The University of New Mexico Medical School secondary application with several medium-length essays. University of New Mexico Medical School Admissions wants to understand you as a holistic person. It wants to recruit a diverse, culturally competent, and socially aware class. Read our University of New Mexico secondary application tips below so you can learn how to stand out question by question!
Submitting a strong secondary application is essential in getting accepted. The UNM Medical School secondary application prompts do not change frequently, so we suggest pre-writing these essays. Stand out on your University of New Mexico Medical School secondary application with our secondary essay editing packages!
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University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2025 – 2026
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Describe the effect that your experiences with engaging diversity have had on your own growth and development. Provide an example and describe how it will impact your career in the medical profession. (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. Imagine you are a physician at a local institution and you notice on 18 occasions in the past week, patients were not administered the correct dose of a medication. When looking into it further, you learned that 17/18 cases occurred right after a physician handoff (defined as the process of transferring role and responsibility for providing care from one physician to another). Given this scenario, what are the initial steps you and your institution might take to improve the situation? (2,000 characters max)
- There is a physician shortage in New Mexico. What is your understanding of the contributors to this problem, and what ideas do you have to address it? (2,000 characters max)
- Teamwork is integral to training and the career of a physician. This kind of work setting entails addressing constant challenges in task execution, communication etc. What is an issue you have encountered working on a team and how did you address and resolve this issue? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
Tips to Answer University of New Mexico Secondaries
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #1: Tell stories. Great University of New Mexico Medical School secondary application essays to write short anecdotes include:
- Influential patient encounter
- A physician mentor who is important in an applicant’s life
- A memorable COVID-19 experience
- A personal or professional challenge
- Public health experiences
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #2: The University of New Mexico School of Medicine is a very community-oriented medical school. Talk about how you want to engage around Albuquerque, New Mexico. Additionally, UNM School of Medicine favors students who have lived or had experiences in the state of New Mexico and more generally, the Southwestern U.S.. Write about your affiliations with New Mexico! If you have not lived in New Mexico, then talk about any affiliations you have with working with populations in Southwestern United States.
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #3: For the UNM Medical School secondary application prompt, “At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class?” it is important to note that diversity does not necessarily mean you have to write about your ethnic background. In fact, we’ve coached students through our application packages to submit unique and personalized essays by writing about their healthcare passions.
Aside from talking about their ethnic background, our students have written about:
- Community service work
- Working in the service industry or other jobs
- Volunteer work with underserved and immigrant populations
- Public health research
- Special talents and skills, including music and sports
Read Dr. Rachel Rizal’s article in U.S. News: How to Link Nonclinical Experiences to Medicine
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #4: It is important to do your research on UNM School of Medicine. Reference specific aspects the curriculum, projects, and community organizations you want to be involved with.
- Read our HIGH-YIELD blog post about how to answer “Why this Medical School:” Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #5: In addition to doing your research on the medical school, you also need to do research on New Mexico’s public health and physician shortage issues. We recommend our students to read about as many New Mexico public health current events as possible.
- You can start reading on the New Mexico Department of Health website.
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #6: For the COVID-19 question, incorporate your personal experiences as well as healthcare current issues you noticed throughout the COVID pandemic. We have an entire healthcare current events blog post here, where you can read more about healthcare disparities and COVID-19. And, as we mentioned in tip #1, add stories.
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #7: Get our help to edit your UNM Medical School secondary application essays. We can help you through personalize and tailor your essays through our secondary essay packages. Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below.
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University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2024 – 2025
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class? (2,000 characters max)
- Mentorship and clinical experience are integral to developing and understanding of the challenges and rewards of being a physician? Thinking back to your own road to applying to medical school, what is a patient experience or mentorship moment that was most formative to your progression so far? Please share this experience and explain how it fits into your motivation for pursuing a career as a physician. (2,000 characters max)
- There is a physician shortage in New Mexico. What is your understanding of the contributors to this problem, and what ideas do you have to address it? (2,000 characters max)
- What aspects of public health do you think should be emphasized in the UNM SOM curriculum? Why? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
- Have you previously submitted an AMCAS application to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2023 – 2024
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class? (2,000 characters max)
- Mentorship and clinical experience are integral to developing and understanding of the challenges and rewards of being a physician? Thinking back to your own road to applying to medical school, what is a patient experience or mentorship moment that was most formative to your progression so far? Please share this experience and explain how it fits into your motivation for pursuing a career as a physician. (2,000 characters max)
- There is a physician shortage in New Mexico. What is your understanding of the contributors to this problem, and what ideas do you have to address it? (2,000 characters max)
- What aspects of public health do you think should be emphasized in the UNM SOM curriculum? Why? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
- Have you previously submitted an AMCAS application to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2022 – 2023
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class? (2,000 characters max)
- New Question: There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- New Question: While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. Imagine you are a physician at a local institution and you notice on 18 occasions in the past week, patients were not administered the correct dose of a medication. When looking into it further, you learned that 17/18 cases occurred right after a physician handoff (defined as the process of transferring role and responsibility for providing care from one physician to another).
Given this scenario, what are the initial steps you and your institution might take to improve the situation? (2,000 characters max) - New Question: While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- New Question: Teamwork is integral to training and the career of a physician. This kind of work setting entails addressing constant challenges in task execution, communication etc. What is an issue you have encountered working on a team and how did you address and resolve this issue? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
- Have you previously submitted an AMCAS application to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class? (2,000 characters max)
- Mentorship and clinical experience are integral to developing and understanding of the challenges and rewards of being a physician? Thinking back to your own road to applying to medical school, what is a patient experience or mentorship moment that was most formative to your progression so far? Please share this experience and explain how it fits into your motivation for pursuing a career as a physician. (2,000 characters max)
- There is a physician shortage in New Mexico. What is your understanding of the contributors to this problem, and what ideas do you have to address it? (2,000 characters max)
- What aspects of public health do you think should be emphasized in the UNM SOM curriculum? Why? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
- Have you previously submitted an AMCAS application to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class? (2,000 characters max)
- Mentorship and clinical experience are integral to developing and understanding of the challenges and rewards of being a physician? Thinking back to your own road to applying to medical school, what is a patient experience or mentorship moment that was most formative to your progression so far? Please share this experience and explain how it fits into your motivation for pursuing a career as a physician. (2,000 characters max)
- There is a physician shortage in New Mexico. What is your understanding of the contributors to this problem, and what ideas do you have to address it? (2,000 characters max)
- What aspects of public health do you think should be emphasized in the UNM SOM curriculum? Why? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has affected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
- Have you previously submitted an AMCAS application to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
Tips to Answer University of New Mexico Secondaries
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #1: Tell stories. Great University of New Mexico Medical School secondary application essays to write short anecdotes include:
- Influential patient encounter
- A physician mentor who is important in an applicant’s life
- A memorable COVID-19 experience
- A personal or professional challenge
- Public health experiences
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #2: The University of New Mexico School of Medicine is a very community-oriented medical school. Talk about how you want to engage around Albuquerque, New Mexico. Additionally, UNM School of Medicine favors students who have lived or had experiences in the state of New Mexico and more generally, the Southwestern U.S.. Write about your affiliations with New Mexico! If you have not lived in New Mexico, then talk about any affiliations you have with working with populations in Southwestern United States.
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #3: For the UNM Medical School secondary application prompt, “At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. How will your background or experiences contribute to the diversity of a medical school class?” it is important to note that diversity does not necessarily mean you have to write about your ethnic background. In fact, we’ve coached students through our application packages to submit unique and personalized essays by writing about their healthcare passions.
Aside from talking about their ethnic background, our students have written about:
- Community service work
- Working in the service industry or other jobs
- Volunteer work with underserved and immigrant populations
- Public health research
- Special talents and skills, including music and sports
Read Dr. Rachel Rizal’s article in U.S. News: How to Link Nonclinical Experiences to Medicine
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #4: It is important to do your research on UNM School of Medicine. Reference specific aspects the curriculum, projects, and community organizations you want to be involved with.
- Read our HIGH-YIELD blog post about how to answer “Why this Medical School:” Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #5: In addition to doing your research on the medical school, you also need to do research on New Mexico’s public health and physician shortage issues. We recommend our students to read about as many New Mexico public health current events as possible.
- You can start reading on the New Mexico Department of Health website.
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #6: For the COVID-19 question, incorporate your personal experiences as well as healthcare current issues you noticed throughout the COVID pandemic. We have an entire healthcare current events blog post here, where you can read more about healthcare disparities and COVID-19. And, as we mentioned in tip #1, add stories.
UNM Medical School Secondary Application Tip #7: Get our help to edit your UNM Medical School secondary application essays. We can help you through personalize and tailor your essays through our secondary essay packages. Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below.
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2020 - 2021
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a community of diverse learners that will go on to contribute to the diversity of the medical field. Are there any aspects of your experience that you are most proud of or that you feel you have been unable to highlight with your application materials already submitted? If so, please explain how this will contribute to the diversity of a learning community and your future medical community. (2,000 characters max)
- What do you see as the most important characteristics of a physician? How do you plan to cultivate them during your training? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. Identify what you think is the most significant issue the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and walk us through the process of solving this problem at a local or national level. Explain your reasoning along the way.
- Clinical outcomes are often the downstream outcome of broader policies that impact health inequities. What is a public health policy that has impacted the health outcomes of our community for better or worse? (2,000 characters max)
- Please tell us about a situation in which working with a team was challenging. What was your role? What was challenging? How was it handled? What did you learn? (2,000 characters max)
- Please describe how COVID-19 has effected your preparation for applying to medical school. Describe any academic, personal, financial, or professional barriers/disruptions that COVID-19 may have triggered. (2,000 characters max)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2019 – 2020
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2,000 characters max)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2018 – 2019
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2,000 characters max)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2017 – 2018
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2,000 characters max)
University of New Mexico Secondary Application Questions: 2016 – 2017
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2,000 characters max)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2015 – 2016
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2,000 characters max)
University of New Mexico Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2014 – 2015
- At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2,000 characters max)
- There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2,000 characters max)
- While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2,000 characters max)
- Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2,000 characters max)