2025-2026 Michigan

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wysdoc

wysdoc

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2025-2026 Michigan Secondary Essay Prompts: (take note, the wording of question #3 has changed from last year's)

Michigan Admissions Tracker!! (click the link then scroll down)

Essay 1
How do you hope to impact medicine and improve patient care in the future and why do you need a medical degree to fulfill these goals? Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words). 

OR if applying to the Medical Scientist Training Program: Describe why you are applying to the University of Michigan MSTP. If you are interested in a specific department, program, or area of research for your PhD, please provide a brief explanation. We recognize that your interests may change. If relevant, please describe your gap/growth year plans. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 2
Please describe the impact of your identity and experiences on your growth and development, and how it may impact your career as a physician. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 3
The University of Michigan Medical School strives to be a place of empowerment, advocacy and change in health care. What experiences have you had in empowerment and advocacy for others that would help to advance this mission? Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 4
Outside of medicine, and beyond what we can read in your application, tell us what you are curious about or what you have chosen to explore. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 5 (Optional, if you are a reapplicant) about 250 words


Good luck to all applying!

Interview Feedback:
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University of Michigan Medical School - Admission, Tuition, Ranking & Overview | Student Doctor Network

Detail information of University of Michigan Medical School including admission, tuition, ranking, and overview.
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@wysdoc the 2025-2026 secondary prompts are available at https://medschool.umich.edu/programs-admissions/md-program/md-admissions/md-admissions-requirements

Essay 1
How do you hope to impact medicine and improve patient care in the future and why do you need a medical degree to fulfill these goals? Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words). 

OR if applying to the Medical Scientist Training Program: Describe why you are applying to the University of Michigan MSTP. If you are interested in a specific department, program, or area of research for your PhD, please provide a brief explanation. We recognize that your interests may change. If relevant, please describe your gap/growth year plans. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 2
Please describe the impact of your identity and experiences on your growth and development, and how it may impact your career as a physician. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 3
The University of Michigan Medical School strives to be a place of empowerment, advocacy and change in health care. What experiences have you had in empowerment and advocacy for others that would help to advance this mission? Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 4
Outside of medicine, and beyond what we can read in your application, tell us what you are curious about or what you have chosen to explore. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).
 
Good luck y'all! Incoming M1 here, I just want to say that this school gives a LOT of money - thus, I really recommend applying here!! Also the vibes are immaculate and students seem to really like it. Lmk if you have any questions at all, glad to help!
 
X0001234 said:
the 2025-2026 secondary prompts are available at https://medschool.umich.edu/programs-admissions/md-program/md-admissions/md-admissions-requirements

Essay 1
How do you hope to impact medicine and improve patient care in the future and why do you need a medical degree to fulfill these goals? Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words). 

OR if applying to the Medical Scientist Training Program: Describe why you are applying to the University of Michigan MSTP. If you are interested in a specific department, program, or area of research for your PhD, please provide a brief explanation. We recognize that your interests may change. If relevant, please describe your gap/growth year plans. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 2
Please describe the impact of your identity and experiences on your growth and development, and how it may impact your career as a physician. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 3
The University of Michigan Medical School strives to be a place of empowerment, advocacy and change in health care. What experiences have you had in empowerment and advocacy for others that would help to advance this mission? Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).

Essay 4
Outside of medicine, and beyond what we can read in your application, tell us what you are curious about or what you have chosen to explore. Do not exceed 1500 characters including spaces (about 250 words).
Click to expand...
@wysdoc +1 can confirm. There is also an optional 250 word prompt if you are a re-app.
 
+[emoji23[emoji644][emoji645]] OOS! prompts are what was expected
 
ellobear2026 said:
Does anyone know where to fill out the secondary? I got the email and made the account but am having trouble actually opening the portal to answer the questions.
Click to expand...
Once I created the account, I signed back in and it took me straight to them
 
would it be best to change the language in our answer to 3 from diversity/inclusion to empowerment/advocacy?
 
+1 OOS Secondary

For this part of the secondary: If applicable, indicate substantive experiences after graduating high school in which you invested a significant personal commitment of 10 hours or more per week. Indicate the total number (#) of years you engaged in the experience. Please leave the field blank if less than one year.

I've seen that people ask questions about this every year, but in each blank, do I only put the total number of years or do I include the activity name? I'm still confused because the example that Michigan gives conflicts with this: Activity (Beyond High School) / # Of Years - no description needed
 
samplam said:
+1 OOS Secondary

For this part of the secondary: If applicable, indicate substantive experiences after graduating high school in which you invested a significant personal commitment of 10 hours or more per week. Indicate the total number (#) of years you engaged in the experience. Please leave the field blank if less than one year.

I've seen that people ask questions about this every year, but in each blank, do I only put the total number of years or do I include the activity name? I'm still confused because the example that Michigan gives conflicts with this: Activity (Beyond High School) / # Of Years - no description needed
Click to expand...
Jk, just called the office. They said only put number of years!
 
samplam said:
+1 OOS Secondary

For this part of the secondary: If applicable, indicate substantive experiences after graduating high school in which you invested a significant personal commitment of 10 hours or more per week. Indicate the total number (#) of years you engaged in the experience. Please leave the field blank if less than one year.

I've seen that people ask questions about this every year, but in each blank, do I only put the total number of years or do I include the activity name? I'm still confused because the example that Michigan gives conflicts with this: Activity (Beyond High School) / # Of Years - no description needed
Click to expand...
is this a repeat of our W/A or only things we didn't list there
 
mr.strontium said:
+1 OOS, Anyone else noticing the amount of networking involved in this schools application, are all schools this invested in personal connections to the institution?
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Yeah i noticed.

wonder if anybody submitted already?
 
mr.strontium said:
+1 OOS, Anyone else noticing the amount of networking involved in this schools application, are all schools this invested in personal connections to the institution?
Click to expand...

Is there a concrete definition they give of personal connections?
 
chummyplum said:
would it be best to change the language in our answer to 3 from diversity/inclusion to empowerment/advocacy?
Click to expand...
Personally, I think that as long as your essay is showing these attributes, it doesn't really matter what verbage is being used. I just re-read mine and I use none of these words, even though the themes are there.
 
Do yall think submitting solid responses asap is better or perfecting it within weeks and submitting it when you feel its the best version it could be?
 
dokiii said:
Do yall think submitting solid responses asap is better or perfecting it within weeks and submitting it when you feel its the best version it could be?
Click to expand...
iwanttobedoctorpls said:
Also wondering this
Click to expand...
Hi! Historically, Michigan has given out the most interview invites to those who submit in July. Submitting in August or later greatly reduces the chance of an interview invite according to past trends. That being said, I think taking a few extra days to improve your responses is more than reasonable, and something I personally do instead of rushing to submit the first day (unless I have pre-written the secondary).
 
Essay 4 explicitly states "beyond what we can read in your application". I wrote about some of my outside passions in my primary as hobby in activities and as a few lines in the primary essay. I probably can expand on it but I pretty much put all my cards on the tables so I don't really have any unmentioned passions. Any suggestions? Should I just write about stuff I like but haven't really explored that much?
 
Animebob said:
Essay 4 explicitly states "beyond what we can read in your application". I wrote about some of my outside passions in my primary as hobby in activities and as a few lines in the primary essay. I probably can expand on it but I pretty much put all my cards on the tables so I don't really have any unmentioned passions. Any suggestions? Should I just write about stuff I like but haven't really explored that much?
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I am reading it like:

What you have chosen to explore = which interests have you actively pursued in the past.

What you are curious about = what interests would you like to pursue in the future.

So you could go both ways.
 
Hey everyone! I went through the application cycle last year and will be starting at UMMS this summer. One thing I found helpful was this podcast they posted



I hope it can help some of you guys. Also, best of luck with this cycle, you guys got this 🫡
 
I was going to do an AmeriCorps fellowship and wrote about it in my primary, but it got canceled. Since Michigan doesn't give any space to say gap year plans or additional info in their secondary, should I send them an email with this update?
 
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I got verified at around 8:00 am today but still haven't received a secondary. I thought these were automatic, does that mean I might not get one?
 
I have a total of 5 LOR, and one of them is from a humanities professor, the other 4 are from stem and volunteering. Does UMMS have a specific requirement for LORs? I don't want to submit my humanities one, since I've only known this professor for 1 semester, but the other 4 I've known for 2 years.
 
quirkybric2040 said:
I have a total of 5 LOR, and one of them is from a humanities professor, the other 4 are from stem and volunteering. Does UMMS have a specific requirement for LORs? I don't want to submit my humanities one, since I've only known this professor for 1 semester, but the other 4 I've known for 2 years.
Click to expand...
This is literally on their website…
 
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