2025-2026 Albany

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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2025-2026 Albany Secondary Essay Prompts: (same as last year)

1. Describe yourself (1000 characters).

2. Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores.
If the question does not apply to you, please put N/A in the box provided (1000 characters).

3. Has your college or university, graduate or professional school attendance been interrupted for any reason? If yes, please explain. Also, please explain any extended gaps in activity/employment in your post-graduate history.
If the question does not apply to you, please put N/A in the box provided. (1000 characters)

4. Describe a significant challenge that has prepared you for the MD career path (1000 characters).

5. Please describe your personal experiences with the structural and social determinants of health in your life and community, how they shaped your engagement with medicine and your future ideas for doctoring (1000 characters).

6. Tell us about a community with which you identify and how you are involved with it (1000 characters).

7. Is there anything else you would like the admissions committee to know when reviewing your application? If so, please use the space provided (1000 characters).

8. In the "Work and Activities" section on your AMCAS application, you provided the following list of experiences. Please select the experience that you feel has been the most meaningful in influencing your desire to pursue a career in medicine, explain why, and also describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession.
Describe what aspect of that experience best equips you to make an impact in the medical profession. (1000 characters)



Good luck to all applying!

Interview Feedback:

www.studentdoctor.net

Albany Medical College - Admission, Tuition, Ranking & Overview | Student Doctor Network

Detail information of Albany Medical College including admission, tuition, ranking, and overview.
www.studentdoctor.net www.studentdoctor.net
 
Last edited by a moderator:
how are you guys approaching the "describe yourself" prompt? I've already said so much about myself in the primary and other secondaries idk else I can say that's new
 
+1 OOS

Looking at the prompts though....I might push this one for later, lol
 
Was just checking MSAR.

5% of OOS applicants received an interview.
7% of IS applicants received an interview.

Less than 1% of OOS applicants matriculated
2% of IS applicants matriculated.

Overall seems pretty fair for OOS'ers.
 
9_rin said:
how are you guys approaching the "describe yourself" prompt? I've already said so much about myself in the primary and other secondaries idk else I can say that's new
Click to expand...
I applied here last year (Pre II R 🙁 ) and I didn't like the essay I submitted. I really get in my own head about questions like this, so I'm also looking for advice lol.
 
I would suggest for everyone to take your time to with the essays from this school because they don't send out interviews until late august according to last cycles posts. Take your time to write the essays instead of submitting it early with bad writing because they wont even look at your secondaries until august.
 
For the significant challenge that prepared me for MD, I wrote about a difficult patient and learning what works and doesn't work when diffusing the situation, in addition to its overall connection to better connecting with patients as doctor.

But now the word 'Significant' in the prompt is throwing me off, especially when I compare mine to other people who write about infinitely more impactful, significant, and traumatic. I have a few like those I could write about but I don't think I can as clearly dictate exactly how I responded, what I learned, and how I will apply those lessons in the future as I did with my original. Anyone have any tips on sticking with original vs changing it up?
 
FutureDoctorGoose said:
when I compare mine to other people who write about infinitely more impactful, significant, and traumatic
Click to expand...

I was watching an interview with an admissions counselor at one of the top 50 schools (cant remember which), and she implied that they are tired of the flowery retellings of traumatic events that supposedly impacts students. I know she doesn't speak for all schools, but she certainly implied that her school essentially rolls her eyes at these stories.

In short, I bet your essay is perfectly fine.
 
Kobeleo62 said:
I would suggest for everyone to take your time to with the essays from this school because they don't send out interviews until late august according to last cycles posts. Take your time to write the essays instead of submitting it early with bad writing because they wont even look at your secondaries until august.
Click to expand...
is this how it works? I was thinking that the earlier you send your secondary, the earlier they read your secondary and they put you earlier in the queue to get an interview
 
9_rin said:
is this how it works? I was thinking that the earlier you send your secondary, the earlier they read your secondary and they put you earlier in the queue to get an interview
Click to expand...
I think the point was, if you write a quick and shallow essay trying to rush, you might not be considered for an interview
 
Maybe a dumb question but for 8, should I talk about an MME or not? I feel like yes and no could both be wrong.

Yes - shouldn't I have said enough in the 700 + 1300 characters amcas gave me
No - if its meaningful enough to talk about here why wasn't it an MME for amcas

confused
 
icouldntthinkofanything said:
Maybe a dumb question but for 8, should I talk about an MME or not? I feel like yes and no could both be wrong.

Yes - shouldn't I have said enough in the 700 + 1300 characters amcas gave me
No - if its meaningful enough to talk about here why wasn't it an MME for amcas

confused
Click to expand...
I think you should stick to a MME. It would be strange to answer a prompt asking about the experience that played the largest role in your decision to pursue medicine and then not have it listed as an MME on AMCAS.
 
mustravel2016 said:
Dang why you so pressed idk anyone who would've gotten an II by now it's a secondary
Click to expand...

I was really just joking around with you, but yeah, it makes absolutely no sense to post “OOS” with absolutely zero other information.

No one in the other threads should be posting just “OOS” with no other information either. Mid-July is when early II's start to get sent out. Over the next 10 days, we will see II's being sent. It is not unreasonable to think you may have had a II.
 
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Kobeleo62 said:
I would suggest for everyone to take your time to with the essays from this school because they don't send out interviews until late august according to last cycles posts. Take your time to write the essays instead of submitting it early with bad writing because they wont even look at your secondaries until august.
Click to expand...
Then do you think we can submit secondaries later than 2 weeks or is it still advisable to send it early and within that timeframe? Assuming of course the essays are good and not rushed.
 
notEinstein said:
I was watching an interview with an admissions counselor at one of the top 50 schools (cant remember which), and she implied that they are tired of the flowery retellings of traumatic events that supposedly impacts students. I know she doesn't speak for all schools, but she certainly implied that her school essentially rolls her eyes at these stories.

In short, I bet your essay is perfectly fine.
Click to expand...
Some of the prompts lead you there. Also, during my first cycle, no flowery stuff and no acceptances. Not sure what else we are supposed to write about. Ugh
 
notEinstein said:
I was watching an interview with an admissions counselor at one of the top 50 schools (cant remember which), and she implied that they are tired of the flowery retellings of traumatic events that supposedly impacts students. I know she doesn't speak for all schools, but she certainly implied that her school essentially rolls her eyes at these stories.

In short, I bet your essay is perfectly fine.
Click to expand...
what school is this do u remember?
 
Hi guys! Kind of a random question, but does anyone know if the Albany Med Chorale & Orchestra is still active/performing?
 
peanutlover282 said:
Hi guys! Kind of a random question, but does anyone know if the Albany Med Chorale & Orchestra is still active/performing?
Click to expand...
I think it is (the endocrinologist who did our endocrine block gave a plug for it). Otherwise, there is an active A capella group (AMC keytones).
 
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