University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

1. Our mission statement is an expression of our core purpose and educational philosophy. In particular, it highlights the value we place on diversity since we regard the diversity of entering class as essential for educational excellence. Please write an essay on how you would enhance diversity at Pritzker and advance the Pritzker mission. We suggest that you limit your essay to about 550 words.

“At the University of Chicago, in an atmosphere of interdisciplinary scholarship and discovery, the Pritzker School of Medicine is dedicated to inspiring diverse students of exceptional promise to become leaders and innovators in science and medicine for the betterment of humanity.”

Start by brainstorming what is unique about your background. Is it your place of birth, your family, your culture, or your path to medicine. Also consider prior adversity you have had to overcome and how that has shaped your values. Consider 1-2 of these experiences and weave a story about them which show your unique characteristics. Specifically answer how this can contribute to your medical school class; consider the effect you might have on your peers, professors and patients. Try to incorporate an element of how your unique characteristics will help create diversity and innovation in science and medicine.

2. Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. We suggest that you limit your essay to about 550 words.

Think back to scenarios when you had a personal struggle which you overcame. What were times in your life that you almost quit but did not? Which accomplishments required particular perseverance? Once you have chosen the experiences, make sure there is a lesson you learned that you can explain. Most important to the prompt, how did you grow as a person? Consider focusing on the following traits for growth: dedication, perseverance, discipline, interpersonal skills, leadership. Be sure to discuss the coping skills you used and the support system you called upon to advise you through the hard times.

3. Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. For example, if you are not currently completing a degree, please share your planned or current activities for this application cycle. We suggest that you limit your text to about 200 words.

For this prompt you will likely need to be creative and discuss something less conventionally discussed in an application setting. Consider discussing the following: a unique personal attribute not otherwise described in the application; a formative experiences that was not touched on by your other application components; a skill or interest such as sports, music, etc. that you are passionate about; an influential person in your life and how they instruct your values; a particularly moving book or concept which is relevant to your values. In each scenario, if possible try to connect the experience to your ability and desire to become in a doctor (without stretching the truth or making the answer sound contrived). If not enrolled in school during the application cycle, discuss your planned experiences and what you will gain from them.