Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont 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

   The Larner College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes active in-person participation and peer co-learning. This relies on individual students preparing for, and being actively involved in, participatory class sessions. Please share your thoughts on the suitability of active learning for you. Consider the points below to guide your response. - The value of balancing your learning with the teaching of your classmates. - Any potential challenges to this approach to learning. - Personal contributions to such a learning environment and areas of growth. - Examples of navigating a group learning process such as a flipped classroom experience.

   400 words
2. 02

   The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont recognizes that diversity extends beyond chosen and unchosen identities and encompasses an individual's entire experiences. Diverse environments can promote growth and provide an opportunity for reflection. Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself and how that challenged your preconceptions or biases. How will this experience influence your behavior in the future?

   400 words
3. 03

   The Larner College of Medicine has core values that are reflected in our professionalism statement. How has your understanding of what professionalism means evolved over time? Reflect on a personal experience that contributed to your understanding of your own core values.

   300 words
4. 04

   What unique opportunities at Larner College of Medicine would be meaningful to you in your education and how do these align with your larger goal of becoming a physician?

   250 words
5. 05

   Use this space to share any information, not presented elsewhere, that will clarify any aspect of your application. If you are a reapplicant, you may choose to share what you have done since your previous application.

   250 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.
• Heads up: this school also requires CASPer, so build that into your timeline alongside the essays.