Essay Topics (2024 - 2025)

Part 1

‍1. Engaging with the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) communities is a core part of our mission. Please share how you might contribute to this aspect of our mission. (1500 words or less)

2. Why are you interested in UTRGV SOM? (500 words or less max; bullet points are acceptable).

‍Optional Essays

‍1. Please describe any extenuating circumstances that may have affected your medical or non-medical service experiences, including any circumstances that impacted your engagement in activities, academics, and MCAT that would have helped to prepare you for medical school. (1500 words or less)

Learning Experiences​

Part 2: REQUIRED [VIDEO Response]

Submit a 2-minute video that answers the questions below.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine prepares future physicians in accordance with the following values: patient advocacy, community focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, and lifelong problem solving. Select TWO (2) of these values and discuss what you have done in the past that resonates with them. How will you support and strengthen these two values when you practice medicine?

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Essay Topics ('23 - '24)

‍1. Which potential barriers and facilitators exist for medicine of the future? How will you make a difference in this regard? (350 words or less)

2. Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (350 words or less)

3. Describe a time when the awareness of your own limitations resulted in a favorable outcome for you or someone close to you. (350 words or less)

4. In the event that you are accepted by two or more medical schools, what factors would you consider most important when choosing a school to attend. (100 word max; bullet points are acceptable)

Three Optional Essays: (truly optional)

1. [Optional] If you feel that the Admissions Committee should be aware of any academic discrepancies or extenuating circumstances, please explain them. (350 words or less)

2. [Optional] Describe any major hardships you have overcome to reach this point in your life. (350 words or less)

3. [Optional] How have volunteer work, hobbies, and/or extracurricular activities informed your beliefs about health care and a career in medicine? (350 words or less)

Required Video Response:

Submit a 2-minute video that answers one of the two questions below.The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine prepares future physicians in accordance with the following values: patient advocacy, community focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, and lifelong problem solving. Select TWO (2) of these values and discuss what you have done in the past that resonates with them. How will you support and strengthen these two values when you practice medicine?

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Essay Topics '22-'23

1. The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education. (300 words)

2. Describe how you decide if a person or source is trustworthy. (300 words or less)

3. Describe a time when the awareness of your own limitations resulted in a favorable outcome for you or someone close to you. (350 words or less)

4. In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you. (150 words max; bullet points are acceptable)

5. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency: (100 words or less)

Part 2: Essays (Optional) 1. Is there any personal characteristic, capability, or experience that you believe would be important for us to know in order to assess your potential as a medical student and practicing physician? Note: This must be something you have not covered elsewhere in the primary or secondary application. (optional,150 words or less).

2. Do you have any suggestions for improving medical care and access in the community of the Rio Grande Valley? How can the School of Medicine help to improve the situation? (optional, 300 words or less)

Part 2: REQUIRED [VIDEO Response] Submit a 2-minute video that answers one of the two questions below.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has commitments to diversity, inclusion, and health equity. What do these terms mean to you? What is their importance to medical education and practice, as well as to the health of our society in general?

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine's Honor Code requires that medical students live honestly, advance on individual merit, and demonstrate respect for others. UTRGV SOM subscribes to the highest Code of Professional Conduct. Our aim is professional behavior beyond reproach. Briefly explain the relevance of a school of medicine’s honor code to your anticipated development as a future practitioner of medicine.

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Essay Topics ('21 - '22)

1. List three adjectives that characterize the community in which you grew up.

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency. (100-word max)

3. In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the “best fit” for you. (150-word max)

4. The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education. (300-word max)

5. DESCRIBE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD UNRELATED TO SCIENCE OR MEDICINE.

PART 1: Required

a) A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you. (150 words)

b) Below are the instructions for the VIDEO

Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. Submit a 2-minute video that answers one of the questions below. To submit a video of your response, please upload the video to YouTube as either Public or Unlisted. Do not upload it as Private. Enter the URL of the uploaded video into the text box below.

c) Our Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. How does your background and/or experiences align with UTRGV SOM Mission?

d) Becoming a physician is a very hard and a “life-long” learning career. What and when was the instant that you knew this was going to be your chosen career and why?

6) PART 2: Select 2 out of the 4. Briefly describe the experience, state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated), what you learned about yourself through that experience (please put N/A in the text box for the 2 questions you chose not to answer before you submit)

a) A community service experience. (150 words)

b) A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction. (150 words)

c) A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc. (150 words)

d) We are all experiencing life under a pandemic – COVID-19. As an aspiring physician, please tell us three (3) things you would do to educate and assist your community with relevant COVID-19 information. (150 words)

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Essay Topics (’20 – ’21)

Prompts:

List three adjectives that characterize the community in which you grew up.

Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency. (100-word max)

In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the “best fit” for you. (150-word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education. (300-word max)

DESCRIBE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD UNRELATED TO SCIENCE OR MEDICINE.
PART 1: Required

A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you. (150 words)

Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. Submit a 2-minute video that answers one of the questions below. To submit a video of your response, please upload the video to YouTube as either Public or Unlisted. Do not upload it as Private. Enter the URL of the uploaded video into the text box below.

Our Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. How does your background and/or experiences align with UTRGV SOM Mission?

Becoming a physician is a very hard and a “life-long” learning career. What and when was the instant that you knew this was going to be your chosen career and why?

PART 2: Select 2 out of the 4. Briefly describe the experience, state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated), what you learned about yourself through that experience.

A community service experience. (150 words)

A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction. (150 words)

A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc. (150 words)

We are all experiencing life under a pandemic – COVID-19. As an aspiring physician, please tell us three (3) things you would do to educate and assist your community with relevant COVID-19 information. (150 words)

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Essay Topics ('19 - '20)

Supplemental Questions:

List three adjectives that characterize the community in which you grew up.

Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency: (100 word max)

In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you. (150 word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind:

Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving.

Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education.

(300 word max)

Learning Experiences:

DESCRIBE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD UNRELATED TO SCIENCE OR MEDICINE.

PART 1: Required

PART 2: Select 2 out of the 3*

briefly describe the experience

state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)

what you learned about yourself through that experience

*Experiences may be used more than once to address each category. Limit your answers to the space provided.

Part 1:

A. A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you: (150 words)

B. Our Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. Submit a 2 minute video that answers the question below. To submit a video of your response, please upload the video to YouTube as Unlisted. Do not upload it as Private. Enter the URL of the uploaded video into the text box below.

How does your background and/or experiences align with UTRGV SOM Mission?

Part 2

A community service experience: (150 words)

A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction: (150 words)

A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc.): (150 words)

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Essay Topics ('18 - '19)

1. List three adjectives that characterize the community in which you grew up.

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency:

(100 word max)

3. In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you. (150 word max)

4. The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind:

A. Patient Advocacy, Community-Focus, Cultural Awareness, Collaborative Leadership Style, Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you and how they integrate with each other. Please explain how this integration will impact your medical school education.

(300 word max)

B. A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you: (150 words)

C. Our Mission at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Of Medicine (UTRGV SOM is to educate a diverse group of medical students and future biomedical scientists; to develop physicians who will serve across all disciplines of medicine; bring hope to patients and communities by advancing biomedical knowledge through research. Our goal is to provide a forward-thinking medical education experience dedicated to scientific, evidence-based, patient-centered medicine to serve all communities, including those underserved. Submit a 2 minute video that answers the question below. To submit a video of your response, please upload the video to YouTube as either Public or Unlisted. Do not upload it as Private. Enter the URL of the uploaded video into the text box below.

How does your background and/or experiences align with UTRGV SOM Mission?

Part 1: A community service experience: (150 words)

Part 2: A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction: (150 words)

Part 3: A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc.): (150 words)

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Essay Topics ('17 - '18)

1. List three adjectives that characterize the community you grew up in

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency (100 word max)

3. In the event you are accepted into two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you (150 word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: patient advocacy, community-focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, lifelong problem solving.

4. Choose TWO of these values and explain their importance to you, as well as how they integrate with each other. Finish by indicating how this integration will impact your medical school education (300 word max)

Part 2:

Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine:

Part 1: required

part 2: select 2 out of the 4

briefly describe the experience

state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)

what you learned about yourself through that experience

experiences may be used more than once to address each category.

Part 1 (required)

A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you (150 word max)

Part 2 (select 2/4)

A community service experience (150 word max)

an employment experience (150 word max)

a position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction (150 word max)

a creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc) (150 word max)

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Essay Topics ('16 - '17)

1. List three adjectives that characterize the community you grew up in:

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency: 100 words

3. In the event you are accepted to two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you: 150 words

4. The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind:

Patient Advocacy; Community-Focus; Cultural Awareness; Collaborative Leadership Style; Lifelong Problem Solving. Choose TWO (2) of these values and explain their importance to you, as well as how they integrate with each other. Finish by indicating how this integration will impact your medical school education: 300 words

DESCRIBE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD UNRELATED TO SCIENCE OR MEDICINE.

PART 1: Required

PART 2: Select 2 out of the 4*

Briefly describe the experience

state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)

what you learned about yourself through that experience

*Experiences may be used more than once to address each category. Limit your answers to the space provided.

Part 1

A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you: 150 words

Part 2 (select 2 out of 4)

A community service experience: 150 words

An employment experience: 150 words

A position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction: 150 words

A creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc.): 150 words