describe yourself secondary essay

How to answer 'tell us about yourself' on a secondary application

Even though this seems like it should be a “gimme” question (after all, what do you know more about than yourself?), many applicants consider this to be one of the toughest questions on a medical school secondary. Aside from being very broad, many people just find it uncomfortable to sell themselves , recognizing that there’s a fine line between self-awareness and bragging. And yet, since this is one of the most common questions on both secondaries and interviews (not just in medicine), it’s important to offer a strong answer.

As a science-minded person who appreciates structure, I often find that tasks seem less daunting if I have a general framework within which to think about them.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you start to answer "tell us about yourself"

1. consider what your primary application says about you and what it is currently missing..

Now that you’ve had some time away from your primary AMCAS application while waiting to receive those secondaries, look back at your primary app and see what it says about you. Think about how the strangers reading your application will be able to describe you with only this information at their disposal . High grades might suggest you are intelligent and will continue to be a good student in medical school. Extra-curricular activities may tell a story about your interests and skills, lessons you’ve learned, or unique experiences and perspectives that you will be able to offer your classmates. Whatever information about you is missing from this picture can be folded into your answer for "tell us about yourself."

2. Make a list of things you would like someone on the admissions committee to know about you.

Hopefully, many of these things will already appear in your primary application. This is your chance to see what you want to emphasize and what gaps you want to fill in so that readers have the fullest and most vibrant picture of you that is possible. This can include experiences that have changed your perspective, people who have influenced you, and anything that makes you you. The “tell us about yourself” answer doesn’t have to focus on just one character trait, but it should be organized and focused. Everything you include about yourself should be there for a purpose- to complement information in your primary so that your application as a whole presents a more complete picture of who you are.

3. When you make a claim about yourself, support it through storytelling!

Once you’ve decided what you want to share with readers, you need them to believe that what they’re reading is an accurate depiction of you , and not just your vision of an ideal medical school applicant. Demonstrate your character by telling specific, concrete stories.

4. Show, don’t tell.

Telling personal stories that show the traits you’re trying to convey can help keep you out of bragging territory. You should absolutely not shy away from giving yourself credit and explicitly talking about your positive qualities, but you must also convince your reader that the things you’re telling them are true. It’s not enough to say “I have always been a determined person.” Think about a time in your life when you really were determined, and use that story as a vehicle to get your reader on board with the idea you’re trying to communicate. 

5. Guide your reader through the anecdote.

Set the scene, present the “conflict,” and demonstrate that your analysis of the situation and subsequent actions did, in fact, show your determination. The story doesn’t have to be longwinded or dramatic. It just has to be enough to support the claim you’ve made about yourself.

6. Be genuine.

Your audience is a tough one. The readers of your application are influential in the final decision of your potential acceptance into medical school, so you want to think about what they’re interested in learning about you . Many people use the “tell me about yourself” question as a way to talk about a character trait that tells people that they’re awesome and unique and going to be a great doctor.

7. don’t limit yourself to just talking about why you want to be a doctor.

And don’t fall into the trap of telling them what you think they want to hear. If you want to talk about how much you love yoga, you can! Just make sure you pick your topic for a reason . Maybe yoga is a hobby that has kept you grounded during stressful times or something that you see as a personal physical challenge. Both of those discussions say something about who you are as a person, and the point of this question is to make yourself come alive off the application page.

8. Think about whom you want as your peer.

Show that you can be that person for others. Medical schools are interested in finding students who are a good fit for their programs so that they will succeed and be happy there. And that’s a good thing! If you are honest and genuine about who you are, how you view the world, and what is important to you, schools will have an easier time coming to the same conclusion you’ve already reached—that you will thrive as one of their students.

What schools are really looking for:

Overall, remember that you can use the “tell us about yourself” section to say any thing about yourself - extracurricular activities, hobbies, important people in your life, character traits, personal and professional goals, you name it.

What the reader actually wants to know is why they should want you to join their medical community, and the reasons for this may be different depending on the school. In general, though, schools like people whose accomplishments are motivated by personal interests and passions rather than competitive ambition, alone.  So tell them about your interests and your passions! Show them how you’ve already pursued those interests and passions, tell them something about where you come from, or share a lesson that you’ve learned from experience. Remember to think about your secondaries in the context of your whole application, and be yourself- this is your time to shine!

Emily holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She's currently completing training in gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Related Content

3 Strategies for Describing Yourself in 1,000 Characters for Albany Medical College's Secondary

By: Ryan Kelly

Everyone knows that frustrating interview question that asks you to “Describe yourself in three words.”

How can you capture your personality in three words? It feels impossible to be unique yet so succinct at the same time.  

The toughest secondary essay prompt for Albany Medical College, “Describe yourself,” might elicit similar feelings of frustration. In this case, you get 1,000 characters, but that’s still a pretty restrictive limit.    

It’s the first prompt the admission committee will read, so how do you make a good impression? What are they looking for?

What Not To Do For Albany Medical’s Secondary’s Prompt:

Students tend to overthink this prompt. It’s not about choosing the perfect descriptive words for yourself, like ‘compassionate,’ ‘innovative,’ and ‘diverse.’ A thesaurus won’t help, either. I don’t care whether you’re sedulous, eggheaded, and commiserative; those three adjectives will not make you memorable to the admissions committee.

Instead, choose a specific story that illustrates those qualities.

SECONDARY ESSAY STRATEGY 1 - DESCRIBE YOURSELF THROUGH AN EXAMPLE

Show, don’t tell. Talk is cheap. An image is worth a thousand words.

You get the idea. You need to exhibit concrete proof for your characteristics and values. So start by brainstorming the moments and events in which you had the most impact. It can be anything from solving a complex research problem, to organizing a new club at your school, to helping a friend get through a very rough day. The key will be telling your detailed, individualized story in a way that’s memorable.

With 1,000 characters, you’ll have space for approximately 10-15 sentences. The majority should go towards the example or moment you share, with only a few being saved for the concluding thoughts. Let your impact in the anecdote speak for itself. The last few sentences should express how your example encompasses your personality and speaks to your future goals.        

SECONDARY ESSAY STRATEGY 2 - DESCRIBE YOURSELF THROUGH A THEME

Sometimes students don’t have enough to say about one experience. Rather than showcasing one example, you could introduce a catalogue of examples that are tied together by a certain theme or common denominator.

The three experiences from above - research, club, friend - could easily be tied together by a common denominator like ‘innovation’ or ‘perseverance.’ Perhaps each required creative approaches (innovation) or resilience in the face of setbacks (perseverance).

With this strategy, you’ll need to be brief. Ideally, you’d spend three or four sentences on each example, followed by a few concluding sentences. Even though your examples will have to be concise, make sure they contain enough details to be convincing.

SECONDARY ESSAY STRATEGY 3 - DESCRIBE YOURSELF WITH REPURPOSED MATERIAL

With secondaries, it’s all about working smarter, not harder. Since you’re applying to 20+ schools, it makes perfect sense to knock out multiple schools’ prompts with the same material.

Certain secondary prompts from other schools lend themselves well to answering Albany’s “Describe yourself.”

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

• What is the most fun you’ve had in the last year? (3-5 sentences)
• If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be? (3-5 sentences)

These prompts are great fodder for Albany, since they’re concise and (hopefully) full of personality. It’s easy to imagine an Albany response that opens with the nickname, shares the fun event as proof of the nickname’s accuracy, and then concludes by adding some overall significance about your character and goals.  

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES – GEFFEN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

• Describe involvement in the ONE most important non-academic activity that has been important in your life: (800 characters max)
• What has been the ONE most unique leadership, entrepreneurial or creative activity in which you participated? (800 characters max)
• What has been the ONE most important volunteer work you have done and why was it meaningful? (800 characters max)
• What is the ONE most important honor you have received? Why do you view this as important? (800 max)

With only a few small tweaks to the intro and conclusion of these essays, you’ll have a readymade “Describe yourself” answer that matches the approach in Strategy 1 above.

DUKE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

• Describe a situation where you have chosen to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate?
• Describe an experience when you were confronted with an individual or group whose values differ from yours? How did you resolve the conflict/ challenge? Describe at least one outcome that the experience created.
• Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn from the experience? Describe at least one functional impact of the experience.

For students on the East Coast, Duke is a good place to look for reusable material. But you’ll have to pick and choose your borrowed material carefully, because Duke’s limits are 600 words! (Stay tuned for future blog posts that cover Duke’s prompts in depth).

We hope these strategies will help you describe yourself in a way that feels specific and authentic. Keep in mind that “Describe yourself” is just one of Albany’s secondary prompts. They also ask you to share a formative medical experience that motivated and prepared you for the career. So don’t feel like you have to cram everything into one answer. Just focus on making each essay strong and self-contained, and you’ll end up with a stellar secondary application.

Good luck writing!    

Upcoming Online Classes

All work on this site is our own. The content for the Savvy med school search was found on the webpages of the respective medical schools.

• Text or Call Us 917-994-0765

• 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

Click here for tips on writing the “How You’ll Contribute” secondary essay.

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

Click here for examples and tips on writing the “Why Osteopathic Medicine” secondary essay.

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

what others are saying about our essay reviews...

Join over 2,000 of our accepted med school applicants by using motivate md's review service..

Meet Some of Your Editors

Ansel N., MD, PhD

The ohio state university college of medicine.

Alexa S., MD

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Harvard Medical School

Yale School of Medicine

George Washington School of Medicine

DUKE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

University of California San Francisco School of Medicine

• 917-994-0765
• [email protected]
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Medical School Admissions
• Residency Application
• Services FAQs
• The PreMed App
• MCAT Vitals
• Meet Our Team
• Testimonials
• Join the Team

© 2024 Motivate MD

• All-In-One Packages
• Personal Statement Editing
• Essay Brainstorming Session
• Activities Section Editing
• Secondary Essays Editing
• Admissions Consulting
• Interview Preparation
• CASPer Test Prep
• ERAS Common Application Editing
• Interview Prep
• Essay Editing
• Virtual Shadowing
• MCAT Question of the Day
• List of Medical Schools
• Medical School Map
• Tools for Applying to Medical School
• Medical School Application Timeline
• 2024 Medical School Personal Statement Examples
• FAQs about Medical School Interviews
• Medical School Interview Common Questions & Answers
• Motivate MD Team
• Free Consultation

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!

Albany Medical College Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for Albany Medical College. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page .

About Albany Medical College

Secondary Deadline: December 1, 2024 Secondary Fee: $115 FAP Waiver:  Yes, the secondary fee is waived for applicants who have an AMCAS fee waiver CASPer Required:  No Screens Applications: Yes Accepts Application Updates:

We are committed to improving health by attaining the highest standard of quality in care delivery, education, and research initiatives.

As an academic medical system, we will deliver the best possible experience for all patients wherever we interact with them. We will foster teaching, learning and discovery, fiscal responsibility, and adaptability to change.

Excellence and continuous improvement Integrity in every decision we make Compassion and respect for the dignity of every person A diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment Collaboration throughout our organization Responsiveness to the people of our communitiesUnknown (Try to turn your secondaries around within two weeks after receiving)

All prompts have a 1,000 character limit.

1. Describe yourself.

2. Describe a significant challenge that has prepared you for the MD career path.

3. Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores.

4. Has your college or university, graduate or professional school attendance been interrupted for any reason? If yes, please explain. Also, please explain any extended gaps in activity/employment in your post-graduate history.

5. Tell us one thing about yourself that would help the Admissions Committee determine if you should be admitted to our program.

6. If your school has a Premedical Advisory Committee but you are not using that service, please indicate why.

7. In the “Work and Activites” section on your AMCAS application, you provided the following list of experiences (lists all experiences). Please select the experience that you feel has been the most meaningful in influencing your desire to pursue a career in medicine, explain why, and also describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession.

All prompts have a 1,000 character limit with the exception on question seven. 

1. If you have previously applied to medical school, but were unsuccessful, what do you believe are the major reasons for not being accepted and what have you done since to overcome these concerns?

2. Describe yourself.

6. In the “Work and Activities” section on your AMCAS application, you provided the following list of experiences. Please select the experience that you feel has been the most meaningful in influencing your desire to pursue a career in medicine, explain why, and also describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession.

7. The COVID-19 epidemic has changed the landscape of medicine. Please tell us how the COVID-19 epidemic has changed the landscape of medicine from your perspective. (You will have an opportunity to specifically discuss impacts to your coursework/grades in a separate item.) 100 character

All prompts have a 1,000 character limit.

1. If you are interested in obtaining the MD/Ph.D. or the MD/MBA degrees, please check the corresponding box. The application for the Ph.D. is submitted after the second year of the MD program; the application for the MBA is submitted after acceptance to the MD program. Please note that admittance to the MD program does not guarantee admittance to either of these programs. MD/Ph.D. MD/MBA

2. If you have previously applied to the Albany Medical College, indicate the year(s) and the disposition of your application. (Check all boxes that apply)

3. If you have previously applied to medical school, but were unsuccessful, how have you spent your time since then? (1,000 character limit)

Focus on personal growth during this year. Rather than avoiding the elephant in the room which is the failed application cycle, introspect on why you did not get accepted. Find something that is a weakness in your application which could be worked on, and then demonstrate how in your off year you were able to strengthen yourself in this regard. Examples include GPA (post bacc), research (additional research work or publications), clinical work (additional clinical hours).

4. Describe yourself: (1,000 character limit)

This can be a challenging question to approach but you will improve as you answer it more. From your introspection on your personal statement, you may have already identified your personal strengths as they pertain to your candidacy for medical school. See if you can work these into your description. Do not make them the sole focus though. Another key is do not simply repeat statements made in the personal statement. See if you can highlight related but different attributes. Also discuss other aspects of your nature that would otherwise not be highlighted in your application. Tell a story if possible. Above all, be humble. Subtlety is key.

5. Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores. (1,000 character limit)

If this is pertinent to you, give an honest and explicit explanation of something which may be of concern on your application. Do not feel the need to concoct something if it does not exist. But consider if there is something you might be concerned about a reviewer reading, and provide a circumstantial explanation. Do not make excuses. Be careful not to sound like a victim in your explanation.

6. Has your college or university, graduate or professional school attendance been interrupted for any reason? If yes, please explain. Also, please explain any gaps in your post-graduate history. (1,000 character limit)

Similar to above, explain if pertinent without making excuses or sounding victimized.

7. Tell us one thing about yourself that would help the Admissions Committee determine if you should be admitted to our program. (1,000 character limit)

The first strategy to answering this question is doing some research on the program website to understand some of its nuances. Is it very strong in a particular field of research, or perhaps in community clinical work for the underserved. If one of these aspects aligns with your strengths or interests, explain how you are a great fit for this reason. Second, see if you can have a stock answer to the questions of why you are unique and a good fit for that medical school community. Consider drawing on your experiences with interpersonal skills or teamwork which would make you a great addition to the community. Perhaps you can illustrate this with a memorable work experience.

EXPERIENCES

8. In the “Work and Activities” section on your AMCAS application, you provided the following list of experiences. Please select the experience that you feel has been the most meaningful in influencing your desire to pursue a career in medicine, explain why, and also describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession. (1,000 character limit)

This is a difficult question because the key is to answer effectively while not repeating what was stated in the primary app. Choose an experience you feel strongly about and then try to think about how you could explain its importance from a fresh angle. Perhaps there was a deeper or different lesson it taught you than what you previously described. Tie the experience to a tangible skill you gained or lesson you learned which will help you impact the medical profession.

+ additional personal info/ letters of rec info

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

1. If you have previously applied to Albany Medical College or another medical school and were not accepted, how have you spent the intervening time? (1000 char)

2. Describe yourself (1000 char)

3. Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores. (1000 char)

4. Has your college or university, graduate or professional school attendance been interrupted for any reason? If yes, please explain. Also, please explain any gaps in your post-graduate history. (1000 char)

5. Tell us one thing about yourself that would help the Admissions Committee determine if you should be admitted to our program. (1000 char)

6. In the “Work and Activities” section on your AMCAS application, you provided the following list of experiences. Please select the experience that you feel has been the most meaningful in influencing your desire to pursue a career in medicine, explain why, and also describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession. (1000 char)

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

We're here to help

The secondary application is just as important as the primary. We'll make sure you get it right.

Join the Insider Newsletter

Receive regular exclusive MSI content, news, and updates! No spam. One-click unsubscribe.

Customer Note Premed Preclinical Med Student Clinical Med Student

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Medical School Secondary Essays: Popular Prompts and Tips To Answer Them

• Cracking Med School Admissions Team

After your AMCAS primary application is transmitted, you will begin to receive medical school secondary essays. While most schools send secondaries to all applicants, certain med schools will screen applicants by academic metrics like GPA and MCAT score and/or content listed on your primary application before extending secondaries. Regardless, submission of your secondary is a prerequisite for interview invitation and subsequently acceptance to medical school, so it’s important for you to stand out in your essays!

In this blog post, we’ll answer all your questions about medical school secondary essays:

• Why this medical school?

Autobiography

• Meaningful extra-curricular activity
• Other prompts
• 7 Medical School Secondary Essay Tips
• Medical school secondary essay examples and resources
• Frequently Asked Questions

OUr Students Were Accepted at These Medical Schools the Past 2 Years!

What are medical school secondary application essays?

Secondary applications will typically ask for the following information:

• Payment (~$100)
• General questions (family information, demographics, disciplinary record)
• Course information (classes taken, prerequisites, etc.)
• Extracurriculars (like work and activities, but abbreviated)
• Logistics (special programs of interest, ID photo, technical standards)
• School-specific essay prompts (the bulk of your efforts will be spent here)

  Most medical schools use the same application portal for their secondaries. Some common portals are shown below . Additionally, read popular medical school secondary essay prompts below .

Popular Med School Secondary Essay Prompts

Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has organized the medical school secondary essay prompts into various categories:

• Why our medical school?
• Extra-curricular activity

Why Our Medical School?

Example “Why our medical school” essay prompts:

• Given the distinctive educational philosophy and integrated curriculum at FSM, describe how your personal characteristics and learning style would fit the institution, and how Feinberg School of Medicine will help you achieve your professional goals. – 200 words (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
• 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? – 1 page, formatted at your discretion (Georgetown University School of Medicine)
• How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces. (Stanford University School of Medicine)

Tips to answer “Why Our School” medical school application secondary essays:

“Why our school” prompts will ask you to demonstrate your suitability for that specific medical school and/or an aspect of it (i.e. curriculum, mission). The best way to approach this is to research and highlight specific aspects of that school and connect it to your own background and experiences . Do you have a strong teaching background? Then maybe a peer-based learning curriculum would be suitable for you. Or maybe you have done lots of research in a certain field which is strong at that school. Be specific and name programs, physicians, and organizations which you believe would be a good fit for you . Remember: your essay should ultimately focus on who you are and why you would thrive at the school.

“Why our medical school” examples and additional tips:

• Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example

Example Diversity Prompts:

• The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and life or work experiences. Please discuss how factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. Please limit your answer to 2,000 characters including spaces. (Stanford University School of Medicine)
• 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? – 500 Words (Yale School of Medicine)

Tips to answer “Diversity” medical school secondary application essays:

As a doctor, you will need to empathize and connect with patients from a wide range of backgrounds. Therefore, students with unique backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives are highly sought after in building a diverse class. When approaching diversity essays, think broadly about what experiences and insights you have had that would positively contribute to a medical school class. Have you worked with a unique population of patients? Do you come from an underrepresented group in medicine? Have you faced any hardships or experiences that have given you a unique life perspective? Remember, diversity in not limited to racial and ethnic identity (although this can certainly be a strong focus of your diversity essay). As long as you can convincingly articulate a point of view that is specific to you and supported by relevant experiences then you will be able to craft a strong diversity essay!

“Diversity” essay examples and additional tips:

• Cracking Med School Admissions book: 50 Essays from Accepted Students

Example Autobiography Prompts:

• AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 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. (UCSD School of Medicine)
• Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. – 1200 words (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine)

Tips to answer “Autobiography” medical school secondary application essays:

While the prospect of writing an autobiography for medical school may initially seem daunting, once you begin the process you will see that it can be one of the easier and more enjoyable types of secondaries to write (besides the length). One strategy to tackle to autobiography essay is to brainstorm relevant anecdotes from different stages of your life. For example, consider anecdotes from…

• Early childhood or your family: these may reflect your background or life experiences
• Your collegiate years: these should capture your values and beliefs
• Your clinical extracurriculars: these should reveal your skills and character traits, ultimately convincing the reader you are well suited for a medical career
• Your nonclinical extracurriculars: these demonstrate that you are compassionate, and care about serving others
• Any major life events: particularly formative events can reveal a lot about you

Afterwards, identify common themes or threads in the different anecdotes you have brainstormed and patch the pieces together. Ideally, these themes could tie into or predate the themes of your medical school application.

Finally, many autobiographical medical school secondary essays will include a section about future goals. This is a great place relate your past experiences to your future aspirations and provide a compelling argument for why you want to attend that medical school in particular. 

For more tips, read our entire blog post:  How To Write An Autobiography For Medical School

Example Challenge Prompts:

• Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it. (Weill Cornell Medical College)
• Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. We suggest that you limit your essay to about 550 words. (Pritzker School of Medicine)
• Challenge: Please discuss a challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? – 500 words (Vanderbilt)
• 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. (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Tips to answer “challenge” medical school secondary application essays:

Medical school is hard, so admissions committee members want to know that you are resilient and prepared to take on a challenge. Think back to your experiences in undergrad or afterwards. What situations were particularly difficult for you to overcome? When did you have to step outside of your comfort zone? Have you ever had to resolve a serious conflict or ethical dilemma? Make sure you can reflect on what you learned and how insights from the experience may benefit you in the future. Talk about why overcoming that challenge, or even failing to, has made you better having gone through the experience. Remember- medical schools do not expect you to be perfect! But they want to see that you are reflective and can grow from adversity.

One question we frequently hear from students is whether or not to write about mental health issues such as dealing with depression or anxiety in their challenge essay. Or, others write about a challenge in time management and prioritizing their tasks. It’s okay to write about these topics as long as it sounds like you will still thrive in medical school.

Meaningful Activity

Example “Activity” Prompts:

• If you wish to update or expand upon your activities, you may provide additional information below. – Word Count 500 (UCSF School of Medicine)
• Explain an activity that you have been involved in with for at least 6-12 months. What was it about that activity that kept you motivated to continue? What did you learn from that activity? – 1000 Characters (Wayne State University School of Medicine)
• Briefly describe your single, most rewarding experience. Feel free to refer to an experience previously described in your AMCAS application. (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Tips to answer “activity” medical school secondary application essays:

Take advantage of the open-ended nature of this prompt to expand on one or more of your activities to pique an admissions committee member’s interest in meeting you. It’s important that you don’t copy and paste your “most meaningful essays” in your AMCAS application. The activity you choose for this prompt might be the same as your “most meaningful” AMCAS activity, but you should convey a different.

Medical schools can learn the following from your response to this extracurricular activity secondary essay:

• In what do you invest your time?
• What’s important to you?
• Do you show leadership and potential?
• What impact did you have in your activity?
• Are you able to execute on a goal you have?
• What are the results that you produce?

Example “Gap Year” Prompts:

• If you have taken a gap year(s), please explain what you have been, or will be, doing since graduating from your undergrad institution. – 2000 characters (Baylor College of Medicine
• If you have already graduate, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation (Harvard Medical School)
• Please use the space below to tell us what you have done since completing your undergraduate degree. – 350 words (University of California, San Francisco)

Tips to answer “gap year” medical school secondary application essays:

Gap year essays are open-ended questions which ask you to describe something you have been involved with either during your gap year. While these seem straightforward, it is important to not make the mistake of approaching these essays as you would a resume description. The bulk of your content should still focus on what you learned and how those insights have prepared you for a career in medicine. For example, if you scribed, you can talk about how working closely with your attending allowed you to gain insights into clinical decision making through a more involved role. Or if you worked in a research lab, you can connect your research interests with your future academic interests as a physician. Similar to the activities essay, take advantage of the open-nature of this prompt.

Optional Medical School Secondary Essays

Example “Optional” Prompts:

• Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (optional) – 3000 characters (Washington University School of Medicine)
• Do you wish to be considered for the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community? (UC Irvine School of Medicine)
• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. – 4000 character maximum (Harvard Medical School)
• Is there anything additional that you would like to address that is not already reflected in your application? – 250 words or less (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine)

Tips to answer “Optional” medical school secondary application essays:

We recommend applicants maximize their chances for an interview by completing all secondary essays including optional ones (unless the prompt does not apply to you). Some optional prompts will be very specific, but most are very open ended. Think of these as an opportunity to showcase something you have not already talked about in your application. You do not necessarily have to write about a different activity; instead, you can approach an activity you have already written about from a different perspective. For example, if you talked about how your research experience shaped your future goals as an academic physician, you can instead highlight how research allowed you to hone your work ethic and think about research questions methodically. Ultimately, think of optional prompts as an opportunity to show medical schools another aspect of you . 

Cracking Med High Yield Tip: ALWAYS answer optional medical school secondary essays!

7 Medical School Essay Tips

Secondary essay tip #1: organize your secondaries.

It is extremely important to create an excel spreadsheet or a google sheet to stay organized! Medical school secondary essays are sent in quick succession after your primary application is received. You will literally get a floor of emails from medical schools you applied to with several essays to complete. Don’t panic! Amidst a growing number of essays to complete, it can be extremely helpful to have a system to organize secondary essays by school and date. We recommend making a spreadsheet or similar system to keep track of secondaries.

This same system can be used to keep track of interview invitations and application decisions. Ultimately, what you choose to include in this system is up to you!

A sample secondary organizer is below:

Secondary Essay Tip #2: Include your application themes

While your secondary application should not repeat elements included in your primary, it should be thematically consistent with common threads you highlighted in your work & activities and personal statement. Think of your application as a cohesive narrative—your secondary application should enrich and substantiate that narrative rather than deviating from it.

In doing so, ask yourself what you have not already covered in your primary? Are there any areas where you could expand on what you have written? Or look at an experience from a different perspective? Are there any areas where you feel additional explanation is required? For example, if your personal statement focused more on your volunteering experiences, you may choose to talk more about your research experiences in your secondaries. Your goal should be to cover new ground in a consistent manner with what you have already written.

Secondary Essay Tip #3: Be creative

With such a wide range of medical school secondary essay topics, most applicants will inevitably feel like they have run out of topics to write about. Many medical schools have several secondary essays. The first important things is to make sure you include Tip #2: the main threads and application themes conveyed in your primary application.

Then, our advice is to think creatively about each prompt and outside of the box. For example, one of our students wrote about instructor evaluations they received as a teaching assistant in response to a prompt asking about a significant honor or award. Other premeds we advise have written short stories or poems as part of their secondary essay responses. Your essay will make a positive impression if you can still answer the prompt while being more creative with your topic choice. 

Secondary Essay Tip #4: Re-purpose the same essays for multiple schools

Medical schools will commonly ask the same types of secondary essay prompts. As a result, something that most pre-meds do not realize until they apply is that you can re-purpose many your already written essays for other schools. Look out for wording that suggests you are dealing with the same “type” of secondary. For example, “diversity” essays commonly include phrasing such as “contribute to the coming class”, “unique background or life experiences”, and/or “differences”. Recognize that these all fundamentally fall within the same category of secondaries.

When re-purposing essays, we recommend going through all of your secondaries and grouping essays by type. From there, you can start with one prompt for each category that has the highest word/character limit for your first version of the essay. Then, you can shorten that first draft in order to fit the length limitations of subsequent schools.

For a full list of different types of medical school secondary essays, check out our other blog post:  Complete List: Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts 2020 – 2021

Secondary Essay Tip #5: Tailor your response to each school

Even if you re-purpose your secondary essays or use a template for a common essay, make sure you do not write generic responses for different schools! Even essays like your diversity/activity essays, which may be largely similar because your background/extracurriculars have not changed, can be specified for each school by relating elements of your response to opportunities/characteristics of that school. For example, if a school has a primary-care focus, you can tie in your background coming from a medically underserved region with your future career goal to serve your community.

Secondary Essay Tip #6: Carefully read over and edit your medical school secondary essays

While you will not have the same amount of time to work on your secondaries as your primary application, you still need to deliver a product of similar quality in writing, content, and insightfulness. As such, it is recommended that you get a few trusted readers to review your secondaries before submitting them. If you have other friends applying, it can be useful to form secondary reviewing groups so that you can share essays with one another and receive timely feedback. When having your secondaries reviewed, focus on grammar, clarity of writing, and content.

Secondary Essay Tip #7: Pre-write your medical school secondary application essays

At this point in the application cycle, with AMCAS yet to open and no secondaries sent out, the number one tip we have is for you to pre-write your secondary essays! This will give you a strong list of essays to work with once secondaries begin to come in, which can make a huge difference for the quality of your essays and their turnaround time. Secondary prompts rarely change from year to year and can be found online. Check out our blog post of secondary prompts from 2020-2021!

FREE AMCAS Work & Activities Workbook

Use this workbook to write STELLAR AMCAS descriptions. This section is as important as your personal statement.

" * " indicates required fields

Medical School Secondary Application Resources

Cracking med school admissions book.

• Personal Statement examples
• Secondary essay examples
• 50+ essays from accepted students

Additional Resources:

• How To Write An Autobiography For Medical School
• Medical School Profiles – Learn about each medical school in-depth

FAQs - Med School Secondary Applications

When you submit your AMCAS application, the application fee is $170 for one medical school and then $41 for each additional medical school. Additionally, each medical school also has a secondary application fee. On average, each medical school application is $100.

When your AMCAS application officially transmitted to medical schools, then medical schools start sending their applicants an invitation for a medical school secondary application. It’s important to note that some medical schools send all applicants a secondary application, whereas other medical schools are selective with who they send secondary applications to.

Our Cracking Med School Admissions team tell our student advisees that medical school secondary essays are extremely important . We highly recommend submitting only “A” quality secondary applications. This is the standard we hold ourselves to and the standard we hold our students to. If you would like help with your medical school secondary essays, look at our secondary essay editing services here.

Medical schools look for different things:

• Your commitment to medicine
• Experiences that make you unique
• Specific interests or passions in healthcare
• Intellectual interests
• Unique talents

Medical school secondary applications vary greatly. On one extreme, there are still a handful of schools that have 0 additional required essays. On the other extreme, there are medical schools that have 10-12 secondary essays, including optional essays.

No. Some medical schools will read your primary application first and decide whether to send you its medical school secondary application. Other medical schools screen out students based on its GPA or MCAT cut-off.

We recommend using the full character or word limit on most of your secondaries. Why not take full advantage to increase your chances of success? If you have essays pre-written, you can even reduce this time to a couple of days! Remember, medical school admissions is a rolling process, so the earlier your application is marked complete the higher your chances of interview invitation and acceptance. But remember, you have to have “A” quality secondary essays so that you stand out!

Contact Us With Questions

We'll answer any and all your questions about medical school we typically respond within 1 business day. please provide us with a phone number if you prefer us to call you back..

• Your Name *
• Your Email *
• Phone (optional)
• Leave us a Message or Question! We will email and call you back. *
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Start typing and press enter to search

Have a language expert improve your writing

Check your paper for plagiarism in 10 minutes, generate your apa citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• College essay

How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples

Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn’t just be a resume of your experiences; colleges are looking for a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

To write about your achievements and qualities without sounding arrogant, use specific stories to illustrate them. You can also write about challenges you’ve faced or mistakes you’ve made to show vulnerability and personal growth.

Table of contents

Start with self-reflection, how to write about challenges and mistakes, how to write about your achievements and qualities, how to write about a cliché experience, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Before you start writing, spend some time reflecting to identify your values and qualities. You should do a comprehensive brainstorming session, but here are a few questions to get you started:

• What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
• Whom do you admire most and why?
• What are the top five things you are thankful for?
• What has inspired your hobbies or future goals?
• What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

As you self-reflect, consider how your values and goals reflect your prospective university’s program and culture, and brainstorm stories that demonstrate the fit between the two.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing about difficult experiences can be an effective way to show authenticity and create an emotional connection to the reader, but choose carefully which details to share, and aim to demonstrate how the experience helped you learn and grow.

Be vulnerable

It’s not necessary to have a tragic story or a huge confession. But you should openly share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Even a cliché or mundane topic can be made interesting with honest reflection. This honesty is a preface to self-reflection and insight in the essay’s conclusion.

Don’t overshare

With difficult topics, you shouldn’t focus too much on negative aspects. Instead, use your challenging circumstances as a brief introduction to how you responded positively.

Share what you have learned

It’s okay to include your failure or mistakes in your essay if you include a lesson learned. After telling a descriptive, honest story, you should explain what you learned and how you applied it to your life.

While it’s good to sell your strengths, you also don’t want to come across as arrogant. Instead of just stating your extracurricular activities, achievements, or personal qualities, aim to discreetly incorporate them into your story.

Brag indirectly

Mention your extracurricular activities or awards in passing, not outright, to avoid sounding like you’re bragging from a resume.

Use stories to prove your qualities

Even if you don’t have any impressive academic achievements or extracurriculars, you can still demonstrate your academic or personal character. But you should use personal examples to provide proof. In other words, show evidence of your character instead of just telling.

Many high school students write about common topics such as sports, volunteer work, or their family. Your essay topic doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but do try to include unexpected personal details and your authentic voice to make your essay stand out .

To find an original angle, try these techniques:

• Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses.
• Mention objects that have special significance to you.
• Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight.

Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality. When read out loud, the essay should sound like you are talking.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, May 31). How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 13, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/write-about-yourself/

Is this article helpful?

Kirsten Courault

Other students also liked, style and tone tips for your college essay | examples, what do colleges look for in an essay | examples & tips, how to make your college essay stand out | tips & examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

• Medical School Secondary Essays

Stanford Medical School Secondary Essay Examples

Writing an essay can be tricky business, especially when it’s personal and focused, so reading some expertly written Stanford medical school secondary essay examples will be extremely useful.

When you are looking into how to prepare for your medical school application , remember to focus on your secondary essays. Excellent essays are a prime example of how to make your medical school application stand out . They allow the real, unique you to shine.

In this article, we provide up-to-date prompts for Stanford Medicine’s secondary essays with example answers. Use them well to construct your own essays!

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Article Contents 8 min read

Stanford secondary essay examples.

“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

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?”

Limit: 1,000 characters

“Curricular interests: How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals?”

Sample Answer:

My university degree is in social work, and I remain passionately committed to social work as an integral part of my life, who I am as a person, and who I hope to become in the medical community. The Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum features a pathway for an MD and master’s degree in any field. I would like to continue my studies in social work by obtaining my master’s in that field.

Medicine and social work are intrinsically linked. It is often the disenfranchised and underrepresented who suffer from a lack of health care.

As a social work-oriented physician, I would seek to prevent the suffering of those who are underrepresented. There are countless voiceless persons, many of whom are minors as part of the foster care system, who cannot speak for themselves. I want to be their advocate.

I believe that the MD and master’s program will facilitate this goal better than anywhere else, and I believe Stanford’s Discovery Curriculum provides me with the best opportunity to achieve that goal.

“Background: Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (E.g., I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a supermarket cashier and a high school principal. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama.)”

Limit: 600 characters

I grew up on a farm, about thirty minutes’ drive from Chicago. My parents were farmers. I attended McCann High School, and I pursued studies in mathematics, participating in mathlete challenges. I contributed to my home farm as well. I also have a strong interest in landscape painting.

“Contribution to Learning Environment: The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. You are strongly encouraged to share unique attributes of your personal identity, and/or personally important or challenging factors in your background. Such discussions may include the quality of your early education, gender identity, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, or any other life or work experiences.”

Limit: 2,000 characters

I grew up in a small town, so when I tell you that I was the only person who identified as genderqueer in my entire school, believe me when I say that this is not hyperbole in any way. I was unique in that environment. This led to a lot of scathing self-identity problems, where I was forced to have my identity questioned over and over again, on an almost daily basis. I rarely felt accepted.

The exception was with Bob Smith, my gym teacher, who always made me feel welcome. This was a much-needed respite, given the potential anxiety that can come along with change rooms and other realities of gym class. Mr. Smith made sure I had a private area in which to change.

The rest of the time, however, my very existence was called into being, and I was constantly disrespected on a personal level. I was misgendered, harassed, and bullied. Sometimes, this was overt, but at other times, it was simply through the deployment of microaggressions.

I couldn’t wait to get away, and the psychological and emotional damages that I suffered in that environment will likely ride out the rest of my life with me. I was in therapy by the time I was thirteen, and although my therapist was understanding, and Mr. Smith was protective, these small reliefs were scarcely enough to get me through the day.

I found more acceptance once I moved away to college – and it helped that I moved far away – but I still encountered regular questioning of my truths that were harmful to me. I still don’t know how I keep going some days.

Nevertheless, it’s important to me to continue on, no matter the personal cost, because I know that I can make a difference within the medical community by expanding care for people like me who identify in unusual ways that society just doesn’t seem to understand – often willfully. I want to be a Bob Smith to other people like me, and to provide affirmations to all my future patients.

“Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify.”

Most people don’t think of “anime fans” as a community, but we are. I love Japanese animation for its breadth of subjects and unique artistic styles.

I speak Japanese, but there are many members of the community who do not speak or read Japanese. They often have to face the frustration of inferior or rushed translations.

So, I contributed to a fan translation site which provides more accurate translations and notes on cultural context.

Over the course of my involvement, I have helped with the translations of over three dozen works of anime, most of which have received five-star ratings on the site.

This might sound like nerd talk to somebody who is not interested in this hobby but let me point out some key benefits.

Anime is an art form, and my work has allowed me to share that art in a more meaningful way for many, many viewers.

Also, my studies connected me to new ideas, and I love being open to new ideas. I consider it a privilege to be able to engage with a different culture.

“Advocacy: Please describe an experience/situation when you advocated for someone else.”

Mike at work wasn’t a bad guy, but he had had a bad day, and messed up a lot. He looked white as a sheet when he came out of the supervisor’s office, and he told me he thought he was going to be fired.

We weren’t working anywhere glamorous – it was just an industrial bakery – but we needed these jobs to pay for college. Mike was really, really worried.

Mike was going through a lot in his personal life: stress with his parents splitting up on top of academic studies. He was losing a lot of sleep. I asked what he had said to the supervisor, and while he had tried to convey what he was going through, he hadn’t gotten it across.

So, with all this on the line, I went to our supervisor and told him that Mike leaving would mean me leaving, too; I told him everything Mike was going through and said he should give Mike another shot. Eventually, he relented, although he made me responsible for improving Mike’s performance at work. I was fine with that, and I helped Mike through.

Want to know the most common secondary essay prompts? Watch this video:

“Special Insights (OPTIONAL): Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences.”

My friendship with Allison wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for COVID-19. It was the sole positive throughout the pandemic restrictions, social distancing, and lockdowns.

I had known Allison for years, but we were never very close. Part of that was due to conflicting schedules and time apart. We met at a summer camp and discovered that we lived fairly close to each other, although not so close that we could meet regularly. So, I had this years-long friendship with somebody who I never really got to know.

However, during the lockdowns, our schedules were wide open. Due to an increase in online communication, we found ourselves chatting almost daily. Now we are extremely close friends.

My friendship with Allison came out of adversity and reminds me to always find the good and the positive, and to look for opportunities amid dark times.

“Anything Else? (OPTIONAL): Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine.”

I’m sure I’m not the smartest student you’ll read about in these pages because my academics are good, but not The Best. I’m sure I won’t have as many awards or special distinctions, either. What I do have is my sister Gillian, who has been in a wheelchair since she was four years old – paralyzed in a car accident.

I have been frustrated and angry with her, like any brother, and I love her and care for her, like any brother. I have learned how to help her with her medical needs and limitations, and to respect her and value her for who she is as a person – despite and because of her unique limitations.

I know that the medical community needs understanding and care intertwined, and I know that it isn’t all pleasant. Yes, I have conflict with my sister sometimes – we’re siblings. But doctors will have conflict with patients. We need to remember to put care and humanity first, and I know that I can do that from years and years of very personal experience.

Armed with these expertly written examples, you will fare far better while writing your own essays.

Yes, but only marginally. Very similar prompts come up in most years, and you can bet that “Why this school?” or similar ones will feature at some point in the list of prompts.

No, there is variation, although again, you will encounter similar prompts. “Why this school?” and “Why medicine?” are common.

You can reuse essays only if the prompt is very similar, or identical, to the other. However, you should not just copy-paste one essay from one secondary application to another. The reason is that you might have left school-specific artefacts in the text. Make sure you double-check any essays that you want to reuse.

No, not even by one character. Character and word limits are hard, and character limits include spaces, so make sure you measure appropriately.

We recommend that you spend between 2 and 3 weeks writing your essays, with at least a small amount of time each day set aside for writing. The sooner you start working on your essays, the better.

Most admissions essays are not formally graded, but your essays are still being read and judged according to their intrinsic merit, and in relief to other applicants’ essays. So, definitely consider them as being graded to the extent that the quality matters.

Of course they do. Even though you aren’t going to get “docked points” for having a spelling error or two, every error – no matter how small or infrequent – is going to send a message to the admissions committee. Errors mean a lack of proofreading, attention to detail, skill, or all of the above. Give the impression of being a qualified, competent communicator.

Write all the essays. You should consider all of them required, even the optional ones. Although, by definition, optional essays are not mandatory, they are another opportunity for you to impress the admissions committee and stand out.

Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!

Apple Podcasts

Like our blog? Write for us ! >>

Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions, get started now.

Talk to one of our admissions experts

Our site uses cookies. By using our website, you agree with our cookie policy .

FREE Training Webinar:

How to make your college applications stand out, (and avoid the top 5 mistakes that get most rejected).

Secondary Essay Prompts – Albany Medical College Secondary

No responses, secondary essay prompts for the albany medical college, describe yourself essay.

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

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.

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

• Website Disclaimer
• Terms and Conditions
• MedEdits Privacy Policy

Add Project Key Words

Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts: The Most Common Questions to Prepare For

Padya Paramita

June 12, 2019

You’ve uploaded your transcript, MCAT score, extracurricular information, personal statement, and finally clicked the submit button on the AMCAS . You might want to use the next couple of weeks to relax. I wouldn’t recommend it, considering your medical school secondary essays are right around the corner. Schools cut off a big portion of the application pool between the secondary and the interview stages, so don’t take the medical school secondary essay prompts lightly!

Although medical schools don’t typically begin sending out secondary applications until early July, you shouldn’t just sit around and start reading a 400-page novel for fun while you wait. Rather, prepare yourself to have common essay topics ready for the minute the prompts are sent out. Below, I’ve outlined the general timeline of secondaries, how to keep yourself organized in the process, the most common medical school secondary essay prompts and how to approach them, recent secondary questions at MD programs, and overall dos and don’ts when writing your medical school secondaries.

How to Prepare for Secondaries: The Basics

Secondary essay prompts are demanding and ask you questions that allow you to reflect on your experiences, career goals in medicine, and challenges that you have overcome. Medical schools want to know why you’re interested in their program and how they might be a good fit for you and vice versa. The number of applicants who receive secondaries varies from school to school. Most schools automatically send out secondaries upon submission of the primary to all applicants, while others ensure students have passed an initial screening and met the GPA and MCAT cutoffs (typically set at a 3.0 GPA and 500 MCAT score) before sending out secondary essays.

First and foremost, you should not put off submitting your secondaries, because your application is not considered complete without them. At most schools, your AMCAS will not even be read until you’ve submitted this portion as well, so don’t delay. Medical schools don’t usually state a deadline for the secondary essays but if they do, absolutely adhere to it, or all your hard work will go to waste.

Second, medical schools view the time you take to turn in your secondaries as a direct reflection of your interest in their program. If there’s no deadline, you should be looking to complete them and send them back within two weeks of receiving them. The two week turnaround time is long enough to be meticulous, but short enough to show eagerness. If you sit around and take over a month to send back your secondaries, don’t expect an interview. But if you take time to think about possible medical school secondary essay prompts and how you might prepare for them in advance, you won’t be scrambling at the last minute.

Secondaries Organization & Game Plan

In order to keep yourself organized and monitor the secondaries for each school, start a spreadsheet. It should detail whether you’ve received the prompt, whether you’ve paid the secondary application fee ($50 or $75, depending on the school), the method to submit, the essay topic(s), and whether you’ve submitted the essays or not. This way, you can keep track of your progress and what remains to be covered for each school, avoiding additional stress during this high pressure period.

The best way to prepare for your secondary essays is to simply start writing about yourself. While there’s no way to figure out the secondary essay prompts in advance for all your schools, you can generate tailored, well-written essays far more easily if you go ahead and tackle traditional essay topics. Medical school secondary essay prompts often follow a general pattern that you can readily get a sense of. The word or character limit for the secondary essays is set by each school, and could range anything from 2000 to 4000 characters.

The secondaries ask for essays about you , so keep in mind your most impressive qualifications, why you want to attend medical school, and how each school might be able to help you achieve your goals. You want to choose topics which bring out the best version of yourself. Remember, the people reading your applications are humans. You don’t want to bore them. You want to stand out as a unique individual in the process. It can come in handy to keep a separate document outlining your reasons for pursuing medicine and the unique opportunities at each medical school that resonate with your passions within the field. This can help you get the ball rolling so you’re ready to conquer medical school secondary essay prompts .

Examples of Common Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts

You should put approximately 25-30 medical schools on your list to stay on the safer side of the intensely competitive medical school admissions process. Schools often have a range of 2-9 secondary questions for you to answer. Take a moment to do the math. This means that you could end up answering over seventy medical school secondary essay prompts . You only had to write one personal statement in the primary, so the number of essays you have to write for the secondary stage can seem like a massive mountain to climb.

The good news is, there will be some overlap in the kinds of prompts among the schools. That said, you should expect each school’s essays to need quite a bit of tweaking to adjust to specific prompts. And don’t expect to be able to reuse every essay you write! But preparing for typical prompts is a strategic starting point. Listed below are a number of secondary essay prompts which are common among many medical schools:

• Explain why you wish to attend this particular medical school.
• What diverse or unique element will you bring to this medical school community?
• If you graduated before you applied, summarize your activities since you graduated.
• Describe a challenge you overcame or a time when you faced an ethical dilemma and how you learned and grew from that experience.
• Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
• Describe a meaningful leadership position.
• What are your goals as a physician?
• What research or independent academic work have you completed, and what did you accomplish or learn?
• What do you think is the role of a physician in a community?
• Describe a humbling experience and what you learned from it.
• Elaborate on an area of interest outside of medicine (e.g., hobbies).
• Describe the characteristics that make you who you are. How will they impact your success as a medical student and physician?
• From the list of activities and experiences listed in your AMCAS application, please select one that has most impacted your decision to enter medicine.
• Is there any other information you would like to share with the admissions committee?

Medical schools often send some combination of these prompts, or similar questions relating to your identity, meaningful experiences, or goals. So even if you don’t know exactly which medical school secondary essay prompts to expect, the list above should give you a clearer picture of what to prepare for.

How to Tackle the Most Common Prompts

Now that you’ve seen the classic questions medical schools ask for secondaries, it’s time to analyze how to answer them. Generally, if you look at the pattern of the prompts, admissions committees want to know who you are, why you’re motivated to pursue medicine, and how you would fit in at their school.

To further break down the ways schools specify what they’re looking for, let’s look at some questions based off of the common medical school secondary essay prompts :

“Why This School” Essays

Take a look at the following “why this school” prompts from three different medical schools in 2018, and the way they framed their questions:

• Georgetown University - 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? (1 page, formatted at your discretion)
• Mayo Clinic - Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine even if you gain acceptances to other highly ranked medical schools? (500 words or less)
• University of Toledo - Briefly describe why you wish to attend medical school at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences. As part of this essay, please discuss, if applicable, any personal connection you may have to The University of Toledo, the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences/former Medical College of Ohio, the city of Toledo, or the region of Northwest Ohio. (300 words)

Success with these questions lies in actually taking the time to do research on your school list. Make sure you know exactly what the programs offer - you’ve applied to the school for a reason. What are the things you like the most about it and how will it help your goals? Emphasize your demonstrated interest in the school as specifically as possible - detail what about the program’s mission appeals to you the most and fits your personality and plans. Finally, make sure you carefully read the entire prompt and answer all parts. While the objective of the questions is the same (to find out why you have chosen the school), each school puts its own unique spin to the question.

In the past, Georgetown has wanted to know how your training as a physician would benefit from a Georgetown education. To tackle this prompt, jot down specialties only Georgetown offers - faculty, courses, research opportunities - which appeal to you. Don’t pick every single thing off the website. Select a special few details relevant to your interests within medicine and talk about how learning from a certain professor, for example, aligns with your goals.

Mayo’s prompt last year was similar, but asked why you would choose them despite acceptances to other top schools. You definitely need to be as specific as possible in your response. Admissions committee members obviously want accepted students to enroll. They want to know that you’re not applying just for the sake of trying to attend a highly ranked school. So this is the time to demonstrate your knowledge of the program and to feature the opportunities you can take advantage of only at Mayo

Toledo’s “why this school” prompt in 2018 wanted to know about personal connections to the school, the city of Toledo, or the entire region of northwestern Ohio. Public medical schools pay special attention to in-state applicants, and love to see candidates convey interest in the regional appeal of the school. Whether you’ve learned fun facts from a relative who’s an alum or you have a strong connection to the food in the area, expressing concrete details about what you love about the medical school’s environment can help admissions committee members gain an added perspective on you.

“How Will You Contribute to Our School” Essays

Check out a couple examples of medical school secondary essay prompts from last year which ask about how you will contribute to MD programs:

• New York University - The Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to evaluate a wide range of student qualities and life experiences that are complementary to demonstrated academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills and leadership potential. What unique qualities or experiences do you possess that would contribute specifically to the NYU School of Medicine community (2500 characters max)?
• University of Nevada - Describe how your background and future goals will contribute to the mission of the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

To answer the “how will you contribute to our school prompts,” you need to think about the theme of your own application, and the theme of the institution itself.

Your essay could follow an application persona, or a recurrent theme throughout to help you stand out from other applicants. For example, your application persona could be that you are an aspiring surgeon who was motivated to be a doctor after helping victims of a natural disaster. Keeping your persona in mind can help you decide which of your qualifications and experiences to highlight in such an essay. What do you bring to the table that other applicants don’t? What are you passionate about? What parts of medicine excite you?

Admissions committees want to understand how they’ll specifically benefit from your unique contributions. Think about what each school is known for. How does its mission align with what you hope to achieve from an education in medicine? Don’t get carried away, just talk about your perspective.

“Describe a Challenge You’ve Faced” Essays

Often, medical schools want to know about how you respond to challenges, as shown in the prompts below:

• University of Chicago - Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. We suggest that you limit your essay to about 550 words.
• Harvard University - If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4000 characters maximum)
• University of Kansas - Beyond academics (grades and MCATs), describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to address this challenge.

When answering prompts that fall under the “challenge” umbrella, you should do a little bit of self-reflection. The applicants you’re going up against may have faced far greater adversity than you have - whether in the loss of their home or facing prejudice of some kind in society. This type of question may be optional, for example, in the case of Harvard’s 2018 secondaries. But, if the question is not optional, and you’re not sure that you’ve really faced many challenges, do not exaggerate your adversity . Grasping at straws for adversity will backfire and show that you lack perspective.

Medical schools want their classes to be comprised of exceptional individuals, each of whom should bring something different to the class. Instead of telling stories that aren’t yours, focus on challenges you might have faced in a unique passion or avocation. Try talking about an obstacle you faced in your clinical adventures or while leading a project for your work or internship.

Dos and Don’ts

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with what you can expect out of your medical school secondary essay prompts , it’s time to go over some dos and don’ts to make sure you avoid common mistakes and stay on track to write standout secondaries.

Think About Your Primary Application

When answering medical school secondary essay prompts , it’s important that what you wrote in your primary application stays in the front of your mind. You definitely should not repeat experiences that you already outlined in your personal statement or activities list. But, if there’s something you didn’t get to talk about in depth - such as an important part of your cultural background or an impressive research internship, this is the place to write about it!

Ensure That You’ve Followed All Directions

A good place to start the secondary process is to read the prompts very carefully. Identify the task at hand and ask yourself: what is the question really asking? You can treat the task as a to-do list, and elaborate on each point on the list to form an outline of your essay. Look through the prompt guidelines - word limit, page limit, formatting requirements - and ensure you stick to them.

You might be reusing bits and pieces from one school’s essay for another. That’s okay. But make sure you’ve edited it to fully answer the latter school’s question and formatting requirements. If admissions committees see that you haven’t completed all parts of the prompt, or that you’ve crossed the limit or format guidelines, it’s an automatic red flag. You will not receive an interview if you fail to meet schools’ instructions. It might seem like a minor thing, but such mistakes definitely happen, especially when you’re writing so many applications.

Leave Yourself Plenty of Time to Edit

You must appear professional on your medical school application, and secondaries are an important part of that. Once you’ve finished writing your essays, edit them as much as possible. There will be a lot of essays to go through and you’ll be under a time crunch, but you need to read and reread them to ensure quality. Make sure you avoid run-on sentences and that you’ve made each word count. Careless errors such as grammatical or spelling mistakes will not reflect well on you.

Think Strategically

The medical school application process is notoriously cutthroat. You have to pick and choose your battles. When answering medical school secondary essay prompts , you should not answer all your reach schools first. You should focus on the schools you’re most likely to attend in order to demonstrate interest, but don’t be too ambitious. Check to see which of the schools on your list - especially schools you’re more likely to get into - have secondary prompts that can be easily answered with solid responses that you have already prepared. You definitely want to be smart in the balance of submitting secondaries both promptly and strategically.

Provide Mixed Messages

Remember, you need to keep your primary application in mind when filling out your secondaries. If some bit of information in your secondary application doesn’t match what you’ve already said in your primary application, admissions committees will notice. Don’t write something in your essays that contradicts what you’ve stated as a value or credential previously.

Writing about a topic you can’t speak in depth about might lead to trouble on multiple fronts. If you do so in your essay and you’re asked about it in an interview, you will be in trouble. In a similar vein, you shouldn’t highlight something that was a minimal experience. You will be competing against brilliant students who have versatile stories to tell. Talking about a minor burn you got three years ago might not be a great way to fill up the space allotted for your secondaries.

Write About a High School Experience  

You’re an adult now. You’ve gone through years of life experiences that have greatly impacted your motivation to become a doctor. Unless it was something extremely formative and absolutely integral for your medical school application, don’t waste your secondaries reliving your high school glory days.

Use Flowery Language

This is not a poetry competition and neither are you studying for the SAT. There’s no need to be pretentious and show off your vocabulary on your medical school secondaries. While it’s good to mix up your word usage and not repeat, don’t go all out with the metaphors or thesaurus.com. Admissions committees want to know more about you and what you’ll bring to their program. Don’t take the attention away from the story by adding too many long words that ultimately don’t make sense.

Medical school secondary essay prompts offer you the challenge of answering specific questions about yourself and your career interests within a short span of time. But, if you anticipate the kinds of questions headed your way and prepare in advance, with a stroke of luck, you might even have a few first drafts before the secondaries even come out. You’ve got a lot of writing coming up, so the sooner you start working on the common medical school secondary essay prompts , the better. And if you get an interview, and eventually accepted into medical school, the extra effort you put into working on your secondary essays will all be worth it.

General FAQ

Do all applicants get secondaries.

The number of applicants who receive secondaries varies from school to school. Most schools automatically send out secondaries upon submission of the primary to all applicants, while others ensure students have passed an initial screening and met the GPA and MCAT cutoffs.

When is the right time to turn in my secondary essays?

Medical schools view the time you take to turn in your secondaries as a direct reflection of your interest in their program. If there’s no deadline, you should be looking to complete them and send them back within two weeks of receiving them.

What are some common secondary essay prompts?

Some of the most common prompts include: “explain why you wish to attend this particular medical school,” “what diverse or unique element will you bring to this medical school community,” and “if you graduated before you applied, summarize your activities since you graduated.”

How many prompts do I have to answer per school?

Schools often have a range of 2-9 secondary questions for you to answer.

Tags : applying to medical school , medical school essays , medical school secondary essay prompts , medical school secondary essays , medical school secondarys

Schedule a free consultation

to find out how we can help you get accepted.

Win $20,000 for med school tuition from Blueprint MCAT!

RECENT POSTS

How Noor Conquered Her Fears and Crushed the MCAT

How Resilience Turned a Professor into a Medical Student

Navigating Challenges in the Premed Life on the Way to Hopkins

Inside the Canadian Medical School Admissions Journey

© Medical School Headquarters - All Rights Reserved. | Affiliate Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Website by MAP

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

July 3, 2022

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

University of Michigan Medical School is ranked #17 by U.S. News for excellence in research and #20 in primary care. Given the school’s focus on self-directed learning and building on a strong science foundation, it will be important in your secondary essays to convey your level of self-awareness in meeting your academic goals. How did you approach challenging science courses? In what ways have you demonstrated a commitment to lifelong learning? How has your community benefited from this commitment? For students interested in earning a MD/PhD, UMMS has a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Program. As part of this program, students will be given the training to enter academic medicine and conduct basic science research. Application Tip: Check out this helpful advice .

University of Michigan Medical School 2022-2023 secondary application essay questions

University of michigan medical school essay #1 (for md applicants).

Comment on how you hope to impact medicine in the future. If examples are needed, feel free to refer to our seven Paths of Excellence . Do not exceed 1500 characters (about 250 words).

A good way to approach this question is to create a list of previous experiences you have had in the medical field. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Sharing what you have done in that field will demonstrate your knowledge, level of experience, and accomplishments. Then, spell out realistic goals for what you hope to achieve, addressing any obstacles that you will have to work around or overcome. Then, explain the importance of the path you see yourself on within the culture of twenty-first century medicine. Be sure to associate your vision for your impact in medicine in keeping with one of the Paths to Excellence since Michigan’s paths to excellence are not purely inspirational but integrated into elective and required medical school curricula. They highlight on their website that “80 – 90% of our MIs join a Path of Excellence each year.” This prompt seeks to bring out your fit, how your embrace of medicine will sync with their educational vision and design.

University of Michigan Medical School essay #1 (For MSTP applicants)

Describe why you are applying to the University of Michigan MSTP. If you are interested in a specific department, program, or area of research for your Ph.D., please provide a brief explanation. We recognize that your interests may change. Do not exceed 1500 characters (about 250 words).

This essay response will require you to reflect upon the history and structure of the Medical School Scientist Training Program ( MSTP) . After reading their web pages, what features of the program stand out in your mind? After reviewing a complete list of their departments , what areas interest you? Have you completed research or a degree in any of these fields? What attracted you to that research project or field? Align your background and long-term interests with their program in your essay response.

University of Michigan Medical School essay #2

Please respond to only one of the following two prompts (select the question to which you are responding): Do not exceed 2500 characters including spaces (about 400 words).

• Describe your identity and how it has impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward individuals different from yourself and how this will impact your interactions with future colleagues and patients.
• If you recognize and/or represent a voice that is missing, underrepresented, or undervalued in medicine, please describe the missing voice(s) and how increased representation in medicine could impact the medical community.

A couple of years ago, the University of Michigan changed their diversity question to your choice of these two prompts.

For prompt 1: Choose this prompt if you do not see your identity as representing the underrepresented.

The key to responding well to this prompt as someone quite possibly white and middle to upper middle class, and perhaps male, is to explain how you were raised or grew to be an advocate for diversity as a value. Writing this response will require some real soul searching or examination of the values with which you were raised, whether they were inclusive values taught to you by your family, community, friends, or experience — or whether you arrived into inclusive values on your own, as a growth experience, as an arrival into clarity. Tell the story of the path to your truth as one who values diversity and inclusivity – what can others who might choose the second prompt expect from you as a medical student and as a doctor? What do you bring to the table regarding diversity as a value and how have you or will you do that?

For prompt 2:  Choose this prompt if you see your identity as underrepresented, in whatever way that seems true for you.

The notion of “missing voice(s)” appears twice in this prompt. The key to responding to it well is to address the values of diversity and inclusion as guiding principles that bring about health equity through positive change. Tell a story that demonstrates your understanding of an experience where the concerns of the marginalized were less valued and thereby resulted in a less desirable outcome. Close this story with a meaningful insight about growth and what you learned. 

Or, tell the story of an experience where you or someone else from an underrepresented group spoke up, and the entire conversation changed in a way that facilitated inclusion, equity and justice. This story does not have to be a medical story, though it may be one.

How does your voice support advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion? If you are not from an underrepresented group, what can others who are underrepresented expect from you? Have you ever advocated for the underrepresented or voiceless? Tell that story in whatever way this is true revealing what you bring to the table regarding diversity as a value and how you will continue to amplify the concerns of the marginalized.

Here’s another scenario that may apply: sometimes an applicant may be from a minority group in society that is duly represented in medicine today. In this case, your focus could be on the needs of the community with whom you identify and the successful effects thus far of having this inclusion in place in medicine. Then, by extension, how are you passionate about being a true advocate for those who are still underrepresented?

University of Michigan Medical School essay #3

How was your journey to medical school affected by the COVID pandemic? Please feel free to describe any positive or negative aspects. Do not exceed 2500 characters including spaces (about 400 words).

Everyone has a COVID pandemic story. All students were derailed from in-class learning, many premed students were cut off from shadowing, scribing, volunteering, or taking the MCAT. Some of you may have been affected personally by COVID-19, whether you got sick, family members got sick, or your community was affected. This information needs to be told in a straightforward way. After this, what can you add to this narrative that demonstrates a conviction to get involved with pandemic relief, whether medically-oriented or community-oriented? Future doctors would likely be expected to have rolled their sleeves up to assist during a global health crisis. Then, close with what you learned about humanity from your efforts and experiences. What you learned should be humbling and insightful, maybe even deep.

University of Michigan Medical School essay #4

Outside of medicine, and beyond what we can read in your application, please tell us what you’re curious about, or what you’re passionate about, or what brings you joy – and why. Some examples include listening to historical novels, exploring national parks, woodworking, baking cupcakes, podcasting, knitting, playing pickleball, filmmaking, making music, etc. Do not exceed 2500 characters including spaces (about 400 words).

To feel passionate “about” something is an applied feeling. No one can explain the wonders of this human interlude from rational thinking more truthfully than you can. This prompt is the antithesis of science and thinking. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that you understand the link between feeling and experience, that you engage in activities purely for joy in doing them.

Be sure to show human virtue in this passion, whether by describing the passion and its essence, or in discussing your experience of it.

Keep in mind Michigan’s three pillars of values: education, discovery and service. This prompt guides you to address the value of creativity, reading, listening, playing, doing or making something. It’s not asking about a pursuit where the motivation is competitive, but rather what do you do that inherently brings you pleasure? Don’t win the marathon. Don’t win an award. Don’t express a motivation that aims to “be the best at.” Humble is best. How does an activity stir your curiosity or provide joy? What does this activity do for you? 

Many medical school applicants are motivated by being forward-looking, taking action steps and plans to achieve a goal. This prompt asks you to address something else essential to yourself other than a career goal, other than aspirations for the future. Who are you and what do you like to do today? What hobby, activity or art do you engage in that keeps your mindset in the present? What is the value in stopping a tendency to overthink in order to be an effective wingperson in soccer or an inspired jazz singer?

This prompt is about feeling and experience. It may demonstrate that you are in tune with your ethereal self. The University of Michigan has increased the character limit for this prompt, so clearly they seek deeper insight and mindfulness about fulfilling human engagement. Though one may feel compelled to write about a deep emotional fervor for science, the prompt asks for a non-scientific aspect of you. Don’t fill in the blank with “I am passionate about science.” Reviewers will be looking for your authenticity and multi-dimensionality. They hope to be more moved by a well-composed narrative about a passion for puzzles, for instance, than narratives that seek to out-psych the prompt, like those written to impress by declaring a higher love of science, even if that is true.

This prompt is more about rounding out the snapshot of you and how you nurture life experiences outside of medicine that embody human fulfillment. Who are you outside of medicine? How does life fill you with wonder?

Applying to Michigan? Here are some stats:

University of Michigan Medical School median MCAT score: 516

University of Michigan Medical School median GPA: 3.83

University of Michigan Medical School acceptance rate: 3.5%

U.S. News  ranks Michigan #17 for research and #20 for primary care.

Check out the Med School Selectivity Index for more stats.

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

University of Michigan Medical School 2022-23 application timeline

Source: University of Michigan Medical School website

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Med School and Secondary Essays , a free guide
• What NOT to Write in Your Medical School Secondary Application Essays
• School-Specific Secondary Application Essay Tips

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 © 2022 Accepted

• Communities Pre-Med Medical Resident Audiology Dental Optometry Pharmacy Physical Therapy Podiatry Psychology Rehab Sci Veterinary
• What's new Trending New posts Latest activity
• Support Account Help Confidential Advising
• Vision, Values and Policies
• PreMed Communities
• Pre-Medical (MD)

Describe Yourself Essay

• Thread starter rurmann
• Start date Jul 30, 2018
• Tags secondaries

• Jul 30, 2018

Full Member

Except Im not talking to Bea, im talking to someone on the adcoms, they dont want to hear that im a cat lover or plays excessive amounts of videogames.  

ThetisAntithesis

• Jun 22, 2019

gonnif said: Considering that at one point some half a dozen of the adcoms on here had cat photos as their avatars, perhaps they would like to hear you are a cat lover. How you took a stray in, a wild cat and made it your best friend, how you found the stress from the world was relieved with the simply gesture of caring for something that didnt care about your grades, or your job, or anything else. (My Braveheart is now dead 2 years) Click to expand...

Membership Revoked

I’m gonna talk about my tinder adventures.  

Matthew9Thirtyfive

Kitty cat yin yang.

gonnif said: Or misadventures Click to expand...

Matthew9Thirtyfive said: “The first time I got ghonorrhea...” Click to expand...

• Sep 9, 2019

MemeLord said: “It was a dark and stormy night. Her name was Juanita. I met her at the local Chinese-cereal fusion restaurant for some ‘Captain Crunch Fu Yung.’ The omelette-like dish was drenched in berry flavored milk which moistened more than just our appetites....” Click to expand...

Similar threads

• chungomunch
• Jun 8, 2024

• dirtybrownwater
• Jul 7, 2024

• Jul 1, 2024

• deleted1167333
• Jun 20, 2024
• coconut&sunsets
• Jul 24, 2024
• This site uses cookies to help personalize content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies and terms of service . Accept Learn more…