Essay Topics (2024 - 2025)

1550 character limit

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve?

2. Tell us about a time you went into a situation completely unprepared.

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience and ability to overcome adversity.

4. In 1990, Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence (EI) as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. The components of EI include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Briefly describe one example of a time you harnessed your EI to resolve a difficult situation, AND one example of a time your failure to use your EI compounded a difficult situation. What did you learn about yourself in each of these situations?

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond?

6. Please discuss the roles Dignity, Respect and Deference play in how medical teams optimize patient care.

7. (Optional) Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If yes, use the space below. If no, leave blank. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage.

8. (Optional) We know that many of our applicants in the OHSU UME Program may have familial relationships with individuals who are OHSU faculty, residents, staff, or current students who serve as evaluators in our admissions process. We have added this question in hopes to prevent perceived or actual conflicts of interest that can occur when an applicant has a family member (or someone with a similar close personal relationship) they may encounter through the admissions process. If you have any such connections, please list those individuals’ names and departments below. If no, leave blank.

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‍Essay Topics ('23 – '24)

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1550 characters)

2. Tell us about a time you went into a situation completely unprepared. (1550 characters)

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience and ability to overcome adversity. (1550 characters)

4. In 1990, Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence (EI) as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. The components of EI include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Briefly describe one example of a time you harnessed your EI to resolve a difficult situation, AND one example of a time your failure to use your EI compounded a difficult situation. What did you learn about yourself in each of these situations? (1550 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1550 characters)

6. Please discuss the roles Dignity, Respect and Deference play in how medical teams optimize patient care. (changed from last year) (1550 characters)

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Optional:

7. Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If yes, use the space below. If no, leave blank. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage.(1550 characters)

8. We know that many of our applicants in the OHSU UME Program may have familial relationships with individuals who are OHSU faculty, residents, staff, or current students who serve as evaluators in our admissions process. We have added this question in hopes to prevent perceived or actual conflicts of interest that can occur when an applicant has a family member (or someone with a similar close personal relationship) they may encounter through the admissions process. If you have any such connections, please list those individuals’ names and departments below. If no, leave blank. (2050 characters)‍

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Supplemental Information section with additional prompts:

Based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, do you believe 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 and how did that affect your experience and relationship with health care? Please explain. (4000 characters)

["While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity?" with options to select the severity of the following adversities: economic, educational, ethnic/cultural, family] Please describe the nature of the adversity and how social, economic, academic, or other circumstances affected you and your opportunities. (4000 characters)

We acknowledge that our application is not fully comprehensive. If there is anything additional you would like to let us know about you, please briefly state it here. (550 characters)

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Essay Topics ('22 - '23)

Regular MD: (all are 1550 characters except for #4 is 2050)

‍Question 1 - What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve?

‍Question 2 - Tell us about a time you went into a situation completely unprepared.

‍Question 3 - Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience.

‍Question 4 - In 1990, Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence (EI) as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. The components of EI include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Briefly describe one example of a time you harnessed your EI to resolve a difficult situation, AND one example of a time your failure to use your EI compounded a difficult situation. What did you learn about yourself in each of these situations?

‍Question 5 - Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond?

‍Question 6 - Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU's definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service.

‍Question 7 - Are there any additional ties to the state of Oregon you wish to share? If so, use the space below. Please note that this does not factor toward your consideration as an Oregon resident or Oregon Heritage.

‍Question 8 - We know that many of our applicants in the OHSU UME Program may have familial relationships with individuals who are OHSU faculty, residents, staff, or current students who serve as evaluators in our admissions process. We have added this question in hopes to prevent perceived or actual conflicts of interest that can occur when an applicant has a family member (or someone with a similar close personal relationship) they may encounter through the admissions process. If you have any such connections, please list those individuals’ names and departments below.

‍Other:Using the fields below, please provide a brief chronological account of your major activities and employment, including volunteer and summer activities, for the five years immediately preceding your proposed entry to medical school. This should include present and projected activities to the point of matriculation to medical school. Please do not include activities that ended prior to or during high school. Note: You are limited to 20 entries in this section.

Adversity "Checklist" with optional elaboration

‍Specific to MD-MPH applicants: MPH (4000 characters):

The School of Medicine requires a statement of purpose for admission to the MD-MPH Combined Degree Program. The MD-MPH Combined Degree program offers two MPH concentrations, 1) Epidemiology and 2) Health Management and Policy. Please explain: 1) Why you are applying for the combined MD-MPH Degree Program at OHSU? 2) Your interest in EITHER the Epidemiology or the Health Management and Policy concentration; and, 3) How you plan to use your training in medicine and public health training in your career.Please submit your statement using the text area provided below. This cannot exceed the 4000 character limit. No particular formatting or spacing is required.

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Essay Topics ('21 – '22)

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve?

2. Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician?

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience.

4. Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response.

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond?

6. Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you will bring to OHSU school of medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU’s definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers, and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas, and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence, and outstanding service.

Optional Prompt

7. (optional) Adversity essay when you select degrees of adversity you've faced. Just says
"please describe the nature of the adversity" 4000 character limit.

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‍Essay Topics (’20 – ’21)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1550 characters)

2. Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1550 characters)

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1550 characters)

4. Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response. AAMC's Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students & OHSU Recommended Prerequisites (2050 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1550 characters)

6. Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU's definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service. (1550 characters)

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Essay Topics ('19 – '20)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 characters)

2. Other than work-life balance, what will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 characters)

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1500 characters)

4. Please describe your path through the OHSU UME Admissions Recommended Premedical Competencies, with special attention to experiences that are not reflected in your transcript. Do not include specific grades or test scores in your response. AAMC's Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students OHSU Recommended Prerequisites (2000 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 characters)

6. Please discuss how your personal experience demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity and contributes to diversity in the provision of healthcare. Please include any insight into the diversity that you would bring to OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine in the context of OHSU's definition of diversity: Diversity at OHSU requires creating and sustaining a community of inclusion. We honor, respect, embrace and value the unique contributions and perspectives of all employees, patients, students, volunteers and our local and global communities. Diversity may include age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We respect diversity of thought, ideas and more. Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service. (2000 characters)

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Essay Topics ('18 – '19)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 characters)

2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 characters)

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1500 characters)

4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 characters)

6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 characters)

MD/PhD Questions:

1. What specifically interests you in the OHSU MD/PhD program? (1500 char)

2. Please list 3-5 faculty members at OHSU whose research is of interest to you. (1500 char)

3. Thinking about one of your research projects, how could the results affect the way we diagnose and treat patients? If your research is non-biomedical, describe how it advances scientific knowledge. (1500 char)

4. List publications and grants.

5. Please tell us the graduate program at OHSU you are most interested in (this is not binding)

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Essay Topics ('17 – '18)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 characters)

2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 characters)

3. Discuss a time in your life that demonstrated your resilience. (1500 characters)

4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 characters)

6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 characters)

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Essay Topics ('16 – '17)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)

2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)

3. Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? (1500 char)

4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted (1500 char)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)

6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 char)

OPTIONAL QUESTION:

1. Explain your adversity in: Economic, Educational, Cultural, Family (4000 char)

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Essay Topics ('15 – '16)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 char)

2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1500 char)

3. Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? (1500 char)

4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. (1500 char)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? (1500 char)

6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (1500 char)

7. While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity

8. Economic, Educational, Ethnic/Cultural, Family. Please describe the nature of the adversity.

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Essay Topics ('14 – '15)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve?

2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician?

3. Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience?

4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted (1500 characters)

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond?

6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. (2000 characters)

OPTIONAL QUESTION:

1. While you were growing up, did you experience any of the following types of adversity?

Economic:

Educational:

Ethnic/Cultural:

Family:

Please describe the nature of the adversity:

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Essay Topics ('13 – '14)‍

1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? Characters left: 1500

2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? Characters left: 1500

3. Give an example of a time when you tried your best to work with a person or a group but the problems still remained. What did you learn from the experience? Characters left: 1500

4. Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted. Characters left: 1500

5. Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond? Characters left: 1500

6. Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. Characters left: 2000