Updated Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts (2024-2025)

What is Inspira’s Secondary Essay Prompt Database?

A complete list of med school secondary essay prompts designed to help you stay proactive and organized during the 2023-2024 admissions process. 

(Note: We recommend using this resource alongside our free 109-page Medical School Admissions guide)

Medical school secondary essays are the second component of the application process. Each school has its own set of application requirements, whereas the primary application is a single submission sent to multiple schools through AMCAS, TMDSAS, or AACOMAS. Inspira Advantage's help with admissions can be your ticket into your dream program.

Secondary applications typically consist of a series of questions or essay prompts. While the specific questions may vary from one school to another, they often overlap. If you submitted your primary application in June, you can anticipate receiving secondary applications starting in July and continuing throughout the summer.

However, it's worth noting that not all schools send applications to every applicant. Some schools utilize the application as a screening tool and only extend secondaries to students they wish to further consider for admission.

Purpose of Medical School Secondary Essays

Med school secondary essays offer an opportunity to showcase how your aspirations and principles align with the school you wish to attend. They also allow you to demonstrate how you can contribute to their program as a student. These essays help schools ensure that you are a fit for their program and provide insights about you beyond what is covered in your AMCAS work and activities section. 

If you're looking for tips and insights on composing effective responses for medical school secondary essays, check out our guide. This resource will offer guidance to help your application stand out!

You can also find plenty of sample secondary essays in our database. Looking at successful submissions will provide an example of what works in a secondary med school essay and what techniques you can use to write one that stands out!

Common Med School Secondary Prompts

Below are 5 common prompts you will likely find in your secondaries:

1. Describe yourself…
2. Why did you choose to apply to our program? / Why are you a great fit for our school?
3. The mission of our school is ___. How would you help us fulfill this mission?
4. Where do you see your medical career ___ years from now?
5. Discuss a time in your life in which you failed. What did you learn?

Example School-Specific Prompts

Take a look below at the most recent secondary essay prompts from the T5 med schools in the country:

Harvard Medical School

1. Marital Status
2. Are your parents/guardians Harvard Medical School alumni (MD or MD-PhD) or faculty members? On average, how many hours per week did you devote to employment during the academic year?
3. If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. (4000 characters)
4. If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity not addressed elsewhere in the application that may illuminate how you could contribute to the medical school and that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, or other aspects of your personal or family background to place your prior academic achievements in context or provide further information about your motivation for a career in medicine or the perspectives you might bring to the medical school community. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. (4000 characters)
5. The interview season for the 2024-2025 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2025. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank. (1000 characters)

‍

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

1. Is there an area of medicine or a particular medical specialty at Johns Hopkins that interests you and why? (400 word limit)
2. Briefly describe your single, most rewarding experience. Feel free to refer to an experience previously described in your AMCAS application if needed (400 word limit)
3. Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity. Include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician (400 word limit)
4. Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from the experience? (400 word limit)
5. Wonder encapsulates a feeling of rapt attention…it draws the observer in. Tell us about a time in recent years where you experienced wonder in your everyday life. Although experiences related to your clinical or research work may be the first to come to mind, we encourage you to think of an experience that is unrelated to medicine or science. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word limit)
6. Please review the Johns Hopkins Medicine Equity Statement before answering the question below: The purpose of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and a potential medical student. Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to apply to Johns Hopkins Medicine and what has influenced your desire to become a physician in a Medical community that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. You may address any subject you wish, such as being a first-generation college student, or being a part of a minority group, (whether because of your gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnicity, socio-economic status, political affiliation, first-generation status, religion, etc.) or being the child of undocumented immigrants or being undocumented yourself, etc. (500 word limit)
7. (OPTIONAL) Would you like to share any additional information with the Admissions Committee about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application?This space can also address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider (300 words)

‍

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

1. Were there changes to your academic professional and/or personal circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic that you would like to share with the committee? (Y/N) (If yes, 500 characters max.)
2. During the COVID-19 pandemic, if you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here. (500 characters)
3. Independently of the COVID-19 pandemic, have you taken any online courses for credit? (Y/N) (If yes, list the courses.)
4. Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization? (Y/N) (If yes, list.)
5. Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? (Y/N) (If yes, 500 characters max.)
6. Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application? (Y/N) (If yes, 1000 characters max.)
7. Did you participate in a pre-medical enrichment or pathway program during your undergraduate studies? (Y/N) (If yes, 1000 characters max.)
8. The Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) is deeply committed to recruiting a class inclusive of diverse perspectives and experiences; this enriches the instruction we provide, enhances team-based learning, and ensures our students’ preparation to address the health needs of a pluralistic society. How would your life experiences contribute to the student body and how would you contribute to an inclusive atmosphere at PSOM? Please explain and limit your response to 1,000 characters.
9. We are all navigating through challenging times at home and abroad, and physicians and physician-scientists must contend with many instances of uncertainty. Please describe a time when you faced a situation that was ambiguous, confusing, or uncertain, and how you navigated making a decision without complete information. (3000 characters)
10. Do you identify as a first-generation college graduate and/or having a low-income background? We recognize that the definition of “low income” can vary based on geographic location, zip code, and size of your household, but there are some factors typically associated with being low-income, such as qualifying for free/reduced lunch in middle/high school, receiving Pell grants or work-study aid during college, qualifying for Medicaid/Social Security benefits, or attending a high school with low per capita funding, Title 1 designation and/or a low percentage of seniors receiving a high school diploma. (Y/N)
11. Have you or your family experienced economic hardships, regardless of current income status? (Y/N) (If yes, 1000 characters max.)
12. Have you ever been employed at the University of Pennsylvania Health System or Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and worked with a University of Pennsylvania faculty mentor(s)? If yes, please indicate name, department, phone number of faculty member(s), and start/end dates (Y/N) (If yes, list only; no essay is required.)
13. Please share your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine. (1000-character limit)

‍

Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

1. Have you previously applied to Medical School? (200 characters)
2. If you took time off from your undergraduate studies, please briefly summarize your reasons for doing so. (250 words)
3. Did you work for compensation during college (either during the school year or summers)? If so, what did you do? How many hours a week did you work? (300 words)
4. If you have graduated from college, please briefly summarize what you have done in the interim. (300 words)
5. Please describe your most meaningful leadership positions. (300 words)
6. Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (300 words)
7. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (400 words)

‍

Duke University School of Medicine

This prompt appears before the other questions below:

• Share with us your story. This is your opportunity to allow us to know how you wish to be addressed, recognized and treated. (500 Words)
  

The rest of the questions:

1. Trust and rapport are essential in your day-to-day interactions with people. How do you cultivate a relationship with a person who may be very different from you? (400 words)
2. Describe a situation in which you chose to advocate for someone who was different from you or for a cause or idea that was different from yours. Define your view of advocacy. What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? (400 words)
3. Not achieving a goal or one’s desire can sometimes be disheartening. What have you discovered from your setbacks and disappointments and how does this translate to your current way of thinking? (400 words)
4. What do you value most as a leader and as a contributor? What attributes do you possess as a leader and as a team member and how do you apply them on a daily basis? (400 words)
5. Critical thinking involves a number of characteristics. Research experience enhances critical analysis skills. Describe any research experience or similar experience in which you utilized critical thinking. How will critical thinking be important in your future career? (400 words)
6. Your career in medicine may place increasing demands for your time. While in medical school, how will you balance your educational commitment and your outside interests? (400 words)