Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts
About Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Secondary Deadline: February 15, 2026
Secondary Fee: $60
FAP Waiver: Yes
Casper Required: No
Screens Applications: Yes
Accepts Application Updates: Yes
Mission
The College of Osteopathic Medicine prepares students to become highly competent, caring and compassionate osteopathic physicians who demonstrate the highest level of professionalism, ethics and sensitivity to the diverse personal and cultural contexts in which care is delivered. We are committed to the service of humanity and the advancement of knowledge through a collaborative environment that provides distinctive osteopathic clinical training and fosters excellence in education, research and scholarly activity, and lifelong learning
Vision
The College of Osteopathic Medicine is recognized as a leader in osteopathic medical education and health care by exceeding standards of academic and clinical achievement.
2025-2026
Each essay should not exceed 500 words. Please upload files as a PDF or Word document.
1. Reflecting on your past experiences, how have you successfully navigated challenging academic or personal situations, and how will those strategies help you maintain confidence and success in medical school?
2. Reflect on a time when you identified someone in need and took action to support them. What did you observe that made you realize they needed help, and how did you provide that support? What was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Can you describe a clinical experience that deeply impacted you? What were the key takeaways, both personally and clinically? Please be specific in your response.
2024-2025
No word or character limit.
Disclaimer: Please complete your secondary application within the next 21 days. *If not submitted within 30 days, your application may be withdrawn.
1. What other medical schools did you apply to? (not required)
2. Recall and discuss a time in your life when you had an epiphany event and how that changed your life and future. Describe a time in your life when you experienced a tragedy that may have altered your thoughts about choosing medicine as a career.
3. You are sitting in a room full of extremely high achievers at New Student Orientation; share the strategies you deploy to combat imposter syndrome.
4. How do you maintain confidence and success while navigating medical school’s academic rigor and demands?
5. Share if and how you would tackle the below scenarios.
• A friend tells you they are afraid a peer is experiencing dating violence at the hands of another peer.
• A peer starts appearing disheveled, losing weight, and isolating themselves.
2023-2024
2. What kinds of things are you not good at? Why? How could this present a challenge in medical school?
3. Describe a situation in which you believe you or someone else were not treated fairly. How did you respond? What changes did you make or could be made to prevent someone being treated in this way in the future?
2022-2023
2. Describe a time when you had a personal failure. How did you move on from that experience? (2500 characters)
3. We are often too busy to plan future activities. Describe a time when you were so busy you had to react to situations rather than plan for them. (2500 characters)
2020-2021
2019-2020
2018-2019
2. Describe a time when you had to prioritize multiple obligations in order to be successful.
3. Describe a time when you experienced failure. What did you learn about yourself from this experience?
4. Also a question about what you will be doing over next year if you’re not a full time student and list your top 3 DO schools other than Kansas.
2017-2018
1. Part of KCUs mission is to improve the well-being of the communities we serve. Describe what that means to you and how you would implement that mission as a student, as well as a graduate of KCU.
2. Describe a time when you had to prioritize multiple obligations in order to be successful.
3. Describe a time when you experienced failure. What did you learn about yourself from this experience?
2016-2017
2.Describe a time when you had to prioritize multiple obligations in order to be successful. (2500 characters)
3. Describe a time when you experienced failure. What did you learn about yourself from this experience? (2500 characters)
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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