2025-2026
Note: Many of these are changed from prior years.
1. Tell of a patient experience that influenced your perspective on becoming a physician. (1550 characters)
2. Describe the effect of an endeavor that didn’t go according to your plan. (1550 characters)
3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience and ability to overcome adversity. How did this change you? (1550 characters)
4. How does intellectual and academic struggle fit into your identity as a future physician? (2050 characters)
5. Discuss your experience of recent personal feedback that was difficult to receive. (1550 characters)
6. Describe a time when you had to reconsider or change a deeply held belief or perspective. What prompted this change? (1550 characters)
7. Describe a time personal obligations had to be prioritized over school/work. What did it teach you about managing competing priorities? (1550 characters)
8. Optional: Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If yes, use the space below. If no, leave blank. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage.
9. Optional: We know that many of our applicants in the OHSU UME Program may have familial relationships with individuals who are OHSU faculty, residents, staff, or current students who serve as evaluators in our admissions process. We have added this question in hopes to prevent perceived or actual conflicts of interest that can occur when an applicant has a family member (or someone with a similar close personal relationship) they may encounter through the admissions process. If you have any such connections, please list those individuals’ names and departments below. If no, leave blank.
Supplemental:
Based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, do you believe that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers and how did that affect your experience and relationship with health care? Please explain. (4000 characters)
While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity? (Economic, Educational, Ethnic/Cultural, Family).
Please describe the nature of the adversity and how social, economic, academic, or other circumstances affected you and your opportunities (4000 characters)
We acknowledge that our application is not fully comprehensive. If there is anything additional you would like to let us know about you, please briefly state it here. (550 characters)
2021-2022
1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? 1550 characters
2. Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? 1550 characters
3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. 1550 characters
4. Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response. AAMC’s Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students & OHSU Recommended Prerequisites. 2050 characters
5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? 1550 characters
6. Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU’s definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service. 1550 characters
7. (optional) Adversity essay when you select degrees of adversity you’ve faced. Just says “please describe the nature of the adversity” 4000 character limit.
2020-2021
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1550 characters)
Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1550 characters)
Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1550 characters)
Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response. AAMC’s Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students & OHSU Recommended Prerequisites (2050 characters)
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1550 characters)
Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU’s definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service. (1550 characters)
2019-2020
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve?
Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician?
Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience.
Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response. AAMC’s Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students & OHSU Recommended Prerequisites
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond?
Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU’s definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service.
2018-2019
General MD Questions:
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 characters)
What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 characters)
Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1500 characters)
Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 characters)
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 characters)
Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 characters)
MD/PhD Questions:
What specifically interests you in the OHSU MD/PhD program? (1500 char)
Please list 3-5 faculty members at OHSU whose research is of interest to you. (1500 char)
Thinking about one of your research projects, how could the results affect the way we diagnose and treat patients? If your research is non-biomedical, describe how it advances scientific knowledge. (1500 char)
List publications and grants.
Please tell us the graduate program at OHSU you are most interested in (this is not binding)
2017 – 2018
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)
What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)
Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1500 char)
Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 char)
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)
Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 char)
2016 – 2017
1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)
2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)
3. Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? (1500 char)
4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted (1500 char)
5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)
6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 char)
Optional: Explain your adversity in: Economic, Educational, Cultural, Family (4000 char)
2015 – 2016
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)
What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)
Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? (1500 char)
Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 char)
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)
Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (1500 char)
While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity?
Economic, Educational, Ethnic/Cultural, Family. Please describe the nature of the adversity.
2014 – 2015
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)
What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)
Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? (1500 char)
Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 char)
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)
Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (1500 char)
While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity?
Economic, Educational, Ethnic/Cultural, Family. Please describe the nature of the adversity.
2013 – 2014
What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)
What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)
Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? (1500 char)
Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 char)
Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)
Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (1500 char)
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