East Tennessee James H. Quillen Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page.

About East Tennessee JaMES H. Quillen College

Secondary Deadline: November 15
Secondary Fee: $50
FAP Waiver: Yes
CASPer Required: Yes
Screens Applications: Yes
Accepts Application Updates:

Values

ETSU provides a student-centered community of learning, reflecting high standards and promoting a balance of liberal arts and professional preparation, and continuous improvement. The university conducts a wide array of educational and research programs and clinical services including a comprehensive Academic Health Sciences Center. Education is the university’s highest priority, and the institution is committed to increasing the level of educational attainment in the state and region based on core values where:
PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential; RELATIONSHIPS are built on honesty, integrity, and trust; DIVERSITY of people and thought is respected; EXCELLENCE is achieved through teamwork, leadership, creativity, and a strong work ethic; EFFICIENCY is achieved through wise use of human and financial resources; and COMMITMENT to intellectual achievement is embraced.
ETSU endorses the value of liberal education and provides enriching experiences in honors education, student research and creative activity, study abroad, service learning, and community-based education.
ETSU honors and preserves the rich heritage of Southern Appalachia through distinctive education, research, and service programs and is actively engaged in regional stewardship.
ETSU affirms the contributions of diverse people, cultures, and thought to intellectual, social, and economic development.
ETSU offers students a total university experience that includes cultural and artistic programs, diverse student activities, a variety of residential opportunities, and outstanding recreational and intercollegiate athletic programs.
ETSU awards degrees in over one hundred baccalaureate, master, and doctoral programs, including distinctive interdisciplinary programs and distance education offerings that serve students from the region and beyond.

Vision

Developing a world-class environment to enhance student success and improve the quality of life in the region and beyond.

2024-2025

1. The Quillen College of Medicine has a very specific mission. What are your personal and professional goals as a future provider of healthcare? How do your goals align with the Quillen mission? (1500 characters)

2. Quillen College of Medicine’s curriculum is uniquely designed to foster excellence in clinical practice through active in-person participation and peer co-learning. This approach demands individual preparation and engagement in participatory class sessions. We believe in the importance of mutual coaching among peers to facilitate deep learning and we recognize that valuable learning experiences extend beyond academic contexts and can be found in all areas of life. We want to know that you can thrive in our community. Please reflect on the significance of this learning model in your personal and professional development. Consider the following points to structure your response (1500 characters):

Describe an instance where you navigated a challenging group learning process. What was your role, and how did you contribute to the group’s success?
Discuss the value you find in learning through the teaching and coaching of your classmates. How does this approach enhance your understanding and application of the material?

Feel free to draw on experiences from both academic and non-academic contexts to illustrate your points.

3. Choose one of following questions and indicate the letter (A, B, or C) you are responding to (1500 characters):
A. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers exist for those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us reflections on how your life experiences impacted the development of your values and attitudes towards others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own.
B. The stress of medical school can impact a student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss ways you plan to manage your health and well-being during medical school.
C. Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.

2023-2024

All prompts have a 1500 character limit.

1. What makes you interested in Quillen? Discuss your perceptions on how attending Quillen would align with your future goals and your hopes for how it will shape you into the physician you want to become.

2. Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own.

3. Applicant choice. Please select only one of the following questions to answer. Be sure to indicate your choice by starting with the number associated with the question:

1. There is no doubt that the level of stress brought on by medical schools can impact a student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss the ways you plan to manage your own health and well-being during medical school.
2. Describe an experience you have had during your life that has given you a unique understanding of human suffering and what did you learn from this experience?
3. Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.

2022-2023

All prompts have a 3,000 character limit.

3. Applicant choice. Please select only one of the following questions to answer. Be sure to indicate your choice by starting with the number associated with the question: (1500 characters)

There is no doubt that the level of stress brought on by medical schools can impact a student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss the ways you plan to manage your own health and well-being during medical school.
Describe an experience you have had during your life that has given you a unique understanding of human suffering and what did you learn from this experience?
Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.

2021-2022

1. What obstacles have you faced gaining experiences important to your medical school application and what were your solutions? (1500 characters)

2. Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own. (3000 characters)

3. Discuss how your attitudes and perceptions will help foster a positive learning environment while in medical school and how they will benefit your future patients through the practice of medicine. (1500 characters)

2020-2021

1.What about Quillen makes it a good fit for you, and what makes you a good fit for Quillen? (750 characters)
2.How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed what you think medical school should prepare you to do? (750 characters)
3.Describe a personal challenge from which you learned something of enduring value. Explain how you think that will influence your medical education and career. (750 characters)

2019-2020

All prompts have a 3,000 character limit.

Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students:

1. Interpersonal: Service Orientation, Social Skills, Cultural Competence, Teamwork, Oral Communication;

2. Intrapersonal: Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others, Reliability and Dependability, Resilience and Adaptability, Capacity for Improvement;

3. Thinking and Reasoning: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry, Written Communication;

Science: Living Systems, Human Behavior

4. Now imagine that you are enrolled at Quillen and you are serving as a student member of the Admissions Committee. While all of the core competencies are important, and none can be ignored, the Committee does not want to automatically assume that the various competencies should be given equal weight. Accordingly, the Committee has agreed to consider ranking the competencies in terms of priority. With this task in mind, please identify which of the fifteen core competencies you would recommend to receive the highest priority, and which you would recommend as the lowest priority. Along with your recommendations, please outline key facts and reasoning that you would offer to the Committee to explain and defend your choices. There are no categorically right or wrong answers to this question.

2018-2019

1. The AMCAS application is not designed to capture unique, special, or unusual circumstances. With this in mind, what other information would help the Admissions Committee obtain a more comprehensive picture of your candidacy?

Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:

2. If there have been breaks in your school attendance since high school, or if you ever carried less than a full-time course load in college, or if you took more than four years to finish college, what did you choose to do with the time and why?

3. What endeavors other than medicine have you abandoned or postponed in order to pursue your current path, and how did you make those decisions?

4. Why would you be a good fit for Quillen?

These are just examples. You may address any topic that you want the admissions committee to consider. However, please remember that the task is to expand thoughtfully upon the AMCAS application, not to repeat it.

The information provided should, to the greatest extent possible, not duplicate information found elsewhere in the AMCAS application and must be limited to 5000 characters.

2017-2018

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

2016-2017