Secondary Essay Prompts for the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Below are the secondary essay prompts for the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.
2019 – 2020
- Have you taken any online courses for credit? Y/N
- Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization? Y/N and list all awards received here.
- Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If Yes: Please describe your activities during this time in 500 characters or less.
- Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application? Y/N (1000 characters or less)
- Are there any special, unique, personal, or challenging aspects of your personal background or circumstances that you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions, not addressed elsewhere (siblings/relatives at Penn, applying as a couple, educational environment, culture, ethnicity, etc.) Y/N If Yes: Please explain and limit your response to 1,000 characters.
- Have you or your family experienced economic hardships? Y/N If Yes; Please explain briefly in 1,000 characters.
- Have you been employed at the University of Pennsylvania Health System or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and worked with a Penn faculty mentor? If yes, please indicate name, department, phone number of faculty, and start/end dates.
- Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters:
- The Perelman School of Medicine seeks to foster a safe and welcoming environment for all students. In this spirit, the following optional questions are asked about sexual orientation and gender identity.
You may choose to answer, one, both or none of these questions. This will not have any impact on your application and will not be shared as part of the admissions process. Rather, this information will enable us to better facilitate any visit that you have to the School of Medicine.
If none of the following designations adequately describe how you identify, please feel free to elaborate in the option marked “Other.” We recognize that improving our understanding of sexual and gender identities are a continuous process, and welcome your input.
Do you identify as (please check all that apply):
Heterosexual/Straight, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Asexual, Queer, OtherDo you identify as (please check all that apply):
Cisgender, Transgender, Gender non-conforming, Gender non-binary, OtherPlease let us know if you have a preferred name and/or preferred Gender Pronouns.
Note that your responses here will not be factored into your admissions decision. However, they can benefit you if you do end up receiving an interview invitation. Perelman wants prospective students who visit to have an experience that makes them feel safe and welcome. By answering these questions, they’ll be able to connect you with helpful school ambassadors who can show you what resources they have available to students who are part of these underrepresented groups.
2018 – 2019
MD:
- Have you taken any online courses for credit?
- Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization?
- Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If you answer yes, a 1,000 char prompt to elaborate appears.
- Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?
- Are there any special, unique, personal, or challenging aspects of your personal background or circumstances that you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions, not addressed elsewhere (siblings/relatives at Penn, applying as a couple, educational environment, culture, ethnicity, etc.) (1000 characters if you answer yes)
- Have you or your family experienced economic hardships? (1000 characters if yes)
- Have you been employed at the University of Pennsylvania Health System or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and worked with a Penn faculty mentor? If yes, please indicate name, department, phone number of faculty, and start/end dates
- Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters.
- Sexual and Gender Identity (optional)
Do you identify as (please check all that apply):
- Heterosexual/Straight
- Gay
- Lesbian
- Bisexual
- Asexual
- Queer
- Other
Do you identify as (please check all that apply):
- Cisgender
- Transgender
- Gender non-conforming
- Gender non-binary
- Other
- Please let us know if you have a preferred name and/or preferred Gender Pronouns.
MSTP:
Additional pages to check your preferred research group at the time of application (History and Sociology of Medicine, Anthropology, and Business/Economics have further requirements). Also a 500 character box to list keywords related to your research interests.
Below are the secondary essay prompts for the University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine.
2017 – 2018
- The University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine community and bring educational benefits to our student body. (1000 characters)
- Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application? (1000 characters)
- Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine and how do you think your education at University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (1 page, formatted at your discretion, upload as PDF)
2016 – 2017
- Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization? If so, please describe; each line allows 100 characters. (Please do not list awards from high school or earlier.)
- Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If yes, please limit to 500 characters to describe your plans.
- Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application? If yes, limit to 1000 characters to describe.
- Are there any special, unique, personal, or challenging aspects of your personal background or circumstances that you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions, not addressed elsewhere (siblings/relatives at Penn, applying as a couple, educational environment, culture, ethnicity, etc.) If yes, limit to 1000 characters.
- Have you or your family experienced economic hardships? If yes, limit to 1000 characters.
- Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine. Limit your response to 1,000 characters.
Secondary essay webcast with Dr. Jessica Freedman, founder and president of MedEdits Medical Admissions. Read more about Dr. Freedman.

University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine
Topics covered in this presentation:
- When should I submit my secondary essays?
- Pay attention to the word/character limits.
- Can I recycle secondary essay prompts for multiple schools?
- Identify topics that you left out of your primary application.
- And, much more.
University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine Admissions Requirements
Learn more about this school:
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162 USA
Secondary Essay Prompts for Other Schools
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Secondary Essay Prompts By School
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Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles
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Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento
University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine, Riverside
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla
University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco
Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine–California (TUCOM-CA), Vallejo
Western University of Health Sciences/ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (Western U/COMP), Pomona
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami
Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee
University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando
University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus (LECOM Bradenton), Bradenton
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM), Fort Lauderdale
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, North Chicago
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood
Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield
University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago
University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago
Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University (CCOM), Downers Grove
Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Mount Pleasant
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor
Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM), East Lansing
Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, Columbia
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis
A.T. Still University–Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM), Kirksville
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM), Kansas City
Albany Medical College, Albany
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx
City University of New York School of Medicine, New York
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York
Hofstra North Shore – Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
New York Medical College, Valhalla
New York University School of Medicine, New York
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, Brooklyn
State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse
Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), Old Westbury
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine–New York (TouroCOM-NY), New York City
Duke University School of Medicine, Durham
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, WinstonSalem
Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM), Lillington
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland
Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus
The University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM), Athens
Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey
Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
The Commonwealth Medical College, Scranton
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), Erie
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City
Meharry Medical College, Nashville
University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Memphis
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville
Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM), Harrogate
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Bryan
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock
The University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio, San Antonio
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin
University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine, Galveston
University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Harlingen
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Southwestern Medical
University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM), San Antonio
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM), Ft. Worth
Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk
University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM), Lynchburg
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine–Virginia Campus (VCOM-Virginia), Blacksburg
*Data collected from MSAR 2022-2023, 2022 Osteopathic Medical College Information Book, and institution website.
Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on each medical school’s website. MedEdits does not guarantee it’s accuracy or authenticity.