University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine cares deeply about social issues and recruiting a student body that solves healthcare issues through innovation. Pitt Med champions the fight against healthcare disparities. But, it wants medical students who approach these problems through out-of-the-box thinking and creative approaches. The University of Pittsburgh Medical School secondary application essay prompts reflects these values. Read all our University of Pittsburgh secondary essays tips below!
We would strongly recommend submitting the University of Pittsburgh early and it should be one of the first secondaries you submit. The prompts barely change each year, so we would also recommend pre-writing your Pitt Med secondaries. Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta have strong a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Read our tips below and contact us if you need help with your UPitt Med secondary essays.
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University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 – 2024
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MD Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- At UPSOM, diversity and inclusion are measures of distinction, integral to achieving institutional excellence, and essential to the development of future physicians who become leaders in medicine. Describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past, and how you hope to grow that commitment in medical school. (250 words max)
- Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MSTP (MD/PhD) Essay Prompts
- Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:
- Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.
Tips to Answer UPitt Secondaries
University of Pittsburgh Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: We would strongly encourage medical school applicants to pre-write their University of Pittsburgh seconadries. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Admissions Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis and gives interviews on a rolling basis. But, it’s still important that you submit a strong University of Pittsburgh secondary application that is aligned with the school’s mission of innovation to improve health & society. If you need help with brainstorming or editing your secondary essays, contact us below!
- Download all our HIGH-YIELD tips for secondary essays: Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #1: First, it’s important to know what UPitt looks for. These are qualities we’ve seen in medical school applications that receive interviews:
- Any background in engineering or math.
- Innovation and creativity – especially shown in the problem-solving essay.
- Desire to improve healthcare and medicine through analytical thinking (not necessarily through research; you could have a desire to invent a new medical device!) throughout one’s medical career.
- Experiences solving problems in teams – shown in your primary application, letters of recommendation, and University of Pittsburgh secondary essays
This is the mission of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine:
One needs to be creative as a clinician because, despite all of the advances of modern medicine, each patient is unique, and diagnoses are not always obvious. One needs to be creative as an investigator because research, by its very nature, involves a quest for that which is unknown and, if discovered, constitutes the next piece of the vast, intricate puzzle we call life.
Compassion is a core principle of all the healing professions and should be the constant “north star” for any health care provider. One will be seeing people who are sick, at their most vulnerable, most freighted and dependent state. In that encounter, beyond any specific prescribed treatments for their illnesses, compassion is the most powerful healing act we can perform.
One needs leadership skills if one hopes to address the extremely complicated problems that we face in the delivery and financing of our nation’s health care. As a leader, one needs to embody the principles of justice and fairness and constantly strive to reduce health disparities in our society. Clearly, on this matter in particular, not to be part of the solution is to be part of the problem, which makes good leadership skills essential.
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #2: For the University of Pittsburgh secondaries question, “Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today,” do not talk about difficulties with transitioning to college or learning how to study for difficult premed classes. These are too common and will not allow you stand out!
Topics of strong UPitt essays Dr. Rachel Rizal & Dr. Rishi Mediratta have read:
- Research challenge
- Engineering project at school
- Public health challenge and developing a new program to tackle a public health issue
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #3: You should ideally incorporate an example from your own life about how you have already contributed in combating systemic discrimination or how you’ve already tackled healthcare disparity issues, “At UPSOM, diversity and inclusion are measures of distinction, integral to achieving institutional excellence, and essential to the development of future physicians who become leaders in medicine. Describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past, and how you hope to grow that commitment in medical school.” Some students have successfully discussed a story through patient care or from a clinical experience.
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #4: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a very community-oriented medical school. Talk about how you want to engage at University of Pittsburgh and around the Pittsburgh community as a medical student. How will you bring in problem solving, research, and innovative thinking to improve the Pittsburgh community? You can include your ideas in your various UPitt secondaries.
- Read our Cracking Med School Admissions Top 10 Current events to gather ideas about how you can help communities!
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #5: Don’t forget to incorporate a little bit about “Why University of Pittsburgh Medical School” throughout the essay(s) you respond to. Talk about projects and research you want to do at UPitt Med.
- Read out helpful blog post: Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays Tip #6: Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below. If you want help with editing your UPitt Med secondary application, we can help you through our secondary essay packages.
[Read Essay Tips From Other Innovative Medical Schools: Yale School of Medicine; Stanford School of Medicine; Duke School of Medicine; Mount Sinai Icahn Medical School ]
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University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2022 – 2023
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MD Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- Worded slightly differently. At UPSOM, diversity and inclusion are measures of distinction, integral to achieving institutional excellence, and essential to the development of future physicians who become leaders in medicine. Describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past, and how you hope to grow that commitment in medical school. (250 words max)
- Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MSTP (MD/PhD) Essay Prompts
- Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:
- Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2021 – 2022
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MD Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (250 words max)
- Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MSTP (MD/PhD) Essay Prompts
- Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:
- Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2020 – 2021
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MD Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (250 words max)
- Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MSTP (MD/PhD) Essay Prompts
- Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:
- Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2019 - 2020
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MD Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (250 words max)
- Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Secondary Essays: MSTP (MD/PhD) Essay Prompts
- Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then:
- Briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2018 – 2019
UPitt MD Application Essay Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? (250 words max)
- Is there anything additional that you would like to address that is not already reflected in your application? (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2017 – 2018
UPitt MD Application Essay Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2016 – 2017
UPitt MD Application Essay Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? (250 words max)
University of Pittsburgh Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2015 – 2016
UPitt MD Application Essay Prompts
- Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words max)
- UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? (250 words max)