Weill Cornell Medical College Secondary Essay Prompts

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

About Weill Cornell Medical College

Secondary Deadline: November 15, 2023
Secondary Fee: $100
FAP Waiver: Full Fee Waived
CASPer Required: No
Screens Applications: No
Accepts Application Updates: Yes/Email

Mission 

Weill Cornell Medical College and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences are committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care, and the advancement of the art and science of medicine. To this end, our mission is to provide the finest education possible for medical students and students pursuing advanced degrees in the biomedical sciences, to contribute to the lifelong education of physicians throughout their careers, to conduct research at the cutting edge of knowledge, to improve the healthcare of the nation and the world both now and for future generations, and to provide the highest quality of clinical care for the communities we serve. Success in any of these areas contributes to success in the others.

2023-2024

Each prompt has a 1525 character limit.

1. Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Weill Cornell Medical College.

2. Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it.

3. If applicable, please tell us about any special circumstances related to COVID-19 that could help us understand you better.

4. If you are not attending college during the upcoming (2023-2024) academic year, what are your plans?

2022-2023

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

2021-2022

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

2020-2021

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

2019-2020

1. If you are not attending college during the coming academic year, what are your plans? (200 words)

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. Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Weill Cornell Medical College. (200 words)

The first step to answering this question is doing some research on the program website to understand some of its nuances. Is it very strong in a particular field of research or does it provide unique opportunities to collaborate with other disciplines such as bioengineering or finance If one of these aspects aligns with your strengths or interests, explain how you are a great fit for this reason. Outline how these opportunities will help you grow toward your career goals as you envision them. Think about the opportunities the location provides in terms of clinical experience and social experience as well. Be sure to tailor your answer to the unique aspects of Weill Cornell.

3. Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it. (200 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.

4. For MD-PhD applicants only: Please list the names of any Tri-Institutional faculty members with whom you’d like to do research. You do not need to list reasons; names are sufficient. (200 words)

Do your background research on PI’s and available research mentors at Weill Cornell and answer as appropriate for you.

2018-2019

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

2017-2018

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

2016-2017

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

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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