Here are the secondary prompts for Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
2023-2024
1. Explain why integrity is more important than intelligence and perseverance using an example from your life (600 words).
2. Explain how your concept of diversity is both the same and different from the mainstream view (600 words).
3. Choose one aspect about yourself, not already reflected in your application, that you are most proud of. Explain your choice below (600 words).
4. Please describe something you deserved but didn’t get and how you felt about it (600 words).
2020-2021
Tell us about constructive criticism you have received, or a personal challenge you have experienced, that you found particularly impactful. Please describe how that experience has advanced your development as a future physician thought leader.
Explain how interactions with people who are different from you have shaped your world view and relate how you would enrich the VTC community.
Describe three aspects of VTCSOM and how those align with your philosophy of medicine.
If funding were no object, describe how you would direct medical inquiry.
2019-2020
Minimum words: 400
- Tell us about constructive criticism you have received, or a personal challenge you have experienced, that you found particularly impactful. Please describe how that experience has advanced your development as a future physician thought leader.
- Explain how interactions with people who are different from you have shaped your world view and relate how you would enrich the VTC community.
C. What, in your opinion, makes the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine different, and why is that important to you?
2018-2019
A. Tell us about constructive criticism you have received, or a personal challenge you have experienced, that you found particularly impactful. Please describe how that experience has advanced your development as a future physician thought leader. (600 words, 400 word min)
B. Explain how interactions with people who are different from you have shaped your world view and relate how you would enrich the VTC community. (600 words, 400 word min)
C. What, in your opinion, makes the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine different, and why is that important to you? (600 words, 400 word min)
2017-2018
Please respond to the following two required essay prompts (A and B) below: Your response for each should be a minimum of 400 words.
A. VTC’s curriculum fosters a culture of compassion through its community service learning initiatives. Through their inter-professional learning group projects (IPL), students demonstrate leadership and innovation while making a positive difference in the community. Describe an event or a time when your personal contribution was instrumental to the success of a team or made a positive impact on someone else’s life.
B. Each member of the VTC community has a unique and enriching life-story. Interactions with heterogeneous populations increase compassion, understanding, and the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with others. Explain how your life experience has shaped your world view, describe your approach to people who see the world differently, and relate how you would enrich the VTC community.
C. What, in your opinion, makes VTC different, and why is that important to you?
“Just want to add, all three prompts are required even though it only says A and B. When I saved one of my essays, the page said that it was incomplete until all three prompts were answered.”
Good luck to everyone applying!
2016-2017
VTC’s curriculum fosters a culture of compassion through its community service learning initiatives. Through their inter-professional learning group projects (IPL), students demonstrate leadership and innovation while making a positive difference in the community. Describe an event or a time when your personal contribution was instrumental to the success of a team or made a positive impact on someone else’s life. (500-600 words)
VTC is committed to strengthening the diversity of its community. Through interactions with a heterogeneous population, people broaden their knowledge about other cultures and ultimately develop the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with others. Tell us about how your life experience has broadened your perspective of the world and relate how you would add to the diversity of your class, if admitted to VTC. (500-600 words)
Optional essay to update VTCSOM on activities not mentioned on AMCAS
2015-2016
Please respond to the following two required essay prompts (A and B) below: Your response for each should be approximately 500-600 words (using 1-inch margins, 12-point font, single-spaced). Leave one blank line between paragraphs.
The mission of VTCSOM is, in part, “to educate physician thought leaders through inquiry, research, and discovery. . .” Thought leaders are individuals who are recognized for innovative ideas and who demonstrate leadership in sharing, promoting, and implementing those ideas.
A. VTC’s curriculum fosters a culture of compassion through its community service learning initiatives. Through their inter-professional learning group projects (IPL), students demonstrate leadership and innovation while making a positive difference in the community. Describe an event or a time when your personal contribution was instrumental to the success of a team or made a positive impact on someone else’s life.
B. VTC is committed to strengthening the diversity of its community. Through interactions with a heterogeneous population, people broaden their knowledge about other cultures and ultimately develop the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with others. Tell us about how your life experience has broadened your perspective of the world and relate how you would add to the diversity of your class, if admitted to VTC.
Use this optional essay opportunity to update the information you provided in your AMCAS application on your recent experiences, such as medical volunteering, shadowing, community service, research, leadership, teamwork and/or work. Please do not repeat information already reported in your AMCAS application. For the optional essay, please limit your responses to approximately 600 words (1 page, 1-inch margins, 12-point, single-spaced) and leave one blank line between paragraphs.
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