Lesson 9: Sample Organizational Approach

Because people are often most interested in demystifying the process of applying to the most selective of institutions, we’ll pretend we’re a highly motivated, highly accomplished prospective applicant who will only be applying to the US News and World Report Top 10 Medical Schools. 

With this, we will examine the types of Secondary Essays required for each of these schools and lay out an approach for tackling all the necessary writing requirements for each of these ten schools. Here, we’ll look at the prompts, categorize them, and arrange a plan of attack for them.

While we are looking at Top 10 Schools, only those who have already cured cancer should have solely Top 10 Schools on their list. Rather, you want a balanced list that includes a mix of target, reach, and safety schools, based on average GPAs and MCAT scores. Regardless, the organizational methods can be applied to whatever your school list is.  

While there are some oddballs, many schools have overlapping or related essay prompts with often varying word counts. The steps below illustrate the principles and methods of consolidating these prompts so that you can develop a plan and schedule that feels less daunting.

Compile all essay prompts into a single document

Although simple, applicants often prefer to keep each school’s prompts in separate documents organized in folders. While this is helpful in later stages, it’s important to see all the work you have ahead of you so that you can draw connections between different prompts and see them all together.

Begin to highlight and organize similar prompts

The easiest way to do this is with different colored highlighters in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Color coding allows you to visually see the similarities in prompts between schools. 

In a separate document or sheet of paper, take the related prompts and organize by word count

It’s almost always easier to start with a longer essay and cut it down than to start with a shorter essay and scale up. Begin writing the longest prompts first, and then the easy part comes.

Create a reasonable plan of attack

Consider writing just one essay per day. Give yourself time to let ideas percolate. 

Below, you’ll find the Secondary Essay Prompts for the Top 10 Medical Schools:

·       Harvard

·       Johns Hopkins

·       University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)

·       New York University (NYU)

·       Stanford

·       Columbia

·       The Mayo Clinic

·       University of California — Los Angeles (UCLA)

·       University of California — San Francisco (UCSF)

·       Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U). 

Harvard 

• If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation.

• If there is an important aspect of your background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4000 character maximum)

Johns Hopkins

• Briefly describe your single, most rewarding experience. Feel free to refer to an experience previously described in your AMCAS application. (max 2,500 characters)

• 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. (max 2,500 characters)

• Are there any areas of medicine that are of particular interest to you? If so, please comment. (max 2,500 characters)

• Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from the experience? (max 2,500 characters)

• Wonder encapsulates a feeling of rapt attention … it draws the observer in. Tell us about a time in recent years that 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? (max 2,500 characters)

• The Admissions Committee values hearing about each candidate for admission, including what qualities the candidate might bring to the School of Medicine if admitted. If you feel there is information not already addressed in the application that will enable the Committee to know more about you and this has influenced your desire to be a physician, feel free to write a brief statement in the space below. 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 sexual orientation, religion, economic status, gender identity, ethnicity) or being the child of undocumented immigrants, or being undocumented yourself, etc. Please note that this question is optional and that you will not be penalized should you choose not to answer it. (optional)

UPenn

• Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization? (allows you to list them)

• Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If so explain in 500 characters or less

• Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application? If so, explain in 1,000 characters or less

• Are there any special, unique, personal, or challenging aspects of your personal background or circumstances that you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions, not addressed elsewhere (siblings/relatives at Penn, applying as a couple, educational environment, culture, ethnicity, etc.) Please explain and limit your response to 1,000 characters.

• Have you or your family experienced economic hardships? Y/N then 1,000 characters again

• Have you been employed at the University of Pennsylvania Health System or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and worked with a Penn faculty mentor? If yes, please indicate name, department, phone number of faculty, and start/end dates

• Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters.

NYU

• If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record, which are not explained elsewhere on your application. (2500 characters)

• If you have taken any time off from your studies, either during or after college, please describe what you have done during this time and your reasons for doing so. (2500 characters)

• The Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to evaluate a wide range of student qualities and life experiences that are complementary to demonstrated academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills, and leadership potential. What unique qualities or experiences do you possess that would contribute specifically to the NYU School of Medicine community? (2500 characters)

• The ultimate goal of our institution is to produce a population of physicians with a collective desire to improve health of all segments of our society through the outstanding patient care, research, and education. In this context, where do you see your future medical career (academic medicine, research, public health, primary care, business/law, etc.) and why? Your answer need not be restricted to one category. If your plans require that you complete a dual degree program, please elaborate here. (2500 characters)

• Please answer only one of the following three questions. (2500 characters). You should choose and respond to one of the questions below.

• The most meaningful achievements are often non-academic in nature. Describe the personal accomplishment that makes you most proud. Why is this important to you?

• Conflicts arise daily from differences in perspectives, priorities, worldviews and traditions. How do you define respect? Describe a situation in which you found it challenging to remain respectful while facing differences.

• Describe a situation in which working with a colleague, family member or friend has been challenging. How did you resolve, if at all, the situation as a team and what did you gain from the experience that will benefit you as a future health care provider?

Stanford 

• The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important and/or challenging factors in your background which may include such discussions as the quality of your early education, gender, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, and life or work experiences. Please describe how these factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and may help you to uniquely contribute to the Stanford learning environment. (2,000 characters including spaces)

• Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals and clinical practice setting: Academic Medicine (Clinical), Academic Medicine (Physician Scientist), Non-Academic Clinical Practice, Health Policy, Health Administration, Primary Care, Public Health/Community Health, Global Health. Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1,000 characters including spaces.)

• How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1,000 characters including spaces).

• Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges, or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Include any impact on your medical school application preparation in the areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service, and/or clinical experiences. (1,000 characters including spaces)

• Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (1,000 characters including spaces) (Optional)

Columbia

• Did you work for compensation during college, during the year, or the summer? (300 words)

• Please describe your most meaningful leadership positions. (300 words)

• Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (300 words)

• Anything else? (300 words)

Mayo Clinic

• Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine even if you gain acceptances to other highly ranked medical schools? (500 words)

• We are all differentiated from or connected to one another by individual inflections that constitute our diversity. Explain how your relationship with your own diversity and to the diversities of others manifests in your personal and professional activities. (500 words)

• Share with us your thoughts about the relevance – or not – of diverse learning environments in which you wish to learn medicine. (500 words)

UCLA 

• Describe your involvement in the one most important non-academic activity in your life. (800 char)

• What has been the one most unique leadership, entrepreneurial or creative activity in which you participated? (800 char)

• What has been the one most important volunteer work you have done and why was it meaningful? (800 char)

• Has there been or will there be a gap between achieving your last degree (baccalaureate or other degrees post baccalaureate) and the expected time of medical school matriculation? (300 char to explain if yes)

• What is the one most important honor you have received? Why do you view this as important? (300 char)

• What has been your most scholarly project (thesis, research or field of study in basic or clinical science or in the humanities)? Describe one and give number of hours, dates and advisor. (300 char)

• Describe a problem in your life. Include how you dealt with it and how it influenced your growth. (500 char)

• Please list any major paid work experience during or since college. (4000 characters per work experience)

• Is there any hardship to which you would like the committee to give special attention in evaluating your application? (500 char)

• Where do you see yourself post-graduate education? What experiences have led you to this goal? (500 char)

• Describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your pathway to medical school. Include any academic, personal, financial or professional barriers, as well as any other relevant information.

UCSF

• Applicants are interviewed by invitation only. Interviews are scheduled from late September to February (days vary). For the 2021 interview season, we will conduct interviews remotely.

• If you wish to update or expand upon your activities, you may provide additional information below. (500 words)

• If you are 2017 or earlier college graduate, please use the space below to tell us what you have done since completing your undergraduate degree. (350 words)

WashU

• Have you already completed your undergraduate education, have you had your college or graduate education interrupted, or do you plan not to be a full-time student during your application year? If you select “yes,” this question appears: Describe in chronological order your activities during the time(s) when you were not enrolled as a full-time student. (2000 char limit)

• Optional

  • Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (3000 char limit)

  • Is there anything else you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions? Some applicants use this space to describe unique experiences and obstacles such as significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, and/or identification with a particular culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity. (3000 char limit)

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