The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, located in West Virginia, offers both an MD and BS/MD program. The medical school cares deeply about the local West Virginia community, and we strongly suggest medical school applicants to discuss their connections with West Virginia. Read all our tips for the Marshall Medical School secondary application below!
The Marshall Medical School essays have been consistently the same year after year. We recommend students to pre-write this secondary if possible. Get our help with writing Marshall Medical School secondary application essays that stand out with our secondary essay editing packages.
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Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2025 – 2026
- (New) How does your professional goal of being a physician align with the mission and values of the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- (New) If you are not presently attending school, please indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school. If still in school, enter N/A.(5,000 characters max)
- (Optional) Have you previously applied to Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine?
If yes, what was the class year of your previous application and outline any significant changes or new experience from your previous application. (500 characters max)
Tips to Answer Marshall Med Secondary Essays
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Pre-Writing Guidance: Because this secondary does not change often, we encourage students to pre-write this secondary application! Use our Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide while writing this secondary!
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Tip #1: Answer as many questions as possible on the Marshall Medical secondary application. If you are taking a gap year, make sure you discuss all the activities you are doing. Most medical school applicants think that they should only write down their full-time job and their clinical experiences. However, if you are volunteering, helping a sick family member, tutoring, or spending a significant amount of time on certain activities, you should definitely mention these in your Marshall secondary application as well!
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Tip #2: We think that the most important question is, “Why did you decide to apply to Marshall?”
- Step 1: Read our high-yield blog post Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example
- Step 2: Give very specific aspects about Edwards School of Medicine’s curriculum, opportunities at Marshall University, and desire to serve West Virginians.
- Step 3: Link the reasons for “Why Marshall University School of Medicine” with activities that you have done in the past. For example, if you’ve been an advocate for educating rural communities about their health throughout college & your gap years, talk about how you want to continue that while you are a student at Edwards School of Medicine.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Tip #3: The strongest Marshall Medical School secondary applications we have read are ones in which the applicant tells stories. For example, you can easily weave in stories from the pandemic. You can incorporate stories of serving the local West Virginian community, relating it to the question “Why did you decide to apply to Marshall?”
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Tip #4: Ask us for help with tailoring and personalizing your Marshall University School of Medicine secondary application essays. Contact us below if you have questions or want our editing help through our secondary essay packages.
[Read more secondary essay tips: New York Medical College, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), George Washington, Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) ]
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Undergraduate
Johns Hopkins University, Phi Beta Kappa
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Stanford School of Medicine
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Use this essay guide and workbook to write standout secondaries.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2024 – 2025
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Describe a challenging experience and how it impacted your personal growth. (750 characters max)
- (Optional) Please provide below any additional information you believe is important in evaluating your application (e.g. additional coursework, problems with academic record, disadvantaged, etc.) Please indicate (Y/N) and then explain/describe briefly in (250 words max)
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2023 – 2024
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school. (5,000 characters max)
Removed the COVID question from last cycle
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2022 – 2023
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school. (5,000 characters max)
- Optional: Please share any disruptions in your academic, volunteer, work, and/or personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (5,000 characters max)
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school.
- Optional: Please share any disruptions in your academic, volunteer, work, and/or personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (5,000 characters max)
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2020 - 2021
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school.
- Please share any disruptions in your academic, volunteer, work, and/or personal life related to COVID-19 that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2019 – 2020
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2018 – 2019
- Why did you decide to apply to Marshall? (5,000 characters max)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (5,000 characters max)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school. (5,000 characters max)
- They do also ask for moving/traffic violations and give a couple boxes to explain any ties to WV, Marshall, or the School of Medicine. Nonresidents won’t start being reviewed till November, with interviews starting in January.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2017 – 2018
- Why did you decide to apply to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine? If you have strong ties to West Virginia, please describe in detail. (No character limit)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine? (No character limit)
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school. (No character limit)
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2016 – 2017
- Why did you decide to apply to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine? If you have strong ties to West Virginia, please describe in detail.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine?
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2015 – 2016
- Why did you decide to apply to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine? If you have strong ties to West Virginia, please describe in detail.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine?
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school.
Marshall Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2014 – 2015
- Why did you decide to apply to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine? If you have strong ties to West Virginia, please describe in detail.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you want to serve or practice medicine?
- If you are not presently attending school, indicate your employment or other plans for the time prior to your planned enrollment in medical school.