As you will learn from our “How to Get Into Mayo Medical School” page, the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Alix) has 3 different campuses. They are located in: Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida. The Mayo medical school secondary application prompts are the same regardless of which campus you apply to.
Mayo Alix School of Medicine changed its secondary essay prompts last year (2023-2024 cycle). If you want to pre-write this secondary, then you . We wouldn’t submit the Mayo Clinic secondaries past September because Mayo tends to give interview invites earlier in the cycle.
Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. We have our former medical school premed mentees who are currently studying there, and we are familiar with what the Mayo Medical School admissions committee looks for. Get started and read our Mayo Medical School secondary application tips below. To learn more about student life and Mayo’s curriculum, read our How to Get into Mayo Clinical Medical School tips.
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Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2025 - 2026
- (New) Please share why you are drawn to our school and the top track you selected. What unique strengths do you bring to our community to advance our commitment to excellence, compassion, and innovation? (500 words max)
- (New) Reflect on how your personal, cultural, or professional experiences have shaped your identity, and how they may help you contribute to a collaborative learning environment and advocate for your future patients. (500 words max)
How to Answer Mayo Clinic Secondaries
Mayo Clinic Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: You can definitely pre-write the “Why Mayo Clinic” secondary essay. But, we would hold off on pre-writing the other essay prompt since Mayo changed its secondary application essay questions in the 2023-2024 application cycle.
- Download our Cracking Med Secondary Essay Workbook and Examples.
Mayo Clinic Secondary Essays Tip #1: The Mayo Clinic Admissions Committee cares that you know the medical school well and that you will thrive at Alix School of Medicine. Be specific about why you chose a specific campus / track. Talk about clinical rotations, clinical opportunities, and patient care opportunities you are excited about in your top track choice. Mention professors you want to conduct research with. Discuss any ways you want to engage with the surrounding community. Finally, if you have ties to the medical school or the surrounding vicinity, we recommend stating that in the “why Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine” question. Read more Cracking Med School Admissions tips and a sample response for how to answer why this medical school essay prompt.
Mayo Clinic Secondary Essays Tip #2: Tell stories to convey your impact and leadership throughout your Mayo Clinic secondaries. For example, you can discuss a story from your premedical journey that reflects the type of clinical experiences, research, and volunteer work you want to do at Mayo as a medical student. Additionally, you can write a story for the diversity essay. There is a lot of space, so utilize it and make the reader yearn to meet you through stories in your Mayo Clinic secondaries!
Mayo Clinic Secondary Essays Tip #3: If you have affiliations or personal connections in Florida or Minnesota / Midwest or Arizona, you should mention them in your essays. It’s most appropriate to add it to the Mayo Clinic secondary essays question, “Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine? Please tell us in a few sentences why you are interested in the top choice track you indicated.“
Mayo Clinic Secondary Essays Tip #4: Remember, diversity does not necessarily mean your ethnic diversity. Diversity encompasses a wide range of life experiences, clinical experiences, academic opportunities, challenges, and personal situations. We recommend students write about their strengths, including exceptional extracurricular activity endeavors. Read our tips on diversity essays when answering the question, “Each of us relates to others through characteristics that make up our individual diversity. Tell us how your diversity is reflected not only in your personal and professional activities but also in your relationships with others, particularly in diverse learning environments.” You can literally write about anything. Our students who get accepted to Mayo Clinic typically write about times they led a team and instances when they made an impact on somebody’s life. To be strategic, you should relate this diversity essay to your vision to improve medicine.
Most applicants will first go to writing about their family background – particularly their families’ immigrant background – when they see a diversity prompt. While that is not incorrect, Drs. Rizal and Mediratta ask: Is this the best topic to make you stand out? What Mayo Clinic secondary essay topic will best convey your leadership and vision to the admissions committee?
- You can read more high yield tips and a sample diversity essay in our blog post: How to Write a Strong Medical School Diversity Essay And Examples
Mayo Clinic Secondary Essays Tip #5: Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below. Need editing help on your Mayo Clinic secondary application? We can help you through our secondary essay packages.
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Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2024 - 2025
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine? Please tell us in a few sentences why you are interested in the top choice track you indicated. (500 words max)
- Each of us relates to others through characteristics that make up our individual diversity. Tell us how your diversity is reflected not only in your personal and professional activities but also in your relationships with others, particularly in diverse learning environments. (500 words max)
Mayo Clinic removed one of its secondary prompts from last year.
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 - 2024
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine? Please tell us in a few sentences why you are interested in the top choice track you indicated. (500 words max)
- Each of us relates to others through characteristics that make up our individual diversity. Tell us how your diversity is reflected not only in your personal and professional activities but also in your relationships with others, particularly in diverse learning environments. (500 words max)
Mayo Clinic removed one of its secondary prompts from last year.
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2022 – 2023
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Secondary Application – MD Essay Prompts
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine? Please tell us in a few sentences why you are interested in the top choice track you indicated. (500 words max)
- We are all differentiated from or connected to one another by individual inflections that constitute our diversity. Explain how your relationship with your own diversity and to the diversities of others manifests in your personal and professional activities. (500 words max)
- Share with us your thoughts about the relevance – or not – of diverse learning environments in which you wish to learn medicine.(500 words max)
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Secondary Application – MSTP Essay Prompts
- In the space below, write a brief paragraph explaining why you are specifically applying to the Mayo Clinic MD-PhD Program. (500 characters max)
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2020 – 2021
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine even if you gain acceptances to other highly ranked medical schools? (500 words max)
- We are all differentiated from or connected to one another by individual inflections that constitute our diversity. Explain how your relationship with your own diversity and to the diversities of others manifests in your personal and professional activities. (500 words max)
- Share with us your thoughts about the relevance – or not – of diverse learning environments in which you wish to learn medicine.(500 words max)
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2019 – 2020
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine even if you gain acceptances to other highly ranked medical schools? (500 words max)
- We are all unique in different ways. Explain how your personal diversity manifests in your personal and professional activities. (500 words max)
- Share with us your thoughts about the relevance – or not – of diverse learning environments in which you wish to learn medicine.(500 words max)
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2018 – 2019
- Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine even if you gain acceptances to other highly ranked medical schools? (500 words max)
- We are all unique in different ways. Explain how your personal diversity manifests in your personal and professional activities. (500 words max)
- Share with us your thoughts about the relevance – or not – of diverse learning environments in which you wish to learn medicine.(500 words max)
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2017 – 2018
- Please tell us why you are specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine – MN even if you gain acceptances to other highly ranked medical schools? (500 words max)
- Please tell us how you would contribute to the diversity of your medical school class at Mayo? (500 words max)
Mayo Clinic Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2014 – 2017
There were no essay prompts in the Mayo medical school secondary application for the 2016-2017 cycle, 2015-2016 cycle, and the 2014-2015 cycle.