Located in Orlando, the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine (COM) offers a unique curricular feature known as Focused Individualized Research Experience (FIRE), which gives students the opportunity to work with a research mentor and participate in a scholarly research project. If you are a medical school applicant who has a background in research and is looking to expand your research skill set while receiving exemplary clinical training, UCF may be the perfect fit.  

UCF’s deep commitment to the state of Florida, its residents, and community members is evident in its admissions decisions, as 70% of the College of Medicine’s 2024 matriculating class was composed of in-state students. In addition to an MD degree, for applicants looking to diversify their academic studies and career trajectories, UCF offers a variety of combined degrees including MD/PhD, MD/MBA, MD/MS in Biomedical Engineering, and MD/MS in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

UCF Secondary Essay Tips

Essay #1

Medical school demands significant personal sacrifices, including long hours, emotional stress, and sometimes compromising personal time. Can you describe how you have prepared yourself for these sacrifices and how you plan to maintain a healthy work-life balance while managing the responsibilities of a medical student? (Limit: 750 characters)

Your response should acknowledge the challenging nature of medical school while also demonstrating your preparedness for balancing a rigorous schedule of commitments. Discuss an example of a time when you made personal sacrifices for your professional or academic commitments. This could be balancing coursework and other responsibilities during college or juggling employment with other obligations. What strategies did you use to maintain work-life balance during this time? How did you lean on others, manage your time, or maintain outlets for your stress? Discuss how you will apply these strategies to medical school so you can stay healthy while managing your many responsibilities. 

Essay #2

Can you please recount an experience from your academic or personal life where you actively collaborated with others to achieve a common goal? How do you anticipate applying this collaborative approach in your future medical education and practice, taking into account the diverse perspectives and expertise within healthcare teams? (Limit: 750 characters)

Reflect on meaningful team experiences that you may have participated in through school, employment, volunteering, sports, or other activities. Describe the situation you and your team were in. What was your common goal? How did you collaborate with others? Did your teammates have different perspectives or ways of thinking? Describe what you learned from this situation and what skills you took away from it. You should then demonstrate how this collaborative approach will help you to work with diverse healthcare teams in the future. What are the most important parts of collaboration within a diverse team? Consider qualities and skills such as empathy, respect, communication, and open-mindedness. 

Essay #3

We often hear that students want to pursue medicine to help people. Why did you choose medicine and not some other field where you can help others, such as nursing, physical therapy, pharmacology, psychology, education, or social work? (Limit: 750 characters)

Begin your response by demonstrating your acknowledgment of and respect for the many fields that are centered on helping others. Then, you should clarify your interest in medicine specifically. What aspects of the field uniquely excite or challenge you? Is it the combination of rigorous science and deep personal connection? Is it the opportunity for discovery, leadership, and education? Provide personal reasons for your interest in medicine. You may also wish to include a brief anecdote that demonstrates this inspiration through a patient story or a physician role model. 

Essay #4

Tell us about something that is integral to understanding who you are as a person that we would not automatically know from reading your application. These may be things like qualities, characteristics, or events you feel are unique to your life experience. You could address personally important and/or challenging experiences in your background that have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and service to others. These may include experiences such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, cultural background, or other significant events or circumstances that you feel have shaped your character and defined you as an individual. (Limit: 4,000 characters)

This is your chance to share something unique and personal that may not be highlighted elsewhere in your application. Have you taken an unconventional path in your professional or academic experience? Did you have a unique upbringing or cultural tradition that has shaped your perspective? Have you faced challenges or inequities that have impacted your journey to medicine? Describe how these qualities or experiences affected your character, values, and worldview. Use an anecdote or specific example of why this is important to you in order to show authenticity and add depth to your application. 

Essay #5

Please share with the Admissions Committee why you are specifically interested in UCF COM. (Limit: 500 characters)

This prompt provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your enthusiasm for UCF COM as well as why you are a good fit for the school. Start by researching 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 UCF COM uniquely appealing to you? Show that you have done your research and have a genuine interest in the program. 

The UCF COM website states the school’s mission: “The University of Central Florida College of Medicine educates and inspires individuals to be exemplary physicians and scientists, leaders in medicine, scholars in discovery, and adopters of innovative technology to improve the health and well-being of all.” Reflect on this mission and how it aligns with your personal goals for a future career in medicine. Discuss how attending UCF will help you achieve these goals and become the best physician you can be.  

UCF Application Timeline

May	Students are strongly encouraged to apply early within the admission process. Applicants can begin completing their AMCAS application in May and submit it in June.
June	The AMCAS application becomes available to admission offices in late June. The UCF College of Medicine operates on a holistic approach; therefore, the applicant review process may take several months for the admission committee to conclude.
July	Applicants who meet the minimum admission requirements will be provided with the opportunity to complete a secondary application.
August	Competitive applicants begin to receive interview invites in August. Interviews are held virtually on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. AMCAS must verify Early Decision applications by August 1st, and all supplemental documentation must be received by the UCF College of Medicine Admission Office by August 15th.
September/October	MCAT must be completed by the last date offered in September. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, and notifications of acceptance will begin to be sent to interviewees no earlier than October 15th.
November 15	The deadline to complete the AMCAS application is November 15th.
December 1	The deadline to complete the secondary application is December 1st.
March	Admitted students begin to receive their scholarship and financial aid award letters. The UCF College of Medicine Office of Student Financial Services assists MD students in obtaining resources to fund their educational expenses.
April	Admitted students are invited to come back to beautiful Orlando for Second Look. This all-day event is designed to assist students with their admission decisions.
August	Scholarship and financial assistance awards begin to disperse, and students register and attend orientation. The College of Medicine will welcome the incoming class at the annual White Coat Ceremony. This event is a medical school tradition, welcoming first-year MD students as colleagues in healthcare.

Source: UCF College of Medicine website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with the UCF College of Medicine directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

UCF Class Profile

Here is a look at the UCF College of Medicine MD Class of 2029 (data taken from the UCF College of Medicine website):

Verified applications: 5,394

Interviews: 512

Matriculated: 121

Non-Florida residents: 36

First generation: 9

Average total GPA: 3.90

Average science GPA: 3.87

Average MCAT: 514

PhD/MS: 6

Nontraditional: 42

Related Resources

• Medical School Selectivity Index, a free tool
• Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Med School & Secondary Essays, a free guide
• Five Tips for Completing AACOMAS Secondary Applications