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University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine

Galveston, TX

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

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16 prompts in the archive

Please select 2 of the 5 below essay prompts to respond to (300 word count):

300 word count2023-2024Historical

There will also be an asynchronous Video you need to complete via SparkHire, follow the instructions given.

No character/word limit2023-2024Historical

Describe, as best you can, your vision for your future in terms of where you want to live and how you want to practice medicine. Is there any particular area or specialty that appeals to you? (300 words)

300 words2021-2022Historical

What attributes do you look for in your physician(s)? Which of these attributes do you need to develop? How will you develop them?

300 words or less2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Describe a time when you advocated for someone whose social identity (e.g., race, gender, sex, religion, socioeconomic status, ability status, etc.) differed from yours. Explain the situation and why advocacy was necessary.

300 word count2022-2023, 2023-2024Historical

Describe a time when you learned in a team. How will this experience help you as a medical student?

300 words or less2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Describe a time when you made a mistake. How did you acknowledge it, respond, and remediate the situation?

300 words or less2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Scientific inquiry is important for being a physician. Define a time when you engaged in scientific inquiry and how do you think it would help you be a better physician?

300 words or less2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Do you have any work experience and if so, how do you think those skills will help you as a physician?

300 words or less2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

What does health equity mean to you? How will you as a physician promote health equity and foster diversity and inclusion? (300 words)

300 words2021-2022Historical

John Sealy School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch serves patients throughout Texas, focusing on Galveston County and the Gulf Coast Region. Are there particular characteristics of our school and/or the Galveston area in terms of location, history, or other attributes that make you especially interested in matriculating here?

300 words or less2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026School Staple

Describe, if relevant, circumstances in your life that represent a hardship (e.g. financial difficulties, illness, educational disadvantage). How have these circumstances impacted you, and how do you believe they will impact your practice of medicine? (300 words)

300 words2021-2022Historical

Describe a situation where you have sought to enrich and/or improve the life of another individual.

300 word maximum2022-2023Historical

Describe a time you navigated a challenging circumstance. How will this experience help you succeed in medical school or as a physician?

300 word maximum2022-2023Historical

How do you define curiosity? Provide an example in which curiosity helped solve or expand your knowledge and experience outside of the academic environment.

300 word count2022-2023, 2023-2024Historical

Describe a time you were wrong. Why were you wrong? How did you respond?

300 word count2022-2023, 2023-2024Historical