Stanford University School of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts
These are the secondary application essay prompts for Stanford University School of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page.
about Stanford University School of Medicine
Secondary Deadline:
Secondary Fee:
FAP Waiver:
CASPer Required:
Screens Applications:
Accepts Application Updates:
Mission
Our mission is to educate and inspire leaders in medicine and science who will improve human health through discovery, innovation, scholarship, education, and the delivery of outstanding patient-centered care
2024-2025
Please limit your answer to 300 characters including spaces.
2. Was your enrollment status ever interrupted during your undergraduate or graduate program, not including summer term (e.g. medical, personal, or academic reasons, military service, other)?
If yes, please explain. Please limit your response to 150 characters including spaces.
3. Are you a community college TRANSFER student? This designation specifically only refers to individuals that enrolled at a community college with the express purpose of transferring to a four year institution. This EXCLUDES courses taken at community college during high school, during interruptions in your undergraduate studies (from a four year institution), or post-undergraduate studies.
If you completed community college coursework during the excluded periods indicated, do not answer yes to this question. Yes/No
4. Has your education included any formal, pre-medical postbaccalaureate programs? Y/N
5. What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals and clinical practice setting:
Academic Medicine (Clinical)
Academic Medicine (Physician Scientist)
Health Policy
Primary Care
Public Health/Community Health
Global Health
Please describe your motivation for this practice scenario. 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? Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
6. How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
7. Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background (for example) I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a supermarket cashier and a high school principal. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama. Please limit your answer to 600 characters including spaces.
8. Are you a re-applicant to the Stanford Medicine MD Program? What experiences illuminate the most significant difference between the prior and current application? (Research, Community/Volunteer Services, Paid Employment, Awards/Honors). Please limit your answer to 350 characters including spaces.
9. Please describe which aspects of your life experiences, interests, and character would help you to make a distinctive contribution to Stanford Medicine. Please limit your answer to 2,000 characters including spaces.
10. Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
11. Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
12. Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including space.
2023-2024
2) Was your enrollment status ever interrupted during your undergraduate or graduate program, not including summer term (e.g. medical, personal, or academic reasons, military service, other)?
If yes, please explain. (150 character limit)
3) PRACTICE SETTING
What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? 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
Please describe your motivation for this practice scenario. 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 character limit)
4) CURRICULAR INTERESTS
How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1,000 character limit)
5) BACKGROUND
Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (for example) I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a supermarket cashier and a high school principal. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama. (600 character limit)
6) CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Please describe which aspects of your life experiences, interests, and character would help you to make a distinctive contribution to Stanford Medicine. (2,000 character limit)
7) Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. (1,000 character limit)
8) ADVOCACY
Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1,000 character limit)
9) ANYTHING ELSE?
(OPTIONAL) Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) (1,000 character limit)
2022-2023
1. PRACTICE SETTING
What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career?
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)
2. CURRICULAR INTERESTS
How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1,000 characters)
3. BACKGROUND
Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background.
(E.g., I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a supermarket cashier and a high school principal. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama.) (600 characters)
4. CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
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. You are strongly encouraged to share unique attributes of your personal identity, and/ or personally important or challenging factors in your background. Such discussions may include the quality of your early education, gender identity, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, or any other life or work experiences. (2,000 characters)
5. Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. (1,000 characters)
6. ADVOCACY
Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1,000 characters)
7. SPECIAL INSIGHTS
(OPTIONAL) Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences. (1,000 characters)
8. ANYTHING ELSE?
(OPTIONAL) Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine?
(1,000 characters)
2021-2022
2.Select your desired medical practice. 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? (1000char)
3.How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1000char)
4.Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences. (1000char)
5.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. (2000char)
6.Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1000char)
7.(OPTIONAL) Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (1000char)
2020-2021
2. 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? (1000 c)
3. How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1000 c)
4. 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. (1000 c)
5. Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) (1000 c)
MSTP 1. Describe your most significant research experience. Include the rationale, results, and conclusions, and the role you played in each of these components. Please be very specific, including the dates and amount of time you were engaged. For publications or presentations that resulted or will result from this work, include a complete citation with the names of all authors and the status (e.g., submitted, in preparation). Please limit your answer to 2,500 characters including spaces.
2. Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. E.g., I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a high school principal and homemaker. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama. Please limit your answer to 600 characters including spaces.
3. Describe your reasons for pursuing medical scientist training in relation to your long-term career goals. Why are you applying to a combined degree program rather than graduate or medical school only? Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.
4. Describe your current lab affiliation and the weekly time commitment required. E.g., I am working in the Griffin lab where I performed research in the summer following junior year for 20 hours per week. Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.
5. Describe any other research experiences you think would be relevant to the MSTP MD-PhD Admissions Committee decision.
Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces. 6. Describe any patient-related, teaching, and service-oriented activities relevant to the MSTP MD-PhD Admissions Committee decision. Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.
7. Describe any other aspect of your background you think would be relevant to the MSTP MD-PhD Admissions Committee decision. Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.
2019-2020
1. 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, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and life or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2,000 characters including spaces)
2. What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? 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)
3. How will the Stanford curriculum, and specifically the requirement for a scholarly concentration, help your personal career goals? (1,000 characters including spaces)
4. If you have peer-reviewed publications resulting from scholarly endeavors, please complete a citation for each of your publications in the space below using the following format: Author, Title, Journal, Volume, Pages, and Date of Publication (e.g., searchable on PubMed).
Please do not include abstract, conference, or unpublished papers.
5. Is there anything that we have not specifically asked that you would like for us to know and how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? OPTIONAL (1,000 characters including spaces)
2018-2019
2) What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career?
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
Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
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? (1000 characters)
3) How will Stanford curriculum, and specifically the requirement for a scholarly concentration, help your personal career goals? (1000 characters)
4) Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL)(1000 characters)
2017-2018
The secondary application essay prompts from this medical school application cycle are the same as above.
2016-2017
1. 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, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and life or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2000 characters)
2. How would you handle a situation where your colleague is not contributing equally in a collaborative project? (2000 characters)
3. Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals and clinical practice setting:
Academic Medicine
Non-Academic Clinical Practice
Health Policy/Administration
Primary Care
Public Health (Community Health, Global Health)
4. 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? (1000 characters)
5. How will the Stanford curriculum, and specifically the requirement for a scholarly concentration, help your personal career goals? (1000 characters)
6. If you have peer-reviewed publications resulting from scholarly endeavors, please complete a citation for each of your publications in the space below using the following format: Author, Title, Journal, Volume, Pages, and Date of Publication (e.g., searchable on PubMed). Please do not include abstract, conference, or unpublished papers.
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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