Reviewed by:
Third-Year Medical Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Reviewed: 6/7/24
Is Yale your dream medical school? Read more to learn expert tips on how to create stand-out secondary essays for your application.
The Yale University School of Medicine is one of the most prestigious medical schools in the world. In addition to being part of the Ivy League, the school consistently ranks among the top 10 medical schools globally in both the US News and QS World rankings each year.
Class-topping students from across the globe are consistently applying to Yale medical school - but how can they do so successfully when the competition is so fierce? One way is to zero in on the quality of your secondary essays.
Class-topping students from across the globe are consistently applying to Yale Medical School - but how can they do so successfully when the competition is so fierce? One way is to zero in on the quality of your secondary essays.
To begin with, we must analyze the Yale essay prompts. Let’s take a look at the most recent ones.
“Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (500 words limit)”
How to answer: To give Yale a deeper understanding of who you are, use this secondary essay as an opportunity to showcase your unique perspective. As this prompt is a "diversity essay," consider the various aspects of your identity that make you stand out. This can include your ethnicity, culture, interests, background, and values.
Reflect on experiences from your past that have shaped your identity and choose one to focus on in your essay. Be authentic in your writing and avoid cliches. Additionally, make sure to connect your background to how it will contribute to your future as a physician and conclude your essay by highlighting how it makes you a suitable fit for the role.
“MD applicants: Please answer either one of the following questions
MD/PhD applicants: Please answer question 2 as it pertains to your proposed PhD research.
How to answer number one–
To respond to the first prompt, which asks you to connect your experiences to the value of treating communities and populations, consider a specific experience from your past that had a significant impact on you.
Your topic could be a time when you volunteered, were part of an underserved community, or had a role as a representative. When selecting your topic, focus on a time when you learned something through a community experience that changed you.
Share your story from a position of growth, highlighting any challenges or mistakes you encountered but also how you learned and improved from them. Conclude by explaining how the experience has made you a better person and how it will contribute to your future as a physician.
How to answer number two–
Prompt two is targeted at MD/PhD applicants who are interested in medical research.
Use this opportunity to elaborate on any experiences that have sparked your interest in the field of medicine. Whether it was encountering an incurable disease, facing obstacles in research, or other experiences, highlight your passion for uncovering answers and understanding.
Keep in mind that you do not need to have specific experience in medical research to answer this prompt; think broadly about any experiences that have contributed to your growing passion for learning. Reflect on what answers you hope to uncover in the future and how your experiences and passions will make you an excellent doctor one day.
Most importantly, be genuine in your response and avoid writing what you think Yale wants to hear. This is the chance for Yale to get to know you, your motivations, and why your experiences and passions will make you a great fit for the program.
Required Essay 1: "Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?"
Required Essay 2 (choose one):
Optional Essay: "This section is optional. It should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the 'Additional Information' section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. Please limit your response to 500 words."
Required Essay 1: "Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?"
Required Essay 2 (choose one):
Optional Essay: "This section is optional. It should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. If you are a recent graduate, please also list your post-graduation plans/activities in the 'Additional Information' section and submit any relevant updates for finalized plans/activities as the application year progresses. Please limit your response to 500 words."
Required Essay 1: "Yale School of Medicine values diversity in all its forms. How will your background and experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician?"
Required Essay 2 (choose one):
Optional Essay: "This section is optional. It should be used to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee any important information (personal, academic, or professional) not discussed in other sections of your Yale Secondary Application. Please limit your response to 500 words."
Reading successful secondary essay examples can be a helpful tool when writing yours. With over 20 sample essays, our database can help you craft the perfect response.
Additionally, here are some examples of successful Yale essays to use as a writing guide.
The first prompt asks the applicant to write a “diversity essay,” which intends to express how your unique point of view has shaped your current goals. Here’s an example of a successful medical school diversity essay.
“Being South Asian, I have firsthand knowledge of what it means not to access basic health care. As a child, my mother took me to Pakistan every year, where I spent summers with my grandfather, a top pediatrician in the nation. He had a free clinic attached to his home in Faisalabad, and his practice was so renowned and respected that people from all over the country would travel great distances to have my grandfather treat their children. Pakistan is a third-world country where a significant part of the population remains illiterate and uneducated due to the lack of resources and opportunities. This population is the most vulnerable, with extremely high numbers of infectious disease and mortality rates. Yet, it is entirely underserved. With the lack of hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices in rural Pakistan, parents of ailing children must travel great distances and wait in long lines to receive proper health care. Every summer at my grandfather’s clinic, from ages five to 17, my job was to open the doors to long lines of tired, hungry, and thirsty parents with their sick children. I would pass out bottled water and pieces of fruit. I would record names, where the patients came from, and the reasons for their visits. I would scurry back inside with the information for my grandfather to assess, and then he’d send me running back out again to let the next family inside. I learned in my formative years how to communicate with diverse patient populations with special needs and a lack of basic necessities. I learned to listen to every family’s unique reasons for their visit, and some of their desperation and pleading for the lives of their children will stay with me forever. When I get into medical school, I hope to share the story of how Gulzarah carried her dehydrated daughter for 12 miles in the Pakistani summer heat without rest (thanks to my grandfather, she later made a full recovery). I want to tell my peers that doctors like my grandfather are not only healers in biology but healers in the spirit by the way he made up heroic songs for the children and sang the fear out of their hearts. I want to show my peers that patients are unique individuals who have suffered and sacrificed to trust us with their health care, so we must honor their trust by providing quality treatment and empathy. My formative experiences in pediatrics contributed to my globally conscious mindset, and I look forward to sharing these diverse insights in my medical career.”
Why this essay works: The writer chose to focus mainly on their childhood experiences as their unique point of view.
They successfully describe how they first became passionate about medicine with their compelling stories of their grandfather’s practice. In the end, they include how they would like to use their unique point of view to contribute to the field of healthcare.
This writer has a moving story, and although not everyone has such a drastic connection to medicine, it’s important to recognize the three main points in this essay:
When writing your essay, you should include those three main points to connect your story regardless of your subject.
Here, we’ve included an essay on serving different communities and populations in response to Yale’s first question in the second essay prompt.
This essay focuses on underserved communities, though you should keep in mind that your own essay should concentrate on the area of medicine and the community or population you are most passionate about.
“On Wednesdays, I was the only visitor for Jorge, an elderly patient in the AIDS and Tropical Disease Ward at Carlos III Hospital in Madrid. A native of Equatorial Guinea, Jorge had full blown AIDS and had been living in Spain illegally because, according to Jorge, his country lacked enough resources and trained doctors to provide an adequate level of treatment. Over several weeks I witnessed his losing battle, not only with a terminal illness but also with cultural incongruence and a continual feeling of unease, thousands of miles away from home. Talking with Jorge during my experience as a volunteer for the NGO Soldarios Para el Desarollo in the fall of 2001, led me to question the justice of health care discrepancies that make it so difficult for people like Jorge to get sufficient treatment in underdeveloped nations. Jorge was a victim of health care inequality, a subject that has been at the forefront of my mind since enrolling in “Race and Medicine in America” during my sophomore year. The course revealed to me the historically poor distribution of quality medical attention and how treatment continually evades socio-economically disadvantaged communities. I came to understand how, in the US, a national shortage of physicians and unlikely prospects of financial gain have caused few doctors to take an interest in these communities, leaving a diminishing level of access to services and expertise. This unfortunate reality inspired me to take an interest in treating these populations, in hopes of helping to improve the care for our country’s poor and underserved. Jorge’s story broadened my perspective, as I further realized that this need is exponentially worse in developing nations. The combination of my studies and real world experience strengthened my desire to practice medicine focused on treating underserved populations, nationally and abroad. In pursuit of my goal, I sought additional exposure to medical conditions in the developing world. During the summer of 2002, I contributed to a public health research initiative in Ghana. My research on malaria infectivity in and around the capital city Accra sent me to shanty town communities with poor hygiene and chronic illness and gave me yet another perspective on the impact of economic disparity in health outcomes and treatment options. Exorbitant patient volume and endemic disease are but a few of the many obstacles to doctors serving these communities and trying to provide quality care. Despite these difficulties, I witnessed skilled physicians in this setting performing complex procedures in substandard conditions. At the Komfo Ankye Teaching Hospital in 7 the urban village of Kumasi, I scrubbed-in during the removal of an osteosarcoma tumor from a man’s jaw and an ileostomy, where I saw a scalpel filling the role of an absent screwdriver and doctors working in a hot ward with minimal ventilation and only basic amenities. These resourceful doctors were still able to perform, reaffirming my expectation that despite complications, the addition of well-trained doctors can make a marked difference. I began to understand how, by taking my medical school training to such environments, I could serve as an intermediary - bringing first world knowledge into a third-world context. Since my time in Ghana, I have continued to participate in health care projects in poor communities. During the summer of 2003, I conducted research in an obstetrics ward of a public hospital in Sao Paulo, and the following fall participated in an infectious disease initiative that brought medical attention to impoverished suburbs of Lima, Peru. Most recently, I worked at a bilingual health clinic in Chicago serving a primarily Latino immigrant community. With each experience, I gained a deeper understanding of the complementary skills necessary to make a real difference. I have learned that medical knowledge, cultural understanding, and political savvy are critical components to a holistic approach to community health care and development, and are skills possessed by the most effective contributors to positive change. I continue to hone my language skills in anticipation of serving Spanish and Portuguese-speaking populations; and I am building an understanding of how to work in a complex funding environment and link medical treatment with public policy. I wish to pursue my medical training and a Master’s in Public Health, so that I can improve access to health care and serve as an effective physician. My desire to perform medical public service developed from concern and sympathy for people in need of medical care, most specifically those with the least access. I further recognize the importance such compassion plays in effective communication between doctors and their patients. It was my childhood doctor’s ability to convey understanding and elicit trust that inspired my initial interest in the medical field. He combined calm and compassion with medical expertise in a thorough form of healing that I grew to expect, but have infrequently witnessed in poor communities. As I strive to bring better health care to underserved populations, I hope to do so with the same personal care and attention that comforted me in my youth.”
Why this essay works: In this example, the writer clearly highlights their passion for healthcare and how it all began.
Importantly, they clearly emphasize the communities they are most passionate about helping through medical care. Whichever population or community you intend to care for later on should be clear in this essay, even if you change your mind later on. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique perspective and attributes to Yale.
You should also take a look at Inspira's Secondary Essay Prompt Database. It's a useful collection of essay prompts for med school applicants, helping you stay organized and proactive during the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. It includes prompts from various schools, making it easier for you to craft your responses and keep track of deadlines.
Answering Yale’s essay prompts doesn’t happen overnight. It takes careful time and effort to write something genuine, true, and authentic. Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your responses.
In a growing age of AI-generated essays, human responses have never been more valued. Avoid telling a story you think the admissions board wants to hear. Instead, tell your story authentically from the beginning up to this point.
It’s like the saying goes, you catch more bees with honey. In this case, the honey is Yale’s mission.
“Yale School of Medicine educates and nurtures creative leaders in medicine and science, promoting curiosity and critical inquiry in an inclusive environment enriched by diversity. We advance discovery and innovation fostered by partnerships across the university, our local community, and the world.” – Yale School of Medicine Mission Statement
In your essay, ensure you highlight your creativity. This might be a good chance to structure your essay in a way no one else would think. They’re searching for creative innovators, so there’s no better way to convince them you have what it takes.
Think of it this way–if you’re hiring someone for a job but they could care less about job satisfaction, would you still hire them? Many hiring managers want to see a passion for the work itself in applicants and Yale Medical School is no different.
When writing your essay, speak to why you’re studying medicine. There are thousands of careers you could’ve chosen, so why medicine? Dig deep into your psyche here.
Like our last tip, if the applicant also shows no interest in the company, it’ll likely turn up in the rejected pile. Ensure you highlight why you chose Yale over any other school. This will also help you tailor your essay to Yale specifically. If you explain what Yale means to you, that could make all the difference.
Yale is looking for creative leaders. A good way to convince them that you’re one of them is by showing, not telling. Ensure you highlight your leadership experience. Did you take on a clinical role and work your way to the top? If so, write that down!
The number one mistake most students make in their essay writing is making it way longer than it needs to be. Consider this sentence:
“My dream is to go to Yale because it is one of the most prestigious schools and is renowned for its medical innovation.”
Do you see any issues with this sentence? It’s not providing a ton of value. All it’s saying is that you want to go to Yale because it's a medical innovator, so say just that.
“I want to go to Yale because it’s a medical powerhouse.”
Easy as that!
Gaps in your education can look like a weakness, but you can actually turn them into strengths. For example, say you took a year off after undergrad. On paper, this might seem like a detriment, but maybe you took the year off to gain clinical experience or to study medicine abroad. If you have a gap in your resume, don’t avoid it–they’re going to notice whether you address it or not. The key to a successful essay is turning these perceived weaknesses into strengths.
This is arguably the most important tip in this list. We can’t stress enough how valuable it is to have a good editor. Once you finish writing your piece, know that it’s just the first draft. Like a carefully written novel, the first draft might look completely different by the end of the process, and that’s okay!
It’s best to edit your piece the following day with a fresh pair of eyes, and then pass it along to someone else for further edits. Someone might catch something you don’t.
You’ll know when you’re finally satisfied with your piece, but this is exactly why we don’t recommend cramming your essay the night before!
If you need help getting into a top medical school like Yale, book a free consultation with us to meet with an expert counselor.
Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about how to write the Yale secondary essays for medical school.
Applicants are required to write two secondary essays for Yale Medical School. The word limit is around 500 words for each.
When writing your secondary essays for Yale Medical School, clearly read the prompt. Brainstorm and outline your first draft, and remember the show doesn't tell rules when you begin writing. Tell your story authentically and in your own words.
Writing medical school essays is challenging for most aspiring medical students simply because creative writing is not often their strong suit. However, if you can master the art of telling your story and providing your unique perspective on healthcare - you’ll be sure to wow the admissions committee.
Good luck with your essays!
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