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February 12, 2024

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Tips and Deadlines [2023-2024]

The website of Harvard Medical School (HMS) is a treasure trove of information for applicants. Is HMS right for you? It could be if you are, as the school says , “self-motivated, visionary in …[your] ambition, and compassionate in …[your] approach to the art of healing.” HMS highlights the importance of diversity in its Mission Statement, as a critical component of campus culture, and as a factor in promoting excellence in medicine. As you approach your secondary application, aligning your answers with HMS’s community values will offer you the opportunity to highlight work you have done in global outreach, community engagement, social justice, teamwork, and academic discovery.  

Harvard Medical School 2023-2024 Secondary Application Essay Questions

Harvard secondary essay #1.

If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation.  (4000 characters maximum)

This essay is strictly for students who have already graduated from an undergraduate institution. Explain any work you have done in the interim, as well as any volunteer activities and MCAT plans, in whatever order you choose. Provide details about the level of your responsibilities, what you are learning, the impact you’re having on the community you are working with, and/or how the experience is influencing your life goals as a future physician. Provide clear and succinct summaries that  demonstrate HMS’s core commitments , as presented on the school’s website. If you are a reapplicant, highlight activities that might rectify any weakness in your earlier AMCAS application. Your answers should convey your engagement with the work that you’re doing, revealing what’s rich in opportunity, growth, and learning. Think about and convey why the work is, or has been, a wise way to use your time during the gap year.

Harvard Secondary Essay #2

If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity not addressed elsewhere in the application that may illuminate how you could contribute to the medical school and that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, or other aspects of your personal or family background to place your prior academic achievements in context or provide further information about your motivation for a career in medicine or the perspectives you might bring to the medical school community. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. (4000 characters)

This prompt is open-ended on purpose. As you write, keep the part of the prompt that says, “how you could contribute to the medical school” at the forefront of your mind. The admissions committee is providing you with an opportunity to share something unique about yourself. For example, were you raised by a relative? Were you raised by a single mom? Does someone in your family have a disability? Are you a person of color? Did your race or ethnicity influence what opportunities you had access to? Were you raised in a non-English-speaking household? Did you attend a diverse public school? Did any of these circumstances affect your educational opportunities or progress? Take care to ensure that the story you tell is not already shared in a different part of your application.

The words “important” and “significant” are key here. As the prompt itself notes, “Many applicants will not need to answer this question.” If you do not have an aspect of your background or identity you feel could genuinely be deemed “important” or “significant,” do not respond to this prompt. 

Harvard Secondary Essay #3 (Optional)

The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.)

If you were personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, describe your – and, if relevant, your family’s — experience here. If you or a family member contracted the virus, this prompt gives you an opportunity to explain, as a future doctor, how you learned something from the experience of being a patient or related to a patient. (Generally, when someone becomes seriously sick, their whole family — and sometimes, their entire community — is afflicted.) Chances are, you had an experience that has helped you understand compassion, empathy, or sympathy on a deeper level. How was that a valuable experience for you as a future doctor?

If you were affected professionally or educationally, you might have chronicled this in your activities. What might not be evident on the activities list, though, is that even though COVID-19 might have curtailed your scribe work or delayed your taking of the MCAT, the disruption engendered other volunteer opportunities. If so, how did you help? And by helping, what did you learn about or from a vulnerable community (or those in need) by seeking and doing a selfless act to be of assistance to others during this time?

Harvard Secondary Essay #4

The interview season for the 2023-2024 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2024. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank. (1000 characters)

Simply answer this question by providing the information requested.

Hopefully, the next step in the med school application process for you will be your HMS interview. And the best way to prepare for your interview is to practice, practice, practice with a med school admissions expert who understands the system and who will give you feedback and guidance throughout the process. Schedule a 30-minute free consultation with an Accepted consultant today.

Harvard Secondary Essay #5

ESSAY FOR APPLICATIONS TO THE HARVARD-MIT DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (HST) Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering). Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities).  (4000 characters)

Innovations in medicine abound across academic disciplines. In particular, Harvard is interested in sophisticated medical technology and data application systems that solve unmet health care needs. What experience or education in technology or engineering have you had? How does this tie into medical innovation? How has your experience with or education in technology or engineering prepared you to “fit” this hybrid program? What is the intersection of technology (or engineering or social sciences) and medicine for which you are a good fit? What research or experience do you have with this interdisciplinary intersection? Tell Harvard about that research/experience and its potential influence on health care in the future.

Take particular notice of the second parenthetical comment in the prompt: “rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities.” Avoid, at all costs, writing what the program can do for you . Rather,  how are you a good fit  for the HST MD track? How are you uniquely suited to thrive and succeed with this hybrid opportunity? Your answer should convey your knowledge of the program’s mission and a thorough understanding of the relevance of your hybrid expertise to healthcare innovation and improving healthcare outcomes.

Applying to Harvard Medical School? Here are some stats :

Harvard Medical School average MCAT score: 520.59

Harvard Medical School average GPA: 3.9

Harvard Medical School applications for the Class of 2027: 6,986

Harvard Medical School class size, Class of 2027: 164

Has this blog post helped you feel more confident about approaching your Harvard Medical School application? We hope so. It’s our mission to help smart, talented applicants like you gain acceptance to your dream school. With so much at stake, why not hire a consultant whose expertise and personalized guidance can help you take the next step on your journey to becoming a doctor? We have several flexible consulting options — click here to get started today !

Harvard Medical School application timeline 2023-2024

Source: HMS website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Harvard Medical School directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

As the former assistant dean of student affairs and career development at the William Beaumont School of Medicine, Dr. Valerie Wherely worked directly with the dean of the School of Medicine, the associate dean of student affairs, the associate dean of clinical curriculum, and the assistant dean of admissions, as well as with Year 4 students on both residency application reviews/critiques and mock interview preparation.

Dr. Mary Mahoney, PhD, is the medical humanities director at Elmira College and has more than 20 years of experience as an advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. She is a tenured English professor with an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a PhD in literature and writing from the University of Houston. For the past 20 years, Mary has served as a grad school advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. Want Mary to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Make the Most of Your Experiences for ERAS
• Do’s and Don’ts of Medical School Recommendation Letters
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for Med School Applicants

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50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays

Staff of the harvard crimson.

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2020

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Successful Harvard Medical School Essays | 2023

With a consistently competitive pool of applicants submitting essays to top medical schools each year, it is essential to gain a high-level understanding of what a successful application reads like. Browse through our list of successful medical school applications below from students who were accepted to elite universities and hear from expert college consultants on what made these pieces a success.

...and more!

Andrew's Essay

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In addition to our study abroad programs, IMA offers comprehensive medical school admissions advising. Our team of seasoned consultants, including former admissions committee members from top medical schools, provides personalized guidance at every step of the application process. From crafting compelling personal statements to mastering medical school interviews, we equip students with the tools and strategies necessary to stand out in the highly competitive admissions landscape.

At International Medical Aid, we are passionate about helping the next generation of healthcare professionals reach their goals. With our global perspective, deep industry expertise, and commitment to each student's success, IMA is your partner on the journey to a fulfilling career in medicine.

Successful Harvard Medical School Essay

I vividly recall the surge of emotion and chills that ran down my spine as I wandered through the free health clinic in a rural, impoverished Salvadoran town. I met a kind nurse who cared for hundreds of patients by herself. She showed me her two tiny examination rooms, both littered with overly used equipment. It was sobering, but inspiring. No experience has been more impactful than witnessing the need for accessible, quality healthcare, especially in an area so close to my heart. Twenty-two years ago, my family adopted me from El Salvador. Over that time, they showed me how to care about people, keep a sharp focus on my goals, and always deliver on my word. Their teaching by example, coupled with the realization of just how fortunate I am, has led me to my passion. I want to spend the rest of my life helping others improve theirs, and believe that becoming a physician is how I’ll do it.

I want to spend the rest of my life helping others improve theirs, and believe that becoming a physician is how I'll do it.

My decision to pursue medicine began with a great deal of pain. It was the end of my eighth grade basketball season, in the semi-finals of a tournament. During the third quarter, I stole the ball from the other team, and dribbled up the court on a fast break. As I elevated for a layup, an opposing player charged into my body. SNAP! I immediately felt severe discomfort running up my leg, and knew something was very wrong. As the trainers helped me off the court, I watched the swelling around my ankle continue to grow. My first trip to the emergency room resulted in an inconclusive diagnosis, and a scheduled appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.

The next day, I was diagnosed with a fractured ankle, which unfortunately meant my season was over. The orthopedic surgeon’s vast knowledge of anatomy and physiology and explanation of my injury using X-rays captivated my attention, and sparked my interest in medicine. Over the next six weeks, I rehabilitated my ankle and returned to sports as healthy and quickly as possible. Grasping the impact of a medical profession, I set out to become a physician.

Setting goals was a habit growing up. Academics and sports were my primary focus, and in grade school, I dreamt of playing a varsity sport and set a goal in fourth grade to graduate as valedictorian of my class. These goals shaped the next eight years of my life, as I learned to balance schoolwork with playing sports. I was determined to excel inside and outside of the classroom, and worked very hard.

Throughout high school, I strove for academic and athletic excellence. Through dedication and perseverance, I started for three years in basketball and baseball, was named captain of both teams as a senior, led both teams to playoff appearances, and graduated as class valedictorian. While my academic and athletic experiences were very fulfilling, the highlight of my time in high school was sharing my love for sports and academics with children. Every summer, I volunteered to help my coaches run camps for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. During these camps, I taught the fundamentals of the game and emphasized the importance of determination, commitment, and teamwork. Coaching the kids was extremely rewarding, and allowed me to develop an even temper and positive attitude, even in stressful situations. This experience also helped me discover a strong interest in teaching that I hope to develop as a physician.

In college, I’ve had extensive shadowing experience. One unforgettable moment came in the emergency room when a patient coded. I watched as physicians and nurses urgently tried to stabilize the patient, to no avail. I learned two challenging lessons from the patient’s passing: medicine affects patients, their families, and healthcare professionals equally, and witnessing death is unavoidable when working in medicine. These lessons, among many others learned through my shadowing experiences, have provided me with invaluable insight into the daily life of physicians and surgeons, as well as the demands and rewards medicine offers.

Medicine affects patients, their families, and healthcare professionals equally, and witnessing death is unavoidable when working in medicine.

Although my shadowing experience was enjoyable, I desired to learn more about the aspect of medicine that shapes clinical practice–research. Through my research experiences, I discovered the intricate relationship between research and clinical medicine. As I spent a summer studying tendon development with some of the world’s brightest minds in Boston, the importance of collaboration and perseverance in effectively translating research from bench to bedside became clear. Now, I hope to combine my love for medicine with my research interests to broaden the scope of my work. This approach will be personally fulfilling while enabling me to make a valuable contribution to biomedical science. Life experiences shape us as individuals. An unfortunate sports injury sparked my interest in medicine, while clinical and research experiences and a visit to a clinic in my birth country further strengthened my ambition. Ultimately, I hope to return to that Salvadoran clinic as a medical student and physician to provide quality healthcare to those in need. I’m excited about moving forward and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Professional Review by International Medical Aid

This great example of the AMCAS personal statement makes the thesis clear from the start which is that of the writer’s wish to ensure “good health” by “doing more”.

The narrative presents this thesis through specific examples that gradually broaden in scope: from “my little brother” to “the stranger in the grocery storey.” It also expands across social segments, when the writer finds myriad meanings for “good health” across “countries, cultures and individuals”.

Technical terms are used to show knowledge of medical practices while also revealing curiosity and aptitude for clinical research.

The second part of the thesis, which is to “do more”, is presented through two compelling arguments: that research and medicine are always evolving, and that there is always more to be done. Technical terms are used to show knowledge of medical practices while also revealing curiosity and aptitude for clinical research.

The essay then shifts to how being an ‘extraordinary physician’ involves being empathetic and paying attention to socioeconomic factors. The generalization that medicine is both a science and an art since it touches humans is well-situated in contextual examples of underrepresented groups in Guatemala and Kenya.

The wish to “do more” reveals the writer’s growth mindset as well as a passion for medicine in simple but effective words that befit the personal statement.

Keizra’s Essay

Every future doctor experiences some level of self-doubt when applying to medical school. We empower aspiring physicians to identify the unique qualities that make them great doctors of the future. Our MD admissions consultants help applicants like you weave these qualities into a compelling narrative in every aspect of the medical school application. Using a proven methodology that has been tried and tested over 15 years with more than 1000 successful applicants, we help you approach the admissions process with the confidence to get into your ideal medical school.

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I sat in the US Senate’s Hart Building, memo in hand, nervously awaiting my chance to explain the complexities of an FDA draft guidance to staffers working on the Senate counterpart to the 21st Century Cures bill. This FDA draft guidance would, if finalized, increase the regulatory burden on laboratories developing genetic tests. Although nearly all the scientists I interviewed felt this guidance would unreasonably slow the integration of Next Generation Sequencing genetic tests into diagnostics, I learned that their story ignored the many inadequacies which currently plague genetic testing.

As I began to explain my memo, I thought of the first time I watched a doctor offer a genetic test to a patient. Dr. Patel, a geriatric psychiatrist, was offering a test to help determine which drugs might be most effective for her schizophrenic patient. This test seemed to offer an alternative to a frustrating experience that many patients face: trying various medication regimens to see which works best. The patient’s excitement was palpable, but I couldn’t help but recognize the sad truth that for this patient, a person of color, the diagnostic tools could be less than perfectly reliable. In a world where 80% of the DNA in genetic databases is European, I struggled knowing that these tests are significantly less effective for people of color than for individuals of European descent.

These hidden inequalities in emerging diagnostic tools, when combined with existing inequalities in access to care, have solidified my desire to work as a physician to care for marginalized individuals. As a doctor, I hope to help vulnerable patients access the care they desire while treating them with the respect they deserve, a goal I have looked to advance prior to medical school. During my first two years at Duke, I had countless conversations with my peers about the pressure they felt to embody “effortless perfection.” This expectation, whether self or culturally imposed, created a stigma around speaking out about one’s struggles, fears, and insecurities, which in turn led to a wariness towards accessing campus mental health resources. While Vice President of Equity and Outreach on Duke Student Government, I made combating “effortless perfection” my priority. I felt it was time to give students a space to discuss their struggles and make mental health resources more accessible. These experiences led me to create Duke’s first Mental Health Awareness Month. One particular event, a panel for students suffering from mental illness to discuss their experiences, was attended by over 100 students. Through the month’s programming, students were able to find strength and support in the recognition that they were not alone in their struggles. As a physician, I hope to leverage this understanding to create a space in my exam room where I work to understand and affirm patients’ experiences in the hopes that I can make their illnesses less isolating.

I hope to leverage this understanding to create a space in my exam room where I work to understand and affirm patients' experiences.

Though it was extraordinarily fulfilling to create awareness of accessible mental health resources, I also sought to combat another impediment to care: access. This year, I have worked to provide abortion access to women who cannot afford their procedures through the DC Abortion Fund. As a case manager, I work with women in all stages of their abortion access process. For some, I simply help them close the gap in their funding. For others, I work with them from start, finding a clinic, all the way to finish, helping to fund the procedure. This work has revealed to me the mountain of circumstances that vulnerable women seeking funding for abortion face. Every time I call a patient, the first question I ask is, “Can I leave a voicemail on this phone and can I identify myself?” This question is a constant reminder that for many of these women, accessing this care is an act of resistance against circumstances outside of their control like homelessness, domestic abuse, and poverty.

One of the patients I aided, Ms. E, found out she was pregnant while at an urgent care appointment for debilitating anxiety. She only learned about the Fund because her physician sat with her in the exam room helping Google resources for abortion care. This physician recognized that without adequate resources, her patient would not have the agency to choose her next steps. As a physician, I will view it as my highest responsibility to understand patients’ lives and circumstances. Without understanding the systemic barriers many patients face, I do not believe one can optimally care for a patient. Even when a patient has access to care, I know that treating vulnerable patients demands cultural understanding. While shadowing Dr. Lo, a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia, I saw first-hand how physicians can utilize their knowledge to create a safe space. I watched Dr. Lo work with a transgender-identifying patient seeking cosmetic surgery as a part of her gender confirmation process. Dr. Lo treated this patient with dignity and respect through the simple act of using her correct pronoun, ignoring the fact that her birth name and gender were associated with her insurance. This simple act of recognizing a patient’s true identity reminded me of the vital need for good doctors: I can only hope to one day be among their number.

Professional Review by Admissions Helpers

Several features make Keizra’s essay strong and engaging. First, the essay contains a unifying theme that gives the reader a clear sense of the applicant’s motivations. Using different examples and anecdotes throughout the essay, Keizra demonstrates their commitment to working with “marginalized” and “vulnerable” individuals.

Keizra demonstrates their commitment to working with marginalized and vulnerable individuals.

This essay also demonstrates an awareness of some of the key challenges in today’s healthcare system. Specifically, Keizra discusses inequity in genetic testing for people of color, the impact of social determinants on access to critical healthcare services like abortion, and the need for inclusivity for diverse patients including members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The strength in this discussion is that Keizra directly connects each challenge to their lived experiences.

Finally, each of the different ideas presented in the essay are explicitly tied to the applicant’s desire to become a physician, allowing the reader to understand why and how their experiences have shaped their motivations. When writing about genetic testing, mental health services for college students, and caring for Ms. E, Keizra’s essay does an excellent job highlighting the kind of doctor they aspire to be.

While the essay is strong overall, there is opportunity for improvement. The explanation Keizra offers about why they want to be a physician (in the 3rd paragraph) could be further developed. In particular, one can’t help but wonder why Keizra wants to fight the inequalities as a physician and not through another career such as politics or public health? The reasons why Keizra wants to practice clinical medicine are not clearly articulated. The essay also ends fairly abruptly, failing to give the reader a cohesive and memorable closing argument. Ideally, a personal statement ends by providing reflections on the key ideas presented and pulling everything together with a powerful summative statement. This is difficult with limited space but could have nevertheless been achieved by rewording and omitting certain details in other areas of the essay.

Mark's Essay

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Once enrolled in our programs, you gain access to our open booking system, allowing you to schedule one-on-one meetings with our Advocate Team at any time. We dedicate hundreds of hours to understanding your unique story, strengths, and aspirations, which informs our guidance and helps you craft a standout narrative for the competitive medical school admissions process. This approach has led to a 100% acceptance rate among our program graduates.

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“You have all the time.”

"Jay" was an advanced heart failure patient, unsure whether to continue treatment. But he needed to make a decision quickly. His EKG read “ventricular tachycardia.” Dr. D, though, saw the situation differently: Jay had “all the time.”

I analyze conversations like this in the LAB NAME Lab, where we study patient-physician communication, trying to understand what it means to provide patient-centered care. My research begins with the question: What is interesting in this encounter? In this interaction, Dr. D’s remark—“you have all the time”—caught my eye. It didn’t make sense. Jay’s arrhythmia was potentially life-threatening: he had no time. Surely, Dr. D, a cardiologist, knew this. And while Dr. D was personable in his other encounters with patients, he had never prioritized talking over treating. Why then, with Jay, did he ignore the “medical” side of medicine? At the time, I thought patient care revolved around somatic intervention. I was an EMT, after all. My job was to save people: if someone was bleeding, I didn’t stop to chat. I wrapped their bleed.

However, months later, my perception of medicine slowly began to change. Working as an EMT, I was dispatched to “Leo.” UNIVERSITY NAME staff had dialed 911 as he was heavily intoxicated. Immediately, Leo announced that he was fine; “You can leave,” he said to me. The situation seemed strange, though: alcohol by himself on a Monday afternoon? I thought: Should I ask Leo why he was drinking? But, perhaps, Leo was unable to be vulnerable around all the strangers in their uniforms. Hesitantly, I asked my partner and the mass of firefighters to step outside. I thought I could get Leo to open up. I recall sitting at eye level with him, considering what to say, aware of everyone outside, unsure if I was wasting their time. But in the end, I just talked—student to student. I described my life: how it felt to be away from family; how I missed home. Leo said nothing; so I kept speaking, conscious of myself. There was more silence, but then he replied, “I miss home too.” I waited for more; and Leo continued, “I need help.”

Our ability to talk—student to student, not EMT to student—allowed us to be honest with each other.

My interaction with Leo was at odds with my own understanding of medicine at that point; not once did I offer him an assessment of his blood pressure or his multicolored vomit. But had I done those things—focused on Leo’s physical condition—our encounter might have ended differently. I may never have discovered his intent to commit self-harm. Leo chose to be open with me, I think, because he trusted me, because I was open with him. Our ability to talk—student to student, not EMT to student—allowed us to be honest with each other. A disconnect between Leo and me would have failed both to address the root of his problem and to treat him as more than a brief emergency.

Now, I think that I better understand Dr. D’s remark to Jay. Maybe, he sought to humanize Jay, to reinforce his agency as a patient in a place that dealt with his physical ailments. Jay’s choice would have implications for the rest of his life. Perhaps, Dr. D wanted Jay to know that he was the decision-maker, that he controlled his own future. To Dr. D, the other aspect of medicine—the human side—was just as important as all the medications and IVs and drugs and shocks. I’ve begun to see that a physician’s work is stereoscopic. There is the intriguing and challenging human element, the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with patients. Then there is the somatic aspect, the chance to treat difficult medical conditions. I am drawn to medicine because of this duality.

As a physician, I’d like to develop my own ability to simultaneously practice the technical and personal elements of medicine. I think that patient-centered care might give my patients more than a fixed knee or a lower heart rate. Hopefully, they would feel healed, helped, respected—not as if I were just interested in fixing their physical ailments. I also think I’d enjoy medicine more if I could connect with my patients: talk to them as people, not just patients.

But, through the LAB NAME Lab, I’ve seen how difficult it can be to combine the objective and human sides of medicine. In patient-physician encounters, one of these two sides is often left out—it is hard to ask patients about their dogs when their livers are failing. Moreover, I’m not sure I can deconstruct Dr. D’s ability to communicate with patients like Jay: put it into a single competency that all doctors must master. It isn’t just empathy, honesty, or authenticity. I might describe it as humanity, the ability to talk to others without a machine-produced script. However, textbooks don’t feature a “How to Communicate Like Dr. D” section, and it isn’t a skill I imagine I will ever be done learning. The challenge of medicine appeals to me, though. I want a career in which I can constantly discover more.

Ultimately, I don’t expect to learn only in the clinic or hospital as a doctor. I will continue to do research on patient-physician communication. My work will likely inform my future medical practice, and, maybe, eventually I could teach what I’ve learned to residents and medical students.

As Dr. D has shown me, a physician’s work is complex and demanding. But the result can give patients like Jay “all the time.”

Professional Review by Premed Advocates

The compelling Personal Statement you've just read exemplifies the power of introspective storytelling. The author's reflection, highlighting his evolving understanding of medicine and future ambitions, led to acceptances and scholarships from prestigious medical schools like Johns Hopkins, Yale, Duke, UCLA, Mayo, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Mt Sinai.

At PreMed Advocates, we help create personal statements that keep the applicant as the central figure of the narrative. While many personal statements tend to recount the applicant's journey to medical school, often involving personal illness experiences or “inspirational” patient-doctor interactions, these narratives can inadvertently shift the focus onto the stories of others, and away from you—the main character.

Our reflective storytelling approach keeps your unique perspective at the heart of your personal statement.

Our reflective storytelling approach keeps your unique perspective at the heart of your personal statement. Through collaborative brainstorming, meticulous editing, and interview preparation, we guide applicants in transforming their experiences into a compelling narrative. Our method is also deeply rooted in our thorough understanding of medical school admissions rubrics and processes, which we've derived from extensive research and detailed profiling of each institution.

The PreMed Advocates difference lies in our unique approach. We equip our applicants with the tools they need to succeed, and supplement this with personalized, one-on-one guidance.

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50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays

Description.

Fifty all-new essays that got their authors into Harvard Medical School, including MCAT scores, showing what worked, what didn't, and how you can do it too. Competition to get into the nation's top medical schools has never been more intense. Harvard Medical School in particular draws thousands of elite applicants from around the world. As admissions departments become increasingly selective, even the best and brightest need an edge. Writing a personal statement is a daunting part of the application process. In less than 5,300 characters, applicants must weave together experiences and passions into a memorable narrative to set them apart from thousands of other applicants. While there is no magic formula for writing the perfect essay, picking up this book will put them on the right track. 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays is the first in a new line of books published by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson. It includes fifty standout essays from students who successfully secured a spot at Harvard Medical School. Each student has a unique set of experiences that led them to medicine. Each essay includes analysis by Crimson editors on essay qualities and techniques that worked, so readers can apply them to their own writing. This book will aid applicants in composing essays that reveal their passion for medicine and the discipline they will bring to this demanding program and profession. It will give them the extra help they need to get into the best medical school programs in the world.

OverDrive Read

• ISBN: 9781250244482
• Release date: May 5, 2020
• File size: 1084 KB

OverDrive Read EPUB ebook

Study Aids & Workbooks Nonfiction

Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

OverDrive Read ISBN: 9781250244482 Release date: May 5, 2020

EPUB ebook ISBN: 9781250244482 File size: 1084 KB Release date: May 5, 2020

• Staff of the Harvard Crimson - Author
• Formats OverDrive Read EPUB ebook
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Harvard Medical School Secondary Essays: Tips To Stand Out & Prompts

• Cracking Med School Admissions

The most important tip to keep in mind as you write your Harvard Medical School secondary essays is to make sure you have a vision to change healthcare and that you show ways in which you’ve already tried to pursue that vision through your extra-curricular activities. Getting accepted to Harvard Medical School (HMS) is hard. Very hard. Submitting an OUTSTANDING Harvard Medical School secondary application is vital to receiving an interview invite, which ultimately can lead to an acceptance. If you have questions about how to write your Harvard secondary essays, contact us below or email us at [email protected] . We have numerous mentees get interviewed and accepted to Harvard Medical School (Pathways, HST, and MSTP) throughout the years!

HMS loves to recruit the best of the best, students from all backgrounds. Therefore, almost all med school applicants receive a Harvard secondary application.

Questions for Harvard Medical School do not change year to year. This is a good medical school secondary to pre-write. Harvard secondaries have large character limit, so it’s like writing more personal statements. However, there are not too many Harvard Medical School secondary essays, so we think this is an excellent school to start pre-writing without feeling burned out.

Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to Harvard University Medical School year after year. We are successful in helping students receive acceptances to  both HST and Pathways. Get started and read our Harvard Medical School secondary application tips below. To learn more about student life, read our popular blog post How to Get Into Harvard Medical School + School Profile . 

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Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2023 - 2024

Harvard medical school pathways essay prompts:.

• If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. (4000 characters max)
• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity not addressed elsewhere in the application that may illuminate how you could contribute to the medical school and that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, or other aspects of your personal or family background to place your prior academic achievements in context or provide further information about your motivation for a career in medicine or the perspectives you might bring to the medical school community. Many applicants will not need to answer this question.  (4000 characters max)  Wording changed slightly from the 2022-2023 cycle
• (Optional) The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.) (4000 characters max)
• (If Applicable) The interview season for the 2023-2024 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2024. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank. ( 1000 characters )

HST Essay Prompts:

Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering). Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single-spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12.

MD/PhD Essay Prompts:

• Briefly list your research interests/areas; use keywords only. This information is not binding. (100 characters max)
• Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation. Limited to (1,000 characters  max – including spaces).
• Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest.

For other Social Science PhD Programs, please refer to Program Details for any additional instructions pertaining to this essay.

Tips to Answer Harvard Medical School  Secondary Essays

Harvard Secondaries Pre-writing Guidance: Questions for Harvard Medical School do not change year to year. This is a good medical school secondary to pre-write. From our extensive experience, Harvard is not a time-sensitive medical school, so you do not need to rush to submit this Harvard Medical School secondary application.

• Download our   Cracking Med Secondary Essay Workbook and Examples .

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Tip #1: Highlight your leadership, passion to change healthcare, and impact on society. We cannot emphasize this enough! If you step inside Harvard Medical School and talk to medical students, they are all passionate about advancing and improving healthcare! You have to exude that same passion to the admissions committee in your Harvard Medical School secondary essays. The Harvard secondaries questions are geared towards learning more about you academic achievements, extra-curricular activity impact, and motivations to change medicine.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Tip #2: Remember, diversity does not necessarily mean your ethnic diversity. We recommend students write about their strengths, including exceptional extracurricular activity endeavors. Read our tips on diversity essays when answering the question, “ If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. ” You can literally write about anything. Our students who get accepted to HMS typically write about exceptional leadership experiences or times when they created an impact in the world.

Most applicants will first go to writing about their family background – particularly their family’s immigrant background – when they see a diversity prompt. While that is not incorrect, Drs. Rizal and Mediratta ask: Is this the best topic to make you stand out? What Harvard Medical School secondary essay topic will best convey your leadership and vision to the admissions committee? 

• You can read more high yield tips and a sample diversity essay in our blog post:   How to Write a Strong Medical School Diversity Essay And Examples

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Tip #3: Discuss your vision your change healthcare. When the admissions committee reads your application, it needs to be clear how you will make an impact in medicine. The Harvard Med Admissions Committee wants to recruit a student body that has many diverse, exciting, innovative ideas to improve healthcare. For some people, they will discover a new drug for autoimmune diseases. For other applicants, they may build healthcare programs that improve healthcare disparities. Your vision does not  have to be research-oriented. Have questions about how you can stand out and convey your vision?  Contact us  below. Need editing help on your secondary? We can help you through our  secondary essay packages . This is a popular secondary premedical students seek our help with. We have helped applicants get accepted into HMS every year. We have several mentees who are medical students, residents, and faculty members at Harvard Medical School – so we know this school well!

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Tip #4: It is important to include stories in your Harvard secondaries. Each Harvard Pathways essay has a 4,000 word character limit. Similar to our tips to write a successful a personal statement, the most compelling Harvard Medical School secondary essays will convey themes and stories to the Harvard Admissions Committee. Tell stories to convey your impact and leadership. For example, if you conducted research over a gap year, tell a story about a challenge you faced or a patient you met while conducting a clinical trial. If you led a health education campaign in the community, you can discuss a story about teaching a workshop and improving the understanding of community members’ health awareness. Some students have written about how their clinical experiences inspired them to make bigger changes in healthcare (created a new health program or started a new research project because of insights they gained through patient care).

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Tip #5: For those applying to the HST program, look at the program details. In your essays, make sure to exhibit your critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a specific area of interest that advances medicine. Many of the strong HST essays Dr. Rishi Mediratta and Dr. Rachel Rizal have read included a combination of good writing + a very clear narrative of the applicant’s interests to change medicine + a very clear vision to change healthcare. Many HST applicants will write technical skills they have developed through their premed journeys. 

Harvard Medical School Secondary Appliaction Tip #6: Don’t forget to incorporate a little bit about “Why Harvard Medical School” throughout the essay(s) you respond to. Talk about projects, programs and research you want to do at Harvard. Harvard has excellent programs outside of medicine, so feel free to write about your aspirations with Harvard Business School, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Harvard Kennedy School, and other graduate programs throughout the entire University. Read our school profile on Harvard Medical School.  Read our Cracking Med School Admissions advice and an example for answering  why this medical school ? 

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Tip #7: For the Harvard-MIT HST essays, make sure your previous research is directly related to the research you want to do during medical school. Many students convey how their prior work has looked at a field of science in a new light. They discuss skills they learned during their previous projects. These skills include: specific research techniques, computational analysis, statistical background, knowledge in a particular area of medicine, ability to present at conferences, and experiences with relevant clinical patients (if applicable). 

[ Read more secondary essay tips: Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) , Yale School of Medicine , Columbia University Vagelos , Weill Cornell Medicine  ]

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Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2022 - 2023

• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4000 characters max)

Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering).

Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single-spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12.

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Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2021 - 2022

Harvard medical school secondary application essay prompts 2020-2021.

• If you have already graduated, briefly  summarize your activities since graduation.  (4,000 characters max)
• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.  (4,000 characters max)
• The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.)  (4,000 characters max)

The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering).

• Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single-spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12.  (4,000 characters max)

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2019-2020

• If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. (4,000 characters max) 
• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4,000 characters max)
• Our interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2018-2019

Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare.

• Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12. (4,000 characters max)
• Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation.
• For PhD’s in the social sciences only, please complete the following and upload where indicated:

Statement of Purpose:

Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest. ( 1,000 words max)

Please see Harvard Med Program Details to determine whether the program to which you are applying requires a writing sample, CV, or other documents. Please follow departmental requirements on type and size of writing sample. (20 pages max)

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2017-2018

If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. (4,000 characters max)

If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question . Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4,000 characters max)

If you are re-applying, briefly summarize your activities since your previous application. (4,000 characters max)

Our 2017-2018 interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.

The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2016-2017

• If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation.  (4,000 characters max)
• (Optional) Our Harvard Med interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts 2015-2016

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Harvard medical school secondary essays: tips + examples.

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Chief Resident in Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, & Admissions Officer, Columbia University

Reviewed: 10/13/23

If you’re preparing to write the Harvard Medical School secondary essays, this article is for you! We’ll give you key tips and provide examples that will help you stand out in your Harvard application.  

The Harvard Medical school secondary essays can be difficult to write because it can be hard to tell exactly what the admissions committee is looking for. These essays are a great way to tell your story from your own perspective and demonstrate you would be successful in medical school.

In this article, we will outline tips for answering each prompt for the Harvard Medical School essays. We’ll also give you two examples to use as a guide and point out. By the end of this article, you’ll be ready to write your own successful Harvard Medical School secondary essays. Let’s get started!

Get The Ultimate Guide on Writing an Unforgettable Personal Statement

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts

Before giving you a few examples of a Harvard Medical School essay, we will go through each prompt and give you tips on how to answer the questions. Though some of the essays are considered optional, you might want to write them all so that Harvard has more than enough to assess your readiness for medical school .

There are two prompts that require you to write a response no longer than 4,000 characters, so make sure to get as close to the limit as you can without going over. It’s important to be concise and to the point when answering each question, but remember to follow a general essay format. Each essay should have an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. 

When talking about your experiences, there should be a logical flow from one to the next. Choose experiences that can be tied back to your decision to become a doctor. By doing this, you will be showcasing your passion for medicine and will be able to demonstrate why going to medical school is so important to you.

Below are the five Harvard Medical School secondary essay prompts, followed by an explanation of what they are looking for. Read through these explanations and then read through the example essays following..

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompt #1

“If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. (4000 characters)”

For this secondary essay prompt, it's important to concisely convey your post-graduation activities while providing insight into your current commitments. You don't need to delve into extensive specifics, but rather offer a glimpse of your typical weekly routine. 

Feel free to include a list of your weekly activities, along with the corresponding time commitments for easy reference.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompt #2

“If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, or other aspects of your personal or family background to place your prior academic achievements in context or provide further information about your motivation for a career in medicine or the perspectives you might bring to the medical school community. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. (4000 characters)”

For this prompt, try to be as honest as possible, while still connecting your experiences to how they influenced your decision to apply to medical school. The admissions committee is specifically interested in candidates who have a true passion for the field of medicine. 

As you compose your response, emphasize the link between your personal background or identity and your motivation to pursue a medical career. Demonstrating this passion and its impact on your decision to enter the medical field is pivotal for a compelling essay.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompt #3

“If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine (4000 character maximum).”  

For this prompt, try to be as honest as possible, while still connecting your experiences to how they influenced your decision to apply to medical school. 

The admissions committee will be looking for people who have a passion for the medical profession, so being able to show this passion within your answer will be key to a successful essay.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompt #4

“The interview season for the 2023-2024 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2024. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank.”

Though this is an optional essay, you should answer the prompt to the best of your ability. Again, the admissions committee will be looking for you to be as honest as possible, even if that means you have to be a bit vulnerable.

This question is less about your path toward medical school, and more about how you deal with adversity. Everyone was affected by COVID-19 in some way, so even though they say the essay is optional, they are expecting an answer. 

That being said, you do not have a character limit for this Harvard secondary essay, but make sure to keep your answer short and sweet.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompt #5

“The interview season for the 2022-2023 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2023. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank. ”

This last prompt is similar to the first one in that it is a straightforward question with a straightforward answer. If you have certain commitments that you would not be able to get out of, simply state them here with dates and what they are. Good examples would be if you have exams during this time period or if you will be out of the country.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Examples

Read through the following Harvard Medical School secondary essay examples to have a good understanding of what a good essay would look like,

Example One

This example essay is in response to prompt number one.

"After graduating, I decided to get some real-life experience before going to medical school. I was lucky to have a job lined up after graduation, working in a medical laboratory. I volunteered as I pursued my undergraduate degree and gained professional experience as an office assistant.

The medical laboratory was in a research facility that tested new drugs at various stages of development. I was able to observe how the researchers started their experimental drug trials and shared their disappointment if something had an unexpected result. It felt as though I was on the cutting edge of medical research, and that perhaps one day, I would be prescribing these drugs to my patients.

Though my job was mainly assisting the researchers, I was able to learn a lot about the importance of medical research and how certain drugs, when made available to the public, could change lives. I loved hearing about the different studies that were going on in the laboratory, and it inspired me to do my best.

When I wasn’t working, I was able to volunteer at a local children’s hospital. I spent a lot of time with the patients and gave their parents a much needed break. This volunteer opportunity allowed me to learn a lot about what it is like to be a patient and how difficult it can be when a loved one is in the hospital.

During my time as a volunteer, I got to know some of the children who were there receiving cancer treatments. One of these patients had a huge impact on my perspective on medical care, including the difficulties our system is currently facing. 

This child was often left alone in the hospital, as their parents both had to work in order to pay for the treatments. I was at the hospital once a week and would always check in on my little friend during their six-week stay. 

Though we mainly played video games, I knew my visits had a great impact on their mental health; they were often left alone for long periods of time. Their parents did  everything they could to get them excellent care, but the hardship of their condition was still palpable.

Having the time to see what patients and their families go through when disease strikes made my resolve to become the best doctor I can even stronger. I don’t think I will ever forget the children I met during this experience. It will always remind me to put the care of the patient at the forefront of everything I do. 

As a medical school hopeful, I was also able to spend some time shadowing a local family doctor, Dr. Alice Richardson. Dr. Richardson was a friend of my parents and offered me this opportunity when she found out I was applying to medical school.

The clinic she works in is located in the suburbs and is multidisciplinary; she works with other general practitioners, as well as two chiropractors and an osteopath. They try to work as a team and often refer clients to each other, if there is a need for consultation.

Dr. Richardson was very patient with me. I asked many questions about her experience and passion for medicine. I learned that working in a multidisciplinary practice can be both challenging and rewarding. I could see that she worked hard at making sure that her patients got the best care, no matter what type of specialist they may need. She always went the extra mile to make sure her patients were healthy.

My time between graduating and today has been very valuable. I have learned a lot about the medical profession, and I look forward to continuing to learn and grow within medical school and beyond."

Why Was This Essay Successful?

This essay was successful because the writer talked about the experiences that influenced their decision to attend medical school. They clearly convey their passion for medicine and their intention for their future career, while answering the question. 

Example Two

This example essay is in response to prompt number three.

"Growing up in a rural community, it was not hard to tell my family didn’t fit in. Almost all of my peers came from farming families that had lived in the area for hundreds of years. Most considered the high school diploma was the pinnacle of higher education. 

Many of them were cousins or their parents had been playing Euchre together since they were teenagers. My family was the first of South Asian descent to settle in this small town. It was as if everyone was part of a secret group that I knew nothing about, except that I knew I did not belong.

Being the only non-white family also didn’t help. Though they would never mention the difference in the color of our skin and insults were not said to my face, I knew they judged me for it. Whispers were common, and people constantly stared.

The differences first became apparent to me on the playground. No one wanted to play with me; I spent most of my time on my own. I was lucky to have learned to read at a very young age, I was able to find solace in books. The library became my favorite spot. I would spend hours a day reading, and during most recesses, I would sneak off to look for something new to read.

Mrs. Caldwell, the librarian, was very sweet to me. She knew that I didn’t quite fit in with my peers and she let me browse the shelves almost every day. She would even suggest new books for me to try from time to time.

By the time I was in middle school, my fascination with science, in particular biology, had become my new obsession. Mrs. Caldwell brought out a book on human anatomy. It had colorful illustrations and in-depth descriptions that I read over and over again until I could recite the entire book by heart. With Mrs. Caldwell’s encouragement, I studied human biology. I knew in my gut that one day, I would become a doctor.

Despite this solace, school was still very difficult. Sure, I was very popular in the teacher’s lounge, but my fellow students didn’t give me time of day. I had no friends, was always picked last in gym class, and people only seemed to acknowledge my existence when they wanted to copy my notes from class.

It is through this experience, though, that I learned just how strong I am. Growing up may not always be easy, but if you can find something to hold on to, something you’re passionate about, then you can make it through anything. I didn’t feel all that lonely when I had my books at my side.

When it came time to apply for college, my teachers helped me every step of the way. They believed in me wholeheartedly, and that allowed me to push through. Finding a good academic reference for my applications was easy, and I was able to get into a very prestigious undergraduate program.

When I think back on my childhood, I actually think I am rather lucky. I had a loving family and a great education from people who actually cared. They encouraged me to just be myself, which has led me to medical school, where I can finally put all that knowledge of human biology to good use.

As a step into this next adventure, I hope to learn and grow in ways I cannot even begin to expect. I will always have a passion for knowledge and attending this school will serve me well on my path to becoming a doctor."

This essay is successful as the writer skillfully ties their experiences back to their love of science. Their response shows just how dedicated the student is to becoming a doctor and their ability to thrive in the face of adversity.

The above examples should give you a good idea of what a successful Harvard Medical School essay resembles and how it should be written. Make sure to always get a trusted friend or family member to edit your essay before submitting it as a small mistake or unclear sentence can make a huge difference.

FAQs: Harvard Medical School Essays

Here are a few frequently asked questions about the Harvard Medical School essays.

1. Should I Write the Harvard Medical School Optional Essays?

The best practice would be to write all of the Harvard Medical School essays, even the optional ones. You want to give Harvard every chance to see your achievements and hear how your experiences shaped you. By writing the optional essays, you will give them ample opportunities to see your passion for medicine.

2. How Long Should Harvard Optional Essays Be?

Essays should be around 200-300 words which is around 750 characters. You want to be efficient in your answers but also give yourself enough time to shine.

3. How Do You Answer Harvard Medical School Secondary Essays?

Answer the Harvard essays honestly and do not be afraid of being a bit vulnerable. Talk about your experiences in a more relaxed tone, without using slang or language that might offend. Try writing your essays as if you are telling a story to have a lasting impression on the admissions committee.

Final Thoughts

Writing the Harvard Medical School secondary essays might not be easy, but following our advice should make the process easier. Give yourself enough time to think about the essays and what you will say so that you are not rushing to get them in by the application deadline.

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50 SUCCESSFUL HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ESSAYS – REVIEW

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The Harvard Crimson is a non-profit student run newspaper at Harvard University. You can find out more about it here .

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

Applicants for pre-eminent Medical School Universities.

The “Personal Statement” has been an intrinsic part of the British Ivy league universities since the late 1980s. Their purpose was to separate the hard empirical scores presented in examination results from the candidates soft character traits. Those traits form an important part of the selection process for medical school. These soft characteristics include the candidates experiences, motivations, and suitability to train in the medical field.

The Medical Profession requires particular requirements. The prospective student must have a combination of technical and scientific knowledge; as well as being personable, approachable, compassionate and have fine interpersonal communication skills.

Admission boards use the personal statement in addition to the applicants grade point averages to asses their level of maturity, communication skills and their critical thinking ability.

Prospective applicants often make the critical mistake of misunderstanding the importance of their personal statement. It is part of the wider selection metrics; such as their past academic performance, reference letter or personal interview. Yet the personal statement forms arguably their best opportunity to make a winning impression. This is where 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays becomes an excellent resource for those wishing to create effective applications that could give them the key to acceptance into the hallowed halls of medical school academia.

50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays can enhance the likelihood of success through improvements to your personal statement preparation. The Staff of the Harvard Crimson provides the reader with 50 real-world examples of previously successful applicants. They highlight the myriad of key traits that the medical school selection committee will be looking for, such as:

Perseverance

Emotional Stability

Each of the 50 essays has an analysis with helpful recommendations and explanations of the qualities that hold the greatest value to the selection committee. 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays will provide an advantage in your application process. I was happy to see that the editors made it clear that the process gives students with lower MCAT grades access to top medical schools. 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays does this by alerting the prospective applicant to the importance of a well-rounded character; educationally, socially, emotionally and psychologically. These traits are required to face the rigors of the medical school assault course.

50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays is filled with important advice for anyone wishing to enhance their probability of receiving a placement offer at a leading medical institution. It provides practical guidance on how to approach a personal statement in order to make the best impression and showcase the desired characteristics universities are looking for.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank The Staff of the Harvard Crimson, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Griffin for affording me the opportunity to review 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays .

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• Secondary Essay Prompts

Secondary Essay Prompts – Harvard Medical School

Secondary Essay Prompts for the Harvard Medical School

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

2019 – 2020

• If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation.
• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.(4000 character maximum)
• Our interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.

2018 – 2019

ESSAY FOR APPLICATIONS TO THE HARVARD-MIT DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (HST)

Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare. Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12. (4000 Char)

• Briefly list your research interests/areas; use keywords only. This information is not binding. (100 character limit)
• Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation
• For PhD’s in the social sciences only, please complete the following and upload where indicated:

Statement of Purpose:

Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest.

Please see Program Details to determine whether the program to which you are applying requires a writing sample, CV, or other documents. Please follow departmental requirements on type and size of writing sample. Unless noted, writing sample is limited to 20 pages.

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the Harvard Medical School.

2017 – 2018.

• The Harvard Medical School strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the Harvard Medical School community and bring educational benefits to our student body. (1000 characters)
• Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application? (1000 characters)
• Why have you chosen to apply to the Harvard Medical School and how do you think your education at Harvard Medical School will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (1 page, formatted at your discretion, upload as PDF)
• If you are re-applying, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since your previous application.
• HST Only: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare. Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12. (4000 characters)

2016 – 2017

MedEdits advises against using outdated prompts for the current season.

• If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation. Limit response to 4000 characters.
• If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. Limit response to 4000 characters.
• Our interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank. Optional

Secondary essay webcast with Dr. Jessica Freedman, founder and president of MedEdits Medical Admissions.   Read more about Dr. Freedman.

Harvard Medical School

Topics covered in this presentation:

• When should I submit my secondary essays?
• Pay attention to the word/character limits.
• Can I recycle secondary essay prompts for multiple schools?
• Identify topics that you left out of your primary application.
• And, much more.

Harvard Medical School Admissions Requirements

Learn more about this school:

Secondary Essay Prompts for Other Schools

Do you want to see secondary essay prompts for other medical schools?

Select a school below:

Secondary Essay Prompts By School

*Data collected from MSAR 2022-2023, 2022 Osteopathic Medical College Information Book, and institution website.

Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on each medical school’s website. MedEdits does not guarantee it’s accuracy or authenticity.

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Secondary Essay Prompts – Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN

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2 Med School Essays That Admissions Officers Loved

Here are tips on writing a medical school personal statement and examples of essays that stood out.

2 Great Med School Personal Statements

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A compelling medical school admissions essay can address nearly any topic the applicant is interested in, as long as it conveys the applicant's personality.

A personal statement is often a pivotal factor in medical school admissions decisions.

"The essay really can cause me to look more deeply at the entire application," Dr. Stephen Nicholas, former senior associate dean of admissions with the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons , told U.S. News in 2017. "So I do think it's pretty important."

A compelling medical school admissions essay can address nearly any topic the applicant is interested in, as long as it conveys the applicant's personality, according to Dr. Barbara Kazmierczak, director of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program and a professor of medicine and microbial pathogenesis with the Yale School of Medicine.

“The passion that the writer is bringing to this topic tells us about the individual rather than the topic that they’re describing, and the essay is the place for us to learn about the applicant – who they are and what experiences have brought them to this point of applying to medical school,” she told U.S. News in 2017.

Rachel Rudeen, former admissions coordinator for the University of Minnesota Medical School , says personal statements help medical schools determine whether applicants have the character necessary to excel as a doctor. "Grit is something we really look for," she says.

Evidence of humility and empathy , Rudeen adds, are also pluses.

Why Medical Schools Care About Personal Statements

The purpose of a personal statement is to report the events that inspired and prepared a premed to apply to medical school, admissions experts say. This personal essay helps admissions officers figure out whether a premed is ready for med school, and it also clarifies whether a premed has a compelling rationale for attending med school, these experts explain.

When written well, a medical school personal statement conveys a student's commitment to medicine and injects humanity into an admissions process that might otherwise feel cold and impersonal, according to admissions experts.

Glen Fogerty, associate dean of admissions and recruitment with the medical school at the University of Arizona—Phoenix , put it this way in an email: "To me, the strongest personal statements are the ones that share a personal connection. One where a candidate shares a specific moment, the spark that ignited their passion to become a physician or reaffirmed why they chose medicine as a career."

Dr. Viveta Lobo, an emergency medicine physician with the Stanford University School of Medicine in California who often mentors premeds, says the key thing to know about a personal statement is that it must indeed be personal, so it needs to reveal something meaningful. The essay should not be a dry piece of writing; it should make the reader feel for the author, says Lobo, director of academic conferences and continuing medical education with the emergency medicine department at Stanford.

A great personal statement has an emotional impact and "will 'do' something, not just 'say' something," Lobo wrote in an email. Admissions officers "read hundreds of essays – so before you begin, think of how yours will stand out, be unique and different," Lobo suggests.

How to Write a Personal Statement for Medical School

Lobo notes that an outstanding personal statement typically includes all of the following ingredients:

• An intriguing introduction that gets admissions officers' attention.
• Anecdotes that illustrate what kind of person the applicant is.
• Reflections about the meaning and impact of various life experiences .
• A convincing narrative about why medical school is the logical next step.
• A satisfying and optimistic conclusion.

"You should sound excited, and that passion should come through in your writing," Lobo explains.

A personal statement should tie together an applicant's past, present and future by explaining how previous experiences have led to this point and outlining long-term plans to contribute to the medical profession, Lobo said during a phone interview. Medical school admissions officers want to understand not only where an applicant has been but also the direction he or she is going, Lobo added.

When premeds articulate a vision of how they might assist others and improve society through the practice of medicine, it suggests that they aren't self-serving or simply interested in the field because of its prestige, Lobo says. It's ideal when premeds can eloquently describe a noble mission, she explains.

Elisabeth Fassas, author of "Making Pre-Med Count: Everything I Wish I'd Known Before Applying (Successfully) to Medical School," says premeds should think about the doctors they admire and reflect on why they admire them. Fassas, a first-year medical student at the University of Maryland , suggests pondering the following questions:

• "Why can you really only see yourself being a physician?"
• "What is it about being a doctor that has turned you on to this field?"
• "What kind of doctor do you imagine yourself being?"
• "Who do you want to be for your patients?"
• "What are you going to do specifically for your patients that only you can do?"

Fassas notes that many of the possible essay topics a med school hopeful can choose are subjects that other premeds can also discuss, such as a love of science. However, aspiring doctors can make their personal statements unique by articulating the lessons they learned from their life experiences, she suggests.

Prospective medical students need to clarify why medicine is a more suitable calling for them than other caring professions, health care fields and science careers, Fassas notes. They should demonstrate awareness of the challenges inherent in medicine and explain why they want to become doctors despite those difficulties, she says.

Tips on Crafting an Excellent Medical School Personal Statement

The first step toward creating an outstanding personal statement, Fassas says, is to create a list of significant memories. Premeds should think about which moments in their lives mattered the most and then identify the two or three stories that are definitely worth sharing.

Dr. Demicha Rankin, associate dean for admissions at the Ohio State University College of Medicine , notes that a personal statement should offer a compelling portrait of a person and should not be "a regurgitation of their CV."

The most outstanding personal statements are the ones that present a multifaceted perspective of the applicant by presenting various aspects of his or her identity, says Rankin, an associate professor of anesthesiology.

For example, a premed who was a swimmer might explain how the discipline necessary for swimming is analogous to the work ethic required to become a physician, Rankin says. Likewise, a pianist or another type of musician applying to medical school could convey how the listening skills and instrument-tuning techniques cultivated in music could be applicable in medicine, she adds.

Rankin notes that it's apparent when a premed has taken a meticulous approach to his or her personal statement to ensure that it flows nicely, and she says a fine essay is akin to a "well-woven fabric." One sign that a personal statement has been polished is when a theme that was explored at the beginning of the essay is also mentioned at the end, Rankin says, explaining that symmetry between an essay's introduction and conclusion makes the essay seem complete.

Rankin notes that the author of an essay might not see flaws in his or her writing that are obvious to others, so it's important for premeds to show their personal statement to trusted advisers and get honest feedback. That's one reason it's important to begin the writing process early enough to give yourself sufficient time to organize your thoughts, Rankin says, adding that a minimum of four weeks is typically necessary.

Mistakes to Avoid in a Medical School Personal Statement

One thing premeds should never do in an admissions essay is beg, experts say. Rankin says requests of any type – including a plea for an admissions interview – do not belong in a personal statement. Another pitfall to avoid, Rankin says, is ranting about controversial political subjects such as the death penalty or abortion.

If premeds fail to closely proofread their personal statement, the essay could end up being submitted with careless errors such as misspellings and grammar mistakes that could easily have been fixed, according to experts. Crafting a compelling personal statement typically necessitates multiple revisions, so premeds who skimp on revising might wind up with sloppy essays, some experts say.

However, when fine-tuning their personal statements, premeds should not automatically change their essays based on what others say, Fogerty warns.

"A common mistake on personal statements is having too many people review your statement, they make recommendations, you accept all of the changes and then – in the end – the statement is no longer your voice," Fogerty wrote in an email. It's essential that a personal statement sound like the applicant and represent who he or she is as a person, Fogerty says.

Dr. Nicholas Jones, a Georgia-based plastic and reconstructive surgeon, says the worst error that someone can make in the personal statement is to be inauthentic or deceptive.

"Do not lie. Do not fabricate," he warns.

Jones adds that premeds should not include a story in their personal statement that they are not comfortable discussing in-depth during a med school admissions interview . "If it's something too personal or you're very emotional and you don't want to talk about that, then don't put it in a statement."

Medical School Personal Statement Examples

Here are two medical school admissions essays that made a strong, positive impression on admissions officers. The first is from Columbia and the second is from the University of Minnesota. These personal statements are annotated with comments from admissions officers explaining what made these essays stand out.

Searching for a medical school? Get our complete rankings of Best Medical Schools.

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Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for Harvard Medical School. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page .

about harvard medical school

Secondary Deadline : October 22, 2023 Secondary Fee : $100 FAP Waiver:  Full Fee Waived CASPer Required : No Screens Applications : No Accepts Application Updates : Yes/Portal

To nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.

Collaboration & Service Diversity & Respect Integrity & Accountability Lifelong Learning Wellness & Balance

1. If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters maximum) summarize your activities since graduation.

2. If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity not addressed elsewhere in the application that may illuminate how you could contribute to the medical school and that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, or other aspects of your personal or family background to place your prior academic achievements in context or provide further information about your motivation for a career in medicine or the perspectives you might bring to the medical school community. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. (4000 characters)

3. The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.) (4000 characters) 4. The interview season for the 2023-2024 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2024. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank. (1000 characters)

HST Prompt: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering). Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities).

Harvard Medical School is committed to the enrollment of a diverse body of talented students who will reflect the character of the people whose health needs the medical profession must serve. The consensus is strong at HMS that the education of a physician is enhanced by diversity within the student body. At your option, please provide the following information not contained within the AMCAS application, to provide us with a more complete sense of your background:

A. Marital Status: Married Single Number and ages of siblings: Number and ages of dependents:

B. Are your parents/guardians Harvard Medical School alumni (MD or MD-PhD) or faculty members? Yes No

C. How many hours per week did you devote to employment during the academic year? Freshman: Sophomore: Junior: Senior:

D. If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation.

E. If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. (4000 character maximum)

(optional) The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.) (4,00 character maximum)

The interview season for the 2021-2022 cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 2022. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank.

If applying to HST (Health Sciences & Technology Track): Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as transformative physicians who will shape the future practice of medicine. Our students come from the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical, engineering and social sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches. The unique HST pre-clinical curriculum prepares students well for the HMS clinical education while also emphasizing disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve critical unmet needs in medicine and healthcare (ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering). Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single-spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12.

If applying MD/PhD:

• Briefly list your research interests/areas; use keywords only. This information is not binding. (100 characters)
• Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation. Limited to 1,000 characters (including spaces).
• Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest. For other Social Science PhD Programs, please refer to Program Details for any additional instructions pertaining to this essay.

1. Briefly list your research interests/areas; use keywords only. This information is not binding. (100 character limit)

2. Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation.

3. For PhD’s in the social sciences only, please complete the following and upload where indicated:

4. Statement of Purpose: Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest.

5. Please see Program Details to determine whether the program to which you are applying requires a writing sample, CV, or other documents. Please follow departmental requirements on type and size of writing sample. Unless noted, writing sample is limited to 20 pages. 

1. If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation.

If you took time off between undergraduate and medical school, describe the experiences you had during that time. For each experience, explain how this helped you grow and become a better medical school candidate, which is the most important goal of the gap year in the admissions committee’s eyes. Focus on the lessons you learned and skills you gained during the time off. Do not repeat what is in your primary application. This is a key to all secondaries.If you use a prior experience from the AMCAS primary (which can be difficult to avoid given the nature of some secondary questions), try to adopt a new angle or describe a different aspect of the experience than has been presented before. Consider using an anecdote to spice up the answer.

2. If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.(4000 character maximum)

If relevant to you, choose an aspect of this prompt which is particularly unique for you and helps define you as a person. Brainstorm how these unique traits affect your personal values and influence your desire to be a physician. One strong way to answer this question is describing how these traits will help you interface with diverse populations during your practice of medicine. It may be helpful to use examples or specific stories which exemplify this trait and demonstrate a lesson learned. Specifics always make an answer more compelling and convincing than generalities.

3. Our interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.

Answer as appropriate based on your personal situation.

ESSAY FOR APPLICATIONS TO THE HARVARD-MIT DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (HST)

Instructions: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare. Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12. (4000 Char)

The key to answering this question is not to focus on specific opportunities in terms of labs or research projects you are interested in at Harvard. The admissions committee knows that HST MD program applicants are well-versed in the research opportunities available to them as this is one of their primary focuses. Instead, focus on your background and experiences which have led to your desire to pursue this training. Do you have experience with technology, start-ups, business, engineering or other disciplines? If so, describe them in detail and how they influence your current career goals. Paint a picture of your prior experiences and your intellectual and professional interests which inform your desire to gain skills which will help you drive medical innovation. Also consider discussing prior experience with population data and epidemiology or research that help you understand trends in medicine, gaps in care or unmet systems needs.

This prompt has a very limited amount of characters and asks for keywords so be succinct and list your topics of research interest.

2. Please list publications, indicating for each whether it is published, submitted/under review, or in preparation

This prompt is self-explanatory. List prior publications as requested.

3. For PhD’s in the social sciences only, please complete the following and upload where indicated: Statement of Purpose:

Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. Health Policy applicants should indicate the concentration(s) and policy area(s) of interest.

The key here is to tie your interests in another discipline outside of medicine to your desire to be a doctor in a cohesive and intelligent story. You likely have a compelling reason to pursue such in depth study in an alternative field, so be sure to clearly explain that. Show how that training will complement your skills as a doctor and help you achieve your career goals.

Please see Program Details to determine whether the program to which you are applying requires a writing sample, CV, or other documents. Please follow departmental requirements on type and size of writing sample. Unless noted, writing sample is limited to 20 pages.

Research the program which you are applying to in addition to the medical school and provide answers to prompts as appropriate.

3. If you are re-applying, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since your previous application.

4. Our interview season runs from mid-September through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.

5. HST Only: The HST MD program draws on the combined resources of Harvard and MIT to provide a distinct preclinical education tailored to preparing students for careers as physician-scientists across the full spectrum of disciplines including biological, physical and engineering sciences. HST classes are small, commonly include graduate students and have an emphasis on quantitative and analytic approaches, centered on understanding disease mechanisms and preparing students to solve unmet needs in medicine ranging from novel diagnostics and therapeutics to applications of ‘big data’ and systems engineering as they relate to healthcare. Please focus on how your interests, experiences and aspirations have prepared you for HST (rather than identifying specific HST faculty or research opportunities). Limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12. (4000 char)

Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on the medical school’s website. Med School Insiders does not guarantee the accuracy of the information on this page.

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• Medical School Secondary Essays

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Examples

Learning by observation is one of the most effective ways to study, so reading Harvard Medical School secondary essay examples in 2024 will sharpen your application, and let you write your own essays with confidence.

Essay writing is a difficult skill to master, so start by reading up on how to write a college essay . Understanding acquired knowledge is easier, however, if you can see what the application of that knowledge looks like. To that end, reading secondary essays will help you glean how to go from a prompt, through good essay writing methods, to the best practices in what a final essay will look like. By thinking about writing in those terms, you will strengthen your own work immensely.

Most medical schools in the US ask for you to write medical school secondary essays , and Harvard Medical School is no exception. They have both required and optional prompts, and this article will take a look at all of them, giving you sample essays for each.

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Article Contents 13 min read

Harvard medical school secondary essay example for prompt #1.

On average, how many hours per week did you devote to employment during the academic year

I dedicated as many hours as I could afford while keeping to a vigorous academic schedule. At the same time, I took off only as few hours as I could in order to make rent.

Life is a demanding experience, and mine is no exception. I have found that careful planning and time budgeting helps to keep me on track, working hard, but with enough downtime to prevent burnout.

I held down a part-time job at a hardware store that offered me between 20 and 30 hours per week. I was more often working 30 hours than 20. I respected the store owner very much, and wanted to show my appreciation for being given the job.

Spare time was often spent back at the lab – my true passion this last semester – so even when I wasn’t officially there, I was still there.

My typical week, by hours:

Working at Jim’s Hardware               30 hours/week

Class hours                                         20 hours/week

Studying hours                                   15 hours/week

Lab hours                                           20 hours/week

Exercise                                              5 or 6 hours/week

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If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation.

This essay has a limit of 4,000 characters

It felt like I was opening up forever, as the summer often does, but somewhere down inside, I knew that I had no time to waste. The time between my last semester and my next semester would be a crucial, tightly-timed period in which I had to study hard, gain experiences, and save money for the next phase of my life.

I had a job lined up, lucky enough to have had at a paid internship in a laboratory. Over the months between my graduation and now we have been looking at vitamin capsules, tablets, and chewable gels. We were essentially trying to find out a better way to make these things so that people can derive more benefit from them by ensuring more of the vital ingredients get absorbed properly into whomever is using them.

Although I was mostly there to assist and follow orders, I nevertheless got to observe the meticulous processes of a professional lab environment. I shared in the frustrations of early experiments’ results, the process of advancing ideas and making progress, and the thrill of actually arriving at some useful – or, potentially-useful – results.

When I wasn’t at the laboratory working, I was looking to my volunteer hours.

My uncle is a hospital administrator, and set me up with a couple of doctors to shadow. One of these doctors, Dr. Stevens, is a psychiatrist – an area of specialization which I enjoy very much. Although confidentiality prevented me from following him on certain aspects of his job, I nevertheless got to learn a lot from him. He was very patient, friendly, and answered my myriad questions – even giving me his personal email address so I could learn more. I wasn’t shy about taking advantage of this, and have been back-and-forth with him, asking questions and getting to know my preferred area of medicine.

I said, “Hi,” a lot, too, as I found myself back at the hospital a lot of other times. I enjoyed my time there immensely, and sought other ways of volunteering to assist. Most of my volunteer hours weren’t as clinical as shadowing, but I still got to spend time helping patients and staff. My primary area where I volunteered was helping with older patients, and I was often an arm to lean on for exercise, or an eye to read a book, or sometimes just an ear to hear a patient who needed company.

Home time was spent studying, pouring over MCAT preparation materials and working hard to get my numbers up. I was eager to get ahead last year, and actually arranged to take the MCAT. I was under-prepared, and did not receive a score that I thought reflected my potential. So, for the past months, I have been studying to hold myself to a higher standard. The next time I take the test, I know I won’t disappoint myself again.

Of course, there was down-time as well. I couldn’t work all the time, and my particular favorite pastime is music. Study breaks often consisted of grabbing my guitar from beside my bed, running scales, singing along a bit, and just enjoying the feeling of playing. I have no illusions about becoming some rock star someday. I’m not the best guitar player in the world, but I’m not really trying to be. I love the instrument, and I love getting better at it; I’ve always enjoyed challenging myself. It’s a wonderful way to relax.

I believe that relaxation is very important. We can’t work all the time – it isn’t healthy – and there are many ways to enjoy life. My great fortune, is that I got to spend my time since graduation in many different ways that I enjoy life: not just with music, but with helping, healing people, and diving into the medical arts.

If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.

One day, I will become a cliché: an old man lecturing his grandchildren on how, when he was a boy, he used to have to really work just to get to school. My family live well off the beaten path, and my round trip just to get to school was three and a half hours. Some of it was uphill, and some of it was by foot, and I had to get up very early to walk to the bus stop on time.

We moved when I was very little, refugees from overseas, my parents barely speaking English, and me speaking nothing at all – I was only just one year old. We moved from a country we were told does not exist, but which we call Tibet.

My father is a farmer and my mother is a school teacher, which came in handy while we tried to figure out education, since she could handle some of the load. We moved in with my uncle, who had immigrated before us, and he had a small farm out in the bush in Pennsylvania.

The life I knew was one of isolated calm, which kind of works when you’re growing up Buddhist. I never felt particularly isolated, because I had a loving family around me, but my first several years as a child were spent in a forest-farm sanctuary. Every now and then we’d drive the almost two hours to town to pick up something we couldn’t grow, make, forage, or build for ourselves.

When I hit school age, my parents decided I couldn’t just be taught at home. Despite my mother’s background in education, they knew that I would lose out on social interaction and linguistic ability. They were right. In fact, I already was behind my classmates.

I don’t remember much of kindergarten, or grade one, but I do know that I was in the middle of more people than I had seen in my life, yet I still felt isolated. We spoke little English at home, and so I had a difficult time communicating with my classmates at first. My progress was slow; at home, my mother made an effort to continue to speak English with me, to give me practice, but my father had poor English skills, and my uncle had just enough English to buy a few things in town on those rare trips out.

Perhaps this is what prompted the second move. When I was around ten or eleven years old, my parents finally took us from our isolated spot and moved into a rural village – just a little town, but it felt to me like a metropolis. Mom’s English had improved with mine; she really did put in a lot of effort. She had acquired a job as a teacher, and so she and I would drive to school together. My father dropped us off in a car my uncle gave them – so old and used that I think it ran on prayer as much as gasoline.

Even at the time, I know my father was uncomfortable with my mother being the primary breadwinner in the family. Or perhaps it was that he was feeling more isolated than ever, living away from his country and now his brother.

My family’s circumstances have given me some unique perspectives. I have spent so much of my life feeling alone or cut off that it doesn’t really bother me. I can sit in solitude. I have become quiet patient as a result. That solitude has made me deeply appreciate what it means to have friends, however, and though I do not have many friends, I love them all dearly.

It would be easy to become cynical and think of myself as an outsider – a refugee is always a little in transit – with language barriers, physical distance between myself and large groups of people, and a cultural heritage that doesn’t match anybody around me; there are very few Buddhists in rural Pennsylvania. But I do not think of myself as an outsider at all. Rather, my perspective is that we are all, in our own ways, outsiders. We all have inner thoughts, and the isolation of our minds keeps us all to ourselves, in one way or another. The joy here, however, is the realization that that makes none of us outsiders. If we all understand isolation, we all need connection. I feel I am connected to my roots, my heritage, my family, my friends, and my people – who are, of course, everyone.

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The Committee on Admissions understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted applicants in various ways. If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you and have not already done so elsewhere in your application, please use this space to do so. (This is an optional essay; the Committee on Admissions will make no judgment based on your decision to provide a statement or not.)

My mom has asthma, so when the COVID-19 virus hit my family, working its way from one family member to another, what would happen to mom became an all-consuming thought in my mind. The sight of mom’s asthma medication used to seem totally innocuous. Now, that little “puffer” is changed to a harbinger of doom.

More than that, though, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to change everything about the world. It changed trips to the grocery store, how we say hello to friends, how we think of jobs, and how politics permeates everything.

I never thought of myself as a political person prior to the pandemic. I thought of myself as a fairly neutral person, right down to my professional aspirations. Being a doctor isn’t a political thing; they heal and they help all people, so how could being a physician be political?

Despite my full vaccination, despite the booster shots, my family still contracted the virus. I still believe in vaccination, but a lot of people don’t. A lot of people found themselves doubting the medical professionals who were risking their lives trying to keep people healthy and cure the ones who weren’t.

My perception of healthcare and healthcare professionals changed – radically – and I have absolutely begun to see these professions as political. COVID changed that, too, and for me it struck home with such intensity, lying in my bed, coming down with symptoms, developing a mild anxiety about whether I’d be able to smell flowers or taste food in a month’s time, and hearing my mom wheeze downstairs.

Do you know how silencing a wheeze can be, in those quiet moments?

I recovered from the coronavirus fairly quickly – zonked out for about twenty-four hours before bouncing back – but by the time I was over it, my mom was developing symptoms, and hers were bad. They were very bad, as a matter of fact, and I knew that the asthma was always going to be there to make this a tough fight.

My dad, my sister, and I all got lucky; we were out of harm’s way by the time mom hit the nadir. We were isolating and scared.

What can you do with all of that going on and nowhere to escape to? I had school – doing virtual classes – but I couldn’t go to work and I found it hard to concentrate. I became a caretaker. I had the experience, after all, and although I am not a doctor yet, I knew that I had a certain knowledge base that I had been developing for exactly this purpose: to help heal.

So, I did what I could – we all did, my dad, my sister, and me – and mom pulled through. It took her almost a full week, but she came back from the edge.

So much for asthma, but what about politics?

When I got back to in-person classes, I was talking to some friends about the experience. We had been in touch, of course, but I was sharing it with them again, getting it out, like I was releasing the last week, and in the middle of it, another classmate – a boy by the name of Stuart – injected himself into the conversation, running his mouth about how COVID vaccines were a useless conspiracy and that the virus itself was practically mythological.

I am proud to say that I have only punched Stuart’s lights out in my mind. I have done it a dozen times, but I am proud to say that I never let it leak out into real life. In fact, I did the opposite of my angry, reactionary impulses, and asked Stuart why he thought the way he did, and what I should read to be better informed.

This opened up a dialogue between myself and Stuart, one which I continued for the rest of the semester at school. I challenged him, and he challenged me sometimes. I don’t think I have fully convinced my new friend about the truth of the pandemic, but he’s a lot closer.

COVID-19 taught me about patience, about doing what I can, about perseverance, and about how to pull through with my family and friends – the importance of a good support network. It gave me an aspirational goal for my work in the medical field: to save and heal people, like my mom, but also to keep open dialogues with people like Stuart.

Harvard Medical School Secondary Essay Example for Prompt #5

The interview season for the 20XX-20XX cycle will be held virtually and is anticipated to run from mid-September through January 20XX. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, please leave this section blank.

During the second week of September, and until the first week of October, I have decided to undertake a tremendous opportunity. My family, on my father’s side, comes from Portugal. He is Azorean, and this summer he is returning to the Azores for a time to help as a doctor.

My father is an MD, and immigrating years ago with the dream of becoming a doctor in America. He fulfilled that dream, and along the way, he met my mother. She was studying English Literature at Yale at the same time he was studying medicine.

Our family have made frequent trips to the Azores over the years; my father wanted me to be in touch with where we come from. I have grown to love them as a second home, these islands of tranquility, with tomato-growing soil, and the Holy Ghost Festival.

The last few years, however, we have not found the time. Life has been busy, complicated, and not terribly conducive to travel. But my father recently accepted a call from a friend to come over for a few months and help as a physician.

I am going for a short time to shadow my father. So, from September 12 th until October 3 rd , I will be saying hello again to old friends, learning by watching my father, and getting back in touch with the tomato-growing soil of the Azores.

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Technically, yes. If no limit is imposed, you can write as you please. However, you should consider some factors in how long to make your essay.

First, as a general rule, the limit for your essays should be about 1,000 words. You could go a little more, but that’s a reasonable length for an application essay. You want to give yourself enough room to say what you need to say, but not so long that you will bore your reader and make your application tedious.

Second, consider the topic asked for. If the topic is very specific and covers a small subject, it’s okay to let your essay be a little shorter.

Third, check out the other essays’ lengths. Two of the Harvard Secondary essay prompts have a limit of 4,000 characters. The others have no stated limit. You probably shouldn’t exceed 4,000 characters on the essays without official limits, since that seems to be a length that Harvard has deemed reasonable.

Lastly, a little advice from Shakespeare: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Better to say what you mean, say it well, and say it quickly than to add nothing to your ideas but ink and air.

Best practice is to write all optional essays to take every opportunity you have. You have a chance to shine out and rise to the top of the pile with every action you take, so you should take those actions.

Speaking specifically to the Harvard Secondary prompts above, prompt no.5 is certainly truly optional. It is based on the empirical fact of whether or not you have a schedule conflict. If you have no conflict, you have no essay, and don’t need to write it.

Prompt no.4 provides you an opportunity to speak to your interaction with a world-enveloping health issue. There is room here to stand out, so take it. Even though the committee are not grading these essays, your response here can still cause them to think favorably of you, or give you a subconscious “edge”.

Prompt no.3 applies to specific personal experiences, but such a wide range is given that most students will be able to speak to one category, or something like those categories. Again, another opportunity to add to your personal story and relatability is a good opportunity to take. If you can, write this essay.

Ten to fifteen percent short will put you close to the limit and allow you the room to say what you need to say.

Your first goal should be to answer each essay in a way that shows your best attributes to the admissions board. Effectively show your skills, experiences, qualities like perseverance or leadership, personal growth, and passion for the medical field.

Your essay should have an introduction paragraph, a body, and a conclusion. So, that format and structure will necessarily use up most of the word count, if you are following it properly.

Not really. You don’t require things like references, but you should still follow standard essay writing format, with an introductory paragraph, a supporting and expanding body, and a conclusion.

Give your essay an attention-grabbing opening sentence, and close it off by wrapping up what you talked about throughout the essay.

Following each prompt is paramount. Essay number three is explicitly about your personal background and challenges you’ve faced, so that is your subject matter.

But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t highlight certain elements, or choose more advantageous stories.

Whichever school you’re writing for – in this case, Harvard – go find their mission statement. What qualities is in that? Harvard says that they are looking to educate “students and student-leaders". If they value students and student-leaders, they value leadership. They value a search for knowledge, just as two examples.

Every school will be looking for perseverance, leadership skills, teamwork skills, personal growth, ethical responsibility, and any experiences you have had with healthcare, even in peripheral ways, whether professional or volunteer.

Take a couple weeks to get them write. The key to writing – any kind of writing – isn't the first draft, it’s the edits you make.

Read your essay over and make changes. Ask yourself if the paragraph order is perfect, if the sentences are well-written – not overly verbose, not too simple – and if you have used every opportunity to highlight your best qualities.

Take a few passes at it before coming to the final draft, at which point you can triple-check the spelling and grammar, and make sure you are within the character or word limits.

If they are applicable, yes. You might need to do some edits, of course, but if two – or more – schools have essays addressing your experiences with diversity, you will probably find that you can use material in both essays.

A note on editing, however: check and check again that there is nothing in the essay that applies to one school while writing to the other. Don’t reference a mission statement that belongs to another academic institution, for instance. It’s easy to miss those things, so read your essay carefully to avoid a dreadful, embarrassing misstep.

They are neither the be-all and end-all of the matter, nor are they inconsequential.

All you have to do is put yourself in the shoes of an essay reader – a member of the admissions committee – and imagine that you read one application with good essays and impeccable grammar and another application with good essays and bad grammar. Who do you choose?

Poor spelling might affect a subconscious perception of you, as an applicant, as well.

Of course, if one or two small errors get left in, it’s not the end of the world. It’s unlikely that a strong application will be rejected on that basis alone. Still, don’t risk it; edit carefully, and get somebody else to proofread, if possible.

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50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays Paperback – May 5, 2020

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Fifty all-new essays that got their authors into Harvard Medical School, including MCAT scores, showing what worked, what didn’t, and how you can do it too. Competition to get into the nation’s top medical schools has never been more intense. Harvard Medical School in particular draws thousands of elite applicants from around the world. As admissions departments become increasingly selective, even the best and brightest need an edge. Writing a personal statement is a daunting part of the application process. In less than 5,300 characters, applicants must weave together experiences and passions into a memorable narrative to set them apart from thousands of other applicants. While there is no magic formula for writing the perfect essay, picking up this book will put them on the right track. 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays is the first in a new line of books published by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson. It includes fifty standout essays from students who successfully secured a spot at Harvard Medical School. Each student has a unique set of experiences that led them to medicine. Each essay includes analysis by Crimson editors on essay qualities and techniques that worked, so readers can apply them to their own writing. This book will aid applicants in composing essays that reveal their passion for medicine and the discipline they will bring to this demanding program and profession. It will give them the extra help they need to get into the best medical school programs in the world.

• Print length 240 pages
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• Publisher St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date May 5, 2020
• Dimensions 5.4 x 0.65 x 8.3 inches
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The Unbearable Vagueness of Medical ‘Professionalism’

Since its inception, this murky term has straddled the dual role of disciplining and inspiring.

By Rachel E. Gross

When Joel Bervell thought about professionalism as an undergrad, he thought of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Specifically, he thought about how residents on the show were expected to be, although often were not: on time, prepared for their cases and respectful to everyone around them.

“That was the only standard that I had of what it meant to be a doctor — especially someone like me, who doesn’t come from a family of doctors,” said Mr. Bervell, 28 , a fourth-year medical student at Washington State University. Mr. Bervell, who is Ghanaian American, is one of the first Black medical students at the medical college, which opened in 2017.

From the moment students set foot in medical school, they are instilled with the concept of medical professionalism: their sacred responsibility to conduct themselves with the values of a profession that is granted automatic trust in society. “It is the first thing they tell you: You are now literally a medical professional,” Mr. Bervell said.

The same metric can be used to determine whether or not a med student becomes a doctor at all.

Starting in their third year, Mr. Bervell learned, he and his classmates would be regularly assessed on their professional behavior , along with other attributes like communication skills. Faculty, staff and other students could also report specific concerns about an individual’s professionalism, resulting in write-ups, the contents of which could become attached to their permanent records, following them like scarlet letters.

The problem, as many medical students have also learned, is that where “professional” is vague, “unprofessional” is even more so. Depending on who makes the call, unprofessional behavior can mean hugging your program director, letting a bra strap show , wearing braids , donning a swimsuit over the weekend or wearing a “Black Lives Matter” sweatshirt in the E.R.

As a result, professionalism exists at two levels, as both a lofty standard of behavior and a ( sometimes literal) list of dos and don’ts that blur ethics and appearance. That second meaning can prove particularly pernicious to residents of color, said Dr. Adaira Landry, an adviser at Harvard Medical School and co-author on a recent journal article on the “overpolicing” of Black residents.

The article, published in The New England Journal of Medicine , adds to growing literature documenting the ways residents of color are disciplined or pushed out of medicine. In 2015-16, 20 percent of trainees dismissed from their residency were Black, although Black students make up only 5 percent of residents, according to unpublished data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or A.C.G.M.E.

For students who did not grow up in the culture of medicine or do not resemble an outdated notion of what a doctor should look like (white, male, elite), these opaque rules can present a minefield. “The environment is so restrictive of what is allowed that when you behave or look or speak differently, it feels like it’s unprofessional,” Dr. Landry said.

Among minority students with whom Dr. Landry works and who are facing probation or dismissal, she has seen a common thread. “I have never had a student reach out to me that they’re being kicked out because of an academic grade,” she said. “The overwhelming theme is that it’s interpersonal conflicts, labeled as professionalism challenges.”

From ethics code to dress code

The lofty ideals that Mr. Bervell encountered on his first day are more in line with how professionalism was originally conceived, said Dr. David C. Leach, who served as executive director of the A.C.G.M.E. from 1997 to 2007.

At the time, medicine was at a crossroads. Giant companies were snapping up individual practices and turning them into for-profit enterprises. Doctors saw their time with patients dwindle, and patients saw their quality of care decline.

“There was a rising public perception that doctors were just like everyone else: They’re just looking to make a buck,” said Dr. Matthew Wynia, a medical ethicist studying the ethics of managed care during this period. “The fear was that our sense of professionalism was being lost.”

In response, the council set out to define a set of general competencies: measurable outcomes that a resident needed to demonstrate before moving forward in the journey to becoming a physician.

Of the six competencies the council ultimately established, professionalism came closest to the heart of what it meant to be a doctor. “It is a set of promises about the trustworthiness of both the profession as a whole and the individuals practicing in it,” Dr. Leach wrote in 2014. Many believed that professionalism was key to helping medicine re-establish its values as an ethics-based altruistic profession — one committed to patients, not the bottom line.

Professionalism was also the vaguest competency on the list. The 1999 definition characterized professionalism as “a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles and sensitivity to a diverse patient population.” Doctors were also expected to demonstrate an array of attributes in every interaction, including compassion, respect, humility, integrity, accountability.

Residency directors complained that, compared to things like patient care and medical knowledge, professionalism was squishy and difficult to measure. The concerns boiled down to, “I’m a really busy program director, so what the hell am I supposed to do?” recalled Dr. Leach.

The vagueness problem never went away, said Dr. Deborah Powell, a former executive dean at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, who was on the A.C.G.M.E. board at the time. In the 2000s, conversations about what constituted professionalism often devolved to focus on how doctors should dress. “You shouldn’t have beards, you shouldn’t have long hair, women should wear skirts,” Dr. Powell said. “It was crazy. We went overboard.”

Those conversations are still happening today. Dr. Londyn Robinson, now a resident at Duke University, learned the second definition of professionalism in 2020. While looking for tips on applying to residencies, she stumbled across an article in the journal Vascular Surgery titled “Prevalence of Unprofessional Social Media Content Among Young Vascular Surgeons.”

The authors had trawled the social media accounts of 500 surgery trainees and rated them for professionalism without their knowledge. By the authors’ definition, potentially unprofessional content included photos of residents holding alcoholic drinks, wearing Halloween costumes or “provocative posing in bikinis/swimwear.”

To Dr. Robinson, who is the first in her family to earn an M.D., the paper revealed that, for some, professionalism had been reduced to superficial attributes rather than to ethical behavior with patients. “Basically, they said the quiet part out loud,” she said.

A new ideal

As Dr. Robinson learned, professionalism now radiates beyond the clinic or classroom. Mr. Bervell’s instructors had cautioned him about the consequences of social media: Because medical students represented the profession at all times, they said, being a professional meant thinking twice before talking online about politics or hot-button issues like abortion.

Mr. Bervell didn’t exactly heed that warning. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he began making TikTok videos pointing out racial bias in medical tools like the pulse oximeter and lung function tests . (Both are less accurate for non-white patients, studies have found), earning him the moniker of “medical mythbuster.” His videos have been added to medical school syllabuses, drawn praise from the American Medical Association and earned him a seat on the White House’s Healthcare Leaders in Social Media Roundtable.

By the standards of his own school, Mr. Bervell said, his social media activism could be seen as unprofessional. But, he added, he saw challenging health care’s gaping racial disparities is part of his role in changing medicine — and, maybe, giving doctors something better than “Grey’s Anatomy” as a model for how to be a professional.

The vagueness of professionalism can pose a challenge not only for students of color but for anyone who falls outside the historical stereotype of a doctor. Dr. Robinson noted that the people being judged for their swimwear in the Vascular Surgery paper were more often women than men.

In 2020, incensed by the paper, she posted a photo of herself in a bikini top and shorts on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the hashtag #MedBikini. “I’ll say it: I wear bikinis. I am going to be a doctor,” Dr. Robinson wrote. By the next day, her post had gone viral , and the paper was formally retracted.

In an apology , the editors of the journal acknowledged that “professionalism has historically been defined by and for white, heterosexual men and does not always speak to the diversity of our work force or our patients.”

As the face of medicine changes and platforms like TikTok and Twitter transform the way that medical knowledge is shared, the original architects of professionalism still believe that the core tenets of the term will remain central to medicine.

For Dr. Leach, the definition is simple. “Are you discerning and telling the truth? Are you putting the patient’s interests ahead of your own? And are you developing practical wisdom that can incorporate the best science with the particulars of this particular patient to come up with a creative clinical decision?” he said. “If you’re doing those three things, then you’re professional.”

He added: “And a dress code is so far and away from those three things.”