Essay Topics (2024 - 2025)

‍1. The Three Rivers Curriculum features collaborative team based learning. Therefore, we value your perspective and experience working within teams. Describe a time you worked with others in a collaborative process, challenges encountered and how you overcame these challenges. Discuss any personal growth achieved through the experience. (250 words or less.)

2. Describe a difficult situation you faced, how you responded to this situation and how this helped shape the person you've become. (250 words or less.)

3. Respect for others of different backgrounds is integral to the successful practice of medicine, as is an understanding of the social determinants of health. Describe a situation you observed between a patient and the health care system that illustrates the impact of social determinants of health and/or the impact of racism on delivery of care. Describe what you learned from this situation. (250 words or less.)

4. Optional Essay: If you wish, use this space to tell the UPSOM Admissions Committee anything else about yourself. (250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('23 - '24)

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (250 words or less.)

2. At UPSOM, diversity and inclusion are measures of distinction, integral to achieving institutional excellence, and essential to the development of future physicians who become leaders in medicine. Describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past, and how you hope to grow that commitment in medical school. (250 words or less.)

3. Tell the Admissions Committee why you are applying to Pitt Med and why you think this school would be a good fit for you? (250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('22-'23)

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. At UPSOM, diversity and inclusion are measures of distinction, integral to achieving institutional excellence, and essential to the development of future physicians who become leaders in medicine. Describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past, and how you hope to grow that commitment in medical school. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

3. Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('21 – '22)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less)

2. UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

3.  Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics (’20 – ’21)

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is committed to building a diverse and talented community that will train physicians in delivering culturally competent, person-centered care, and promoting a supportive, collaborative learning environment. To achieve this, we want our fellow students to recognize health disparities and advocate for health equity. We are interested in combating all forms of systemic barriers, and would like to hear your thoughts on opposing specifically: systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and misogyny. How will you contribute? (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

3. Please write about anything else you would like to add to your application, or anything you would like to emphasize to the Admissions Committee. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('19 – '20)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

OPTIONAL QUESTION:

1. Is there anything additional that you would like to address that is not already reflected in your application? (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('18 – '19)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

OPTIONAL QUESTION:

1. Is there anything additional that you would like to address that is not already reflected in your application? (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

MSTP:

1. Choose current graduate program of interest, choose 3 faculty from a given list, provide up to 2 additional faculty you could see yourself working with in graduate school, and then briefly describe what appeals to you about the faculty member(s) in your selection, and how the selected graduate program and our MSTP match your interests.

‍

Essay Topics ('17 – '18)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('16 – '17)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('15 – '16)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (250 words)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (250 words)

‍

Essay Topics ('14 – '15)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

‍

Essay Topics ('13 – '14)‍

1. Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

2. UPSOM is a culturally diverse and talented community. How would you enrich/enliven the UPSOM community? The essay should discuss material that is not included in the rest of your application. (Limit your response to 250 words or less.)