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UCLA

University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine

Los Angeles, CA

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

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22 prompts in the archive

Respond to the following and indicate how these areas of experience have impacted your progress toward your future career goals in relation to becoming an "Outstanding Physician, AND...".

No character/word limit2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Describe how your experiences demonstrate your understanding of, and commitment to, marginalized and under-resourced communities.

2000 characters2023-2024Historical

Please describe why you are interested in the Global Health Equity Pathway and any experiences that have informed your decision to apply for this Pathway.

800 characters2024-2025Historical

How do you think participation in the Pathway will contribute to your future career plans and career development?

800 characters2024-2025Historical

What additional skills would you like to develop as part of the Pathway? What strengths do you currently have that may contribute to a global health or health equity project? (i.e., language, writing skills, advocacy work, monitoring and evaluation experience, data management/cleaning/analysis, website development, etc.)

800 characters2024-2025Historical

Other than healthcare access, what are some of the most important health care issues confronting medically underserved/under-resourced and vulnerable communities? How would you address them?

800 characters2024-2025Historical

Optional question: Please let us know if you have a mentor or organization with whom you would be excited to work as part of the Pathway and why you would like to work with this individual and/or organization. Mentors and organizations may be affiliated with DGSOM/UCLA or may be pre-existing relationships you developed prior to medical school. Note that you are not expected to have a DGSOM mentor and/or partner organization identified prior to arrival at DGSOM.

800 charactersOptional2024-2025Historical

Describe your most unique leadership, entrepreneurial, or creative activity. (800 characters)

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

Describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your pathway to medical school. Include any academic, personal, financial or professional barriers, as well as other relevant information. (800 characters)

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

Describe how this inequity has impacted you or your community and how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacted you and your community. (800 characters)

800 characters2021-2022Historical

Did you experience or are you anticipating time between graduating from college and matriculating into medical school? If you answered “Yes” to question 4, describe the activities in which you participated or are planning to participate. Examples include additional schooling, employment, or caring for a loved one. (800 characters)

800 characters2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Describe your most important volunteer work and why it was meaningful. (800 characters)

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

What is the most important social issue confronting the health of marginalized and under-resourced communities? Describe the first steps you would take to address this issue.

2000 characters2023-2024Historical

In what way will graduating from PRIME-LA and obtaining a master's degree enhance your career in health care or health services for marginalized and under-resourced communities? (If you are considering a specific master’s degree (e.g., MPP, MPH, MBA, etc.), please incorporate your graduate degree plans or aspirations into your answer)

2000 characters2023-2024Historical

What are your greatest strengths and your greatest challenges as you approach medical school?

2000 characters2023-2024Historical

Describe your most memorable experience as it relates to working with marginalized and under-resourced populations.

2000 characters2023-2024Historical

What are the major challenges you might face as medical student working in global health or health equity? How might you overcome these challenges?

800 characters2024-2025Historical

At the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, students are provided with curriculum and experiences enabling them to become an "Outstanding Physician, AND...," dedicating themselves to important societal missions. What missions do you want to embrace? What have you done toward your missions? (800 characters)

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

Are you re-applying to DGSOM? If you answered “Yes” to question 9, describe what has changed since you last applied to DGSOM. Please be specific. (800 characters)

800 characters2023-2024, 2025-2026School Staple

Please describe how your experience, community and family background impact your understanding of medically underserved/under-resourced communities.

800 characters2024-2025Historical

Do you identify as being part of a group that has been marginalized (examples include, but are not limited to, LGBTQIA, disabilities, federally recognized tribe) in terms of access to education or healthcare? If you answered “Yes” to question 5, describe how this inequity has impacted you or your community and how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacted you and your community. (800 characters)

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

Describe your most scholarly project (thesis, research or field of study in basic or clinical science or in the humanities) and provide the total number of hours, dates and advisor. (800 characters)

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