UC Davis School of Medicine 2016-17 Secondary Application Essay Tips

According to the U.S. News and World Report, UCDSOM is ranked #37 for primary care and #47 for research. This medical school campus is unique in that they have seven student-run clinics: Paul Hom Asian Clinic, Clinica Tepati, Imani Clinic, Shifa Clinic, Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic, Bayanihan Clinic, and the Willow Clinic. Medical students can begin serving a diverse patient population early in their education and take on critical leadership roles in community health.

This school also provides several special programs to provide you with training appropriate to the area you wish to serve—the Rural PRIME Program, Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) Program, the San Joaquin Valley PRIME Program, The Transforming Education and Community Health Program for Medical Students (TEACH-MS) Program, and the Physician Scientist Training Program. UCDSOM is looking for students who can accurately self-assess their strengths and weaknesses and who will bring a diverse background, perspective and skill set to their campus.

UC Davis School of Medicine 2017 Secondary Application Essay Questions:

1. Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee. 500 characters

Here the admissions committee would like to see how accurately you can identify and address any weaknesses in your application. If it is challenging for you to identify any issues, it may be useful to have an advisor or medical school consultant review your application with you to select an appropriate topic to cover. The best responses will be those that are accurate and that have already been addressed so that you can end this essay on a high note.

2.  Do you have a connection to Northern or Central California? (Yes/No)

Start by making a list. Have you ever lived in the area? Do you have family or friends who do?  Or have you spent significant time there in any of the cities in Northern or Central California? It’s far better to list as much as possible.

3. If you answered “yes” to having a connection to Northern or Central California, please explain below. If you answered “no,” type “not applicable.”

Using the list you created above, organize it—starting with the weakest connections and ending on the strongest. They want to accept applicants who will stay in these areas to practice after medical school. Statistically, those applicants who are from these communities and who have years of community service in them are most likely to return after their education to live and work. Emphasize both of these things if you have them in your background. If you have never visited this part of the country, it may not be a good idea to apply.  

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***

UC Davis Application Timeline:

If you would like professional guidance with your UCD School of Medicine application materials, check out Accepted’s Medical School Admissions Consulting and Editing Services, which include advising, editing, and interview coaching for the UCDSOM application materials.

Alicia McNease Nimonkar is an Accepted advisor and editor specializing in healthcare admissions. Prior to joining Accepted, Alicia worked for five years as Student Advisor at UC Davis’ postbac program where she both evaluated applications and advised students applying successfully to med school and related programs.

Related Resources:

• Secondary Application Strategies for Essays that Score Interviews, on-demand webinar
• School-Specific Med Secondary Essay Tips
• How to Write Succinct Secondary Essays