Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips and Timeline [2025–2026], Class Profile
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) – which is known for its groundbreaking research, innovative education, and world-class patient care – is consistently ranked among the nation’s leading medical schools. Located in Baltimore, JHUSOM provides students with a rich blend of academic rigor, clinical training, and community engagement. Students train alongside Nobel laureates, Lasker Award winners, and members of the National Academy of Sciences, ensuring exposure to the very forefront of biomedical discovery and clinical practice. With access to the Johns Hopkins Health System and its extensive network of hospitals and clinics, learners gain unparalleled opportunities to serve diverse patient populations while developing into physician-leaders who advance health both locally and globally. The school’s culture emphasizes collaboration, discovery, and service, supported by a vibrant community that values diversity, inclusion, and innovation.JHUSOM seeks applicants who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and a strong foundation in the sciences, but also those who embody the qualities of compassion, resilience, and leadership. Ideal candidates are motivated by a passion for medicine as well as a desire to contribute to research, innovation, and patient-centered care. JHUSOM values students who will thrive in a collaborative environment, engage with diverse communities, and use their training to address health disparities. The school looks for future physicians and scientists who are equally comfortable at the bedside and in the lab – and who will carry forward JHUSOM’s mission of improving health through excellence in education, discovery, and service to society.
JHUSOM Secondary Essay Tips
Note: JHUSOM has made significant changes to the wording and word limits of its secondary essay prompts this year, so don’t assume that last year’s drafts and advice still apply. Read each prompt carefully, follow the directions precisely, and be sure your responses fit within the updated parameters.
Essay #1
Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity. Include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician. (300-word limit)
Adversity is a condition or fate that is undesirable, often bringing about feelings of distress, calamity, or misfortune. The key to responding to this prompt is showing your true colors and demonstrating your inner strength – a resolve that rectifies the situation, makes a bad situation better, or triggers lasting change, growth, and/or resilience. Adversity could be related to marginalization, discrimination, sudden responsibility, illness, or disability, but it does not have to be that profound. You could write about a hardship that brought your family closer or perhaps a teamwork situation that you would handle differently in the future. How have you made a bad situation better? How might you handle the situation differently next time?
Regardless of your subject, your response to this prompt needs to show your insight, maturity, and successful reflection. Lastly, explain how adversity and resilience apply to medicine.
Essay #2
Describe an interaction or experience that required you to understand or engage with a perspective different from your own. How did you respond and what was the outcome? (300-word limit)
Reflect on a meaningful time when you engaged with a perspective different from your own. It may have challenged your assumptions, beliefs, or knowledge. This could be in a clinical setting, workplace, classroom, or even your personal life. Describe the situation and what the differing perspective was. Why was this important? Focus the majority of your response on how you sought to engage with or understand this perspective. Emphasize your active listening skills, open-mindedness, and empathy. Reflect on what you learned and how this experience may have enriched your own perspective or worldview. Why is engaging with differing perspectives important in medicine and your own life?
Essay #3
Please review the Johns Hopkins Medicine Website. Is there an area of medicine or a particular medical specialty at Johns Hopkins that interests you and why? (300-word limit)
This prompt is designed to make sure applicants zero in on the school’s medical program and specialties. If you have your heart set on one of its specialties, go ahead and mention this. Also, it is okay to say that you are interested in multiple fields and list a few that you want to explore. To support your interest, briefly describe your exposure to or experiences in each specialty and why they appeal to you. How do you hope to further medical knowledge in this area? In other words, how will you contribute to making this field better?
Essay #4
Every future physician has a story. What’s yours? Share the experience, insight, or connection that first made you see yourself in medicine—and how it continues to shape your path. (300-word limit)
Although your personal statement might have outlined your motivations for pursuing medicine, use this prompt as an opportunity to focus on one meaningful anecdote that made you first see yourself in medicine. Reflect on significant moments that have shaped your path and solidified your commitment to pursuing a medical career. Did you have a meaningful experience that provided a new insight into the healthcare system? Did you develop a deep connection with a patient, physician, or someone else? Did you have an important academic insight in the classroom or a research setting? This prompt emphasizes the importance of having a “story.” Use your storytelling skills to describe this particular experience and why it drew you to the medical profession. How will this moment shape your future path and career goals?
Essay #5
What draws you to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine? Reflect on how our mission, culture, and academic community align with your values, experiences, and aspirations as a future physician. In your response, please highlight specific aspects of both the Hopkins community (academic, research, and/or extracurricular opportunities) and the Baltimore community, particularly the patients and families that we serve. Elaborate on how you intend to actively engage with and contribute to both of these communities as you pursue your medical education. (300-word limit)
This prompt provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your enthusiasm for JHUSOM as well as why you are a good fit for the school. Start by conducting research on the institution’s curriculum, community, values, and programs. How do these unique features align with your personal values and career goals? What opportunities would you be most excited to take advantage of and why? This may include courses, research projects, community service opportunities, or particular faculty members. What makes JHUSOM uniquely appealing to you? Show that you have done your research and have a genuine interest in the program.
The JHUSOM website states the school’s mission as follows: “to educate medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in accordance with the highest professional standards; to prepare clinicians to practice patient-centered medicine of the highest standard; and to identify and answer fundamental questions in the mechanisms, prevention, and treatment of disease in health care delivery and in the basic sciences.”
In addition to reflecting on the mission, you should emphasize the importance of engaging with and serving the Baltimore community. In your response, be sure to emphasize how you will actively participate in these efforts. Why are you interested in moving to a diverse urban center for medical school? Why are you drawn to this particular patient population? Include specific ways in which you will stay actively engaged in the community through extracurriculars or other activities.
Essay #6 (Optional)
Would you like to share any additional information with the Admissions Committee about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application? This space can also address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (300 words, optional)
Reflect on any information 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.
If you have any extenuating circumstances, you may also use this space to further explain them. The key to responding to an “extenuating circumstances” prompt is to take responsibility for whatever happened and show what you did to turn a less-than-ideal situation around. Sometimes these are growth and maturity stories (e.g., the freshman “flunk”), sometimes they are related to family circumstances, and other times they can be about adjusting to higher education, finding out one has a disability (e.g., ADHD), and explaining what you did to turn the situation around. Keep in mind that a bump in the road is likely more common than not among high-achieving students, so there is no room for chagrin, embarrassment, or blame – only growth, insight, and success.
“If Applicable” Essays
Essay #1
Please describe what you have been doing since graduation and your plans for the upcoming year. (300-word limit)
Respond to this prompt only if you are taking at least one gap year before attending medical school.
If you have already taken a gap year, summarize your experiences from the past year including but not limited to any work, research, shadowing, community service, 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. You should also include a description of your plans for the upcoming year.
Essay #2
We recognize academic journeys can be complex and varied. If applicable, please briefly explain any withdrawals (W), incompletes (I), or academic coursework grades below a B on your transcript. Your explanation helps us understand your academic history better and how you have overcome challenges. (300-word limit)
If you have any shortcomings on your transcript – such as a withdrawal, incomplete, or lower grades – use this section to explain them. Describe the instance and what factors led to this academic hardship. Examples may include stress, health issues, family circumstances, financial situation, or the COVID-19 pandemic. You should focus mainly on how you remedied the situation and grew from it. Did you retake the course? What did you do differently afterward? How has this hardship helped you better prepare for the challenges associated with medical training?
JHUSOM Application Timeline (2025-2026)
| Date | Requirement |
| May 1, 2025 | AMCAS 2025-2026 application opens |
| May 27, 2025 | First day to submit AMCAS to AAMC |
| June 27, 2025 | Earliest date JHUSOM can receive your AMCAS application |
| July 15, 2025 | JHUSOM secondary application opens |
| July 2025 to January 2026 | Application review |
| October 15, 2025 | AMCAS application closes |
| October 22, 2025 | JHUSOM secondary application closes (11:59 p.m. EST) |
| September 2025 to February 2026 | Interviews take place. You will be contacted directly via email with an interview invitation. |
Source: JHUSOM website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with JHUSOM directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
JHUSOM Class Profile
Here is a look at the JHUSOM Class of 2028 MD and MD-PhD students (data taken from the JHUSOM website):
Applicants: 4,409
Matriculated: 129
Women: 62%
Men: 36%
Another gender identity: 2%
First generation: 13%
Military: 2%
Underrepresented in medicine students: 19%
U.S. states represented: 29
Countries represented: 2
Undergraduate institutions represented: 62
Average GPA: 3.94
Average MCAT score: 520
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