University of Kentucky College of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for University of Kentucky 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 Kentucky College of Medicine

Secondary Deadline: November 30, 2024
Secondary Fee: $50
FAP Waiver: Yes
CASPer Required: No
Screens Applications: Yes
Accepts Application Updates: Yes

Mission 

The College of Medicine promotes a diverse and inclusive environment that provides excellence in education, equitable health care, and transformative research to improve the health and wellness of Kentuckians and beyond.

Vision 

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is a national leader in solving the challenges in health care through transdisciplinary and transformational research, education, and advanced clinical care.

Values

  • Diversity – We welcome and embrace diversity as a quality improvement strategy that will positively impact all functional areas of the college.
  • Innovation – We will use creative initiatives to produce tangible outcomes in college processes and actions resulting in a critical mass of students, faculty and executives.
  • Respect – We will encourage personal and group differences and use them to provide optimal solutions to health care disparities and to foster social justice in the educational and work environments.
  • Compassion – We will practice self-reflection and be empathetic to the thoughts, needs and feelings of others.
  • Teamwork – We will foster a climate of partnership and collaboration to create positive outcomes for all those engaged in teaching and learning.

2024-2025

1. Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine?

2. The University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s (UKCOM) mission statement promotes a diverse and inclusive environment that provides excellence in education, equitable health care, and transformative research to improve the health and wellness of Kentuckians and beyond. Please describe how your past experiences or future plans contribute to enriching and enhancing the learning environment at UKCOM.

3. If you are a non Kentucky resident, you are required to elaborate on your Kentucky ties if applicable (personal, familial e.g.)

4. Your combination of life experiences make you uniquely you. Talk about one such experience and how it has helped you prepare to be a physician.

5. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful?

6. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your life and/or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.

7. Describe a situation where you were not in the majority. 8. Please indicate your campus choice. Please elaborate on why this is your preferred campus.

2023-2024

1. Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine? (1500 char)

2. The University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s (UKCOM) mission statement promotes a diverse and inclusive environment that provides excellence in education, equitable health care, and transformative research to improve the health and wellness of Kentuckians and beyond. Please describe how your past experiences or future plans contribute to enriching and enhancing the learning environment at UKCOM. (1500 char)

3. If you are a non Kentucky resident, you are required to elaborate on your Kentucky ties if applicable (personal, familial e.g.) (700 char)

4. UKCOM provides MD programs at four campuses including the Lexington Campus, the Morehead Campus (Rural Physician Leadership Program), the Bowling Green Campus, and the Northern Kentucky Campus. You will apply to one of the four UK College of Medicine campuses. Please indicate your campus choice. Please elaborate on why this is your preferred campus. (700 char)

5.What competencies and qualities do you feel a physician should possess? (1500 char)

6. Describe a personal activity involving advocacy and/or community service that has impacted your personal values about delivering equitable patient care. (2000 char)

7. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful? (1500 char)

8. It is impossible to have predicted the drastic impact caused by the novel coronavirus identified as COVID-19. Describe how this has impacted your social interactions, connections with peers, and perception of teamwork. (1500 char)

9. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your life and/or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2500 char)

10. Describe a situation where you were not in the majority. (1500 char)

2022-2023

1. Please elaborate on why this is your preferred campus. (1000 characters)

2.What competencies and qualities do you feel a physician should possess? (1000 characters)

3. Describe a personal activity involving advocacy, social justice, and/or civic engagement that has impacted your personal values about delivering equitable patient care. (1500 characters)

4.Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful? (1000 characters)

5. In providing patient care, should physicians maintain emotional distance or empathize with patients’ emotional state? (1000 characters)

6.It is impossible to have predicted the drastic impact caused by the novel coronavirus identified as COVID-19. Describe the impact you have witnessed of this pandemic on those around you. (1500 characters)

7. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or life/work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (1750 characters)

2021-2022

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

2020-2021

1. Please elaborate on why this is your preferred campus. (750 characters max)

2. What competencies and qualities do you feel a physician should possess? (1,500 characters max)

3. Describe the most significant community service activity in which you have participated. What did you learn from that experience? (2,000 characters max)

4. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful? (1,500 characters max)

5. In providing patient care, should physicians maintain emotional distance or empathize with patients’ emotional state? (1,500 characters max)

6. It is impossible to have predicted the drastic impact caused by the novel coronavirus identified as COVID-19. Describe the impact you have witnessed of this pandemic on those around you. (1,500 characters max)

7. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or life/work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2,000 characters max)

2019-2020

1. Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine? (Optional 1000 characters)

2. Please elaborate on personal characteristics and any accomplishments and experiences that you feel help to demonstrate your potential to contribute to the college and to the profession of medicine. (Optional 1000 characters)

3. Please elaborate on any Kentucky ties: personal, familial, etc. (Optional 1000 characters)

4. What competencies and qualities do you feel a physician should possess? (1500 characters)

5. Describe the most significant community service activity in which you have participated. What did you learn from that experience? (2000 characters)

6. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful? (1500 characters)

7. In providing patient care, should physicians maintain emotional distance or empathize with patients’ emotional states? (1500 characters)

8. Describe a situation in your undergraduate education when you felt alive and engaged in learning. (1500 characters)

9. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or life or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine. (2500 characters)

2018-2019

For OOS only

1. This is an opportunity to describe more about yourself to the Admissions Committee. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application is not an acceptable substitute. In the essay, please address the following points:

a. Reasons for selecting a medical career;

b. Things you have done to prepare yourself for a medical education and career;

c. Personal characteristics and other accomplishments and experiences that you feel help qualify you for the practice of medicine; and,

d. Why you chose to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
Please elaborate on any Kentucky ties: personal, familial, etc.

For all applicants

  1. How would you describe your ability to use unscheduled time during the day for learning?

2. What competencies and qualities should a physician possess for practice in the 21st century?

3. Describe the most significant community service activity in which you have participated. How did it affect you?

4. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful.

5. In providing patient care, should physicians maintain emotional distance or empathize with patients’ emotional states? As a physician, how would you deal with your own emotions?

6. Describe a situation in your undergraduate education when you felt alive and engaged in learning.

2017-2018

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

2016-2017

For OOS only –

1. This is an opportunity to describe more about yourself to the Admissions Committee. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application is not an acceptable substitute. In the essay, please address the following points:

a. Reasons for selecting a medical career;

b. Things you have done to prepare yourself for a medical education and career;

c. Personal characteristics and other accomplishments and experiences that you feel help qualify you for the practice of medicine; and,

d. Why you chose to apply to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

e. Please elaborate on any Kentucky ties: personal, familial, etc.

For everybody:

1. How would you describe your ability to use unscheduled time during the day for learning?

2. What competencies and qualities should a physician possess for practice in the 21st century?

3. Describe the most significant community service activity in which you have participated. How did it affect you?

4. Describe an experience or situation which made you feel grateful.

5. In providing patient care, should physicians maintain emotional distance or empathize with patients’ emotional states? As a physician, how would you deal with your own emotions?

6. Describe a situation in your undergraduate education when you felt alive and engaged in learning.

7. Please share unique, personally important, and/or challenging facts in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or life or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.

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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