Essay Topics (2024 - 2025)
1. The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring? (250 words)
2. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 words)
3. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with? (250 words)
4. Demonstrated competency? - Social sciences, Humanities or "Human Condition"?Entering medical students should understand the social forces that shape the health of the individuals and communities they will serve. This includes understanding how social contextual factors and policy operate at the community and national level to impact the health of individuals. Students should be familiar with disparities in health currently present in society and their underlying etiologies. Candidates seeking acceptance to UWSOM can establish competency in this area through course work in the social sciences, humanities or related interdisciplinary fields such as public health or ethnic and gender studies, clinical and/or population health research, service learning, lived experience or a combination of thereof. Examples of social science/humanities coursework to consider: Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Religion, History, Philosophy, Literature.?
Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine. (250 words)
Essay Topics ('23 – '24)
1. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with? (250 words)
2. The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring? (250 words)
3. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 words)
4. Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine. (250 words)
5. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 words)
6. For Wyoming applicants: Describe your experiences in Wyoming that have influenced and/or informed your decision to pursue a medical career? (250 words)
Essay Topics ('22 - '23)
1. We recognize that the world has changed significantly due to the global pandemic. Please share how COVID-19 has impacted you, your family, your community, and/or the patients that you would like to serve.
2. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you’ve worked with?
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?
4. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?5. Demonstrated competency - Social sciences, Humanities or "Human Condition"
Describe your competency by explaining how you've explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities related to the "human condition".
Updated information on their more specific assessment of residency and connections to WA or WWAMI States:
Applicants whose AMCAS legal state of residence is not within WWAMI or whose residency is denied by one of the WWAMI residency certifying offices will be considered for the MD program if they meet the following specific components of our mission (Mission & Values | UW Medicine):
Out-of-region applicants must have one of the following WWAMI ties in order to be eligible for consideration:
Essay Topics ('21 – '22)
1. Autobiographical statement that includes (250-word limit): The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician; Your prior experiences in healthcare; Steps taken to explore a career in medicine; Your eventual goals as a physician; Personal attributes that would make you a good physician. Do not repeat anything from your personal statement, activities and MMEs.
Please do not repeat what you wrote in your AMCAS Personal Comments (this will already be on file with our office). If you have already covered all of the above topics in your AMCAS application, use this space to let the Admissions Committee know who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician.
2. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250-word limit)
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250-word limit)
4. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250-word limit)
5. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with? (250-word limit)
6. Please share how COVID-19 has impacted you, your family, your community, and/or the patients that you would like to serve. (250-word limit)
7. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250-word limit)
Essay Topics (’20 – ’21)
1. Autobiographical statement that includes (250-word limit): The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician; Your prior experiences in healthcare; Steps taken to explore a career in medicine; Your eventual goals as a physician; Personal attributes that would make you a good physician. Do not repeat anything from your personal statement, activities and MMEs.
2. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 words)
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 words)
4. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 words)
5. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with? (250 words)
6. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 words)
Essay Topics ('19 – '20)
1. An autobiographical statement which should include (250 word limit): the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in health care, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, personal attributes that would make you a good physician.
Please do not repeat what you wrote in your AMCAS Personal Comments (this will already be on file with our office). If you have already covered all of the above topics in your AMCAS application, use this space to let the Admissions Committee know who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician.
2. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word limit)
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word limit)
4. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 word limit)
5. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with? (250 word limit)
6. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 word limit)
Essay Topics ('18 – '19)
1. An autobiographical statement which should include (250 word limit): the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in health care, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, personal attributes that would make you a good physician.
Please do not repeat what you wrote in your AMCAS Personal Comments (this will already be on file with our office). If you have already covered all of the above topics in your AMCAS application, use this space to let the Admissions Committee know who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician.
2. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word limit)
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word limit)
4. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 word limit)
5. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with? (250 word limit)
6. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 word limit)
Essay Topics ('17 – '18)
1. Autobiographical Statement Addendum: Your AMCAS personal statement and experiences are already on file with our office. If your primary AMCAS application hasn't discussed the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician including insights you've gained from exploring a career in medicine, and how your personal attributes would make you a good physician, please discuss those here. If you've already written about these items, don't repeat what you wrote. Instead, use this autobiographical statement addendum to let us know more about who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician. This is another opportunity for you to express what you want the Admissions Committee to know about you. (250 word count)
2. How do you see historical and structural inequities affecting the patients you have worked with and will work with, and how do you as a student and physician address these broader causes of health disparities? (250 word count)
3. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word count)
4. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word count)
5. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 word count)
Essay Topics ('16 – '17)
1. Autobiographical Statement Addendum: You must submit a brief autobiographical statement. It should describe the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in healthcare, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, and other issues of importance. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your supplemental materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office. (250 words)
2. How do your experiences match the mission and values of the University of Washington School of Medicine? (250 words)
3. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 words)
4. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 words)
5. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 words)
6. For re-applicants: From your most recent previous application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 words)
Essay Topics ('15 – '16)
1. An autobiographical statement which should include: the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in health care, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, and other issues of importance. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your secondary materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office.
2. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word limit)
3. How do your experiences match the mission and values of the University of Washington School of Medicine? (250 word limit)
4. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word limit)
5. What obstacles to your goals have you experienced and how have you dealt with them? (250 word limit)
Essay Topics ('14 – '15)
1. An autobiographical statement which should include: The origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, Your prior experiences in health care, Steps taken to explore a career in medicine, Your eventual goals as a physician, And other issues of importance. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your secondary materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office.
2. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word limit)
3. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word limit)
4. What obstacles to your goals have you experienced and how have you dealt with them? (250 word limit)
5. For re-applicants: From your most recent application until now, how have you strengthened your application? (250 word limit)
Essay Topics ('13 – '14)
1. An autobiographical statement which should include: the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in health care, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, and other issues of importance. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your secondary materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office.
2. Other Personal Comments or Publications: Due to the volume of applications we receive, publications or manuscripts will not be included in your application file, and cannot be returned if sent. Instead, please submit abstracts or other brief descriptions of your work.
3. How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician? (250 word limit)
4. What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class? (250 word limit)
5. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them? (250 word limit)
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