Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts
These are the secondary application essay prompts for Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page.
About Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Secondary Deadline: April 10, 2026
Secondary Fee: $30
FAP Waiver: Yes
Casper Required: No
Screens Applications: Yes
Accepts Application Updates:
Mission
The MISSION of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health.
2025-2026
(500 character limit each)
Describe a significant challenge you have experienced in your life. Please share the strategies you employed to overcome the challenge, and what you learned from the experience.
How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine? What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM?
2024-2025
Each has a 500 word limit.
1. 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.
2. Professionalism and respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance in medical school and as a physician. What three professional qualities do you believe a Student Doctor must demonstrate and describe how you will demonstrate these qualities as a medical student at VCOM?
3. How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine?
4. What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM? (e.g., personal or medical experiences; influences of friends/family/physicians/mentors; etc.)
5. If you have not completed all the prerequisite coursework, please state how you intend on completing it prior to matriculation.
1. 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.
2. Professionalism and respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance in medical school and as a physician. What three professional qualities do you believe a Student Doctor must demonstrate and describe how you will demonstrate these qualities as a medical student at VCOM?
3. How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine?
4. What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM? (e.g., personal or medical experiences; influences of friends/family/physicians/mentors; etc.)
5. If you have not completed all the prerequisite coursework, please state how you intend on completing it prior to matriculation.
2022-2023
1. 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. (500 words)
2. Professionalism and respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance in medical school and as a physician. What three professional qualities do you believe a Student Doctor must demonstrate and describe how you will demonstrate these qualities as a medical student at VCOM? (500 words)
3. How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine? (500 words)
4. What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM? (e.g., personal or medical experiences; influences of friends/family/physicians/mentors; etc.) (500 words)
Additional Prompts (no word limit):
1. In the event you submitted an application to VCOM last year, what improvements have you made to your application?
2. If you have not completed all the prerequisite coursework, please state how you intend on completing it prior to matriculation.
3. Have you had any lapse of 2 years or greater in taking full time college-level coursework?
4.Have you attended any VCOM Virtual or In Person Event including a Virtual Physician Event, Alumni Events, Diversity Events. If so, please list the event and what you gained from the experience.
2. Professionalism and respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance in medical school and as a physician. What three professional qualities do you believe a Student Doctor must demonstrate and describe how you will demonstrate these qualities as a medical student at VCOM? (500 words)
3. How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine? (500 words)
4. What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM? (e.g., personal or medical experiences; influences of friends/family/physicians/mentors; etc.) (500 words)
Additional Prompts (no word limit):
1. In the event you submitted an application to VCOM last year, what improvements have you made to your application?
2. If you have not completed all the prerequisite coursework, please state how you intend on completing it prior to matriculation.
3. Have you had any lapse of 2 years or greater in taking full time college-level coursework?
4.Have you attended any VCOM Virtual or In Person Event including a Virtual Physician Event, Alumni Events, Diversity Events. If so, please list the event and what you gained from the experience.
2021-2022
The secondary application essay prompts from this medical school application cycle are the same as above.
2020-2021
1. 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. (500 characters)
2. Professionalism and respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance in medical school and as a physician. What three professional qualities do you believe a Student Doctor must demonstrate and describe how you will demonstrate these qualities as a medical student at VCOM? (500 characters)
3. How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine? (500 characters)
4. What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM? (e.g., personal or medical experiences; influences of friends/family/physicians/mentors; etc.) (500 characters)
2. Professionalism and respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance in medical school and as a physician. What three professional qualities do you believe a Student Doctor must demonstrate and describe how you will demonstrate these qualities as a medical student at VCOM? (500 characters)
3. How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine? (500 characters)
4. What influenced your decision to apply to VCOM? (e.g., personal or medical experiences; influences of friends/family/physicians/mentors; etc.) (500 characters)
2019-2020
The secondary application essay prompts from this medical school application cycle are the same as above.
2018-2019
1. Describe the top three reasons you have chosen osteopathic medicine as your professional choice in becoming a physician. (Please use your own description and not one that widely describes the profession)
2. Professionalism and the ability to gain respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance as you embark upon a career as a physician. What three professional qualities do you feel a Student Doctor must be able to demonstrate as he/or she makes the transition into the study and practice of medicine. How will you demonstrate those qualities as a medical student at VCOM?
3. Please describe a volunteer or service activity that played a large part in your decision to become a physician.
4. In the event you submitted an application to VCOM last year, what improvements have you made to your application?
5. If you have not completed all the prerequisite coursework, please state how you intend on completing it prior to matriculation.
2. Professionalism and the ability to gain respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance as you embark upon a career as a physician. What three professional qualities do you feel a Student Doctor must be able to demonstrate as he/or she makes the transition into the study and practice of medicine. How will you demonstrate those qualities as a medical student at VCOM?
3. Please describe a volunteer or service activity that played a large part in your decision to become a physician.
4. In the event you submitted an application to VCOM last year, what improvements have you made to your application?
5. If you have not completed all the prerequisite coursework, please state how you intend on completing it prior to matriculation.
2017-2018
The secondary application essay prompts from this medical school application cycle are the same as above.
2016-2017
The secondary application essay prompts from this medical school application cycle are the same as above.
Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on the medical school’s website. Med School Insiders does not guarantee the accuracy of the information on this page.
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