University of Illinois College of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

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

About University of Illinois College of Medicine

Secondary Deadline: December 1, 2024
Secondary Fee: $70
FAP Waiver: Yes
CASPer Required: No
Screens Applications: Yes
Accepts Application Updates: Yes

Mission 

The mission of the University of Illinois College of Medicine is to enhance the health of the citizens of Illinois and the nation by educating physicians and biomedical scientists, advancing knowledge in health and disease, and providing healthcare in a setting of education and research.

Through a college-wide planning effort, we have developed our College of Medicine Overarching Goals within each of the three mission areas.

Values 

  • Excellence everywhere – in research, education and clinical work.
  • Collaboration with all who can advance our mission at UIC and UIUC, the medical district and other institutions world-wide.
  • Diversity- in all its forms from students, to areas of research to collaborative partners- as a means to a higher quality of health care for all.
  • Innovation and Translation of new knowledge and new approaches to disease and health care delivery.
  • Integrity and Commitment to the people we work with as patients, research subjects, communities and our own students, faculty and staff.
  • The Promise of Hope for our patients and supporters by striving toward cures for diseases that have plagued humankind for millennia.

2024-2025

1. What characteristics, qualities, or attributes do you possess that have helped you to deal with conflict and change?

2. Which characteristics, qualities, or attributes of UICOM attracted you to apply for medical school here?


3. An important part of UICOM’s identity is the concept of “one college, three campuses.” The curriculum is identical on each campus; however, each campus has unique characteristics. Please describe what you have learned about at least two of our three campuses.

4. What are some of the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice? What does an individual’s response to prejudice and injustice reveal about their character? What is the role of a bystander who witnesses prejudice or injustice?

5. UICOM values a wide range of perspectives. Describe an aspect of your own perspective, value system, or lived experience that is important to you and how it would contribute to the diverse and collaborative community at UICOM.

6. Have you applied for admission to medical school previously? Yes/No
If you are reapplying this year please describe what you have done during the past year.

7. Have you ever matriculated into and not completed a professional/graduate program? Yes/No
Please describe the circumstances of why you did not complete the program of study.

2023-2024

1. What characteristics, qualities, or attributes do you possess that have helped you to deal with conflict and change?

2. Which characteristics, qualities, or attributes of UICOM attracted you to apply for medical school here?

3. An important part of UICOM’s identity is the concept of “one college, three campuses.” The curriculum is identical on each campus; however, each campus has unique characteristics. Please describe what you have learned about at least two of our three campuses.

4. What are some of the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice? What does an individual’s response to prejudice and injustice reveal about their character? What is the role of a bystander who witnesses prejudice or injustice?

5. UICOM values a wide range of perspectives. Describe an aspect of your own perspective, value system, or lived experience that is important to you and how it would contribute to the diverse and collaborative community at UICOM.

6. Have you applied for admission to medical school previously?
Yes/No
If you are reapplying this year please describe what you have done during the past year.

7. Have you ever matriculated into and not completed a professional/graduate program?
Yes/No
Please describe the circumstances of why you did not complete the program of study.

2022-2023

1. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future.

2. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply.

  • Simulation
  • Clinical Research
  • Basic science research
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Academic medicine
  • Global Health
  • Community Health Urban
  • Community Health Rural
  • Innovation Medicine

3. Have you applied for admission to medical school previously?

4. Have you ever matriculated into and not completed a professional/graduate program?

5. Please describe any abrupt changes that you experienced in your preparation for application for medical school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also note that if you are interested in any of the scholarly concentrations, there are additional essays that are program specific.

2021-2022

1. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future. (No word limit indicated)

2. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply.
  • Simulation
  • Clinical Research
  • Basic Science Research
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Academic medicine
  • Global Health
  • Community Health Urban
  • Community Health Rural
  • Innovation Medicine Selecting any of the above results in a new box where you describe your interest in that area of interest. (No word limit indicated)
3. Please describe any abrupt changes that you experienced in your preparation for application for medical school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (No word limit indicated)

2020-2021

1. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future. (no word limit)

2. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply. Provide a short, 300-500 words, statement on your interest and how you see it influencing your learning.

3. Please describe any abrupt changes that you experienced in your preparation for application for medical school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (no word limit)

2019-2020

1. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply. Provide a short, 300-500 words, statement on your interest and how you see it influencing your learning.

  • Simulation
  • Research in healthcare delivery
  • Basic science research
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Academic medicine
  • Global Health
  • Community Health (urban)
  • Community Health (rural)
  • Innovation Medicine

NOTE: Please begin your statement with the letter(s) representing the area(s) of interest enclosed in parentheses as a programmatic queue. Separate multiple areas of interest with a comma. For example, your essay would begin as follows, if you chose Simulation and Research in healthcare delivery: (A, B) … If you choose just one additional area of interest: (A) …

2. Describe any advantages and/or complications you encountered during your progression in education. Please include any noteworthy achievements and/or obstacles. (Examples: Acute or chronic illnesses, employment, financial difficulty, managerial role in household, etc.) (Don’t exceed 150 words)

NOTE: If you did not experience an advantage and/or complication during your education please indicate ‘Not Applicable’

2018-2019

1. (if not enrolled in school) Please state your current activities and/or employment status (limited to 3500 characters in length)

If you are taking a gap year and will not be enrolled in classes during the application year, explain in detail what experiences you will have during that time. For each experience, explain how this will help you grow and become a better medical school candidate, which is the most important goal of the gap year in the admissions committee’s eyes. Focus on the lessons you will learn and skills you will gain during the time off. Do not repeat what is in your primary application. This is a key to all secondaries. If you are continuing prior experience from the AMCAS primary (which can be difficult to avoid given the nature of some secondary questions), try to adopt a new angle or describe a different aspect of the experience than has been presented before. Consider using an anecdote to spice up the answer.

2. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future.

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 stressful or challenging experience, 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 how these will allow you to deal with similar situations in the future.

3. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply.

  • Simulation
  • Research in healthcare delivery
  • Basic science research
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Academic medicine
  • Global Health
  • Community Health (urban/rural)

Provide a short, 300-500 words, statement on your interest and how you see it influencing your learning.

Please begin your statement with the letter(s) representing the area(s) of interest enclosed in parentheses as a programmatic cue. Separate multiple areas of interest with a comma.

For example, your essay would begin as follows, if you chose Simulation and Research in healthcare delivery: (A,B) …

If you choose just one additional area of interest: (A) …

Answer based on your personal preferences. Expand on this interest, touching on how you might pursue further study in this during medical school. What areas would you hope to learn more about and get more experience with? How might this learning allow you to achieve your goals as a future physician?

4. Describe any advantages and/or complications you encountered during your progression in education. Please include any noteworthy achievements and/or obstacles. (Examples: Acute or chronic illnesses, employment, financial difficulty, managerial role in household, etc.) (Don’t exceed 150 words)

If you did not experience an advantage and/or complication during your education please indicate ‘Not Applicable’

Do not feel compelled to answer this question, but if there is a portion of your background which fits these components, please feel free to do so. If describing obstacles be sure to not sound like a victim and not to make excuses, but be honest in description of the circumstances and reasons for this issue. One possible example is if you had any health issues requiring you to withdraw from a class and receive an incomplete. Be sure to state what you learned from the experience and how you improved upon it thereafter. If describing advantages or accomplishments, be subtle and maintain humility.

For the second essay prompt there is another option (I) Innovation.

2017-2018

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

2016-2017

If you select that you are not currently enrolled in a college/university it asks: “Please state your current activities and/or employment status.” 3500 character limit.

1. Describe a situation in which you were really stressed. Tell us how you dealt with it. Please detail your reaction(s), and how it affected you. If this situation, or a similar one, were to happen again, how would you handle it? (250 words limit)

2. Describe a hobby or activity other than something in medicine, in which you have a keen interest. Why? (250 words limit)

2015-2016

1. Describe a situation in which you were really stressed. Tell us how you dealt with it. Please detail your reaction(s), and how it affected you. If this situation, or a similar one, were to happen again, how would you handle it? (DO NOT EXCEED 250 words)

2. Describe a hobby or activity other than something in medicine, in which you have a keen interest. Why? (do not exceed 250)

3. Optional: Describe any advantages and/or complications you encountered during your progression in education. Please include any noteworthy achievements and/or obstacles. (Examples: Acute or chronic illnesses, employment, financial difficulty, managerial role in household, etc.) (Don’t exceed 150 words) If you did not experience an advantage and/or complication during your education please indicate ‘Not Applicable’

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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