Essay Topics (2024 - 2025)

1. Imagine your professional life 15 years from now and briefly detail where you envision yourself and what you hope to be doing. Describe your most meaningful career accomplishment by that time and explain why it is significant. (500 words)

2. Considering your life experiences and the lens through which you view the world, share your thoughts and perspectives about how systemic injustices and inequities have 1) affected you directly, and/or 2) shaped your perspective on society. (500 words)

3. If you could present yourself to the Admissions Committee, what would you want to make sure they knew (or remembered) about you? (500 words)

LMU Program Essays

1. Why are you interested in the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved Program? Be specific. (400 words)

2. How have your past experiences prepared you for the challenges of a medical practice in an underserved area? (400 words)

3. A central component of this program is that students achieve low-intermediate proficiency in a second language by the time they reach the third year of medical school. Explain your current second language proficiency and/or your plan for achieving low-intermediate proficiency in a second language. (400 words)

4. What are the advantages of using a public health approach to maximize individual and population health status? (400 words)

LMR Program Essays

1. What motivated you to pursue a career in rural medicine? (250 words)

2. How have your past experiences prepared you for the challenges of a medical practice in a rural area? (250 words)

3. Are you interested in interviewing for the Rural Physician Program (RPP), the Rural Community Health Program (R-CHP), or would you like to interview for both programs? (250 words)

MD-PH Program Essays

1. Why are you interested in the Medical Partners in Public Health Certificate program, and what will you plan to do in your future practice with the information and skills gained from this experience? (400 words)

2. Please describe any formal training that you have had in public health. (400 words)

3. Please describe any public health-related experiences that you have had. (400 words)

4. Are there any other considerations that you wish to share with the committee? (400 words)

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Essay Topics (’23 – ’24)

1. Imagine and reflect upon your life and medical career at the time of retirement. What do you envision being your proudest/most significant accomplishment? (500 words)

2. American society has been reckoning with a variety of systemic injustices throughout its history. Considering your life experiences up to now, share your thoughts and perspectives about this statement using the lens from which you view the world around you. (500 words)

3. Consider three or four words and/or phrases from your medical school application that you use to describe or characterize yourself. Pick one (or a completely different one) that is underdeveloped to provide additional written narrative to the committee as to why you’ve decided to pursue a career in medicine. (500 words)

4. Use the space below to reflect upon your COVID-19 public health crisis experiences, challenges, and/or insights. (500 words)

5. If you could present yourself to the Admissions Committee, what would you want to make sure they knew (or remembered) about you? (500 words)

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Essay Topics ('22 - '23)

500 words each

1. Imagine and reflect upon your life and medical career at the time of retirement. What do you envision being your proudest/most significant accomplishment?

2. American society may be experiencing a watershed moment as it reckons with various systemic injustices. Use the space below to share your thoughts about this statement.

3. Use the space below to reflect upon your COVID-19 public health crisis experiences, challenges, and/or insights.

4. In the most general sense, create a list of ten (or more) words or phrases you might use to describe or characterize yourself to someone you just met. From this list of words or phrases, are any associated with your decision to pursue medicine as a career? If yes, select up to 3 and explain. If no, explain.

5. If you could present yourself to the Admissions Committee, what would you want to make sure they knew about you?

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Essay Topics (’21 – ’22)‍

1. Describe where you envision yourself and what you’ll be doing in 10 years. What do you realistically hope will be your most significant accomplishment by that time? (500 words)

2. American society may be facing a watershed moment as it reckons with various systemic injustices. Use the space below to share your thoughts about this statement. (500 words)

3. Use the space below to reflect upon your COVID-19 public health crisis experiences, challenges, and/or insights. (500 words)

4. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? (500 words)

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‍Essay Topics (’20 – ’21)‍

1. The College of Human Medicine offers students an innovative learning environment. What experiences have you had that have prepared you to succeed in our curriculum? How will you approach any challenges you may face? (300 words)

2. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? (300 words)

3. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? (300 words)

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‍Essay Topics ('19 – '20)‍

1. Describe a time when you faced a challenging, but important, learning opportunity. Include your approach and resources used to pursue this challenge. What did you learn about yourself and your approach to learning from this experience? What, if anything would you do differently? Please limit your response to 250 words or less

2. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

3. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

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‍Essay Topics ('18 – '19)‍

1. The College of Human Medicine implemented a new curriculum in the fall of 2016. Describe your understanding of this curriculum. Explain which of your attributes/strengths will assist in being successful in this curriculum. Explain how you will address any challenges it might pose. Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

2. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

3. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

4. Thoroughly review the CHM course Prerequisite Model Options as outlined on our website. Which course prerequisite model are you applying to CHM with? (choose between options)

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‍Essay Topics ('17 – '18)‍

1. The College of Human Medicine has implemented a curriculum referred to as the Shared Discovery Curriculum. Explain which of your attributes/strengths will assist in your success in this curriculum. Explain how you will address any challenges it might pose for you. Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

2. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

3. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? Please limit your response to 250 words or less.

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‍Essay Topics ('16 – '17)‍

1. Describe an experience that profoundly affected you in either a positive or negative manner. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? You are permitted to use an experience included in your AMCAS application, as long as you did not go into great detail (including personal statement and/or experiences), or you discuss a different aspect of the experience. Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

2. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

3. What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of being a physician some day? How do you see yourself addressing this challenge? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

4. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

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‍Essay Topics ('15 – '16)‍

1. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? (300 words)

2. Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? You are permitted to use an experience included in your AMCAS application, as long as you didn't go into great detail in your AMCAS application (including personal statement and experiences) or in Essay One, or you discuss a different aspect of the experience. (300 words)

3. What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of being a physician some day? (150 words)

4. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? (300 words)

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‍Essay Topics ('14 – '15)‍

1. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

2. Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? You are permitted to use an experience included in your AMCAS application, as long as you didn't go into great detail in your AMCAS application (including personal statement and experiences) or in Essay One, or you discuss a different aspect of the experience. Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

3. The vast majority of medical school applicants cite their love of science and strong desire to help others as motivation to enter a career in medicine. If you had to choose one more motivating reason, what would it be and why? Please limit your response to 150 words or less.

4. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? Please limit your response to 300 words or less

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‍Essay Topics ('13 - '14)‍

1. Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn? 300 words max

2. Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? You are permitted to use an experience included in your AMCAS application, as long as you didn't go into great detail in your AMCAS application (including personal statement and experiences) or in Essay One, or you discuss a different aspect of the experience. 300 words max

3. Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? You are permitted to use an experience included in your AMCAS application, as long as you didn't go into great detail in your AMCAS application (including personal statement and experiences) or in Essay One, or you discuss a different aspect of the experience. 300 words max

4. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? 300 words max

5. If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you? 300 words max