2025-2026 UC San Francisco

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2025-2026 UCSF Secondary Essay Prompts:

NOTE: UCSF says this about their processing time between primary submission and secondary:
"It may take 8-12 weeks after we receive your verified primary application before you may hear from the School of Medicine with an invitation to complete a secondary. "
1. Applicants are interviewed by invitation only. Interviews are scheduled from October to mid-February (days vary). For the 2025-26 interview season, we will conduct interviews via zoom. If you will be out of the country - provide additional info below (e.g. dates, best way to contact, etc.) (300 characters)

2. [Optional] If you wish to update or expand upon your activities, you may provide additional information below. (500 words)

3. [Optional] If you are 2024 or earlier college graduate, please use the space below to tell us what you have done since completing your undergraduate degree. (350 words)

4. UCSF PRIDE* values serve as a guiding light for institutional life and activities. Briefly describe how you will contribute to and support our PRIDE values consistent with your goals or life experience. (500 words)

5. Candidates and current students must meet the ethical and legal standards to be licensed to practice medicine in the State of California as well as the standards of the UCSF School of Medicine. Accordingly, candidates for admission must acknowledge and provide written explanation to the School of Medicine of any felony offense, misdemeanor offense, and institutional action taken against them prior to matriculation. This disclosure is required of all charges and convictions, including expunged and diverted offenses that have not already been reported in the primary AMCAS application. Failure to disclose prior offenses can lead to disciplinary action by the school that may include dismissal.
[Checkbox] I acknowledge this policy and have nothing additional to disclose.
[Checkbox] I have a relevant disclosure described below. (no obvious word limit)

6. Residency: Please list all states of residence including where you have had an official address within the past 10 years.


Good luck to all applying!

Interview Feedback:

University of California San Francisco School of Medicine - Admission, Tuition, Ranking & Overview | Student Doctor Network

Detail information of University of California San Francisco School of Medicine including admission, tuition, ranking, and overview.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[hommefatale]

For what is usually Question 1 about "expanding" or "updating" activities, what do people usually say? Does it kind of serve as a mini-update letter for what we've done between June & receiving the secondary? Or only used in extreme circumstances (like an activity being completely changed or something)

 

[hommefatale]

Also, looking at past threads, does getting a secondary differ based on when you were verified (at least before June 27th?) I was under the impression that everyone verified before 6/27 got sent to the schools at the same time, but are those who were verified earlier in June more likely to receive the secondary earlier?

 

[ihavetwobraincells]

anyone get secondaries yet?

 

[SilentCavalier]

anyone get secondaries yet?

They screen primaries, same as UCLA and I think UCSD. Probably will take another week or so for the first batch to go out

 

[mattpk]

in due time someone will get a secondary

 

[popppp]

They screen primaries, same as UCLA and I think UCSD. Probably will take another week or so for the first batch to go out

do you know what this screen actually looks like? is it just an MCAT/GPA cutoff, etc

 

[mattpk]

do you know what this screen actually looks like? is it just an MCAT/GPA cutoff, etc

from what I understand they do a holistic review of the primary. so all your activities, PS, and yeah mcat/gpa. I don't think they have a cutoff.

 

[DarkMatterCollector99]

Still silence for everyone?

 

[Mpsll]

For what is usually Question 1 about "expanding" or "updating" activities, what do people usually say? Does it kind of serve as a mini-update letter for what we've done between June & receiving the secondary? Or only used in extreme circumstances (like an activity being completely changed or something)

I plan to use the space to expand on a work/activity that I didn't have space to continue writing (i.e., another most meaningful).

 

[purrkinje]

Still silence for everyone?

yup, i emailed them asking about it a few days ago, no response yet but i’ll update if there is

 

[purrkinje]

“Thank you for your interest in UCSF. As noted on our website (on both the "Apply" and "FAQ" pages), it may take 8-12 weeks after we receive your verified primary application before you may hear from the School of Medicine with an invitation to complete a secondary. Since the transmission date was June 28 (and assuming your application was verified and ready to send on the first day), we have had applications for less than 4 weeks now.

Applicants are under consideration until you are notified otherwise.”

LOL now i feel bad for emailing 😭

 

[bluwale]

Gosh another 1-2 months? Appreciate your update though, at least now I can just go and forget about it temporarily.

 

[mattpk]

yup, i emailed them asking about it a few days ago, no response yet but i’ll update if there is

I'm ngl it was pretty neurotic to email them about this 😭

 

[sardinetoast]

Am I the only one who is grateful when schools take a long time to send out secondaries? Don't we have enough to do? I don't need anymore lol

 

[purrkinje]

I'm ngl it was pretty neurotic to email them about this 😭

no i know omg haha, i just saw someone on the duke thread email and they had a legit reason they gave the student so i was wondering if smth similar was happening 🥲

 

[texasvandy]

What percentage of applicants are issued secondaries?

 

[caffinelover123]

What percentage of applicants are issued secondaries?

wondering this too

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

Are we all still waiting on this one haha

 

[TMDSASSY]

What percentage of applicants are issued secondaries?

0% right now, lol

 

[ajaxmonkey]

0% right now, lol

DEAD 😭💀

 

[bananabbread]

for the 2024-25 question: "Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (500 words)"

if i do not identify as being part of a marginalized group, should i write about work i have done with these groups or to increase access to education/healthcare, or just leave it blank?

 

[TibiaOrNotTibia]

for the 2024-25 question: "Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (500 words)"

if i do not identify as being part of a marginalized group, should i write about work i have done with these groups or to increase access to education/healthcare, or just leave it blank?

My two cents: I personally would not go that direction for this prompt because it is specifically asking whether or not you identify as being part of such a community. It could potentially put a bitter taste in a reader's mouth if an applicant goes the "I did not suffer but I helped those who do" route for this. However, I am also no adcom, nor am I a medical student or physician. So definitely listen to their advice over mine if they respond here!

 

[JPace24]

for the 2024-25 question: "Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (500 words)"

if i do not identify as being part of a marginalized group, should i write about work i have done with these groups or to increase access to education/healthcare, or just leave it blank?

Would definitely advise against doing this.

 

[hermionegranger1]

for the 2024-25 question: "Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (500 words)"

if i do not identify as being part of a marginalized group, should i write about work i have done with these groups or to increase access to education/healthcare, or just leave it blank?

I would strongly advise you to leave it blank

 

[bananabbread]

are people prewriting this, or waiting until the first secondaries get sent out?

 

[ajaxmonkey]

I decided not to pre-write anything, because either the prompts change or I hate what I wrote by the time they come out lol. Just my two cents.

 

[DarkMatterCollector99]

Is it me, or are UCs in general moving slower this year than normal compared to last years threads

 

[JPace24]

Is it me, or are UCs in general moving slower this year than normal compared to last years threads

They be moving like:

 

[DarkMatterCollector99]

for the 2024-25 question: "Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (500 words)"

if i do not identify as being part of a marginalized group, should i write about work i have done with these groups or to increase access to education/healthcare, or just leave it blank?

I have a question I need your guys opinion on. What if I do identify with a certain demographic that is marginalized, but I myself was never impacted. I was thinking to talk about how my parents and grandparents experiences shaped my perspective growing up and how I see it while working in healthcare today

 

[JPace24]

I have a question I need your guys opinion on. What if I do identify with a certain demographic that is marginalized, but I myself was never impacted. I was thinking to talk about how my parents and grandparents experiences shaped my perspective growing up and how I see it while working in healthcare today

I am actually writing about the same thing

 

[anythinghamster]

I have a question I need your guys opinion on. What if I do identify with a certain demographic that is marginalized, but I myself was never impacted. I was thinking to talk about how my parents and grandparents experiences shaped my perspective growing up and how I see it while working in healthcare today

I am wondering the same thing. I don't want to minimize their experiences or come across as trying to use that to my advantage by claiming to identify with them even though I didn't have their struggles, but it certainly impacted my view on healthcare and why I want to be a doctor. Is it better to play it safe and just leave it blank, or should I write about it?

 

[shortienova]

I just got an "Application Received" email

 

[deleted1134929]

+1 application receipt email

 

[TheguythatdrivesEVs]

Application received email

 

[rosegold123]

+1 Application received email

 

[anonymooseee]

to those who got the email, are yall oos or is?

 

[texco23]

+1 OOS Application received email (got so excited for nothing lol)

 

[shortienova]

to those who got the email, are yall oos or is?

IS

 

[jgoestoschool]

+1 OOS app received

 

[blonolo]

Did anyone who applied not get this email? I don't see any emails in my main inbox or my spam...

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

breh app recieved

 

[lucky1127]

+1 OOS app received

 

[matted_chinchilla]

+1 received IS

 

[sardinetoast]

Did anyone who applied not get this email? I don't see any emails in my main inbox or my spam...

I haven't gotten anything. Hoping I wasn't screened out 🙁

 

[anonymooseee]

I haven't gotten anything. Hoping I wasn't screened out 🙁

I'm sure they're sending them out gradually cuz it's prob not possible to send out 10k emails at once (i think)

 

[528Panda]

I'm sure they're sending them out gradually cuz it's prob not possible to send out 10k emails at once (i think)

Agree. I received mine around an hour ago, and it seems like someone received them two hours ago.

 

[528Panda]

Question: Is this the first time UCSF has done a screening before sending secondaries? I do not recall them doing this last year.

 

[cheetos.smh]

I haven't gotten anything. Hoping I wasn't screened out 🙁

In the same boat, I’m sure they’re just sending out in batches 🙂

 

[matted_chinchilla]

Question: Is this the first time UCSF has done a screening before sending secondaries? I do not recall them doing this last year.

they are notorious for screening