UMKC Secondary Application Essay Prompts by Year

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The University of Missouri Medical School secondary application (University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine campus) has been adding additional questions each year. We think you could pre-write the common essays that have showed up from the last 3 years.

We have helped students stand out in their medical school secondary essays at several Midwest schools, including University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) and University of Missouri-Kansas City. Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta help every single student tailor their secondary essays towards their personal strengths and towards the school’s culture. Feel free to ask us a question about your secondary essays below and work with us through our secondary essay editing packages to make your secondary essays stand out!

University of Missouri Kansas City Secondary Application Questions: 2025 – 2026

There’s a few questions at the beginning about campus preference (KC vs St Joseph). Then they ask you to rank how likely you would be to accept an offer of admission to either campus (1-10).

We educate physicians/healthcare providers to provide care for individuals with various identities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Describe any interests, abilities and/or experiences that prepare you to participate in and contribute to that learning environment. (1,000 word limit)
Did either of your parents/guardians attend the UMKC School of Medicine? (Y/N)
If you are not a resident of Missouri, do you have any ties to the state or metro area? (Y/N)
Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a Physician. The questions below will help you get started but do not limit your responses to these considerations: (2,500 word limit)
Academic: Did your school move to an online-only curriculum? Were you able to interact with your professors? Did you have to leave an academic program stateside or abroad? Did your school require you to move to the Pass/Fail grading system? Did your original MCAT exam get canceled or delayed? Were there other academic barriers?
Professional: Did you hold a job? Did you have to go out and seek new job opportunities? Did you lose a job? Were there other financial or professional barriers that you faced?
Personal: Did you have to move out of a house or dorm? Did you have to cancel travel plans? Did you modify your planned experiences related to healthcare or volunteer opportunities? Did you seek out volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis?
Are you from a rural community? (Y/N)
If you are interested in rural healthcare or in practicing a specialty that meets the needs of underserved rural communities, please describe your interest in this aspect of healthcare. (No limit)
Did you participate in UMKC’s Summer Scholars Program? (Y/N)
Did you participate in UMKC’s Saturday Academy Program? (Y/N)
Are you a reapplicant to the UMKC School of Medicine? (Y/N)

Have you had any prior interaction with the UMKC School of Medicine?
-Attended a virtual or on-campus visit
-Spoke with a staff or faculty member
-Shadowed or volunteered at a clinical site
-Attended a camp or conference at UMKC
-Other

Tips to Answer UMKC Secondary Application Essays

UMKC Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: We think this is a great secondary application to pre-write. Beware though – UMKC has added questions in the past, and it might remove the COVID-19 question.

Download all our HIGH-YIELD tips for secondary essays: Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #1: If you have been negatively affected by COVID-19, we think this is a high priority topic to discuss in the UMKC secondary application. If you discuss a challenge, follow these steps:

How did you overcome the challenge?
What did you learn from this experience?
How did this experience impact your pathway to becoming a physician?
What will you do differently in the future? OR How will you incorporate what you learned to when you are a practicing physician?

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #2: If you did not have a extra-ordinary challenge during COVID-19, you can reflect on the positive ways in which you helped the community. Similarly, you can discuss the following in your University of Missouri secondary application essay response:

What did you learn from this experience?
What will you do differently in the future?

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #3: Ideally, you can write a short story or anecdote that exemplifies what you learned. For example, if you volunteered at a COVID-19 testing site, instead of saying “I volunteered at a COVID-19 testing site in Kansas City,” you can write a story of one individual you educated about COVID-19 vaccine side effects.

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #4: Don’t forget to incorporate a little bit about “Why University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine.” You can discuss how the medical school will help you become a physician that serves Missouri and Kansas City patients. For example, in the diversity, we strongly recommend students to discuss what they will contribute to the UMKC medical school community.

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #5: UMKC has a new rural pathway. Read more here. It is trying to recruit students who are interested in practicing in a rural setting. If you have experience with underserved and rural communities, definitely highlight them in the question, “”If you are interested in rural healthcare or in practicing a specialty that meets the needs of underserved rural communities, please describe your interest in this aspect of healthcare.” Again, there’s a fair number of words you have, so incorporate specific experiences and stories. It would be ideal if you gave a story from your clinical experience, patient care, or volunteer experience in which you worked with patients from rural areas. Additionally, you should give your insights about rural medicine and how you want to change them.

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #6: For the diversity question, diversity DOES NOT only include your gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. You can certainly talk about those aspects, but our successful UMKC students have also discussed research and clinical opportunities. Read more tips about how to write diversity secondary application essays: Medical School Diversity Essay Examples and Tips

UMKC Secondary Application Tip #7: Get our help to edit your University of Missouri secondary application essays. You can read the University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine secondary application tips here: University of Missouri Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts

We can help you through our secondary essay packages. Have questions about how you can stand out on this secondary and other medical school secondary applications? Contact us below.

[Read More Secondary Essay Tips: Rush, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois, University of Missouri – Columbia (Mizzou) ]

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

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Use this essay guide and workbook to write standout secondaries.

University of Missouri Kansas City Secondary Application Questions: 2024 – 2025

There’s a few questions at the beginning about campus preference (KC vs St Joseph). Then they ask you to rank how likely you would be to accept an offer of admission to either campus (1-10).

We educate physicians/healthcare providers to provide care for individuals with various identities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Describe any interests, abilities and/or experiences that prepare you to participate in and contribute to that learning environment. (1,000 word limit)
Did either of your parents/guardians attend the UMKC School of Medicine? (Y/N)
If you are not a resident of Missouri, do you have any ties to the state or metro area? (Y/N)
Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a Physician. The questions below will help you get started but do not limit your responses to these considerations: (2,500 word limit)
Academic: Did your school move to an online-only curriculum? Were you able to interact with your professors? Did you have to leave an academic program stateside or abroad? Did your school require you to move to the Pass/Fail grading system? Did your original MCAT exam get canceled or delayed? Were there other academic barriers?
Professional: Did you hold a job? Did you have to go out and seek new job opportunities? Did you lose a job? Were there other financial or professional barriers that you faced?
Personal: Did you have to move out of a house or dorm? Did you have to cancel travel plans? Did you modify your planned experiences related to healthcare or volunteer opportunities? Did you seek out volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis?
Are you from a rural community? (Y/N)
If you are interested in rural healthcare or in practicing a specialty that meets the needs of underserved rural communities, please describe your interest in this aspect of healthcare. (No limit)
Did you participate in UMKC’s Summer Scholars Program? (Y/N)
Did you participate in UMKC’s Saturday Academy Program? (Y/N)
Are you a reapplicant to the UMKC School of Medicine? (Y/N)

Have you had any prior interaction with the UMKC School of Medicine?
-Attended a virtual or on-campus visit
-Spoke with a staff or faculty member
-Shadowed or volunteered at a clinical site
-Attended a camp or conference at UMKC
-Other

University of Missouri Kansas City Secondary Application Questions: 2023 – 2024

Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a Physician. (1000 words max)
If you are interested in rural healthcare or in practicing a specialty that meets the needs of underserved rural communities, please describe your interest in this aspect of healthcare. (2500 words max)
How will your diversity/diverse experiences (e.g., gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, from rural or underserved community, first generation student status) add to your career in medicine?” (250 words max)

University of Missouri Kansas City Secondary Application Questions: 2022 – 2023

Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a Physician. (250 words max)
If you are interested in rural healthcare or in practicing a specialty that meets the needs of underserved rural communities, please describe your interest in this aspect of healthcare. (250 words max)
How will your diversity/diverse experiences (e.g., gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, from rural or underserved community, first generation student status) add to your career in medicine?” (250 words max)

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University of Missouri Kansas City Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022

Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to becoming a Physician. (250 words max)