2025-2026 McGovern (UT Health Houston)

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2025-2026 McGovern Secondary Essay prompts (question # 4 is different than last year)

1. Please discuss one of the following (2500 char):
* A challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past
* Any academic road bumps in your academic career (low academic performance, failing course, dropping/retaking of courses)
In your answer include: Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn?

2. Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. What did you learn from this experience and how have you applied this learning to your work and/or life? (2500 char)

3. From what you understand about the rigors of medical school, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for you? How do you think you are prepared for these challenges? (2500 char)

4. What advice would you give to a friend who is falling behind academically? (2500 char)

**McGovern has added a video-response portion to their process: a link will be sent ONLY to those selected for an interview and should be completed before your interview day.**

Good luck to all applying!

Interview Feedback:
www.studentdoctor.net

University of Texas Medical School-Houston - Admission, Tuition, Ranking & Overview | Student Doctor Network

Detail information of University of Texas Medical School-Houston including admission, tuition, ranking, and overview.
www.studentdoctor.net www.studentdoctor.net
 
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Best of luck to all upcoming applicants!! Looking forward to meeting many of you at interview days and open houses for this awesome school.

Once we get into foundations I’ll make some updates here on what the day-to-day is like and hopefully get you all to rank McGovern at the top of your list 😉
 
@wysdoc doc Son just received his secondary. Looks like #3 and #4 have changed
1. Please discuss one of the following (2500 char):
  • A challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past
  • Any academic road bumps in your academic career (low academic performance, failing course, dropping/retaking of courses)
Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn?

2. Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. What did you learn from this experience and how have you applied this learning to your work and/or life?

3. From what you understand about the rigors of medical school, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for you? How do you think you are prepared for these challenges?

4. What advice would you give to a friend who is falling behind academically?
 
premedmom2026 said:
@wysdoc doc Son just received his secondary. Looks like #3 and #4 have changed
1. Please discuss one of the following (2500 char):
  • A challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past
  • Any academic road bumps in your academic career (low academic performance, failing course, dropping/retaking of courses)
Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn?

2. Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. What did you learn from this experience and how have you applied this learning to your work and/or life?

3. From what you understand about the rigors of medical school, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for you? How do you think you are prepared for these challenges?

4. What advice would you give to a friend who is falling behind academically?
Click to expand...
Thank you

Can someone else also verify that these are the complete essay prompts and that they are quoted exactly?

Also, is there any mention of a video-response question that will be answered only by those selected to interview, later? It was a new feature they used last cycle.
 
wysdoc said:
Thank you

Can someone else also verify that these are the complete essay prompts and that they are quoted exactly?

Also, is there any mention of a video-response question that will be answered only by those selected to interview, later? It was a new feature they used last cycle.
Click to expand...
They mention Kira video interview prior to interview date - but that’s for candidates selected for interview

For app to be considered complete:
TMDSAS application (AMCAS application for MD/PhD applicants)
-- Letters of evaluation indicated on application
--Official MCAT scores
--Completed secondary application
--CASPer Score
--$90.00 secondary application fee (non-refundable)
 
premedmom2026 said:
@wysdoc doc Son just received his secondary. Looks like #3 and #4 have changed
1. Please discuss one of the following (2500 char):
  • A challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past
  • Any academic road bumps in your academic career (low academic performance, failing course, dropping/retaking of courses)
Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn?

2. Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. What did you learn from this experience and how have you applied this learning to your work and/or life?

3. From what you understand about the rigors of medical school, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for you? How do you think you are prepared for these challenges?

4. What advice would you give to a friend who is falling behind academically?
Click to expand...
When did your son submit primary? Yet to receive secondary for McGovern
 
Got my secondary after submitting 5/15 6 minutes after opening. (IS)
 
Is anybody having trouble with casper transmitting to schools? On acuity it says delivered and mine delivered a few weeks ago, yet some tmdsas schools show theyve received it but schools like mcgovern and sam houston are still pending.
 
For the first question, should we come up with a new challenge in our life, which doesn't match with the primary application. I think I used all my major challenges within those essays and think anything else would look bad.
 
ant25 said:
For the first question, should we come up with a new challenge in our life, which doesn't match with the primary application. I think I used all my major challenges within those essays and think anything else would look bad.
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Incoming MS1 here at McGovern! For majority of my secondary essays, I tried to focus on an experience that I didn’t highlight in my primary application. In this case for #1, I talked about an experience from high school (non-academic related) that really shaped who I am as a person today in terms of resilience and perseverance (and one that I didn’t talk about in my primary since majority of my primary application was undergrad-focused). It doesn’t have to be a major challenge, just one that shows who you are as an individual. One thing I’ve noticed about McGovern is that they really value authenticity. Don’t throw together an essay just to answer the prompt. Really reflect on an experience and maybe even get a little philosophical with it. Just be yourself!
 
For the first question, can the challenge me like an ethical situation?
 
For prompt 2, do you guys think I can talk about how I didn't get in last cycle (reapplicant), and learned how rejection is redirection (worded way better not this cliche lol), and talked about how I reflected on my last cycle and reflected more on my why medicine and what I want to bring to medicine more specifically (bring emphasis on nutrition education to healthcare etc)
 
Also, for prompt 1, I was recently in a car accident where I broke my right wrist (my dominant hand), so i really struggled in classes especially since it was around the time I had final assignments and exams coming up (resulted in 2 Bs this semester), but I learned how to ask for help and advocate for myself (mind you, im incredibly independent and hate asking for help, even though I love to help people all the time). Would this be a good topic...?
 
polasd said:
For the first question, can the challenge me like an ethical situation?
Click to expand...
I effectively copy pasted my UTSW secondary for this one if that helps

gym_panda said:
For prompt 2, do you guys think I can talk about how I didn't get in last cycle (reapplicant), and learned how rejection is redirection (worded way better not this cliche lol), and talked about how I reflected on my last cycle and reflected more on my why medicine and what I want to bring to medicine more specifically (bring emphasis on nutrition education to healthcare etc)
Click to expand...
If you feel like you learned a lot from the last cycle being unsuccessful, go for it! I went for an experience where I had a royal screw up in a lab (probably not an uncommon response, but it works!) since it really did give me a lot of life lessons. Same for prompt 1 if you think it fits the most, but I encourage you to spend some more time brainstorming just in case you have another good idea in the back of your head! About a quarter of my essays were scrapped because I spent some time reflecting on how well I thought I could write the essay with that subject in mind.
 
gym_panda said:
For prompt 2, do you guys think I can talk about how I didn't get in last cycle (reapplicant), and learned how rejection is redirection (worded way better not this cliche lol), and talked about how I reflected on my last cycle and reflected more on my why medicine and what I want to bring to medicine more specifically (bring emphasis on nutrition education to healthcare etc)
Click to expand...
Did you receive any interviews? it all depends on when you knew you were unsuccessful and what you have done since.
 
How are you guys approaching the first prompt? Could the challenge be a more personal one?
 
gym_panda said:
Also, for prompt 1, I was recently in a car accident where I broke my right wrist (my dominant hand), so i really struggled in classes especially since it was around the time I had final assignments and exams coming up (resulted in 2 Bs this semester), but I learned how to ask for help and advocate for myself (mind you, im incredibly independent and hate asking for help, even though I love to help people all the time). Would this be a good topic...?
Click to expand...
In my belief, admissions care more about how you write about a topic rather the topic itself. If you can really go in depth and pull good, prompt-relevant self-reflection, thought process, rationale, lessons learned, etc from this topic, then it is a good topic.
 
OGMIke said:
How are you guys approaching the first prompt? Could the challenge be a more personal one?
Click to expand...
It can be a personal one. I approached the prompt as how I overcome challenges. I wrote about what my process, rationale, actions, lessons learned are, etc.
 
Also prematched here last cycle, so feel free to DM any questions about apps or interviews. I'll try to help as much as I can!
 
texasvandy said:
Did you receive any interviews? it all depends on when you knew you were unsuccessful and what you have done since.
Click to expand...
I did get an interview from McGovern last year (as well as Lubbock and Baylor). No acceptances. I honestly don't know how or why because I thought McGovern of all schools was my best interview. The only reason I can think of is that my primary and secondary didn't match the "theme" that I brought to my interview. I changed my primaries a good amount because previously, I didn't talk as much about what I did directly that made me want to go into medicine and etc for the other essays. I changed that this time to be more active rather than passive. I think the biggest difference from last cycle to this cycle is that I reflected more on my why medicine and what i more specifically want to bring to medicine.
 
gym_panda said:
I did get an interview from McGovern last year (as well as Lubbock and Baylor). No acceptances. I honestly don't know how or why because I thought McGovern of all schools was my best interview. The only reason I can think of is that my primary and secondary didn't match the "theme" that I brought to my interview. I changed my primaries a good amount because previously, I didn't talk as much about what I did directly that made me want to go into medicine and etc for the other essays. I changed that this time to be more active rather than passive. I think the biggest difference from last cycle to this cycle is that I reflected more on my why medicine and what i more specifically want to bring to medicine.
Click to expand...
In theory you can start discussing what you have been since match day in February. Were you able to get any feedback from Lubbock or did they also restrict the session to those who didnt get an interview like McGovern?

By most measures, you had a good interview season. It is tough when people dont get in after multiple interviews.
 
cupcakeliberty1 said:
^I am wondering the same thing about writing about reapplying. I'm unsure whether it would be frowned upon since we already had to write about what we changed from last cycle in the primary, but that was more objective rather than internal reflection. On the other hand would they be like why didn't you write about that if I don't? Idk I was thinking about writing about how I didn't get funding for a project that I needed (I got a different grant in the end). I wrote both for Tech on accident lol.
Click to expand...
No one wonders about what you didn't write about. 🙂
 
polasd said:
For the first question, can the challenge me like an ethical situation?
Click to expand...
also wondering this! i have a pretty impactful story that's ethical focused but wondering if it wouldn't be seen as the same level of significance as a personal adversity
 
matchaboba said:
also wondering this! i have a pretty impactful story that's ethical focused but wondering if it wouldn't be seen as the same level of significance as a personal adversity
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"I effectively copy pasted my UTSW secondary for this one if that helps" -me, Friday

and also see:
BigBroBeans23 said:
In my belief, admissions care more about how you write about a topic rather the topic itself. If you can really go in depth and pull good, prompt-relevant self-reflection, thought process, rationale, lessons learned, etc from this topic, then it is a good topic.
Click to expand...

The best essay will be the one that answers the prompt and shows what you learned from the experience. Secondaries give schools an opportunity to really dig into some of the qualities they find important in applicants. Evidently, McGovern really wants to see how their applicants handle challenging situations and what they learn from it.
 
etxaccepted36 said:
"I effectively copy pasted my UTSW secondary for this one if that helps" -me, Friday
Click to expand...
LOLL i was proud of it 🙂
etxaccepted36 said:
The best essay will be the one that answers the prompt and shows what you learned from the experience. Secondaries give schools an opportunity to really dig into some of the qualities they find important in applicants. Evidently, McGovern really wants to see how their applicants handle challenging situations and what they learn from it.
Click to expand...
thank you!!
 
Rite1234 said:
Incoming MS2 here! Excited for the cycle and feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Click to expand...
Hey I have a question, for the first prompt about the challenging obstacle is it frowned upon if i were to discuss any health issues or family issues that occurred? I wanted to discuss my parents divorce as that was one of the most challenging moments in my personal life however I know med schools tend to not favor discussions of mental health/ family issues? In your opinion is it recommend to discuss more medical/academic challenges?

I was also debating discussing the challenges of studying for the MCAT while being employed full time as a medical scribe. Would that be something looked down upon? I didn't score the best on the mcat (below avg for mc govern) due to this.
 
notjoemama said:
Hey I have a question, for the first prompt about the challenging obstacle is it frowned upon if i were to discuss any health issues or family issues that occurred? I wanted to discuss my parents divorce as that was one of the most challenging moments in my personal life however I know med schools tend to not favor discussions of mental health/ family issues? In your opinion is it recommend to discuss more medical/academic challenges?

I was also debating discussing the challenges of studying for the MCAT while being employed full time as a medical scribe. Would that be something looked down upon? I didn't score the best on the mcat (below avg for mc govern) due to this.
Click to expand...
I think you can write about it. I recall seeing the mental health stigma floated around but not the family challenges.

I will say that in my opinion writing about the MCAT would be kind of lame depending on how far below average your MCAT score is. If you’re still in the IQR for McGovern I would definitely avoid mentioning your “low” score. Regardless I think having divorced parents is a significantly greater challenge than studying for the MCAT but it’s your essay at the end of the day.
 
For Prompt 3, how unoriginal is talking about time management? I honestly can't think of anything else. Like I could maybe do being a perfectionist or something but that seems like a reach and insubstantial. And how are y'all going about prompt 4?
 
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etxaccepted36 said:
I think you can write about it. I recall seeing the mental health stigma floated around but not the family challenges.

I will say that in my opinion writing about the MCAT would be kind of lame depending on how far below average your MCAT score is. If you’re still in the IQR for McGovern I would definitely avoid mentioning your “low” score. Regardless I think having divorced parents is a significantly greater challenge than studying for the MCAT but it’s your essay at the end of the day.
Click to expand...
Hey I private messaged you a few questions!! Thank you so much for your help!!
 
pirateb said:
For Prompt 3, how unoriginal is talking about time management? I honestly can't think of anything else. Like I could maybe do being a perfectionist or something but that seems like a reach and insubstantial.
Click to expand...
was thinking perfectionism too for me
 
pirateb said:
For Prompt 3, how unoriginal is talking about time management? I honestly can't think of anything else. Like I could maybe do being a perfectionist or something but that seems like a reach and insubstantial.
Click to expand...
Be as honest as you can! Whatever you see as an issue for yourself is what you will write best about because it’s something you have (hopefully) put a lot of thought into as you begin to dive headfirst into this process.

If I were a doctor recruiting med students I would want to see a high level of self awareness and knowledge of the good and bad parts of this career.
 
How are y'all going about answering prompt 4. It seems so simple and straightforward but thats what stressing me out lol. Im trying to decide if I should maybe use an experience where I helped someone who was stressed with school or just talk in general about the advice and steps I would take.

I feel like there's so many possible ways to approach this prompt so I wanted to gauge what people are doing lol.
 
Regarding question 1, I was considering writing about my journey in fitness and overcoming unhealthy habits, including bulimia, and lack of self-confidence. However, do you guys think if that topic is considered taboo to bring up or worthy of writing about? TIA!
 
girlscoutcookies said:
Regarding question 1, I was considering writing about my journey in fitness and overcoming unhealthy habits, including bulimia, and lack of self-confidence. However, do you guys think if that topic is considered taboo to bring up or worthy of writing about? TIA!
Click to expand...
I think it always depends on how you write about it. Me personally, I wrote about the gym and the things I've learned and the traits I've acquired.
 
Hello! So for the first prompt about any academic road bumps, I wrote last cycle about a course I dropped my sophomore year and took again the following semester. I would like to write about that again since it's my biggest academic discrepancy, but I'm not sure if that if writing about the same thing is looked down upon? And if it isn't, would I need to change the entire way it's written? For transparency, I received an II last cycle so I'm trying not to deviate too far from what has worked before. Thanks for any insight!
 
themddream said:
Hello! So for the first prompt about any academic road bumps, I wrote last cycle about a course I dropped my sophomore year and took again the following semester. I would like to write about that again since it's my biggest academic discrepancy, but I'm not sure if that if writing about the same thing is looked down upon? And if it isn't, would I need to change the entire way it's written? For transparency, I received an II last cycle so I'm trying not to deviate too far from what has worked before. Thanks for any insight!
Click to expand...
IMO I also highly doubt they have the time and energy to cross-check your secondaries this cycle to last cycle as they have thousands of essays to read through (unless they really wanted to). But even so, I don't you should straight up 'copy & paste' the same essay from last cycle. I am a big believer of essays to be like art, they can always be improved (even slightly). However, this does not mean to trash it and restart. I think if you changed or reframe how you wrote a couple of sentences/ideas to actually improve it ( do not change for the sake of changing), it would be considered 'changed'.
 
Apparentlly interview invites started, someone on Admit.org got one
 
texco23 said:
Apparentlly interview invites started, someone on Admit.org got one
Click to expand...
A single II is pretty rare for a first wave and we usually see it reported on SDN as well. Last year McGovern didn’t send any invites until late July so I think we have some time yet.

In any case, they are super super picky about prematches so there is honestly not much advantage to early interviews in my opinion.

On match day there were maybe 25 accepted students in the FB group and the rest of us got our results on Valentine’s.

If I hear anything about the admissions process for this cycle I’ll be happy to report it here (as allowed) 🙂
 
etxaccepted36 said:
A single II is pretty rare for a first wave and we usually see it reported on SDN as well. Last year McGovern didn’t send any invites until late July so I think we have some time yet.

In any case, they are super super picky about prematches so there is honestly not much advantage to early interviews in my opinion.

On match day there were maybe 25 accepted students in the FB group and the rest of us got our results on Valentine’s.

If I hear anything about the admissions process for this cycle I’ll be happy to report it here (as allowed) 🙂
Click to expand...
what does pre match mean'
 
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