med school adversity essay

• Medical School Application

How to Answer Adversity Secondary Essay Prompts for Medical School

Including successful essay examples.

Medical schools desire applicants that can effectively manage stress, overcome challenges, and navigate their way through life's curveballs. Successful applicants must prove they can endure the rigors of both medical school and a career as a physician. The secondary application adversity essay is a way for the admissions committee to evaluate your resilience as an applicant. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the adversity essay, including successful essay examples and strategies for how to answer this prompt type, even if you feel you haven't faced adversity.

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Article Contents 9 min read

What is an adversity essay for medical school.

In addition to writing a  diversity essay for medical school , an adversity essay for medical school is one you'll likely have to write when filling out your medical school secondary applications. Although the AMCAS work and activities  section includes up to 15 experiences, medical school secondary essays dive deeper into unique applicant characteristics that haven't already been covered. While most schools send out secondary applications to all applicants, some schools are choosier about who they send secondaries to, often screening using MCAT and GPA scores. While there are many medical school secondary essay examples , the adversity secondary essay is among the most common. Typically, in the essay prompt, you'll be asked to discuss a challenging time you experienced as well as how you overcame that challenge. 

Adversity prompts often come in the form of an "overcoming challenges" question. These questions ask the applicant about a difficult situation they were faced with, an obstacle they encountered, or a hurdle they had to push past in order to succeed. Check out our blog for a comprehensive list of medical school secondary essays which are sorted by school so you can see which prompts you'll likely receive depending on your chosen school. The following prompt examples fit into the adversity category:

1. Discuss a time in your life in which you have failed at something other than an academic experience. How did you confront the failure and what did you learn from it? Please describe how you typically approach challenges that you face in your life.

2. What has been your biggest challenge in pursuing medicine? What have you learned as a result?

3. The admissions committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result.

4. Describe a major problem you have had to deal with at some time in your life. Include how you dealt with it and how it influenced your growth.

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

First, you need to make sure you read the prompt thoroughly and understand what the prompt is asking. In some cases, the challenge the admissions committee wants you to discuss is a professional challenge, in other cases, they are looking for a personal challenge. If the med school adversity question should be answered using a particular type of example, it will be specified in the prompt. Secondly, check the word or character count and keep this in mind when structuring your answer. Some prompts may allow for 1000 words while others are limited to only 200 words. These limits must be strictly adhered to, any violation of the limit will be seen as a red flag and will exclude you from progressing further through the admissions process. When answering these prompt types, begin by reflecting on your past experiences, which you likely already did when you wrote your medical school personal statement. Think about a time when you faced a difficult situation. What happened? What were the steps you took to overcome the challenge? What did you learn from the experience? Often, you won't have a lot of available words or characters to answer the question, so you need to make sure your answer is direct and to the point.

Start your essay with a brief introduction to the situation or experience, notice the word brief here. The least important part of this essay is describing what happened and all the details surrounding the experience. Make sure you don't get lost in the story because you won't have any words left to describe the important aspects which are covered in the body paragraph. This includes how you felt, how you were affected, and what you learned. Discussing how you felt is particularly important as it helps the admissions committee understand your thought process when you're faced with adversity as well as how you cope in these situations. Tie everything together with a short conclusion that summarizes how the experience changed you. Have you become a stronger person because of the obstacle you faced? Have you learned to be more compassionate? Did you gain a better understanding of a complicated issue? Everyone's experience will be different, so it's important to reflect on your individual experience to determine how you gained something positive from it. 

Some students struggle with the "overcoming challenges" prompt because they feel truly fortunate in life and don't feel that they've faced adversity. So, if you haven't faced adversity, what should you write in this section? The truth is, everyone has faced adversity, the struggle that students face in answering this question is that they are categorizing the prompt incorrectly. Adversity simply means difficulty or misfortune, but students often take this term to the most extreme and feel that it only applies to a serious situation such as the loss of a loved one, a serious disability or a life-altering illness. While these are certainly hardships worth discussing, they are not the only hardships people face. Everyone has overcome a difficult situation, but if you're having a hard time identifying such a time in your life, read these questions below to help determine a hardship that affected you personally. If you answered yes to any of the below questions, you likely have a good topic for discussion, as long as you can expand the topic and think about how it affected you and what you learned moving forward.

Did you have to move because of issues at school?  Have you been bullied before?  Have you had a hard time making friends?  Did you face an obstacle while gaining shadowing or clinical experience?  Do you have a poor grade or a gap in your academic record? What do you think the main cause of this was?  Have you been the new person at school? "},{"number":"2","title":"Family Challenges","comment":" Have you lost a loved one?  Have you or a loved one faced injury or illness?  Has a loved one struggled with addiction?  Did your parents get divorced?  Do you or a loved one struggle with a physical, physiological, or developmental condition or disability?  Has your family lost their home?  Was your family forced to move? "},{"number":"3","title":"General Challenges","comment":" Can you think of a time when something didn't go the way you had hoped? For example, maybe you could have played professional basketball but an injury forced you to change plans.  Have you faced discrimination or prejudice of some kind?  Have you had to learn a new language?  Have you had to manage a financial hardship?  Have you fallen out with a best friend?  Have you made a mistake that had unfortunate consequences? "}]">

Check out our video for adversity essay examples:

1. Please describe any significant barriers or challenges you may have overcome in the pursuit of your personal/professional goals.

During my senior year of undergraduate studies I had struggled to cope with my diagnosis of vitiligo. It started off as a faint light spot near my eyes that I did not pay much attention to at first. Eventually, that spot became whiter and I noticed two other small spots forming near it and other around my lips. I became concerned at that point for my health.

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Can i write in my hardship that i didnot match last year

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Ambresha! Thank you very much for your question. You can absolutely include this obstacle in your essay. Do not forget to discuss what you learned and how you worked to overcome this hurdle.

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Medical School Adversity Essay

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The medical school adversity essay also called the "challenge essay" by applicants, is a typical question on medical school secondaries. However, it is not meant to make you relive a terrible moment in your past or compile a list of all the challenges you have faced. 

The medical school adversity essay is an opportunity to add optimism to your secondary application.

The secret to impressing your admissions committees with your medical school adversity essay is to react in a way that demonstrates how you met a challenge head-on and why it helped you become a better person. 

This article focuses on a medical school adversity essay. You will soon be well on your way to writing a successful adversity essay demonstrating to admissions committees that you are worthy of entry. 

What is a Medical School Adversity Essay? 

You will need to write an adversity essay when completing your secondary applications , in addition to a diversity essay . 

The medical school adversity essay is one of the most popular samples of secondary essays. Usually, the essay question will ask you to talk about a difficult time you have gone through and how you overcame it.

The question regarding your prior struggles is one that the admissions committees for medical school use to assess your ability to handle and handle adversity. In essence, they examine how you approach problems and move toward resolving conflicts in your life. 

The admissions committee will evaluate your level of communication, resilience, and maturity based on how you handle moral and ethical quandaries.

The adversity prompt depends on whether you should write about a personal or professional experience. The prompt might, however, leave it up to your judgment. 

Since your main application already delves into the specifics of your academic experiences, the adversity essay is a fantastic chance for you to share fresh and pertinent experiences. 

Medical school adversity essays highlight your capacity to surmount challenges and cope with the pressure outside of the classroom.

5 Tips for Answering Medical School Adversity Essays

The purpose of asking about adversity is to help admissions committees for medical schools understand how you handle challenging circumstances. They want to know that you are resilient, responsible, and capable of improvement so that you may succeed in medical school.

In other words, medical schools are not attempting to establish a contest to see whose students have faced the most hardship. Instead, they would like to know who you are. 

Here are the most effective tips on how to write a solid medical school adversity essay:

Read the Prompt Thoroughly

To start with, make sure you read the prompt carefully and comprehend what it is asking. 

For example, the admissions committee may ask you to talk about a professional obstacle in some situations while they may be searching for a personal challenge. 

If a certain kind of example is required for the med school adversity question, it will be noted in the prompt. Check the word or character limit next, and structure your response accordingly. 

Start by thinking back on your past experiences when responding to various prompts, as you probably did when you prepared your personal statement for medical school . 

Consider a period when you had to deal with a challenging circumstance. 

Frequently, you will not have a lot of words or characters to respond to the question, so you must be sure that your response is concise and direct.

Start with the End in Mind

Like our other secondary assignments, you must begin this secondary with a strong framework. In fact, the conclusion of the adversity essay is much more significant than the start. 

The medical school adversity essay aims to develop a story, demonstrate progress, and demonstrate change.

Adversity essays for medical school need a beginning, middle, and end, just like any excellent story. Although it may seem overly straightforward, doing this can be incredibly difficult.

You do not frequently consider the events in your life as having a narrative arc. 

Still, when you write about them for admissions essays, you must make a concerted effort to achieve this. 

Start your essay with a succinct description of the circumstance or experience. The least significant aspect of this essay is the description of what occurred and all the specifics surrounding the incident.

Avoid getting lost in the story, or you will not have enough words to express the crucial details in the body paragraph. This includes your feelings, how things affected you, and what you discovered. 

The admissions committee will better grasp how you think when faced with difficulty and how you handle these circumstances if you talk about how you feel.

Focus on How and What You Learned 

Describe your approach to the specific difficulty. 

For instance, did you seek scholarships or land a job if you were writing about your struggles to make ends meet? 

On the other hand, if you are writing about academic difficulties, have you improved your study techniques or humbly sought assistance from your peers or professor?

To get through your struggle, concentrate on your justifications and cognitive processes. 

Whenever you think it is appropriate, express your emotions to the reader and let them enter your mental space. It is crucial to explain your thought process since admissions committees want to know how you approach conflict resolution. 

Be Honest and Objective 

Explain the circumstance that challenged you at the outset of your essay. Make sure to state facts when describing your challenge. This will demonstrate your ability to be objective to the reader.

However, if you describe your difficulty subjectively, it might sound like you are looking for pity. 

As an illustration, the statement " My teacher talked to me about my poor performance in class " is objective, and " My teacher rolled her eyes and berated my performance in class " is subjective.

In a similar spirit, only include background material that advances the plot. For example, for some types of hardship stories, details like the precise date or the city you lived in might not be pertinent.

Medical School Adversity Essay Sample Prompts 

A medical school adversity essay can be challenging to write. However, you must be humble while still making an impression on the admissions committee. Therefore, it would be beneficial if you gave creating a fantastic essay much thought. 

Here are a few samples of medical school adversity essay prompts that you might see when applying to medical schools to get you started:

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

We are looking for students who are resilient, adaptive, and self-aware. Talk about a problem you've faced personally or professionally and how you handled it. Please elaborate on the lessons you took away from the experience regarding yourself.

New York University School of Medicine

Give an example of when working with a friend, family member, or coworker was difficult. What lessons did you learn from the event that will help you in your future work as a healthcare provider? How did you address the matter as a team, if at all?

University of Massachusetts Medical School

Tell us about a time when you faced a setback. What response did you have to this challenge?

California North State University College of Medicine

What has been your toughest obstacle in pursuing a career in medicine? What have you learned as a result?

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

The admissions committee is eager to learn more about you personally. Please give an example of a significant personal difficulty you have overcome that you believe has molded you. Examples could include a moral or ethical problem, a circumstance involving personal adversity, or a challenge you overcame. Please mention how you overcame the situation and what you discovered about yourself.

Sample Medical School Adversity Essays 

Without a solid medical school adversity essay, your application to medical school will fall short of the mark. Remember that you are competing with a large number of other applications. Put forth your best effort. 

Here are a few medical school adversity essay examples for you to reference.

Medical School Adversity Essay Sample 1:

At my new position on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Community Health team, my first assignment was to build a database where Community Health Workers (CHWs) could enter secure PHI data. I have experience in monitoring and assessment and was well-versed in data collecting because of my time studying sociology. The issue?

I did not run any background programs. I have trouble getting the microwave set up to roast sweet potatoes. I would require assistance...

I began by meeting with the CHWs since we wanted to learn what they needed to design a system that satisfied those demands. They shared tales with me involving their patients. We determined what we wanted to collect. I sought the opinions of academics I met at Dartmouth. I wrote the first draft after watching videos and reading forums.

It was ineffective and felt awkward for our CHWs to enter data. It was time to start over.

As Thomas Edison famously remarked, he discovered numerous methods not to create a lightbulb. The same was done for our databases. After five months, we were successful. Our technology has been implemented in three different community health initiatives. CHWs indicate that the decreased workload associated with data gathering has enhanced their capacity to provide patient care.

In those months, we mastered the art of creating useless databases. I kept moving forward, which is partly why we didn't give up. "Failure" is frequently a misnomer. The total experience is not what it is. The same is true of humans; we do far more than we could have done separately through teamwork. As a doctor, I'll use this collaborative attitude to provide team-based patient care. If granted the opportunity to attend ______ Medical School, I will use the same problem-solving skills in my clinical and interpersonal pursuits.

Medical School Adversity Essay Sample 2:

I had trouble adjusting when I was diagnosed with vitiligo in my last year of college studies. I initially paid little attention to the first dim light spot near my eyes. That spot eventually turned whiter, and I saw two more small areas forming nearby and another one around my lips. At that moment, I started to worry about my health.

Peers started noticing the white blotches on my face at this point. People were looking at me strangely and making whispered remarks about what was on my face. I dismissed what was going on with my face as some skin rash. I was unsure of how to explain it to them. As I thought about my future and how my condition would affect my objectives of finding a partner and a job without being judged or discriminated against, my mind filled with self-doubt.

My primary care physician finally saw me and merely informed me that I had vitiligo without thoroughly inspecting my face or performing any extra tests to confirm the diagnosis. Hearing this verdict devastated me, and I was upset with myself for allowing this condition to become so bad in the first place. After my quick consultation with the primary care doctor and a little booklet explaining my problem and how to apply the cream, I was prescribed a steroid cream to treat my spots. I chose to get a second opinion from a dermatologist, Dr. Maggie, who meticulously examined my skin under a wood light because this made me doubt my diagnosis.

Once more, learning that I have vitiligo broke my heart. I was afraid that the disease would spread to other regions of my body or my entire face because the booklet I had initially gotten was not very informative. After receiving this diagnosis, my heart started to race with fear and panic as I thought about what my life would be like. I was worried that because of social shame and societal isolation, this issue would only worsen and may limit my chances. Dr. Maggie, on the other hand, thoroughly and carefully described my problem to me, unlike the first doctor I visited.

He added blood testing and numerous allergy tests to my treatment. He comforted me by saying there was a good chance my skin's pigmentation would come back naturally. He added that laser light therapy would be an option in the worst-case situation. He patiently answered all of my inquiries and assisted in developing a food strategy that would strengthen my immune system.

Following this reassuring consultation, I decided to continue being the same person I have always been, regardless of what other people thought of my vitiligo. With Dr. Maggie's assistance, I concluded that vitiligo does not impact me inside. Eventually, my condition shouldn't stand in the way of achieving my goals of starting a family and becoming a doctor.

After a few months, I saw that my face's pigmentation had improved, and the vitiligo had not migrated to other parts of my body. I could arm myself with the knowledge and awareness of my condition under Dr. Maggie's direction. She changed my life perspective and fortified my will to treat my vitiligo.

This first-hand experience demonstrated a doctor's beneficial impact on a patient's life when given the proper care and consideration. To soothe their concerns and assist them, I aim to one day comfort my patients in the same way and with the same level of care Dr. Maggie has shown me.

Medical School Adversity Essay Sample 3:

One of the biggest life lessons I've learned so far is how to live with a sister who has been diagnosed with autism. When my sister was just a few months old, her diagnosis was initially made public. I was just five years older than her, so I never thought her individuality was terrible. Not until I entered my teenage years.

We all tend to pay greater attention to other people's viewpoints as teenagers. That is what happened to me. I became increasingly ashamed to be around my sister when I started observing adverse reactions from the public and hearing disparaging remarks. Our relationship started deteriorating. Until I happened to read a book entitled Following Ezra. This turned out to be a mind- and heart-altering event; it persisted throughout my high school and college years.

After finishing the book, I continue to come to know and understand my sister, which makes me a stronger, more compassionate, and more self-assured person overall. And although if it still presents challenges occasionally, for me, it serves as a daily opportunity for learning and improvement.

Additional FAQs - Medical School Adversity Essay

Which essay should i work on first, how long are medical school adversity essays, you're no longer alone on your journey to becoming a physician.

Adversity Essay Medical School Ultimate Guide Plus Example Topics

Jul 30, 2021

The medical school adversity essay is almost a guaranteed essay prompt on your medical school secondary applications. In this essay, schools will ask you to write about an experience that challenged you. Prompts may resemble the following:

• During your career as a physician, you will potentially encounter many obstacles and be required to overcome many challenges. Resilience is a prerequisite for success in medical school and beyond. Describe your experience with a situation that had an unfavorable outcome. How did you react, and how might you have responded differently? What did you learn about yourself? ( Kaiser Permanente Medical School ).
• Please describe to the Admissions Committee a challenge or disappointment you have overcome and what you learned about yourself from that experience. ( Irvine School of Medicine )

In this guide, we will teach you how to approach the adversity secondary essay on your medical school secondary applications.

But first, why do medical schools ask about hardship?

Medical school admissions committees ask you about your past hardships to gage how you operate through and respond to adversity. Essentially, they are analyzing your thought process during challenges and how you take steps towards resolving conflict in your life. Admissions committees will determine your level of maturity, communication, and resilience based on how you respond to moral and ethical dilemmas.

The adversity prompt will often be specific about whether you should write about a personal or professional experience. However, the prompt may also leave it open to your discretion. Since your primary application already dives into details of your academic experiences, the adversity essay is an excellent opportunity for you to share new and relevant experiences that demonstrate your ability to overcome obstacles and manage stressful situations outside the classroom.

Misconceptions about adversity essays for medical school

The belief that it’s a competition..

Medical schools are not fishing for tragic stories, nor looking for the students who have endured the direst situations. Adversity and hardship are not a competition. The essence of your essay will be how you overcame challenges that you had little to no control over. In the process of telling your story, describe how you regained control of the situation and took steps to conquer obstacles. Admissions committees want to gain insight into your thought process, resilience, and perseverance.

The belief that you have to explain poor grades or poor test scores.

Many students believe if they have poor grades on their transcript or they failed their first MCAT, they must explain the low score in their adversity essay. This is a misconception. Medical schools understand that undergraduate science classes are hard. They also understand the MCAT is hard. Therefore, no one is expecting you to have perfect grades and perfect scores across the board. If you have a dip in your grades or a poor MCAT score, you are not always expected to explain this. You definitely do not want to make up a hardship to explain poor scores either.

However, if you were experiencing a hardship that contributed to the low scores, the adversity essay is a good place to explain that hardship and how it impacted your academic performance.

The belief that you have nothing to write about.

Another common misconception students have is that they don’t have any significant hardships. As mentioned above, the adversity essay is not a competition. Therefore, it is perfectly fine not to have any extreme challenges.

If you have been through an extreme hardship, you will have an obvious topic to discuss. However, a significant difficult alone will not make your essay great. Your thoughtfulness and the way you handled your challenges will set you apart.

Example topics for your medical school admissions adversity essay

A hardship is any significant event that impacted your life or an event you had little to no control over. A couple of examples include:

• Academic challenges in your transition from high school to college
• A family crisis or loss
• Financial hardship
• Illness or injury
• Military deployment
• Natural disasters
• Job transfers

When brainstorming your adversity essay topics, remember that not all hardships immediately hinder your growth – some hardships are endured for years.

Above all, your hardship should be relatable.

How to outline your adversity essay

1. briefly introduce your challenge objectively..

Begin your essay by explaining the situation that posed a challenge to you. While describing your challenge, make sure you are stating facts. This will show the reader you know how to be objective. Describing your challenge subjectively, however, could be misinterpreted as you seeking sympathy. For example: “My teacher gave me a talk about my poor performance in class” is objective, while “My teacher rolled her eyes and berated my performance in class” is subjective.

In the same vein, only use background information that contributes to the story. For example, the exact date or the city you lived in might not be relevant information for certain types of hardship stories.

2. Explain how you responded to the adversity.

Describe how you responded to the particular challenge. For instance, if you are writing about financial hardships, did you apply for scholarships or get a job? On the other hand, if you are writing about academic hardships, did you improve your study habits and/or humbly ask your classmates or professor for help?

Focus on your rationale and thought process while overcoming your hardship. Where you deem it appropriate, describe your feelings and allow the reader to be in your headspace. Illustrating your thought process is important because admissions committees want to know how you take steps toward resolving conflict. Therefore, the main purpose of your body paragraph(s) should be to give readers insight into your thought process and feelings while you navigated adversity.

Questions to consider:

• How did you feel?
• How did this event hinder your plans or alter the course of your life?
• What were your priorities?
• What was unfamiliar to you, and how did you seek out help?
• Who were the mentors that helped you through the process?
• If you are writing about a mistake you made, how did you respond to it?
• Did you experience any cognitive dissonance?
• How did you manage to surpass it?

3. Summarize the results of the outcome and the lessons you learned.

Share the details of how your specific hardship changed your perspective on a particular topic. During conflict-resolution, a person’s priorities often change. Did yours? If they did, explain to the readers how hindsight of the situation helped you move on to achieve a positive outcome. What did you learn about yourself and others? Demonstrating that you overcame hardship is the core of your essay. Make sure you take time to reflect.

End your story by telling your readers how you grew from the situation. Throughout your entire medical career, you will encounter moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding your professional and personal life. Be honest about any hard truths you had to face and whether or not you are still improving or growing. It’s okay if you are still managing a hurdle, managing grief, or sorting out a difficult situation as long as you explain what you are learning in the process.

What to avoid in your adversity essay.

1. being dishonest..

Lying is the biggest mistake you can make. Remember that an essay about hardship is not a competition. You want to show that you are capable of managing pressure and tension when it’s least expected. There are many examples of hardship that will suffice for your medical school applications and there is no need to exaggerate or make something up. Remember that you still have interviews! Admissions committees will have the opportunity to ask you anything in person and will be able to determine your level of authenticity. Do not get caught in a lie.

If you are having trouble thinking of something to write, try to answer the following questions:

• Have I ever been caught off guard by a change of plans?
• What was one situation out of my control that I managed well or that I learned from?
• Was there a first-time experience that was particularly difficult for me? How did I overcome it?
• Have I ever made a mistake that turned into a valuable lesson for me?

2. Victimizing yourself.

Victimizing yourself will not make admissions committees favor you in any way. On the contrary, it may play against you. This does not mean that you must minimize your troubles at all. Instead, be thoughtful about the language you use and be mindful of the reader’s point of view when they are reading your essay. 

3. Not ending on a good note.

Not all conflicts are resolved easily and not all challenges are conquered. It’s okay if things didn’t work out in your favor or if you are still dealing with hardship. If your life took an unexpected turn, refrain from complaining about it. In your conclusion, express yourself with maturity, gratitude, and with a positive perspective about how this hardship will shape you to be a dedicated and compassionate physician. 

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How to write about your biggest challenge or adversity

Your adversity statement, often called “the challenge essay,” has the potential to be a major contributor to your medical school application. The goal of the essay is not just to explain the adversities you faced or the challenges you experienced, but rather to demonstrate your ability to overcome them and grow from them. The specific challenge or adversity itself is often times the least important part of the essay! Instead, the majority of your limited word count will be dedicated to demonstrating your preparedness for the many challenges and adversities that you will face in medical school and beyond. Looking at the prompt from this angle may help it seem a bit less intimidating. Now, let’s tackle this essay in three simple steps: 

Step One : Reread the prompt, and select the experience you want to talk about 

Before you even begin brainstorming, reread the prompt! In your excitement (or nervousness) to get started, you may have missed a helpful detail that will narrow the scope of your essay. Depending on the school, you may be asked to discuss a professional challenge, a personal challenge, or even an academic one. Make sure that you understand which of these, if any, is being asked for. Once you have a sense of what type of experience is being requested, start to brainstorm the adversities you have faced, no matter how big or small. As you make a list, make sure each example fits the following criteria: 

• You have overcome the obstacle or have made meaningful progress towards the goal of overcoming it
• You have completed the emotional processing of the obstacle/experience and are comfortable talking about it in writing and potentially in an interview 

Once this is done, take a look at your list and see what experiences you are most confident in. Do those align with the narrative of the application you submitted in your primary application/personal statement? Is this an experience that you’ve discussed extensively in your 15 activities or personal statement already? Asking yourself these questions will help you narrow down the list further until you make a final selection that will complement your application and demonstrate your characteristics well. Examples include: losing a loved one, not succeeding in a class, navigating a health concern or diagnosis, overcoming a language barrier, navigating financial hardship, and more. 

Step Two: Map out the essay by talking through exactly how you overcame the adversity/challenge 

You have your experience selected, but before writing the essay, you need to be sure of the characteristics you wish to demonstrate. Knowing this before you write will help you frame the story in such a way that these characteristics shine through. Remember, you are only using a small amount of the essay to describe the event itself; most of the essay should focus on your journey overcoming the adversity/challenge, so you need to be direct and clear from the start! You can also use this time to get a sense of how long the essay will be. Do you find yourself taking 5 minutes or more to fully explain your story? You may need to be more succinct in order to condense that into an essay with a limited word count. 

Step Three: Write, write, write 

Dedicate a brief intro of the essay to describing the circumstances of the challenge/adversity you faced. No need to be too detailed, but give the reader enough information to understand what you were up against. Next, explain your feelings throughout the experience, how you were affected, and how you overcame. The key to this step is alluding to the qualities you are demonstrating without actually stating them. Rather than saying, “I was resilient,” simply explain the steps you took to keep pushing through despite the circumstances. Do this, and the key words and characteristics will leap off the page between the lines of your story! Once you’ve described the actions you took to overcome, close out the essay with a brief statement about how the experience changed you or gave you an opportunity to grow. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to reflect and use any experience as a learning experience. 

When you are finished, be sure to go back to the prompt one last time and make sure that your essay answers it appropriately. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments, and keep in mind that the readers of your essay are looking to recruit their future students, colleagues, and patient care providers. What qualities would you be looking for if you were in their shoes?

Olivia attended the University of Rochester, studying Neuroscience and American Sign Language. She's pursuing her MD at Harvard Medical School, where she’s exploring her interests in pediatrics and neonatology.

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“Why This School” Essay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do you consider yourself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine?” If yes, briefly explain why.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Need help writing your secondary essays?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How to create impressive medical school secondary essays.

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Chief Resident in Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, & Admissions Officer, Columbia University

Reviewed: 10/10/23

‍ Are you ready to tackle your med school secondary essays? Read on to learn how to format them, common essay types, and more! 

At this stage in your application to medical school, you've gone through the AMCAS primary application process and are now receiving your secondary applications. Your secondaries are a series of specific questions that each school you've applied to sends to you.

That being the case, you are probably wondering how to create impressive medical school secondary essays. If you've applied to many schools, you’ll be writing many essays. But you need not worry because this article will dive into the different kinds of essay prompts you will receive and how to answer them effectively.

Get The Ultimate Guide on Writing an Unforgettable Personal Statement

What Are Medical School Secondary Essays?

Medical school secondary essays are the second component of the application process. Each school has a unique secondary application, whereas the primary application was a single application sent to several schools using either AMCAS, TMDSAS, or AACOMAS.

Secondary applications will usually consist of a series of short questions or essay questions. Questions will be unique to each school; however, there is significant overlap among them. If you submitted your primary application in June, you could expect to receive secondary applications beginning in July and continuing throughout the summer.

However, it’s important to note that not all schools send secondary applications to all applicants. Some use the primary application as a screening tool and only send secondaries to students they’d like to see continue on in the admissions process.

A school like Stanford will ask seven essay questions while Loma Linda will ask eight.

Purpose of Medical School Secondary Essays

Medical school secondary essays give you an opportunity to show the school you want to attend how your goals and values align with theirs and how you would contribute to their program as a student.

Schools want to make sure that you are a good fit for their program and find out more about you than you could address in your AMCAS work and activities section. 

They want to see your uniqueness and what sets you apart from the other candidates.

Best Format to Follow When Writing Your Medical School Secondary Essays

When writing your secondaries, here is a suggested guideline: 

• Answer the prompt
• Outline your response
• Use concrete examples
• Relate examples to your theme
• Adhere to word or character counts
• Reflect on your experiences

Answer the Prompt 

Whatever the prompt is, have a definitive response to start the essay to make your answer as straightforward as possible. 

Outline the Response 

As you're given a character count limit, it is best to outline your response to use your space effectively. Create a list of all the points you want to make and tailor them to incorporate the school's central values and goals. 

Use Concrete Examples

Stories are more effective in making a point than general statements. Use examples in your essay to build on your main points. 

Relate Examples to Your Theme

When you provide examples, make sure to answer the question, "how is this relevant?" Your examples should demonstrate how you will benefit medicine and make a good physician.

Adhere to Word and Character Counts

When you have preset responses to prompts, you address all critical points within the character count limits. 

Reflect on Your Experiences 

Describe what you learned and gained from your experiences. Don’t just talk about it; explain why it was significant. 

Re-read your essay the next day to make sure it is free of errors and conveys the message you are trying to make. Consulting a med school advisor can be an effective way to make sure your response is strong and stands out among other applicants.

Sometimes, students re-read and miss their own mistakes, so having an unbiased editor with experience in medical school admissions can be beneficial.

Common Types of Medical School Secondary Essays and Tips for Answering Each Type

Although secondary essay themes can vary, these are the most common essay types.

Diversity Essay

In medicine and other healthcare fields, diversity is essential. A clinician needs to be able to connect with patients from different backgrounds and experiences. Having a diverse student body creates an atmosphere of inclusivity, and as a worker in the social sector, especially front-line work, connecting with your patients is critical.

When writing a diversity essay , you may think the only topics you can cover are multiculturalism, race, and religion. You might think that because you're not a minority, you don’t have anything new to add. 

You might think you are already represented well and have no experience with diversity, so you do not have anything important to say. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A variety of factors determine what level of diversity you can bring to the table:

• Your qualities and what you want to learn, or what you still wish to learn
• Your immigration experience if you were a newcomer or how your values differ from your social circle; how has the difference of values shaped your way of connecting with patients
• What do you understand about cultural competency? Are you aware of different medical approaches in the field? Do you apply that to your practice? And why is it important to know about how other cultures view medicine/treatment?
• Your language
• Where you grew up (rural vs. urban, in-country vs. abroad)

Diversity can also come from your experiences: a sibling with Down Syndrome, service in the military, an illness that you’ve struggled with, or the loss of a loved one. All of these experiences count as diversity and are what medical schools are looking for.

Where you came from and how your skills, experiences, and interests differentiate you from your peers. These unique backgrounds allow different ideas and perspectives to be brought to the classroom.

Additionally, using terms loosely in your essay, like "diversity, "multicultural," or "cultural competency," does not mean you have an understanding of them. Instead, it may make you seem insincere, so the better way to go is to be honest. Speak about what you actually know and what you have really experienced with diversity.

Adversity Essay

The purpose of an adversity essay is for admissions committees to understand your level of resiliency and room for growth in the medical field.

This essay isn’t about competing with people's stories of adversity but showcasing your own challenges and experiences and depicting what those experiences have taught you for professional development. It is more of a reflection piece about managing stress or barriers in your life and illustrating how you overcome them.

The admissions committees want to see this because they want to know if you can overcome hurdles that come your way. Medical school is a massive undertaking full of hurdles –tests and courses will push you to your limit.

The admissions committees want to see your ability to adapt and problem-solve; so that you can pick yourself up after falling down.

Topics you can include:

• How you handled disappointing a loved one/or disappointment in general
• Managing criticism or feedback
• External situations that were out of your hands
• Talk about a challenge you’ve faced. What was your response? What was the result? What did you learn?

"Why Our School?" Essay

This prompt is aimed at determining why you want to attend a particular medical school. Medical schools read through hundreds of secondary essays each year. Instead of highlighting their program facts, which they already know about, show them that you connect to their mission, vision, and values.

The key is to mention your qualities, life experiences, and skills concerning the school's mission, vision, values, and programs. This way, you are not just repeating what the school offers but also mentioning how these programs fit you as an individual.

One approach to answering this prompt is by researching the school's website and finding topics of interest to you or seeing the school's values mentioned consistently throughout the website.

From there, you can pinpoint specific programs you like and write about how you can learn from them and what skills you can offer. Essentially, it is about seeing what the school stands for or what work they encourage and incorporating your own experiences with their beliefs.

For example, If a school places importance on community service and you have relevant volunteer experiences, make sure to mention this and how you want to continue improving those skills. If your experience is more research-based, talk about that experience and how more community service will make you a better physician.

If you want to stand out, you can survey students or graduates of the school and inquire about their experiences to see if the school is right for you. How do you reach others? Connecting via social media or reaching out to your peers may be a good start.

This essay's not about writing what the school already knows about themselves but more about what you can learn and benefit from and why this is the right fit for you. 

Gap Year Essay

These days, it's common for students to take a year or two off after completing their undergrad degree before they go to medical school. There are multiple reasons for this, and the medical school you are applying to wants to know what those reasons are.

It is a reasonably straightforward prompt: talk about how you have spent your gap year and how it will contribute to your medical school success and beyond.

Questions to discuss in this essay include:

• What did you achieve during your gap year?
• Why did you want to take a gap year?
• What experiences did you have? How did this year shape your role as a worker, and how will you deliver the skills you've built through the healthcare field?
• What did you learn about yourself during this period?

It is always an excellent tactic to connect your gap year to the program of study you are applying for, and even if it doesn't connect, you can still mention how it makes you a more suitable candidate for the program. 

Even if you did an unrelated job while studying or preparing for medical school, the attributes you learned along the way and your continuous efforts to grow and learn are what admissions committees will notice.

“Anything Else You'd Like Us to Know?” Essay

Out of all the prompts, this is likely the most open-ended, and confusion on how to best answer it is understandable. It can be challenging to address such a vague question. How do you know what to talk about? Is there even anything else that I want to discuss?

Use this as an opportunity to highlight anything about yourself and your experiences that aren't well discussed or explained elsewhere on the application. 

If you have any pre-written material that you have not used in your essays, this is the time to use them. If this is not an option, you can write a completely new essay discussing topics like volunteering or research experience .

You can also talk about other achievements or skills that aren't directly related to medicine but find a way to relate it back to how it makes you a better candidate. This section is also a good place to explain any shortcomings in your application, such as a failed course, a low test score, etc.

Some students believe it is mandatory to answer this question, which is simply not true unless the question states otherwise. If you feel that your application addresses all your key points and conveys your candidacy in the best possible way, there is no need to force it. It's always better to prioritize quality over quantity.

Sample Med School Essay Prompts

From UW School of Medicine

Essay Prompts (250-word limit)

• “How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with?
• The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring?
• What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
• Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine.”

From Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago  

Essay Question 1 (450-word limit suggestion)

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

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

Essay Question 2 (450-word limit suggestion)

“All MD students participate in our longitudinal Scholarship & Discovery research program, which offers protected curricular time, mentoring, and funding for students to pursue their scholarly interests. Please describe your research interests and share how our research opportunities will help you advance your career goals.”

Essay Question 3 (450-word limit suggestion)

“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.”

Optional Additional Information

“Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. For example, if you are not currently completing a degree, please share your planned or current activities for this application cycle. We suggest that you limit your text to about 300 words.”

Explore our Med School Secondary Essay Database to find the 2023-2024 prompts for your dream med schools!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are some common mistakes to avoid as you navigate your secondary application essays. 

Failing to Pre-Write Your Essays 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is waiting to receive your secondary application before working on it. It would be best if you started working on your secondaries after you submit your primary applications. 

You have a limited time (many secondaries are due two weeks to a month after receipt) to submit, so the sooner you can get them done, the better. You should always send secondaries back within two weeks to show your continual interest in that medical school.

Focusing Only on the Situation and Not What You Learned

When sharing anecdotes, demonstrate their value by discussing what you took away from them. Don't just go from one statement to another, talking about the events as they occurred. 

Not Following Word Limits

If the word count is 800 words and your piece is 700 words, that is perfectly acceptable. Try and write the best quality piece without going over the word count. 

Being Generic

Some prompts will lead you into discussing why you want to attend a particular school. In these cases, to avoid being generic in your responses, say something specific about the school. You should do some research and come up with a list of programs at each of the medical schools or student organizations at each of the medical schools. Identify what is unique about that school: specific values, programs, or opportunities they have.

Have more questions about secondary essays? Read on for more answers! 

1. When Can I Expect to Receive Secondary Applications? 

Once you submit your primary application and AMCAS receives your transcripts, they begin the verification process. You will receive your secondary applications after AMCAS completes verification and releases your primary applications to the medical schools to which you applied. 

2. Will I Receive a Secondary Application From Every School?

While the majority of schools will send you a secondary without screening your primary application, some will screen your primary. Therefore, you may not receive a secondary from every medical school. 

3. How Long Do I Have to Submit My Essay?

It would be best if you aimed to submit your secondaries as soon as possible – generally within two weeks of receiving your secondary application. Remember, schools correlate your reply time with your level of interest. It’s best to submit within two weeks.

4. What If a School Changes Its Secondary Essay Prompts?

Schools usually change their prompts every few years, and if they do, the themes often remain the same. Instead of asking why you want to attend our school, it may change to asking how you feel your passions align with their goals as an institution. So it's still a good idea to pre-write. 

Even if they change it, you could always reword and repurpose one of your essays for other schools.

5. How Optional Are Optional Essays?

They are somewhere between optional and required. It would help if you only answered an optional prompt when you have relevant information to address. A forced response will not go over well with admissions committees and can hurt your application.

6. Which Secondary Essay Should I Work On First?

You should prioritize the ones from your top-choice schools and the ones that require in-depth answers so that you will have material to re-use if necessary.

Final Thoughts

Completing your secondary applications is a time-consuming and stressful process. Now that you know what to and what not to do, you can begin working on your essays with some confidence. You are now armed with the knowledge of how to create impressive medical school secondary essays.

Don't underestimate the importance of pre-writing your secondaries; always convey your individuality. Answer the prompt as clearly as you can and expand on your key points. Remember that the ultimate goal is to impress the admissions committee enough to be called in for an interview.

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Medical School Secondary Essays: Your Full Guide

Mark Bradford

Getting into medical school is like solving a big mystery - full of ups, downs, and surprises. After conquering the MCAT and acing your main application, there's one more challenge waiting for you: secondary essays. Imagine them as tricky puzzles, asking for more than just book smarts. What do they want from you, and how can you tackle them successfully? Join us as we explore the world of these follow-up essays, uncovering their secrets and giving you the tools to ace this important part of your medical school journey.

Purpose of Med School Secondary Essays

So, what are secondary essays for medical school, and why do they matter? Well, med school secondary essays play a vital role in giving applicants a chance to shine beyond their academic credentials. These essays allow aspiring medical students to showcase their uniqueness and explain why they are an excellent fit for a specific program.

The main goal of these essays is to delve deeper into the applicants' personalities and motivations. While primary applications provide essential information, secondary essays offer a platform to highlight personal attributes and experiences that make candidates stand out. Admissions committees look for qualities aligning with the values of the medical program, making these essays a crucial step before the interview stage.

While prompts may differ, common types of secondary essays frequently appear:

Challenge Essay:

• Overcoming Adversity: Discuss a significant challenge, emphasizing resilience, problem-solving, and personal growth.

Diversity Essay:

• Embracing Differences: Share experiences that showcase unique perspectives, backgrounds, or contributions to inclusivity.

Gap Year Essay:

• Justifying Time Away: Explain how experiences during a gap year contribute to skills, understanding, and commitment to medicine.

‘ Anything Else You'd Like Us to Know?’ Essay:

• Open-Ended Reflection: Use this space to discuss hobbies, passions, or aspects of personality not covered elsewhere.

‘Why Us?’ Essay:

• Demonstrating Program Fit: Articulate why a specific medical program aligns with your goals, values, and experiences.

Don't forget that we're always here to lend a helping hand. Just ask us, ' Write essay for me ', and together, we'll create an authentic narrative that showcases the real you.

Medical School Diversity Essay

Now that we've uncovered the basics of secondary essays, let's shine a spotlight on a specific one - the Medical School Diversity Essay. This particular essay isn't just about showcasing your GPA or test scores; it's an opportunity to let your unique story and background shine. The purpose? Well, medical schools aren't just looking for cookie-cutter candidates. They want a diverse group of future doctors who bring different perspectives and experiences to the table.

The Medical School Diversity Essay gives you the chance to share how your background, culture, or life experiences have shaped you and will contribute to the rich tapestry of the medical community. It's your time to stand out and show that you're not just a student with good grades but a person with a valuable and unique perspective to offer.

Medical School Diversity Essay Prompts

Now that we understand the importance of the Medical School Diversity Essay, let's tackle the next challenge: the prompts. These essay prompts are like the roadmap guiding you to articulate your individuality and experiences effectively. The questions might vary, but they all share a common thread—inviting you to reflect on your background, culture, or experiences that make you stand out.

Here are some common prompts you might encounter:

• Share your unique background or experiences and how they will contribute to the diversity of the medical school community.
• Describe a situation where you faced adversity related to your background and how you overcame it.
• Discuss a time when you had to navigate and bridge a cultural gap, and how this experience influenced your journey to medicine.
• Reflect on a personal experience that shaped your perspective on diversity and inclusion in healthcare.
• How do your cultural, socioeconomic, or educational background and experiences contribute to your future role as a healthcare professional?

Medical School Diversity Essay Example

Medical school adversity essay.

In the maze of medical school applications, there's another essay that tests your storytelling prowess – the Medical School Adversity Essay. Unlike other sections, this one isn't about showcasing achievements; it's about resilience and growth. The purpose? Medical schools want to know how you handle challenges, setbacks, and obstacles because, let's face it, the journey to becoming a doctor isn't always smooth sailing.

The Adversity Essay prompts might ask you to recount a difficult experience, discuss how it impacted you, and reveal what you learned from it. This is your chance to demonstrate your ability to navigate adversity and emerge stronger. Whether it's a personal struggle, academic setback, or a professional challenge, use this essay to showcase your resilience and highlight the qualities that will make you a determined and capable future physician.

Medical School Adversity Essay Prompts

The Medical School Adversity Essay prompts are like keys that unlock your ability to handle life's curveballs. Here are some common prompts you might encounter, each inviting you to share your experiences of overcoming challenges:

• Discuss a significant personal challenge you have faced and how it has impacted your journey to medicine.
• Describe a time when you encountered a setback in your academic or professional life. How did you respond, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Share a difficult personal experience that tested your resilience. How did you cope, and what growth emerged from that adversity?
• Reflect on a situation where you faced ethical or moral dilemmas. How did you navigate through it, and what lessons did you take away?
• Discuss any obstacles you encountered on your path to medical school. How did you overcome them, and what did those challenges teach you about yourself?

Adversity Essay Medical School Examples

The medical school 'why us' essay.

As you navigate the intricate landscape of medical school applications, there's a pivotal essay that requires you to play matchmaker – the 'Why Us?' essay. This piece is your opportunity to demonstrate not just why you want to become a physician but specifically why you're drawn to a particular medical school. It's the moment to connect the dots between your aspirations and what the school uniquely offers.

The purpose of the Why Us Medical School Essay is twofold: medical schools want to know if you've done your homework about their institution and if you see yourself thriving within their academic and community environment. It's more than listing facilities or programs; it's about articulating a genuine and well-informed connection.

Why Us Medical School Essay Prompts

Here are some common prompts that might pop up, urging you to elaborate on your connection with the medical school:

• Explain why you are drawn to our medical school and how our mission aligns with your personal and professional goals.
• Share specific aspects of our curriculum, faculty, or research opportunities that resonate with your aspirations in medicine.
• Discuss any unique programs, initiatives, or community outreach efforts at our institution that you find particularly appealing. How do you see yourself contributing to these activities?
• Describe a firsthand experience or interaction with our medical school community that left a lasting impression on you. How did it influence your decision to apply here?
• Highlight any specific resources or support systems at our institution that you believe will contribute to your success as a medical student and future physician.

Approaching these prompts requires thorough research and a personal touch. Showcase your understanding of the medical school's distinct features and convey how these align with your goals and values. Remember, it's not just about why you want to be a doctor but specifically why you envision yourself thriving within the unique environment of that particular medical school.

Why Us Medical School Essay Example

Gap year essay medical school.

In the realm of medical school applications, the Gap Year Essay serves as a platform to explain the space between your undergraduate studies and embarking on your medical journey. Whether you spent that time gaining experience, pursuing a passion, or facing unforeseen challenges, this essay allows you to share the valuable lessons you've learned during this period.

The purpose of the Gap Year Essay is to illustrate that the time away from traditional academics was not a detour but rather a strategic and purposeful part of your journey towards becoming a healthcare professional. It's your opportunity to showcase personal and professional growth, highlighting how these experiences have uniquely equipped you for the challenges of medical school.

Gap Year Essay Medical School Prompts

The Gap Year Essay prompts for medical school applications are designed to help you articulate the purpose and value of the experiences you gained during your time away from traditional academia. Here are some common prompts that might invite you to reflect on your gap year:

• Explain the reasons behind taking a gap year and how this time contributed to your personal and professional development.
• Describe specific experiences or challenges encountered during your gap year and how they influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine.
• Share any skills, perspectives, or insights gained during your time away that you believe will benefit you as a medical student and future physician.
• Discuss any unique opportunities or projects you undertook during your gap year that have shaped your understanding of healthcare or your commitment to the medical field.
• Explain how your gap year aligns with your long-term goals in medicine and how the experiences gained have prepared you for the demands of medical school.

Gap Year Essay Medical School Example

Medical school leadership essay.

Imagine the application process as a cool journey, and the Leadership Essay is like a special stop where you get to share times when you led the way. Medical schools aren't just looking for good grades; they want folks who know how to guide and inspire others in the world of healthcare.

This essay is your chance to tell stories about when you took charge, maybe in a formal role or just helping out when needed. It's about showing how you encouraged others, faced challenges, and made things better in your community or team.

Medical School Leadership Essay Prompts

The prompts for the Medical School Leadership Essay are like friendly invitations, asking you to share moments where you've taken charge and made a positive impact. Here are some common prompts that might prompt you to reflect on your leadership experiences:

• Describe a specific situation where you demonstrated leadership skills, formal or informal and the impact it had on those around you.
• Share an example of a challenge you faced as a leader and how you navigated through it. What did you learn from the experience?
• Discuss a time when you collaborated with others to achieve a common goal, highlighting your role in fostering teamwork and achieving success.
• Explain how you've contributed to the improvement of a community or organization, showcasing your leadership role in creating positive change.
• Reflect on your personal leadership style and how it aligns with your future goals in medicine. How do you envision incorporating leadership into your medical career?

Approach these prompts with openness and honesty, using them as an opportunity to highlight your unique leadership experiences and how they have shaped your journey toward becoming a healthcare professional.

Medical School Leadership Essay Example

How to write secondary essays for medical school.

Here's a guide on how to approach and master medical school secondary essays for a compelling and well-rounded application:

1. Understand the Purpose : Before diving into writing, grasp the purpose of each secondary essay. Whether it's about diversity, adversity, or why you're drawn to a particular school, each prompt serves a unique function in painting a complete picture of you as an applicant. Tailor your responses to showcase different facets of your personality, experiences, and motivations.

2. Personalize Your Responses : Avoid generic responses and personalize each essay to reflect your individual journey. Share specific anecdotes, experiences, and reflections that offer depth and authenticity. Admissions committees are interested in understanding how your unique qualities will contribute to the diverse and collaborative environment of medical school.

3. Conduct Research on Each School : For 'Why Us?' essays, conduct thorough research on the medical school's values, programs, and community. Be specific about what attracts you to that particular institution. Mentioning unique features, initiatives, or faculty members shows that you've invested time in understanding the school's offerings and how they align with your aspirations.

4. Showcase Reflection and Growth : Adversity essays provide an opportunity to showcase resilience and personal growth. Discuss challenges you've faced, how you navigated through them, and the lessons learned. Emphasize how these experiences have uniquely prepared you for the demands of medical school and strengthened your commitment to a career in medicine.

5. Address Gaps in Your Application : If there are gaps or potential concerns in your application, such as a lower GPA or a gap year, address them proactively. Be honest and focus on how these aspects have contributed to your overall readiness for medical school.

6. Maintain Conciseness and Clarity : Admissions committees read through numerous applications, so clarity and conciseness are crucial. Be direct in your responses, avoiding unnecessary jargon or excessive details. Focus on conveying your message effectively without overwhelming the reader with information.

7. Seek Feedback : Before finalizing your essays, seek feedback from mentors, peers, or pre-health advisors. Outside perspectives can provide valuable insights and help ensure that your essays are clear, impactful, and free of errors.

Final Outlook

As you finish up your secondary essays, keep it simple and sincere. They are like snapshots, capturing unique parts of your story. Share your experiences, talk about challenges, and explain why a specific medical school feels like the right fit for you.

Think of each essay as a chance to show the real you beyond grades and achievements. Be yourself, be honest, and let your passion for medicine shine through. The medical school secondary essays examples are not just about getting into your dream school; they're about finding the place where you belong and can grow into the doctor you want to be!

Why Do Medical Schools Require Secondary Essays?

Can i reuse content from my primary application in secondary essays, how should i approach the diversity essay.

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If you’ve faced adversity on your path to med school, you aren’t alone! Today, we’ll talk about how to discuss obstacles in the med school application process.

Today, we’ll look at a student with a 3.5 GPA who has overcome a ton in a better light than another student with a 3.5 GPA who hasn’t had to overcome anything.

Our episodes are recorded live on Facebook at 3pm ET on most weekdays. Like the page to be notified.

For more help on your medical school application, check out The Premed Years Podcast .

[00:45] The Best Way to Portray Yourself on Your Secondaries

“I am in the midst of applying to medical school, this cycle. My AMCAS verification went through on the 22nd of July. Okay, so I’m in the midst of secondaries.

I’m a bit of a nontraditional applicant. I graduated from my university in 2018. I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do medicine until about my junior year. And so a little bit later to this process. I haven’t known I wanted to be a doctor since I was in diapers or anything like that.

I am currently working full-time as a medical assistant. I’m supporting my husband as he finishes his undergraduate degree. I’m working full time to support our family. I am married with no children. I’m just about to turn 26. Not too old, but definitely a little more nontraditional in the sense that I didn’t really know I wanted to do this. 

And so as of now, I’m just trying to figure out the best way to portray myself and my secondaries. I have a federal applicant waiver for the AMCAS (Fee Assistance Program). I’m just trying to figure out how to portray the obstacles that I’ve had to overcome without seeming too much like I’m making excuses but being realistic and authentic about the situation.”

[03:14] No Pity to Be Had

When you get to this stage in your application, there are questions in the secondaries like “Tell me about the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome.” And one of the biggest languages that I hear from students is they don’t want anybody to feel pity for them. 

Well, this depends on how you write it. It depends on your frame of reference and the kind of perspective you’re bringing to the table when you’re writing about it.

You’ve obviously gotten at this stage of the game so there should be no pity taken. You’ve gotten to this point where you’ve overcome the obstacles, you’ve submitted your application, and now working on your secondaries. So there’s no pity to be had.

Admissions committee members really look at those stories. They’ll look at a student with a 3.5 GPA who has overcome a ton in a better light than another student with a 3.5 GPA who hasn’t had to overcome anything.

You just need to tell your story as truthfully and as honest as possible without exaggerating and without trying to limit it as well. So just let them know what you’ve been through, what it did to you, how it has made you stronger, and why you’re here today. So don’t worry about the pity party because there’s nothing to pity.

[06:09] Dealing with Impostor’s Syndrome

Nobody does as well as they want to on their MCAT. It’s all about perspective. You never want to compare.

If you’ve started prewriting your secondaries from secondaryapps.com . If you’ve seen the secondaries, a lot of them ask how did you have to work while you were a student? This is your opportunity for you to differentiate yourself. Because a lot of students don’t know what the percentages are of premeds who need to work and who don’t work.

You have to come from a point of view of, here’s your story, take it or leave it, and just lay it all out on the table. 

However, if part of your story is you were a coke addict, then potentially, there’s some concern to lay all of that out on the table. Addiction is a potential big red flag in the application process.

[10:10] Finding the Balance Between Quality and Time Constraint

Obviously, most of the people on this journey are Type A premed students, so everything has to be perfect. But at some point, you have to let go of that mindset, otherwise, all you’re doing is hurting yourself at this point. I’m not saying don’t be a perfectionist, but just be less of a perfectionist. You just have to fully commit some time for your secondaries to get them done.

For example, Carle Illinois College of Medicine has a very unique secondary essay. Their whole application process is very different. They don’t even do interviews. So you need to be more unique with your secondary essay prompts. And if every school was like Carle Illinois, then the secondary essay process would be much harder. Because a lot of what you write for one won’t necessarily translate to another. There won’t be a lot of copy and pasting.

And right now, with some medical schools being a bit lazy with having a lot of repetitive questions, just take advantage of that. 

[16:13] Prioritizing Which Schools for Your Secondaries

Sort according to whatever your top choice is. And that is determined through location, class size, curriculum, and all of those things that you need to consider when making your school list.

So as you get your secondaries every morning when you start to work on it, pick your top choice out of these 10 schools for instance. Then work on that one first. Then pick your next top choice out of the remaining 9. Then work from there.

[17:15] The Two-Week Turnaround Rule

Subscribe to the two-week turnaround rule. Of course, you need to submit it if you’re over two weeks but be sure to submit as soon as you can.

[18:48] “What Are Your Ties to This Area” Prompt

If you’re applying to a school that doesn’t specifically ask about your ties to the area, you can just say that really want to come to this school. And if the prompt isn’t specifically what are your ties to this area to want to come here, then you should focus more on the school and less on the location.

[20:10] Should You Bring Up Any C-?

If it’s just one C-, you really don’t have to bring that up, unless the secondary would ask you to explain for every class that you’ve got less than a B or less than a B-. Besides, everybody struggles with organic chemistry. But the question that would probably come up is why didn’t you retake it.

[23:30] How to Stand Out

Tell your story. You lean on the things that you’ve learned from your experiences, without looking at how different you are. Just talk about your journey . Talk about your experiences, how you’ve had to balance school, and being an athlete and working and all this other stuff. 

[24:04] Doing Interviews with Limited Resources

First, check out The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview . Lean on your premed advisors if you have access to them.

If you have access to the physicians, where you’re a medical assistant, see if they’d be willing to do a mock interview with you. The interview book has around 600 questions that you could use. Or ask your husband to do the mock interview with you.

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

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How to Answer Common Essay Prompts on Medical School Secondary Applications

Coherently emphasize your unique persona, life journey, motivations and alignment with the medical profession.

Writing Med School Secondary Essays

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Secondary applications offer a unique canvas to paint a more intricate portrait of your character, experiences and aspirations.

As you begin your medical school application journey, the secondary application phase emerges as a pivotal bridge connecting your premedical background with entrance into graduate medical training. These secondary applications, adorned with an often repetitive tapestry of essays, offer a unique canvas to paint a more intricate portrait of your character, experiences and aspirations.

Here's some advice on the art of answering common essay prompts on med school secondary applications, emphasizing the importance of compelling storytelling throughout your application. 

The Purpose of the Secondary Application  

The secondary application is more than a formality – it's an essential step that adds depth to the on-page persona that admissions committees will assess. It is the last chance you have to make a good impression before an interview is offered, so a subpar performance at this stage may be the last chance you have at admission during this cycle.

This phase allows admissions committees to perceive you in a richer light, beyond mere test scores and accolades. Secondary applications typically comprise a cluster of essays, each allowing you to showcase your unique persona. If written well, they can unveil your motivations, life journey and alignment with the medical profession. 

How to Craft a Compelling Secondary Essay Narrative  

Effective essay crafting relies on authentic storytelling. Your goal is not just to convey information, but to resonate emotionally with the reader.

Begin by dedicating some time to introspection. Reflect on your journey, including its highs, lows and turning points. Weave a narrative tapestry that threads together your experiences, values and aspirations. Focus on using vivid imagery and metaphors to engage the reader, making your essays stand out among the many they will read.

Don’t forget to ensure a coherent flow by structuring your essays logically. Again, introspection and planning – using an outline if helpful – are essential. 

How to Approach Common Secondary Essay Prompts  

The essay prompts you'll encounter may frequently be similar, and the temptation to copy and paste similar responses to many programs is extremely high, particularly when many secondary application requests come back at once.

However, be very wary of canned responses that work for many essay types and many different programs. This can sometimes work well, but can also result in essays that feel forced, with content that doesn’t quite answer the question. These types of essay flaws are remarkably easy to spot by experienced admissions committee reviewers. 

Below are three common secondary application essay prompts and advice on how to approach them.

Common Prompt 1: Why Our Medical School? 

It can be challenging to develop a response to this prompt that feels truly unique. In some way, your response will be similar to other applicants’, but how you weave your background, persona and experiences with the school’s mission and goals is how you can stand out.

To master this, delve into meticulous research about the institution. Go beyond the mission statement and goals. What sorts of programs do they offer? What do they choose to highlight multiple times, in prominent places on their website or on their campus? Understand why they are emphasizing various programs, classes, attributes or resources. 

A school is typically less proud of a simulation lab itself and prouder of what that simulation lab allows them to do. Perhaps they train a large number of procedural specialists or match many graduates into careers in trauma.

Work to comprehend a school’s values, unique offerings and cultural fabric . Then work to articulate how your background and experiences align with these facets, without sounding too repetitive of your primary application materials.

The key is to go beyond the surface – pinpoint specific programs, faculty members or initiatives that resonate with your aspirations and to which you are excited to contribute if accepted. 

Common Prompt 2: Diversity  

The "How will you contribute to diversity on campus?" question is a testament to the evolving medical landscape. Embrace your distinct background and be proud to describe how it will allow you to bring a fresh, unique perspective to the campus and the community.

Recognize also that you don’t have to limit yourself to a traditional definition of diversity . You can also share experiences or interests that make you a diverse applicant.

If you have played harp your entire life and feel it speaks to your personality, including attributes that will be beneficial in medicine, write about it with pride. You can be quite sure that your essay is one the reader has not already read 30 times, and that can at times be an advantage in and of itself.

Of course, no matter your topic, look to emphasize how your perspective enriches the educational mosaic, promoting cross-cultural understanding and empathy within the realm of health care. 

Common Prompt 3:  Overcoming Adversity and Demonstrating Resilience  

The "How have you overcome adversity or a challenge?" prompt invites you to display your mental strength and ability to persevere when things get difficult – a sure bet in the medical field. Again, introspection is crucial.

This is not likely to be the place to describe the one time in high school you got a B+, or an argument you’ve had with a roommate. Highlight a significant challenge, narrate its impact on you and expound on your growth journey. 

Do not be shy to include letdowns. A refreshingly honest essay describing rejection from medical school during your first application cycle, and your continued commitment to the long road ahead – including how you have worked to improve as a person and as an aspiring doctor – can be a phenomenal essay if done well.

Make sure to transition to a positive note; don’t seek pity from the reader.

Whatever adversity you choose, remember not to spend too much space describing the actual event. You want to focus most of your energy on discussing the strategies you employed to surmount the obstacle and how the experience honed your resolve and enhanced your ability to excel in the medical sphere. 

Emphasize Your Fit With the Medical School

With all of your secondary essays, be sure to weave a cohesive story together without directly repeating any content in your primary application materials.

Emphasize your fit with each school, and do significant research to discover what type of student they are genuinely interested in attracting to their unique program. Discuss experiences that have shaped you, highlight times when you have demonstrated resilience and remember to take each individual essay seriously.

With strategic introspection and eloquent articulation, these essays will pave the path toward achieving the goals and earning the experiences you have – to this point – only written about.

Medical School Application Mistakes

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About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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November 3, 2020

Facing Adversity as a Med School Applicant [Episode 390]

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M2 Sotonye Douglas shares how she never lost sight of her dream to become a doctor. [Show summary]

Sotonye Douglas describes herself as an “imperfect” medical school applicant who nevertheless became a student at Quinnipiac Netter School of Medicine, overcoming tremendous barriers in the process.

An “imperfect” applicant discusses her path to medical school. [Show notes]

There’s a myth out there that med students never fail, never drop a class, and all have high MCATs and GPAs. They’re perfect. Or they don’t get in. 

Our guest today is determined and hardworking, but she has also overcome significant challenges on the way to medical school. She doesn’t fit the myth of the perfect med student, but she is nevertheless a proud M2.

Sotonye Douglas is a second year MD student at Quinnipiac Netter School of Medicine. She was born to immigrant parents from Jamaica and Nigeria and grew up in Brooklyn in New York City. From a young age, she wanted to be a doctor, but working her way through high school and college made it hard to get good grades, much less prep for the MCAT. Yet today, she is an M2. Let’s hear her story of hard work, perseverance, and tremendous determination directly from her.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your background outside of medicine? When did you start working? What do you like to do for fun? [1:59]

To go back in time a little bit, I did start working when I was in high school. I was working, but I was also student body president. I was also a cheerleader. I was very, very busy even then. I think that’s when I started learning how to multitask. That’s what kicked it off in high school: me learning how to be professional and how to juggle and how to run from one thing to the next. But for fun, I like to spend time with family and loved ones when I can because I do have a lot of family internationally. I love visiting family and trying to get away and travel. That’s my release.

How did you figure out that you wanted to be a doctor? [2:56]

From a very young age, I found this interest in science. It just seemed so interesting to me. I also speak about having a very deep and robust interest in art. As a kid, when people would ask me, I would say, “Oh, I want to be a doctor.” But as I started to get older and as I got into junior high school, I had this opportunity: There’s this program that is no longer in New York City called the Gifted Program. It was for students who were talented and gifted, basically students that were performing higher on exams and stuff. They had special classes and things worked into our schedule. I had the opportunity to be exposed to a Saturday program for anatomy, and there were models and stuff. They brought different organs. And I had never seen any of that before. I knew what organs were, I knew what a heart was, I knew what a brain was. I knew what these things were, but I had never seen models. I would have been around 11 or 12. And seeing the models, they reminded me of sculptures. The arteries are in red; the veins are in blue. It was seeing the vibrancy and real organs. Since being in anatomy lab, I know that that’s not actually what it looks like, at least in anatomy lab, but just seeing it at that age, it caught my attention because it reminded me of a sculpture.

And I think at that point, I started seeing the connections between art and science, and that anatomy class solidified medicine for me. That’s when I was getting ready to go into high school, and I said, “I need to be in a high school that’s going to help me continue this.” My old guidance counselor and the high school secretary, they remind me every time they see me: “I remember your first day at school, you came in and you said that you wanted to be a doctor.” They remind me all the time now when they see me. It was just something that I felt very strongly. And despite everything that happened, I’ve always remembered having this overwhelming feeling of, “This is what I’m supposed to be doing.” That’s how the early interest was piqued for me.

What were some of the challenges you faced as a child of immigrants growing up in Brooklyn and attending New York City public schools? [5:33]

Some of the challenges were financial because New York City is a very expensive place to live. There were different periods during childhood where things were tighter than they would have normally been, and there were definitely some struggles there. I remember sometimes not always being able to do certain things because money was tight. Eventually, it led to me working early because I wanted to be able to not only help out a little bit at home but to not worry my parents. For example, my high school applications — I paid for that with my McDonald’s salary. That was just one of the financial components that made it harder.

It was also hard being in a neighborhood that was underserved, and having friends and relatives that are suffering from diseases that are preventable, but they don’t have the proper access to care. As a child, I didn’t really understand that. But as I started to get older, I started to see the discrepancies between neighborhoods, especially when you start to travel and you start to see more of the world. There’s a lot of people that I grew up with that don’t have that opportunity to branch out or go away to college, and have those experiences, and see what it looks like in another city. When I started getting those chances, I started realizing that, okay, the way I grew up, it’s not the way everyone else grew up. I definitely saw some of the ways that people were suffering and disadvantaged. I feel like it drove me to this point in life for sure.

You wrote a Forbes article about being an “imperfect medical school applicant.” Nobody’s perfect, but in what ways were you imperfect? [7:24]

In undergraduate, my GPA was not the ideal pre-medical GPA or the GPA that everyone imagines, like a 4.0 or 3.8. That was not my GPA, and I struggled. I struggled a lot with trying to balance working and extracurriculars and still trying to get in community service and trying to build this pre-medical portfolio while trying to maintain my grades. One of the things that made that process, again, more complicated, was the fact that I was also in a new setting and a new area. I had to navigate that and learn how to live in this new city, so that definitely played into that as well.

But my grades were not perfect . I got Cs. I failed a class. Definitely not what you would imagine as the perfect applicant for medical school. That’s where that play on “imperfect” comes from because what people imagine when they hear “pre-medical student,” they’re imagining straight As. They’re imagining hours and hours of community service and hours of medical experience and clinical hours and things of that nature. I was not that person. I definitely struggled with that balance.

How many hours a week were you working during most of college, and were you still finding time for on-campus involvement and some volunteering? [9:08]

Yes, and on average, I want to say around 20 hours. It was very tight. And then I was also a double major in human biology and art, so I would spend hours studying for organic chemistry, and then I’d have paintings that maybe required another five to 10 hours, or I’d have a drawing that would require 14, 15 hours of work. It was definitely hard to balance for sure.

What did you do to overcome the “imperfections”? [9:56]

In undergrad I didn’t have a blueprint, per se. I didn’t know what I was doing. But it was through a lot of research and mentors and talking to people and reaching out to people. Sometimes I literally would say about someone, “Oh, this would be a good person to keep in contact with.” And then I’d follow up with them, and then I’d say, “Hey, can you connect me to this person?” By building connections and building networks, I figured out a pathway to medical school for myself. And it wasn’t easy, and I definitely had a lot of missteps along the way. It took a lot of research and a lot of behind the scenes, saying, “Hey, do you know someone that can help me? Do you know someone that could give me advice?”

That’s how I began to craft this plan, and it wasn’t a perfect plan and it changed over time. Initially, I thought I was going to have one gap year. That then changed to a few gap years and a master’s degree . So it definitely evolved, but at the core of everything, I knew what I wanted, and I knew that I had to continue working towards that goal. I wasn’t easily distracted because I wanted it so bad. I wanted to be in medical school so bad. I wanted to become a doctor so bad. Even when I would have a really rough set of months or a really rough semester, I would always keep that in the back of my mind.

You got a master’s degree from Geisinger’s biomedical science program. How was your experience there? [11:28]

My experience there was a good experience. I know that with the changes this year, I believe the program is currently virtual, but at my time, in-person, it was a good experience. The thing about this particular master’s program is it’s designed to make you not only more competitive for professional school, but to also build on your professional development. I believe that was definitely accomplished within my year there. It was a very quick year and our semesters were packed tight, but I learned a lot and I challenged myself.

I speak about this a little bit in not only the Forbes articles but in some other interviews that I’ve done: I got As for the first time. I wasn’t working other jobs, and that’s what I feel like made the biggest difference; for the first time, I could focus on being a student and I didn’t feel like I was being pulled in so many different directions. I was still active. I was president of two organizations and I also had a student government position. But I knew that with not having that financial responsibility or that financial stress and tension, I could finally focus on working through what I needed to do, fixing my deficiencies in the core sciences, learning how to study , and learning how to review information in a way that would work for me. That still works for me now in medical school.

When you were going through college and doing all this juggling, emotionally how did that feel, dealing with the adversity and the obstacles? [13:12]

At times I felt hopeless, and that’s me being completely honest. At times it felt impossible. I remember having periods of time where I would lean so much on my support system. I would call my friends after every class that was a little rough or speak to that one family member that knew and understood and really leaning on my support system. “Is this going to work? Is this going to happen? Is this ever going to become true?” That feeling can be really defeating at times, but that’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with those reminders that this is possible. You can do this.

For me, what that looks like is, and I speak about this a lot, I would put up post-its around my room of reminders like, “You can do this,” “You got this.” Another thing is I would always remember that I can take it a minute at a time, not even a day at a time. I can take it minute to minute, class to class, exam to exam. And when I got to that point, “Just keep going, just keep going. You got this,” that’s when things started to materialize. I know that feeling of hopelessness, I have been there, and it’s not permanent. I think that’s the key takeaway. It is not a permanent thing.

The second time you applied to medical school, you obviously were in a very different place. Was there anything then that you found difficult about the application process? [15:56]

At that point, I was out maybe a few months from my master’s program. My trajectory went from the master’s program straight into MCAT prep while finishing up classes for the master’s program. And then after that, I turned in the application while I was studying for the MCAT, which is not always advised, but at that point I felt pretty confident in the place that I was in at that time. After that, once my application was done, I started working on secondaries .

The thing that I think was most daunting was just keeping the energy going because after a 10 month intensive master’s and then going straight into MCAT, and then having secondaries, and then having interviews, it seemed like I couldn’t catch my breath. But the one nice thing about that moment is that I noticed the change. The first time I applied, I literally counted down rejections. To a degree, I was expecting them because I knew that I wasn’t as competitive as I could have been. Once I got the first one and the second one, I started realizing, okay, this might not happen. I might need another plan. But in the moment I thought, “Let me just keep the hope, keep hoping, keep hoping.” And when I got to that last rejection, I was like, “Okay, I need plan B.”

I found that plan B very quickly because I was so hungry and I was so determined. The second time around, things were a little bit different. I turned in my secondaries and then my score got released. Then I got additional secondaries based off of, I’m guessing, my score, which was amazing. That feeling of knowing your score got you onto a few more schools’ radars, that’s great. I remember the day that I got that first interview invite , and I didn’t get an interview the first time, so I was just beside myself. I was being emotional. I was happy. I was calling a bunch of people like, “Oh my gosh, I got my first interview!” And I had to travel for it, so I had to arrange a flight and all this stuff, and it was exciting. Even though I was tired at that point and I was a little bit worn out with just the rigor of the last year, when I got to that point where I started getting good news, I was like, “Okay, you are here. Let’s seal the deal. Let’s finish this off.” And that was the difference.

When you got your really good MCAT score, did you add schools to apply to at that point? Did you realize that your chances had improved? [18:48]

Actually, I did not. When you get your score, if you allow your score to be released, there’s certain boxes that you can check while you’re taking your exam to allow your score to be released to schools. It got released to schools and then they started waiving the secondaries for me to apply. So I could have increased the schools, which was amazing because that never happened before, but at the time I was working. I wasn’t really working a job that was as financially fulfilling as it should have been. With the job that I was working, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the flights and everything to go to all of the schools, but it was amazing to get those. It was maybe about 10 schools that had reached out that were willing to waive the secondary, and I was like, “Oh, I wish I could interview everywhere.” In the end, I went to five interviews and got two acceptances outright, and then three wait-list positions.

So now, you’re in medical school. You’re at Quinnipiac. What have you liked best about your medical school experience so far? [20:09]

I think the first two weeks of medical school, I had this unreal feeling that this was actually happening. I would just be sitting in class, and it would hit me like a wave. “You’re a medical student. You’re going to be a doctor.” Or I’d be in class, and they’d say something like, “Yes, with your future patients…” And I’d be like, “Oh my gosh, this is medical school.” It just constantly reminded me that wow, you’re here. This is what you have professed for years that was going to happen, and it’s finally here: it’s happening. So that was the first two weeks. That feeling was just great.

The nice thing about Quinnipiac is, as first and second years, you’re required to do four hours a week of clinical experience. I specifically stated that I wanted to be in an underserved community, and they met that ask, which was amazing. Getting to go into clinic four hours a week and see patients and interact with patients and having patients from similar backgrounds as me, that experience was just unreal because here I am, doing exactly what I said I wanted to do. I wanted to be in an underserved setting. I wanted to have those experiences with people I understood. There would be times where I would understand without them even having to explain what was going on, and I was able to advocate for people. I thought wow, this is happening already. That was a beautiful experience.

Another thing that has been my favorite, which is weird because, in all honesty, initially I was very nervous about it, was anatomy lab. At first, I struggled. I love anatomy; I didn’t struggle with the actual coursework. I struggled with the aspect of death. I never really got to process fully what it would be like to work with a donor. And I think, over time, being in anatomy lab, I warmed up and I got better. And by the time that COVID shut anatomy lab down, I was doing way better, and I was getting the full experience that I feel like the donor would have wanted me to have. That is something that I am so grateful for, and I am so grateful to everyone who donates their bodies to science because being able to learn in that manner, it has helped me so much more. I understand anatomy so much better.

What happened after COVID hit? [23:20]

I was actually on spring break when everything started shutting down, which was really kind of scary because I had classmates that were outside of the country. Then there was this talk of trying to get Americans out of countries, and it was a scramble. It was a really interesting time. I was with family, and I remember all those feelings from March of, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know how things are going to go.” I remember checking the numbers every day for New York and trying to make a decision. “Should I go back to Connecticut? Because if my school does continue with in-person, I’m going to be stuck here.” It was lots of little decisions. My brother, he was still in high school at the time, so he was still going in and out of the house every day, and I’m checking to see if he has a fever every time he comes home because the schools are still open in New York City at that point. I remember there being so much confusion. “What do we do?” And then the emails started coming in of the cancellations, and life for everybody went through a complete change. Things were different, and we all had to figure out how to adjust.

I went virtual, and it was so weird because I had a schedule, I had a routine, I was in a rhythm. And then I got knocked off that rhythm completely. I can’t leave my house, I’m ordering groceries to my house, I can’t go to the gym, I can’t see my classmates. We can’t be on campus. So many little changes and tweaks. And we were still learning, and we were still practicing clinical skills. It’s funny now, but in the moment it was very not funny, but we had to practice clinical skills on whatever we could find. I had classmates that were practicing on dolls and stuff just to get the technique down. It was an experience for sure. The nice thing was there was a little bit more time in my schedule because I wasn’t driving to different places. It did give me time to actually mentor and start speaking to different students and stuff that maybe needed help or needed guidance, so that was something that I did have more time on my schedule for. That’s definitely a positive.

Are you back at school now, and how is it? [26:00]

Yes. Now we’re on a hybrid model. We go in one day a week to meet with our standardized patients, our SPs. We meet with the SPs once a week and it’s a one-to-one-to-one: one student, one preceptor, and one SP. I go in for about 30 minutes or so, I practice my clinical skills that I’m supposed to practice that week, and then we rotate out and the next student comes in, and those students leave campus. We are back on campus. We’re allowed to study, of course with precautions and masks and hand sanitizing and being careful. And we’re also back at our clinical sites with full PPE. I have on a shield, I have on two masks, I have an N95. So there’s lots of precautions, but we are back at clinical sites.

How would you like your career to evolve after you finish medical school? Do you have an idea of what specialty you want to go into? [27:29]

I’m currently undecided. I am really excited because in April we start rotations, so I’ll officially be a third year. I really look forward to getting in the wards and being able to roll up my sleeves and get in there and learn. That’s the best feeling right now, looking forward to that. But I hope that I can narrow things down once I get onto the wards, because it’s hard to say now. There are so many things that I find interesting. There are things that I know I don’t see myself doing, but there are so many specialties that make me say, “Oh, this is really nice,” or, “Oh, that’s really cool.” For example, I like the work-life balance of certain specialties like emergency medicine. I liked the excitement and the fact that it’s something new every day. That is exciting. My clinical site is internal medicine, and I do like having that kind of continuity with the patient as well. I find that interesting, and I find those relationships really fulfilling. But then I think about surgery and I’m like, “Oh, that’s really interesting.” And then there’s the anatomy that comes in with that. That would be awesome because there’s so much anatomy. So I’m torn, but I’m hoping to narrow it down once I start third year.

If there was something that you could redo about your path to medicine, what would it be? [29:06]

I would start building a network and mentors sooner. I would have probably started in high school. There were a few people that I knew when I started high school, maybe one or two doctors, but I didn’t really have someone to tell me, “Hey, this is an option for you.” I didn’t learn about postbac and master’s programs until my junior year of college. I didn’t know those were a thing. I didn’t know that they were even an option for people who don’t have strong undergraduate or competitive undergraduate GPAs. Another thing that I didn’t know: I didn’t know that the fee assistance program existed. That’s through the AAMC to pay for application fees and MCAT fees. I didn’t know that that existed. There were so many things that I went out and found, but I found in the moment. If I had had someone that said, hey, do this or do that or don’t do this, even if it wasn’t a mentor that I spoke to every day, maybe we just checked in once a week or once a month, I would’ve gotten to this point sooner. I believe that everything does happen for a reason, and I do believe that your journey is unique to you, and things kind of fall into place when they’re supposed to, but it would have been nicer to get to this point sooner. Maybe I would have saved some money also. I did apply the first time, and I did take the MCAT three times, so if I would’ve saved some money also, that would have been very helpful.

When you talk about mentors, are they physicians? Are they medical students, or students a couple of years ahead of you? [30:44]

Personally, I have more mentors than I do friends. I have mentors with every aspect of my life. If there’s something that someone’s doing that I think is amazing, no matter what the field is, if I think it’s amazing, if it’s something that I can see myself maybe also doing, I’m reaching out to that person. Even if they don’t get back to me, that’s fine because I saw that thing in them that made me say, “Wow, this would be great.” And I took that chance, and if it works out, great. If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay too. But I believe that you can have mentors for anything. I have mentors that are a year ahead of me. I have mentors literally at every step ahead of me in terms of life at Quinnipiac. I have a mentor who’s a third year and a fourth year. I have mentors who are already attendings. I have mentors who are residents. I have every type.

I know it seems like it could be too much information, but I’m very specific about what I ask and what I expect of every mentorship relationship. I go in with a goal, and I know that through this relationship, I’m communicating, “I want to get to this goal. If you’re okay with it, can we get me to this goal together?” And in a mentorship, you can give also. If it’s a research relationship, and you have an intention of publishing this particular research, and there’s an expert in the field and they decide to mentor you, you should also be willing to help them as well. There has to be a give in a mentorship also. I feel like you can never have too many mentors. If there is conflicting information, then it does get a little bit confusing. But most of the time, if you have a set goal, things will fall into place, and you’ll work on achieving that specific goal with that mentor.

Are you mentoring any premeds now? [32:48]

Yes, I have about 31 premed students that I mentor. It’s fulfilling because I am the mentor that I wished that I had. One thing that’s important when you are a mentor is managing expectations and setting a stage for how things will work in the relationship. My mentees know that if I don’t get back to them within 10, 15 minutes of them reaching out, I will get back to them. I won’t just never reach out or never respond. I will get back to them. And they also know that there’s items that they can ask me and I’ll be able to point them in the right direction. That’s something that’s expected and set up from the beginning. I take those relationships very seriously because I remember what it felt like not having information and not having guidance, and I don’t want anyone to feel like that.

Where can listeners find you online to learn more about you? [34:02]

I’m on Instagram at @simply_soso , and I also have a YouTube page at simplysotonye . You can also reach out to me at [email protected].

Related Links:

• Sotonye Douglas’s Instagram page
• Sotonye Douglas’s YouTube page
• The Best Timeline for Applying to Medical School
• Accepted Medical School Admissions Services

Related Shows:

• A Medical School Admissions Expert’s Guide to Postbacs and Med Schools
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How to Write the Medical School Secondary Diversity Essay

• By Med School Insiders
• June 13, 2022
• Secondary Application

The medical school secondary diversity essay exists because admissions committees want to ensure their campus is as diverse as possible. Medical schools want to attract applicants from all walks of life so that each student contributes something unique to the student body. The diversity essay is an opportunity for applicants to discuss their minority background or otherwise unique history or identity and how their uniqueness will contribute to the college community.

In this post, we’ll break down why this prompt is asked, what admissions committees are looking for, and how to best answer it.

Medical School Secondaries

The AMCAS application opens for the following year’s medical school class around the first week of May. Submissions open around the end of May to early June, so you have a month to prepare your primary application. Therefore, if you hope to begin medical school in the fall of 2023, you must apply in the spring of 2022.

Your secondary applications will take about two to four weeks to arrive after you submit your primary application. Secondaries must be completed as soon as possible without compromising quality. We recommend taking no longer than 7-14 days to submit each secondary you receive.

This is especially true because, at Med School Insiders, we recommend applicants apply to around 20 different medical schools . This could mean receiving 20 different secondaries, all within the same general time frame.

For more information about ideal scheduling, read our Medical School Application Timeline Guide .

Why Do Schools Include a Diversity Essay?

Colleges, and not just medical schools, believe their college culture, community, and campus learning experience can be enriched by including a wide array of different backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and beliefs. Therefore, many admissions committees assign a diversity essay so that each applicant can explain in their own words how their identity and background will help enhance the student body at large.

Diversity essays are an opportunity for applicants with minority backgrounds, unique family histories, an unconventional education, or otherwise distinctive experiences to explain how their uniqueness will add to the campus community.

How to Answer the Medical School Secondary Diversity Essay

1 | diversity comes in many forms.

This is an extremely important point, as many applicants who don’t come from a specific socioeconomic or ethnocultural background believe they are unable to add diversity to a prospective medical school class. This is a common misconception. Diversity isn’t limited to the color of your skin or which religion your family belongs to.

Did you experience a non-traditional upbringing growing up? This could include losing a family member, having a sibling or family member with a health concern or disability, growing up in a single parent home, needing to work at a young age, or much more. There are many, many factors that could contribute to your diversity.

Focus on your story. Which personal qualities make you unique? What aspect of your personal identity, upbringing, or family has separated you from your peers?

2 | What is Your Personal Identity?

If you’re stuck on what direction to take this essay, take time to look inward and consider your own identity. Who are you? What kind of person are you? What makes you, well, you? What makes you unique from other candidates?

Your identity is made up of a number of different factors, including your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and health.

You might also consider any non-traditional experiences you’ve had or a non-traditional upbringing.

• What was your home life like?
• What was your financial situation growing up?
• What is your family’s education level?
• How much did you have to work when you were younger?
• Do you come from a multicultural background?
• Have you experienced a personal health scare?
• Do you have family members who have significant health concerns?
• Have you lost close family members?
• Did you lose a parent at a young age?
• Did you grow up in a single parent home?
• Have you experienced any kind of traumatic event that has informed your values and identity?

3 | Get Personal

Don’t hold back when sharing your experiences. Surface-level stories or bland anecdotes will not stand out. What personal details can you add that will better illustrate your points?

Describe in detail how the experience made you feel. What did you learn? What qualities have you developed as a result of the experience? How will you apply what you learned and the qualities you earned to your medical education and eventual career?

At the same time, remember that your experience may be brought up during your interview. Anything you mention in your application is fair game to be asked about on the interview trail. Do not write about any experience you will be unable to speak about in person. It’s good to be open and show vulnerability, but it’s also vital that you maintain your composure during your interview.

If you don’t think you can speak about the experience face-to-face with an interviewer, leave it out of your essay.

4 | Don’t Repeat Yourself

You may have been asked a diversity question in your primary application, or you may have chosen to focus on this aspect of your life in your personal statement.

Do not repeat yourself in your secondary. Admissions committees already have access to your primary application. Repeating the same stories won’t provide adcoms with any additional insight into who you are. The secondaries are an opportunity to add something new to your story.

If you’re going to touch on an experience, moment, or lesson you’ve already mentioned, ensure that you are adding to it. You must provide a notable amount of additional context if you utilize the same examples in your secondaries.

5 | Continue Crafting Your Narrative

An essential piece of a successful primary application is the cohesive narrative you build throughout it about who you are and why you want to be a doctor. The secondary application is no different. The diversity essay is an opportunity to continue the narrative you established in your primary application.

It’s important that the diversity essay fits well with the rest of your secondary application. Each piece of the application should add to your story and provide additional context about how you’ve arrived at where you are today.

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

Medical School Secondary Diversity Essay Examples

There are a number of different directions you can take your diversity essay.

You might discuss a time when you or someone you care about experienced prejudice. How did that experience make you feel? What did you learn? How did it shape who you are? If you took action in response to this, what action did you take? Did you try to support others who are experiencing prejudice?

You might discuss the difficulties you’ve had growing up with parents who have different values than your own. How did these differences change your relationship with your family? How did that conflict in your life shape who you are today? Were you able to resolve your differences with your family, or did you need to prioritize your own needs and identity?

You might discuss how your cultural background has been a positive influence on your life. How has learning another language and participating in cultural values distinct from those of the US shaped who you are? What have you learned from the traditional values of your family? How can you apply what you’ve learned to interacting with people who come from other ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds?

You might discuss how from a very young age you needed to help support your family financially. How did taking on that burden when you were young shape you? How were you able to help and support your family? Was it financially or with your time? What did you learn from that experience growing up, and how has it informed your priorities and outlook on life?

Other Common Secondary Questions

The diversity essay is only one of the common medical school secondary prompts you can expect to see in one form or another. Knowing which questions are likely to appear on secondaries will help you prepare your answers in advance.

Some of the most common secondary questions include:

• Why are you a good fit for our school?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you want to be a doctor?
• Why us? / Why do you want to join this program?
• Describe a moral or ethical dilemma you faced. What did you learn from the experience?
• Describe a time when you failed and what you learned.
• Did you take time off after undergrad? What did you achieve during this time?
• Where do you see yourself in ten years?

With these questions in mind, start writing your responses to common secondary questions long before you actually receive your secondaries. Once you do receive a secondary, deeply research the program and tailor your answers to suit their values and offerings.

Learn more about the complete secondary process and how to plan ahead in our Medical School Secondary Application Guide .

Secondary Application Editing With Med School Insiders

We get it. We understand how long you’ve already been working on the application process,  but now is not the time to give up. It’s time to knuckle down and drive this thing home.

Med School Insiders can help. Our Medical School Secondary Application Editing services will help you write the kind of singular secondary applications that will get you noticed by your top choice medical schools. Our doctor advisors have served on medical school admissions committees, and they’ve read hundreds of secondary essays. Our team will help you craft a stellar secondary application tailored to each school you apply to.

Med School Insiders

2024-2025 Medical School Application Timeline and Monthly Schedule

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

Medical School Secondary Application FAQ (9 Questions Answered)

We compiled a list of medical school secondary application FAQs to answer the questions we hear most often, including costs, due dates, and what to expect.

2024 Medical School Secondary Application Guide

Learn how to create a stand out medical school secondary application, including secondary deadlines, costs, the types of questions asked, and important FAQs.

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Customer Note Premed Preclinical Med Student Clinical Med Student

Stop COVID Cohort: An Observational Study of 3480 Patients Admitted to the Sechenov University Hospital Network in Moscow City for Suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection

Collaborators.

• Sechenov StopCOVID Research Team : Anna Berbenyuk ,  Polina Bobkova ,  Semyon Bordyugov ,  Aleksandra Borisenko ,  Ekaterina Bugaiskaya ,  Olesya Druzhkova ,  Dmitry Eliseev ,  Yasmin El-Taravi ,  Natalia Gorbova ,  Elizaveta Gribaleva ,  Rina Grigoryan ,  Shabnam Ibragimova ,  Khadizhat Kabieva ,  Alena Khrapkova ,  Natalia Kogut ,  Karina Kovygina ,  Margaret Kvaratskheliya ,  Maria Lobova ,  Anna Lunicheva ,  Anastasia Maystrenko ,  Daria Nikolaeva ,  Anna Pavlenko ,  Olga Perekosova ,  Olga Romanova ,  Olga Sokova ,  Veronika Solovieva ,  Olga Spasskaya ,  Ekaterina Spiridonova ,  Olga Sukhodolskaya ,  Shakir Suleimanov ,  Nailya Urmantaeva ,  Olga Usalka ,  Margarita Zaikina ,  Anastasia Zorina ,  Nadezhda Khitrina

Affiliations

• 1 Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Institute of Child's Health, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 2 Inflammation, Repair, and Development Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
• 3 Soloviev Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia.
• 4 School of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom.
• 5 Biobank, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 6 Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 7 Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
• 8 Department of Polymers and Composites, N. N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Moscow, Russia.
• 9 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
• 10 Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
• 11 Institute for Urology and Reproductive Health, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 12 Department of Intensive Care, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 13 Clinic of Pulmonology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 14 Department of Internal Medicine No. 1, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 15 Department of Forensic Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• 16 Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
• 17 Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
• 18 Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
• 19 Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
• 20 Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
• PMID: 33035307
• PMCID: PMC7665333
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1535

Background: The epidemiology, clinical course, and outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Russian population are unknown. Information on the differences between laboratory-confirmed and clinically diagnosed COVID-19 in real-life settings is lacking.

Methods: We extracted data from the medical records of adult patients who were consecutively admitted for suspected COVID-19 infection in Moscow between 8 April and 28 May 2020.

Results: Of the 4261 patients hospitalized for suspected COVID-19, outcomes were available for 3480 patients (median age, 56 years; interquartile range, 45-66). The most common comorbidities were hypertension, obesity, chronic cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Half of the patients (n = 1728) had a positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while 1748 had a negative RT-PCR but had clinical symptoms and characteristic computed tomography signs suggestive of COVID-19. No significant differences in frequency of symptoms, laboratory test results, and risk factors for in-hospital mortality were found between those exclusively clinically diagnosed or with positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR. In a multivariable logistic regression model the following were associated with in-hospital mortality: older age (per 1-year increase; odds ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.06), male sex (1.71; 1.24-2.37), chronic kidney disease (2.99; 1.89-4.64), diabetes (2.1; 1.46-2.99), chronic cardiovascular disease (1.78; 1.24-2.57), and dementia (2.73; 1.34-5.47).

Conclusions: Age, male sex, and chronic comorbidities were risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The combination of clinical features was sufficient to diagnose COVID-19 infection, indicating that laboratory testing is not critical in real-life clinical practice.

Keywords: COVID-19; Russia; SARS-CoV-2; cohort; mortality risk factors.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected].

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• 20-04-60063/Russian Foundation for Basic Research

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Should Med Schools Strive To Produce Competent Physicians Or Social Activists?

Related articles.

Medical schools emphasizing DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) as criteria for admissions is a prescription for disaster

The late politician and sociologist Daniel Patrick Moynihan coined the phrase "defining deviancy down" to describe the tendency of societies to respond to destructive behaviors by lowering standards for what is permissible. Texas physician Dr. Yakov Gizersky described a lamentable example of this in a letter to the Wall Street Journal , expressing his surprise at the influence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives on medical school admissions. 

He related that he had recently become aware of how “politicized the selection and training of …future physicians has become” while his son was applying to medical schools. Dr. Gizersky described his epiphany thusly:

Nearly all the schools requested multiple essays providing a detailed explanation of the applicant’s dedication to DEI and participating in DEI-related activism. Some schools had essays querying the applicant’s activism for or opinion of progressive border policies. Most also requested that students discuss how they have been adversely affected by systematic racism (and if they haven’t been affected, then they should discuss what they plan to do to fight systemic racism, anyway).

Finally, he noted that some medical schools have stopped requiring applicants to take the Medical College Admission Test, a useful predictor of medical school performance, for “ specific applicant groups .” (Emphasis added.)

Dr. Gizerky’s observations took me back…  When I entered medical school at the University of California, San Diego, in the 1970s, a requirement for graduation was passing both parts of the medical board exams, the "med boards." Part One tested knowledge of basic science; Part Two, clinical medicine. For several years, the medical school had conducted an aggressive program of recruiting and admitting under-qualified minority students. It turned out that they could scrape by on Part One, but many were failing Part Two.

That was not a surprise to my classmates and me. Grades on exams were posted not by students' names but as curves. Ordinarily, you would expect the grades to fall in what's called a "standard normal distribution," or “bell-shaped curve,” that looks something like this :

That implied, correctly, that there were two distinct populations represented by the scores, and we quickly ascertained that the lower distribution consisted of the under-qualified minority students.

Instead of tightening the admissions criteria, the administration responded by lowering the graduation requirement to passing Part One and just taking , but not necessarily passing, Part Two. Nary, a peep was heard from the faculty about this lowering of standards.

This sort of social engineering at medical schools has not been uncommon. Stanley Goldfarb, M.D., a retired dean for curriculum and co-director of the renal division at the University of Pennsylvania's medical school, has repeatedly criticized the trend toward allowing "social justice" considerations to play a dominant role in medical schools' admissions and curricula. He founded a nonprofit called Do No Harm , which aims "to combat discriminatory practices in medicine."

Dr. Gizersky ended his letter to the editor with this observation: “Medical students are already faced with learning more information than ever, and we can’t afford to have medical schools produce better activists than physicians.”  I agree, but I would put it somewhat differently: When you're admitted to the hospital for complicated cardiac or neurosurgery, do you want it to be done by the most competent and accomplished surgeon or by one who was admitted to medical school and residency because he or she was a member of an underrepresented group?

By Henry I. Miller, MS, MD

Henry I. Miller, MS, MD, is the Glenn Swogger Distinguished Fellow at the American Council on Science and Health. His research focuses on public policy toward science, technology, and medicine, encompassing a number of areas, including pharmaceutical development, genetic engineering, models for regulatory reform, precision medicine, and the emergence of new viral diseases. Dr. Miller served for fifteen years at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a number of posts, including as the founding director of the Office of Biotechnology.

Latest from Henry I. Miller, MS, MD :

34 Best Medical schools in Moscow, Russia

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in Moscow ranked based on their research performance in Medicine. A graph of 922K citations received by 111K academic papers made by 34 universities in Moscow was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Moscow State University

For Medicine

2. Moscow Medical Academy

3. Russian National Research Medical University

4. RUDN University

5. National Research University Higher School of Economics

6. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

7. National Research Nuclear University MEPI

8. Bauman Moscow State Technical University

9. N.R.U. Moscow Power Engineering Institute

10. Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

11. Moscow State Pedagogical University

12. National University of Science and Technology "MISIS"

13. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia

14. Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation

15. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

16. Moscow Aviation Institute

17. Moscow State Institute of International Relations

18. Russian State Social University

19. Russian State Agricultural University

20. National Research University of Electronic Technology

21. Russian State University of Oil and Gas

22. new economic school.

23. Russian State University for the Humanities

24. Moscow State Technological University "Stankin"

25. State University of Management

26. Moscow State University of Railway Engineering

27. Moscow Polytech

28. Moscow Technical University - MIREA

29. Moscow State Linguistic University

30. Moscow State Mining University

31. Moscow International University

32. Pushkin State Russian Language Institute

33. Russian State Geological Prospecting University

34. moscow state technical university of civil aviation.

Universities for Medicine near Moscow

Medicine subfields in moscow.