Secondary Essay Prompts – University of Pennsylvania Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine

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:

1. Have you taken any online courses for credit?
2. Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization?
3. 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.
4. Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?
5. 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)
6. Have you or your family experienced economic hardships? (1000 characters if yes)
7. 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
8. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters.
9. 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.

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

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