying to lob the ball upward in a serve, hundreds of other fans collectively shushed them. It was a clear show of respect, not only for the players but for the broader experience shared by all those gathered in the stadium. 

“I’d say it’s maybe 70-30,” Scott said, regarding the audience’s split. “Like, maybe 70% aren’t the biggest tennis fans. I don’t think it’s a bad vibe or anything. I mean, people are here to have fun. I think that’s what it’s all about anyway.”

about this topic

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Gabriella Ferrigine is a staff writer at Salon. Originally from the Jersey Shore, she moved to New York City in 2016 to attend Columbia University, where she received her B.A. in English and M.A. in American Studies. Formerly a staff writer at NowThis News, she has an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from NYU and was previously a news fellow at Salon.

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What Will It Take to Make Housing More Affordable?

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is campaigning on a proposal to make housing more affordable by providing down payment assistance for first-time home buyers and encouraging construction of new housing. We asked Prof. Cameron LaPoint, whose research interests include real estate and household finance, if these policy changes can make a difference.

Construction of new housing in Falls Church, Virginia, in 2023.

• Cameron LaPoint Assistant Professor of Finance

How bad is housing affordability in the U.S.? Is it actually a crisis?

There are many ways to define housing affordability, but common indicators point to much higher costs of both owning and renting than what we have seen since pre-COVID times. Average home prices grew more than twice as fast as average incomes between 2020 and 2023. This is an historically unprecedented rise in the U.S. home price-to-income ratio. At the same time, there has been a steady long-term trend of more and more renters spending high fractions of their income on housing costs. The share of cost-burdened renters —defined as those who spend greater than 30% of their income on rent—grew from 20% in 1960 to 45% in 2022. Rental prices have also spiked by 22% nationally since right before the onset of COVID, but this is on par with the rise in wage incomes over the same period.

We might also be concerned about measures of affordability for those who currently own a home or are looking to buy one. The costs of maintaining a home include property taxes, maintenance and repairs, and paying off a mortgage, net of any tax benefits such as itemized deductions. Nationwide, property taxes as a share of income have modestly fallen since the Global Financial Crisis. But compare a new homeowner who locked in a fixed-rate mortgage (the most common type of mortgage in the U.S.) with a 20% down payment on the eve of the pandemic in 2019 to another hypothetical new homeowner who did the same in 2023. The 2023 homeowner would be paying about 50% more each month to service their mortgage than the 2019 homeowner, due to a combination of higher interest rates and purchase prices.

Those looking to buy a home for the first time often consult buy vs. rent calculators like Zillow’s . You enter in your income, mortgage financing terms, and how much you plan to spend on maintenance. Then the calculator tells you, for a given dollar amount of rent you are paying or number of years you plan to live in a house, whether you would save more money by renting or owning. If you were to enter average cost numbers in each major metro area in the U.S. right now, the buy vs. rent calculator would probably tell you it is cheaper to rent than to buy unless you plan to stay in the house for longer than the average six years Americans tend to spend in any one place.

Kamala Harris has proposed $25,000 in down payment support for first-time home buyers. You have a new paper looking at the effects of property tax reduction on housing affordability. Does that research tell you anything about the potential impact of Harris’s proposal?

My new co-authored research looks at the links between local property tax policies and housing affordability for current and prospective homeowners. Property taxes may not seem very relevant to the debate about the current proposal of down payment support for first-time buyers, but they are! We find that offering property tax exemptions to current owners who live in their home puts first-time buyers at a disadvantage. This is because incumbent homeowners benefit from such tax breaks, which lowers their ownership costs, and therefore buyers are willing to pay more for a house. Economists call this the capitalization effect of lower property taxes. Owners are also less willing to give up their tax benefits by selling their current home. Meanwhile, renters receive no immediate cash benefit from these tax breaks, which are pervasive.

Down payment grants like the one being proposed can help counteract these forces. However, this also means a one-size-fits-all amount like $25,000 is not likely to go nearly as far in certain parts of the country, including California, where Proposition 13 has helped prop up home values by capping increases in property tax bills for current owners. Another group of researchers showed that the First-Time Homebuyer Credit offered between 2008 and 2010 helped first-time buyers become homeowners earlier in life, at the cost of mild increases in house prices of around 1%. That earlier policy featured lower grant amounts of between $6,500 to $8,500, so it’s possible that the stimulus effect could be greater for larger down payment grants. Overall, cash assistance to first-time homebuyers would likely benefit a small number of younger households and might even be counterproductive to improving the overall affordability of homeownership.

What are the most effective policy tools for making housing more affordable?

Policymakers can influence demand for housing through tools like down payment assistance and mortgage regulation, or supply through changing the incentives to build.

On the demand side, there is a wide body of evidence from outside the U.S. that making mortgages harder to access helps make ownership more affordable in terms of the sticker price. This is typically done by increasing the standard required down payment—for instance, from 20% to 30% of the sticker price. Down payment requirements lower the attractiveness of buying, freeing up single-family homes for sale. These policies are particularly good at cooling down housing markets when they apply only to investors trying to buy second homes in already expensive areas, as I show in a co-authored paper using a policy experiment in Taiwan. Down payment restrictions are often politically infeasible and difficult to enact unless done in a top-down way through powers delegated to the central bank. In the U.S., the Federal Reserve does not have this power in its toolkit, but we do have something called the conforming loan limit, set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which indirectly rations credit by making it more difficult for banks to sell off low–down payment mortgages on the secondary market.

On the supply side, encouraging developers and builders to provide more housing units would help bring down both rents and prices. Construction of entry-level homes is at historic lows, and my research shows that, across most states, permit numbers filed for new housing construction have not recovered since the Great Recession. Overcoming these challenges is easier said than done given the complexities of local land use restrictions and zoning codes.

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