Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips and Timeline [2025–2026], Class Profile
The Boston University (BU) Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (SOM) – formerly the Boston University School of Medicine – has a 175+ year legacy of innovation, inclusion, and service to the community. From its historic founding as the first coeducational medical school in the United States, BU has trained generations of physicians and researchers who embody its commitment to diversity and equity. The school is deeply connected to Boston Medical Center and other affiliates, offering students early and continuous patient interaction in a wide variety of clinical environments, including those serving marginalized and underserved populations. With strengths in groundbreaking research – from neurodegenerative disease and infectious disease to global health – the school equips students to lead in advancing science and medicine both locally and worldwide.
BU seeks applicants who combine academic strength with intellectual curiosity, compassion, and a demonstrated commitment to serving others. The admissions committee takes a holistic approach, looking beyond grades and test scores to understand each candidate’s passions, life experiences, and ability to contribute to a diverse and inclusive medical community. Applicants who have engaged with underserved or marginalized populations, shown resilience in the face of challenges, and displayed leadership in research, service, or advocacy are highly valued. BU emphasizes respect, collaboration, and a drive to advance health equity, so students who can thrive in an environment that blends rigorous science with a strong social mission are the best fit for the program.
BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM Secondary Essay Tips
Essay #1
Do you hope to attend medical school immediately after earning your undergraduate degree? If no, describe how you’ve spent your time leading up to applying to medical school. This may include attending a post-baccalaureate program or other education, gap year activities such as employment or travel, or other relevant pursuits. (300 words)
If you have already taken a gap year, summarize your experiences from the past year including but not limited to employment, academic programs, research, shadowing, community service, travel, and clinical experiences. Your response should demonstrate how you have been spending your time and how these activities will prepare you for a future medical career. Have you gained a better understanding of the healthcare system, developed new skills, or explored a new place? What perspectives or experiences did you gain that you did not have in college? Briefly explain how these experiences make you a more qualified candidate for medical school.
Essay #2
Provide a timeline or narrative highlighting any notable aspects of your educational journey that you believe are especially relevant or significant to us better understanding who you are. Section not required but…this is an opportunity to describe any learning experience(s) that are not covered in other sections of your supplemental application or AMCAS application. For example, have you lived in another country or experienced a culture unlike your own? Worked in a field that contributed to your understanding of people unlike yourself? Do you have advanced training in art, music, or sports, etc.?
You may also use this section to explain any impacts that COVID-19 may have had on your educational/research/clinical/volunteering or employment plans. (300 words)
This prompt asks you to describe any unique or interesting features of your education as well as how your journey to medical school was impacted by COVID-19. Consider experiences that you have not elaborated on in your application so far. These experiences may not be related to medicine (e.g., experience in sports, music, art, language). Did you take a course that you feel was particularly unique or influential in your life? What do you dedicate your time to outside of applying to medical school? You are given the opportunity to elaborate on something that may be interesting to the admissions committee or demonstrate the unique perspective you will bring to medical school.
If you felt that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted your journey to medical school, you may also use this section to describe your experience. Were you unable to attend class/shadowing/work/volunteer experiences in person? Did you have additional responsibilities within your family or community that prevented you from pursuing premed opportunities (caring for a sick relative, bringing groceries to neighbors, etc.)? You may include ways you adapted to the barriers posed by the pandemic.
Essay #3
Why BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM? Boston Medical Center is the largest safety net hospital in New England, serving primarily people who are publicly insured, people of color, immigrants, and low-income people in the Greater Boston Area. Why are you specifically interested in beginning your medical education in this environment, and how do you feel that your previous experiences will prepare you for this unique learning environment? (300 words)
Consider your experiences working with underserved populations, what you learned from these experiences, and how they influenced your journey to medicine. This could be clinical experience, such as shadowing in a safety net hospital or volunteering at a free clinic, but it does not have to be. You may also include personal experiences with the healthcare system or aspects of your own identity that drive your interest in beginning your medical education in a safety net hospital. Reflect on these experiences and what you have learned from them. Did they make you more compassionate, a better listener, or more aware of inequities in the healthcare system? How will these qualities and experiences help you to interact with patients at Boston Medical Center?
You may also discuss your goals for a career in medicine and how beginning your education at Boston Medical Center will help you pursue them. Are you interested in reducing language barriers, working with immigrant health, or advocating for health equity? What do you hope to learn or continue to explore at BU?
Essay #4 (Optional Essay)
Use this space to provide any additional information you feel will provide us with a comprehensive understanding of your strengths as a candidate for a career in medicine. Do not include information already provided in your AMCAS application or other sections of the supplemental application. Most students leave this blank. (300 words)
Reflect on any experiences that you did not previously discuss in your AMCAS application (not one of your activities or something you wrote about in your personal statement or the above secondary prompts). Is there an aspect of your identity you have not yet discussed? Did you have a career unrelated to medicine? Did you have a personal experience with illness or caring for someone who was ill? These experiences may or may not be related to healthcare, but you should show how they make you a stronger candidate for a career in medicine. What unique perspectives, values, or strengths can you bring to your class? It is okay to leave this question blank if you feel that you do not have an experience that will add something new to your application. You should not repeat information you have already provided.
Essay #5 (Reapplicant Essay)
Use this space to highlight aspects of your application that have changed since your last application. (300 words)
If you are a reapplicant, reflect on how you have improved your application. Did you retake the MCAT, complete research, or gain work experience? Select several experiences that illuminate the most meaningful change and briefly describe them. Maybe you were lacking clinical experience during your first application cycle, but you have since spent many hours shadowing physicians and volunteering in a free clinic. How did this experience better prepare you for a future medical career? Consider new knowledge, skills, or qualities you have gained or improved. Be sure to focus your response on your growth since submitting a previous application.
BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM Application Timeline
| Date | Event |
| May 1, 2025 | AMCAS application opens |
| September 13, 2025 | Latest MCAT test date accepted |
| Mid-September 2025 to early February 2026 | Interviews (by invitation only) |
| October 28, 2025 | Latest CASPer test date accepted (SNAPSHOT and DUET not required) |
| November 1, 2025 | AMCAS application deadline |
| December 1, 2025 | Secondary application deadline |
| Late December 2025 | Earliest notice of acceptance |
| April 30, 2026 | AMCAS Choose Your Medical School: Plan to Enroll |
| July 1, 2026 | AMCAS Choose Your Medical School: Commit to Enroll |
| August 3, 2026 | White Coat Ceremony |
Source: BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM Class Profile
Here is a look at BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM’s fall 2024 entering students (data taken from the BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM website):
MD and MD/PhD applicants: 10,758
Students accepted: 350 (3.25%)
Students admitted through pathway programs: 32
Total number of MD and MD/PhD students entering: 140
PhD students: 47
Master’s program students: 422
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