Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

The 2025-2026 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

   If not currently enrolled in a full-time academic program, please summarize your activities from the time of graduation from your baccalaureate program through the time of this application, as well as your plans between now and your matriculation to medical school.

   75 words
2. 02

   Is there a unique aspect of your application that should be considered by the admissions committee?

   75 words
3. 03

   Explain why you decided to apply to the Penn State College of Medicine.

   75 words
4. 04

   Write a short paragraph describing a significant experience you have had working in a team setting.

   250 words
5. 05

   Write a short statement describing how you envision using your medical education to advance care for under-resourced communities or groups that have been historically marginalized or made vulnerable.

   250 words

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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