A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine Arizona Secondary Essay Prompts

The 2026-2027 prompts

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Collected from public applicant reports. Prompts occasionally change mid cycle, so confirm against your own secondary portal before you submit.

1. 01

   What particular qualities do you feel that you can bring to ATSU SOMA?

   500 words
2. 02

   Discuss a situation in which you had to persevere despite facing obstacles or setbacks. How did you maintain your motivation and keep moving forward towards your goals?

   500 words
3. 03

   Tell us about a mistake you made that had consequences for yourself or others. How did you respond in the moment, what responsibility did you take, and what did you learn about accountability and integrity from the experience?

   500 words
4. 04

   Is there anything else you would like to share with the SOMA Admissions Committee about your application?

   500 wordsOptional

How to write these well

• Turn secondaries around within 7 to 14 days of receiving them. Schools read speed as interest, and slow essays land in a bigger pile.
• Pre-write the universal question types (diversity, challenge, why us) once, then adapt per school. Adapting is rewriting the school specific half, not swapping the name.
• Name real programs. A why us answer that cites a specific clinic, track, or community partnership reads ten times stronger than praise for reputation or location.
• Stay under the limit without padding to reach it. Readers are working through thousands of these; a tight answer is a kindness they remember.

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