Harvard Medical School (HMS) offers an unparalleled combination of prestige, cutting-edge research, and exceptional training. Harvard is synonymous with leadership in medicine, providing students the chance to learn from world-renowned faculty who are pioneers in their fields. For example, Harvard’s Dr. Paul Farmer co-founded Partners In Health, an organization that has redefined global health outreach and transformed care in some of the world’s poorest regions. Attending HMS also means access to top-tier hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), where groundbreaking treatments like the first successful kidney transplant were performed. Students gain hands-on clinical experience in settings where the future of medicine is being shaped every day.
The Cracking Med School Admissions team has advised students with getting into Harvard Medical School since 2012 with a lot of success! Each year, they have a handful of their students get accepted into HMS. Dr. Rachel Rizal, one of Cracking Med School Admissions advisers, is a resident at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital. She has also worked with a plethora of medical school students and knows the insider’s perspective of Harvard Medical School.
This blog post serves as a high-yield resource for How to Get Into Harvard Medical School (HMS). The information from this page is a GOLDEN resource. We’ve compiled it from Harvard medical school acceptance rate data, the Harvard Med School website, and most importantly, from Harvard Med students themselves! You will have facts such as Harvard medical school admissions statistics and you’ll get an insider perspective about the curriculum.
Whether you’re comparing medical schools that you have been accepted to, preparing for an interview, or wanting to learn more about Harvard med school, this keep reading!
Each year, the Cracking Med School Admissions team gets people accepted to Harvard. We can help you get accepted! Contact us today.
Why Choose Harvard Medical School?
The most common reasons we’ve heard from students:
- Opportunity for world-class research
- Ability to pursue other non-traditional interests in medical school
- Medical school class comprised on students from countries around the world – very open to accepting international students
- The “name brand” and recognition will carry you for life
- New curriculum less focused on preclinical clerkships but more on clinical experiences
- For those aspiring to lead and make a transformative impact in medicine, HMS offers unmatched opportunities and an inspiring environment. HMS offers students a wealth of opportunities to engage in innovative research that pushes the boundaries of medical science. Harvard consistently leads in medical advancements, such as its work on cutting-edge gene-editing technologies like CRISPR, which could revolutionize the treatment of genetic disorders. The school’s commitment to advancing medical science allows students to collaborate with researchers on projects that are directly shaping the future of healthcare.
Applications
How to get into Harvard Medical School? One important aspect is to submit a stellar Harvard Medical School secondary application. There are several application pathways you can pursue while applying to HMS. There’s the “Pathways” program, or the more “traditional” medical school. There is also the Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program, which is a collaboration between MIT & Harvard. Finally, you can apply as MD/PhD to either the Pathways or the HST program.
Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts:
Harvard Medical School MD Program – Pathways
Essay 1) If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation.
Essay 2) 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.(4000 character maximum)
Essay 3) Our interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.
Harvard Medical School HST Secondary Essay Prompts:
Essay 1) Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare. Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12. (4000 Char)
Harvard Medical School MD/PhD Additional Secondary Essay Prompts:
Essay 1) Briefly list your research interests/areas; use keywords only. This information is not binding. (100 character limit)
Essay 2) Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation
For PhD’s in the social sciences only, please complete the following and upload where indicated:
Essay 3 – Statement of Purpose
Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest.
Additional Materials) Please see Program Details to determine whether the program to which you are applying requires a writing sample, CV, or other documents. Please follow departmental requirements on type and size of writing sample. Unless noted, writing sample is limited to 20 pages.
Need help with editing your Harvard secondary essays? Get the Cracking Med School Admissions team’s expertise through our secondary essay edit package. If you have questions, email us at info@crackingmedadmissions.com or contact us.
Need Help With Your Harvard Secondary Essays?
Get the Cracking Med School Admissions team’s expertise through our secondary essay editing packages. If you have questions, email us at info@crackingmedadmissions.com or contact us.
Harvard Medical School
Interview Format
Interviews at Harvard Medical School are traditional one-on-one interviews. From our own experience interviewing at HMS and from coaching our mentees for their HMS interviews, interviewers can ask you in-depth about your extra-curricular activities and research.
To ace your traditional interview, you need to know how to answer common medical school interview questions. It’s important to practice, practice, practice.
Cracking Med Resources for Interviews:
- How to answer “Tell me about yourself” Medical School Interview Question
- How to answer “Why this Medical School?”
- 43 Questions To Ask Your Medical School Interviewers
- Download our Cracking Med School Admissions interview guide below
Contact us if you want to schedule a mock interview with our Cracking Med School Admissions team! Take a look at our interview packages.
download your interview guide
If you are prepared, the interview gives you the perfect opportunity to standout and shine by sharing with people what you are passionate about.
Harvard Medical School Acceptance Rate
Harvard Medical School Admissions Statistics:
- Harvard Medical School Average GPA: 3.93
- Harvard Medical School Average MCAT: 519 (130 chemical & physical / 129 critical analysis / 130 biological & biochemical / 130 psychological, social)
How did Harvard Med Students Do on Their USMLE Step Exams?
- Average Harvard Medical School USMLE Step 1 Score: 248
- Average Harvard Medical School USMLE Step 2 Score: 252
Source: U.S. News Graduate School Rankings 2021
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
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
Medical School
Stanford School of Medicine
Residency
Stanford, Pediatrics
Awards & Scholarships
Marshall Scholar
Tylenol Scholarship
Global Health Scholar
Each year, the Cracking Med School Admissions team
helps students get accepted to top medical schools.
We can help you get accepted!
Contact us today.
The Insider’s View on Harvard Medical School's Pre-clinical years
How to Get Into Harvard Medical School – Know the Curriculum:
Curriculum Overview:
There are two types of curriculum pathways at HMS.
- Pathways
- Health Science & Technology (HST) – Harvard-MIT program
For more information, check out Harvard Medical School’s video about the two different MD programs.
Harvard Medical School MD Program Options
Harvard Medical School Pathways Curriculum:
**The Pathways curriculum at Harvard is very unique. You only do 1.25 years of pre-clinical work. Starting October of your second year, you go into your core clearkships.**
Pre-Clinical Years:
For the first half of your first year, you do foundational medicine classes:
- Biochemistry
- Cell biology
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Anatomy
- Histology
- Pharmacology
- Pathology
- Immmunology
- Microbiology
Then, starting in November of your first year, you start learning based on organ systems: dermatology, rheumatology, allergy/immunology, cardiovascular, respiratory, hematology, gastroenterology, renal, endocrinology, and reproductive endocrinology, neuroscience, and psychiatry.
Prior to starting your clinical clerkships, you have a 1-2 month long clinical transition month where you brush up on your clinical skills, imaging, and other information you’ll need as a physician taking care of patients.
Unique highlights about pre-clinical years:
- Pathways and HST (Harvard-MIT) track
- Ability to take several elective classes within the medical school, public health school, public policy school, and business schools.
- High acceptance rates for graduate fellowships abroad and additional joint degrees throughout the Harvard system (MD/MPH, MD/MPP, MD/MA, MD/JD, MD/MBA)
- Case-based small group learning
- 1-2 month pre-clinical course prior to starting clerkships
Taking Time Off:
Many students at Harvard take time off to pursue other interests. We have friends and know students spend extra year(s) to: pursue research; go abroad on global health opportunities; earn an extra degree at Harvard including an MBA, MPH, MPP (Masters of Public Policy), and even a JD (law degree); and start companies.
What students are saying about Harvard Medical School
The Insider’s View on Harvard Medical School's clinical years
How to Get Into Harvard Medical School – Know the Curriculum:
Clinical Years:
October of your second year at Harvard Med, you start your clinical rotations.
The 2nd to 3rd year core clerkship curriculum consists of:
- Internal Medicine (12 weeks) – both inpatient and outpatient
- Surgery (12 weeks)
- Pediatrics (6 weeks)
- OB-GYN (6 weeks)
- Psychiatry (4 weeks)
- Neurology (4 weeks)
- Radiology (4 weeks)
- Primary care clerkship (longitudinal)
The last 1.5 years of your HMS clerkship curriculum of additional advanced clinical rotations.
- Advanced clinical electives (12 weeks, ambulatory medicine or surgery)
- Advanced Integrated Science Courses (2 months, at least one month has be during Year III)
- Clinical Capstone (1 month during your 4th year)
- Sub-Internships (4 weeks)
Research:
All students are required complete a scholarly project during their time at HMS, for a minimum of 2 months.
To check out more details about the HMS curriculum:
Harvard Medical School HST Track
HST students do two years of preclinical coursework. These classes are different than the Pathways track. Other than biology and medicine, they also incorporate biotechnology, engineering, and physical sciences.
It is expected and required that HST students become actively involved in independent research. Most students we know at HST pursue research throughout their entire time at Harvard Med, and even take additional years to graduate in order to publish papers and advance their research projects.
Find out more about the HST Program.
Unique highlights about clinical years:
- Clinical year starts EARLY (October) of your second year
- Focused on evidence-based medicine
- Longitudinal primary care clerkship (you work with one primary care provider and follow his or her panel throughout your clinical years)
- Research opportunities throughout your clinical rotations
- Scholarly project
Clinical Rotation Sites:
Students mainly work at one hospital during their first year of clinical clerkships and then can explore other hospitals in electives later on.
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Cambridge Health Alliance
- Boston Children’s Hospital (pediatric site for Beth Israel and Brigham)
What students are saying about clinical rotations at Harvard Medical School
Housing
Where do students live?
Many first and second years live in dorms and then most people move to apartments near their clinical rotations (mostly near the MGH area of Longwood close to Brigham or Beth Israel). The Medical School is located in Boston, Massachusetts — specifically in the neighborhood of Brookline / Longwood Medical Area. There is a public transportation (subway / train) located on-campus and near all the major hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Getting around:
There’s great public transportation in Boston. You don’t need to bring a car for the entirety of medical school.
financing
Financial Considerations:
You can apply for grants and financial aid with Harvard Medical School’s financial aid office.
- Harvard Medical School Tuition and Fees: ~$65,000
- Average Room and Board: ~$16,000
- Average indebtedness of graduates: ~$111,000
Cracking Med School Admissions Resources
Here are useful Cracking Med School Admissions resources:
- How To Write A Personal Statement For Medical School
- Download Cracking Med School Admission’s FREE AMCAS Activities Workbook
- Premed Timeline: Planning For Medical School Applications
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