University of Texas – Southwestern: UTSW Secondary Essays and Tips

University of Texas Southwestern is one of the hardest medical school to get accepted to in Texas. Submitting an OUTSTANDING UT Southwestern secondary application is important if you want to receive an interview invitation. Incorporating “Why UTSW Med,” clinical experience, and research will make you a strong applicant. Read more of our UTSW secondary application tips below.

It is also critical to submit your UTSW secondary essays soon after you receive the official secondary from the UT Southwestern Medical School Admissions Committee. We would definitely recommend pre-writing your UTSW secondary essays early in the summer so you can submit them as soon as possible. Read our UT Southwestern secondary essays tips down below!

Therefore, contact Drs. Rachel Rizal and Rishi Mediratta to pre-write your UT Southwestern secondary essays. Contact us below! We have a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to UTSW Medical School year after year.

• Personally Tailored Essays
• Edits by Stanford & Harvard-trained Doctors
• We study your application strengths to see what unique attributes we’ll bring to the medical school

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 – 2024

1. Describe a group project or activity that you are most proud of. Consider the following in your response: What aspect makes you most proud? How was it accomplished? How did you deal with disagreement or conflict in the group? How did you get fellow group members to embrace a position or view your perspective? (2,500 characters max)
2. Describe a time that you have witnessed someone acting unethically or dishonestly, or an experienced behavior of harassment or discrimination. Consider the following in your response: What did you do? What made the situation difficult for you personally? Describe your reaction and what you might do differently now in retrospect. (2,500 characters max)
3. Describe an interaction or experience that has made you more sensitive or appreciative of cultural differences, and/or how you have committed yourself to understanding and aiding in the pursuit of equity and inclusion in your academic, professional or personal life. (2,500 characters max)
4. (Optional) Have you engaged in any public service activities for a duration of one year or greater in length (examples: Military, Peace Corps, Teach for America, etc.). Yes or No?If so, please describe the experience and impact on your personal and professional development. (2,500 characters max)
5. (Optional) Please explain any academic discrepancies or extenuating circumstances that you feel the Admissions Committee should know. (2,500 characters max)

Tips to Answer UTSW Secondary Essays

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Pre-Writing Guidance: UT Southwestern’s prompts don’t change much each year. This school is also time sensitive, and you should try to submit this secondary with as high as quality as possible and sooner rather than later. We think this a top priority secondary to pre-write along with the other Texas medical schools. Texas medical schools tend to give interview invitations on a rolling basis (they will not give you an interview if you send in your secondary and they have given away most of their interview invitations) and the interview season starts early, typically by mid- to late-August.

• Download all our HIGH-YIELD tips for secondary essays: Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #1: First, it is important to understand what the UT Southwestern Medical School Admissions Committee is looking for in order to be a competitive applicant. It wants medical students who flourish academically and who have a strong interest in clinical medicine + research. Therefore, be strategic with what topics you use in your essay.

1. Incorporate at least 1 patient story from your clinical experiences.
2. Talk about your research throughout your UTSW secondary application.
3. Answer the optional questions, especially the public service activities essay, if they apply to you.

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #2: We have found that for the UT Southwestern Medical School secondary application prompt, “Describe a group project or activity that you are most proud of,” the best responses do not discuss school projects. Many of our advisees write about group projects related to their extra-curricular activities. Better examples would be a group project where you are conducting health education in the Texas community. Or, you can discuss a group project related to research.

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #3: Tell stories in your UTSW secondary essays. It is typically better to show your impact on an individual person than to discuss more generally how you’ve helped an organization.

For example, you can write a patient story for the UTSW secondary essay question, “Describe an interaction or experience that has made you more sensitive or appreciative of cultural differences, and/or how you have committed yourself to understanding and aiding in the pursuit of equity and inclusion in your academic, professional or personal life” or the public service secondary essay prompt.

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #4: In general, we recommend that students do not write about stories from high school. For example, do not write about a group project or conflict from high school.

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #5: Try to incorporate “Why UT Southwestern” or activities you want to be involved with at UTSW Medical School. Read our helpful blog post about how to answer why this medical school?

Writing specifics about UT Southwestern Medical School will complement your TMDSAS primary application essays well.

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #6: Many students write an essay for this question, “Have you engaged in any public service activities for a duration of one year or greater in length.” Typically, they will write about community engagement and activities in Texas. When reflecting on your personal and professional development, be sure to also reflect specifically on the Texas community. UTSW is a state school, so it prefers students who are keen to serve Texas residents!

UT Southwestern Secondary Application Tip #7: Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below. Need editing help on your secondary? We can help you through our secondary essay packages.

[Read Other Secondary Essay Tips: University of Michigan; University of Texas – Houston (McGovern); Baylor College of Medicine; Texas A&M]