Health Admissions IQ
All Schools
OHSU

Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine

Portland, OR

Historical and predicted secondary essay prompts. Use these to understand how schools have framed their questions over time.

Not sure how to approach these prompts?

Explore example essays, strategy breakdowns, and expert guidance inside the Secondary Essay Example Hub.

Access the Secondary Essay Hub

23 prompts in the archive

Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience and ability to overcome adversity. How did this change you? (1550 characters)

1550 characters2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Adversity "Checklist" with optional elaboration

No character/word limitOptional2022-2023Historical

How does intellectual and academic struggle fit into your identity as a future physician? (2050 characters)

2050 characters2025-2026New

Describe a time when you had to reconsider or change a deeply held belief or perspective. What prompted this change? (1550 characters)

1550 characters2025-2026New

Describe a time personal obligations had to be prioritized over school/work. What did it teach you about managing competing priorities? (1550 characters)

1550 characters2025-2026New

While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity? (Economic, Educational, Ethnic/Cultural, Family). Please describe the nature of the adversity and how social, economic, academic, or other circumstances affected you and your opportunities (4000 characters)

4000 characters2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician?

1550 characters2021-2022Historical

Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU's definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service.

1550 characters2021-2022, 2022-2023Historical

In 1990, Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence (EI) as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. The components of EI include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Briefly describe one example of a time you harnessed your EI to resolve a difficult situation, AND one example of a time your failure to use your EI compounded a difficult situation. What did you learn about yourself in each of these situations?

No character/word limit2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025Historical

Optional: Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If yes, use the space below. If no, leave blank. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage.

No character/word limitOptional2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, do you believe that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers and how did that affect your experience and relationship with health care? Please explain. (4000 characters)

4000 characters2023-2024, 2025-2026School Staple

Optional: We know that many of our applicants in the OHSU UME Program may have familial relationships with individuals who are OHSU faculty, residents, staff, or current students who serve as evaluators in our admissions process. We have added this question in hopes to prevent perceived or actual conflicts of interest that can occur when an applicant has a family member (or someone with a similar close personal relationship) they may encounter through the admissions process. If you have any such connections, please list those individuals’ names and departments below. If no, leave blank.

No character/word limitOptional2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

MPH ( 4000 characters ): The School of Medicine requires a statement of purpose for admission to the MD-MPH Combined Degree Program. The MD-MPH Combined Degree program offers two MPH concentrations, 1) Epidemiology and 2) Health Management and Policy. Please explain: 1) Why you are applying for the combined MD-MPH Degree Program at OHSU? 2) Your interest in EITHER the Epidemiology or the Health Management and Policy concentration; and, 3) How you plan to use your training in medicine and public health training in your career. Please submit your statement using the text area provided below. This cannot exceed the 4000 character limit. No particular formatting or spacing is required.

4000 characters2022-2023Historical

Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response. AAMC's Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students & OHSU Recommended Prerequisites.

2050 characters2021-2022Historical

(optional) Adversity essay when you select degrees of adversity you've faced. Just says "please describe the nature of the adversity

4000 charactersOptional2021-2022Historical

Describe the effect of an endeavor that didn't go according to your plan. (1550 characters)

1550 characters2025-2026New

Using the fields below, please provide a brief chronological account of your major activities and employment, including volunteer and summer activities, for the five years immediately preceding your proposed entry to medical school. This should include present and projected activities to the point of matriculation to medical school.

No character/word limit2022-2023Historical

Tell of a patient experience that influenced your perspective on becoming a physician. (1550 characters)

1550 characters2025-2026New

We acknowledge that our application is not fully comprehensive. If there is anything additional you would like to let us know about you, please briefly state it here. (550 characters)

550 characters2023-2024, 2025-2026School Staple

What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve?

No character/word limit2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025Historical

Please discuss the roles Dignity, Respect and Deference play in how medical teams optimize patient care.

No character/word limit2023-2024, 2024-2025Historical

Discuss your experience of recent personal feedback that was difficult to receive. (1550 characters)

1550 characters2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Tell us about a time you went into a situation completely unprepared.

No character/word limit2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025Historical