2025-2026 Rochester

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wysdoc

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OOS Secondary received 6/30

If you previously applied to medical school, briefly describe any experiences you have been part of since your previous application. (200 words)

Community involvement is a pillar of medical education at the University of Rochester. Describe a community you identify with, how you are involved in it, and how you will be involved in communities we serve at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. (200 words)
 
did they remove the optional "Please share any challenges and/or special circumstances that impacted your application." essay from last year?
 
annatar said:
@wysdoc
OOS Secondary received 6/30

If you previously applied to medical school, briefly describe any experiences you have been part of since your previous application. (200 words)

Community involvement is a pillar of medical education at the University of Rochester. Describe a community you identify with, how you are involved in it, and how you will be involved in communities we serve at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. (200 words)
Click to expand...
question for the first prompt - i did not previously apply to medical school but im taking a gap year. this essay is not an opportunity to discuss what im doing in my gap year, right? it's only for re-applicants?
 
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oesotos said:
question for the first prompt - i did not previously apply to medical school but im taking a gap year. this essay is not an opportunity to discuss what im doing in my gap year, right? it's only for re-applicants?
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Is this essay only for re-applicants?
 
does rochester send secondaries to everyone? I am still waiting.
 
med201023 said:
I am a re-applicant but first time applicant to Rochester. Should I still answer this question? Or is this a better question for the admissions office?
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Since they don’t specifically mention re-applicant to Rochester, but to medical school in general, I think you should still answer this question. I’m a reapplicant and to some schools that I applied to for the first time this year, I did answer the reapplicant essay if it had general wording like this one.
 
sardinetoast said:
Is anyone else struggling with this secondary? I can talk about a community I identify with (lifelong athlete) but I'm stuck on the second part of the question....how I will be involved in communities we serve at Rochester. They just seem like two separate questions. I'm very involved in community service, and would love to talk about the community service I could do at Rochester....but I don't know how I can tie my involvement in the athletic community with how I will be involved in serving the community in Rochester...just a weird question
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Sports taught you how to be part of a team working toward a goal bigger than yourself. That same mindset will help you contribute meaningfully to your medical class and the Rochester community.

As an athlete, you built leadership skills that translate directly to leading in healthcare: communicating clearly, remaining composed under pressure, and lifting others up. Using these skills, you will be a beneficial part of Rochester and the class.

Also, the discipline and consistency you developed on the field will carry into your service, your studies, and your career in medicine.

yada yada
 
wanted to run this idea by y'all and get feedback bc idk if it answers the prompt. I'd like to talk about my "community" being college students and running a shelter for unhoused college students as how I got involved, but I'm not sure if that really counts as a community. I also just graduated, so it's not something I technically currently am a community member of. Outside of that, I'm LGBTQ+ but haven't done any service specifically with that community so feel like it wouldn't be something to talk about here. thanks!
 
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premedbarista said:
wanted to run this idea by y'all and get feedback bc idk if it answers the prompt. I'd like to talk about my "community" being college students and running a shelter for unhoused college students as how I got involved, but I'm not sure if that really counts as a community. I also just graduated, so it's not something I technically currently am a community member of. Outside of that, I'm LGBTQ+ but haven't done any service specifically with that community so feel like it wouldn't be something to talk about here. thanks!
Click to expand...
Personally, I think it’s a stretch unless you identify as being underserved in some other aspect of your life. Definitely an experience to talk about, but doesn’t fit that prompt. Maybe if one of the people you were working with shared an identity with you and expanding on that specific interaction?
 
Just wanted to share in case anyone else is in my boat: I submitted my secondary 07/02 and haven't received an II 🙁. LM 82.9 (MCAT 525, GPA 3.99), OOS, applied MD.
 
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Egret_Farmer said:
Just wanted to share in case anyone else is in my boat: I submitted my secondary 07/02 and haven't received an II 🙁. LM 82.9 (MCAT 525, GPA 3.99), OOS, applied MD.
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It’s literally the first month, chill. Know you worked hard for those stats, but comes across as neurotic, entitled, bragging, or all the above. Wait until October for a crash out.
 
I didn't mean it like that... just wanted to share some data in case people were in my situation. For people looking through this thread in the future, etc.
 
Egret_Farmer said:
I didn't mean it like that... just wanted to share some data in case people were in my situation. For people looking through this thread in the future, etc.
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That data isn’t important unless it has a school decision behind it. Otherwise we’d have 4,000+ posts with stats every month asking where their II is
 
Egret_Farmer said:
I didn't mean it like that... just wanted to share some data in case people were in my situation. For people looking through this thread in the future, etc.
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I still think it makes sense to include that information way later into cycle (like December/Jan) than now when its only been a month. It only adds to the anxiety and neuroticism for people on here. Besides, there could be a whole lot more than stats pointing to why those guys received very early IIs that we will never know about like very good essays or amazing mission fit etc. There's a lot of nuance to the II cycle at this stage of the year.
 
notEinstein said:
And worst case scenario, you’re not accepted and you avoid the winter craphole that rochester new york is.

But still, there is 6+ months left in the cycle to get interviews.
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LMAO. I must say as a southern boi if I ever do end up at Rochester it's gonna be rough. But yeah I agree there is plenty of time to be moping around waiting for IIs.
 
Emperor Napoleon said:
I still think it makes sense to include that information way later into cycle (like December/Jan) than now when its only been a month. It only adds to the anxiety and neuroticism for people on here. Besides, there could be a whole lot more than stats pointing to why those guys received very early IIs that we will never know about like very good essays or amazing mission fit etc. There's a lot of nuance to the II cycle at this stage of the year.
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That's probably true... I'm also following the NYU Grossman thread, and I'm guessing schools are contacting their favorite candidates from early submissions. I know people with good stats get rejected all the time, so I thought I'd put my piece here in case people from later cycles looked at this thread. (Or maybe find people here who haven't gotten an II either.)

PickaGodnPray said:
That data isn’t important unless it has a school decision behind it. Otherwise we’d have 4,000+ posts with stats every month asking where their II is
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Saw a lot of other people posting with high stats here (and someone mentioned high stats already), so I thought I'd share too 🥲. Maybe my application didn't land right, maybe they haven't reviewed it yet, I don't know. Just wanted to put my own data here... I really didn't mean anything by it.
 
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Egret_Farmer said:
Maybe my application didn't land right, maybe they haven't reviewed it yet, I don't know. I know it's all anecdotes, but I really didn't mean anything by it.
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It’s too early to know and it’s not chronological. I know for a fact there are plenty of adcoms that procrastinate their application reviews. Equally likely your reviewers are on vacation or just haven’t gotten through their first stack yet. With your stats as long as you have good ECs and your essays aren’t tone deaf you’ll get in somewhere. Good luck!
 
when they ask if you have completed a formal post bacc, would a master's program count as a post bacc?
 
medicine23 said:
when they ask if you have completed a formal post bacc, would a master's program count as a post bacc?
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No, unless it was a specific program designed to support your transition to med-school/boost your grades etc. I didn't count my master's.
 
jgoestoschool said:
No, unless it was a specific program designed to support your transition to med-school/boost your grades etc. I didn't count my master's.
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It’s thru Case’s med school and they have linkage into theirs and MSU’s med school. Would this still not count?
 
medicine23 said:
It’s thru Case’s med school and they have linkage into theirs and MSU’s med school. Would this still not count?
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What's the actual master's called? I think it really just depends on whether or not Case labels it as a post-bacc program.
 
Yes, but I see why OP is confused because it looks like Case literally describes all of those programs as post-bacs. But I agree that Rochester is asking if you did a specific program enhanced to supplement your undergraduate GPA/coursework, not a separate degree such as a master's.
 
jgoestoschool said:
Yes, but I see why OP is confused because it looks like Case literally describes all of those programs as post-bacs. But I agree that Rochester is asking if you did a specific program enhanced to supplement your undergraduate GPA/coursework, not a separate degree such as a master's.
Click to expand...
Yes it is confusing, but for other programs that is going to be the easiest way to describe it. Either way, a masters > post bac so if anything it’s a flex.
 
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