2025-2026 Virginia Commonwealth (VCU)

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2025-2026 VCU Secondary Essay Prompts: (1st question added, supplemental essay 2 different from last year)

1. Clinical exposure can be separated into two distinct components: 1) physician observation; and 2) work/volunteerism in a clinical setting. (250 characters each part)
Physician observation typically comes from three different types of experiences: shadowing a physician; scribing for a physician; assisting a physician while they are performing their duties with a patient. Physician observation always involves direct contact with a medical doctor.
Work/volunteerism in a clinical setting is all the work performed in a clinical setting that does not involve physician observation. It can include working with and caring for patients, serving as an EMT, acting as an employee or volunteer in a hospital or clinic.
Below, please clarify your time spent in these two distinct clinical exposure areas by first providing the total number of hours followed by a brief description of your activities.
Physician Observation (hours; description)
Work/Volunteerism in a Clinical Setting (hours; description)

2. Supplemental Essay#1
Using specific examples, discuss how your mission and values align with those of VCU School of Medicine. (2000 characters)

3. Supplemental Essay#2

Describe a time you did something because it needed to be done even though it wasn't your responsibility. (2000 characters)

4.
Please briefly explain any lapses in your journey to medicine that are not explained in your application. (2000 characters)

5.
Please briefly explain any low GPAs or poor grades. (2000 characters)

6.
What will you be doing for the next twelve months during the application cycle?


Good luck to all applying!

Interview Feedback:
 
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MS3 here at VCU, feel free to PM me or ask below for any questions
 
What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about VCU so far? Also random, but any tips on the secondary especially the grit question (kinda stuck on how to approach that one)?
favorite thing about preclinical: being able to find out about ur exam score immediately, Richmond is very nice mid size city with great restaurants, good clinical training, 8 week dedicated
least: non-nbme exams, preclinical doesn't always have Friday exams,
overall, great school

I did not have that question on my secondary so I cant help you with that one
 
+1 OOS got the email saying that they had received and would do comprehensive review before secondary app invitation
 
+1 OOS Secondary

Clinical exposure can be separated into two distinct components: 1) physician observation; and 2) work/volunteerism in a clinical setting.

Physician observation typically comes from three different types of experiences: shadowing a physician; scribing for a physician; assisting a physician while they are performing their duties with a patient. Physician observation always involves direct contact with a medical doctor.

Work/volunteerism in a clinical setting is all the work performed in a clinical setting that does not involve physician observation. It can include working with and caring for patients, serving as an EMT, acting as an employee or volunteer in a hospital or clinic.

Below, please clarify your time spent in these two distinct clinical exposure areas by first providing the total number of hours followed by a brief description of your activities.


Physician Observation (hours; description)


Current Character Count: 0 /250


Work/Volunteerism in a Clinical Setting (hours; description)


Current Character Count: 0 /250


Supplemental Essay#1

Using specific examples, discuss how your mission and values align with those of VCU School of Medicine.

(Response is limited to 2000 characters.)



Current Character Count: 0 /2000


Supplemental Essay#2

Describe a time you did something because it needed to be done even though it wasn't your responsibility.

(Response is limited to 2000 characters.)


Current Character Count: 0 /2000


Please briefly explain any lapses in your journey to medicine that are not explained in your application.


Current Character Count: 0 /2000


Please briefly explain any low GPAs or poor grades.


Current Character Count: 0 /2000


What will you be doing for the next twelve months during the application cycle?
 
+OOS secondary

I'm so glad they changed the secondary so I don't have to write about grit for 2K characters haha
 
Anyone else having issues with the portal? I believe my courses to choose from for the course information section were showing up earlier but now it is empty
 
MS3 here at VCU, feel free to PM me or ask below for any questions
Hi! I'm confused about the 1st question. Is it 250 characters for each clinical activity or all of them combined? I did many clinical activities and it's already on my primary application. 250 is not a lot of space, so would I just list them? There wouldn't be space for descriptions.
 
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Hi! I'm confused about the 1st question. Is it 250 characters for each clinical activity or all of them combined? I did many clinical activities and it's already on my primary application. 250 is not a lot of space, so would I just list them? There wouldn't be space for descriptions.
The prompt clearly states that you should use 250 characters to discuss shadowing and 250 to discuss clinical work/volunteering
 
The prompt clearly states that you should use 250 characters to discuss shadowing and 250 to discuss clinical work/volunteering
Aight so it's just going to be one response box for all the clinical activity combined? Some schools allow applicants to add activity and descriptions like on the primary application, so I just wanted to make sure that's not the case here. I know it said to discuss, but given the word character limit, I would have to discuss it broadly, which isn't always the best.
 
Aight so it's just going to be one response box for all the clinical activity combined? Some schools allow applicants to add activity and descriptions like on the primary application, so I just wanted to make sure that's not the case here. I know it said to discuss, but given the word character limit, I would have to discuss it broadly, which isn't always the best.
There are two response boxes, one at 250 characters for observation/shadowing, and one at 250 characters for clinical work/volunteering. In Observation/Shadowing they include scribing, assisting a physician, etc anything where you are directly interacting with a doctor. Clinical work seems to be defined by directly interacting with patients
 
There are two response boxes, one at 250 characters for observation/shadowing, and one at 250 characters for clinical work/volunteering. In Observation/Shadowing they include scribing, assisting a physician, etc anything where you are directly interacting with a doctor. Clinical work seems to be defined by directly interacting with patients
Thank you so much! This was the information I was looking for.
 
5. Please briefly explain any low GPAs or poor grades. (2000 characters)

below what gpa or grade do yall think about be explained? like is a 3.3 one semester or a B- even worth explaining? or just leave blank and don't bring attention to it
 
5. Please briefly explain any low GPAs or poor grades. (2000 characters)

below what gpa or grade do yall think about be explained? like is a 3.3 one semester or a B- even worth explaining? or just leave blank and don't bring attention to it
I think you should leave it blank and not bring attention to it. It's pretty easy for us as pre-meds to be overly neurotic about these things but I don't think that's low enough for them to consider it a low GPA.
 
What about a 2.87 first semester of Freshman year, with a C and a W that semester? This freshman year was in 2008 and I graduated with a 3.8 and also have 3 years of recent post-bacc classes with a 4.0, but still not sure if I should explain
 
What about a 2.87 first semester of Freshman year, with a C and a W that semester? This freshman year was in 2008 and I graduated with a 3.8 and also have 3 years of recent post-bacc classes with a 4.0, but still not sure if I should explain
Hi! I think you could use this space to explain the C and W the first semester of freshman year, and also include the context that this was in 2008 and show your growth since then.
 
Please briefly explain any lapses in your journey to medicine that are not explained in your application. (Max 2000 characters)
is this where I explain my gap year?
 
Please briefly explain any lapses in your journey to medicine that are not explained in your application. (Max 2000 characters)
is this where I explain my gap year?

IMO if you took a year to do something productive towards this goal: get clinical experience, volunteer, take the MCAT, it's not really a "lapse". You could still talk about it but especially if it's pretty self-evident from your application, I would keep it brief
 
Would medical assistant be as physician observation or the work in clinical setting?

how are people approaching the responsibility one? i'm feeling stuck
 
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Is anyone else unable to upload a photo to the secondary portal?
 
Would medical assistant be as physician observation or the work in clinical setting?

how are people approaching the responsibility one? i'm feeling stuck
To me, a medical assistant position sounds more like work in a clinical setting, since you are not always in the room when the provider is with the patient. However, I think this would also depend on your specific practice / setting.
 
Would medical assistant be as physician observation or the work in clinical setting?

how are people approaching the responsibility one? i'm feeling stuck
Yeah this one was tough for me too. I volunteer at a free clinic and kind of do a little of everything. Yes I'm observing the physician when I'm working as an "MA" but I also do the point of care testing for the patient and help with wound care, etc...so it's hard to break it down. I just did my best to estimate, I don't think it needs to be perfect as long as you check both boxes
 
How do we do the pre-req courses section? I don't see anything in the right-hand box, is anyone else experiencing this?
 
Yeah this one was tough for me too. I volunteer at a free clinic and kind of do a little of everything. Yes I'm observing the physician when I'm working as an "MA" but I also do the point of care testing for the patient and help with wound care, etc...so it's hard to break it down. I just did my best to estimate, I don't think it needs to be perfect as long as you check both boxes
This is pretty much what I did, too. I estimated about half of my time was assisting in procedures or scribing for him (observation), the other half taking histories, doing diagnostic testing, and providing patient education (all by myself, so independent work in the clinic).
 
How do we do the pre-req courses section? I don't see anything in the right-hand box, is anyone else experiencing this?
That sounds like a technical issue - I had all of my verified courses in the box to drag and drop into their assigned categories.
 
Please briefly explain any lapses in your journey to medicine that are not explained in your application.

Since there is already a gap year essay would I leave this blank? Or am I misinterpreting the question. I'm thinking it is saying to explain if you had any adversity during undergrad or took time off in between the journey to medicine? Is that a correct interpretation?
 
Please briefly explain any lapses in your journey to medicine that are not explained in your application.

Since there is already a gap year essay would I leave this blank? Or am I misinterpreting the question. I'm thinking it is saying to explain if you had any adversity during undergrad or took time off in between the journey to medicine? Is that a correct interpretation?
Yes
 
Having this issue as well, and the portal keeps freezing up when I get to this section
Had the same issue, just refreshed the page and it worked for me. It populates all of the courses you inputted into your primary on the box on the right
 
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