medical school diversity essays

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How to write the perfect diversity essay for medical school.

Reviewed by:

Akhil Katakam

Third-Year Medical Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Reviewed: 5/19/23

Wondering how to write the perfect diversity essay for medical school? Stick around to find out our top tips!

The medical school admissions process is becoming increasingly holistic. Admissions committees look at more than just your GPA and extracurricular activities to decide your candidacy.

There is a significant need to diversify the medical field, so various other selection factors play an important role in your success. Many medical schools require secondary essays as part of their application materials to help them assess candidates’ strengths, desirable qualities, experiences, and insights. 

Some schools require the medical school diversity essay, so it’s essential to understand the ins and outs of what makes a compelling essay stand out. This blog will review the definition of diversity in the context of medical school applications and provide examples of prompts from top schools. 

You will also learn how to write a diversity essay, including tips on what to include and the proper format to follow. Lastly, we’ll provide an example that tells an interesting story and connects a candidate’s diversity with a medical school’s mission and vision.

Get The Ultimate Guide on Writing an Unforgettable Personal Statement

What is a Diversity Essay for Medical School?

A diversity essay is required or recommended for many medical school secondary applications . In the cases that the diversity essay is recommended, you should still consider it as a requirement, as submitting additional, strong materials maximize your chances of acceptance. 

Admissions committees matriculate well-rounded, diverse, and experienced candidates , so sending more materials will help them gain a better overview of your unique background. 

If you look at medical school websites, there is a common theme among mission and vision statements: diversity. This is because the medical field needs to diversify health care practitioners who can empathize with and effectively treat various types of patient populations.

Some schools even have separate diversity statements that show their ongoing commitment to matriculate a diverse student body, representing every race, religion, sexual orientation, identity, educational/professional background, and more. 

In fact, admissions committees are even seriously considering and matriculating non-traditional applicants from non-science backgrounds to further serve the benefits of diversity in medicine. 

What Counts as Diversity?

If you’re worried that you don’t count as a diverse candidate because you don’t belong to a historically underrepresented group, cast your concerns aside. Diversity in the context of diversity essays for medical school is not a code word to only matriculate ethnic or racial minorities. 

Yes, candidates from minority groups are diverse and are encouraged to apply to medical school, but diversity doesn’t end there. Rather, diversity is broadly defined to include many categories. Everyone is diverse because everyone has their own unique experiences and backgrounds to draw from, which is valuable in healthcare.

There are many distinguishing factors and characteristics that can make candidates diverse:

• Non-traditional applicants (2 or more gap years before med school)
• Candidates who are non-science majors
• Career changers
• Candidates with a disability
• Historically underrepresented groups (racial, ethnic, gender and gender identity, linguistic, sexual orientation, religion, and more)
• Older returning students
• Applicants with military service
• Parents returning to the workforce
• Candidates who overcome extreme challenges and adversity
• Applicants with a difficult socioeconomic background

If you broaden your understanding of diversity to include your unique learning experiences and worldviews, you will have a plethora of examples to choose from to write a powerful diversity essay. 

Examples of Diversity Essay Prompts

The following are previous diversity essay prompts from top medical schools to give you an idea of what a diversity essay prompt looks like . You’ll notice there is a similar thread in all of these prompts: medical schools want to know about your diversity in broadly defined terms, and most importantly, how it will enhance the school’s mission, vision, and student body.

Prompt: Stanford University School of Medicine

“ 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.”

Prompt: Wake Forest School of Medicine

“We seek to train physicians who can connect with diverse patient populations with whom they may not share a similar background. Tell us about an experience that has broadened your own worldview or enhanced your ability to understand those unlike yourself and what you learned from it.”

Prompt: Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont

 “The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself.”

Prompt: Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

 “Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?”

Prompt :University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

“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. 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.”

 Use our tool to discover every U.S. medical school’s secondary essay prompts! 

How to Write a Diversity Essay

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to write a diversity essay, take the following steps:

1. Identify What Makes You Unique

First, before you even begin to write, brainstorm the things in your background that make you unique. In particular, think about your education, work experience, extracurricular activities, upbringing, family life, and other aspects of your journey to medical school.

Brainstorming ideas is meant to get your creative juices flowing. At this point, don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or sentence structure. Your goal is to get as many ideas on paper as possible so that you can begin to craft a story that uses one to three examples for your diversity essay.

You can ask yourself the following questions to get started:

• Who are you at your core, at your best self?
• What experiences have defined you?
• How do you identify yourself, and how does this differ from society’s expectations of your identity?
• How have you overcome challenges, adversity, or rejection?
• Where did you grow up, and what was it like to live there? How do your geographic roots inform your worldview?
• What was your family life like?
• Have you faced a disability, injury, or illness? What did you learn, and how did you overcome these challenges?
• Are you a part of any teams, groups, or organizations? How have they contributed to your interpersonal skills?

Remember, admissions committees are interested in your story. You should never falsify information in your essays. Write what you know!

2. Pick 1-3 Meaningful Experiences to Potentially Write About

A compelling diversity essay consists of one or a few meaningful experiences instead of overloading the essay with brief mentions of too many examples. You should prioritize quality over quantity and weave a story that’s memorable to the admissions committee.

You should also be mindful of character limits. Every school has different requirements, so be sure you achieve the minimum character count and stay within the upper limits. 

3. Outline the Structure of Your Diversity Essay

No matter the length of your secondary essays , you should always structure it with the following: 

• An introduction that hooks the reader. 
• A body that details your experience(s). 
• A conclusion that concisely ties everything together with the school’s mission.

The introduction should begin to tell your main story. It should introduce your main talking points so that the reader knows what to expect in the essay. Strong introductions often have a hook, which can appear as the beginning of an interesting and evocative anecdote.

The body of your diversity essay should delve into your unique experience through reflective storytelling . Here is where you will go into compelling details about your examples. The body will also demonstrate how your diversity will be an asset to the school and your peers and colleagues. 

It’s also important to show rather than tell. For example, rather than list all of the personal characteristics that make you diverse, use imagery and storytelling to show these personal characteristics in action. 

Finally, the conclusion should neatly tie in your meaningful and diverse experiences to the pursuit of medicine. Your last sentences should leave the reader with a strong impression of why your diversity will be an asset to the school.

4. Write the First Draft

Draw from your notes and outlines to write the first draft. Excellent writing involves an evolution of multiple drafts, so don’t be discouraged if the first draft isn’t perfect. 

You’re not striving for perfection here—you’re still in the beginning stages, so you should prioritize fully addressing the essay prompt with strong examples from your diverse background. Polishing your first draft can come later.

5. Revise and Edit Your Diversity Essay

Go over your draft with a critical eye. Ensure that all prompt components are thoroughly answered, check for spelling and grammatical mistakes, and proofread for proper syntax and sentence structure. 

Look at the flow of your essay. The transitions from introduction, to the body, to the conclusion should be seamless and make sense. If you’re writing about a few experiences, ensure that they make sequential and logical sense. The transitions should feel natural, not jarring or out of place.

Have someone else look at your essay to offer objective feedback. This can be a trusted friend, family member, instructor, employer, peer, or mentor. Be open to constructive criticism and revise any areas that need improvement or further clarification/elaboration. 

Diversity Essay Examples

The following diversity essay examples both tell compelling and memorable stories. As you read, consider how the essay transports you to another location and invites you to view medicine and health care from a unique perspective. 

Note how the essay ties into the school’s mission, vision, and goals for diversifying health care. Finally, consider the overall structure of the essay: there is a tangible introduction, body, and conclusion.

“Being South Asian, I have firsthand knowledge of what it means not to access basic health care. As a child, my mother took me to Pakistan every year, where I spent summers with my grandfather, a top pediatrician in the nation. He had a free clinic attached to his home in Faisalabad, and his practice was so renowned and respected that people from all over the country would travel great distances to have my grandfather treat their children.  Pakistan is a third-world country where a significant part of the population remains illiterate and uneducated due to the lack of resources and opportunities. This population is the most vulnerable, with extremely high numbers of infectious disease and mortality rates. Yet, it is entirely underserved. With the lack of hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices in rural Pakistan, parents of ailing children must travel great distances and wait in long lines to receive proper health care.  Every summer at my grandfather’s clinic, from ages five to 17, my job was to open the doors to long lines of tired, hungry, and thirsty parents with their sick children. I would pass out bottled water and pieces of fruit. I would record names, where the patients came from, and the reasons for their visits. I would scurry back inside with the information for my grandfather to assess, and then he’d send me running back out again to let the next family inside. I learned in my formative years how to communicate with diverse patient populations with special needs and a lack of basic necessities. I learned to listen to every family’s unique reasons for their visit, and some of their desperation and pleading for the lives of their children will stay with me forever. When I get into medical school, I hope to share the story of how Gulzarah carried her dehydrated daughter for 12 miles in the Pakistani summer heat without rest (thanks to my grandfather, she later made a full recovery). I want to tell my peers that doctors like my grandfather are not only healers in biology but healers in the spirit by the way he made up heroic songs for the children and sang the fear out of their hearts. I want to show my peers that patients are unique individuals who have suffered and sacrificed to trust us with their health care, so we must honor their trust by providing quality treatment and empathy. My formative experiences in pediatrics contributed to my globally conscious mindset, and I look forward to sharing these diverse insights in my medical career.”

Example 2: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

“‘911 operator, what’s your emergency?’ ‘My friend has just been shot and he is not moving!’ ‘Is he breathing?’ ‘I don't think so!’ ‘Are you hurt?’ ‘No.’ ‘Stay there, the paramedics are on their way.’  ‍ On April 10th 2003, at approximately 11pm, my best friend Kevin and I, intending to see a movie, headed out my front door. We never made it to see a horror movie; but our night was nothing close to mundane, when we became innocent victims to gang crossfire. As we descended my front door stairs two gunshots were fired and one person fell to the floor. Kevin was shot! I vividly recall holding him in my arms, and while he lost blood I almost lost my mind. All I wanted was to help, but there was nothing I could do. At 1am that morning Kevin's family and I sat in the emergency waiting room at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, hoping and praying that the chief surgeon would bring us good news. While this event started me on my quest to become a medical doctor, at that moment all I could envision was a life of despondency.  ‍ According to author Jennifer Holloway, ‘tragedy is a substance which can ignite the soul.’ When Kevin’s surgeon walked through the door of the emergency waiting room he did not have to say a word. Kevin’s family cried hysterically. I, on the other hand, could not cry. As fast as despondency had filled my heart, it was now gone; I was consumed by anger, frustration and motivation to change my life’s direction. The death of my best friend compelled me to pursue a career in medicine. This, I hope, will enable me to help save the lives that others try to take.  ‍ In the fall of this event, I took my first biology and chemistry courses. By the end of the year I excelled as the top student in biology, received the Inorganic Chemistry Achievement Award and was encouraged to become a tutor in general biology and chemistry.  ‍ Tutoring was a captivating experience for me. Questions raised by students challenged my understanding of scientific concepts and their application in patient care. To further develop my knowledge of medicine, I volunteered in the emergency department at Albert Einstein Hospital, in Bronx, NY. While shadowing doctors, I was introduced to triaging, patient diet monitoring and transitioning from diagnosis to treatment. This exposed me to some of the immense responsibilities of a doctor, but my 5 experience helping in the cancer ward was where I learned the necessity of humanity in a physician and how it can be used to treat patients. Peering through a window I saw Cynthia, a seven-year-old girl diagnosed with terminal cancer, laughing uncontrollably after watching her doctor make funny faces. For a moment not only did Cynthia forget that she was dying, but her smile expressed joy and the beauty of being alive. This taught me that a physician, in addition to being knowledgeable and courageous, should show compassion to patients. It also became clear to me that a patient’s emotional comfort is as important as their physical health, and are both factors that a physician considers while providing patient care.  ‍ Although focused on medicine, I was introduced to research through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in Science. Here, I learned organic synthesis techniques, while working on a project to elucidate the chemical mechanisms of oxygen protein binding and its relationships to anemia. I also received the United Negro College Fund/Merck Science Initiative Research Scholarship that allowed me to experience cutting edge research in Medicinal Chemistry, with a number of world-class scientists. At Merck Research Labs, I learned the fundamentals of synthesizing novel compounds for drug discovery, and we focused on treatments for cardiac atrial fibrillation. This internship changed my view of medication and their origins, and left me with a deep appreciation of the challenges of medicinal research. I also now understand that medical doctors and research scientists have similar responsibilities: to solve current and future health issues that we face.  ‍ Despite the tragedy that brought me to the hospital on April 10th 2003, the smells, the residents and the organized chaos of the emergency room have become an integral part of a new chapter in my life. On the day that my friend lost his life I found my soul in medicine. Today as I move forward on the journey to become a physician I never lose sight of the ultimate goal; to turn the dying face of a best friend into the smiling glow of a patient, just like Cynthia’s. A patient’s sickness can be a result of many things. But with the right medications, a physician’s compassion and some luck, sickness can be overcome, and the patient helped. In time and with hard work it will be my privilege to possess the responsibilities of a physician in caring for life.”

FAQs: Med School Diversity Essays

Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about how to write a diversity essay for medical school. 

1. I’m Not an Underrepresented Minority, so How Can I Write a Diversity Essay for Medical School?

Diversity in the context of medical school secondary essays is not limited to race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or other historically underrepresented groups. Think of diversity in broader terms that include your unique experiences and insights, and write about how your diverse skill sets will enhance the school and the student body.

2. How Can I Write a Diversity Essay that Stands Out from Other Candidates?

Brainstorm unique experiences that you have had and narrow down one or two main experiences to weave compelling stories with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. You should prioritize the quality of your experiences and elaborate upon them rather than pack too many bullet points in a limited space.

3. I’m Not a Strong Writer, How Can I Improve My Diversity Essay for Medical School?

Writing is not a linear process, and even bestselling authors need skilled editors. Start small with outlines and notes, then flesh out the essay with details. Write multiple drafts. When you’re happy with a draft, ask friends, family, peers, colleagues, instructors, or mentors for objective feedback. You can also consult with our team of experts to help you. 

4. Why Do Some Medical Schools Require Diversity Essays?

Medical schools want to diversify the field and accept candidates with unique backgrounds and skill sets. These students will go on to be leaders in health care, so a holistic admissions process ensures that the world’s future doctors represent diverse groups, perspectives, talents, and skill sets. 

5. Where Can I Find More Prompts and Examples of Diversity Essays?

Browse the medical school’s website and read their application procedures. You can also contact the school’s admissions committee helpline for more information.

6. What Should I Avoid in my Medical School Diversity Essay?

Avoid spelling and grammar errors, an unprofessional or casual tone/language, controversial or offensive statements, embellishing stories, and negative outlooks. If your diversity essay addresses facing adversity, make sure to focus on a growth mindset, what you learned, and the positive outcomes of that experience.

7. How Long Should a Diversity Essay Be?

Every school has its own character limits and requirements for secondary essays. Be sure to follow the recommended application guidelines and secondary essay requirements, including the school’s specific diversity prompt. You can use the same stories for each diversity essay but repurpose them to answer different prompts. 

8. How Important is a Diversity Essay for Med Schools?

Essays are generally considered a highly important piece of your med school application as they allow you the most room to express who you are and stand out from others. So, writing a thoughtful, compelling diversity essay can seriously improve your chances of acceptance - making them an important piece of your overall application.

Final Thoughts

The diversity essay for medical school is an important component of many secondary applications. Medical schools are increasingly relying on a holistic review of candidates to diversify medicine to better serve global patient populations.

To write an effective diversity essay, think about the unique characteristics and experiences that make you unique. Remember that diversity is broadly defined, so don’t limit yourself to only certain categories.

Pick one to three of the strongest examples that showcase your diversity in the best light. Answer the prompt fully and include every aspect of the prompt. Remember to tell a great story and tie in your experiences to the school’s goals of diversifying health care.

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Medical School Diversity Essay: Complete Guide

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Admissions committees want to ensure their campus is as varied as possible, so they require additional diversity essays for medical schools. 

Medical schools strive to draw candidates from diverse backgrounds so that each student can bring something unique to the school.

The diversity essay allows you to talk about your ethnicity or other distinctive characteristics and how those characteristics will benefit the campus community.

This article will give you a thorough understanding of a medical school diversity essay and the best tips on making a compelling one.

What is a Diversity Essay for Medical School? 

Many secondary admissions require a diversity essay. If a diversity essay is suggested, you should still view it as a requirement because contributing additional, compelling materials increases your chances of getting accepted.

Sending extra resources will enable the admissions committees to understand your distinctive background better since they matriculate well-rounded, diversified, and experienced individuals. A recurrent element across purpose and vision statements on medical school websites is diversity.

This is due to the necessity for healthcare professionals who can relate to and treat a variety of patient populations in the medical industry. 

Some institutions even have unique diversity declarations demonstrating their unwavering dedication to enrolling a diverse student body, including students of every color, religion, sexual orientation, identity, and experience in education and the workforce.

To further promote the advantages of diversity in medicine, admissions committees give unconventional applicants with non-science backgrounds substantial consideration and admit them.

What Counts as Diversity?

Put your worries aside if you are concerned that because you do not identify with a historically underrepresented group, you do not qualify as a diverse applicant. 

Diversity in the context of med school applications does not mean that only members of racial or ethnic minorities should be admitted. 

Yes, minority applicants are diverse and are urged to submit applications to medical school, but diversity does not stop there. 

Instead, diversity is viewed broadly to embrace a variety of areas. In addition, everyone is diverse because each person may draw on their own particular experiences and backgrounds, which is advantageous in the healthcare industry.

Candidates might be diverse due to a variety of distinct qualities and traits:

• Career switchers
• Returning older students
• Non-traditional candidates
• Returning parents to the workforce
• Candidates with military experience
• Candidates who did not major in science
• Candidates from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds
• Candidates who persevere in the face of enormous difficulties
• Historically underrepresented groups (including those based on race, ethnicity, gender, and gender identity as well as language, sexual orientation, and more )

You will have many examples to pick from if you widen your idea of diversity to include your learning experiences and worldviews.

8 Tips for Answering Medical School Diversity Essays

Diversity essays for medical schools give candidates with diverse backgrounds, unusual families, unorthodox educations, or other different experiences a chance to describe how their distinctiveness would enrich the campus community.

Your diversity essay is your chance to show the medical school you are applying to what you have to offer. Hence, it is a must that you ensure that you stand out among the other candidates. 

Below are the best tips when writing your diversity essay for medical school.  

Decide What Makes You Unique

Before you even start writing, develop a list of the characteristics in your background that set you apart. 

Consider your schooling, employment history, extracurricular activities, upbringing, family life, and other facets of your path to medical school.

The purpose of brainstorming is to stimulate your creative thinking. 

Do not worry about spelling, grammar, or sentence structure at this time. Your objective is to write down as many thoughts as you can so that you can start to develop a narrative for your diversity essay using one to three examples.

Focus on Your Story

This is a crucial aspect since many applicants who do not belong to a particular socioeconomic or ethnic group feel they cannot bring variety to a potential medical school class. 

Unfortunately, this is a typical misunderstanding. Diversity is not only about your skin tone or the religion your ancestors practiced.

Did you grow up in a non-traditional environment? 

This could involve losing a family member, having a brother or other family member who is ill or disabled, growing up in a home with only one parent, starting work at an early age, or many other things. There are a ton of different things that could be a part of your variety.

Do not Hold Back

Do not be reluctant to share your experiences. Simple or uninteresting anecdotes will not stand out. What specific information about yourself can you include to support your arguments?

Clearly state how the encounter affected you. 

What did you discover? 

How has the experience helped you grow in terms of your character? 

How did you utilize what you learned and acquired skills to further your medical education and, ultimately, your career?

In addition, keep in mind that your experience can come up during the interview. Therefore, any information you include in your application is fair for questioning throughout the interview process. 

Never write about an experience that you will not be able to discuss in person. It is beneficial to be honest and vulnerable. Still, it is equally important that you keep your cool throughout the interview.

Make Sure Your Story Has a Potential Contribution to the Community

Occasionally, candidates focus so much on their differences that they lose sight that being unique is a means, not an end, to an objective. 

These distinctions and distinctive traits/experiences must have a purpose. They must assist in demonstrating your merit for a place at the roundtable discussion for medical schools.

Being a two-time offender or a habitual absence from school are two examples of unusual qualities and experiences for a medical school applicant . Will they aid you in entering? 

Most likely not, and for apparent motives. Concentrating on another subject for your medical school diversity essay might be best.

The idea is straightforward. Once you have determined your unique traits, your primary responsibility is to explain how that distinctiveness will enable you to offer something extraordinary both in and outside school.

Enter your text here...

Keep Developing Your Narrative

The coherent story you weave throughout your primary application about who you are and why you want to be a doctor is crucial to a successful application. 

Nothing different applies to the second application. The diversity essay allows you to develop the story you started in your main application.

The diversity essay must flow naturally with the remainder of your secondary application. Each application component should support your narrative and offer further background information on how you came to be where you are.

Do Not Repeat Yourself

Make sure you are expanding on any experiences, moments, or lessons you have already addressed if you will bring them up again. You must include more background if you use the same examples in your secondaries.

Do not say the same thing twice in your secondary. Your initial application is already available to the admissions committee. Repeating the same tales will not give the admission committee any new information about you. The secondary chapters offer you the chance to develop your plot further.

Have Enough Evidence of What You Are Writing

Even if diversity may be an elusive idea or characteristic, it needs concrete proof. Therefore, diversity essays for med school are not comprehensive without a clear explanation of how your "diversity" relates to your experiences.

You cannot, for instance, blatantly claim that your history as an immigrant son or daughter and first-generation college student gives you some important insight into the concerns of immigrant populations. 

You still need to provide evidence, even though it makes sense that you would be more knowledgeable than people from wealthy, non-immigrant families. Clearly state the links.

Therefore, the ideal strategy is not to overemphasize how significant your minority identity is if you do choose to focus on ethnic, cultural, or religious diversity.

Instead, a compelling essay might concentrate on your commitment to diversity and social justice issues or your efforts to address the health disparities between minorities and non-minorities. It could also be your encounters that show a concrete proof of your cross-cultural competence in patient or client interactions. 

These three subjects are not exhaustive but could serve as an excellent starting point.

Proofread and Double-Check Your Diversity Essay

Spend some time going over a few crucial details in your article again. Ensure the element or elements you emphasize have real personal significance for you. Then, reread your essay one last time to ensure you genuinely respond to the question.

The diversity essay is multifaceted. For example, one school might require you only to list any noteworthy aspects of your background. 

At the same time, another would want you to explain how those aspects will improve their curriculum or influence your future line of work.

Additionally, make sure you relate your attributes to medicine, particularly to the institution you are applying to.

Medical School Diversity Essay Sample Prompts 

The leading schools' diversity essay prompts are provided below to give you an idea of what is anticipated. Remember that each of these prompts has a consistent theme. 

Specifically, medical schools are interested in your broad diversity and how it will benefit the institution's purpose, vision, and student body.

Larner College of Med – University of Vermont

The Larner College of Medicine understands that diversity embraces all of a person's experiences and goes beyond their self-identified or unidentified identities. Consider a period when you gained knowledge from a person or organization that is different from yourself.

Mayo Med School – Mayo Clinic

Our individual inflections, which make up our diversity, distinguish us from one another or bind us together. Describe how your personal and professional activities reflect your relationship to your own variety and the diversity of others.

Stanford University School of Medicine

The diversity of an entering class is viewed by the admissions committee as a crucial component in advancing the school's educational purpose. The Committee on Admissions encourages you to address any distinctive, personally significant, and/or challenging aspects of your background.

These aspects may include how well you were educated as a child, your gender, your sexual orientation, any physical disabilities, and life or employment experiences.

Please explain how these influences have shaped your aspirations and training for a future in medicine and how they might enable you to make a distinctive contribution to the Stanford learning environment.

University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

The Pritzker Sch of Medicine at the University of Chicago is committed to encouraging diverse students with an extraordinary promise to become leaders and innovators in science and medicine for the benefit of humanity. This is done in an environment of multidisciplinary scholarship and discovery.

Our essential objective and educational ethos are expressed in our mission statement. In particular, it emphasizes how important diversity is to us since we believe that variety in the student body is vital to academic performance. Please submit an essay outlining how you would further Pritzker's goal and promote diversity there.

Wake Forest School of Medicine

We want to develop doctors who can relate to various patient populations, even though they may not have a common background. Tell us about a situation that helped you to see the world more broadly or to understand people who are different from you better and what you took away from it.

Medical School Diversity Essay Samples

The diversity essay questions you are given by various institutions may differ, meaning that the terminology and what is being asked of you will be unique to each institution. 

To prepare yourself, reading a few samples is a good idea.

While the general substance of each prompt will not fluctuate significantly depending on the school, you might want to change the organization or sequencing of the content for various prompts.

Here are some of the best samples of medical school diversity essays.

Prompt: Diversity can take many different shapes. How do you think you could add to the class's diversity?

I feel fortunate to have a solid sense of my roots. Being in Italy frequently throughout my life has allowed me to see how this culture's ideologies differ from those of the United States.

Italian society is frequently tarnished by the myth that its people are idle or unwilling to put forth the effort. People will, in my opinion, see a community where love and camaraderie are more critical than monetary possessions if they view the world objectively.

As a result, there is a considerable emphasis on other people's health and wellness. There is always time for family dinner, a coffee with a friend, or a mind-clearing walk in the evening.

Growing up, my family always ensured everyone had access to food and conversation. I adhere to this concept and see working in the healthcare industry as a chance to assist people in leading fulfilling lives and seeking their own happiness.

Healthcare experts have continuously allowed my loved ones to live independently and be there throughout my life. They have provided me with a service and a gift, and I want to spend the rest of my life sharing that gift with others. My passion for studying medicine and my holistic way of living have been influenced by my culture, background, and experiences in life.

In addition to being a physician in training, I will bring these qualities of empathy and holistic care to my role as a classmate who supports others through medical school challenges.

Prompt: Without restricting the discussion to your identity, please elaborate on how you see yourself supporting the fundamental principles of inclusion and diversity at our school of medicine and the medical field.

When I think about diversity, the first thing that springs to me is "a difference of opinion." As a member of the debate club and a student with a budding interest in classical philosophy, I've come to understand the importance of having a variety of viewpoints. I think advancement is basically impossible without the ability to question our assumptions and expectations about the world and ourselves.

My responsibility as a volunteer scribe at a mobile clinic was to document the specifics of patient examinations. We saw primarily middle-aged or older people. One patient, Paul, showed up at the mobile clinic with a nasty cut on his foot that he claimed was caused by catching his foot on an old rolled-up fence behind his barn. He was skeptical when we suggested he get a tetanus injection. He expressed why he didn't think immunizations were effective.

It was crucial to avoid conflict. We emphasized that while maintaining his autonomy was our first goal, he was likely to contract tetanus, which is potentially fatal. We explained to him that the tetanus vaccine has contributed to a 95% reduction in tetanus cases since about 1950. The patient thought for a bit, then agreed to the vaccination and thanked us for our assistance before leaving. I want to provide the University of Maryland School of Medicine with what I've learned through polite, open communication.

Prompt: What diverse characteristics and experiences could you offer the community of medical schools?

Our training for the Peace Corps taught us a metaphor for our work. Our new neighborhood could be compared to a square if America, our country of origin, were a circle. Volunteers like me formed triangles. The purpose? We could see both as legitimate modes of existence since we were a part of both.

The majority of us have several identities. I also practice living in the center by driving a boat across an island chain. The translator assumes a crucial role in Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, one of my favorite books, which tells the tale of foreign ambassadors who are taken hostage during a banquet. He is the one who must communicate, interpret, and give voice to the blank spaces between characters.

I have had many opportunities to translate for my siblings, parents, Belizean villagers, and others in my health advocacy work. I am the oldest child, a former Peace Corps volunteer, and a member of a mixed-race family.

My "triangular" persona enables me to take an alternative perspective on issues. The medical school is a hub for creative thinking and an entrepreneurial community. I wish to take part in the translation of differences and support of evidence-based solutions to health issues.

I believe that to fulfill my duty, I must be willing to try to comprehend others. My capacity to stand in two places, ears and heart open, enable dialogue, and give my perspective from a place of collaborative appreciation, will be my most outstanding contribution to the medical school community. In a silo, growth cannot take place. It starts with acknowledging the significance of all identities while learning from and working with others.

Additional FAQs – Medical School Diversity Essay 

Do all medical schools require a diversity essay, why is diversity good in medical school, you're no longer alone on your journey to becoming a physician.

How to Write the Medical School Secondary Diversity Essay

• By Med School Insiders
• June 13, 2022
• Secondary Application

The medical school secondary diversity essay exists because admissions committees want to ensure their campus is as diverse as possible. Medical schools want to attract applicants from all walks of life so that each student contributes something unique to the student body. The diversity essay is an opportunity for applicants to discuss their minority background or otherwise unique history or identity and how their uniqueness will contribute to the college community.

In this post, we’ll break down why this prompt is asked, what admissions committees are looking for, and how to best answer it.

Medical School Secondaries

The AMCAS application opens for the following year’s medical school class around the first week of May. Submissions open around the end of May to early June, so you have a month to prepare your primary application. Therefore, if you hope to begin medical school in the fall of 2023, you must apply in the spring of 2022.

Your secondary applications will take about two to four weeks to arrive after you submit your primary application. Secondaries must be completed as soon as possible without compromising quality. We recommend taking no longer than 7-14 days to submit each secondary you receive.

This is especially true because, at Med School Insiders, we recommend applicants apply to around 20 different medical schools . This could mean receiving 20 different secondaries, all within the same general time frame.

For more information about ideal scheduling, read our Medical School Application Timeline Guide .

Why Do Schools Include a Diversity Essay?

Colleges, and not just medical schools, believe their college culture, community, and campus learning experience can be enriched by including a wide array of different backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and beliefs. Therefore, many admissions committees assign a diversity essay so that each applicant can explain in their own words how their identity and background will help enhance the student body at large.

Diversity essays are an opportunity for applicants with minority backgrounds, unique family histories, an unconventional education, or otherwise distinctive experiences to explain how their uniqueness will add to the campus community.

How to Answer the Medical School Secondary Diversity Essay

1 | diversity comes in many forms.

This is an extremely important point, as many applicants who don’t come from a specific socioeconomic or ethnocultural background believe they are unable to add diversity to a prospective medical school class. This is a common misconception. Diversity isn’t limited to the color of your skin or which religion your family belongs to.

Did you experience a non-traditional upbringing growing up? This could include losing a family member, having a sibling or family member with a health concern or disability, growing up in a single parent home, needing to work at a young age, or much more. There are many, many factors that could contribute to your diversity.

Focus on your story. Which personal qualities make you unique? What aspect of your personal identity, upbringing, or family has separated you from your peers?

2 | What is Your Personal Identity?

If you’re stuck on what direction to take this essay, take time to look inward and consider your own identity. Who are you? What kind of person are you? What makes you, well, you? What makes you unique from other candidates?

Your identity is made up of a number of different factors, including your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and health.

You might also consider any non-traditional experiences you’ve had or a non-traditional upbringing.

• What was your home life like?
• What was your financial situation growing up?
• What is your family’s education level?
• How much did you have to work when you were younger?
• Do you come from a multicultural background?
• Have you experienced a personal health scare?
• Do you have family members who have significant health concerns?
• Have you lost close family members?
• Did you lose a parent at a young age?
• Did you grow up in a single parent home?
• Have you experienced any kind of traumatic event that has informed your values and identity?

3 | Get Personal

Don’t hold back when sharing your experiences. Surface-level stories or bland anecdotes will not stand out. What personal details can you add that will better illustrate your points?

Describe in detail how the experience made you feel. What did you learn? What qualities have you developed as a result of the experience? How will you apply what you learned and the qualities you earned to your medical education and eventual career?

At the same time, remember that your experience may be brought up during your interview. Anything you mention in your application is fair game to be asked about on the interview trail. Do not write about any experience you will be unable to speak about in person. It’s good to be open and show vulnerability, but it’s also vital that you maintain your composure during your interview.

If you don’t think you can speak about the experience face-to-face with an interviewer, leave it out of your essay.

4 | Don’t Repeat Yourself

You may have been asked a diversity question in your primary application, or you may have chosen to focus on this aspect of your life in your personal statement.

Do not repeat yourself in your secondary. Admissions committees already have access to your primary application. Repeating the same stories won’t provide adcoms with any additional insight into who you are. The secondaries are an opportunity to add something new to your story.

If you’re going to touch on an experience, moment, or lesson you’ve already mentioned, ensure that you are adding to it. You must provide a notable amount of additional context if you utilize the same examples in your secondaries.

5 | Continue Crafting Your Narrative

An essential piece of a successful primary application is the cohesive narrative you build throughout it about who you are and why you want to be a doctor. The secondary application is no different. The diversity essay is an opportunity to continue the narrative you established in your primary application.

It’s important that the diversity essay fits well with the rest of your secondary application. Each piece of the application should add to your story and provide additional context about how you’ve arrived at where you are today.

Learn How to Develop a Cohesive Narrative for Medical School Applications .

Medical School Secondary Diversity Essay Examples

There are a number of different directions you can take your diversity essay.

You might discuss a time when you or someone you care about experienced prejudice. How did that experience make you feel? What did you learn? How did it shape who you are? If you took action in response to this, what action did you take? Did you try to support others who are experiencing prejudice?

You might discuss the difficulties you’ve had growing up with parents who have different values than your own. How did these differences change your relationship with your family? How did that conflict in your life shape who you are today? Were you able to resolve your differences with your family, or did you need to prioritize your own needs and identity?

You might discuss how your cultural background has been a positive influence on your life. How has learning another language and participating in cultural values distinct from those of the US shaped who you are? What have you learned from the traditional values of your family? How can you apply what you’ve learned to interacting with people who come from other ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds?

You might discuss how from a very young age you needed to help support your family financially. How did taking on that burden when you were young shape you? How were you able to help and support your family? Was it financially or with your time? What did you learn from that experience growing up, and how has it informed your priorities and outlook on life?

Other Common Secondary Questions

The diversity essay is only one of the common medical school secondary prompts you can expect to see in one form or another. Knowing which questions are likely to appear on secondaries will help you prepare your answers in advance.

Some of the most common secondary questions include:

• Why are you a good fit for our school?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you want to be a doctor?
• Why us? / Why do you want to join this program?
• Describe a moral or ethical dilemma you faced. What did you learn from the experience?
• Describe a time when you failed and what you learned.
• Did you take time off after undergrad? What did you achieve during this time?
• Where do you see yourself in ten years?

With these questions in mind, start writing your responses to common secondary questions long before you actually receive your secondaries. Once you do receive a secondary, deeply research the program and tailor your answers to suit their values and offerings.

Learn more about the complete secondary process and how to plan ahead in our Medical School Secondary Application Guide .

Secondary Application Editing With Med School Insiders

We get it. We understand how long you’ve already been working on the application process,  but now is not the time to give up. It’s time to knuckle down and drive this thing home.

Med School Insiders can help. Our Medical School Secondary Application Editing services will help you write the kind of singular secondary applications that will get you noticed by your top choice medical schools. Our doctor advisors have served on medical school admissions committees, and they’ve read hundreds of secondary essays. Our team will help you craft a stellar secondary application tailored to each school you apply to.

Med School Insiders

2024 TMDSAS Secondary Application Guide

Learn how to create a stand out TMDSAS secondary application, including secondary deadlines, costs, the types of questions asked, and critical strategies.

2024 AACOMAS Secondary Application Guide

Learn how to create a stand out AACOMAS secondary application, including secondary deadlines, costs, the types of questions asked, and critical strategies.

2024-2025 Medical School Application Timeline and Monthly Schedule

This is the medical school application timeline you should follow, including key dates and an ideal month-by-month preparation schedule.

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Medical School Diversity Essay Examples and Tips

• Cracking Med School Admissions

Diversity secondary essay questions are a common prompt in secondary medical school applications. Diversity essays are extremely open-ended and broad. Many premedical students struggle with this secondary essay prompt because it is broad. Each year, our Cracking Med School Admissions team receives hundreds of questions from applicants about how to write about diversity in your secondary essays? Our Cracking Med School Admissions team thinks you can use the broad nature of diversity essay prompts to your advantage! Use your response to your diversity essays as a way to discuss an aspect of your application you have not been able to elaborate on already in your other secondary essays for that specific school. Additionally, you can use diversity secondary essays to augment your awesomeness to admissions officers through discussing your passions in medicine and conveying your leadership experiences! If you want to read medical school diversity essay examples , skip down below!

This diversity essay medical school essay blog post will cover:

• What are medical school diversity essays?
• Sample diversity essay prompts from various medical schools
• Tips on how to write about diversity in your secondary essays
• FAQs about medical school diversity essays
• * Medical school diversity essay examples*

What are Medical School Diversity Essays?

Medical school diversity essays are questions on medical school secondary applications that applicants write as part of the medical school application process. Medical schools value diversity in their student bodies because it leads to a more dynamic learning environment where students can learn from each other and benefit from diverse perspectives and experiences. Additionally, medical schools want to recruit students who aspire to improve healthcare in different ways. For examples, some applicants’ strengths lie in research. Other applicants thrive in creating public health programs to improve community health. Still other applicants are interested in narrative medicine and want to inspire others through future books they write about the human condition. 

Diversity essays provide an opportunity for applicants to showcase their unique personal experiences, cultural background, educational experiences, extra-curricular activities, and perspectives. Applicants can express how they will contribute to the diversity of the medical school community.

As stated earlier, diversity essays are broad. Applicants are asked to describe how their culture background, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristic that defines them has shaped their life experiences and perspective.

Topics you can discuss on your medical school diversity essay include:

• Personal background – ethnicity, socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion
• Perspectives from your cultural background
• Family background and life circumstances with regards to upbringing
• Adversity and challenges
• Healthcare experiences that reflect your motivation to pursue a career in medicine
• Unique non-healthcare passions and activities
• Courses that inspired you
• Majors and minors in college
• Summer internships
• Gap year activities
• Post-graduate degrees
• Personal qualities, including leadership skills and your personal strengths

Remember that secondary application essays should complement your primary application essays.

Medical School Diversity Essay Prompts

Diversity secondary essay questions may be phrased in a multitude of ways. Diversity essays have a wide range of character limit; some medical schools only allow 1,000 characters while other medical schools have no word limit. Additionally, some diversity secondary prompts are optional while other diversity secondary prompts are mandatory.

To better understand what diversity essays are and how broad they can be, let’s take a look a sample medical school diversity essay prompts. 

Harvard Medical School Diversity Essay Prompt

• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.

As listed in the Harvard Medical School prompt, you can write about:

• Demographic variables, such as ethnic, racial, social, gender, religious, etc. diversity that have substantially shaped your life or your passion for medicine
• Personal circumstances/hardships that have shaped your growth
• A specific passion that you have cultivated and pursued over time (for example, sexual health, LGBTQ advocacy, etc.) You should further write about how this passion/activity that you have pursued has allowed you to develop qualities that you believe contribute to your individual diversity.

Note: You basically can write about anything.

In essence, these diversity secondary essay questions are asking you how your unique qualities/experiences will serve their medical community AND will help make you an excellent physician.

Let’s take a look and examine other medical school secondary essay prompts:

Yale School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?  

Read a Yale medical school diversity essay example below!

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Optional: The (Johns Hopkins) Admissions Committee values hearing about each candidate for admission, including what qualities the candidate might bring to the School of Medicine if admitted. If you feel there is information not already addressed in the application that will enable the Committee to know more about you and this has influenced your desire to be a physician, feel free to write a brief statement in the space below. You may address any subject you wish, such as being a first generation college student, or being a part of a minority group (whether because of your sexual orientation, religion, economic status, gender identity, ethnicity) or being the child of undocumented immigrants or being undocumented yourself, etc. Please note that this question is optional and that you will not be penalized should you choose not to answer it.

A special point to notice here:  This essay is optional. See our thoughts below in the FAQ section as to whether you should write this essay or not. Also, read an example Johns Hopkins diversity essay below!

And here are even more secondary essay prompts from various schools….

Baylor College of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating you, including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, prevailing over adversity. You may expand upon but not repeat TMDSAS or AMCAS application information. This section is mandatory. Please make sure you submit an essay or your application will not be reviewed by the committee. 

Drexel University College of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• What else do you feel is important for us to know about you? You can use this space to highlight something not addressed in your application, including new experiences not in your AMCAS application. You can also talk about how COVID -19 impacted you. For example, it may have caused disruptions or changes in your plans. If there is something you would like to share regarding how this event impacted you, share that information here.

Duke University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Tell us more about who you are. You may provide additional information that expands your self-identity where gender identification, racial and/or ethnic self description, geographic origin, socioeconomic, academic, and/or other characteristics that define who you are as you contemplate a career that will interface with people who are similar AND dissimilar to you. You will have the opportunity below to tell us how you wish to be addressed, recognized and treated. 
• Optional: In addition to the broad categorization of race, ethnicity, geographic origin, socioeconomic status as provided through your AMCAS application, you may use the text box below to provide additional clarifying information that may reflect the impact of any of these parameters on your development thus far as well as the impact that these may have had on your path to a career in medicine and your plans for the future. 
• No word limit & Optional:  Please let us know of any additional information that you would like us to consider while reviewing your application.

Special note:  Duke University School of Medicine has THREE diversity essays. Applicants can really leverage this an opportunity to give a holistic and varied view about themselves!

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Please share with us something about yourself that is not addressed elsewhere in your application and which could be helpful to the Admissions Committee as we review your file.

Georgetown University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application?

George Washington University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• What makes you a unique individual? What challenges have you faced? How will these factors help you contribute to the diversity of the student body at GW? 

Stanford University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• The (Stanford) 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.
• Optional:  Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine?

Note:  Stanford University School of Medicine has multiple essays where you can write about your “diverse” experiences. Other than Stanford secondary essay questions about how you want to take advantage of Stanford’s curriculum, the rest of the Stanford University School of Medicine essay prompts are very open-ended!

The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• How will your unique attributes (e.g., cultural or socioeconomic background, lifestyle, work experiences) add to the overall diversity of the Alpert Medical School community?

Tufts University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Do you consider yourself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine ?

Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Feinberg’s mission is to train future leaders in medicine who will serve their patients, communities and society. Describe one specific interest in medicine and how FSM, located in Chicago which is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, will help you achieve this professional goal
• The Feinberg School of Medicine values diversity as a measure of excellence. We define diversity as the totality of the characteristics and experiences of our students. We believe that a diverse student body improves the educational environment and the ability of our graduates to serve an increasingly diverse patient population. Narrative Descriptions: Everyone has their own narrative. Please provide more detail about how your experiences would enrich the Northwestern community. 

Note: Northwestern University has TWO diversity essays! In the first essay prompt, your essay topic should be more related to healthcare and medicine. But, in the second prompt, you can write about anything!

Washington University School of Medicine Secondary Application Diversity Essay Prompt

• Optional:  Is there anything else you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions?

How to Write About Diversity in Your Secondary Essays

Our goal at Cracking Med School Admissions when helping students strategize and edit their secondary application essays is to always help students stand out. Yes, that means, we want students to stand out in every single essay, including this open-ended diversity essay question.

It is incredibly important to do THREE THINGS when it comes to your diversity essays:

1. Include anecdotes.

You want to make sure that you show your readers how specific experiences and demographic factors have shaped you as an individual, rather than tell them.

Examples of anecdotes include:

• Demographics – if you are going to discuss something from your demographic background, don’t just say where you are from. SHOW your culture through anecodotes and stories. For examples, premedical students in the past have talked about cooking a cultural meal with their grandparents. Other medical school applicants have talked about a grandparent’s or parent’s experience with the American healthcare systems.
• Challenges – Give specific instances where you faced a challenge. What was the challenge? How did you overcome the challenge?
• Patient care stories – Give anecodotes about memorable patient experiences. What were your interactions with a patient? Why was the patient in the hospital? What happened? What are your reflections about the human experience and human condition? 
• Leadership – give a specific challenge you faced as a leader or a specific event that you organized. Alternatively, you can talk about a time when you led a team or founded an organization / initiatives.

2. Connect your stories to medicine.

How will your experiences help you become a better doctor? That is the question that is relevant to almost every single prompt regardless of if it is explicitly worded as such or not. You absolutely must discuss how your past experiences and the qualities you have cultivated through these experiences will help you in medicine. For example, you can illustrate how your experiences with patient advocacy or within medical teams will help you as a future doctor; it is a good idea to include particularly challenging patient encounters and how you grew from such experiences. You should further write about leadership, teamwork, resilience, and other qualities learned from your experiences—make the explicit connection to how you will use these qualities as a doctor.

3. Tailor your diversity essays TO EACH MEDICAL SCHOOL.

Connect your stories and experiences to what you will do at the medical school. You can talk about how you want to do research with a specific professor or work with a specific club to pioneer a new initiative. Talk about how your presence at the medical school will enhance the community.

Different schools have different strengths. You must do your research on each school that you are applying to, and try to connect your experiences to the schools’ strengths.

Moreover, different schools have different needs. If there is a specific problem in the regional community that the school belongs to that you feel you are poised to solve (for example, homeless health, refugee health, etc.), you can further tailor your essay to a medical school by making that connection.

Be creative to show EACH INDIVIDUAL medical school that you would be a standout contributor to their community.

Frequently Asked Questions about Diversity Secondaries

We want to share with you frequently asked questions about diversity secondaries. Our responses below are here to help you strategize your secondary essay topics.

Again, our goal is to help you STAND OUT in every single part of your application, including your secondary applications!

Remember, the point of the diversity essay is to help you discuss the strengths of your application. Whatever you write should complement the other responses and other essays in  each school’s secondary application. Each applicant will have his or her own unique strengths, stories, and experiences, so if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Dr. Mediratta and Dr. Rizal , who literally read thousands of secondary essays each year!

What is the biggest mistake you’ve seen on diversity essays?

This is our biggest advice for medical school diversity essays:

Applicants often think that they  have to write about their personal background, specifically culture, ethnicity, race, and/or socioeconomic status. While there are some secondary applications that ask for specifically those topics, most diversity essay prompts are broad.  We often encourage students to talk about other extra-curricular activities and passions UNLESS they their cultural background plays a significant role in their pursuit towards a career in medicine.

You can think about the following questions:

• What will you bring to the medical school class?
• How will you change healthcare (and how have you already started on that journey)?
• What are your strengths as a person?

Can the topic of my secondary essay be the same as topics I wrote about in my primary application personal statement?

Yes! Absolutely! However, we would suggest that you write about a different angle. 

For example, if in your primary application personal statement you talked about your research and what you did in your research, in your diversity essay medical school, talk about a challenge you faced in your research project. Or, talk about a different study or research lab your were involved with. Finally, premeds may write about teaching and mentoring younger individuals in their labs, again, to give a different angle in their diversity essays for medical school.

Can I “recycle” or “reuse” my diversity essay response for multiple schools?

Yes! What we typically advise students is to use most of the essay as a template or starting point. And then, tweak the essay as necessary based on the number of words or characters available. If applicable, you can tailor the diversity essay towards each school. 

Many students will have 2-3 “diversity essay medical school topics and essays” that they draw from. And, depending on the medical school and other prompts, they will pick and choose which essay to use.

Can I talk about a challenge in my diversity essay?

Definitely. Make sure you did not use this essay for another essays like a “challenge” prompt for that specific school’s secondary. Discuss how overcoming the challenge has helped you grow, and what you will contribute to the medical school student body. 

Can I talk about how COVID-19 impacted me and my application in my diversity essay?

Typically, talking about COVID-19 challenges isn’t the strongest topic for the diversity essay. But, if you faced a challenge during the  COVID-19 pandemic and took action to improve society or healthcare, then you can definitely use those experiences! Also, another secondary application strategy to consider: make sure there is not another prompt that allows you to talk about COVID.

You can read about an ICU expererience during COVID down below in our diversity secondary essay examples!

Medical School Diversity Essay Examples

You can include multiple experiences in one diversity secondary essay, but make sure that your transitions are seamless. Furthermore, in such essays, you want to pay attention to your paragraph breaks to further communicate your strong attributes and diverse experiences with maximum impact. Remember—make it as easy as possible for your reader to understand your writing and to visualize you as a strong physician.

Below are 2 medical school diversity essay examples answers from a student who then received an interview at both Yale University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Yale Medical School Diversity Essay Example

Prompt: Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?  

When I first arrived at UPenn, I was made acutely aware of an issue that plagued our campus community: an extensive culture of sexual assault. I felt compelled to act in opposition. I joined Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP) in my first semester and later became a Sexual Assault Counselor.

A lesson I learned as Co-Chair of ASAP is that leaders must critically examine their communities to meet unfulfilled needs. I transformed our programming to better serve survivors with an intersectional lens. I held a workshop at UPenn with a community leader from the Movement for Black Lives and discussed how racial justice must inform our advocacy. This focus was integrated into our Take Back the Night advocacy event, as we spoke at length about how to serve the needs of black and trans survivors. I piloted the expansion of this event to being held with eight other schools.

Moreover, the Title IX reporting process at UPenn is quite complex and not readily accessible. Given the number of sexual trauma survivors at our university, I worked to clarify this process for our student community by directing an educational campaign, to be released in the next academic year. I played the leading role in a meeting with the Title IX Coordinator and Associate Vice President for Equity, as well as Directors and Associate Directors from various UPenn Centers—we discussed my vision for the project and dove into specifics of the campaign. I enjoyed collaborating with individuals who direct initiatives and policy changes for the safety of our campus community of 25,000 students.

As a physician, I will continue to lead the movement to build a world free of sexual violence and gender inequity. I strive to integrate clinics that offer primary, psychiatric, and gynecological care for sexual trauma survivors into national healthcare. These clinics will also offer forensic examinations led by Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFE), as well as social and legal support. By providing a centralized location for all of the care needs of survivors, I want to limit the difficulties of navigating the healthcare system often faced by this vulnerable population. I would love to work with Dr. Jubanyik to drive this initiative forward and promote health equity for survivors at Yale. Furthermore, statewide tracking of SAFE centers is inconsistent. I want to generate a national database to consolidate these programs and help survivors better access them. I would love to extend my advocacy for survivors as a member of the student group, Prenatal Partners, to be able to advocate for a trauma-informed approach to medical care for expectant mothers.

As a medical student and physician, I am eager to leverage my skill in storytelling to inform and strengthen healthcare. I believe that compelling stories can be important catalysts for change, particularly in the context of my aspirations to serve women and survivors. I would love to work with Dr. Reisman to write a journalistic novel on women’s sexuality and resilience deriving from my longitudinal patient relationships.

Johns Hopkins Medical School Diversity Essay Example

Optional: The Admissions Committee values hearing about each candidate for admission, including what qualities the candidate might bring to the School of Medicine if admitted. If you feel there is information not already addressed in the application that will enable the Committee to know more about you and this has influenced your desire to be a physician, feel free to write a brief statement in the space below. You may address any subject you wish, such as being a first generation college student, or being a part of a minority group (whether because of your sexual orientation, religion, economic status, gender identity, ethnicity) or being the child of undocumented immigrants or being undocumented yourself, etc. Please note that this question is optional and that you will not be penalized should you choose not to answer it. 2500 characters

As a Neuro/COVID-19 ICU clinical volunteer operating at the center of the pandemic crisis, I encouraged patients who were suffering the worst of COVID-19 symptoms through our patient call bell system. 

In public health emergencies, I understand how patients can feel detached from and misunderstood by their healthcare systems, causing them to refuse treatments or preventive measures like vaccines. I once had a conversation with an ICU patient who was approaching discharge and refusing to wear a mask. My team respectfully asked questions and listened to his supplication of answers and reasoning. I knew that convincing someone to let go of an entrenched opinion would be difficult. But I tried as hard as I could and felt him soften in conversation. He ultimately wore his mask. I left this interaction with a better understanding of how to approach and care for an individual with a radically different perspective from my own.

I take seriously my responsibility to listen carefully to my patient’s concerns and assure them that recommended measures are medically sound. To promote patient trust in medicine and to address health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, I will work to leverage community partnerships, as I have done as an advocate for survivors. I will listen to what specific communities need and tailor health care delivery accordingly.

Throughout the coronavirus surge, I was able to have a more hands-on role with neurological care in the ICU. After caring for an unconscious patient with moyamoya disease and two ischemic strokes in the Neuro/COVID-19 ICU and learning of her poor prognosis from her physician, I pored through the medical literature. I hoped that studies would reveal something different. The patient’s antiplatelet therapy was proving ineffective. Yet surgery was not a safe option as her unstable moyamoya carried greater postoperative ischemic complication risk. I struggled, unable to find an alternative. Thereafter, I wrote “Between you and me,” excerpted below.

Her eyes are closed, a tube connecting her to her life.

They are draining her cerebrospinal fluid and it should

be yellow. But it’s pink. Like watermelon juice.

The act of writing brought me peace and helped me come to terms with my patient’s suffering.

Nikita’s work in the ICU was featured in U.S. News , “ What Premeds Can Learn in Intensive Care Units ”

We hope this blog post was a great starting point in giving you ideas for how to write a medical school diversity essay.

Check out our other helpful resources:

• COVID-19 Secondary Essay Prompts
• How to Write “Why This Medical School?” Secondary Essays
• Medical School Secondary Essay Editing

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The Medical School Diversity Essay: Everything You Need to Know

June 13, 2017

The Medical School Diversity Essay

Now that you've turned in your AMCAS (phew!), you're probably wondering how to tackle the monster of secondaries coming your way. One of the most common questions asked in one form or another is the medical school diversity essay . Have you ever wondered why diversity is such an important component of the medical school admission process? I’ve heard a lot of pre-med students eager to write this off as a political move on the behalf of medical schools, without taking the time to truly consider its value.

Of course, in the US we have a powerful tradition of diversity in higher education. Diversity in the classroom (and on campus) allows students to produce a “creative friction,” thereby improving the educational experience for all.

However, in the medical school context, diversity has an additional, more utilitarian purpose: it is crucial to the quality of medical care provided by these soon-to-be physicians. An ability to understand your patients -- regardless of background -- is an integral part of your life as a doctor.

So, now that we have solved the great admissions diversity mystery, we can get started on the actual essays. First, what does a medical school diversity essay actually look like? Let’s take an example from one of Stanford Med School’s recent secondary applications:

“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.”

Or this question from Wake Forest School of Medicine :

“The Committee on Admissions values diversity as an important factor in the educational mission of the Wake Forest School of Medicine. How will you contribute to the diversity of your medical school class and to the medical community in general?”

Ultimately, these medical school diversity essay prompts are all variations on the same question, “How are you different from other applicants, and how does that difference impact your ability to contribute in medical school and beyond?”

This prompt brings us to our first action point:

1. “Diversity” and “Underrepresented Minority” are not synonymous.  

Have you ever heard someone lament, “[sigh]...I’m not a minority so I’m not diverse.” I have. Many times. Most frequently, this lamentation originates from a lack of creativity and fundamental understanding about what diversity means. As we’ve already discussed, diversity serves two purposes: 1) varying perspectives in a classroom and on campus so as to produce more comprehensive learning, and 2) Improving patient care once these applicants become newly-minted MDs.

Thus, while ethno-cultural, religious, or socioeconomic backgrounds are all forms of diversity, they are by no means the only forms of diversity. Indeed, diversity is anything about you which is special and which will allow you to satisfy the objectives of diversity as described above.

Multlingual? That’s diversity.

Been in the military? That’s diversity.

Had a rare disease as a child? That’s diversity.

Have a special personal quality (such as being a talented connector, or unusually high EQ)? Diversity.

Have a very specific and innovative career path in mind (e.g., using robotics to improve prosthetics)? Diversity.

Worked as a personal trainer or a nutritionist?....you see where I’m going with this. The key is not to narrowly define diversity, but instead to broadly construe how your “diverse elements” will allow you to contribute something unique to your prospective school and ultimately, your profession.

This brings us to our second action point:

2. Your “diversity” means nothing if it isn’t clearly connected to your potential contribution.

Sometimes, applicants get too caught up in the ways they are different, that they forget that being different is not an end, but a means to an end. These differences and unique qualities/experiences have to accomplish something. They have to help prove that you are deserving of a seat at the med school roundtable.

For example, being a chronic truant or two-time felon are certainly unique qualities and experiences for an applicant to medical school. Will they help you get in? Almost certainly not, and for obvious reasons. Best to focus on some other topic for your medical school diversity essay . 

The point is simple: once you have identified what makes you unique, your primary task is to explain how that uniqueness will allow you to contribute something special in school and beyond.

This brings us to our third action point:

3. Diversity, as with all other parts of your application, requires evidence.

“I am the smartest person in the world.”

Really!? Are you actually the smartest person in the world? Prove it.

“I have unique insight into the needs of immigrant populations.”

Oh do you? And what, pray tell, gives you this incredible insight?

“I have always dreamed of being part of Doctors Without Borders, and helping to save the world one person at a time.”

Is that so? Because I don’t see a single international community service experience on your application...

...see where I’m going with this? Diversity, though it may be an intangible concept or quality, still requires tangible evidence. A medical school diversity essay is not complete without a clear explanation of how your “diversity” relates to your experiences.

For example, if you are a first generation college student and the son/daughter of immigrants, you cannot just baldly state that this background gives you some crucial insight into the needs of immigrant populations. Although it seems plausible that you would know more than others who are from affluent, non-immigrant backgrounds, you still need to prove it. Make the connections explicit.

You could do this by providing anecdotes about your communication skills with immigrant families during your time with Habitat for Humanity. Or you could explain how you used your special insights and cross-cultural communication skills in becoming a leader in La Raza.

Ultimately, if what makes you diverse is that you have a very high capacity for empathy, you don’t need to have an activity on your AMCAS experiences section called “the society for people who empathize good and want to learn to do other things good too.” You just need to explain how your diverse element(s) have affected or motivated your activities, even if they seem totally unrelated.

E.g., “I am a motivator. I love motivating people to better their lives. That is why I worked as a nutritionist. Moreover, as a writing instructor at Dartmouth’s RWIT program, I had the opportunity not only to help students with their writing, but also to show them how exciting and fun it could be.” Please note: this is not from an actual essay, and if it was, it would not be especially good. This is just to demonstrate a point.

Thus, if you do decide to focus on ethnic, cultural, or religious diversity, the best approach is not to hammer the adcom with how significant your minority status is. Rather, a strong medical school diversity essay might focus on your activities which were committed to diversity and social justice issues; or on your pursuits which address health disparities between minority and non-minority populations; or experiences which provide tangible evidence of your cross-cultural competence during patient or client interactions. Of course, these three topics are not exhaustive, but might be a good place to start.

This brings us to our final, and most succinct point:

4. Using buzzwords doesn’t convince anyone

This is a common mistake among applicants who think that repeating buzzwords such as “diverse,” “multicultural,” “cross-cultural,” “underrepresented,” etc. will automatically convince an adcom that they are those things. It won’t. In fact, it is no more likely to convince them of your diversity credentials than if I tried to convince you of the quality of this article by simply repeating “this article is super informative and comprehensive, and it is likely the best thing you’ve read all week.”

In short: let your evidence and experience do the talking.

Tags : applying to medical school , medical school , medical school essays , med school , applying to med school , hot to get into medical school , medical school diversity essay

joel butterly

Joel Butterly, Co-founder and CEO of InGenius Prep, is an experienced admissions counselor and entrepreneur. Joel comes from a rich educational background—his immediate family alone has 14 Ivy League Degrees—from Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and Dartmouth.

Joel attended Dartmouth College, where he studied Government, Geography, and the Philosophy of Ethics. He was inducted early into Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He graduated with a double major in Government and International Studies, and a minor in Ethical Philosophy.

After Dartmouth, Joel attended Yale Law School, where he served on the executive board of the Journal on Regulation, as well as the Law School’s entrepreneurship society.

Joel currently resides at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. He lives with his fiance – Emily – who teaches and is receiving her PhD in Medieval History from Yale.

Schedule a free consultation

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How to write a medical school diversity essay

Now that you’ve turned in your AMCAS (phew!), you’re probably wondering how to tackle the monster of  secondaries  coming your way. One of the most common questions asked in one form or another is the diversity essay for medical school. Have you ever wondered why diversity is such an important component of the medical school admission process? I’ve heard a lot of pre-med students eager to write this off as a political move on the behalf of medical schools, without taking the time to truly consider its value.

Of course, in the U.S. we have a powerful tradition of diversity in higher education. Diversity in the classroom (and on campus) allows students to produce a “creative friction,” thereby improving the educational experience for all.

However, in the medical school context, diversity has an additional, more utilitarian purpose: It is crucial to the quality of medical care provided by these soon-to-be physicians. An ability to understand your patients — regardless of background — is an integral part of your life as a doctor.

So, now that we have solved the great admissions diversity mystery, we can get started on the actual essays. First, what does a “diversity essay” actually look like? Let’s take an example from one of Stanford Med School’s recent secondary applications:

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. -->

Or this question from Wake Forest School of Medicine:

The Committee on Admissions values diversity as an important factor in the educational mission of the Wake Forest School of Medicine. How will you contribute to the diversity of your medical school class and to the medical community in general?

Ultimately, these medical school diversity essays are all variations on the same question, “How are you different from other applicants, and how does that difference impact your ability to contribute in medical school and beyond?”

This prompt brings us to our first action point:

1. “Diversity” and “underrepresented minority” are not synonymous. 

Have you ever heard someone lament, “[sigh] … I’m not a minority so I’m not diverse.” I have. Many times. Most frequently, this lamentation originates from a lack of creativity and fundamental understanding about what diversity means. As we’ve already discussed, diversity serves two purposes: 1) Varying perspectives in a classroom and on campus so as to produce more comprehensive learning; and, 2) Improving patient care once these applicants become newly-minted MDs.

Thus, while ethno-cultural, religious, or socioeconomic backgrounds are all forms of diversity, they are by no means the only forms of diversity. Indeed, diversity is anything about you which is special and which will allow you to satisfy the objectives of diversity as described above.

Multlingual? That’s diversity.

Been in the military? That’s diversity.

Had a rare disease as a child? That’s diversity.

Have a special personal quality (such as being a talented connector, or unusually high EQ)? Diversity.

Have a very specific and innovative career path in mind (e.g., using robotics to improve prosthetics)? Diversity.

Worked as a personal trainer or a nutritionist? …  You see where I’m going with this. The key is not to narrowly define diversity, but instead to broadly construe how your “diverse elements” will allow you to contribute something unique to your prospective school and ultimately, your profession.

This brings us to our second action point:

2. Your “diversity” means nothing if it isn’t clearly connected to your potential contribution.

Sometimes, applicants get too caught up in the ways they are different, that they forget that being different is not an end, but a means to an end. These differences and unique qualities/experiences have to accomplish something. They have to help prove that you are deserving of a seat at the med school roundtable.

For example, being a chronic truant or two-time felon are certainly unique qualities and experiences for an applicant to medical school. Will they help you get in? Almost certainly not, and for obvious reasons. Best to focus on some other topic for your medical school diversity essay.

The point is simple: once you have identified what makes you unique, your primary task is to explain how that uniqueness will allow you to contribute something special in school and beyond.

This brings us to our third action point:

3. Diversity, as with all other parts of your application, requires evidence.

“I am the smartest person in the world.”

Really!? Are you actually the smartest person in the world? Prove it.

“I have unique insight into the needs of immigrant populations.”

Oh, do you? And what, pray tell, gives you this incredible insight?

“I have always dreamed of being part of Doctors Without Borders, and helping to save the world one person at a time.”

Is that so? Because I don’t see a single international community service experience on your application …

… see where I’m going with this? Diversity, though it may be an intangible concept or quality, still requires tangible evidence. A diversity essay for medical school is not complete without a clear explanation of how your “diversity” relates to your experiences.

For example, if you are a first-generation college student and the son/daughter of immigrants, you cannot just baldly state that this background gives you some crucial insight into the needs of immigrant populations. Although it seems plausible that you would know more than others who are from affluent, non-immigrant backgrounds, you still need to prove it. Make the connections explicit.

You could do this by providing anecdotes about your communication skills with immigrant families during your time with Habitat for Humanity. Or you could explain how you used your special insights and cross-cultural communication skills in becoming a leader in La Raza.

Ultimately, if what makes you diverse is that you have a very high capacity for empathy, you don’t need to have an activity on your AMCAS experiences section called “the society for people who empathize good and want to learn to do other things good too.” You just need to explain how your diverse element(s) have affected or motivated your activities, even if they seem totally unrelated.

For instance, “I am a motivator. I love motivating people to better their lives. That is why I worked as a nutritionist. Moreover, as a writing instructor at Dartmouth’s RWIT program, I had the opportunity not only to help students with their writing, but also to show them how exciting and fun it could be.” Please note: This is not from an actual essay, and if it was, it would not be especially good. This is just to demonstrate a point.

Thus, if you do decide to focus on ethnic, cultural, or religious diversity, the best approach is not to hammer the adcom with how significant your minority status is. Rather, a strong essay might focus on your activities which were committed to diversity and social justice issues; or on your pursuits which address health disparities between minority and non-minority populations; or experiences which provide tangible evidence of your cross-cultural competence during patient or client interactions. Of course, these three topics are not exhaustive, but might be a good place to start.

This brings us to our final, and most succinct point:

4. Using buzzwords doesn’t convince anyone.

This is a common mistake among applicants who think that repeating buzzwords such as “diverse,” “multicultural,” “cross-cultural,” “underrepresented,” etc. will automatically convince an adcom that they are those things. It won’t. In fact, it is no more likely to convince them of your diversity credentials than if I tried to convince you of the quality of this article by simply repeating “this article is super informative and comprehensive, and it is likely the best thing you’ve read all week.”

In short: Let your evidence and experience do the talking.

Joel Butterfly is co-founder and CEO, InGenious Prep .

Image credit:  Shutterstock.com

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Medical School Diversity Essay Prompts (21 Examples)

Putting together an incredible diversity essay for a college or med school application can be tough. Knowing where to start, or exactly what it is a school wants to see or read, only adds to the challenge.

A good way to prepare and get a better understanding of what diversity essays are all about is to take a look at prompts. Reading them; you can see recurring themes, common questions, and how schools even try to “diversify” their own diversity questions!

In this article I’ve put together 21 examples and grouped them together under the following categorizations:

• Prompts from Ivy League medical schools
• Prompts from mid-tier schools
• Prompts from low-tier schools
• Prompts from D.O. schools

I hope that by reading them you’ll get a better idea of what diversity essays are about!

Ready to get started? Let’s go.

Just want quick writing tips? Check out this article; How To Write An Awesome Diversity Essay In Medical School (5 Quick Tips) .

How can you find specific prompts for schools you’re applying for?

The best way to stay on top of secondary essay prompts is via the community at The Student Doctor Network .

There, you can sign up for alerts on application information (and secondary prompts) specific to each school.

You’ll also see new threads for every year of admission!

Diversity essay topics

You’ll see the most common topics from these prompts include:

• Your educational environment
• Your cultural and socioeconomic background
• Your ethnicity
• Your geographic origin
• Your lifestyle
• Your gender identity
• Your sexual orientation
• Your physical ability/challenges
• Your views on social justice
• Your work experience

Ivy League medical school diversity essay prompts

Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive and colleges change these prompts every year.

You’ll also notice that not every school asks for a secondary essay based on diversity!

Pay close attention to the word count of your school’s prompt when it comes to writing…

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Are there any special, unique, personal, or challenging aspects of your personal background or circumstances that you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions, not addressed elsewhere (siblings/relatives at Penn, applying as a couple, educational environment, culture, ethnicity, etc.) ( 1000 characters)

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? 300 words .

Harvard Medical School

If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.  (4000 character maximum)

Geisel School of Medicine

Geisel School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Reflect on a situation where you were the “other”. (250 words)

Yale School of Medicine

Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words limit)

Alpert Medical School

How will your unique attributes (e.g., cultural or socioeconomic background, lifestyle, work experiences) add to the overall diversity of the Alpert Medical School community?  (2000 characters)

Mid Tier medical school diversity essay prompts

*Schools typically ranking 10-20 in common medical school rankings

These schools follow the same trends as those of the Ivy League ones. They also expect you to think about socioeconomics, sexual orientation, gender, and ethnicity, etc.

Some recycle their prompts every year. Others (like John Hopkins/Vanderbilt) are a little more open to creativity.

Duke University

Tell us more about who you are. You may provide additional information that expands your self-identity where gender identification, racial and/or ethnic self description, geographic origin, socioeconomic, academic, and/or other characteristics that define who you are as you contemplate a career that will interface with people who are similar AND dissimilar to you. You will have the opportunity below to tell us how you wish to be addressed, recognized and treated. (500 words)

Stanford University

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. (2000 characters )

Johns Hopkins University

Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from the experience?  (2500 characters)

Optional:  You may address any subject you wish, such as being a first generation college student, or being a part of a minority group (whether because of your sexual orientation, religion, economic status, gender identity, ethnicity) or being the child of undocumented immigrants or being undocumented yourself, etc. (2500 characters)

University of Pittsburgh

UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (Limit your response to  250 words or less .)

Vanderbilt University

Tell us about a time when you interacted with someone who is different than you. What did you learn? What would you do differently?  (600 words)

Northwestern University (Feinberg)

The Feinberg School of Medicine values diversity as a measure of excellence. We define diversity as the totality of the characteristics and experiences of our students. We believe that a diverse student body improves the educational environment and the ability of our graduates to serve an increasingly diverse patient population. Narrative Descriptions: Everyone has their own narrative. Please provide more detail about how your experiences would enrich the Northwestern community. (200 word max)

Feinberg’s mission is to train future leaders in medicine who will serve their patients, communities and society. Describe one specific interest in medicine and how FSM, located in Chicago which is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, will help you achieve this professional goal. (200 word max)

Low Tier medical school diversity essay prompts

*Schools typically ranking outside the top 20 in common medical school rankings

Diversity is at the heart of all medical colleges in the U.S.

Rankings? Have nothing to do with a school’s level of commitment – as you’ll see with these prompts!

Make sure you read your school’s mission statement along with their prompt, that’ll help you better approach an answer.

University of Iowa (Carver)

Describe any unique personal characteristics or obstacles you may have overcome that will influence your contribution to a diverse healthcare system.

Temple University (Katz)

How do you plan on contributing to the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Community? LKSOM seeks an engaged student body with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and interests to enhance the medical school experience for everyone. Please use the space below to describe what makes you unique as an applicant, an obstacle that you had to overcome, or how you will contribute to the LKSOM community. (2000 characters )

Florida Atlantic University (Schmidt)

Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. Describe what uniqueness you would bring to the Schmidt COM. We are proud to already have a medical school rich in cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you add to our culture? (1600 characters )

SUNY Upstate Medical University

Upstate Medical University is strongly committed to providing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for the patients we serve and all who work at, study at, or visit our campus. As a potential partner in this effort, please describe your commitment to eliminating health inequities, discrimination, or other forms of social injustice. (500 words)

George Washington University

What makes you a unique individual? What challenges have you faced? How will these factors help you contribute to the diversity of the student body at GW? (1000 characters)

D.O. medical school diversity essay prompts

You’ll also see that D.O. schools require diversity essays just as often as their allopathic counterparts.

The same writing rules and strategies apply.

Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM)

Other than healthcare access, what are some of the most important health care issues confronting underserved communities? How would you address them?

Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from this experience?’

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM)

NYITCOM values diversity, equity, and inclusion. How will your background and experiences add to our inclusive culture and how will this focus influence your future role as a physician? (Max. 1000 characters)

What should you do with a medical school diversity essay prompt?

The next best step is to look at your school’s mission statement. Examine what their aims and objectives are in terms of student and faculty representation. Understand that, then try to draw parallels from your own background that lend themselves well.

Use it to brainstorm a couple of points from your life that fit the prompt. Then choose what you feel are the best ones and start writing a couple of rough drafts.

The important thing is to make an attempt early. That’ll make it seem less daunting!

Where can I see medical school diversity essay examples?

I’ve ranked some of the best diversity essay examples I could find, along with giving them a small critique, in the following article…

Related : 6 Medical School Diversity Essay Examples (Ranked Best To Worst!)

Hopefully, scanning over those can give you further ideas on what to think and write about.

Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. He’s into football (soccer), learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain, and has had his work published all over the web. Read more .

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2024 TMDSAS Ultimate Guide (Essay Examples Included)

Learn everything about the texas medical school application, plus an example tmdsas personal statement, personal characteristics essay, and optional essay.

The TMdsas Application is used by medical schools in texas

(Note: We recommend using this resource alongside our free, 102-page comprehensive guide to medical school applications,  Get Into Medical School: 6 Practical Lessons to Stand Out and Earn Your White Coat .)

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: tmdsas overview, part 3: tmdsas application details, part 4: tmdsas essays.

If you’re gearing up to apply to U.S. medical schools , you’re probably familiar with AMCAS , the centralized application system that you can use to apply to nearly any med school in the country. But, if you’re planning to apply to medical schools in Texas, you’ll also need to get to know another system: TMDSAS.

TMDSAS (Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service) provides a centralized application that you can use to apply to all public medical, dental, and veterinary schools in Texas. In February 2021, Baylor College of Medicine became the first private medical school to join the TMDSAS network , further simplifying applications for those hoping to earn their MD in Texas.

Given that Texas is the second-most populous state in the nation and that its med schools carry strong reputations and relatively low tuition costs, in-state and out-of-state applicants alike are often on the hunt for more details about the TMDSAS application process. Yet, there is relatively little information available covering this.

For that reason, we’ve created this guide in order to help you better understand the TMDSAS application. We’ll answer the most common questions that we routinely receive about TMDSAS and Texas medical school admissions, plus we’ll provide guidance that will help you successfully tackle the required TMDSAS essays, with example essays included.

Which medical schools use TMDSAS?

Below is a list of the 14 medical schools in Texas that participate in TMDSAS:

Baylor College of Medicine

(Related reading: How to Get Into Baylor College of Medicine )

Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio

McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston

Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Texas A&M College of Medicine

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso

Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Medicine at Lubbock

University of Houston College of Medicine

University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine

Which Texas medical schools don’t use TMDSAS?

There are currently two Texas med schools that don’t use TMDSAS: TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine is part of the AMCAS system, and University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine requires you to apply through AACOMAS .

In addition, students applying to Baylor’s MD/PhD program will still apply through AMCAS.

How much does TMDSAS cost?

TMDSAS requires a flat fee of $215, regardless of the number of schools you apply to. Compared to AMCAS , which charges $175 for your first application and $45 for each additional application you submit, TMDSAS is relatively economical, especially if you take advantage of the flat fee structure and apply to several Texas med schools.

How hard is it to get into Texas medical schools?

The most recent TMDSAS admissions statistics show that, among the 2023 applicants, out-of-state applicants comprised 26% of the TMDSAS applicant pool but only 7% of matriculants. On the other hand, Texas residents accounted for 74% of applicants and 93% of matriculants.

There are a couple of reasons why the vast majority of students at Texas medical schools are coming from in-state. Non-Texas residents tend to apply mostly to non-Texas schools through AMCAS and just a small handful of TMDSAS schools, and then enroll in whichever school they believe is strongest and the best fit for them. On the other hand, Texas residents are more likely than out-of-state applicants to apply to many TMDSAS schools and, in turn, enroll in one for personal (e.g., to be close to family) or financial reasons (e.g., reduced in-state tuition).

On top of this, public medical schools in Texas are legally required to cap their out-of-state enrollment at 10%.

So, how does this translate to acceptance rates for in-state and out-of-state applicants? 49% of applicants from Texas were accepted to at least one TMDSAS school in 2023, whereas only 18% of out-of-state applicants received an acceptance. Therefore, it’s clear that in-state applicants are at a substantial advantage when it comes to getting into Texas medical schools.

For the entering class of 2023, the average undergraduate GPA and MCAT score of successful TMDSAS applicants were 3.84 and 506.7. We encourage you to look up the  average GPA and MCAT scores of all Texas medical schools to better understand your odds of getting into each program.

(Suggested reading: What MCAT Score Do You Need to Get Into Medical School? )

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What is the ideal TMDSAS timeline that I should follow?

Our general  medical school application timeline applies to Texas medical schools as well, but it’s important to note a few TMDSAS-specific dates :

May 1: Application becomes available

May 15: Application submission opens

August 1: Early decision application deadline

August 15: All supporting documents for early decision must be received by this date

October 1: Early Decision Program decisions announced

October 15: Medical schools begin extending offers of acceptance

November 1: Regular decision submission deadline

November 15: Letters of evaluation should be uploaded or post-marked by this date

February 2: Match preference submission deadline

February 16: Match results released and rolling admissions period begins

April 30: Applicants with multiple offers must decide which program to attend and withdraw from other schools

May 15: Medical schools can no longer make offers to Texas resident applicants holding another seat

How long does it take TMDSAS to process applications?

TMDSAS typically takes 2–4 weeks to process your application after submission. However, processing can take up to 6 weeks during the busiest part of the applicant season. You’ll receive an email once your application is processed.

What are TMDSAS pre-match offers?

Medical schools may extend pre-match offers (i.e., offers of acceptance) to Texas residents between October 15 and January 29.

You may receive  and accept multiple pre-match offers to reserve your spot at those schools. However, it’s courteous to decline pre-match offers at medical schools you don’t intend to enroll at so that other students can be notified of interview invitations and pre-match offers in a timely manner. Offers of acceptance should only be considered valid if an acceptance letter is received.

How does the TMDSAS Match work?

The TMDSAS Match is a process through which pre-match offers are finalized and remaining med school seats are filled. Only Texas residents who apply to medical school through TMDSAS are eligible for the TMDSAS Match. 

Assuming you meet these criteria, here’s how the TMDSAS Match works. You’ll rank all the med schools you interviewed at in your order of preference. Medical schools in turn rank the candidates they’ve interviewed. Then, the Match system, accounting for both lists, attempts to pair you with the school you most prefer, assuming that the school in question has also ranked you highly.

To better understand the nuances and complexities of the Match process, we recommend watching the helpful Match video tutorial offered by TMDSAS.

There are a few important things to note about the TMDSAS Match:

Participation in the Match does not guarantee you an admission offer.

You must participate in the TMDSAS Match even if you received a pre-match offer.

If you have a pre-match offer(s), you may still get into a school that you prefer more highly than the one(s) you were already admitted to.

If you entered the Match holding multiple pre-match offers, you’ll come out with only one acceptance.

What happens if you don’t match? The standard rolling admissions process will begin after the Match period ends, so medical schools with remaining open slots will continue to accept students throughout the spring and summer.

Do TMDSAS schools require secondary applications?

The majority of TMDSAS schools require you to submit school-specific secondary applications. You can view all of their prompts through our medical school secondary essay prompts database .

TMDSAS vs. AMCAS: What are the biggest differences?

TMDSAS and AMCAS ask for similar information, so if you’re also submitting AMCAS applications this cycle, you should be able to adapt your answers from one application to the other without too much struggle. Nevertheless, they do differ in certain ways, so you’ll want to ensure that you put in the time to craft high-quality, tailored responses to each.

The most noteworthy differences between AMCAS and TMDSAS include:

Character limit to describe extracurricular activities : The AMCAS Work and Activities section offers a 700-character limit to describe each of your 15 entries (plus an additional 1,325 characters for your three ‘most meaningful’ activities). Meanwhile, the TMDSAS Personal Biography and Activities section does not limit the number of extracurricular activities you may enter—offering a 500-character limit for each entry, with an additional 500 characters for your three most meaningful experiences, across the following categories:

Research Activities

Healthcare Activities

Community Engagement

Extracurricular Activities

Planned Activities

(Note: Academic Recognition, Non-Academic Recognition, and Employment entries allow a 300-character limit.)

Age of MCAT scores:  Schools that use AMCAS typically require that you take the MCAT sometime in the two to three years before applying, whereas your MCAT scores for TMDSAS can be up to nearly five years old. For example, students applying to enter med school in 2024 can submit MCAT scores earned between January 2019 and September 2023.

Recommendation letter limits:  TMDSAS requires you to submit three individual “letters of evaluation”   or  one health professions committee packet , and they also allow you to submit one optional letter. Schools that use AMCAS may allow you to submit more  medical school letters of recommendation .

Number of essays:  Beyond their respective activities sections, you’re required to submit the following essays for AMCAS and TMDSAS (all character limits below include spaces):

AMCAS: Personal statement (5300-character limit)

Medical applicant personal statement (5000-character limit)

Personal characteristics essay (2500-character limit)

Optional essay (2500-character limit)

Which TMDSAS schools require CASPer?

As of February 2023, the following TMDSAS schools require the CASPer test :

Texas A&M University College of Medicine

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

(Suggested reading: How to Prepare for the CASPer Test to Get Into Medical School and Casper, Snapshot, and Duet: Everything You Need to Know )

TMDSAS personal statement guidance and example

Just like the AMCAS personal statement, the TMDSAS personal statement is where you’ll write about why you want to enter medicine and describe the experiences that have led you to your present path. As discussed earlier, the difference between the two is that TMDSAS gives you a slightly shorter character count to work with—5,000 characters including spaces.

Because your personal statement is one of the most important factors in determining your admissions success , you should plan to spend a considerable amount of time crafting a unique, well-written essay that gives adcoms a sense of who you are and what makes you different from other candidates. Our  guide to medical school personal statements provides in-depth advice on how to write a standout personal statement, plus numerous full-length examples.

Many applicants wonder if they can use the same personal statement for both their AMCAS and TMDSAS applications. Since the prompts are extremely similar, so long as you adapt your essay to fit within each application’s character limits, you should be able to use it for both applications.

Let’s take a look at the TMDSAS personal statement prompt and an example essay.

Prompt: Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician (5,000 characters, including spaces).

I could only focus on how hard it was to breathe. The surgical mask felt like a damp cloth over my face from my own sweat. Ten minutes into the C-section, I stepped away to stand under a vent and avoid passing out. When the haze cleared, I focused on the surgeon cutting into each layer of skin and the uterus until, finally, the baby’s piercing cries filled the room. While I had turned 5 shades lighter while struggling to stay conscious, I was filled with curiosity about what I had just seen. That night, I pestered my mother with questions and she made fun of me for almost passing out. I was drawn to how dedicated and knowledgeable she was and wanted to learn more. 

That experience was one of my first encounters with medicine and came during my sophomore year of high school while observing my mother, an OB/GYN. My family was based in Dallas, but my mother had to live and work in Houston for over 5 years to have her Hungarian M.D. transferred to an American one. Due to grueling hours during this second residency, I could only see her a few weekends a month when I made the trip south. The more time I spent shadowing her during these weekends, the more I appreciated her sacrifices to pursue medicine and developed my own affinity for it. I was intrigued by the impact and diversity of the medical field, and through my various extracurricular experiences have come to view medicine as resting upon several pillars: a desire to help others and the roles of educator, teammate, leader, and problem solver.

To challenge myself in the role of educator, I took a position as a teaching assistant for the introductory life sciences lab at Emory. During my second quarter teaching, one student struggled to understand the mechanism behind the Lac Operon in E. Coli. In my previous interactions with the student I had learned he loved cars, so I likened lactose and glucose to gas and electricity in a hybrid vehicle. I remember how his face lit up when he finally grasped that concept; it left me with a sense of accomplishment that I was able to use his interests to guide his understanding. Success as a teaching assistant has given me confidence in my ability to educate others and strengthened my motivation to pursue medicine. As a physician I look forward to the opportunity to educate and inspire both patients and colleagues. The sense of fulfillment I feel when a student successfully grasps a concept will be central to my career.

I’ve explored the importance of being a team player in medicine through my research in exercise physiology. A large portion of my lab focuses on using exercise interventions in clinical trials to treat chronic illnesses, such as Friedreich’s Ataxia or COPD. Brian, a patient with whom I have worked frequently, comes to mind. Brian often comes in with his father, a bodybuilder. As we talk, giving each other advice on lifting and diet while motivating Brian during the exercise intervention, we all play a role in working toward the same goal: improving Brian’s maximal exercise tolerance. Having seen the effectiveness of this team-based approach to patient interventions, it has become one of my favorite components of medicine.

Perhaps the most beautiful and rewarding pillar of medicine is interpersonal interaction. Ironically, entering college, my biggest fear was public speaking. During sophomore year, however, I took charge of that fear as a campus tour guide. Two years of giving tours to 5,000 visitors has not only made me a more effective and comfortable orator, but also unearthed a hidden passion. As a tour guide I share a part of my life with a diverse group of strangers in an effort to guide them along their college application path. In turn, visitors sometimes share with me their life story and unique perspectives. I find that meaningfully connecting with others in this way excites me about the prospect of cultivating relationships with my patients throughout my career.

My years as a student have led me to develop a deeper appreciation and love for medicine. I could not have predicted eight years ago that I would be applying to medical school after barely staying conscious during a C-section. Yet, this past summer I found myself observing that very procedure again. This time, I wasn’t woozy—instead, I could see the various pillars in action and the roles I will play in the future.

Why is this personal statement successful?

The applicant does a great job of engaging the reader from the get-go with a memorable hook and keeps it up throughout the essay with vivid details and in-depth anecdotes that clearly illustrate why she’s decided to enter medicine.

This essay also illustrates qualities in the applicant that will be desirable as a physician, such as her desires to learn and help others, her capacity for teamwork, and her persistence through challenges.

She also touches on her connection to Texas. While it’s not strictly necessary to do so, and you certainly don’t want to force these kinds of details, they’re a nice touch for your TMDSAS personal statement if you can fit them in naturally.

TMDSAS personal characteristics essay guidance and example

This prompt essentially asks for a “diversity essay”—a type of essay frequently found on medical school secondary applications. Because they are so common, our guide to medical school secondary essays offers detailed advice on how to tackle diversity essays effectively.

What’s crucial to remember about diversity essays is that “diversity” can mean anything that makes you different or interesting; it isn’t strictly limited to factors like race, gender, sexuality, and so forth. So, to write a great response to the TMDSAS personal characteristics prompt, highlight what you have to offer that is unique, making sure to tie that characteristic to how it would enhance the med school experience of your future peers.

Let’s go over the prompt and a sample response.

Prompt: Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others. (2,500 characters, including spaces)

Music had never been a large part of my life until two years ago when I went to Coachella on a whim. Before this, I would only ever listen to music on the radio in the car or at the gym. But that festival showed me music’s universal ability to facilitate a bond between anyone, anywhere. Ever since then, music has become a haven from life’s stressors and one of my favorite ways to connect with others. As an only child, an immigrant from Hungary, and the son of two busy professionals, my childhood was very lonely. I had to adapt to a new culture and felt like an outsider for most of my life. Even though I had a vibrant social life throughout college, it wasn’t until my first music festival that I became truly comfortable in my own skin and in my ability to connect with strangers.

One of my favorite memories is meeting Michelle and her friends. While in a crowd watching Moby, I accidentally bumped into her. I quickly apologized, but instead of just going our separate ways, we started talking about the musical set and spent the remainder of that day learning about each other’s lives with our friends. That seemingly minor interaction marks the moment I finally stopped feeling like an “outsider” in new settings because it highlighted my ability to connect with complete strangers and also to bring groups together and facilitate new friendships. As I think about entering medical school with a group of colleagues that I have yet to meet, I am certain that many future classmates are likely feeling as scared as I am about the challenges ahead. Yet, despite those fears, I’m confident that working together as a class will make the journey much easier. I look forward to helping foster a supportive, comfortable environment to help us all succeed.

What’s working in this essay?

For this personal characteristics essay, the applicant has chosen her ability to forge bonds with strangers and bring groups of people together. While she chooses to discuss this skill within a non-medical context, music festivals, it’s easy to see how she’ll also make use of it as a future medical student, and, by extension, as a doctor.

An interesting aspect of this essay is that the applicant touches on another part of her background that makes her unique—her status as an immigrant. Yet, this isn’t the focus here. Instead, being an immigrant serves to underpin the loneliness and outsider feelings she’s familiar with. Through this, she’s able to demonstrate another characteristic that will enhance the experiences of her future classmates and patients: empathy.

TMDSAS optional essay guidance and example

In their application instructions, TMDSAS notes that the “optional essay” isn’t a space to continue your other essays or reiterate what you’ve stated elsewhere. Instead, you should use it to offer details or address any issues which have not been previously mentioned.

The first question many students ask is, “Is the TMDSAS optional essay really optional?” Here’s what TMDSAS says: “The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. This essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.” We advise you to interpret “strongly encouraged” as “required.”

If you’re unsure of how to handle this open-ended prompt, there are a few different directions you might choose to take in your response:

You can adapt one of your other secondary essays, such as an adversity essay.

You could write a new essay that highlights an experience or achievement that hasn’t yet gotten the spotlight.

If your candidacy has any issues or red flags that you haven’t yet explained—such as low grades or a disciplinary incident, for example—this would be an excellent place to tackle them.

Our aforementioned secondary essay guide also covers this kind of essay in detail, which we refer to as an “Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay.

Here’s the prompt and a well-executed sample response.

Prompt: Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application, which have not been previously presented. (2,500 characters)

My two parents are successful professionals who have a healthy relationship with each other. However, for the majority of my childhood I felt more like an extension of them than like an individual. My parents grew up in Hungary during communist rule and I was born there a few years after the Revolution. When I was 4, we were able to immigrate to America, due to my father’s expertise in software engineering, with just the clothes on our backs. Because my parents lived and breathed school in an attempt to improve our family’s circumstance, success was only defined academically. I understood the stipulations of my father’s job-sponsored visa and my mother’s need to redo her residency through the only program that accepted her four hours away. I also greatly appreciate the sacrifices they made to shield me from hardships and to pull our family out of poverty. Still, when I was younger, I could not identify any personal passions because I led a life focused strictly on academics, set by my parent’s expectations and reinforced by their praises. 

The turning point was deciding to go to an out-of-state university so that I could learn to navigate the world on my own. It was quite a shock my freshman year when I realized that all of the things my parents did for me, from cleaning to cooking, would now be on my shoulders. Having always tried to live up to my parents’ expectations, I felt directionless and didn’t know how to channel my new freedom. I turned to people I considered strong, authoritative leaders as role models for how I wanted to shape my life. I wished to adopt the charisma and humility that Derek Shepard carries himself with, and the compassion and wisdom that Steve Jobs displayed in his 2005 Stanford commencement speech. Exploring these qualities gave me the confidence to pursue incredibly rewarding opportunities, like studying abroad in Ecuador and approaching physicians to shadow them. I’ve also learned that I’m passionate about educating others, working in teams, and creating meaningful, lasting relationships. Taking charge of my own life and participating in activities like Campus Tours, coaching, and teaching also allowed me to break out of my shell and learn more about myself.

I’m still young and have a lot left to explore, but I’m glad to now look in the mirror and see myself as someone with a unique personality and the confidence to pursue my own ambitions.

What makes this essay successful?

For this prompt, this applicant chose to adapt her adversity essay, which highlights her background as an immigrant and the high-pressure environment that accompanied it. However, the challenge she focuses on isn’t related to this high-stakes upbringing, as you might expect, but rather to the lack of personal direction she felt upon entering college.

Through this essay, the applicant demonstrates a few personal qualities that reflect positively upon her candidacy: introspection, independent thinking, the desire to find personal meaning in her life, and the ability to meet a challenge. Not only are these desirable traits in med students and physicians, but they also go a long way toward convincing adcoms that her decision to enter medicine is well-thought-out and entirely her own.

TMDSAS MD/PhD & DO/PhD dual degree program essays

If you’re applying to dual degree programs, you’ll also encounter the additional essays below.

Be aware that MD/PhD applications to public Texas medical schools must be submitted through AMCAS. So, if you want to be considered for MD/PhD  and MD programs at Texas public medical schools, you’ll need to submit both AMCAS  and TMDSAS.

DO/PhD applications to Texas public med schools, on the other hand, are submitted through TMDSAS.

We advise you to read  our comprehensive MD-PhD guide for advice on how to approach the following two types of essays asked for below, and to view samples of each.

Prompt 1: Explain your motivation to seek a MD/PhD or DO/PhD dual degree.  Discuss your research interests and career goals as an applicant to a dual degree program.

Prompt 2: Describe your significant research experiences.  Include the name and title of your research mentor as well as your contributions to the project.  List any publications which have resulted from your work.

Final thoughts

The affordability and strength of Texas medical schools make them popular choices for many prospective medical students, particularly the many Texas residents who can apply as in-state candidates. For the best chances of admission, take the time to understand TMDSAS’s unique matching system, and plan to invest considerable energy into your TMDSAS application—particularly the three required essays—in order to stand out from the crowd.

About the Author

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.

Struggling to write your TMDSAS essays?

Med School Applicants and Diversity Beyond Race

Think about a unique aspect of your identity or experiences as a way to highlight diversity in med school applications.

Medical School: Diversity Beyond Race

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Outside interests like art can provide you with a set of skills and perspective that sets you apart from other medical school applicants.

Those who have applied to medical school know the famous secondary interview question: How would you contribute to the diversity of our institution and the medical profession?

How to Become a Doctor: A Guide

Ilana Kowarski Nov. 30, 2020

Diversity can come in many different forms, but for many the first thought that comes to mind is race and ethnicity. As the U.S. population becomes more racially, ethnically and culturally diverse, having a health care workforce that can relate to individuals of different backgrounds, skin colors and ethnicities could improve quality of care.

In fact, this is backed up by research. For example, studies show that when African American patients are seen by a Black physician, they may receive better quality care.

This has left many med school applicants discouraged, as they assume that if they are not from an ethnic or racial minority group, they will not be able to contribute diversity in any way. The good news is diversity goes beyond race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Any facet of an individual’s identity or experience that is unique or less common could make that individual more diverse. Here are a few examples of such experiences that applicants could share as a way to highlight diversity.

An Outside Passion or Interest

Pursuing an outside interest like art, music or athletics can give you a unique set of skills and a different perspective that sets you apart from others, allowing you to contribute diversity. Students involved in these activities develop strong time management skills , as they have to juggle their responsibilities in school with this outside passion. Having such skills can make them uniquely suited to handle the rigors of a medical education and a career as a physician.

The arts also offer students a unique perspective or way of thinking that broadens their worldview and makes them diverse. Artists express human emotion through their work, whether it is a painting, a piece of music or a sculpture.

Being involved in art allows an individual to understand the human condition and better relate to the emotions of others. This ability can make an individual more diverse and capable of bringing a unique point of view to interactions with patients. It can also help make the individual better capable of relating to peers.

Initiatives such as one at the University of California—Irvine School of Medicine have engaged medical students in the arts. Research on these programs has shown that taking part in artistic activity can make medical students better capable of recognizing different emotions and appreciating different perspectives.

Professional Experiences

Med schools seek diversity because they want to train future doctors who are capable of caring for a wide range of patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and religious views. One way to become diverse and to highlight this diversity is by working in environments where you are serving a diverse population of people from different backgrounds.

You may not be able to change the color of your skin or the country of your birth, but by serving people who are from other races or ethnicities, you can show admissions committees that you understand some of the unique issues that these populations face. A person who has had experience supporting African American, immigrant or transgender patient populations is better suited to provide care for such populations and will be perceived as more diverse by medical schools.

Personal Experiences

A person’s life experiences can also help make him or her unique, enabling him or her to bring a different perspective to a med school class and the medical profession.

We recently worked with a student whose family moved to Europe when she was in high school because of her father’s job. In responding to questions about diversity, she talked about this experience, highlighting how moving to another country , learning a new language and making new friends increased her appreciation of people different than her.

Academic Diversity

Among a pool of med school applicants, the majority of whom have backgrounds in biomedical sciences, one way to stand out is through a different college major . Any field or discipline that offers you skills or a perspective that allows you to excel in med school, enhance the group learning experience as a student or provide better quality care to your future patients can make you diverse.

For example, some of our students who major in math or engineering find that the strong problem-solving skills they develop in these fields can make them better critical thinkers in medical school.

Similarly, certain disciplines in the humanities, such as anthropology , can uniquely position students to understand people of different cultures, listen to their stories and be sensitive toward their worldviews, which is invaluable for any care provider.

One of my peers in medical school had received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In small group discussions, where we examined the humanistic side of medicine, he always provided logical, well-thought-out and nuanced arguments.

My peers and I benefited from this perspective, as it allowed us to think more systematically about the complexities of every patient encounter and break it down into its different components. This classmate contributed diversity to our medical school simply by being present and applying his way of thinking in group settings.

Ultimately, diversity is different for every individual, and what makes one person diverse can be very different than another person. For those in the earlier stages of your premed journey, it’s worth thinking about the types of experiences, activities and educational pursuits that could help you become more diverse. For those who are getting ready to apply to med school, as you prepare to answer questions about what makes you diverse, approach these questions with an open mind and consider the many different ways that you may stand out and bring a fresh perspective.

More importantly, all applicants should make sure – whether it’s their race, academic history or artistic experiences – that they show in their essays how such aspects of their identity have made them diverse.

10 Med Schools for Nonscience Majors

Tags: medical school , graduate schools , diversity , students , education

About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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Medical School Secondary Essay Examples from Accepted Applicants!

Plus tips for answering the 5 most common med school secondary essay prompts.

Before we jump into medical school secondary essay examples, you need to know that the main purpose of the secondary medical school application is to determine whether you are a good “fit” with the mission and values of the school you are applying to. Medical schools send out secondary essays to further assess the unique characteristics of each applicant that have not been addressed in the  AMCAS Work and Activities  section or your medical school personal statement . This post will go over medical school secondary essay examples from students who were accepted, and tips for writing strong essays that application committees will love. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

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Article Contents 16 min read

Medical school secondary essays: "why our school" prompt.

The most important component of answering this prompt is doing your research. Do you have a thorough understanding of the school's mission statement and values? What population or populations are they most interested in serving? How do they describe their student body? What curriculum-enriching activities are available to their students? Do they have a strong research program? Is their curriculum a good fit for your learning style? Are all of these things in line with your own values, career goals, and learning needs?

Being informed will demonstrate an interest in the program, allowing you to write a response showing that you will be a genuinely good fit for the school.

“Questions like these are an opportunity for you to shine and show the faculty what sets you apart from the other candidates … In your response, it is important to highlight things that are relevant to the institution’s mission and values while also explaining qualities that would make you a great asset to the program … it is important to always tailor your response to the school and program you are applying to, including for this question.” – Dr. Neel Mistry, MD, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine.

Would you like us to help you with your medical school secondary essays ","buttontext":"free strategy call","buttoncolor":"#ffffff","addtrustpilot":"false","bannerundertext":" ","belowbuttontext1":null,"belowbuttontext2":null,"trustpilot":false}" :url=""https:\/\/bemoacademicconsulting.com\/contact-schedule-free-strategy-call"" code="banner1" background-color="#000066" button-color="#ffffff" banner-image> to answer this prompt, it can be useful to think about how to choose a medical school and what you’re looking for. “my main priority [in choosing a med school] was location. since i knew i was going to spend four years there, i wanted it to be in a location that i could see myself having support and enjoying. beyond that i looked at opportunities for research support, patient population diversity, and locations where students matched. i also thought about where rotations occur during third year as i wanted to focus on hospitals where rotations were not scattered and centralized to a main hospital center.” – dr. monica taneja, md, university of maryland school of medicine..

What are you most excited about when you think of attending this school? Research? Global health? Community outreach? "}]" code="timeline1">

Medical School Secondary Essay Example: Why Our School?

Write a critical analysis of your personal and scholastic qualifications for the study of medicine, the realization of your professional ambitions, and why you are choosing to apply to our school.

When I was in kindergarten, I was playing tag with my friends when I noticed a kid sitting on the bench. He seemed visibly anxious and left out of the fun so I felt compelled to invite him to play with us. This sense of compassion lay the foundation for my desire to study medicine. As I grew older, I became more inquisitive about the natural world and wanted to know how everything worked and fit together. I started to become passionate about chemistry, mathematics and biology, finding that those subjects gave me the tools to understand my surroundings. I felt empowered with every new concept I would learn; however I never quite felt as though I knew enough. It was only when my friend asked for help with her mental illness that I realized just how much I did not know and how unequipped I was to help someone in this situation. The clash between my sense of compassion and my lack of knowledge and ability to help drove me to want to study medicine.

As I ventured into college, my knowledge-seeking tendencies manifested in an interest in biomedical engineering. I chose this degree for its ability to teach me about the design and manufacturing of groundbreaking medical technologies such as skin-grafts, medical imaging devices, and prostheses. I dreamt of pushing clinical innovations and finding the next technology to revolutionize patient care. Aside from educating myself in medical technology, my college years gave me a lasting perspective and understanding of the Hispanic community’s struggles. I once accompanied my friends to volunteer in a mobile clinic. It was early in the morning when a nurse told me to put up a sign that read: “We do not check IDs.” At first, I was confused, but after careful consideration, I realized that it was to not deter illegal immigrants from seeking medical aid. As the day went on and patients came in, I noticed that most did not have the means to afford regular health and dental care. Most of them prayed that their illnesses would go away on their own because they did not have the means to get professional help. This experience really opened my eyes to the plight of underserved communities and reinforced my decision to pursue medicine so that I could help serve those who were unable to help themselves.

I applied to X University for its opportunities to allow me to work with underserved communities and develop the technical and interpersonal skills to provide patients from these communities the best care. I hope to combine my experience within medicine and engineering to push clinical technologies and advancements further to provide cheap and effective alternatives to current medications and treatments to drive down the cost of healthcare so that it can become available to more people.  

Questions surrounding cultural competency delve into your ability to interact with people whose culture, beliefs, or values are different from your own. Are you able to help people in a way that is in line with their values and belief system, even if these values and beliefs are not in line with your own? It is also important to realize the vital role that effective communication plays in bridging cultural differences.

Similar to the TMDSAS personal characteristics essay, your essay should focus on the barriers you encountered, the communication strategies you employed to overcome these barriers, how you helped the person in a way that respected their beliefs, and how you will apply this lesson in the future.

Great ideas for narratives that could address the diversity secondary essay prompt include:

• A time when you used your problem-solving skills to help someone from a socio-cultural background different from your own.
• A time you advocated for someone from a different socio-cultural background from your own.
• How you used your communication skills to overcome a language barrier and help someone.
• A reflection on what you learned from working with people with a different background from your own.
• A reflection on communicating with people with a different background from your own.
• A reflection on learning about and accepting the difference in beliefs of people with a different background from your own.
• A reflection on an interaction with an individual whose values were different from your own.

Medical School Secondary Essay Example: Diversity Essays

A. Describe how you relate to someone who is very different from you. Examples of differences may be cultural, racial, religious, economic, gender/sexual orientation, lifestyle.

The world is so diverse and it can be easy to resign to only care for and be informed of one’s own personal interests. To connect with someone else is to choose to forgo ignorance and aim to understand other people and their backgrounds. This is a choice that is made every day when we decide how to interact in society.

In my first year of university, I roomed with a person who immigrated from Colombia. I saw how difficult it was for her to transition to a new country and to overcome cultural barriers. Instead of accepting the fact that our cultures rendered us incompatible, I decided to educate myself on her culture. I started to read of the political unrest in Colombia, I found Latin music we could listen to, and I utilized my basic Spanish to try to make her feel at home. Five years later, we still live together and are the best of friends. It's clear that a little effort trying to understand the life and journey of someone else can go a long way to building connections and trust.

Would you rather watch a video? Here are the most common medical school secondary essay prompts:

B. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to our school of medicine and the profession of medicine.

The challenges I faced as a first-generation immigrant has taught me several valuable lessons, which have influenced my pursuit of medicine. Here in the States, I am granted liberties that are otherwise unattainable in Vietnam- specifically access to quality healthcare and opportunities for growth and enrichment. My first exposure to medicine did not transpire in a hospital but instead took place in a small tent affiliated with a roaming clinic.

The significant gap in healthcare accessibility, advancement, and quality between the States and the developing countries were increasingly apparent when I returned to Vietnam to visit my family. In time, I also realized that these similar circumstances and situations exist in my local community as well. This has inspired me to advocate for the underserved population because I, myself, can identify with their struggles. During our financial crisis, my family received overwhelming support and generosity from several neighborhood communities. I wish to return the kindness. Now more than ever, in a time where immigrants are restricted access, I must fight to give them a voice.

I also bring with me the traditions and culture of a Vietnamese American. I have developed my own understanding of the diverse facets of the Asian American identity and the ripple effect it has on the community. Through lion dancing and partnering with the Vietnamese and Chinese communities, I grasped the important role that communities play in providing resources. To become one of the few Vietnamese doctors in the area would allow me to address the needs of the community and give me a platform to collaborate with other communities of color. One of my goals is to break down the language barriers and stigmas surrounding the older Asian community and help them achieve their health goals.

I bring a steadfast mindset of advocating for the underserved in my community and as an immigrant Vietnamese American, I aim to use my position to influence decisions that will benefit the entire community.

Medical School Secondary Essays: "Overcoming Challenges" Prompt

This prompt is looking at what medical schools typically refer to as “resilience”. The reality is that you will be faced with a wide variety of challenges during your medical training. Medical schools are looking for candidates who are equipped with mature coping strategies, enabling them to proficiently navigate whatever life, or medical school, decides to throw at them.

You can use any example from your own life to address this prompt. Ideas include:

• A time when things did not go according to plan.
• Overcoming a setback.
• Overcoming an illness or injury.
• Dealing with the illness of a loved one.

The important thing to remember with this prompt is to keep it positive. Focus on the strategies you used to overcome the hurdle that presented itself to you, and what you learned from the situation. Review some adversity essays for medical school for inspiration.

“It is not only important to highlight the situation in detail but to also reflect on your actions. Drawing upon lessons from this experience and how you used what you learned to make changes the next time around is key to demonstrating a growth mindset.” – Dr. Neel Mistry, MD.

Describe a challenging situation you faced and what you did to address it.

My sister was diagnosed with epilepsy at 3 months old, and it has been a continual learning experience. She never qualified for an autism diagnosis, but her behaviors resembled an autistic or neurodivergent individual. As an 8-year-old, I did not notice public reactions to my sister’s behaviors.

But, as we both grew older, I became embarrassed when people would stare at her, or notice her behavioral differences. Behavioral incidents continued to occur throughout my time in high school and college. However, I have grown into a more empathetic person who better understands the difficulties my sister faces. I won’t deny that sometimes it is still embarrassing, but I remind myself that she struggles to control her behaviors and it is not her fault.

The best way I can help her as a sister is to be there for her and try to help her through the emotions she may not be able to express all the time. Understanding my sister has made me into a stronger, more confident and empathetic woman.

Medical School Secondary Essays: "Future Goals" Prompt

It’s okay not to know exactly what kind of doctor you want to be or what medical specialty you want to pursue. For this prompt, reflect on the experiences that cemented your decision to pursue medicine.

• What was it specifically about these experiences that made you want to become a doctor?
• What fascinated you the most? Why?
• What patient population did you enjoy working with the most? Why?

You can then go on to say what kind of doctor you would like to be, or, if you haven't decided, suggest more generally which direction you would like to see your career take (i.e. mention a patient population you think you would like to work with). Many students change their minds once having been in medical school a couple of years, so it’s reasonable to say that you will keep your eyes open and continue to explore every opportunity!

Medical School Secondary Essay Example: Your Future Goals

Professionalism and the ability to gain respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance as you embark upon a career as a physician. What three professional qualities do you feel a Student Doctor must be able to demonstrate as he/or she makes the transition into the study and practice of medicine? How will you demonstrate those qualities as a medical student at RowanSOM?

There are many valuable attributes a student doctor must possess, but the three of which I consider the most valuable are self-discipline/reflection, open-mindedness/sensitivity, and teamwork skills.

Possessing self-discipline and self-reflection skills are key for any student doctor planning on tackling the arduous medical courses that will come their way. Through my undergraduate career, I have constantly improved upon my academic study strategies to adapt to the rigors of upper-level biological courses. I realize that when one way does not work it is crucial to consult peers, advisors, and professors to improve my approach. Such changes included recording my lectures, attending more office hours, and even seeking resources outside of my lecture material to supplement my knowledge. I use this principle in my personal health goals as well. For example, my favorite hobby that I use to keep me grounded is going to the gym, where I attempt to break my fitness plateaus by researching and consulting peers. It is this drive to constantly improve myself that will allow me to overcome the many obstacles that will come my way during my medical pursuit.

In addition, it is important for student doctors to be open-minded and sensitive when understanding patients from diverse backgrounds. My research experience at the Center for Addiction, Personality, and Emotion Research enriched my understanding of the socioeconomic and environmental factors that are involved in developing addiction disorders. Learning about the neurobehavioral and psychological processes that underlie addictive behavior reinforced my awareness of the health disparities that arise from environmental and social systems in my local community. It is imperative to understand the patient outside of their symptoms in order to realize the other factors involved in their diagnosis. I aim to one day use this knowledge to inform my future patients of preventative measures and how to overcome their environmental strains.

Lastly, it is crucial for student doctors to develop teamwork skills when entering the field of medicine. Physicians have to be prepared to engage and work within different teamwork structures or environments with other specialists to provide high-quality care for their patients. My experiences as an EMT taught me firsthand how critical it is to build long-lasting relationships based on trust with your team. I have spent countless hours getting to know my EMS crew to ensure that we built a sense of camaraderie that would allow us to work well together during calls. I remember one occasion when my partner was flustered during a stressful call and could not remember the next step in delivering a treatment protocol to a patient. I noticed he was frustrated and subtly reminded him of the next step. Based on our relationship and trust, he acted on my advice and later thanked me for the assistance. Knowing that we always had each other’s back gave us the reassurance and confidence we needed to handle the many unpredictable calls that came our way. I hope to strengthen this same sense of teamwork as a future physician.

If you have an academic lapse or took a break that you wish to explain to the admissions committee, you may want to prepare this prompt in advance. The most important things to focus on are:

• Clearly, yet briefly, explain the situation that led to the break or lapse.
• Outlining how you moved past the situation.
• Outlining what you learned from the situation, and how you will manage similar situations going forward.

“The best way to address red flags is to be open and honest … and provide open reflection on how you grew from the experience.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD.

“what i would do in these situations is talk about the red flag/gap in an open and honest way without sounding closed off or confrontational about it … essentially, you are taking something that would normally be considered a negative and spinning into a positive.” – dr. jaime cazes, md, university of toronto temerty faculty of medicine., medical school secondary essay example: academic lapses or breaks.

If you have taken a gap year(s), please explain what you have been, or will be, doing since graduating from your undergrad institution. 

I threw myself into the medical school application process during my final year of my undergrad degree. Realizing that my application was lacking, I have spent the time since graduation gaining volunteer and leadership experience, improving my MCAT score, and taking science prerequisite courses.

Taking post-baccalaureate classes proved advantageous. I was thrilled when my MCAT score improved significantly, going from 505 to 517. My score was a testament to the hard work and dedication I put into my organic chemistry and molecular biology courses, and to the time management, accountability, and work ethic I refined in studying for the MCAT.

While pursuing post-baccalaureate science courses improved my academics, volunteering at a seniors’ care center has opened my eyes to the issues facing seniors and those who care for them. Once, upon entering the facility, I heard a patient calling for help; he had fallen and could not get back into his wheelchair. Per volunteer protocol, I cannot physically assist the residents into their chairs. However, after determining that he was not physically hurt, I calmly reassured him that I was getting help and informed the nurses of his situation. This incident and other experiences at the center allowed me to develop and practice skills such as enforcing appropriate boundaries, working with others, and handling unexpected and stressful circumstances with poise.

From my various experiences, I have developed and refined my belief system and skill set. I've developed a greater sensitivity to those facing physical or mental limitations, and a dedication to serving my community in overcoming such challenges. I’ve learned the value of being empathetic and showing compassion in the process. I've developed the critical traits and values that I am certain this school would be proud of, whether as a student or as a physician.

Pre-writing your secondaries for med school is key! Here's how:

Medical School Secondary Essays: Tips from Our Experts and Students

1. submit your essays as soon as you can.

Submitting your essays early means you can take advantage of medical schools’ rolling admissions process. As soon as medical school secondary essays are received, decisions about interview invites are made. Submitting early means a better chance of securing an interview, and therefore an acceptance letter. Being delayed with your secondaries can cost you both! One of our students, Rishi, had to reapply after submitting his secondaries too late and receiving zero interview invites.

“[One of] the things that really I think prevented me from getting in the first time around is I was just very delayed with my secondaries … I didn't even get any interviews that first cycle because I was so late on my secondaries.” – Rishi, current student at Carver College of Medicine.

Planning your secondaries well ahead of time also ensures you’re not rushing to write, proof, rewrite and finalize your essays.

“It is advisable to start preparing for secondaries as early as possible so that you have enough time to revise and go through multiple iterations of edits prior to submitting. Also, getting a fresh pair of eyes to have a look is never a bad idea.” – Dr. Neel Mistry, MD.

2. pre-write your med school secondary essays.

Some of you may be realizing at this point that you’ve applied to 10-20 schools and that each will likely send somewhere between 2-10 prompts. That’s a lot of essay writing! To get on top of this, we recommend pre-writing your secondary essays.

“Secondaries were a lot of work especially after completing all of the primary application materials. I tried to pre-write secondaries starting in mid-June as there aren’t many changes year to year in prompts, which are easily found online. For each school I read their mission statement and tailored my answers to their priorities. Since many essays also overlap between schools, I was able to morph different essays based on length to reduce overall writing. Pre-writing allowed me to have [less than] 1 week turn around on all of my secondary application returns.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD.

If you check out our comprehensive list of medical school secondary essay prompts , you can pull out common themes for the schools you are most interested in applying to. You should then create an essay outline or rough essay that addresses each of these themes.

“A lot of these prompts, they might be worded a little bit different … but there's some broad [question] types. If you compare a couple of schools, there will be some overlap and that's helpful because you can write what are these common skeletons that will allow you to be more efficient.” – Rishi, BeMo student.

Though schools may change their prompts from year to year, pre-planning at least some of your essays will make you much more efficient with your writing, allowing you to create consistently well-thought-out essays. 

Just like with your medical school personal statement, your personal stories will help your secondary essays stand out and be more memorable to the admissions committee.

“These application readers are reading a large volume of essays and sometimes they're not spending as much time as you might think. They are kind of glancing over every word so you have to think like what they are going to remember from this when they read it.” – Rishi, BeMo student.

As part of your pre-writing plan, start brainstorming personal experiences or influences you can talk about in your secondaries to make your points and keep your readers’ attention.

Medical school secondary essays are meant to provide medical school with more specific information about your candidacy and fit for their programs. The questions are geared towards the missions, requirements, and goals of each program. They are usually sent out once primary applications have been submitted.

Some schools will list a deadline (UCLA secondary essays are due after fifteen days). If the school does not specify a deadline, you should aim to submit your secondaries no later than 2 weeks after receiving the invites to complete them.

Some of the most common med school secondary prompts include "Why our school?", "Cultural Competency", "Overcoming Challenges", and "Future Goals". Pay attention to the wording of the prompts, as they may not include this direct terminology, but you should approach them with specific strategies to answer them.

Each medical school will have its own secondaries requirements. Some may ask for 1 or 2 essays, while others may require 10. Check the requirements of your schools of choice to make sure.

Yes, there are some medical schools without secondary essays , but these are rare. Check with the programs of your choice to make sure.

Many med schools recycle their secondary prompts from year to year. Plus, there are some common themes that all secondaries explore. Check out the old prompts from your schools of choice to start planning general outlines for your essays.

Most likely, you will be eliminated from the applicant selection pool right away. Med schools will want to see your dedicated and commitment to their school, which secondaries demonstrate. If you are late or do not submit them at all, you will no longer be considered for a position in their medical school.

If you applied to many med schools, there is a chance you will have trouble completing all the secondaries on time. If this is your position, you should certainly try to complete all of them on time and of good quality. Focus on the schools you want to attend and where you have the highest chance of acceptance and complete their secondaries first.

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Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Wynne Milhouse

Hello! Would it be okay to write about how not getting into medical school the first time was a time of adversity, even if it was on a secondary for a school I didn't apply to last time (or if it was)? I feel as if this prompt may show up for schools that I did and did not apply to two years ago, but not getting into medical school the first time WAS a big hurdle, and I have made significant changes to combat this. Is it okay to talk about that, or will that reflect poorly on me? Thanks! Best, Wynne Milhouse

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Wynne! Thank you very much for your question. Absolutely, you should write about not getting into med school the first time even if you are writing secondaries for a school you did not apply to last time. You can even mention that you are now applying to this school because you improved your research and found that this would be a more suitable choice for you. Let us know if you have any other questions!

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Reset password, create a free fasthire account, how to write successful diversity essay for medical school (sample).

• July 19, 2023
• Education/Study

How do you write a successful diversity essay for medical school? Here is one major question raised by applicants and today we will provide you with answers. Read on to learn more.

The application process for medical school has evolved beyond simply submitting transcripts, letters of recommendation, and personal statements . While these documents are still essential, some medical schools now require diversity essays, which allow applicants to share their unique experiences and perspectives. This helps the admissions committee create a more inclusive and diverse student body.

A well-written diversity essay can help you stand out from the competition and increase your chances of getting accepted into medical school. Hence, In this article, we will discuss the meaning of diversity, what is meant by a diversity essay for medical school, and the various factors that count as diversity. We will also outline the steps to writing a convincing essay and provide examples of diversity essay prompts by different universities.

Furthermore, this article would not be complete if we didn’t include a sample diversity essay for medical school. Therefore, we will provide you with a sample to guide you when drafting your essay. Let’s get started!

What is a  Diversity Essay for Medical School?

Diversity essays are a common part of the secondary application process for medical school. They allow you to share your unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds related to diversity and inclusion. This is your chance to show how your diverse attributes can positively impact the medical school community and the practice of medicine.

While the diversity essay is a secondary requirement, it is still an important part of the medical school application process. Medical schools value diversity because it enriches the learning environment and helps future healthcare professionals provide culturally competent and compassionate care to patients from different backgrounds. Therefore, the diversity essay can give you an advantage in the admissions process by providing the selection committee with more information about your unique experiences and perspectives.

  What Factors Count as Diversity

One challenge applicants face when considering writing a diversity essay is the perception that diversity only includes people from underrepresented geographical areas, cultural backgrounds, or ethnicities. While these are all valid forms of diversity, many other areas can be incorporated into this field.

Diversity in the context of a diversity essay covers the entire perspective that makes up a unique individual. 

Here are two broad categories you should be thinking about:

Perspective 1

This includes

• A gap year in your medical school journey
• An applicant with a non-science background
• A transitioning practitioner 
• An expert with military experience
• A career changer 
• An applicant with social

Perspective 2

Here you consider the overall diversity thought peculiar to all individuals in the universe:

• Race and ethnicity 
• Socioeconomic status
• Gender identity
• Language and Linguistic Diversity
• Family Structure
• Life Challenges and Adversities
• Sexual orientation
• Disability:
• Life experiences
• Cultural Heritage
• Immigration and Identity
• Advocacy for Inclusion
• Intersectionality
• Career Aspirations
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Social Justice Involvement
• Volunteer Work

Note: These categories mentioned above make up the various topics you can discuss in your diversity essay for medical school.

Examples of Diversity Essay Prompt for Medical School.

The diversity essay prompt may vary from school to school, but its underlying purpose remains the same. The primary goal of these questions is to gain insight into your perspective on diversity. To help you better understand these prompts, let’s explore some examples of diversity essay prompts from various universities.

Prompt: Stanford University

“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. (2000 characters)”

Prompt: Harvard Medical School 

“If there is an important aspect of your background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, and identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.”

Prompt: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine

 “ We are all differentiated from or connected by individual inflexions that constitute our diversity. Explain how your relationship with your diversity and to the diversities of others manifests in your personal and professional activities.” 

Prompt: Yale School of Medicine 

“ Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?  “

Prompt: University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine

“ Given the diversity statement of the school, explain how your background and experiences with diversity will bring value to the school.”

How to Write a Diversity Essay For Medical School

Writing a secondary application of diversity is not as hard as you think. But if you are having issues writing yours, Here is a guide to help you:

1. Understand the Purpose of the Diversity Essay

Before you start writing your diversity essay, it is important to understand its purpose. The diversity essay is not just a list of your diverse experiences and accomplishments. It is an opportunity to reflect on how these experiences have shaped your worldview and how you can use your unique perspective to contribute to the medical community.

The admissions committees want to see your ability to think critically and empathetically about diversity, as well as your commitment to promoting inclusivity in the medical field. In your diversity essay, you should strive to answer the following questions:

• What have you learned about yourself and others through your experiences with diversity?
• How have your experiences with diversity shaped your understanding of the world and your commitment to social justice?
• How do you believe your experiences with diversity will inform your work as a physician?
• What have you learned from your different cultural, social, or economic experiences?
• How do your unique perspectives and insights allow you to see the world differently?
• How will your unique perspectives and insights benefit your patients and colleagues?
• What are your specific goals for promoting diversity and inclusivity in the medical field?
• What specific actions do you plan to take to achieve these goals?
• How will your commitment to diversity and inclusivity make a difference in the lives of your patients and colleagues?

Answering these questions sets the stage for your ideas to flow. Remember, this is just the preliminary stage

2. Choose the right Diversity Essay Topic

Choosing the right topic for your diversity essay is essential. It should be something that is personally meaningful to you and allows you to showcase your unique experiences and perspectives. Here are a few tips to help you select the perfect topic:

• Brainstorm your journey : Think about the experiences, challenges, or moments that have had a significant impact on your understanding of diversity. Consider how these experiences have shaped your values, beliefs, and aspirations about medicine.
• Highlight your unique perspective: What makes you different? What aspects of your background or identity set you apart from other applicants? Focus on those aspects that have influenced your outlook on diversity and healthcare.
• Consider the broader impact : How do you envision your contribution to the medical field? How will your unique perspective and experiences translate into tangible actions that promote diversity and inclusivity in healthcare?
• Connect your story : Now, use the right words to make your narrative logical and easy to follow.

Remember, the goal is not to simply recount your experiences, but to reflect on their significance and how they have influenced your journey towards becoming a healthcare professional. Choose a topic that allows you to tell a compelling story and effectively convey your passion for diversity and medicine.

3. Highlight 2 or 3 Unique Experiences and Expand on it

Once you have chosen a topic, it is time to dive into the heart of your diversity essay by highlighting your unique experiences and perspectives. This is your chance to showcase the aspects of your background and identity that have shaped your understanding of diversity and influenced your desire to pursue a career in medicine.

Introduction:

Start by painting a vivid picture of the situations or encounters that have had the most profound impact on you. Use descriptive language to engage the reader and bring your experiences to life. This will capture their attention and make your essay more memorable.

Next, reflect on the significance of these experiences. How have they shaped your worldview? What lessons have you learned from them? How have they influenced your understanding of diversity and its importance in healthcare? Be honest and introspective in your reflections, as this will add depth and authenticity to your essay.

Conclusion:

Finally, tie your experiences and perspectives back to your motivation for pursuing a career in medicine. Explain how your unique background and insights will enable you to contribute to a diverse and inclusive medical community. Show the admissions committee that you have a clear vision for how you will use your experiences to make a difference in healthcare.

Remember, it is not just about what you have experienced, but how those experiences have shaped you and your commitment to diversity in medicine. Your essay should be a cohesive narrative that flows from one section to the next. Each section should build on the previous one, culminating in a powerful conclusion that leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

4. Editing and Revising Your Diversity Essay

Once you have written your diversity essay, it is important to take some time to edit and revise it. This will ensure that your essay is clear, concise, and free of grammatical or spelling errors.

Here are a few tips to help you in the editing process:

• Take a break. After writing your first draft, step away from your essay for a day or two. This will give you fresh eyes and allow you to approach your essay with a more critical mindset.
• Read aloud. Reading your essay aloud will help you catch any awkward phrasing or grammatical errors. It will also help you ensure that your essay flows smoothly and has a natural rhythm.
• Eliminate unnecessary details . Review your essay and remove any repetitive or irrelevant information. Focus on the most important aspects of your experiences and reflections, and ensure that every sentence contributes to your overall message.
• Seek feedback . Ask trusted friends, family members, or mentors to read your essay and provide feedback. They can offer valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.

Remember, the editing process is just as important as the writing process. By carefully editing and revising your diversity essay, you can ensure that it is polished and impactful.

Make your Diversity Essay standout with Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool when it comes to writing a standout diversity essay. With this technique, you can captivate the reader and make your essay more engaging and memorable. 

Here are a few storytelling techniques to consider:

• Start with a compelling hook. You could start your essay with a personal anecdote that illustrates your understanding of diversity. For example, you could write about a time when you were challenged by someone’s different beliefs or values.
• Use descriptive language . When you describe the people, places, and emotions involved in your experiences, use vivid language that will help the reader visualize your story. For example, you could describe the setting of a particular event in detail, or you could use figurative language to capture the emotions you were feeling.
• Show, don’t tell. Instead of simply stating your beliefs or values, demonstrate them through concrete examples and actions. For example, you could write about a time when you took action to promote diversity in your community.
• Create a narrative arc . Structure your essay like a story, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This will help the reader follow your journey and understand how your experiences have shaped your understanding of diversity.

Diversity Essay Examples for Medical School

Embracing Diversity in Medicine: A Journey of Passion, Purpose, and Global Impact

If I were told that I would pursue a career in medicine, I would have laughed so hard, cracking my ribs. You see, I had a distaste for the sight of blood, and swallowing medications was an ordeal. However, life has a peculiar way of molding us, and my path to medicine emerged from the depths of tragedy and a deep desire to make a meaningful difference.

Growing up in a polygamous home in Nigeria, I was immersed in a multicultural household that exposed me to diverse traditions, languages, and perspectives. Despite the complexities often associated with such arrangements, our family thrived on unity, with everyone contributing to our growth and development. Witnessing the strength and resilience of my stepmothers and the collective effort to maintain harmony instilled in me a profound appreciation for collaboration and the power of diversity.

On that fateful Sunday evening, our lives were shattered by a senseless act of violence. Three armed men stormed into our home, and with bullets piercing through my fathers’ ribs and hand, our world turned upside down. Amid the chaos, the fragility of life and the disparities in our healthcare system became glaringly apparent. As we rushed my father to the hospital, we faced numerous obstacles. Calling for an ambulance was not a viable option, so we relied on the kindness of neighbors to transport him. The hospital demanded a police report before administering treatment, and obtaining one was a daunting task. Yet, amidst the chaos, a police officer lent a helping hand, expediting the process and enabling my father to receive the care he desperately needed. Gazing upon my father’s weakened state, my heart shattered. The hospital lacked his blood type, and the search for a suitable donor was a race against time. Miraculously, my boyfriend, who happened to be a match, selflessly donated his blood. Throughout that agonizing night, I clung to hope, praying for a miracle. However, tragedy struck, and my father succumbed to his injuries while undergoing surgery, deprived even of basic pain relief.

This harrowing experience ignited a fire within me a deep-seated passion to address the inadequacies in our healthcare system and alleviate the suffering of others. I realized that my purpose lay in becoming a physician, armed with compassion, empathy, and a commitment to diversity. Drawing from my academic and professional background, I possess a solid foundation for success in medical school. With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and experience working as a medical assistant, I have gained valuable insights into patient care and the intricacies of healthcare delivery. These experiences have reinforced my understanding of the importance of holistic, patient-centered care and sharpened my resolve to promote equitable access to quality healthcare.

In choosing to pursue my medical education abroad, I have been drawn to a country that values diversity, inclusivity, and innovation in healthcare. The United States, renowned for its cutting-edge medical advancements and emphasis on comprehensive patient care, presents an ideal environment for me to flourish both personally and professionally. By attending the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, I am confident that I will be immersed in a diverse community of learners, fostering an environment where various perspectives and experiences enrich the educational journey. I am inspired by the commitment of the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine to cultivate culturally competent physicians who can bridge gaps in healthcare and provide equitable care to all individuals, regardless of their background.

In joining the medical school community, I hope to contribute my unique perspective and experiences, offering insights into the challenges faced by underrepresented communities. I aspire to actively participate in initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion within the institution while advocating for equitable healthcare policies on a broader scale. Ultimately, my goal as a future physician is to provide compassionate, culturally sensitive care to patients from all walks of life. I believe that my diverse upbringing and personal experiences have endowed me with a heightened sense of empathy and an ability to connect with patients on a profound level. By embracing diversity, I aim to serve as a bridge between different cultures, fostering understanding, trust, and improved health outcomes.

In conclusion, my journey to medicine has been shaped by tragedy, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable healthcare system. Through my academic and professional background, I have gained invaluable skills and insights that will enable me to thrive in medical school and beyond. By choosing to study medicine in a diverse and innovative environment, I am poised to make a meaningful impact by advocating for change and providing compassionate care to those in need.

Yours sincerely,

Albert, Dinma

1. How to Approach Diversity Essay for Med School?

• Start by brainstorming your experiences and perspectives. What aspects of your background and identity have shaped your understanding of diversity? How have your experiences made you more open-minded and empathetic?
• Choose a specific experience to focus on. This could be an event, a person, or a community that has had a significant impact on your understanding of diversity.
• Write about the impact of this experience on your worldview. How has it changed your perspective on the world? What have you learned about yourself and others?
• Connect your experience to your desire to pursue a career in medicine. How will your unique perspective and experiences help you to be a better physician?
• Be honest and authentic. The admissions committee wants to get to know the real you, so don’t be afraid to share your personal experiences and thoughts.

2. How Do You Start an Essay About Diversity and Inclusion?

Begin your essay about diversity and inclusion with a captivating hook. This could be a thought-provoking quote, a personal anecdote, or a startling statistic. Introduce the significance of diversity and inclusion, and how it impacts various aspects of life or the field you’re discussing. Set the tone for a thoughtful and engaging exploration of the topic.

4. How Do You Answer Diversity Questions in a Medical School Interview?

When answering diversity questions in a medical school interview:

• Be honest and authentic: Share genuine experiences that have shaped your understanding of diversity.
• Highlight empathy and cultural competence: Emphasize your ability to relate to and understand patients from diverse backgrounds.
• Discuss your contributions: Mention any initiatives or experiences where you actively promoted diversity and inclusion.
• Connect to your future career: Explain how embracing diversity will impact your approach to patient care and collaboration with colleagues.
• Be clear and concise. The interviewer is busy, so make sure your answers are easy to understand.
• Be positive. Focus on the positive aspects of diversity and how it has enriched your life.

Conclusion : Successful Diversity Essay for Medical School

Diversity essays are an important part of the medical school application process. They allow applicants to share their unique experiences and perspectives, and to show the admissions committee that they are more than just their GPA and MCAT score. By writing effective diversity essays, applicants can show that they are committed to diversity and inclusion and that they would be a valuable addition to the medical school community.

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• 2024 Medical School Secondary Essays Examples

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Our team of physician and medical student editors had the pleasure of helping students craft the following medical school secondary essays. 

“Why This School” Essay

Adversity essay, diversity essay, “how will you contribute to our school” essay, “future goals” essay, “academic lapses or breaks” essay, “why d.o.” essay, why are secondaries important, tell us about any specific reason(s) (personal, educational, etc.) why you see yourself here at the wake forest school of medicine..

The ending of the motto of the Moravian church, which has a strong historical connection with Winston-Salem, is “…in all things, love.” This concluding statement is an apt description of how I attempt to live my life. Wake Forest upholds such values of inclusion and love through the Lovefest tradition and programs such as the student-run DEAC Clinic. After working at free clinics in rural areas, I am committed to becoming a physician that will promote systems of care in the community. With my exposure to rural primary care, I want to use the Rural/Underserved Health experience offered to Wake Forest students through the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians to further my understanding and training in this career path. Furthermore, as an extension of working in primary care, I am interested in being a geriatrician. Wake Forest, as one of the best geriatric hospitals in the country, has a curriculum that aligns with my interests. I am confident that through research, service, and patient care, Wake Forest will shape me into a leader of rural health care for the geriatric community.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Wake Forest School of Medicine | Class of 2024

More Examples and Writing Tips for a Convincing  Medical School “Why Us” Essay | Click Here

Describe a significant challenge you have experienced in your life, share the strategies you employed to overcome the challenge, and what you learned from the experience.

One personal adversity I have overcome is my lack of self-confidence. I was always a quiet child who grew up with two older sisters doing most of the talking. As I aged, I came out my shell to an extent and became more outgoing. I have always struggled in one particular area: public speaking. My passion for medicine grew early as I observed my eldest sister work alongside physicians during her nursing training. However, my shy nature led me to select pre-nursing as my major, since nursing does not require the ability to speak publicly like being a physician often does. I did not truly consider a career as a doctor until my anatomy and physiology professor suggested I do so after recognizing my drive, aptitude, and passion. Even so, it took introspection and time to recognize that I held the potential to become a successful physician.

Over my undergraduate career, I have participated in many group presentations during classes without the benefit of being taught how to successfully prepare. On every occasion, I would become so nervous that I was unable to sleep the entire night prior. By the time I presented, I would be so distracted that I could not think straight, let alone get my point across clearly. This went on until I had the opportunity to participate in a class called Peer Instruction in Laboratory Occupational Training (PILOT), which was an extension of a class that I had succeeded in, Quantitative Biological Methods.

PILOT was designed to expose students to research articles and assist with laboratory techniques and homework. A large part of the grade for the class consisted of teaching a laboratory section of around 40 students for 15 minutes. I almost opted out of the class because of this requirement, but ultimately decided it was a great opportunity to work through my personal fear of public speaking and build my self-confidence.

I set a schedule six weeks ahead of the presentation to begin preparing. A few helpful peers offered advice, telling me that knowing what I wanted to say verbatim was a good way to improve confidence. Thus, I practiced daily until three weeks before the class. I found another tip online: practicing in the actual location of the presentation can help reduce nerves. Subsequently, I approached one of my laboratory teaching assistants and asked if he would let me practice in the laboratory. He was an excellent teaching assistant and took the time to watch me practice and provide feedback.

Ultimately, I felt that I was able to present eloquently and received an excellent grade. Life is full of challenges, and I learned that preparation is key to success. I planned and prepared early, pulled from available resources, and implemented advice from faculty and peers. This experience taught me that I do have the aptitude, strength, and drive to succeed in medical school and overcome any obstacle that I might face. I am eager to embrace more personal growth and realize my full potential as I continue on to medical school.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Nova Southeastern University College Of Osteopathic Medicine | Class of 2024

More Examples and The 6 Steps for Writing the Medical School Adversity Essay | Click Here

“Do you consider yourself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine?” If yes, briefly explain why.

I am a Muslim, Saudi woman, but I am not the preconceived notions of being close minded, uncultured, or oppressed. I’m a passionate helper, an open-minded extrovert, and a curious explorer of the world. 

Though I grew up attending a school that taught me to be a leader and encouraged competition, and though travelling the world allowed me to explore new cultures, homogeneity was the ‘norm’ everywhere I went until I attended school in the US. George C. Marshall High School showed me how enriching diversity is. There, in a mixture of backgrounds and ethnicities, I was an ‘other’ among many ‘others’. The following year in Nebraska was different, and I experienced the damage of prejudice when I was the only ‘other’. My experiences drove me to work to bring different people together to give back. Years later, at NYU, this personal passion pushed me to create a volunteer tutoring nonprofit organization. 

I believe the ‘other’ in me, with the uncommon background, the unique experiences, and the interesting perspectives, will contribute to the diversity of the student body at Tufts.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Class of 2024

Click here for More Examples and Steps on How to Write an Effective Medical School Diversity Essay

Explain how interactions with people who are different from you have shaped your worldview and relate how you would enrich the VTC community.

From my academic and work experiences, I have frequently worked with people who are different from myself. Working with students and professors from different backgrounds through college helped me appreciate different viewpoints, especially during my bioethics training.  Listening to my classmate, who was a Catholic hospice nurse, explain her differing stance on end-of-life care showed me to appreciate the legitimacy of different opinions. Likewise, I learned from sociology graduate students about the issue of the medicalization of mental illness, which I had not had to consider prior to speaking and working with them. These experiences will help me contribute to the community by enabling me to approach problems from multiple lenses and to listen to and value the input of experts in different fields.

My experiences engaging with different individuals will help me to enrich the community at Virginia Tech. As a tutor, I have been able to work with students of different ages and backgrounds with unique learning goals. For example, my student, Danny, was an adult student taking classes at a community college and had failed his statistics course three times before meeting with me. Even though I had excelled in math classes during school, I was able to listen to his frustrations and identify different ways to help him learn the content and be able to apply it for quizzes and exams. I helped him navigate through the material, and he ended up passing the course comfortably. By working with a wide variety of students like Danny, I have been able to understand the importance of listening actively to individuals’ struggles and unique experiences to learn about how to best help them and I am excited to apply this skill to help future individuals.

In addition to my experiences tutoring, I have been able to interact with individuals different from myself through volunteering. For example, at Judson Park, I volunteered by helping one resident, Ron, participate in art therapy. Ron had suffered two prior strokes and was wheelchair-bound and hemiplegic. I was able to help bring him down to the art room and organize supplies for him. Ron was unique in his needs, which was why he required individualized care to be able to participate in the art therapy. He also struggled with communicating verbally due to deficits from his prior strokes. I adapted by patiently waiting for him to respond at his own pace and looking for body language cues for what he needed at the moment. He was able to make incredible art creations, showing me the resilience of differently abled individuals.

These experiences have shown me the importance of valuing everyone’s unique perspectives and utilizing that consideration and compassion to help others. I can enrich the VTC community by providing this diverse perspective to help my peers and ultimately serve the greater community as a physician.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: University of Virginia School of Medicine | Class of 2024

Need help writing your secondary essays?

After residency, describe the community in which you see yourself practicing medicine.

Currently, I can see myself practicing medicine in a variety of clinical settings: a private specialty care system, a nonprofit medical facility, individual practice, or a different setting. I am open to all of the new experiences that medical school will bring, including exposure to a variety of clinical settings.

I have worked as a medical scribe at the largest non-profit health care provider in Seattle and have also volunteered for a private specialty hospital. Both of these experiences have exposed me to a different type of medical practice, and I have enjoyed both although in different ways. I loved the diversity of patients I encountered at the nonprofit and enjoyed experiencing different clinic visits whether for constipation or throat pain. At the specialty hospital, I was able to encounter unique and rare medical cases that I’ve only read about in books such as spina bifida or hydrocephalus. I was also able to witness the very specialized and personalized care. I am excited to explore the various clinical setting options in medical school and residency, and figure out which environment best suits my strengths and interests!

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Stanford School of Medicine | Class of 2024

Use this space if you’d like to address any identified deficiencies in your application.

When I suddenly lost my father to pancreatic cancer shortly before starting college, I was confused and frustrated about my loss. Although I had dreamt of becoming a doctor since I was a little girl, I was newly unsure of whether medicine was right for me. Because I lacked a tangible goal and motivation, my studies and grades suffered during my first years of college. However, once I began volunteering at the Children’s Hospital during my sophomore year, I developed a renewed sense of appreciation and passion for medicine. I started to care a lot more about school and enjoyed learning again. I began working extremely hard in my classes, and slowly but surely, my GPA rose.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine   | Class of 2024

How do your professional ambitions align with osteopathic medicine?

My professional ambitions have always aligned with a medical career, ever since I observed my childhood hero and oldest sister, Brittany, work alongside physicians as a registered nurse. At the time, I was only eight years old and not yet privy to the nuances of allopathic versus osteopathic medicine.

Throughout my experiences with the medical profession as a patient and mother, I have found myself disappointed with some of the allopathic medical treatments. I have myself been treated pharmaceutically with medications and became non-compliant with my treatment due to side effects. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with herpetic neuralgia. My neurologist prescription Neurontin, which helped with the symptoms but left me in a fog. I found myself questioning whether there could be a better method.

As an undergraduate student, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to a presentation by a doctor of osteopathy from Lake Eerie College of Medicine in Bradenton, FL. The speaker discussed osteopathic medicine, its principles, and manipulative medicine (OMM). He talked about a time when he bumped into an old friend who had been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. His friend’s condition was so severe that he needed a cane to ambulate independently. The D.O. performed OMM for his friend and provided him with a set of exercises to perform daily at home. Ultimately, the friend did not require the surgery his allopathic physician had recommended.

After listening to his presentation, I felt as though I had a breakthrough. I realized that I wholeheartedly supported these principles as the better solution that I had been looking for. With osteopathic medicine, I could practice medicine in a traditional manner while wielding a valuable skill set that could spare patients from invasive surgeries and pharmaceutical therapeutics causing undesired side effects.

Furthermore, while studying for the MCAT a year ago, I developed a constant waxing and waning neck pain that would radiate to my right shoulder and down my arm. This worsened over a period of four weeks, and I took increasing amounts of ibuprofen to calm the symptoms. A good friend of mine is a physical therapist who manipulated my spine and sent me home with instructions for an exercise plan. She also taught me how to self-evaluate my posture, which has been valuable in preventing additional episodes. I was incredibly impressed with the outcome of the treatment that used my own body and its muscles to treat the pain without using pharmaceuticals or leaving me with residual deficits. As such, my personal trust in natural treatments has emphasized to me that osteopathic medicine is the path I am meant to follow. 

The more I learn about osteopathic medicine, the more excited I am to incorporate its principles into my future practice. I am thrilled to learn and practice medicine with a holistic approach to evaluate and treat patients. As a healthcare partner to my future patients, I feel inspired to encourage the implementation of prevention, maintenance, and natural remedies into their treatment plans.

Application Status: Accepted |School of choice: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine   | Class of 2024

Why are secondary essays important?

• Schools ask these questions for a specific reason
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Successful Harvard Medical School Essays | 2024

With a consistently competitive pool of applicants submitting essays to top medical schools each year, it is essential to gain a high-level understanding of what a successful application reads like. Browse through our list of successful medical school applications below from students who were accepted to elite universities and hear from expert college consultants on what made these pieces a success.

Jacqueline's Essay

Solomon Admissions Consulting is among the largest and most diverse consulting firms in the US. Their team includes over 100 consultants, all of whom have worked in the admissions offices of elite colleges. The Solomon team boasts a combined 600+ years of admissions office experience and has reviewed over 700,000+ college applications. This extensive experience uniquely qualifies them to advise on what the most competitive colleges seek in applicants. Solomon Admissions Consulting is the only firm in the industry with college admission success rates verified by a top independent accounting firm. This verification confirms the 5.5x advantage Solomon clients have when applying to Ivy Plus schools (including all 8 Ivy League schools plus Stanford, MIT, Duke, and UChicago) compared to the national average acceptance rates at these institutions. Solomon offers admissions assistance from private/K-12 schooling through undergraduate and medical school, MBA, and post-graduate programs. Their admission consultants ensure that student essays, teacher recommendation letters, activity sheets, addendums, and interviews all support a strategic positioning narrative.

Successful Harvard Medical School Essay

Jim and I had only spoken once by phone and were now in a soundproof piano practice room in my dorm basement, after dark and out of cell phone range. My new piano student told me he lived in a sober house, was unemployed, and “had time to kill.” He wanted to learn piano and called me because he read favorable online reviews of my piano playing. I was somewhat flattered but mostly uneasy about what I was getting myself into. I have played jazz piano since age 11. My early focus was technique. I loved practicing and spent hours at the piano. Through Boston’s Berklee School of Music summer programs, I gained a solid foundation and connected with exceptional musicians. I led multiple ensembles in school and professional circles. At first, I played wherever I could, including non-paying venues, but as my music further matured, I performed at increasingly high-visibility settings. I particularly treasured playing for charitable causes such as Ronald McDonald House, Gift of Life bone marrow drive, and at Boston Children’s Hospital. During college, I taught jazz piano, helping my students navigate the complexity and nuance of jazz theory. In the last several years, a highlight of each week was playing solo jazz in Yale’s cancer center lobby. Although I could not help patients from the medical perspective, I felt that I made a small contribution when an improvisation on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” would bring a smile to a patient’s face. To me, there are striking parallels between jazz and medicine. Jazz improvisation encourages freedom of expression and creativity within the confines of a musical structure that is unspoken but understood among performers. Medical practice emphasizes customization of care based on a patient’s unique circumstance within the boundaries of established care paths and standards. In jazz, musicians take turns at improvisation, while the rest of the band “comps” (jazz lingo for “accompanies”). A fine soloist leads without overshadowing. Effective comping highlights the soloist without drawing excessive attention. Jazz, dynamic and fluid, requires teamwork and the ability to listen. I believe jazz prepared me well for the seamless teamwork and collaboration, learning, and adaptability that are intrinsic to medicine. At Yale, I was drawn to Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry for its scientific rigors and biological applications. A major focus of my work has been laboratory research. Under the guidance of my mentor Dr. Keith Choate, a brilliant physician scientist on the Yale faculty, I identified and studied the function of a palmitoyl transferase gene responsible for a cutaneous inflammatory disorder called erythrokeratoderma variabilis. I also observed Dr. Choate in the pediatric dermatology clinic at Yale New Haven Hospital. I vividly recall a young girl with brown scaly plaques covering almost her entire arm, her tearful efforts at hiding her arm as if she felt shameful, and her mother wringing her hands in anguish. The medical team approached the girl gently, trying to put her at ease. When Dr. Choate mentioned the potential of genomic-driven medicine offering new therapies, her mother’s eyes lit up, even though the solution was not yet at hand. I had been fascinated with the gene from the molecular angle, but seeing firsthand the physical and emotional tolls from the disease strengthened my interest in developing “post-genomic” technologies. At the same time, moments like this remind me why I want to be a doctor. No doubt biomedical research is stimulating and rewarding, and I hope to continue research pursuits. But I want to work directly with patients and personally make a difference in their lives. While it is possible to make a difference through research, I find it particularly meaningful to contribute at the human-to-human level. My aspiration is to learn about the human body and its diseases and impart my knowledge and skills to patients to relieve suffering. Medicine is going through significant changes. There is hope that technologies such as high-resolution genomics may identify more biomarkers for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic guidance. Refinements in DNA sequence technology and computational tools already allow higher and higher throughput at lower cost. Application of genetic analytics on a population scale will hopefully help make personalized medicine a reality. Healthcare delivery is also going through a redesign, with increased emphasis on value and teamwork. I look forward to entering medicine at such an exciting time and feel well equipped from my training in molecular biology, computer programming, bioinformatics, and jazz to make a meaningful impact. After months of piano lessons, Jim played an awesome improvisation of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” We had become friends and shared animated dialogues about art, religion, love, biology, and of course music. Jim was delighted that I also enjoyed rap, his favorite genre. I saw a transformation from aimless addict to proud-yet fragile young man. And then . . . he got a job! Jim was gainfully employed. He told me I was his inspiration. Little did he know that through the opportunity to teach him, grow with him, and observe his remarkable transition, I was in fact inspired by him.

Professional Review by Solomon Admissions

This personal statement masterfully blends vivid imagery and a compelling narrative, outlining a journey of personal growth and aspiration. The opening metaphor of life as a mosaic sets a tone of richness and emotion, charting the applicant’s path from the Dominican Republic to medicine in the U.S., marked by resilience and cultural transition.

The applicant’s motivation for medicine, rooted in personal and familial healthcare experiences and augmented by volunteer work and global exposure, is communicated with clarity and depth. Color symbolism enriches the narrative, making the journey visually memorable and showcasing a well-rounded character defined by academic achievement, community service dedication, and adversity resilience.

Specific experiences, like confronting poverty and healthcare challenges abroad, highlight a sophisticated grasp of global health and a commitment to positive impact. However, a tighter connection between these experiences and the developed qualities essential for medical school and beyond - resilience, empathy, and leadership, for example - could amplify the statement’s impact.

In sum, this statement is remarkable and thoughtfully written, promising to make a strong impression. Its unique storytelling and clear future vision in medicine are especially striking.

Jonathan's Essay

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The author of this personal statement has rightfully earned a spot at one of the top medical schools in the world. The introduction creates a sense of intimacy and intrigue, which entices us to uncover what happens next. This personal statement then skillfully showcases Johnathan’s passion for medicine by intertwining his experiences in music and his interest in healthcare. He seamlessly draws parallels between the improvisational nature of jazz and the adaptive nature of medicine. Not only does this illustrate his deep understanding of both pursuits, but it also demonstrates his ability to think critically and make connections across disciplines, a crucial skill for a future physician . Johnathan’s story reveals his other academic and non-academic achievements that he undoubtedly further explores in his Work and Activities section and during his medical school interview! But even here, in this succinct narrative of his research experience , he brilliantly showcases his intellectual curiosity. By demonstrating his achievements in research, Johnathan not only highlights his scholarly acumen but also his desire to alleviate patient suffering, which is a part of Harvard’s mission. At the end, Johnathan masterfully uses the introduction and conclusion as bookends to his narrative, leaving us with a profound sense of closure and a hope that we may someday be under the care of this future physician.

Medical school names newest Dean’s Diversity Champions

• Catherine Doss

26 Apr 2024

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Nine faculty, staff, and students at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) have been named the 2024 Dean’s Diversity Champions. This is the school’s third year of recognizing individuals for significant achievements toward developing a more diverse and inclusive community.

“I commend these individuals for making diversity a priority at VTCSOM,” said Dean Lee Learman. “As one of our core values, diversity and inclusion affirms our common humanity and improves the quality of our learning environment.”

It is well documented that diversity in medicine also leads to better patient outcomes.

“It is essential that health care systems do all we can to implement strategies and processes that make our patients’ lives better. Diversity is part of that answer,” said Azziza Bankole, the medical school’s chief diversity officer.

Bankole added, “Recognizing members of the VTCSOM community who have shown their dedication to diversity makes known what we value as a school and sets an example for others not only to start such work but as a boon for many to continue with their efforts.”

Students, faculty, and staff nominated the recipients, who were then selected by the school’s inclusion and diversity team. Examples of some of the activities that award winners were engaged in included: directing an after-school health program in an underserved Roanoke neighborhood, hosting a community wide gathering for Hispanic Heritage Month, tutoring literacy for local immigrant and refugee communities, and volunteering for the school’s MedDOCS program .

The 2024 Dean’s Diversity Champions are

Faculty Kristofer Rau Adrienne Kinsey

Staff Roberto Silva Stephanie Picado

Class of 2026 Adiana Irizarry Maedot Hamete

Class of 2025 Nancy Wu Paula Lewis

Class of 2024 Nneoma Edokobi

• Health Sciences and Technology (Roanoke)
• Inclusion and Diversity
• Roanoke, Va.
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

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JOBOB: UCLA med school faces backlash for requiring woke, 'fatphobia' courses

The University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA ) is facing criticism for its medical school curriculum, which includes teachings that “fatphobia is medicine’s status quo” and suggests that weight loss is a “hopeless endeavor.”

According to an exclusive report by the  Washington Free Beacon , UCLA’s medical students are required to take a mandatory course in their first year titled “Structural Racism and Health Equity,” introduced in the wake of  George Floyd’s death in 2020 .

The course syllabus, revealed in the report, includes readings on topics such as “anti-capitalist politics” and “racial capitalism,” addressing the so-called evils of “ablest heteropatriarchal capitalism” and advocating for a move away from capitalism for better health outcomes. 

One of the assigned essays for medical students is written by Marquisele Mercedes, a self-described “fat liberationist.” Mercedes argues against the medicalization of weight and claims that the term “obesity” is a  slur  used to perpetrate violence against fat people, particularly “black, disabled, trans, poor, fat people.”

Mercedes’ essay seeks to address how “weight came to be pathologized and medicalized in radicalized terms” and  offers guidance on “resisting entrenched fat oppression.”

Critics, including former Harvard Medical School dean Jeffrey Flier, have denounced UCLA’s curriculum as promoting political ideology over actual medical education. Flier stated that the curriculum “promotes extensive and dangerous misinformation” and that the college has “centered this required course on a socialist/Marxist ideology that is totally inappropriate.”

“This is a profoundly misguided view of obesity, a complex medical disorder with major adverse health consequences for all racial and ethnic groups,” Flier said to the Washington Beacon in response to Mercedes’ essay. “Promotion of these ignorant ideas to medical students without counterbalancing input from medical experts in the area is nothing less than pedagogical malpractice.”

The controversy comes amid a broader trend of integrating  diversity, equity, and inclusion  (DEI) lessons into college curricula, particularly in medical programs. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) introduced DEI “competencies” in 2022 to guide medical programs across the country. The competencies include that students should be taught how to identify “systems of power, privilege, and oppression,” and incorporate the  “knowledge of intersectionality” into clinical decision-making.

This piece first appeared at TPUSA.

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UCLA Med School Launches Review Of ‘Health Equity’ Course But Warns That Whistleblowers Could Be Disciplined

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Watch: joe biden's senior moment of the week (vol. 91), biden’s pier gets pummeled—along with his foreign policy, biden walks with aides to hide 'halting and stiff gait': report, guest column: help the anti-semitic freak leading protests at columbia is holding me captive as his 'emotional support' slave, ‘pedagogical malpractice’: inside ucla medical school’s mandatory ‘health equity’ class, top physicians, including former harvard dean, say required course is riddled with dangerous falsehoods.

Students in their first year of medical school typically learn what a healthy body looks like and how to keep it that way. At the University of California, Los Angeles, they learn that "fatphobia is medicine’s status quo" and that weight loss is a "hopeless endeavor."

Those are two of the more moderate claims made by Marquisele Mercedes, a self-described "fat liberationist," in an  essay  assigned to all first-year students in UCLA medical school’s mandatory "Structural Racism and Health Equity" class. Launched in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the course is required for all first-year medical students.

The  Washington Free Beacon  has obtained the entire syllabus  for the course, along with slide decks and lecture prep from some of its most explosive sessions. The materials offer the fullest picture to date of what students at the elite medical school are learning and have dismayed prominent physicians—including those sympathetic to the goals of the class—who say UCLA has traded medicine for Marxism.

Jeffrey Flier, the former dean of Harvard Medical School and one of the world’s foremost experts on obesity, said the curriculum "promotes extensive and dangerous misinformation."

UCLA "has centered this required course on a socialist/Marxist ideology that is totally inappropriate," said Flier, who reviewed the full syllabus and several of the assigned readings. "As a longstanding medical educator, I found this course truly shocking."

One required  reading  lists "anti-capitalist politics" as a principle of "disability justice" and attacks the evils of "ableist heteropatriarchal capitalism." Others decry "racial capitalism,"  attack  "growth-centered economic theories," and call for "moving beyond capitalism for our health."

The essay by Mercedes "describes how weight came to be pathologized and medicalized in racialized terms" and offers guidance on "resisting entrenched fat oppression," according to the course syllabus. Mercedes claims that "ob*sity" is a slur "used to exact violence on fat people"—particularly "Black, disabled, trans, poor fat people"—and offers a "fat ode to care" that students are instructed to analyze, taking note of which sections "most resonate with you."

"This is a profoundly misguided view of obesity, a complex medical disorder with major adverse health consequences for all racial and ethnic groups," Flier told the Free Beacon . "Promotion of these ignorant ideas to medical students without counterbalancing input from medical experts in the area is nothing less than pedagogical malpractice."

Nicholas Christakis, a sociologist and physician at Yale University, who has spent decades providing medical care to underserved communities, including in the South Side of Chicago, called the curriculum "nonsensical."

The relationship between health and social forces "should indeed be taught at medical school," Christakis wrote in an email, "but to have a mandatory course like this—so tendentious, sloganeering, incurious, and nonsensical—strikes me as embarrassing to UCLA."

UCLA did not respond to requests for comment.

Snapshots of the course have been leaking for months and left the school doing damage control as members of UCLA’s own faculty have spoken out against the curriculum. The most recent embarrassment came when a guest lecturer, Lisa Gray-Garcia,  led students in chants of "Free, Free Palestine" after instructing them to kneel on the floor and pray to "Mama Earth." Lessons on " decolonization " and  climate activism , as well as a classroom exercise that  separated students  by race, have also stirred controversy.

"There are areas where medicine and public health intersect with politics, and these require discussion and debate of conflicting viewpoints," Flier said. "That is distinct from education designed to ideologically indoctrinate physician-activists."

The mandatory class is part of a nationwide push by medical schools to integrate DEI content into their curricula—for residents as well as students— both by adding required courses and by changing the way traditional subjects are taught.

Stanford Medical School  sprinkles  lessons on "microaggressions," "structural racism," and "privilege" throughout its curriculum. Residents at Yale Medical School  must complete an "Advocacy and Equity" sequence focused on "becoming physician advocates for health justice," while those in the infectious disease program must complete  additional lessons on "Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism."

Columbia Medical School promotes an "Anti-bias and Inclusive" curriculum by encouraging educators to use "precise, accurate language." Instead of "women,"  guidelines for the curriculum state, faculty should refer to "people with uteruses."

The changes have been driven partly by the Association of American Medical Colleges—one of two groups that oversees the accrediting body for all U.S. medical schools—which in 2022 released a set of  DEI "competencies" to guide curricula. Schools should teach students how to identify "systems of power, privilege, and oppression," the competencies state, and how to incorporate "knowledge of intersectionality" into clinical decision-making. Students should also be able to describe "public policy that promotes social justice" and demonstrate "moral courage" when faced with "microaggression."

The course at UCLA, which predates those accreditation standards, offers a preview of how DEI mandates could reshape medical education. It is littered with the lingo of progressive activism—"intersectionality" is a core value of the class, according to slides from the first session —and states outright that it is training doctors to become activists.

Students will "build critical consciousness" and move toward a "liberatory practice of medicine" by "focusing on praxis," according to the slides.

A section called "Our Hxstories" adds that "[h]ealth and medical practice are deeply impacted by racism and other intersectional structures of power, hierarchy, and oppression—all of which require humility, space and patience to understand, deconstruct, and eventually rectify."

That jargon reflects a worldview with clinical implications. In a unit on "abolitionist" health, which explores "alternatives to carceral systems in LA," students are assigned a  paper that argues police should be removed from emergency rooms, where 55 percent of doctors say they’ve been assaulted—mostly by patients—and threats of violence are common, according to a 2022 survey  from American College of Emergency Physicians. Other units discuss the "sickness of policing" and link "Queer liberation to liberation from the carceral state."

Flier said the syllabus was so bad it called for an investigation—and that anyone who signed off on it was unfit to make curricular decisions.

"Assuming the school’s dean," Steven Dubinett, a pulmonologist, "does not himself support this course as presented, it is his responsibility to review the course and the curriculum committee that approved it," Flier said. "If that body judged the course as appropriate, he should change its leadership and membership."

Dubinett did not respond to a request for comment.

One of the leaders of the course is Shamsher Samra, a professor of emergency medicine who in December signed an open letter  endorsing "Palestinians’ right to return" and linking "health equity" to divestment from Israel.

"To authentically engage in antiracism health scholarship and practice is to explicitly name injustices tied to white supremacy and maintain an unapologetic commitment to antiracism praxis that transcends US borders," the letter reads. "As such, we, the undersigned,* unequivocally support a free Palestine and Palestinians’ right to return."

Samra, who in 2021 published a  paper  on "infrastructural violence and the health of border abolition," did not respond to a request for comment.

To the extent the course addresses actual medical debates, it frames contested treatments as settled science, omitting evidence that cuts against its activist narrative. A unit on "Queerness/Gender," for example, assigns  readings  on "gender self-determination" and "DIY transition," but does not include any of the research from Europe—such as the newly released  Cass Report —that has led England and other countries to restrict hormone therapies for children.

"UCLA School of Medicine has decided to shield its students from the ongoing scientific debates playing out in Europe and even in the U.S.," said Leor Sapir, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute who researches gender medicine. "This is fundamentally unserious, and a stain on the school’s reputation."

The omission of inconvenient facts extends to a unit on Los Angeles's King/Drew hospital—nicknamed "Killer King" for its high rates of medical error—which the course promotes as an example of "community health."

Founded in 1972 as a response to the Watts riots, the hospital was majority black, had a documented policy of racial preferences, and was hit with  several civil rights complaints  by non-black doctors alleging discrimination in hiring and promotion.

It closed in 2007 after a  Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation  by the  Los Angeles Times  found numerous cases in which patients had been killed or injured by clinical mistakes, such as overdosing a child with sedatives and giving cancer drugs to a meningitis patient. Efforts to reform the hospital stalled,  according to the  Times , because its board of supervisors feared coming across as racially insensitive.

The assigned readings on King/Drew do not include any of this history. Lecture slides instead praise the hospital for "suturing racial divides," but suggest that it may not have gone far enough. A focus on "producing highly talented and skilled physicians," one slide reads, "forced" King/Drew to hire doctors who were, "in some cases, not Black."

The curriculum is a "compilation of ideologic and anecdotal assertions that represent a warped view of medicine," said Stanley Goldfarb, the founder of the medical advocacy group Do No Harm and the father of  Free Beacon  chairman Michael Goldfarb. "American medical education needs to purge itself of this nonsense and treat every patient as an individual."

The slides suggest that "lived experiences," "historical memory," and "other knowledges" can constitute medical expertise.

Biomedical knowledge, after all, is "just one way of knowing, understanding, and experiencing health in the world."

Published under: DEI , Higher Education , Medical Ethics , UCLA

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Essay on Diversity in India: A Tapestry of Cultural and Traditions 

• Updated on  
• Apr 23, 2024

Essay on Diversity in India: “Unity in diversity is India’s strength. There is simplicity in every Indian. There is unity in every corner of India.” As India celebrates 77 years of independence, it’s crucial to explore the vast diversity that defines this nation. Despite the colonial past, which attempted to diminish the rich tapestry of Indian culture, the country today is a vibrant mosaic of languages, religions, and traditions. 

Table of Contents

• 0.1 Cultural Diversity
• 0.2 Social Diversity
• 0.3 Religious Diversity
• 0.4 Linguistic Diversity
• 0.5 Geographical Diversity
• 0.6 Conclusion

Cultural Diversity

India’s cultural landscape is as varied as its geography. Each region boasts its unique festivals, arts, and culinary traditions. For instance, classical dance forms like Kathak in the north and Bharatanatyam in the south highlight regional narratives and myths. The popularity of Western dance forms has not overshadowed these traditional dances, reflecting a resurgence in interest in and pride in indigenous arts. Similarly, festivals like Diwali and Eid are celebrated with fervor across the country, showcasing unity in diversity.

India is the home of numerous different religious traditions. Hindus (82.41%), Muslims (11.6%), Christians (2.32%), Sikhs (1.99%), Buddhists (0.77%), Jains (0.41%), and tribal cultures (many of whom still engage in animism and magic) comprise the population of India.

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Social Diversity

India’s social fabric is woven with threads from numerous ethnic groups and castes. This diversity is a double-edged sword, presenting challenges in terms of social equality while also enriching the societal structure with a variety of perspectives and practices. Urban areas, in particular, display a melting pot of cultures, with people from various backgrounds living and working together, which promotes a broader understanding and acceptance of diverse social norms.

Religious Diversity

Home to major religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism, India’s religious diversity is a testament to its pluralistic society. This multiplicity of belief systems coexisting is one of India’s greatest strengths, fostering a culture of mutual respect and tolerance. The peaceful cohabitation of diverse religious communities, however, is occasionally challenged by conflicts, underscoring the need for continuous dialogue and reconciliation.

Linguistic Diversity

With over 1,600 languages and dialects spoken, the linguistic diversity in India is staggering. Hindi and English are widely used, but state-specific languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Bengali hold equal importance. The Indian constitution’s recognition of 22 official languages is a clear indicator of the country’s commitment to embracing its linguistic heritage. This diversity is also evident in literature, with works ranging from the ancient epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata to modern writings in various vernaculars.

Every language embodies the history and customs of its people and reflects a unique legacy. The Indian Constitution, which affirms India’s commitment to inclusivity and cultural preservation, recognises and defends this diversity by defending the rights of linguistic minorities and fighting for the preservation of endangered languages.

Geographical Diversity

From the snowy peaks of the Himalayas in the north to the tropical beaches of the south, India’s geographical diversity influences its climate, agriculture, and lifestyle. This diversity not only dictates the economic activities of different regions but also shapes the cultural identities of the people, from the attire they wear to the food they eat.

India has breathtaking geographical diversity, with the sun-kissed beaches of the south and the towering Himalayas of the north, as well as the lush forests of Kerala and Rajasthan. In addition to influencing regional traditions and means of subsistence, this geographic diversity has given India an unmatched biodiversity. India is a large country with a diverse range of natural environments, including deserts, evergreen forests, steep mountains, perennial and non-perennial river systems, long coastlines, and fertile plains. Its total land area is 3.28 million square kilometres.

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While significant achievements have marked India’s journey since independence, the shadow of colonial influence still lingers, impacting perceptions and values. Yet, the resurgence of pride in one’s heritage and the continuous celebration of its diversity are signs of a maturing nation that values its past while forging a new identity. India’s diversity is not just a fact of life but the very fabric that makes it unique on the global stage. As India moves forward, it is the recognition and preservation of this diversity that will empower it to overcome its colonial hangovers and redefine what it means to be modern and Indian on its terms. The path ahead lies in embracing the richness of its diverse heritage, thus truly fulfilling the dreams that fueled its struggle for freedom 77 years ago. 

Ans: India is a multicultural nation home to all of the world’s main religions. The number of languages spoken in India is over 1600. India’s terrain is diverse, with mountains, plains, plateaus, deserts, and islands among its features. Aside from this, migration from all over the world has given rise to a variety of ethnic groups in India.

Ans: The acceptance of a range of individual characteristics within a society or group is referred to as diversity. Aspects including color, ethnicity, gender, age, financial situation, sexual orientation, religious views, abilities, and more can all be considered in these differences.

Ans: India is referred to as the “land of diversity” for a variety of reasons, including its diverse culinary options, language usage, holiday celebrations, and religious and cultural practices.

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