The University of Vermont Medical School secondary application reflects the school’s mission in recruiting a diverse and compassionate medical school class. The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont values students who are committed to rural health and improving the health of Northeast residents; strong University of Vermont secondary applications will reflect rural health interests. The UVM secondary essays are long and they will take time to complete. But, the essays have not changed drastically in the past several years. Therefore, we recommend that students pre-write this before they receive the official University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application. Read our UVM secondary application tips below.
Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to University of Vermont School of Medicine for the past several years. Dr. Rachel Rizal has visited the campus and enjoyed the town of Burlington, Vermont. Get our help by asking us a question and we can help you with this challenging secondary through our secondary essay editing packages.
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University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2025 – 2026
- The Larner College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes active in-person participation and peer co-learning which translates into strong clinical practice. This relies on individual students preparing for, and being actively involved in, participatory class sessions. Please share your thoughts on the suitability of active learning for you. You may use any of the points below to guide your response. (400 words max)
- Navigating a group learning process.
- Personal contributions to such a learning environment and areas of growth.
- The value of balancing your learning with the teaching of your classmates.
- Any potential challenges to this approach to learning.
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses an individual’s entire experiences. Diverse environments can promote growth and provide an opportunity for reflection. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself and how that challenged your preconceptions or biases. How will this experience influence your behavior in the future? (400 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine has core values that are reflected in our professionalism statement. How has your understanding of what professionalism means evolved over time? Reflect on a personal experience that contributed to your understanding of your own core values. (300 words max)
- What unique opportunities at Larner College of Medicine would be meaningful to you in your education and how do these align with your larger goal of becoming a physician? (250 words max)
- (Optional) Use this space to share any information, not presented elsewhere, that will clarify any aspect of your application. If you are a reapplicant, you may choose to share what you have done since your previous application. (250 words max)
Tips to UVM Secondaries
UVM Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: The prompts and word counts changed recently in the 2023-2024 application cycle. We would NOT recommend pre-writing this secondary. Once the official secondary is released, get our help to stand out – work with Dr. Rizal and Dr. Mediratta through our secondary essay editing packages.
- Download all our HIGH-YIELD tips for secondary essays: Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide
UVM Secondary Application Tip #1: Located in Vermont, Larner College of Medicine values students who are committed to rural health and improving the health or Northeast residents; strong UVM secondary applications will reflect rural health interests. Therefore, you should bring all these aspects and interests in your essays.
UVM Secondary Application Tip #2: Answer as many questions as possible on the University of Vermont secondary application. And, make sure you answer the questions thoroughly. Our Cracking Med School Admissions team sees every single question as an opportunity to highlight your passions and strengths. For the optional question at the end, you can of course talk about discrepancies or dips in your grades. Or, if you are a re-applicant, discuss how your application has changed from the previous time you applied.
However, even if there are no potential “red flags” in your application, you can discuss your strengths in the optional essay:
- Leadership experiences
- Clinical experiences in rural settings
- Memorable patient encounter
- Significant extra-curricular activity that you want to expand upon, past what you have discussed in your AMCAS primary application
- Updates since you submitted your primary AMCAS application
UVM Secondary Application Tip #3: Tell stories. There is a large word maximum for most University of Vermont secondary essays, so there is plenty of space to write stories. For all stories you write, it is important to write what you learned from those experiences.
UVM Secondary Application Tip #4: Don’t forget to incorporate “Why Larner School of Medicine at the University of Vermont” throughout the UVM secondary essays. Individuals will typically write “Why UVM” in the last optional question about additional comments. Read our blog post why this medical school to gain insights on how to incorporate a strong “Why UVM School of Medicine.”
Through our secondary editing packages, we often see students write about the pre-clinical curriculum. While that is not wrong to discuss, we want you to STAND OUT. You should also talk about community service projects, issues in rural health you are passionate about, and clinical experiences you want to pursue at Larner College of Medicine.
UVM Secondary Application Tip #5: Get Dr. Rachel Rizal’s and Dr. Rishi Mediratta’s help to edit your University of Vermont Medical School secondary application essays. We can help you through our secondary essay packages, which include multiple rounds of thorough edits. Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below.
[Read Other Secondary Essay Tips: Dartmouth (Giesel School of Medicine), University of Massachusetts, Tufts]
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University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2024 – 2025
- New Question. The Larner College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes active in-person participation and peer co-learning which translates into strong clinical practice. This relies on individual students preparing for, and being actively involved in, participatory class sessions. Please share your thoughts on the suitability of active learning for you. You may use any of the points below to guide your response. (400 words max)
- Navigating a group learning process.
- Personal contributions to such a learning environment and areas of growth.
- The value of balancing your learning with the teaching of your classmates.
- Any potential challenges to this approach to learning.
- Word count changed from last application cycle. The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (400 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine has core values that are reflected in our professionalism statement. How has your understanding of what professionalism means evolved over time? Reflect on a personal experience that contributed to your understanding of your own core values. (400 words max)
- New Question. What unique opportunities at Larner College of Medicine would be meaningful to you in your education and how do these align with your larger goal of becoming a physician? (250 words max)
- (Optional) Use this space to share any information, not presented elsewhere, that will clarify any aspect of your application. If you are a reapplicant, you may choose to share what you have done since your previous application. (250 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2023 – 2024
- New Question. The Larner College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes active in-person participation and peer co-learning which translates into strong clinical practice. This relies on individual students preparing for, and being actively involved in, participatory class sessions. Please share your thoughts on the suitability of active learning for you. You may use any of the points below to guide your response.
- Navigating a group learning process.
- Personal contributions to such a learning environment and areas of growth.
- The value of balancing your learning with the teaching of your classmates.
- Any potential challenges to this approach to learning.
- Word count changed from last application cycle. The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (300 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine has core values that are reflected in our professionalism statement. How has your understanding of what professionalism means evolved over time? Reflect on a personal experience that contributed to your understanding of your own core values. (300 words max)
- New Question. What unique opportunities at Larner College of Medicine would be meaningful to you in your education and how do these align with your larger goal of becoming a physician? (250 words max)
- (Optional) Use this space to share any information, not presented elsewhere, that will clarify any aspect of your application. If you are a reapplicant, you may choose to share what you have done since your previous application. (250 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2022 – 2023
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (500 words max)
- (Optional) Please use this box to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely impacted your application. (150 words max)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (300 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (500 words max)
- (Optional) Please use this box to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely impacted your application. (150 words max)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (300 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2020 - 2021
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (500 words max)
- (Optional) Please use this box to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely impacted your application. (150 words max)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (300 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2019 – 2020
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself. (500 words max)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (500 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2018 – 2019
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont strongly values diversity. Larner COM recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities, and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. These experiences embody many dimensions that include (but are not limited to) the personal, familial, geographic, intellectual, economic, professional, linguistic, and societal domains. Thus, each and every member of the Larner COM community brings a unique perspective to a shared goal of training compassionate and competent physicians. With this in mind, please reflect on your own diverse experiences and how those will allow you to successfully participate in teams and engage in active learning with your peers at the Larner COM. When composing your response please consider how these experiences impacted your understanding of others and yourself as well as any new insights gained. (500 words max)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (500 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2017 – 2018
- Please reflect on a difficult and challenging non-academic experience you have faced. Include a description of the stressful event, how you dealt with it and what you have learned about others and yourself through this process. (500 words max)
- The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont strongly values diversity. Larner COM recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities, and encompasses the entirety of an individual’s experiences. These experiences embody many dimensions that include (but are not limited to) the personal, familial, geographic, intellectual, economic, professional, linguistic, and societal domains. Thus, each and every member of the Larner COM community brings a unique perspective to a shared goal of training compassionate and competent physicians. With this in mind, please reflect on your own diverse experiences and how those will allow you to successfully participate in teams and engage in active learning with your peers at the Larner COM. When composing your response please consider how these experiences impacted your understanding of others and yourself as well as any new insights gained. (500 words max)
- (Optional) Additional Comments (500 words max)
University of Vermont Medical School Secondary Application Questions: 2016 – 2017
- The University of Vermont College of Medicine values diversity as a driver of excellence. We actively seek diversity and inclusion within our academic community of students, faculty, and staff, as well as those we serve through teaching, research, patient care and community engagement. We are committed to building an educational community made up of members with diverse talents, experiences, opinions, and backgrounds. In reflecting on your personal background, talents, opinions and life experiences, how might you contribute to the overall diversity of the UVM COM community? (3,000 characters max)
- Please write a short response to one of the following prompts. For either question, when composing your essay, please consider the personal growth you experienced, an impact you may have had on others or a transformation you may have experienced. (3,000 characters max)
- In your journey towards a career in medicine, what experience do you think most convinced you that you want to serve others as a physician?
- There are many different types of teams. Effective teams are composed of people with diverse life experiences and varying viewpoints. Reflect on an experience you have had working on a team.