Essay Topics (2024 - 2025)

Mission Statement: We will educate a diverse student body in an urban setting and within a culture of inclusion, through high quality education, clinical excellence, pioneering research, local investment in our community and innovative technology, to prepare physician and biomedical scientific leaders to achieve health and wellness for our society.

1. When reflecting on the roles and responsibilities of a physician, please discuss what motivated your interest? What are potential challenges to pursuing a career in medicine? (1250 characters)

2. What are the healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities and underserved communities in the United States? Why do these healthcare challenges exist? How would you address them? (1250 characters)

3. Which of your experiences or activities align with WSU SOM's mission? Please discuss how they align. (1250 characters)

4. Please answer if you have had a gap (career change, re-applicant, additional education, etc.). A "gap" is defined as a period of time between the end of your undergraduate education and the start of medical school. What activities have you participated in or plan to participate in during this period? How does this relate to your future career in medicine? (1250 characters)

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Essay Topics (’23 – ’24)

1. When reflecting on the roles and responsibilities of a physician, discuss what appeals and does not appeal to you. (1250 characters)

2. How would you address the inconsistencies between medical information and disinformation? How do these inconsistencies impact patients and society? (1250 characters)

3. List healthcare issues faced by marginalized communities and include their impact on social determinants of health. How would you address them? (1250 characters)

4. Which of your experiences or activities align with WSU SOM’s mission? Please discuss how. (1250 characters)

5. Please answer if you have had a gap (career change, re-applicant, additional education, etc.). A “gap” is defined as a period of time between the end of your undergraduate education and the start of medical school. What activities have you participated in or plan to participate in during this period? How does this relate to your future career in medicine?(1250 characters) Please mark N/A if this does not apply to you.

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Essay Topics ('22-'23)

1.What characteristics and qualities are necessary for successful leadership? Do you think all physicians should be leaders? Please discuss your reasons.

2. How would you address discordance between medical information vs disinformation? Discuss any impact on patients and society.

3. What healthcare issues are faced by marginalized communities? Include the impact of at least one social determinant of health.

4. Which of your experiences or activities align with WSU SOM’s mission? Please discuss how.

5. Please answer if you have had a gap (career change, re-applicant, additional education, etc.). A “gap” is defined as a period of time between the end of your undergraduate education and the start of medical school. What activities have you participated in or plan to participate in during this period? How does this relate to your future career in medicine? Please mark N/A if this does not apply to you.

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‍Essay Topics ('21-'22)

1. What characteristics and qualities are necessary for successful leadership? Do you think all physicians should be leaders? Please discuss your reasons. (1250 characters)

2. During the pandemic we frequently encounter information gaps. Discuss one such gap and how you went about gathering and using the information you found. How has that affected your outlook on the role of medicine? (1250 characters)

3. Which of your experiences or activities align with WSU SOM’s mission? Please discuss how. (1250 characters)

4. Please answer if you have had a gap between completion of your undergraduate degree and applying to medical school (career change, re-applicant, etc.) What have you done during the interval since graduation or your previous application? How does that experience or activity relate to your future career in medicine? Please mark N/A if this does not apply to you. (1250 characters)

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Essay Topics (’20 – ’21)

During the stress of the pandemic, what was the one thing you learned about yourself? How has that affected your outlook on the role of medicine? (1000 characters)

Are empathy and sympathy the same? Please discuss their importance in the practice of medicine. (1000 characters)

Describe what specific opportunities/resources are offered at Wayne State University School of Medicine that you plan to utilize as a medical student, and why? (1000 characters)

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Essay Topics ('19 - '20)

-If you could tell the admissions committee one thing unique about yourself that isnt medically related, what would it be? (1000 Characters)

-Explain an activity that you have been involved in with for at least 6-12 months. What was it about that activity that kept you motivated to continue? What did you learn from that activity? (1000 Characters)

-Give an example of a project to which you gave sustained effort. How were you involved in the leadership of this project? (1000 Characters)

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Essay Topics ('18 - '19)

Please answer each of the three essays below. Responses are limited to a maximum of 1000 characters, including spaces. Only answer the additional question sections if they apply. Do not use a ~ in your responses.

1. Why do you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine?

2. Medical School is very time consuming, and you are going to have to eliminate some current activities. What three activities are most important for you to continue while in medical school? Why?

3. Give an example of a project to which you gave sustained effort. How were you involved in the leadership of this project?

Please only answer this question if you are a re-applicant. The response is limited to a maximum of 1500 characters, including spaces. What academic, employment, volunteer experiences have you been engaged in since your last application to medical school? How does your current application differ from your previous application?

Please only answer this question if you were ever the recipient of an institutional action. The response is limited to a maximum of 1500 characters, including spaces. Fully describe the circumstances that resulted in the disciplinary institutional action citation noted on your AMCAS application. What lasting lessons have you learned from the experience?

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Essay Topics ('17 - '18)

All have a 1000 character limit including spaces

Please discuss the reasons you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Medical School is very time consuming, and you are going to have to eliminate some current activities. What three activities are most important for you to continue while in medical school? Why?

Give an example of a project to which you gave sustained effort. How were you involved in the leadership of this project?

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Essay Topics ('16 - '17)

All have a 1000 character limit including spaces

Please discuss the reasons you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Medical School is very time consuming, and you are going to have to eliminate some current activities. What three activities are most important for you to continue while in medical school? Why?

Give an example of a project to which you gave sustained effort. How were you involved in the leadership of this project?

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Essay Topics ('15 - '16)

Please discuss the reasons you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine. (1000ch)

Please describe the attributes that you possess that will help enhance cultural diversity at Wayne State University School of Medicine (1000ch)

Please describe meaningful life experience(s) you have encountered and/or challenges that you had to overcome. Describe how the experience or challenge impacted your life. (1000ch)

Additional prompts, depending on relevance:

For MD/MPH applicants:

Please explain your specific interest in Public Health. Include any relevant experiences and/or education. (1000ch)

For Reapplicants:

What academic, employment, volunteer experiences have you been engaged in since your last application to medical school? How does your current application differ from your previous application? (1500ch)

For those with an Institutional Action:

Fully describe the circumstances that resulted in the disciplinary institutional action citation noted on your AMCAS application. What lasting lessons have you learned from the experience? (1500ch)

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Essay Topics ('14 - '15)

Question I (Choose one of the questions to answer)

A. Briefly describe a work or educational situation in which you were a member of a small group and the ways in which you learned from and taught others. What were the positive and negative aspects of this teaching and learning experience for you?

B. The practice of medicine often involves working with patients of varying backgrounds and from diverse communities. What are your experiences and thoughts about diversity and how would you apply them in the practice of medicine?

Question II (Non Residents must answer Question A “ Michigan residents may choose any of the 3 to answer)

A. Discuss the reasons you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine. What do you anticipate being the most challenging and most rewarding?

B. Discuss your reasons for selecting medicine as a career. What benefits do you feel a career would offer that other careers would not?

C. Briefly discuss what particular non-academic experiences (e.g. community service, employment, patient care activities) most influenced your decision to pursue a medical career. Why and how did this influence your decision?

Question III (Choose one of the questions to answer)

A. One of your pediatric patients has been diagnosed with a progressive degenerative disorder. You have recommended a stem cell therapy which, when completed, has been proven to arrest the progress of the disorder and, in some cases, reverse its effects, resulting in normal growth and development. Based on their beliefs, the parents have not given their approval for the stem cell therapy but will give their

Question I (Choose one of the questions to answer)

A. Briefly describe a work or educational situation in which you were a member of a small group and the ways in which you learned from and taught others. What were the positive and negative aspects of this teaching and learning experience for you?

B. The practice of medicine often involves working with patients of varying backgrounds and from diverse communities. What are your experiences and thoughts about diversity and how would you apply them in the practice of medicine?

Question II (Non Residents must answer Question A “ Michigan residents may choose any of the 3 to answer)

A. Discuss the reasons you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine. What do you anticipate being the most challenging and most rewarding?

B. Discuss your reasons for selecting medicine as a career. What benefits do you feel a career would offer that other careers would not?

C. Briefly discuss what particular non-academic experiences (e.g. community service, employment, patient care activities) most influenced your decision to pursue a medical career. Why and how did this influence your decision?

Question III (Choose one of the questions to answer)

A. One of your pediatric patients has been diagnosed with a progressive degenerative disorder. You have recommended a stem cell therapy which, when completed, has been proven to arrest the progress of the disorder and, in some cases, reverse its effects, resulting in normal growth and development. Based on their beliefs, the parents have not given their approval for the stem cell therapy but will give their approval for a previously widely used drug therapy which slowed the disorder's progress but did not arrest or reverse its progress. Considering your obligation to your patient, the values of the parents and standards of best medical practices how would you respond to this situation?

B. One of your elderly patients has been hospitalized for the third time following a catastrophic stroke. Paralyzed, unable to speak but able to respond "yes" or "no" with eye blinks. His signed advanced directives specify that should the continuation of therapeutic treatment be determined to be futile, that aggressive treatment would be judged inappropriate and his care would be "palliative". The patient's family insists that their loved one is "aware" and that therapeutic treatment should continue.

What action do you take when confronted with this situation?

Question IV - (only reapplicants must answer this question)

What academic, employment, volunteer experiences have you been engaged in since your last application to medical school? How does your current application differ from your previous application?

Question V - (only applicants with an institutional action must answer this question)

Fully describe the circumstances that resulted in the disciplinary institutional action citation noted on your AMCAS application. What "lasting" lessons have you learned from the experience?

Question VI- (MD/MPH applicants must answer this question)

Please explain your specific interest in Public Health. Include any relevant experiences and/or education.

Length is 250-500 words (1500 to 3000 characters).

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Essay Topics ('13 - '14)

Question I (Choose one of the questions to answer)

A. Briefly describe a work or educational situation in which you were a member of a small group and the ways in which you learned from and taught others. What were the positive and negative aspects of this teaching and learning experience for you?

B. The practice of medicine often involves working with patients of varying backgrounds and from diverse communities. What are your experiences and thoughts about diversity and how would you apply them in the practice of medicine?

Question II (Non Residents must answer Question A “ Michigan residents may choose any of the 3 to answer)

A. Discuss the reasons you wish to pursue your medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine. What do you anticipate being the most challenging and most rewarding?

B. Discuss your reasons for selecting medicine as a career. What benefits do you feel a career would offer that other careers would not?

C. Briefly discuss what particular non-academic experiences (e.g. community service, employment, patient care activities) most influenced your decision to pursue a medical career. Why and how did this influence your decision?

Question III (Choose one of the questions to answer)

A. One of your pediatric patients has been diagnosed with a progressive degenerative disorder. You have recommended a stem cell therapy which, when completed, has been proven to arrest the progress of the disorder and, in some cases, reverse its effects, resulting in normal growth and development. Based on their beliefs, the parents have not given their approval for the stem cell therapy but will give their approval for a previously widely used drug therapy which slowed the disorder's progress but did not arrest or reverse its progress. Considering your obligation to your patient, the values of the parents and standards of best medical practices how would you respond to this situation?

B. One of your elderly patients has been hospitalized for the third time following a catastrophic stroke. Paralyzed, unable to speak but able to respond "yes" or "no" with eye blinks. His signed advanced directives specify that should the continuation of therapeutic treatment be determined to be futile, that aggressive treatment would be judged inappropriate and his care would be "palliative". The patient's family insists that their loved one is "aware" and that therapeutic treatment should continue.

What action do you take when confronted with this situation?

Question IV - (only reapplicants must answer this question)

What academic, employment, volunteer experiences have you been engaged in since your last application to medical school? How does your current application differ from your previous application?

Question V - (only applicants with an institutional action must answer this question)

Fully describe the circumstances that resulted in the disciplinary institutional action citation noted on your AMCAS application. What lasting lessons have you learned from the experience?

Question VI- (MD/MPH applicants must answer this question)

Please explain your specific interest in Public Health. Include any relevant experiences and/or education.

Length is 250-500 words (1500 to 3000 characters).