Looking for a comprehensive index of all required essay prompts for the AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS applications?
Look no further. Personal statements, short essays, experience descriptions - it’s all covered here.
All the prompts and character limits were gathered online from primary sources (AAMC, AACOM, etc.) or from our past 2019 students. We’ve tried to ensure that this information is accurate and up-to-date, but please note that it’s subject to change.
We want to be a one-stop shop for all the medical school primary essay prompts, so please let us know if you notice any discrepancies. Don’t forget to brush up on the AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS Deadlines.
Oh, and if you’re looking for tips and examples, you’ll find those here, too.
Just follow the links:
Disadvantaged Information Prompt
Experience Descriptions Prompt
Most Meaningful Remarks Prompt
Disadvantaged Information Prompt
Experience Descriptions Prompt
Personal Characteristics Prompt
Disadvantaged Information Prompt
Experience Descriptions Prompt
BONUS: All Medical School Secondary Essays 2019-2020 (by state)
(5300 characters max)
Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school. The available space for your response is 5300 characters, or approximately one full page. You will receive an error message if you exceed the available space. For additional assistance, click "help" on the tool bar at the top of the screen.
There are a few follow up questions to help you:
Whew, where to start? Hmm… probably here:
Savvy Pre-med's Ultimate Guide to Writing Your Personal Statement
But seriously, the personal statement is a complex, multifaceted process, so you might want to target certain areas. Here are some elements we’ve covered:
Writing Attention-Grabbing Hooks
Average vs. Compelling Personal Statements
Crafting Your “Why Medicine” Answer
How to Know Your Personal Statement is Finished
Our full archive of articles on the personal statement
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(1325 characters max)
The question asks if you’ve ever been discharged by the Armed Forces. If you answer Yes, you’ll be asked if you received an honorable discharge or discharge under honorable circumstances. If you answer No, you must explain in 1,325 characters the circumstances of your discharge, including the circumstances leading to your discharge, your period of service, and your rank at the time of discharge.
You must indicate if you have ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a felony crime or misdemeanor, excluding
(1) Any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile
(2) Convictions that have been expunged or sealed by a court (in states where applicable).
You need not disclose any instance in which you:
• Were arrested but not charged
• Were arrested and charged, with the charges dropped
• Were arrested and charged, but found not guilty by a judge or jury
• Were arrested and found guilty by a judge or jury, with the conviction overturned on appeal
• Were arrested and found guilty but received an executive pardon
If you answer Yes, you’ll have 1,325 characters to explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of the offense(s) leading to conviction(s), the date(s) and location(s) of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation.
Academic Probation
You must answer "Yes" if you were ever the recipient of any institutional action resulting from unacceptable academic performance or a conduct violation, even if such action did not interrupt your enrollment or require you to withdraw. You must answer "Yes" even if the action does not appear on or has been deleted from your official transcripts due to institutional policy or personal petition. If you answer Yes, you’ll have 1,325 characters to explain the circumstances.
If you are not certain whether or not you have been the subject of an institutional action, contact the registrar, student affairs officer, or other appropriate party at the institution for confirmation of your record. Applicants who become the subject of an institutional action after certifying and submitting the AMCAS application must inform their designated medical schools that an action has occurred.
Don't feel obligated to fill all 1325 characters for this essay:
1-2 sentences to explain the factors that led to the institutional action
It's wise to let the facts speak for themselves. If there were extenuating circumstances that led to this anomalous blip in your record, make sure to include those as evidence, BUT DON'T editorialize or try to make direct excuses for what happened. The goal in the beginning is to just acknowledge and own up to the IA.
3-4 sentences to explain how you've rectified the situation
This will depend a lot on your situation, but typically, it will involve some kind of probation, mandatory classes, written letters, court appearances, etc. Beyond explaining the requirements you fulfilled and your current good standing, discuss the ways you've sought to improve overall as a person.
1-2 sentences to explain the growth, personal qualities, and lessons you’ve gained
Again, this will depend a lot on your situation. Perhaps there's some activity or endeavor that you can use as "proof" of your growth as a person (i.e. tutoring other struggling students or serving on the student judiciary board). If not, just explain what you learned from the experience and how it's turned you into a better person moving forward.
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(1325 characters max)
When you click the box on the AMCAS application to see if the status applies to you, here is what AMCAS provides:
Underserved: Do you believe, based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers?
Immediate Family: The Federal Government broadly defines “immediate family” as “spouse, parent, child, sibling, mother or father-in-law, son or daughter-in-law, or sister or brother-in-law, including step and adoptive relationships.”
State and Federal Assistance Programs: These programs are specifically defined as “Means-Tested Programs” under which the individual, family, or household income and assets must be below specified thresholds. The sponsoring agencies then provide cash and non-cash assistance to eligible individuals, families, or households. Such programs include welfare benefit programs (federal, state, and local) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC or ADC); unemployment compensation; General Assistance (GA); food stamps; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Medicaid; housing assistance; or other federal, state, or local financial assistance programs.
If you think there are other circumstances that have contributed to your disadvantaged status that are not listed, don't feel constrained by the above.
In addition to requesting family financial data, AMCAS provides the opportunity for a 1,325 character statement explaining why you should be considered disadvantaged.
2-3 sentences to explain the factors that contribute to your disadvantaged status
I am blessed to have been adopted by my grandparents, who provided a stable life by removing me from a destructive environment with an absent father and drug-addicted mother. However, due to my grandparents’ age and physical limits, I missed out on many things people take for granted, like playing catch with one’s father or enjoying student-parent activities.
5-6 sentences to illustrate the day-to-day struggles as a result of your status
I am a first-generation college student who has been financially independent since age 18. My discipline stems from my teenage years when I worked manual labor on construction sites. This translated into dedication and focus, as I later sought a scholarship to subsidize my schooling and worked full-time alongside a rigorous course load. To fund my college experience, I attended a local university and gained merit-based aid, balancing school (20+ unit semesters) and three jobs (totaling 40+ hours/week). My lack of expendable income prevented me from accessing certain opportunities off-campus. Luckily, the Wilkinson Honors Scholarship provided a dorm stipend that covered most of my living expenses. However, to further cut costs, I went without a car and obtained an on-campus job and research opportunity.
1-2 sentences to explain the growth, personal qualities, and lessons you’ve gained as a result of your status
Overall, my obstacles have given me more resolve to plan ahead, meet my goals, and help others do the same.
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(15 activities or less, 700 characters max for each)
The Work/Activities section of the application is designed to give you the opportunity to highlight your work experience, extracurricular activities, awards, honors, or publications that you would like to bring to the attention of the medical schools to which you are applying.
You may enter a maximum of 15 experiences, and you may enter four separate date ranges for recurring experiences. This section cannot be edited or updated after the original submission of your application. Work and activities will appear on your application in chronological order and may not be rearranged. However, please be aware that medical schools sort your entries and view them in a variety of different orders to suit their specific review processes.
Medical schools receive your Work/Activities descriptions as plain text. Therefore, formatting options such as bulleted lists, indented paragraphs, and bold/italic fonts do not appear for reviewers and are not available.
You have the opportunity to describe or summarize each experience. The space allotted for each description is 700 characters.
We often get questions about whether it’s better to use bullet points or paragraphs for these descriptions. Either is fine! The key is being consistent in the way you choose to format your descriptions. Here’s an example of both methods:
Outreach Coordinator St. Augustine Orphanage, Tijuana, Mexico
- Planned, fundraised, and led a volunteer service trip to impoverished communities in Mexico
- Coordinated and managed a team of 20 volunteers and faculty
- Executed simple, precise interventions to spread change across a population
- Improved communication and bedside manner while engaging locals about their health problems and barriers to care
- Lived alongside children in multiple orphanages in Tijuana and poorer rural areas
- Brought clothes and supplies and provided hygiene demos for the children
- Gained insight into disparities and social determinants of health in underserved populations
- Wrote detailed protocol and reflection exercises for future leaders to use on their trips
Outreach Coordinator St. Augustine Orphanage, Tijuana, Mexico
As outreach coordinator, I fundraised and led a service trip to impoverished communities in Mexico. In this role, I managed a team of 20 volunteers and faculty to execute interventions and spread change across a population. As part of this experience, we lived alongside children in multiple orphanages in Tijuana while donating supplies and providing hygiene demos. I improved my communication and bedside manner while engaging locals about their health problems and barriers. During this time, I gained insight into disparities and social determinants of health for the underserved. After the trip, I wrote a detailed protocol and reflection exercises for future leaders to use on their trips.
In your experience descriptions, try to show your “Trackable Progress”:
“Trackable progress” can be any number of things:
- Earned promotion within first three months of working for Lab XYZ
- Assigned new responsibilities of training recent hires and creating orientation manuals
- Ran promotional campaign that tripled our club’s active membership
- Garnered over half of the company’s referrals during the last two years
- Updated and improved the lab’s protocols to cut costs by more than half
If possible, support these bullets with quantitative evidence and stats (EX: raised membership by 50%, trained 50+ employees, etc). This data will show a lot about your contributions without taking up too much space.
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(choose 3 of your activities, 1325 characters max for each)
You may identify up to three experiences that you consider to be the most meaningful. This designation will allow you an additional 1,325 characters to explain why the experience(s) was particularly meaningful to you.
When writing your summary, you may want to consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the activity, and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation. If you have two or more experience entries, you will be required to identify at least one as the more or most meaningful.
You may change which experience(s) you designate as Most Meaningful until the initial submission of your application. The text you entered in the Experience Summary section will be lost if you remove an experience from those you have designated as Most Meaningful. Your Most Meaningful selection(s) will be designated as such by a check-mark in the Work/Activities main screen.
If you’re in doubt about what to choose, many students will include one medically oriented activity, one leadership activity, and one extracurricular (research, service, etc). As long as you’ve invested significant time and energy into the activity (compared to your others), then it’s fair game for a most meaningful essay.
Once you’ve narrowed down your possible choices based on time and commitment, you’ll want to ask yourself some brainstorming questions to determine the best activities and angles to explore in your most meaningful essays.
Remember that it’s okay to overlap the experiences of the personal statement and most meaningful essays, as long as you don’t repeat stories or lessons verbatim.
Which of the activities had the most setbacks or failures? Can you recall one or two specific moments that required your resilience?
Which of the activities presented the steepest learning curves? Why were they so challenging? Did you have to change something about yourself to succeed?
Did any of the activities expose you to people much different than yourself? Were their difficulties in communicating and collaborating with them?
Which of the activities most surprised you? Can you recall any moments within them when your perspective on medicine or life shifted?
Did you get more than expected out of a particular activity? Why? Vice versa, were there activities that disappointed you for some reason? How did you respond?
Which of the activities made you the most apprehensive? Why? Can you recall one or two moments that pushed you outside your comfort zone?
Which of the activities taught you a new skill that you otherwise wouldn’t have learned? Did you learn or realize how you could apply this skill moving forward?
How-to Guide and Most Meaningful Essay Example
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5 Reasons You Should Apply to DO Schools - MUST READ!
(5300 characters max)
This section is where you can write a statement, which is shared with all your osteopathic medicine schools. Once you submit your application, you cannot edit this section.
Thankfully, the AACOMAS recently decided to give candidates more space, as compared to past years when you only had 4500 characters.
Still, most candidates face the challenge of converting an MD personal statement into a DO one. What to cut? What to add? What are the essentials to include?
We’ve distilled our years of wisdom from helping candidates down into:
5 Simple Steps to Turn Your AMCAS Essay into Your AACOMAS Essay
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There is no essay on the AACOMAS to explain your disadvantaged status, but the application has a series of questions to categorize you:
(Yes/No) Your parent's family income falls within the table's guidelines and you are considered to have met the criteria for economically disadvantaged.
(Yes/No) I am from a family that lives in an area that is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area or a Medically Underserved Area.
(Yes/No) I graduated from a high school at which many of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches.
(Yes/No) I am from a school district where 50% or less of graduates go to college or where college education is not encouraged.
(Yes/No) I am the first generation in my family to attend college (neither my mother nor my father attended college).
(Yes/No) English is not my primary language.
Savvy Pre-med Tips:
Use some space in the personal statement to elaborate on your disadvantaged background, especially if the circumstances require contextual explanation.
Also keep in mind that the DO secondary essays tend to be rather generous in the amount of space they provide (sometimes up to 500 words per essay). These essays will give you additional opportunities to discuss disadvantages.
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Disadvantaged Information Prompt.
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(500 characters max)
Applicants will be asked to disclose information regarding prior criminal offenses. Failure to accurately and truthfully disclose such offenses on the AACOMAS application may result in an offer of admission being rescinded or, if the omission is discovered after enrollment in medical school, in dismissal.
Have you ever been disciplined for student conduct violations (e.g. academic probation, dismissal, suspension, disqualification, etc.) by any college or school?
Have you ever been disciplined for academic performance (e.g. academic probation, dismissal, suspension, disqualification, etc.) by any college or school?
Have you ever been convicted of a Felony?
Have you ever had any certification, registration, license or clinical privileges revoked, suspended or in any way restricted by an institution, state or locality?
Have you ever been convicted of a Misdemeanor?
If you answer Yes to any of these questions, you’ll have 500 characters to explain.
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Institutional Action Prompt.
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(600 characters max for each entry)
Key differences between AACOMAS and AMCAS experience descriptions:
Savvy Pre-med Tips:
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Experience Descriptions Prompt.
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(5000 characters max)
The personal statement essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces. Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.
Savvy Pre-med Tips:
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Personal Statement Prompt.
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(2500 characters max)
The personal characteristics essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.
It’s wise to choose one of your Most Meaningful AMCAS essays and expand upon it (from 1325 to 2500 characters).
Is one of your three Most Meaningfuls more distinct than the other two? Does one focus on a more atypical pre-med activity? If so, that’s probably the one to choose, since this prompt is looking for “diverse backgrounds and experiences.”
If all three of your Meaningfuls feel equally distinct (or equally average), pick the one that would give you the most useful insights to share with your future classmates (i.e. “add to the educational experience of others”).
When adding content (~1000 characters) to your Most Meaningful, here’s where to focus your attention:
Add 1-2 sentences to the “hook” of the essay (paragraph 1) to make the experience even more vivid and concrete for the reader
Add 3-4 sentences to the “plot” of the essay (paragraph 1 or 2) to expound on your biggest responsibilities, contributions, and accomplishments
Add 3-4 sentences to the “reflection” of the essay (paragraph 2 or 3) to explain how this activity and its lessons make you a diverse and valuable candidate
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Most Meaningful Essays Prompt.
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(2500 characters max)
The optional essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces. The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. This essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application. This is not an area to continue your essay or reiterate what you have previously stated - this area is provided to address any issues which have not previously been addressed.
If you’ve written or will be writing a Disadvantaged Essay for the MD application (discussed in the following module), then it makes sense to use that same essay here and expand upon it (from 1325 to 2500 characters).
When adding content (~1000 characters) to your Disadvantaged Essay, here’s where to focus your attention:
Add 1-2 sentences to the “hook” of the essay (paragraph 1) to make your backstory even more vivid and concrete for the reader
Add 3-4 sentences to the “plot” of the essay (paragraph 1 or 2) to expound on your biggest challenges, obstacles, limitations, etc.
Add 3-4 sentences to the “reflection” of the essay (paragraph 2 or 3) to explain how your hardships and their lessons make you a valuable candidate
Even if you’re not disadvantaged, you should still answer this TMDSAS Optional Essay by using another one of your Most Meaningfuls. With the two choices remaining, choose the one that has more autobiographical or personal relevance, or perhaps the one that better illustrates your exemplary qualities (leadership, creativity, problem solving, innovation, initiative, etc.).
When adding content (~1000 characters) to your Most Meaningful, here’s where to focus your attention:
Add 1-2 sentences to the “hook” of the essay (paragraph 1) to make the experience even more vivid and concrete for the reader
Add 3-4 sentences to the “plot” of the essay (paragraph 1 or 2) to expound on your biggest responsibilities, contributions, and accomplishments
Add 3-4 sentences to the “reflection” of the essay (paragraph 2 or 3) to explain how this activity and its lessons make you a valuable candidate
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Most Meaningful Essays Prompt.
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There is no essay on the TMDSAS to explain your disadvantaged status, but the application has a series of Yes/No questions to categorize your socioeconomic standing:
1st generation undergraduate:
1st generation graduate:
Parent/guardian of dependent children:
Primary language:
Bilingual or multilingual:
Fluent in languages other than English:
Household size:
Household income:
Residential property value:
Ever live in subsidized housing:
Ever receive benefits from the Federal Free and Reduced Meal program:
Responsibilities raising other children in household while attending elementary and/or high school:
Were you required to contribute to the overall family income (as opposed to working primarily for your own discretionary spending money) while attending high school:
Zip Code to age 18:
Lived outside US to age 18:
Percentage of college expenses provided by:
Family:
Spouse:
Academic scholarships:
Financial need-based scholarships:
Loans:
Jobs/Employment:
Other Sources:
Received a Pell Grant during undergraduate education:
Still full-time student:
Use the TMDSAS Optional Essay to elaborate on your disadvantages.
Refer to our tips for the TMDSAS Optional Essay Prompt.
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Disadvantaged Information Prompt.
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(600 characters max)
If you answer Yes to any of the following questions, you’ll be given 600 characters to explain.
(Yes/No) Has your education ever been interrupted for any reason?
(Yes/No) Were you ever the recipient of any action by any college or professional school for unacceptable academic performance?
(Yes/No) Were you ever the recipient of any action by any college or professional school for conduct violations?
(Yes/No) Have you ever been sanctioned or received disciplinary action by a State Licensure Board of any kind (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, legal, etc.)?
(Yes/No) Are you currently under charge or have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or have you ever received a felony or misdemeanor deferred adjudication?
Savvy Pre-med Tips:
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Institutional Action Prompt.
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(300 characters max for each entry, no limit on number of entries)
Healthcare and Employment Activities may be listed in each category if the experience was a paid position; otherwise, do not list experiences in more than one section. For example, a scribing job would be listed in both Healthcare Activities and Employment. The Employment and Activities categories are as follows:
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(choose 3 of your activities, 500 characters max for each)
This section was recently added last cycle. The TMDSAS now asks you to identify three top meaningful activities.
With only 500 characters, try to capture the activity through an emotionally-gripping or inspirational scene:
Example:
As our team approached the scene, we were greeted by the scorched remnants of Dave’s trailer - four deflated tires and a melted frame - the result of an arsonist attack. This was my first ride-along with the American Red Cross. The Disaster Action Team provided clothes, water, blankets, and a few hundred dollars, but it was clear Dave needed more than temporary supplies. A humble realization set in - I will not be able to save everyone, but I will always strive to be a buoy to keep them afloat.
499 characters
Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Most Meaningful Essays Prompt.
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END OF CONTENTS
We hope you find this resource useful. Make sure to bookmark it as a reference throughout your application cycle!
If these essays feel overwhelming, you can BOOK A FREE MEETING with our expert medical school advisors for more guidance. We’ve helped hundreds of students write their personal statements and essays, and we’d love to help you on your writing journey!
Good luck!
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