2021-2022 Tufts

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Thank you to @Caduceus117 for sharing this year's questions.

2021-2022 Tufts Secondary Essay Prompts

1. Additional Comments (1000 characters)

2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Include in this explanation if you will be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, etc. (1000 characters)

3. Do you consider yourself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine? (1000 characters)

4. Given how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the world this year, please contextualize how your experiences have been affected which might include your personal, professional and educational journey. (1000 characters)

9. We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores) and that you believe might adversely affect your likelihood of medical school acceptance. We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer 'No'. (1000 characters)


Good luck to everyone applying!

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Anyone else notice how MSAR shows that only 1.6% of OOS applicants were interviewed last year? It looks like they mixed up the in-state and out-of-state data, not sure what that's about...
 
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TradClimber said:
Anyone else notice how MSAR shows that only 1.6% of OOS applicants were interviewed last year? It looks like they mixed up the in-state and out-of-state data, not sure what that's about...
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I noticed this as well. Pretty sure it is a typo since it did not really match up with the interview tracker data from last year.
 
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Caduceus117 said:
I noticed this as well. Pretty sure it is a typo since it did not really match up with the interview tracker data from last year.
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I believe that they simply swapped the IS II and OOS II numbers.
It probably should be
167 II for IS ~ 16.6%
654 II for OOS ~ 5.5%
Given that they are a private institution there is no reason for them to heavily favor IS applicants to the point of having an IS II % of 65%
 
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Is it true that Tufts reserves a certain number of seats for students from their SMP program and UMass linkage programs? Trying to figure out if it is worth it for me to apply if there are only a small number of seats that are actually up for grabs.
 
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I'm interested in applying to the Tufts Maine Track, does anyone know the questions they ask for that part of the application?
 
Are there any currents Tufts medical students that could possibly tell me what they love about Tufts and why they chose to attend there? I would love to hear your perspective on it!
 
Did Tufts release their secondary app? I was verified day one but haven't gotten anything
 
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trojantotrojan said:
Congrats! Can you post the prompts?
Click to expand...
Yeah!


Additional Comments (1000 characters)





2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Include in this explanation if you will be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, etc. (1000 characters)





Do you consider yourself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine? (1000 characters)





4. Given how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the world this year, please contextualize how your experiences have been affected which might include your personal, professional and educational journey. (1000 characters)





9. We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores) and that you believe might adversely affect your likelihood of medical school acceptance. We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer 'No'. (1000 characters)
 
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Should I be concerned that I did not receive mine yet? I was verified and transmitted to schools on the first day.
 
Does anyone know how Maine-Focused the Maine track is? I have no experience with Maine, however I have lots of rural experience and the rural aspect interests me. My primary application is weird in that it looks like 50% rural primary care and 50% MD/PhD and the Maine track really stands out to me as an MD only programs I may choose if given the option.
 
2021-2022-NonTrad said:
Does anyone know how Maine-Focused the Maine track is? I have no experience with Maine, however I have lots of rural experience and the rural aspect interests me. My primary application is weird in that it looks like 50% rural primary care and 50% MD/PhD and the Maine track really stands out to me as an MD only programs I may choose if given the option.
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I thought you had to be from Maine to do that track?
 
Screamapillar said:
I thought you had to be from Maine to do that track?
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You do not. They ask like 6 questions about Maine and one about strong ties to rural areas. I think I can possibly squeeze in there under the strong ties to rural areas
 
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So, the "do you think you will contribute to the diversity of our school" essay is pretty loaded, right? What if I say no?
 
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Lorien said:
So, the "do you think you will contribute to the diversity of our school" essay is pretty loaded, right? What if I say no?
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No two people are exactly the same, so I think that answering “no” is the wrong thing to do. Diversity doesn’t only mean you are part of an “out-group”. Surely there is something about you that is unique. Really reflect on what makes you, well you, and I’m sure you will be able to think of a good topic for your diversity essay.
 
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amath03 said:
No two people are exactly the same, so I think that answering “no” is the wrong thing to do. Diversity doesn’t only mean you are part of an “out-group”. Surely there is something about you that is unique. Really reflect on what makes you, well you, and I’m sure you will be able to think of a good topic for your diversity essay.
Click to expand...

Also, many schools ask about diversity in their secondaries, so it would behoove you to think about a good response for these types of questions.
 
amath03 said:
No two people are exactly the same, so I think that answering “no” is the wrong thing to do. Diversity doesn’t only mean you are part of an “out-group”. Surely there is something about you that is unique. Really reflect on what makes you, well you, and I’m sure you will be able to think of a good topic for your diversity essay.
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I mean, I'm aware, it's just a curious way to word the question. Seems like a "do you really want this school: yes or no" button
 
ndcpjf said:
Which is interesting because I am neither a vet, nor closely related to any vets. Is that a word typical of military speak?
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Saying "It would behoove you to [insert action here]" is a time-honored tradition in the military, and any NCO worth their salt works it into at least three sentences per day.
 
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2021-2022-NonTrad said:
And to piggyback off of this, I have a caveat so I am going to break this down Barney Style - however comma this may still sound like a soup sandwich - and I hope you are still tracking....
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Alright, that's everything I got. Any alibis? Outstanding, now go ahead and move out to chow. Be back here no later than 1900.
 
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I got 1 C+ during undergrad in an engineering class. Should I write about this in the academic hardship box?
 
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For the academic hardship question, I don't believe I have faced any. Obviously, some classes were more difficult than others but my lowest grade on my transcript is a B.

The hardest class I ever took was a psych class at an Italian university while I was abroad (taken in Italian alongside native Italians) but I received a B. I don't want to make it sound like I think a B is the end of the world because it is most definitely not, but I could touch upon the fact that it was a challenge and exposed me to a different educational system. I could also talk about receiving a B in my first semester of orgo and then finding better study methods to get an A in the second semester.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if I should take this as an opportunity to provide insight into moments of personal growth or if I should avoid sounding like a neurotic premed with a strong GPA who is complaining about a B.

Should I just write "No" as the question states (or is this a cop out?), or is it worth explaining that I recognize how fortunate I've been to have had the opportunity to focus on academics (i.e., did not have to work to support myself during college etc.)?
 
jewel68 said:
For the academic hardship question, I don't believe I have faced any. Obviously, some classes were more difficult than others but my lowest grade on my transcript is a B.

The hardest class I ever took was a psych class at an Italian university while I was abroad (taken in Italian alongside native Italians) but I received a B. I don't want to make it sound like I think a B is the end of the world because it is most definitely not, but I could touch upon the fact that it was a challenge and exposed me to a different educational system. I could also talk about receiving a B in my first semester of orgo and then finding better study methods to get an A in the second semester.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if I should take this as an opportunity to provide insight into moments of personal growth or if I should avoid sounding like a neurotic premed with a strong GPA who is complaining about a B.

Should I just write "No" as the question states (or is this a cop out?), or is it worth explaining that I recognize how fortunate I've been to have had the opportunity to focus on academics (i.e., did not have to work to support myself during college etc.)?
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While that does sound like a great learning experience and a good story to tell, the prompt does specifically mention academic difficulties "that you believe might adversely affect your likelihood of medical school acceptance."
 
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Here are the MD/MPH prompts:

What experience have you had that you consider relevant to the MD/MPH graduate degree program to which you are applying? (Include paid or volunteer work experiences and/or extracurricular activities) (3000 characters or less).

How do you foresee making use of your combined degree training in your future career? Please be as specific as possible (3000 characters or less).
 
Is anyone else having trouble uploading their picture to the portal?
edit: nvm figured it out
 
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For the prompt "We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores) and that you believe might adversely affect your likelihood of medical school acceptance. We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer 'No'. (1000 characters)," do you guys think I should discuss my CARS score? I got a 131/125/131/131, and reading comprehension has never been my strength with my background started elementary school in another country and I did not develop a strong English reading foundation. Should I discuss this or would it be bad to bring attention to my CARS and unbalanced score, which I see as my only potential red flag? The only reason I ask is that MSAR says their 10th percentile CARS score is 125. Thanks :)
 
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NeedsGuidance said:
For the prompt "We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores) and that you believe might adversely affect your likelihood of medical school acceptance. We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer 'No'. (1000 characters)," do you guys think I should discuss my CARS score? I got a 131/125/131/131, and reading comprehension has never been my strength with my background started elementary school in another country and I did not develop a strong English reading foundation. Should I discuss this or would it be bad to bring attention to my CARS and unbalanced score, which I see as my only potential red flag? The only reason I ask is that MSAR says their 10th percentile CARS score is 125. Thanks :)
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In my opinion, I would not per the bolded portion. It sounds like unless you can talk about any growth that's come from this experience I think you're better off not mentioning anything.
 
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ndcpjf said:
In my opinion, I would not per the bolded portion. It sounds like unless you can talk about any growth that's come from this experience I think you're better off not mentioning anything.
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That makes a lot of sense, kind of overlooked that. Thank you!
 
has anyone had issues uploading their pic? mine is a JPG like requested and its not accepting it for some reason
 
For the question about repeated courses, if you answer yes, it asks you to explain. How’s that different from the academic hardships question? Any ideas?
 
anybody verified and not receive a secondary? I'm just trying to see if they send it to all applicants or not...
 
What are you all doing for the prereq section where it says "Please indicate how you have acquired this competency."? The prior ones just asked to list, so do they want this in paragraph form?...
Also, for quarter system peeps: where it says to include at least a semester's worth of something... should we equate that to two quarters of something or one?
 
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