Washington University in St. Louis School of 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

   (Only required if you indicate you're not currently an undergrad) Have you already completed your undergraduate education, have you had your college or graduate education interrupted, or do you plan not to be a full-time student during your application year? If yes, describe in chronological order your activities during the time(s) when you were not enrolled as a full-time student.

   2000 charactersOptional
2. 02

   Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed.

   3000 characters
3. 03

   Is there anything else you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions?

   3000 characters
4. 04

   Have you, a family member, or a research mentor had any personal experience or relationship with WashU Medicine? If yes: Please explain.

   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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