Secondary Essay Prompts Database

Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA)

These are the secondary application essay prompts for Tufts University School of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page.
Program Overview

Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA)

Secondary Deadline
December 30, 2026
Secondary Fee
$130
FAP Waiver
Yes
Casper Required
Yes
Screens Applications
Yes
Accepts Application Updates
Yes
Mission
The mission of Tufts University School of Medicine is to educate a diverse body of students and advance medical knowledge in a dynamic and collaborative environment. We seek to foster the development of dedicated clinicians, scientists, public health professionals, and educators who will have a sustained positive impact on the health of individuals, communities, and the world.

Vision
  • Commitment to Excellence
    To cultivate a perpetual spirit of inquiry and creativity, leading to outstanding evidence-based health care, rigorous research and scholarship, and inspired teaching.
  • Commitment to Humanism
    To relieve suffering and improve quality of life. To treat all people with compassion, respecting human dignity and autonomy.
  • Commitment to Social Responsibility
    To serve and advocate for all people, especially underserved and vulnerable patients and populations, by addressing social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, and stewardship of social resources.
Values
  • To act in accordance with the highest standards of integrity, demonstrating personal accountability and resilience, collegiality and teamwork, and the pursuit of lifelong learning.

Application Cycles
2026-2027
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

(1000 character limit each)

  1. Do you wish to share a specific reason why have you chosen to apply to Tufts University School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
  2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Will you be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, or other activities?
  3. Please tell us about your journey to medical school and how your background and experiences will positively impact your future as a medical student and physician. If you have experienced personal circumstances or hardships that have helped you develop qualities that you believe will allow you to better serve your future patients and the medical community as a whole, please share those experiences in your response.
  4. Which of your experiences with clinical medicine or healthcare has best prepared you for a future career as a physician, and why? Please tell us about the specific experience, the skills you acquired, and the insights you gained about the profession of medicine.
  5. Tufts University School of Medicine is committed to social responsibility, and to serve and advocate for all people. Have you done substantial work or service that has contributed to societal good, or addressed social determinants of health, health equity, or social justice? (Yes/No)
  6. Do you have any withdrawals or repeated coursework listed on your transcript(s). (Yes/No)
  7. Did you take any leaves of absence or significant breaks from your undergraduate education? (Do not include time off after graduation.) (Yes/No)
  8. Because your academics will not be shared with interviewers until after you complete your interview, we encourage you to use this space to elaborate on any academic challenges you have overcome. We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores). We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer ‘No.’
  9. Have you ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a Misdemeanor crime, excluding 1) any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile 2) any convictions which have been expunged or sealed by a court, or 3) any misdemeanor convictions for which any probation has been completed and the case dismissed by the court (in states where applicable)? (Yes/No)
  10. Have you been a participant in any of the following programs? (a list of programs is provided) (If so, please indicate the dates of your participation.)
  11. Do you wish to include any additional comments (beyond those already provided in your application) to the Admissions Committee at Tufts University School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
2025-2026
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

(1000 character limit each)

  1. Do you wish to share a specific reason why have you chosen to apply to Tufts University School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
  2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Will you be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, or other activities?
  3. Please tell us about your journey to medical school and how your background and experiences will positively impact your future as a medical student and physician. If you have experienced personal circumstances or hardships that have helped you develop qualities that you believe will allow you to better serve your future patients and the medical community as a whole, please share those experiences in your response.
  4. Which of your experiences with clinical medicine or healthcare has best prepared you for a future career as a physician, and why? Please tell us about the specific experience, the skills you acquired, and the insights you gained about the profession of medicine.
  5. Tufts University School of Medicine is committed to social responsibility, and to serve and advocate for all people. Have you done substantial work or service that has contributed to societal good, or addressed social determinants of health, health equity, or social justice? (Yes/No)
  6. Do you have any withdrawals or repeated coursework listed on your transcript(s). (Yes/No)
  7. Did you take any leaves of absence or significant breaks from your undergraduate education? (Do not include time off after graduation.) (Yes/No)
  8. Because your academics will not be shared with interviewers until after you complete your interview, we encourage you to use this space to elaborate on any academic challenges you have overcome. We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores). We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer ‘No.’
  9. Have you ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a Misdemeanor crime, excluding 1) any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile 2) any convictions which have been expunged or sealed by a court, or 3) any misdemeanor convictions for which any probation has been completed and the case dismissed by the court (in states where applicable)? (Yes/No)
  10. Have you been a participant in any of the following programs? (a list of programs is provided) (If so, please indicate the dates of your participation.)
  11. Do you wish to include any additional comments (beyond those already provided in your application) to the Admissions Committee at Tufts University School of Medicine? (Yes/No)
2024-2025
Application Cycle
All questions have a 250-word limit.

(1000 characters each)

1. Do you wish to share a specific reason why have you chosen to apply to Tufts University School of Medicine? (Yes/No)​

2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Will you be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, or other activities?​

3. Please tell us about your journey to medical school and how your background and experiences will positively impact your future as a medical student and physician. If you have experienced personal circumstances or hardships that have helped you develop qualities that you believe will allow you to better serve your future patients and the medical community as a whole, please share those experiences in your response.​

4. Which of your experiences with clinical medicine or healthcare has best prepared you for a future career as a physician, and why? Please tell us about the specific experience, the skills you acquired, and the insights you gained about the profession of medicine.​

5. Tufts University School of Medicine is committed to social responsibility, and to serve and advocate for all people. Have you done substantial work or service that has contributed to societal good, or addressed social determinants of health, health equity, or social justice? (Yes/No)​

6. Do you have any withdrawals or repeated coursework listed on your transcript(s)?​

7. Did you take any leaves of absence or significant breaks from your undergraduate education? (Do not include time off after graduation.)​

8. Because your academics (grades and MCAT scores) will not be shared with interviewers until after you complete your interview, we encourage you to use this space to elaborate on any academic challenges you have overcome since completing high school. We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer ‘No.’​

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

All prompts have a 1,000 character limit.

1. Do you wish to include any comments (in addition to those already provided in your AMCAS application) to the Admissions Committee at Tufts University School of Medicine?

2. Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Include in this explanation if you will be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, etc.

3. Please tell us about your journey to medical school and how your background and experiences will positively impact your future as a medical student and physician. If you have experienced personal circumstances or hardships that have helped you develop qualities that you believe will allow you to better serve your future patients and the medical community as a whole, please share those experiences in your response.

4. Tufts values include a commitment to social responsibility; to serve and advocate for all people, especially underserved and vulnerable patients and populations, by addressing social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, and stewardship of social resources. Have you done substantial work or volunteer service in such communities?

5. Do you have any withdrawals or repeated coursework listed on your transcript(s)?

6. Did you take any leaves of absence or significant breaks from your undergraduate education? (Do not include time off after graduation.)

7. Because your academics will not be shared with interviewers until after you complete your interview, we encourage you to use this space to elaborate on any academic challenges you have overcome. We understand that many applicants encounter academic hardships along the way. Please comment on any academic difficulties that you have encountered since completing high school (grades and MCAT scores). We believe that such difficulties offer an opportunity for growth and would appreciate learning how your experiences have affected your approach to academics. If you have not encountered any difficulties, you may answer ‘No.’

8. Have you ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a Misdemeanor crime, excluding 1) any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile 2) any convictions which have been expunged or sealed by a court, or 3) any misdemeanor convictions for which any probation has been completed and the case dismissed by the court (in states where applicable)? For more information please visit our web site.

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