2025-2026
*** A WA Residency questionnaire/form must be submitted and reviewed by the school before they decide on sending you a secondary**
It they have approved you to write the MD secondary, here are the questions: (250 words each)
1. The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring?
2. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
3. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with?
4. Demonstrated competency – Social sciences, Humanities or “Human Condition”
Entering medical students should understand the social forces that shape the health of the individuals and communities they will serve. This includes understanding how social contextual factors and policy operate at the community and national level to impact the health of individuals. Students should be familiar with disparities in health currently present in society and their underlying etiologies. Candidates seeking acceptance to UWSOM can establish competency in this area through course work in the social sciences, humanities or related interdisciplinary fields such as public health or ethnic and gender studies, clinical and/or population health research, service learning, lived experience or a combination of thereof. Examples of social science/humanities coursework to consider: Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Religion, History, Philosophy, Literature.?
Essay: Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine.
2022-2023 University of Washington Secondary Essay Prompts
1. We recognize that the world has changed significantly due to the global pandemic. Please share how COVID-19 has impacted you, your family, your community, and/or the patients that you would like to serve.
2. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you’ve worked with?
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?
4. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
5. Demonstrated competency – Social sciences, Humanities or “Human Condition”
- Entering medical students should understand the social forces that shape the health of the individuals and communities they will serve. This includes understanding how social contextual factors and policy operate at the community and national level to impact the health of individuals. Students should be familiar with disparities in health currently present in society and their underlying etiologies. Candidates seeking acceptance to UWSOM can establish competency in this area through course work in the social sciences, humanities or related interdisciplinary fields such as public health or ethnic and gender studies, clinical and/or population health research, service learning, lived experience or a combination thereof. Examples of social science/humanities coursework to consider: Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Religion, History, Philosophy, Literature.
- Describe your competency by explaining how you’ve explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities related to the “human condition”.
2020-2021
- Use this opportunity to provide any autobiographical information which you feel would be helpful for the MSTP office.
- If you are not currently enrolled in coursework (nor planning to be enrolled throughout the application process), please describe your activities in this period.
- Please use this space to supplement your AMCAS Personal Comments. (MSTP will consider information provided here as well as your AMCAS Personal Comments)
- How did you find out about the University of Washington’s Medical Scientist Training Program?
2018-2019
An autobiographical statement which should include (250 word limit):
- The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician
- Your prior experiences in health care
- Steps taken to explore a career in medicine
- Your eventual goals as a physician
- Personal attributes that would make you a good physician
Please do not repeat what you wrote in your AMCAS Personal Comments (this will already be on file with our office). If you have already covered all of the above topics in your AMCAS application, use this space to let the Admissions Committee know who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician.
4 or 5 additional short essays (250 word limit each)
- How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?
- What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?
- What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
- How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with?
- For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application?”
2017-2018
- If your primary AMCAS application hasn’t discussed the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician including insights you’ve gained from exploring a career in medicine, and how your personal attributes would make you a good physician, please discuss those here. (250 word count)
- If you’ve already written about these items, don’t repeat what you wrote. Instead, use this autobiographical statement addendum to let us know more about who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician. This is another opportunity for you to express what you want the Admissions Committee to know about you.
- How do you see historical and structural inequities affecting the patients you have worked with and will work with, and how do you as a student and physician address these broader causes of health disparities? (250 word count)
- How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word count)
- What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word count)
- What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 word count)
2016-2017
An autobiographical statement which should include:
- The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician
- Your prior experiences in health care
- Steps taken to explore a career in medicine
- Your eventual goals as a physician
- Personal attributes that would make you a good physician
- The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your secondary materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office. (250 words)
3 additional short essays (250 word limit each)
- How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?
- How do your experiences match the mission and values of the University of Washington School of Medicine?
- What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?
- What obstacles to your goals have you experienced and how have you dealt with them?
Reapplicants:
- From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application?
2015-2016
An autobiographical statement which should include:
- The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician
- Your prior experiences in health care
- Steps taken to explore a career in medicine
- Your eventual goals as a physician
- Personal attributes that would make you a good physician
- The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your secondary materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office. (250 words)
3 additional short essays (250 word limit each)
- How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?
- How do your experiences match the mission and values of the University of Washington School of Medicine?
- What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?
- What obstacles to your goals have you experienced and how have you dealt with them?
Reapplicants:
- From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application?
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