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100+ Medical School Secondary Essay Examples (Free)

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Med School Secondary Essay Database

Are you applying to med school and struggling with your secondary essays? Seeing successful examples can inspire you!

Whether your passion for medicine began with a childhood hospital visit or was inspired by a personal experience with a loved one, your story is unique. Using it as a foundation for your essays can be powerful, but knowing how to share your journey effectively can be daunting.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by what to include and how to articulate your interest in medicine, don't worry. Viewing real medical school secondary essay examples that helped students get into their dream schools can provide the guidance you need. 

The Importance of Essays for Medical School

Before exploring med school secondary essay examples, it's important to understand why these essays matter. Med schools want to learn more about their potential students. 

Secondary essays allow you to showcase important traits such as compassion and perseverance and add a personal touch to your application.

A strong secondary essay can persuade admissions to accept or deny you admission into medical school. Writing compelling secondary essays is crucial to improving your chances of getting accepted!

A strong secondary essay can persuade admissions to accept or deny you admission into medical school. Since writing compelling secondary essays is crucial to improving your chances of getting accepted, getting med school application support from experts is a smart move! These counselors will help you craft essays perfectly tailored to your top schools, highlighting your greatest strengths.

Examples of Medical School Secondary Essays

Our database includes 25 examples of med school secondary essays reviewed by expert admission counselors.

Use these examples to inspire and understand what admissions committees seek. Pay attention to their opening statements, the experiences they share, and how they express their passion for medicine and future goals.

Here are key elements these successful essays have in common:

  • Engaging narratives: Start with an intriguing story to capture attention.
  • Clear interests: Explain why you’re interested in a career in medicine.
  • Highlight strengths: Share your relevant skills and experiences that make you a strong candidate for medical school.
  • Future goals: Clearly outline your aspirations and enthusiasm for becoming a doctor.
  • Strong conclusions: Summarize your essay with a strong conclusion that reinforces why you’d be a great physician.

Understanding these key elements and seeing real examples of them will assist you when writing your own excellent secondary essays that increase your chances of acceptance to top medical schools.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers. 

1. What Are Secondary Essays for Medical School?

Secondary essays are designed to ask applicants specific questions about their experiences, goals, and views on different topics, including why they want to attend medical school.

2. What Do Medical Schools Look For in Secondaries?

Medical schools look for applicants who answer these essay prompts: “Why our school?", "Cultural Competency," "Overcoming Challenges," and "Future Goals" directly. These prompts are designed so that med schools know who you are as a person and why you want to attend medical school. 

3. How Long Should a Medical School Secondary Essay Be?

The length of a medical school secondary essay is dependent on the school. Some schools may have a higher word count than others. However, you can expect your secondary essay to be shorter than your personal statement. 

4. Do Med School Secondary Essays Change Every Year?

It’s been said that around 70% to 80% of essay prompts will remain the same or similar. If essay prompts do change, they tend to be similar to past prompts.

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