Getting accepted to Yale School of Medicine is hard. Very hard. Submitting OUTSTANDING Yale Medical School secondary essays is vital to receiving an interview invite, which ultimately can lead to an acceptance. Yale loves to recruit the best of the best, students from all backgrounds. While you still need to have a solid academic background, the Yale Admissions Committee is more interested in how you will become one of the next leaders in healthcare. Therefore, almost all med school applicants receive a Yale secondary application because the admissions committee wants to see what you have to offer as an applicant.
Secondary essay questions for Yale School of Medicine do not change year to year. This is a good med school secondary to pre-write.
Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping our mentees receive interview invites and acceptances to Yale School of Medicine year after year, including the Yale MSTP program. Get started and read our Yale Medical School secondary application tips below.
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Yale Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2024 – 2025
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) If you are not enrolled in college or graduate school classes for the duration of the current academic year, please tell us how you are spending your time. Include both your current and any planned activities prior to enrolling in medical school.
- (Additional Essay) IN CASE you have something new to report since submitting AMCAS
Have there been any updates regarding your activities / achievements / distinctions since completing your AMCAS application, or do you have any important accomplishments you have not yet shared with us here or in your AMCAS application? The Office of Admissions will review your activities / achievements / distinctions in the Experiences section of the AMCAS Application, so you do not need to restate anything included there. We include your AMCAS experiences below for reference. (Optional) It should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. (500 words max)
Tips to Answer Yale Medical School
Secondary Essays
Yale Secondaries Pre-writing Guidance: Secondary essay questions for Yale School of Medicine do not change year to year. This is a good med school secondary to pre-write. However, this is not a time sensitive school; Yale really wants to give every medical student applicant a chance to show his or her strengths. We have advised and met many students who have submitted well into the application cycle (even late October) who receive Yale interview invitations! Of course, we don’t recommend submitting later than Labor Day, but we want to tell you our experiences so you can plan your secondary essay writing accordingly.
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #1: Answer as many questions as possible. Our Cracking Med School Admissions team does not view Yale secondary application questions as optional. What can you write about in the last essay (optional Yale Med essay)? You can literally write about anything. But write about something that will show the admissions committee another perspective about you.
For the Yale secondaries optional essay, many of our mentees who have worked with us through our medical school application packages have discussed topics related to: family background, cultural / gender identity, unique leadership opportunities, and extra-curricular activities they were not able to discuss in other Yale med school secondary application essays. The Yale secondaries optional essay should also complement the AMCAS primary application personal statement.
Many of the students we help through our application packages or secondary essay editing packages will answer the optional question like a hybrid “diversity” + “what they will do in their upcoming gap year” essay.
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #2: It is very important to note that diversity DOES NOT mean you have to talk about your ethnicity. In fact, we think most of the strongest essays we’ve read for Yale secondaries have been not related to applicants’ cultural backgrounds or heritages. So, what should you write about for the Yale Medical School secondary application diversity essay? Write about what’s going to make you stand out the most as a future healthcare leader: What are you going to uniquely bring to Yale that will allow you to improve healthcare?
Examples of topics for Yale’s diversity secondary essay: Creating health programs for underserved communities and conducting research to evaluate the health programs; Advocating for disabled individuals; Improving the health of incarcerated juveniles; Supporting Alzheimer patient care and create treatments of Alzheimer’s; Using artificial intelligence for drug discovery; Creating support groups for autoimmune patients; Understanding the social determinants of health to improve health education programs in underserved communities; Founding new health initiatives, such as vaccine clinics, at free clinics.
- For more help with diversity essays and an example diversity essay, read our blog post: Medical School Diversity Essay Examples and Tips
- Read more strong secondary essays in our Cracking Med School Admissions book.
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #3: If you choose to answer the question, “Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine,” make sure you show how YOU drive your research forward. Yale (and all medical schools) care a lot about your independence as a researcher. For this essay prompt, many strong applicants will clearly describe their research question and hypothesis. They will also discuss the methodology, analysis, and results. Additionally, students may discuss how they overcame challenges in their research project.
A strong research essay for Yale Medical School’s application will link the research that you’ve done with research you want to do as a medical student at Yale.
A common question we get from med school applicants: Can you write about the same research project you wrote about in your AMCAS work & activities section or primary application personal statement? Definitely! In fact, many students will pick the same research to discuss for both the primary and secondary because that is the research that is most important. Once again, make sure the response you give on this Yale Medical School secondary research essay and the AMCAS complement one another.
If you have questions about how to write a strong research essay or want our help with editing, please email info@crackingmedadmissions.com or contact us below!
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #4: Highlight your leadership, passion to change healthcare, and impact on society. Yale Med recruits the next generation of healthcare leaders. Tell stories to convey your impact and leadership. For example, if you conducted research over a gap year, tell a story about a challenge you faced or a patient you met while conducting a clinical trial. If you started a program to improve health education in a community clinic, then talk about the program that you started. Then, discuss your future goals to become a healthcare leader; tie your previous experiences with the type of future healthcare leader you wan to be.
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #5: Include at least one patient story from a clinical experience. Yale’s Admissions Committee cares deeply about the extent an applicant has been involved with direct patient care. Additionally, strong applications will not only include a story (or stories) with patients, but also discuss how they’ve impacted a patient’s life.
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #6: Understand Yale’s Open Curriculum and discuss how you will thrive in this environment. How will you take advantage of the Pass/Fail system and opportunities at Yale? In addition to discussing the curriculum, you have a lot of space to convey “Why Yale Medical School?” Successful applicants have included specific research projects, internships, and extra-curricular activities they hope to pursue as a medical student at Yale.
- Read our HIGH-YIELD blog post: Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #7: Yale School of Medicine requires its Yale Med students to write a thesis. Because research is a vital cornerstone of the Yale Med curriculum, discuss research that you have pursued as a premed student clearly on the Yale Med School secondary application. If you are planning to answer the research question (see Tip #1 above), then this is easy to accomplish! However, even if you are not answering the research question, you should plan on at least mentioning research you were involved with as a premedical student in the other essays.
Yale Medical School Secondary Essays Tip #8: Yale medical school secondary essays are like medical school personal statements. Contact us below if you want our help to STAND OUT. Several of our students receive interview invitations each admissions cycle. Need editing help on your secondary? We can help you through our secondary essay packages.
[Read more secondary essay tips: Columbia University Vagelos, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine]
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Yale Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 – 2024
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) This section should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the “Additional Information” section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. (500 words max)
Yale Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2022 – 2023
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) This section should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the “Additional Information” section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. (500 words max)
Yale Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2021 – 2022
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) This section should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the “Additional Information” section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. (500 words max)
Yale Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2020 – 2021
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
Yale Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2019 – 2020
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) This section should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the “Additional Information” section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. (500 words max)
- (Optional) There is also an activities/achievements section, questions about your academic background (multiple choice), and parental/diversity questions (multiple choice).
Yale Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2018 – 2019
- Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words max)
- MD Applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions.
MD/PhD Applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.- While there is great emphasis on the physician-patient relationship, Yale School of Medicine also emphasizes the importance of training future physicians to care for communities and populations. Describe how your experiences would contribute to this aspect of the mission of the Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- Research is essential to patient care, and all students at Yale School of Medicine complete a research thesis. Tell us how your research interests, skills and experiences would contribute to scholarship at Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) This section should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. (500 words max)
- Write a statement concerning (500 words max):
- Your reasons for wishing to undertake the combined MD/PhD program, rather than the MD program alone.
- The specific PhD program that you propose to follow at Yale.
- The strengths of that Yale graduate program and its faculty as they relate to your career goals.
Yale Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2017 – 2018
- Please use this space to write an essay in which you discuss your interest in Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)
- (Optional) This section should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. (500 words max)
Yale Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2016 – 2017
- Please use this space to write an essay in which you discuss your interest in Yale School of Medicine. (500 words max)