2021-2022 Stanford

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Thank you to @4lphabet for sharing this year's questions!
2021-2022 Stanford Secondary Essay Prompts:
  1. Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (600char)
  2. Select your desired medical practice. Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1000char)
  3. How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1000char)
  4. Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences. (1000char)
  5. The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important and/or challenging factors in your background which may include such discussions as the quality of your early education, gender, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, and life or work experiences. Please describe how these factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and may help you to uniquely contribute to the Stanford learning environment. (2000char)
  6. Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1000char)
  7. (OPTIONAL) Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (1000char)

Good luck to everyone applying!

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For everyone considering applying, here's last cycle's secondary questions: **Moderator note - the prompts are different this cycle, see first post in this thread**
  • The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important and/or challenging factors in your background which may include such discussions as the quality of your early education, gender, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, and life or work experiences. Please describe how these factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and may help you to uniquely contribute to the Stanford learning environment. Please limit your answer to 2,000 characters including spaces.
  • Select your desired medical practice: Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
  • How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
  • Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges, or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Include any impact on your medical school application preparation in the areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service, and/or clinical experiences. Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
  • Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.
 
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For MSTP folks, here are the supplemental questions as seen from this previous application cycle:
  • Describe your most significant research experience. Include the rationale, results, and conclusions, and the role you played in each of these components. ("Be very specific, including the dates and amount of time you were engaged. Include a complete citation..." 2500 characters)
  • Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (600 characters)
  • Describe your reasons for pursuing medical scientist training in relation to your long-term career goals. Why are you applying to a combined degree program rather than graduate or medical school only? (800 characters including spaces)
  • Describe your current lab affiliation and the weekly time commitment required. (800 characters)
  • Describe any other research experiences you think would be relevant to the MSTP MD-PhD Admissions Committee decision. (800 characters)
  • Describe any patient-related, teaching, and service-oriented activities relevant to the MSTP MD-PhD Admissions Committee decision. (800 characters)
  • Describe any other aspect of your background you think would be relevant to the MSTP MD-PhD Admissions Committee decision. (800 characters)
 
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+1 oos secondary, but they sent it to the email I'd used in a previous cycle instead of my most current one.
 
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What is the priority for secondary applications? Not sure if they are send in waves or it’s the algorithm
 
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General questions:
  1. Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (600char)
  2. Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1000char)
  3. How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1000char)
  4. Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences. (1000char)
  5. The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important and/or challenging factors in your background which may include such discussions as the quality of your early education, gender, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, and life or work experiences. Please describe how these factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and may help you to uniquely contribute to the Stanford learning environment. (2000char)
  6. Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1000char)
  7. Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) (1000char)

PTSP q's:
  1. Please describe your motivation for a career as a physician scientist, and how the Physician Scientist Training Program will enable you to reach your career goals (2500 char)
  2. Describe your most significant research experience. Include the rationale, results, and conclusions, and the role you played in each of these components (2500 char)
& If you're a re-applicant there's a 350char prompt for how your app is better than last time.
 
4lphabet said:
General questions:
  1. Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (600char)
  2. Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1000char)
  3. How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1000char)
  4. Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences. (1000char)
  5. The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important and/or challenging factors in your background which may include such discussions as the quality of your early education, gender, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, and life or work experiences. Please describe how these factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and may help you to uniquely contribute to the Stanford learning environment. (2000char)
  6. Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1000char)
  7. Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (OPTIONAL) (1000char)

PTSP q's:
  1. Please describe your motivation for a career as a physician scientist, and how the Physician Scientist Training Program will enable you to reach your career goals (2500 char)
  2. Describe your most significant research experience. Include the rationale, results, and conclusions, and the role you played in each of these components (2500 char)
& If you're a re-applicant there's a 350char prompt for how your app is better than last time.
Click to expand...
Does anyone have the MSTP prompts yet?
 
How far back should my educational background go? High school, elementary school?
 
Has anyone else not gotten this secondary?
 
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Does anyone else see their MCAT score status as not received on the secondary? (Assuming you already took the MCAT and it was scored)
 
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RunningMSN said:
Does anyone else see their MCAT score status as not received on the secondary? (Assuming you already took the MCAT and it was scored)
Click to expand...
Mine says the same. Glad I'm not the only one, but I hope they get that solved soon!
 
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Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background

This only includes stuff before college right?
 
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Is anyone having trouble going over the character limit for the MSTP significant research experience prompt? My publications/presentations take up a significant amount of characters and I would abbreviate them, but it says include a complete citation...
 
larynxlady said:
Is anyone having trouble going over the character limit for the MSTP significant research experience prompt? My publications/presentations take up a significant amount of characters and I would abbreviate them, but it says include a complete citation...
Click to expand...
Yes, exactly, same. Especially because they want full author lists. I have three other short paragraphs breezing through rationale, timeline, and results, but its not as detailed as I would like
 
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Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences.

Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.

This doesn't seem like a regular how did COVID negatively impact your application. What is this question really asking? I'm particularly confused by the word "insights."
 
apismnfla1003 said:
Please describe any lessons, hardships, challenges or opportunities that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, describe how these insights have informed your motivations and preparation for medical school in areas of academics, research, employment, volunteer service and/or clinical experiences.

Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.

This doesn't seem like a regular how did COVID negatively impact your application. What is this question really asking? I'm particularly confused by the word "insights."
Click to expand...
I treated it as "what did you learn from the negatives of COVID (abt yourself / abt what it means to be a doctor / abt US or global public health)" instead of "list how it hindered your application"
 
4lphabet said:
PTSP q's:
  1. Please describe your motivation for a career as a physician scientist, and how the Physician Scientist Training Program will enable you to reach your career goals (2500 char)
  2. Describe your most significant research experience. Include the rationale, results, and conclusions, and the role you played in each of these components (2500 char)
& If you're a re-applicant there's a 350char prompt for how your app is better than last time.
Click to expand...

Do only MSTP applicants answer the PSTP Q's or does everyone answer them?
 
zz2 said:
Do only MSTP applicants answer the PSTP Q's or does everyone answer them?
Click to expand...
PSTP is different than MSTP. PSTP is an extra research year. Think like Cleveland Clinic’s program. MSTP applicants can be considered for PSTP if they don’t get in to the PhD program, but everyone can apply PSTP
 
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IS applicant and verified before 6/25, haven't received secondary yet. Anyone else?
 
Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (600char)

what is this question asking? I'm not sure how in-depth they want us to go for 600 characters
 
Throwawayaccount777 said:
Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (600char)

what is this question asking? I'm not sure how in-depth they want us to go for 600 characters
Click to expand...
I would just use the example they give as a guide. I talked about my family and educational life from birth until end of high school. My guess is they're trying to get some diversity in SES among their students.
 
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What are you guys talking about for the optional essay? Is anyone else thinking of just leaving it blank, especially since the Discovery Curriculum question can basically be a why stanford?
 
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trojantotrojan said:
What are you guys talking about for the optional essay? Is anyone else thinking of just leaving it blank, especially since the Discovery Curriculum question can basically be a why stanford?
Click to expand...
I'm leaving it blank, I can't think of anything else that wouldn't seem like fluff
 
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got that R this morning, looks like they're already reviewing!
 
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326RD said:
I'm sorry, friend :( I'm surprised that they're reviewing this early...
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definitely bummed but knowing is always better, good luck to everyone on this thread!
 
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Is anyone applying to KH?

It seems like a cool program obviously but I don't have the time or energy to do it right now. It looks like its due by October, does anyone know if its detrimental (similar to med school apps) to submit near the deadline? If so, I'll probably just skip it, its a long shot anyways.
 
Secondary received. I applied with an MCAT score but the status says not received. Anyone having the same problem?
 
Screamapillar said:
Is anyone applying to KH?

It seems like a cool program obviously but I don't have the time or energy to do it right now. It looks like its due by October, does anyone know if its detrimental (similar to med school apps) to submit near the deadline? If so, I'll probably just skip it, its a long shot anyways.
Click to expand...
I am intending to, but I do not believe the application even opens until august, correct?

however you are correct, it is the longest of long shots lol
 
Screamapillar said:
Is anyone applying to KH?

It seems like a cool program obviously but I don't have the time or energy to do it right now. It looks like its due by October, does anyone know if its detrimental (similar to med school apps) to submit near the deadline? If so, I'll probably just skip it, its a long shot anyways.
Click to expand...
I think you are essentially required to have your school's fellowship office nominate/support your application to have it be seriously considered and at least at my school the deadline to ask them to do so was back in April.
 
McBainers said:
I think you are essentially required to have your school's fellowship office nominate/support your application to have it be seriously considered and at least at my school the deadline to ask them to do so was back in April.
Click to expand...
What if your school does not have a fellowship support office?
 
McBainers said:
I think you are essentially required to have your school's fellowship office nominate/support your application to have it be seriously considered and at least at my school the deadline to ask them to do so was back in April.
Click to expand...
This is patently untrue. FUD warning
 
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