Hi premeds! This page serves as a high-yield resource for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. The information from this page is a GOLDEN resource. We’ve compiled it from UChicago’s admissions statistics, the Pritzker website, and most importantly, from UChicago med students themselves! We’ll give you intel on admissions statistics, an insider perspective about the curriculum, and student life. Read more to learn how to get into University of Chicago Medical School!
Each year, the Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta help applicants get accepted to University of Chicago Pritzker. We can help you get accepted! Contact us today.
Why Choose University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine?
The most common reasons we’ve heard from students:
- The University of Chicago SOM is a cutting edge academic institution leading the field of research and community health. If you are passionate about caring for underserved communities through excellent clinical care and advanced medical research, UChicago may be the perfect fit for you!
- Located just outside the heart of Chicago, Pritzker is located in the Hyde Park neighborhood which offers students a homey feel only a 20-minute subway ride from the heart of downtown! Students also love that the medical school is physically located on the undergraduate campus which allows students to enjoy its beauty and take advantage of all the resources it offers to students.
- Pritzker values diversity in all forms among its patients, students, and faculty. Its small class size of about 90 students creates an intimate setting for students to learn through close collaboration with each other and faculty.
Applications
The UChicago SOM Secondary Application consists of several longer essays. The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine secondary essay prompts are mostly different from other medical schools because they ask specifically about your motivations for attending Pritzker. UChicago is focused on serving members of its surrounding Chicago community and University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Med School wants to recruit like-minded students whose drives to pursue a career in medicine align with their mission. It is important to read this blog post to gain more insight about University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Med’s unique curriculum and opportunities.
For the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Secondary Application, we want to highlight the importance of doing your research about the specific social, economic, and political issues affecting local residents of Chicago and envisioning the role you want to have in addressing these challenges through community engagement and scholarly pursuits. Additionally, it is important to know what opportunities University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine offers for its students to get involved in the community, and which you would be interested in participating in. Additionally, we recommend completing the optional question to share any additional details about your application and to reiterate why you would be a great fit as a Pritzker medical student. We know it’s already a long secondary in the middle of a grueling secondary application cycle; but, doing your research will make you stand out among other applicants!
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Secondary Questions:
- Students at the Pritzker School of Medicine complete the majority of their clinical training at UChicago Medicine (UCM). UCM is one of the top ten most racially inclusive hospitals in the United States with a primary service area of 12 South Side zip codes where poverty is over double the state level. Additionally, our students lead six free clinics in diverse neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago.
Please share with us the personal and professional experiences that have best prepared you to work in this diverse clinical environment. (450 words max) - All MD students participate in our longitudinal Scholarship & Discovery research program, which offers protected curricular time, mentoring, and funding for students to pursue their scholarly interests. Please describe your research interests and share how our research opportunities will help you advance your career goals. (550 words max)
- Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. (550 words max)
- (Optional) Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. For example, if you are not currently completing a degree, please share your planned or current activities for this application cycle. You may also wish to include any impact that COVID-19 has had on your educational, research, or extracurricular plans. (300 words max)
How to get into Cornell Medical School – we have an ENTIRE page dedicated to the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine secondary application essay tips. Study them. Apply them. And that’s how you’ll stand out!
Contact Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta if you have any questions about Pritzker UChicago Medical School, how to get into University of Chicago Medical School, or how to submit awesome Pritzker secondary essays.
Need Help With Your UChicago Pritzker Medical School 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.
University of Chicago Pritzker
School of Medicine Interview Format
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.
Pritzker School of Medicine Acceptance Rate
University of Chicago Pritzker Medical School Admissions Statistics:
- University of Chicago Pritzker Medical School Average GPA: 3.91
- University of Chicago Pritzker Medical School Average MCAT: 521
How Did University of Chicago Pritzker Medical School Students Do On Their USMLE Step Exams?
- University of Chicago Pritzker Medical School USMLE Step 1 Percentage Passing Rate: While specific pass rates are not publicly disclosed, Pritzker students are known to perform exceptionally well on the USMLE Step 1 exam.
- University of Chicago Pritzker Medical School USMLE Step 2 CK Score: Approximately 252 (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
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Princeton University
Medical School
Stanford School of Medicine
Residency
Harvard, Emergency Medicine
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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
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Awards & Scholarships
Marshall Scholar
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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 University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine s
Pre-clinical years
Curriculum Overview:
As a University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine med student, your first 15 months are spent as a pre-clinical student in the Phoenix Curriculum. UChicago employs a hybrid approach during which students spend about half the time learning through lectures and the other half through case-based, collaborative learning, small group discussions, and problem-solving workshops with their fellow students; current med students report loving this model! University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine’s pre-clinical phase starts with an immersive clinical skills week, followed by a review of basic sciences, then dives into the study of pathology and organ systems. During the pre-clerkship phase, students are graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Alongside learning in the classroom, students are also engaged in Scholarship & Discovery projects starting in their first year. Students select from one of seven tracks most aligned with their areas of interest: Basic/Translational Sciences Scholarship Track, Clinical Research Scholarship Track, Community Health Scholarship Track, Global Health Scholarship Track, Healthcare Delivery Improvement Sciences Track, Medical Education Scholarship Track, or Health Services & Data Science Scholarship Track. These pathways connect students with expert faculty and other resources to help grow their research skills. Regardless of your interests, there is a path for every student!
Sample of pre-clinical courses at UChicago SOM:
- Human body
- Brain and behavior
- Cell and organ physiology
- Clinical pathophysiology and pharmacology
Unique highlights about pre-clinical year:
- Students kick-off the pre-clinical phase with a week of clinical immersion, giving students a taste of what life as a clinical student, resident, and physician will be like!
- The Health Equity, Advocacy, and Anti-Racism (HEAR) course, which runs throughout the first two semesters of the pre-clerkship phase, offers students the opportunity to learn from experts in healthcare and SDOH from UChicago and the Chicagoland area. Students report this is a great introduction to learning about the social, historical, and other factors which affect the health of their patients!
- The 15-month pre-clinical phase accelerates entry into clinical clerkships.
- Students love the abundance of opportunities to get involved in research, through the Scholarship and Discovery Curriculum, and to engage in the community through a variety of free-clinics and other student-run organizations!
Unique dual degree programs offered at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine:
- MD/MBA
- MD/MPH
- MD/MA in Public Policy
- MD/MS in Bioinformatics
What students are saying about UChicago Pritzker Medical School
The Insider's View on University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine's
clinical years
Clinical Curriculum:
During the 3rd and 4th years of medical school, students are in clinical rotations. All clerkship rotations are graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, or Fail (which is different from the pre-clinical phase). During the summer before clerkship year, students will have dedicated time to study for and take their Step 1 exam followed by a protected block for research as part of the Scholarship & Discovery Curriculum.
The third-year curriculum consists of:
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Surgery
- OBGYN
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- New Ambulatory Medicine clerkship offers students more exposure to outpatient Family Medicine and Internal Medicine!
During the fourth year, students take USMLE Step 2 followed by another dedicated Scholarship & Discovery Research Block alongside other requirements including:
- Acting Internship in intended specialty
- Scientific foundational disease elective
- ICU elective
- Transition to residency course
- Other electives of the student’s choice!
Main clinical rotation sites:
- University of Chicago Medical Center
- NorthShore Medical Center – Evanston Hospital
- Ingalls Memorial Hospital
Clinical rotations at the University of Chicago Medicine are uniquely transformative, particularly due to its location on the South Side of Chicago, a vibrant but historically underserved urban community. Students gain invaluable experience addressing complex medical needs often shaped by social determinants of health, such as poverty, housing instability, and healthcare disparities. This setting offers unparalleled opportunities to learn about urban health challenges while working alongside world-class physicians who are deeply committed to health equity and community engagement. Rotations expose students to a diverse patient population with a wide spectrum of medical conditions, from routine care to rare and complex cases, fostering both clinical expertise and cultural humility. The integration of cutting-edge medical technology, a renowned academic environment, and a focus on addressing healthcare inequities makes clinical training at UChicago Medicine both unique and impactful for future physicians.
Unique highlights about clinical years:
- Diversity of clinical settings and patient populations.
- School places emphasis on community health. As a result, there are many opportunities to apply clinical skills in community contexts.
- Ability to do international clinical rotations during your 4th year.
- Protected time for research during two Scholarship & Discovery blocks.
What students are saying about clinical rotations at UChicago Pritzker Medical School
Housing & Social
Social Life:
The social life at UChicago Pritzker is vibrant and supportive, fostering a close-knit community among students. With small class sizes, students quickly form strong bonds through study groups, campus events, and shared experiences in and out of the classroom. Located in the lively Hyde Park neighborhood and near downtown Chicago, students enjoy access to a wide array of cultural, dining, and recreational activities.
The nice thing about Pritzker is the main hospital is right on the main UChicago campus!
Housing:
- Students at Pritzker typically live in apartments around campus. is a list of apartment buildings commonly chosen by students:
- Regents Park
- The Shoreland
- Vue53
- 5401 S. Cornell
- The Del Prado
- The Flamingo
- Hyde Park Tower Apartments
- 5252 Apartments
- Algonquin Apartments
- East Park Tower
- Windermere House
These buildings offer a range of amenities, locations, and price points, catering to the needs of medical students living near the Hyde Park campus.
financing
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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