Accepted Admissions Blog

UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences offers an education that emphasizes the importance of treating patients as individuals and incorporating the latest research available in their training.  After the first year, students have the opportunity to participate in paid summer research positions.  Students complete clerkships during their third and fourth years with the option of serving patients abroad in the fourth year.  For more details about their program and campus, you can see the College of Medicine Viewbook, here.

Toledo 2015 Secondary Application Essay Questions:

 • Two essays are requested, no limit required.
 • Applicants should use single line spacing and 10 or 12 point size font.
 • Responses should be constructed strategically to highlight all of an applicant’s strengths.

The following essays are requested in the Secondary Application:

1. Briefly discuss any extenuating circumstances which you feel are pertinent to your application (poor grades, course withdrawals, etc). (No Limit)

To respond effectively to this essay prompt, examine your AMCAS application from an outsider’s perspective.  In reviewing your grades and activities, is there anything that needs to be explained?  Is there anything confusing?  Or is there something that might not be obvious to the reader without providing some emphasis, for example, on the number of hours that you worked per week while attending school full time?  You can explain any reasons for why your application may be less competitive.  State the facts to create the right tone.  

2. The University of Toledo College of Medicine is committed to excellence in education which prepares graduates to deliver quality health care. Developing cultural competence is an important goal in our curriculum. Cultural competence is defined as an awareness, understanding and ability to use specific methods to deal effectively with cultural issues and its role in health and health care. Please discuss a life experience in which you feel you demonstrated cultural competence. (No limit)

I recommend selecting an example in which you played an active role in alleviating language or cultural barriers.  In this essay, you can highlight the interpersonal communication skills that you have and any additional languages that you speak.  Effective examples would include translating for people who don’t speak the same language or communicating religious or cultural differences that could cause confusion for others.  For example, a student from a Hmong or Laotian background who understands this community’s lack of trust for Western Medicine could describe how to s/he successfully helped organize and host free health clinics through a church in the community to provide health check-ups.  There are many different examples that would fit well for this essay question.  The key will be selecting one that demonstrates your level of awareness and sensitivity to others.         

UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences Application Timeline:

AMCAS Application Due                November 1, 2014

Secondary Application                   December 31, 2014

(*Strong recommendation: Submit within two weeks after receipt.)

Interviews Conducted                     September 2014 to April 2015

School Begins                                  August 2015

If you would like professional guidance with your University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences application materials, please consider using Accepted’s Medical School Admissions Consulting and Editing Services, which include advising, editing, and interview coaching for the UTCMLS 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.