Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University is located in Johnson City, Tennessee and focuses on rural medicine and primary care. Therefore, it is extremely important in your East Tennessee State University Medical School secondary application to highlight your interests in rural medicine and primary care. The Quillen secondary application has a handful of medium-length secondary essays, so it is not too long.
The Quillen College of Medicine secondary application questions have not changed in the past 3 years, so our Cracking Med School Admissions team does recommend students to pre-write this secondary. Read our other East Tennessee State University Medical School secondary essay tips below!
Work with Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta with writing your East Tennessee State University Medical School secondary application essays so that you stand out from other applicants through our secondary essay editing packages. If you have questions about our team or about your application, don’t hesitate to reach out!
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2024– 2025
- The Quillen College of Medicine has a very specific mission. What are your personal and professional goals as a future provider of healthcare? How do your goals align with the Quillen mission? (1500 characters)
- Quillen College of Medicine’s curriculum is uniquely designed to foster excellence in clinical practice through active in-person participation and peer co-learning. This approach demands individual preparation and engagement in participatory class sessions. We believe in the importance of mutual coaching among peers to facilitate deep learning and we recognize that valuable learning experiences extend beyond academic contexts and can be found in all areas of life. We want to know that you can thrive in our community. Please reflect on the significance of this learning model in your personal and professional development. Consider the following points to structure your response (1500 characters):
- Describe an instance where you navigated a challenging group learning process. What was your role, and how did you contribute to the group’s success?
- Discuss the value you find in learning through the teaching and coaching of your classmates. How does this approach enhance your understanding and application of the material?
- Choose one of following questions and indicate the letter (A, B, or C) you are responding to (1500 characters):
A. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers exist for those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us reflections on how your life experiences impacted the development of your values and attitudes towards others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own.
B. The stress of medical school can impact a student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss ways you plan to manage your health and well-being during medical school.
C. Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.
Tips to Answer Quillen East Tennessee Secondary Essays
East Tennessee College of Medicine Pre-Writing Guidance: We think the Quillen College of Medicine secondary is a great one to start pre-writing! The essays are relatively short, so East Tennessee secondaries will be easy to draft, edit, and submit.
- Download our Cracking Med Secondary Essay Workbook and Examples.
Quillen College of Medicine Secondary Application Tip #1: It is important to do your research on the Quillen College of Medicine. Reference specific aspects the curriculum, projects, and community organizations you want to be involved with. Again, Quillen is recognized as a medical school that is stellar in rural medicine and primary care, so make sure you mention these interests throughout your East Tennessee University Medical School secondary application essays!
- Read our HIGH-YIELD blog post about how to answer “Why this Medical School:” Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example
Quillen College of Medicine Secondary Application Tip #2: For the East Tennessee Med School secondary application question, “What obstacles have you faced gaining experiences important to your medical school application and what were your solutions” we advise our Cracking Med School Admissions students to include the following:
- What was the obstacle. Make sure to give clear, concise context of the situation.
- How did you overcome the obstacle?
- What did you learn from this experience? And how did the obstacle define you?
- What will you do differently in the future?
Quillen College of Medicine Secondary Application Tip #3: Include stories. You can add stories about patient care or stories from your childhood. Make sure you discuss what you learned from these situations, and how these experiences will make you a better physician in the future.
Quillen College of Medicine Secondary Application Tip #4: Get our help to edit your Quillen College of Medicine secondary application essays. We can help you through our secondary essay packages. Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below.
Your medical school application Coaches, Mentors, & Cheerleaders
We Personally Advise Every Student We Work With.

Rachel Rizal, M.D.
Changing the trajectory of people’s lives
Undergraduate
Princeton University, cum laude
Medical School
Stanford School of Medicine
Residency
Harvard, Emergency Medicine
Awards & Scholarships
Fulbright Scholar
USA Today Academic First Team
Tylenol Scholarship

Rishi Mediratta, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.
Advising students to attend their dream schools
Undergraduate
Johns Hopkins University, Phi Beta Kappa
Medical School
Stanford School of Medicine
Residency
Stanford, Pediatrics
Awards & Scholarships
Marshall Scholar
Tylenol Scholarship
Global Health Scholar
stand out from other applicants with our secondary essay edit packages
download your secondary Essay Guide
Use this essay guide and workbook to write standout secondaries.

East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2023– 2024
- What makes you interested in Quillen? Discuss your perceptions on how attending Quillen would align with your future goals and your hopes for how it will shape you into the physician you want to become. (1,500 characters)
- Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own. (1,500 characters max)
- Please select only one of the following questions to answer. Be sure to indicate your choice by starting with the number associated with the question: (1,500 characters)
- There is no doubt that the level of stress brought on by medical schools can impact a student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss the ways you plan to manage your own health and well-being during medical school.
- Describe an experience you have had during your life that has given you a unique understanding of human suffering and what did you learn from this experience?
- Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2022– 2023
- What makes you interested in Quillen? Discuss your perceptions on how attending Quillen would align with your future goals and your hopes for how it will shape you into the physician you want to become. (1500 characters)
- Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own. (1,500 characters max) Note the character limit changed from last cycle
- Please select only one of the following questions to answer. Be sure to indicate your choice by starting with the number associated with the question: (1500 characters)
- There is no doubt that the level of stress brought on by medical schools can impact a student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Discuss the ways you plan to manage your own health and well-being during medical school.
- Describe an experience you have had during your life that has given you a unique understanding of human suffering and what did you learn from this experience?
- Use this space to tell the committee anything else about yourself that you have not had the opportunity to present elsewhere in your application.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022
- What obstacles have you faced gaining experiences important to your medical school application and what were your solutions? (1,500 characters max)
- Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own. (3,000 characters max)
- Discuss how your attitudes and perceptions will help foster a positive learning environment while in medical school and how they will benefit your future patients through the practice of medicine. (1,500 characters max)
Our students successfully receive interviews at their reach schools.
Stand Out From Other Applicants
Why Choose Us?
- Personally Tailored Essays
- Edits by Stanford & Harvard-trained Doctors
- We study your application strengths to see what unique attributes we’ll bring to the medical school
Your acceptance can be just one essay away…
Our students successfully receive interviews at their reach schools.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2020 - 2021
- What about Quillen makes it a good fit for you, and what makes you a good fit for Quillen? (750 characters max)
- How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed what you think medical school should prepare you to do? (750 characters max)
- Describe a personal challenge from which you learned something of enduring value. Explain how you think that will influence your medical education and career. (750 characters max)
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2019 – 2020
All prompts have a 3,000 character limit.
- Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students:
- Interpersonal: Service Orientation, Social Skills, Cultural Competence, Teamwork, Oral Communication;
- Intrapersonal: Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others, Reliability and Dependability, Resilience and Adaptability, Capacity for Improvement;
- Thinking and Reasoning: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry, Written Communication;
- Now imagine that you are enrolled at Quillen and you are serving as a student member of the Admissions Committee. While all of the core competencies are important, and none can be ignored, the Committee does not want to automatically assume that the various competencies should be given equal weight. Accordingly, the Committee has agreed to consider ranking the competencies in terms of priority. With this task in mind, please identify which of the fifteen core competencies you would recommend to receive the highest priority, and which you would recommend as the lowest priority. Along with your recommendations, please outline key facts and reasoning that you would offer to the Committee to explain and defend your choices. There are no categorically right or wrong answers to this question.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2018 – 2019
- The AMCAS application is not designed to capture unique, special, or unusual circumstances. With this in mind, what other information would help the Admissions Committee obtain a more comprehensive picture of your candidacy.
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
- If there have been breaks in your school attendance since high school, or if you ever carried less than a full-time course load in college, or if you took more than four years to finish college, what did you choose to do with the time and why?
- What endeavors other than medicine have you abandoned or postponed in order to pursue your current path, and how did you make those decisions?
- Why would you be a good fit for Quillen?
These are just examples. You may address any topic that you want the admissions committee to consider. However, please remember that the task is to expand thoughtfully upon the AMCAS application, not to repeat it.
The information provided should, to the greatest extent possible, not duplicate information found elsewhere in the AMCAS application and must be limited to 5000 characters.
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2017 – 2018
- The AMCAS application is not designed to capture unique, special, or unusual circumstances. With this in mind, what other information would help the Admissions Committee obtain a more comprehensive picture of your candidacy
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
- If there have been breaks in your school attendance since high school, or if you ever carried less than a full-time course load in college, or if you took more than four years to finish college, what did you choose to do with the time and why?
- What endeavors other than medicine have you abandoned or postponed in order to pursue your current path, and how did you make those decisions?
- Why would you be a good fit for Quillen?
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
These are just examples. You may address any topic that you want the admissions committee to consider. However, please remember that the task is to expand thoughtfully upon the AMCAS application, not to repeat it.
The information provided should, to the greatest extent possible, not duplicate information found elsewhere in the AMCAS application and must be limited to 5,000 characters.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2016 – 2017
- The AMCAS application is not designed to capture unique, special, or unusual circumstances. With this in mind, what other information would help the Admissions Committee obtain a more comprehensive picture of your candidacy
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
- If there have been breaks in your school attendance since high school, or if you ever carried less than a full-time course load in college, or if you took more than four years to finish college, what did you choose to do with the time and why?
- What endeavors other than medicine have you abandoned or postponed in order to pursue your current path, and how did you make those decisions?
- Why would you be a good fit for Quillen?
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
These are just examples. You may address any topic that you want the admissions committee to consider. However, please remember that the task is to expand thoughtfully upon the AMCAS application, not to repeat it.
The information provided should, to the greatest extent possible, not duplicate information found elsewhere in the AMCAS application and must be limited to 5,000 characters.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2015 – 2016
- The AMCAS application is not designed to capture unique, special, or unusual circumstances. With this in mind, what other information would help the Admissions Committee obtain a more comprehensive picture of your candidacy
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
- If there have been breaks in your school attendance since high school, or if you ever carried less than a full-time course load in college, or if you took more than four years to finish college, what did you choose to do with the time and why?
- What endeavors other than medicine have you abandoned or postponed in order to pursue your current path, and how did you make those decisions?
- Why would you be a good fit for Quillen?
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
These are just examples. You may address any topic that you want the admissions committee to consider. However, please remember that the task is to expand thoughtfully upon the AMCAS application, not to repeat it.
The information provided should, to the greatest extent possible, not duplicate information found elsewhere in the AMCAS application and must be limited to 5,000 characters.
East Tennessee State University Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2014 – 2015
- The AMCAS application is not designed to capture unique, special, or unusual circumstances. With this in mind, what other information would help the Admissions Committee obtain a more comprehensive picture of your candidacy
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
- If there have been breaks in your school attendance since high school, or if you ever carried less than a full-time course load in college, or if you took more than four years to finish college, what did you choose to do with the time and why?
- What endeavors other than medicine have you abandoned or postponed in order to pursue your current path, and how did you make those decisions?
- Why would you be a good fit for Quillen?
- Examples of issues that a candidate might address include, but are by no means limited to, such topics as:
These are just examples. You may address any topic that you want the admissions committee to consider. However, please remember that the task is to expand thoughtfully upon the AMCAS application, not to repeat it.
The information provided should, to the greatest extent possible, not duplicate information found elsewhere in the AMCAS application and must be limited to 5,000 characters.