Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine 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

   Please provide an example that indicates your ability to function effectively as a productive member of a team working toward a common objective. Elaborate on leadership roles you held in this capacity and how you solved problems that arose. Indicate highlights learned from this experience.

   4000 characters
2. 02

   Please share some personal examples of problem solving in a team environment and/or leadership experience that would lead to your success in a Problem Based Learning environment.

   4000 characters
3. 03

   At the NSU MD program, we value the unique perspective that each applicant brings. Identify any traits, life experiences, or interests that a professor or advisor would not normally know about you.

   4000 characters
4. 04

   How has your academic work beyond the "traditional" pre-medical school requirements (i.e., introductory biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and introductory physics) prepared you for medical school and for a career in medicine? Please highlight any service-learning activities that align with humanism in medicine.

   4000 characters
5. 05

   Have you encountered significant personal or professional challenges that have shaped your motivation to pursue a career in medicine and service to others?

   4000 characters
6. 06

   If applicable, please describe how your experience with challenges has informed your perspective, decision-making, or approach to helping others. You may include reflections on your educational path, life experiences, or other formative events. If not applicable, please type NA.

   4000 charactersOptional

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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