Duke University School of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts
Avg GPA
3.91
Avg MCAT
520
Class size
123
SJT required
None
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.
- 01
Share with us your story.
400 words - 02
Trust and rapport are essential in your day-to-day interactions with people. How do you build a relationship with a person who may be very different from you?
400 words - 03
Describe a situation in which you chose to advocate for someone or for a cause different than yours. Define your view of advocacy. What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate?
400 words - 04
Describe a time when you received feedback following a setback. What did you do to implement change?
400 words - 05
What do you value most as a leader and as a contributor? What attributes do you possess as a leader and as a team member and how do you apply them on a daily basis?
400 words - 06
Critical thinking involves a number of characteristics. Describe any research experience or similar experience in which you utilized critical thinking. How will critical thinking be important in your future career?
400 words - 07
Drawing from your clinical experiences, how have you fostered a connection with people?
400 words - 08
Which personal quality or skill of yours have you found to be the most beneficial in building relationships within your community?
400 words - 09
Please let us know any additional information that you would like us to consider while reviewing your application.
400 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.
Draft your Duke University secondaries in your own voice
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