Secondary Essay Prompts Database

Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (Boca Raton, FL)

These are the secondary application essay prompts for Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page.
Program Overview

Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (Boca Raton, FL)

Secondary Deadline
December 31, 2025
Secondary Fee
$30
FAP Waiver
Yes
Casper Required
No
Screens Applications
Yes
Accepts Application Updates
Yes
Mission

The college’s mission is to advance the health and well-being of our community by training future generations of humanistic clinicians and scientists and translating discovery to patient-centered care.

The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is an integrated learning organization that fosters high-quality, humanistic, and patient-centered care. Our mission is to deliver high-touch, high-tech education to our students and residents, and to collaborate on high impact, interdisciplinary research with leading experts in the field. The College of Medicine is dedicated to integrating discovery with health care and education in order to contribute to the vitality of our immediate communities, to improve the health and well-being of people and populations, and to transform community-based health care.

Vision

The Vision of BUCOM is to be distinguished regionally, nationally, and globally for excellence and innovation in osteopathic medical health education, which prepares graduates to transform health care through exceptional patient-centered care.

Values
As an integrated learning-organization, our values encompass collaboration, innovation, respect, compassion, lifelong learning and engagement. Through collaboration, we share knowledge and build trust and consensus. Through innovation, we embrace creativity and flexibility. By respecting one another, we strive to acknowledge and express our appreciation for the unique and diverse contributions of others. Through compassion, we empathize with our patients, students, and peers. Through lifelong learning, we value intellectual curiosity and the drive toward continuous knowledge acquisition and human development. Through engagement, we foster teamwork within our organization and within our community.
Application Cycles
2026-2027
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

1. Will you be enrolled as a student this year?

Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 characters)

2. Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 characters)

3. Community service provides a powerful lens through which we can understand your values, motivations, and growth. Please describe a community service experience that was meaningful to you. What inspired you to get involved? In what ways did this experience promote your personal growth and learning? What aspects did you find most fulfilling? (1600 characters)

4. Reflect on your past experiences participating in paid or unpaid work, volunteer roles, or other community-oriented activities. What skills or personal qualities have you developed that you believe will support your success in medical school and as a future physician? These experiences do not need to be clinical. (1600 characters)

5. Leadership is not defined by titles alone – it’s demonstrated through initiative, collaboration, and the ability to guide others toward a shared goal. Describe a time when you demonstrated leadership by guiding a group or organization toward a shared goal. How did you align efforts, motivate others, and contribute to the outcome? (1600 characters)

6. Discuss a significant personal challenge that helped shape who you are today. What did you learn about yourself, and how will these insights help you navigate the challenges in medical school and beyond? Please include any support systems or resources that played a role in your experience and share if you believe they will translate to medical school. (1600 characters)

7. If you are a reapplicant for medical school, please share examples of personal or professional experiences that you believe have strengthened your application, contributed to your growth, and have better prepared you for the rigors of medical school since your initial application. (1600 characters)

2025-2026
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

1. Will you be enrolled as a student this year?

Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 characters)

2. Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 characters)

3. Community service provides a powerful lens through which we can understand your values, motivations, and growth. Please describe a community service experience that was meaningful to you. What inspired you to get involved? In what ways did this experience promote your personal growth and learning? What aspects did you find most fulfilling? (1600 characters)

4. Reflect on your past experiences participating in paid or unpaid work, volunteer roles, or other community-oriented activities. What skills or personal qualities have you developed that you believe will support your success in medical school and as a future physician? These experiences do not need to be clinical. (1600 characters)

5. Leadership is not defined by titles alone – it’s demonstrated through initiative, collaboration, and the ability to guide others toward a shared goal. Describe a time when you demonstrated leadership by guiding a group or organization toward a shared goal. How did you align efforts, motivate others, and contribute to the outcome? (1600 characters)

6. Discuss a significant personal challenge that helped shape who you are today. What did you learn about yourself, and how will these insights help you navigate the challenges in medical school and beyond? Please include any support systems or resources that played a role in your experience and share if you believe they will translate to medical school. (1600 characters)

7. If you are a reapplicant for medical school, please share examples of personal or professional experiences that you believe have strengthened your application, contributed to your growth, and have better prepared you for the rigors of medical school since your initial application. (1600 characters)

2024-2025
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

1. Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason).

2. Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution.

3. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 character limit including spaces)

4. Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 character limit including spaces)

5. Please share a meaningful community service experience outside of direct patient care that has been meaningful to you. What drew you to this particular experience? How did it contribute to your personal growth and learning? What aspects of your involvement did you find particularly fulfilling? (1600 character limit including spaces)

6. How have your previous experiences, whether in paid roles or volunteer work, shaped the skills and qualities you believe will be essential for success in medical school and as a future physician? These experiences do not necessarily have to involve direct patient care. (1600 character limit including spaces)

7. Describe a situation where you effectively demonstrated your leadership skills by guiding a group or organization towards a common goal or aligning their collective efforts. (1600 character limit including spaces)

8. Share a notable personal challenge that has influenced your personal growth. Discuss the insights gained about yourself and how these lessons will assist you in navigating challenges in medical school and your future career as a physician. Describe the support systems or resources you relied on and their impact on your journey. (1600 character limit including spaces)

2023-2024
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

Prerequisites: (1600 char limit incl spaces)

1. Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason)

2. Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution.

About Self:

3. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 char incl spaces)

4. Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 char incl spaces)

Experience (1600 character limit incl. spaces):

5. Describe your most meaningful community service experience that is unrelated to direct patient care. Why did you select this particular experience? In what way did you grow and learn from this experience? What did you enjoy most?

6. What traits do you feel you have developed through your experiences thus far (such as paid or unpaid work experiences) that will help prepare you to be successful in medical school and a future physician. Experience does not need to be related to patient care.

7. Leadership can be defined in many ways. One way of defining leadership is as a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective direction, or lead a group or an organization. Tell us about a time you executed your leadership skills.

8. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during challenges you may face during medical school and as a future physician. Describe any support system and/or resources you had available and how you utilized them.

Make Your Secondary Application Stand Out

The secondary application is just as important as the primary. We'll make sure you get it right.