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College Essays

Are you applying to the University of Florida? You'll need to answer some essay prompts as part of your application.   Read this guide to learn what the University of Florida essay prompts are, what admissions officers are looking for in your response, what you should include and avoid in your answers, and what strong UF college essay examples look like.

What Are the University of Florida Essays?

The University of Florida accepts both the Common Application and the Coalition Application, and applicants must answer one of the Common Application prompts. 

As part of your application, you'll also need to answer an additional UF-specific essay prompt, and you'll have the option of answering three additional essay prompts. Your answer to each prompt can be up to 250 words. Here's the prompt:

• Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity

We'll go over how to best answer this supplement question in the next section.

The UF Essay Prompt, Analyzed

In this section, we explain what the prompt is asking for, why UF is interested in this information, what information you should include (and what information to avoid), and what a strong example answer could look like.

Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity.

What the prompt is asking for: A description of the one extracurricular you feel is most important to you.

Why UF is interested: Students who are dedicated to something show they are passionate, interested in learning, and have a strong work ethic. These are all characteristics colleges want their students to have, so having something you're committed to is a major boost to your application. Seeing what you choose also gives UF a better sense of who you are and what you value.

Potential topics to discuss: What the extracurricular, is how long you've involved with it, how much time per week/month/etc. you dedicate to it, what activities your involvement includes, why you consider it meaningful. 

Topics to avoid: Listing multiple activities or simply describing the extracurricular without explaining why it's important to you.

Example: "The extracurricular most important to me is my involvement in my high school's Model UN team . I've been involved for four years, since I was a freshman. We meet once a week during the school year to prepare for the four conferences we participate in each year. As a Model UN member, I research different political events and international relations topics, then debate the issues with other team members to build my skills in those areas. Model UN is so important to me because, not only did it solidify my choice to major in International Relations, it strengthened me personally. As a result of my participation, I've improved my debate skills, become a more confident public speaker, and have much more experience finding a compromise even between very different groups."

Tips for the UF Essay Prompt

Follow these three tips when completing the University of Florida supplement essays to make sure your answers are as strong as possible.

#1: Keep Your Answers Concise

You only have 250 words per prompt. That isn't that much! This means your responses need to be brief and to the point if you're trying to fit a lot of information in. You likely have a lot of reasons why a particular extracurricular is the most important to you.

#2: Show Your Strengths

Even though the prompt is short, it’s still an opportunity for you to impress the admissions committee. You can dive into how you've been involved in your extracurricular, as well as any leadership roles you may have had. Try to include themes you've mentioned in other parts of your application , such as your longer essay. For example, if you mentioned that your dream is to be a doctor, try to highlight experiences that reflect that, such as volunteering at a hospital.

#3: Be Honest and Passionate

Sometimes students think they need to tell a story that the admissions committee wants to hear...so they make things up. Do not lie in your college essay—admissions counselors are  great  at sniffing out fibs! 

Instead, lean into the passions and experiences that make you unique . For instance, maybe you made a quilt and entered it in the fair. That's awesome! Just make sure you're explaining why it's meaningful for you! Maybe your grandmother taught you how to quilt and you worked on it together, which taught you the importance passing knowledge down from one generation to the next. 

Summary: UF College Essay Examples

There is one main University of Florida essay, and it'll be the Coalition or Common Application (depending on which application you use) prompt of your choice. But there are also additional UF essay prompts to answer. These shorter prompts are a way for the UF admissions committee to learn more about you and have the most accurate look at your application.

Here is where you can discuss extracurricular activities, anything that prevented you from participating in extracurriculars, certain programs you took part in, and anything else you think is important for the people reviewing your application to know. As you answer these UF essay prompts, remember to keep your responses short, don't feel pressured to answer every prompt, and highlight your strengths.

What's Next?

Considering the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship? Our guide to Bright Futures Scholarship programs answers all the questions you're wondering about.

Want to bring up your GPA? Read about four ways to bring up your high school grades fast .

Interested in community service ideas? Check out our guide to 129 great community service projects .

Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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A Great University of Florida Essay Example

What’s covered:.

• Essay Example  
• Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay  

The University of Florida is a large public university in Gainesville that is known for both its academics and party scene. You have to really stand out in order to gain admission to this selective university, which is why your essays have to shine. In this post, we’ll share a real essay a student submitted to the University of Florida, and outline its strengths and areas of improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our University of Florida essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Essay Example 

Prompt: Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, any academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 words)

Attending high school in the U.S brought me many new experiences, but also disappointments. At my school, students mostly learned how to memorize theory. Lessons were conducted simply as teachers lectured the students until the bell rang. The old-fashioned teaching style with the lack of critical thinking led students to crumble into the shells. Therefore, I decided to make changes by creating a Speech and Debate Club in my school so that students could learn to comfortably express their viewpoints and further gain confidence in public speaking. 

As the club’s leader, I created an environment that encouraged the members to freely voice their viewpoints and solutions for problems happening in our community and society. To help them improve their critical thinking and public speaking skills, I signed up all members for the State Speech and Debate Championship. I also took an active role in scheduling practice for the members after school and helping them find logical evidence and outline their speeches. I also trained the members to find flaws in the opponent’s arguments. With these efforts, we won the Silver Medal in Public Forum Debate and Sportsmanship Awards in the State Speech and Debate Championship.

Even though the Speech and Debate Club is only a year old, I believe it is meaningful for many students in helping them comfortably articulate their ideas to make positive changes in our school and community. 

What the Essay Did Well

This essay does a good job of picking an extracurricular activity that was meaningful to this student and explaining why it was important to them. “ Extracurricular ” essays are a great opportunity to provide context on why you participated in a certain activity in high school and showcase the impact it had on you. This student fully answers the prompt by both explaining what the activity was and why it was important to them.

The opening paragraph also reveals a lot about how this student thinks and how they value education. They aren’t shy about their criticism of the traditional learning model, where students memorize and regurgitate information. The University of Florida wants to admit students who think critically and want to challenge the status quo, so this paragraph is a great way for admissions officers to see that this is the type of student they want. This isn’t to say that you need to disparage your school and teachers, but a good essay should reveal some insight into the way you think and value learning.

What Could Be Improved

The biggest thing this essay needs to work on is showing, not telling . The author tells us that they created an environment where people could share ideas. The author tells us that they helped members of the club strengthen their speeches. The author tells us the training they provided helped their team win a medal at the championship. But they don’t show us anything. 

The way the essay is currently written, it reads more as a resume description. Admissions officers will learn the same information from this essay as they will from reading the activities section of the application. The point of this essay is to humanize these accomplishments and highlight key traits of your personality or growth. 

Rather than telling us what occurred, this student should show us the conversations they had with struggling team members to display their leadership skills. Rather than telling us they created a safe environment, they should show us unlikely friendships being made through their club and the joy they felt. Rather than telling us they won, the student should describe what it felt like to hear their school’s name: “ The world stood still. All I could hear over the thunderous thump of my heart were gulps of excess air. Wait, what did they say?! We won!”

Show, don’t tell is old advice, but it really can make all the difference in an essay. If this student rewrote the story so the reader was actively placed in the moment, it would be far more successful.  

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay 

Do you want feedback on your University of Florida essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools.  Find the right advisor for you  to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Hi everyone! I'm working on my application for the University of Florida, and I wanted some advice on writing strong supplemental essays. Can anyone offer any tips or resources to make sure I nail them? Thanks!

Hello! It's great that you're seeking advice on your University of Florida application essay. Supplemental essays are a crucial part of the application process, as they allow admissions officers to gauge your fit for their institution in particular. You can read up on how to tackle UF’s current essay prompts on CollegeVine’s blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-university-of-florida-essays.

Do be aware that these prompts can change year to year, so while you can use this post to get a general sense of what’s going to be asked of you, I’d advise against starting to actually write your own responses until August 1st before your senior year. That’s when the prompts for the coming applications cycle are officially released, and you don’t want to invest time and energy into crafting strong essays before then only for the prompts to change.

Good luck with your application to the University of Florida!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

University of Florida Supplemental Essays 2023-24

September 8, 2023

At the turn of the millennium, the University of Florida welcomed 63% of Gator applicants to Gainesville and functioned as a fairly accessible and highly affordable option for residents of the Sunshine State. However, by 2023, while still extremely affordable, the task of becoming a Gator has become far more difficult. They now receive over 67,000 applications and accept fewer than 30% of those who apply. Incoming freshmen now possess mid-50% weighted GPAs of 4.4-4.6 and ACT scores of 30-34. Another commonality amongst accepted students is that they write an excellent University of Florida supplemental essay.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into UF? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into the University of Florida: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

When applying to an institution like the University of Florida that rejects more than 7 of every 10 applicants, you’ll need to put maximum effort into every area of the application, including the Common App and supplemental essay. Below is the University of Florida’s required supplemental prompt for the 2023-24 admissions cycle along with our advice for composing a winning essay.

University of Florida Supplemental Essays – Question 1 (Required)

Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 Word Limit)

The University of Florida is not necessarily asking you to write about the activity where you earned the most prestigious awards or held the highest position of leadership. The university is going to see all of your activities in that section of the Common App. As such, you want to ask yourself which of your entries is crying out for more explanation and detail? Which one is closest to your heart and most representative of your unique passions? Pick the option that will allow you to deliver additional detail that may be memorable to the admissions reader. Start this process by asking yourself, “What is the most interesting and consequential moment that I have experienced in one of my extracurricular activities?” If you can identify one clear-cut moment, that is likely the activity worth sharing with the UF admissions staff.

University of Florida Supplemental Essays (Continued)

What kind of campus community member will you be?

At the core of this essay prompt, the UF admissions officers are really trying to figure out what you will bring to the Gainesville campus community. Again, what you achieved in a particular extracurricular activity will already be viewable in your Common App Activities Section and the Common App Honors Section , so you don’t want to make that the focus of this essay. Instead, you may want to touch on some of the following areas related to your role as a community member:

• How you function as a member of a team.
• Your leadership ability.
• Your passion, commitment, and drive.
• A commitment to social justice and equity.
• How you respond to challenges and obstacles.
• Illustrate how you have demonstrated maturity and dependability.

How important are the University of Florida supplemental essays?

The University of Florida lists six factors as being “very important” to the admissions committee. They are: GPA, standardized test scores, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, extracurricular activities, and the rigor of your secondary school record and most relevant to this blog—the application essay. It’s important to keep in mind that UF places both the essays and extracurricular involvement in the top tier of importance. Therefore, this essay is something of a two-for-one. Further, the essay is rated as being of greater importance than class rank, standardized test scores, or your state residency status.

Want personalized assistance with your University of Florida supplemental essays?

If you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your main Common App essay and University of Florida supplemental essay, we encourage you to get a quote  today.

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Nailing the UF Supplemental Essays for the 2023-2024 Admissions Cycle

The college application process is a crucial period in any student's life, and when it comes to the University of Florida (UF), this process includes crafting a captivating set of supplemental essays. In this blog post, we will offer targeted, step-by-step guidance to ace each University of Florida essay prompt.

General Prompt

Please submit a personal essay about who you are. We suggest a limit of 500 words.

This is your opportunity to tell your story in your own unique voice. Who are you as an individual? What experiences have shaped you, and what do you value most? Be sure to weave in your personality, values, and motivations. This essay is broad, but the key is to be authentic and introspective.

Example Essay

I come from a vibrant cultural melting pot nestled within the sun-kissed landscapes of Miami, Florida, where my Cuban heritage and American upbringing intersect. The enchanting salsa music echoing down the streets, my grandmother's tantalizingly spiced arroz con pollo, and the passionate baseball debates at the local café - these elements of my Cuban heritage provide a rhythm and warmth to my everyday life. Simultaneously, the annual traditions of roasting a Thanksgiving turkey or watching the Fourth of July fireworks paint the canvas of my American identity. These diverse cultural threads have woven the tapestry of my values and perspective, celebrating resilience, diversity, and tradition.

As I anticipate my journey at the University of Florida, I aim to contribute to the rich diversity of the campus community. I am particularly intrigued by the Multicultural & Diversity Affairs Program. The prospect of fostering meaningful cross-cultural dialogues through this initiative aligns closely with my personal goals and cultural background.

Optional Prompts

Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution. (450 words)

Here, UF wants to understand your community involvement and ethical values. Choose a specific moment when you positively impacted others. Discuss the challenges faced, solutions found, and the rewarding outcomes. Demonstrate your growth and commitment to contributing to the greater good.

When Hurricane Irma mercilessly ripped through my hometown of Miami in 2017, it left in its wake a trail of destruction. The poorer neighborhoods, including my own, bore the brunt of the calamity. Amid the chaos, I felt a deep-rooted urge to contribute to my community. Using my high school as a platform, I coordinated a relief drive, urging my peers to donate food, clothes, and their time.

Organizing such an endeavor was not without its hurdles. Power outages disrupted communication, making coordination a significant challenge. Despite the logistical problems, the community response was astounding. We gathered a sizable amount of supplies, enough to assist over 100 families. Witnessing my community unite in the face of adversity and knowing my role in facilitating that unity was a reward in itself. This endeavor reaffirmed my commitment to community service and is a value I intend to bring to the University of Florida, especially through initiatives like the Gator Good.

Has there been a time when you've had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs? (450 words)

This prompt seeks to gauge your ability to handle intellectual challenges and personal growth. Choose a belief, explain why you held it, discuss the event that challenged it, and delve into the aftermath. This essay showcases your ability to adapt, learn, and evolve.

As a product of a devout Catholic family, my religious faith was an integral part of my identity. However, a close friendship with an agnostic classmate put my long-cherished beliefs under a new lens. Our stimulating dialogues revolving around faith, science, and morality invoked in me a sense of discomfort, yet these conversations were enlightening.

To reconcile my faith with the emerging questions, I turned to literature, reading about theology and secular humanism. Rather than eroding my faith, this intellectual journey deepened it, lending it a nuanced, empathetic, and more tolerant nature. I learned the significance of open dialogue, the strength in acknowledging differences, and the beauty of diversity. I aim to bring this attitude of acceptance and respect for differing viewpoints to UF's multicultural campus.

Prompts for Specific Schools

Each college within UF has its own prompt. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your clear interest in your chosen field and how studying it at UF will benefit you.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Describe a problem in your life. Include how you dealt with it and how it influenced your growth. (400 words)

For this prompt, think about a significant challenge or problem in your life, how you approached it, and how it influenced your personal development. It allows you to display your problem-solving skills and resilience. Link this back to your academic pursuits within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

When my younger brother was diagnosed with dyslexia, my family and I found ourselves navigating a maze of challenges. In addition to managing my school work, I found myself tutoring my brother, researching his condition, and grappling with my feelings of helplessness. Instead of being overwhelmed, I chose to confront the problem proactively. I dedicated myself to understand dyslexia and developed a personalized learning plan for my brother.

This incident provided me with first-hand experience of the power of personalized learning and ignited my interest in psychology and cognitive science. I look forward to delving into these subjects at UF’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Cognitive Psychology and Developmental Science courses seem particularly interesting, aligning perfectly with my academic aspirations.

College of the Arts: Describe an experience that has shaped your artistic practice. (400 words)

UF wants to understand your artistic journey. Describe a significant artistic experience, how it shaped your craft, and why it matters. Connect this to the offerings of the College of the Arts, highlighting specific programs or opportunities that you are excited about.

Witnessing Frida Kahlo's "The Two Fridas" for the first time was an experience of profound artistic awakening for me. Kahlo’s raw portrayal of emotional pain and inner turmoil resonated deeply with me, inspiring me to view art as a potent vehicle for personal expression and social commentary. This interaction with Kahlo's masterpiece was transformative for my artistic style and approach, leading me to explore themes of identity and cultural dichotomy through vibrant colors and symbolic elements.

The University of Florida's College of the Arts offers the ideal environment for me to further hone my artistic skills and broaden my conceptual understanding. The Art and Social Change course is particularly appealing to me, promising a rich exploration of the interplay between art, society, and transformation.

The key to excelling in these UF essays is to be reflective, personal, and precise. Illustrate why you are an ideal fit for UF and how UF is the perfect environment for you to achieve your goals.

Good luck, future Gators!

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• Secondary Essay Prompts

Secondary Essay Prompts – University of Florida College of Medicine

Secondary Essay Prompts for the University of Florida College of Medicine

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL.

2019 – 2020

• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2018 and May 2019, please detail your current and planned activities below (250-500 words)
• The medical profession is frequently described as being both a science and an art. One could summarize this by saying that patients must “be well cared for” (science) but they must also “feel well cared for” (art). Indeed, the late physician, writer and ethicist, Dr. Edmund Pelegrino affirms both the science and art of medicine. But when discussing the nature of the physician/patient relationship he says the following, “The act specific to medicine, that which makes it medicine and thereby distinguishes it from both science and art, is the decision about what is right and good for a particular patient now, with this set of needs, arising out of this particular illness…It is the practical decision, taken in the best interest of a particular person, not in the interest of new knowledge, of society or of the physician.” We work to teach our students not only the scientific principles of medicine, but also the core values of medicine, often called “professionalism”. Toward this end we keep patients at the center of our education and often reflect on their stories with our students.
• The exciting advances in our understanding of the biological basis for disease have led to the emergence of a host of targeted therapies and amazing technologies improving the duration and quality of our patients’ lives. The better a physician knows his/her patient, the better decisions they will make together as they approach important healthcare related questions. This so-called shared decision-making model is one key feature of patient centered care. Practicing the art of medicine in this way yields a physician patient relationship (PPR) that is both therapeutic and mutually enriching. However, many of these same technologies have the unintended consequence of separating us from our patients, both literally and figuratively. In addition, the industrialization of medicine and use of electronic health records have led to a decrease in the time physicians spend with their patients further eroding the strength of the PPR. At the UFCOM, we have numerous strategies to equip our students to preserve their own humanity and that of their patients. As students make connections with and get to know their patients, they begin to experience the joy in medical practice. They also have the chance to consider ways that the forces mentioned above can rob a physician of that joy. As they share their stories, they encourage one another to make deliberate choices to preserve what we might call the heart or soul of the profession. Read these reflections from two third year students, one about a memorable encounter with a patient and the patient’s daughter and the second a very moving poem where a student explores the importance of taking time to be quiet and alone despite the busyness of our lives. She also considers the potentially dark consequences of neglecting this important practice. After reading and reflecting upon them, write an essay about what you will do to “never lose the human side of yourself,” treat your future patients as you would a family member, and thereby preserve the soul of medicine. Current Word Count: (250-500 words)
• Many hours in medical school are appropriately spent pursuing knowledge and skills needed to practice medicine. Medical students must master an enormous amount of information, synthesize it into a workable understanding of the human body, and then discern the best way to translate such knowledge into decisions with individual patients. However, governing this process are larger philosophical questions such as, “What does it mean to be human?” In his 1748 work, “Man as Machine”, French physician and philosopher Julien Offray de La Mettrie argues that humans are nothing more than complex animals. In contrast, many others would suggest there are psychological, social, emotional and spiritual dimensions to being human that are no less important than the biological, and perhaps even more important. Whatever our answers to these questions, those answers will have an impact on what we think it means to be a healthy human.
• Below are two brief quotations, one from the Greek philosopher Plato and the other from Sir William Osler (1849-1919), widely regarded as one of the fathers of modern medicine. Read and reflect upon them and then choose one for an essay. Please address whether or not you agree with the author, why you do or do not, and how your conclusion might affect the way you practice as a physician.
• “Variability is the law of life, and as no two faces are the same, so no two bodies are alike, and no two individuals react alike and behave alike under the abnormal conditions which we know as disease.” -William Osler
• “The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.” -Plato Current Word Count: (250-500 words)

2016 – 2017

• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2016 and May 2017, please detail your current and planned activities below.
• Read the following description of introversion and extroversion from the Myers-Briggs foundation website. Most people, while seeing themselves to one degree or another in each description, are inclined towards either being introverted or extroverted. Both groups make wonderful physicians, but each personality type has some inherent strengths and weaknesses which need to be appreciated as individuals develop into practicing physicians. Indicate using the checklists below to what extent you see yourself as more of an extrovert or an introvert.
• Using the links provided, please read two essays written by University of Florida College of Medicine students as part of their clinical rotations. One tells the story of a student’s experience giving “Bad News” to a patient and her family with his attending physician. The second uses the wear and tear of the “The White Coat” as a way to reflect upon what lessons she learned during the third year of medical school. Pick one of these and tell us what attributes of a good physician you would like to emulate are highlighted in these accounts.
• As part of graduation from medical school students at most institutions recite a version of the Hippocratic Oath. This oath dates back to the 5th century and is one of the earliest declarations that a physician will seek the primacy of patient interest in all matters. Similar themes were echoed by the 12th century physician/scholar Moses Maimonides in his famous prayer, “…Inspire me with love for my art and for Thy creatures. Do not allow thirst for profit, ambition for renown and admiration, to interfere with my profession, for these are the enemies of truth and of love for mankind and they can lead astray…” Our admissions mission reads as follows, “We desire to recruit and matriculate the brightest students who are intellectually curious, have a strong work ethic and a deep commitment to humanism and service. In so doing we will train the next generation of caring, compassionate, and culturally competent medical professionals, be they practitioners, researchers and/or teachers.” These wonderful ideals are not simply skills to learn, but assume that physicians are virtuous and that their practice grows naturally from these virtues; which raises a question. What are the most important virtues of a physician and how can they be nurtured or undermined? Please consider this question and offer us your thoughts below.
• Optional: If you think there is any additional information that would help the admissions committee in its review of your application please use the space below.

 Note: Please limit all essays to 250-500 words.

Secondary essay webcast with Dr. Jessica Freedman, founder and president of MedEdits Medical Admissions.   Read more about Dr. Freedman.

University of Florida College of Medicinea

Topics covered in this presentation:

• When should I submit my secondary essays?
• Pay attention to the word/character limits.
• Can I recycle secondary essay prompts for multiple schools?
• Identify topics that you left out of your primary application.
• And, much more.

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the University of Florida College of Medicine.

2017 – 2018.

• The University of Florida College of Medicine strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the University of Florida College of Medicine community and bring educational benefits to our student body. (1000 characters)
• Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application? (1000 characters)
• Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Florida College of Medicine and how do you think your education at University of Florida College of Medicine will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (1 page, formatted at your discretion, upload as PDF)

University of Florida College of Medicine Admissions Requirements

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University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Prompts

• Cracking Med School Admissions

The University of Florida College of Medicine secondary essay is extremely difficult and different than any other medical school’s secondary.  The U of F secondary reflects on the medical school’s values.  They want to recruit premedical students who are reflective and empathetic.

This secondary application takes applicants an extremely long time to fill out well. We strongly urge you not to put this secondary last. Our Cracking Med School Admissions team can help you submit strong University of Florida College of Medicine secondary essays through our secondary essay editing . 

• 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

University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 – 2024

Essay 1) If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between August 2023 and July 2024, please detail your current and planned activities below. (500 words max)

Essay 2) The medical profession is frequently described as being both a science and an art. One could summarize this by saying that patients must “be well cared for” (science) but they must also “feel well cared for” (art). We work to teach our students not only the scientific principles of medicine, but also the core values of medicine, often called “professionalism”. Toward this end we keep patients at the center of our education and often reflect on their stories with our students.The exciting advances in our understanding of the biological basis for disease have led to the emergence of a host of targeted therapies and amazing technologies improving the duration and quality of our patients’ lives. The better a physician knows his/her patient, the better decisions they will make together as they approach important healthcare related questions. This so-called  shared decision-making model  is one key feature of patient centered care. Practicing the art of medicine in this way yields a physician patient relationship (PPR) that is both therapeutic and mutually enriching. However, many of these same technologies have the unintended consequence of separating us from our patients, both literally and figuratively. In addition, the industrialization of medicine and use of electronic health records have led to a decrease in the time physicians spend with their patients further eroding the strength of the PPR.

At the UFCOM, we have many strategies to equip our students to preserve their own humanity and that of their patients. One of the most important is the ability to make connections with and get to know their patients. Frequently such connections become the student’s first taste of the joy of medical practice. In fact, the UFCOM version of the Hippocratic Oath includes the following affirmation. “I will remember with  gratitude  and  humility  those whose illness or injury provided examples from which I learned, and, in their honor, I will continue the pursuit of knowledge.”

In our polarized society, the importance of such virtues as humility and gratitude have perhaps never been greater. Over the last two decades, the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley has offered strong scientific support for the importance of such virtues as gratitude and humility in human well-being. But it should also be remembered that philosophers and theologians have cherished these virtues for centuries. For example, when mounting a legal defense for a friend, Cicero observed, “while I wish to be adorned with every virtue, yet there is nothing which I can esteem more highly than the being and appearing grateful. For this one virtue is not only the greatest, but is also the parent of all the other virtues.” Offering a similar endorsement for the virtue of humility, Augustine of Hippo observed, “Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”

Students at UFCOM regularly write about and discuss encounters with patients that shape their professional identity in important ways. In so doing, we all learn to become better physicians and human beings. Here are two such reflections, by our students, one a poem and the other an essay. Read and reflect on both and then choose one and describe how the writer grew from the experience. Consider the affirmation from the Hippocratic Oath in your response. (500 words max)

Reflections – from the University of Florida College of Medicine :

Reflection #1

Again, Next Saturday A pit of nerves in my stomach before we met. A frigid Friday in Florida; the sun’s yellow warmth shone on me. Orange polo and khakis, pacing to my red car, driving to the ALF where you and your wife lived. I got lost, mispronounced your surname at security, and wondered what else I would botch.

My year before medical school, I began to volunteer with hospice as an aspiring oncologist. I wished to comfort those in the most uncomfortable setting – green, naive, eager. Prior to meeting you, for five months, I spent Friday mornings at the bedside of patients actively dying. Gravely white, cold walls surrounded each patient as they mustered final, fleeting breaths. I felt helpless, tried making a difference, holding pale hands in final moments when a family could not. Blue, rudderless, useless – each shift I left wondering if I helped. I heard about home visits: volunteers were assigned a patient and would meet them weekly. A soft, sweet voice answered my call – I spoke with your wife and overheard you ask who was calling. Next Saturday, we would meet.

I knocked on your front door – “come in!” The weather channel on, brown blinds cracked, dusted black and white family portraits. You sat: tall, frail, sunken in a recliner, yet full of life with a grand smile. You wanted to go for a walk outside – this would become our routine. Your wife showed me how to help you from your chair to your walker – “nose over toes.” Slowly, out of breath, leaning on your walker, shaking arms with purple patches – “take your time.” To the toilet, then to your walking clothes, and finally to assemble your Swiss-army walker: Tissue box, snacks, extra sunscreen, a grabber-reacher – you triple-checked that we had it all. “Let’s boogie!”

We began our first walk – 10 steps in, we turned around – we forgot your sweater. Embarking again, we slowly shuffled by the navy pond to the gazebo. We chatted in the shade about your life as an engineer, how you met your wife, your six daughters. My face hurt from smiling as you lured in a family of ducks with wheat bread. Once 2 o’clock hit, it was time to boogie for your late snack – “nose over toes.” You had a shortcut back you were excited to show me. Back to your living room, exhausted, but still sporting a smile – “again, next Saturday.”

This was our routine each Saturday for two months, until one day, it was not. Your wife called on a Thursday morning – you had fallen, EMS had to help you up. You were being kept at the hospice center for respite care. I worriedly rushed over but was relieved to find you smiling, tired, with no major injuries. We sat and talked like old times – you were excited to return home for us to walk again. I saw you again Friday morning – you seemed more exhausted with only a weak smile – “I’m A-okay.” Friday night, something didn’t sit right – I drove back to see you and found you tired, but comfortable. We chatted until you fell asleep – I said goodbye, uneasy, though unsure why.

The next morning, Saturday, I walked to your room – your wife and six daughters solemnly greeted me. “He just passed.” Knees buckle, clear tears puddle on the floor, I try to hold it in – beige tree moss sway by the window. Motionless, peaceful – encased by the warmth of family and loved ones – blocking the bleak white walls. I hugged your family – “we never saw him as happy as he was the last two months.”

We all embraced again – I offered my condolences, went home thinking that was the end of our chapter.

A few weeks went by – I received an email from your wife about your funeral. I felt uncomfortable – not family, only present for two months of your 89 years. Another cool Florida morning – I drove to the cemetery, a winding gray gravel path, forgetting my blazer. Deep in the forest green – walking to your grave, sun rays seeping through, your warmth shining on me. During your eulogy, your wife thanked me for being the son you never had. I only visited, walked, talked – I never thought things so simple could make such a difference. I thanked you for your lessons, and I vowed to come back to visit – again, next Saturday

Reflection #2

It was the last day of my surgery rotation, and the last day on the Trauma service. I was feeling quite tired that day and nervous about my oral exam scheduled at 3pm, and I remember thinking, “I just need to survive today.” Then right around 12pm, the pager went off. It was a Level 1 Trauma Alert. The message read: 25yr M motorcycle crash, unresponsive, CPR on scene. At the trauma bay, the senior resident briefly walked me through the Trauma Algorithm, explaining how it was unlikely the patient would recover after CPR >10mins in the setting of blunt torso trauma. Things happened so fast. The patient arrived, cardiac activity was observed and it was all hands-on deck trying to save his life. I jumped in cutting away his jacket, jeans, and gloves, discovering injury after injury, scrapes, and broken bones. I saw the trauma attending intensely focused trying to place a femoral line. I saw the trauma residents quickly placing chest tubes. I saw nurse after nurse performing CPR. And suddenly, everyone stopped. The resident called the time of death and asked us to hold a minute of silence. I stood there, and I felt heavy. I tried to put a name to the emotions I saw across the room, and I realized I could not name my own. This was the first patient I witnessed die, and I just felt heavy. It wasn’t until I made it back to the call room that the tears finally kicked in.

This experience affected me as I think it affects all medical students. That was the first time a patient had died in front of me, and even though I was technically part of the team trying to save his life, I felt useless. I remembered how much I hated that feeling. One of the reasons I decided to apply to medical school was to avoid feeling useless again…like I did when I was little, when my sister died of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Then I felt guilty. Guilty for thinking that finishing my surgery rotation was equivalent to fighting for survival. Guilty for thinking only of how I was feeling in that moment. He was someone’s son, maybe someone’s brother, and he had died at 25 years old all alone. I began to imagine what his family would feel when they got that phone call, and my heart sank. I am grateful to have had a supportive classmate find me in the call room. He allowed me to cry it out, to sit with all those feelings, and to find a way to move forward to face my other responsibilities.

I was no longer worried about the oral exam. It felt so trivial now; however, it made me consider another hardship of this profession. We are expected to bounce back so quickly. To process all those feelings in an efficient way so that we can step into the next patient’s room and give it our 100%, all over again. Sitting here today, I have my doubts if I will one day be able to “efficiently” process the loss of a patient. I hope I continue to remember that heavy feeling. I believe it will keep me motivated to learn as much as I can throughout my career, to make sure I give each of my patients the absolute best care possible. This reflection exercise made me realize that I must also continue to hold space for myself and for my colleagues. It is okay to feel all those emotions. Taking the time to reflect on those moments will help us remember what is important to us as future physicians.

Essay 3)  The profession of medicine has always had an explicit contract with society about our expertise and competence but it also includes an important affirmation. Namely, that we will subordinate self-interest to patient interest when the needs of our patients require us to do so. This does not mean we do not take care of ourselves and one another, but it does mean we willingly take on risks to ourselves that many others would not. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this commitment to light as many medical professionals labored on the front lines caring for the sick despite the potential dangers.

When we consider medical practice and hence, medical education, one could ask what sorts of virtues or character traits equip young medical professionals for such a noble calling. Many come to mind including courage, compassion, intellectual honesty and integrity. But recently attention has been given to the ability to stay with a task or course even when one is tired, discouraged and the work is daunting and laborious. Terms such as “resilience”, “endurance”, “perseverance”, “determination” or “grit” describe this character trait. Dr. Angela Duckworth has explored this in detail in her book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” ( Angela Duckworth ). Cultivating this virtue, in ourselves and one another, offers a tangible means to lean against the depersonalizing and emotionally exhausting forces at work in healthcare.

As physicians, we have the privilege of caring for people who are in the most difficult places of their lives. Being present during these times can be both a source of joy as we help our patients, but can also challenge our own emotional health and resilience. Struggling to make sense of suffering induced by disease, social forces and human agency has brought an occasion for growth among many of us who work in healthcare.

As you grow into your new identity as a physician, you will come face to face with the suffering of other human beings. In fact, we will all have to face  our own  losses as we go through medical training and practice. Put simply, none of us is exempt from suffering. As the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) once observed, “When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.”

Holocaust survivor and renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, (1905-1997) wrote an account of his time in the concentration camp called, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. It has sold more than 10 million copies in 24 languages and offers profound insights into how finding meaning in suffering sustains us during our darkest times.

Below are several quotes from Dr. Frankl that deal with finding purpose and meaning in suffering.After reading and thinking about his insights, chose one or two and tell us about experiences where you have seen these principles at work either in your own life, or in the lives of others. (500 words max)

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

“If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.”

“A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the ‘why’ for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any ‘how.’”

“Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself – be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. “

Essay 4) (Optional) If you think there is any additional information that would help the admissions committee in its review of your application, including any disruptions in your academic/volunteer/work/personal life related to COVID-19, please use the space below.  (4,000 characters max)

Essay 5) (If applicable) If you are not a legal resident of Florida according to your AMCAS application, write a statement describing your association with the State of Florida below. This statement is required even if you have no ties to the State of Florida. (no word limit)

Essay 6) (If applicable)  Reflect upon your life experiences, values and/or personal background. Do any or all of these help frame how you envision your future contributions to the health and wellbeing of others as a physician and if so, how?  (500 words max)

Read the following description of introversion and extraversion from the Myers-Briggs foundation website . Most people, while seeing themselves to one degree or another in each description, are inclined towards either being introverted or extroverted. Both groups make wonderful physicians, but each personality type has some inherent strengths and weaknesses which need to be appreciated as individuals develop into practicing physicians. Indicate using the checklists below to what extent you see yourself as more of an extravert or an introvert.

Extraversion (E)

I like getting my energy from active involvement in events and having a lot of different activities. I’m excited when I’m around people and I like to energize other people. I like moving into action and making things happen. I generally feel at home in the world. I often understand a problem better when I can talk out loud about it and hear what others have to say.

The following statements generally apply to me:

• I am seen as “outgoing” or as a “people person.”
• I feel comfortable in groups and like working in them.
• I have a wide range of friends and know lots of people.
• I sometimes jump too quickly into an activity and don’t allow enough time to think it over.
• Before I start a project, I sometimes forget to stop and get clear on what I want to do and why.

Introversion (I)

I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing.

• I am seen as “reflective” or “reserved.”
• I feel comfortable being alone and like things I can do on my own.
• I prefer to know just a few people well.
• I sometimes spend too much time reflecting and don’t move into action quickly enough.
• I sometimes forget to check with the outside world to see if my ideas really fit the experience.

Tips to Answer University of Florida Secondary Application Essays

UF Secondary Application Pre-Writing Guidance: We would DEFINITELY not pre-write the UF secondary application. The prompts change every year, and you have to write entire personal statement length essays. 

These essays take a very, very long time. Many students get burned out. Start working with Dr. Rishi Mediratta and Dr. Rachel Rizal early on editing the UF secondary application ! 

UF Secondary Application Tip #1: As grueling as this University of Florida secondary application feels, answer the optional question. It is an opportunity for you to show a unique perspective about yourself. Make sure it complements the other essays.

Our students have used the optional essay to discuss:

• personal circumstances
• disruptions to academic work
• fluctuations in grades
• COVID-19 circumstances, both positive and negative
• extra-curricular activities aligned with the school’s mission
• stories about patient care experiences

UF Secondary Application Tip #2: Tell stories, especially in the optional essay. Stories make you more memorable. In answering the mandatory prompts, students are able to incorporate their personal anecdotes that relate to the topics of the situation. 

UF Secondary Application Tip #3:  For the UF College of Medicine secondary application medical student reflection essay, make sure you discuss your thoughts on how the medical student grew through the experience he or she writes about. In the strongest UF medical school application essays we’ve read, medical school applicants are able to incorporate their personal experiences too. For example, if the medical student reflection is about end-of-life care, then you can discuss a story in which you were impacted by a patient who was facing end-of-life care. We think it is good if you also give your own personal reflections about the practice of medicine, difficult patient scenarios, or challenges in pursuing a career in medicine. 

UF Secondary Application Tip #4:   Start early  and  get our help . The UFCOM secondary not only has several essay, but the essays also have large word limits. 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 more secondary essay tips:  Florida Atlantic University (FAU) ,  University of Central Florida (UCF) , Florida State University ,   Edward Via College – VCOM ]

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University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2022 – 2023

As you grow into your new identity as a physician, you will come face to face with the suffering of other human beings. In fact, we will all have to face our own losses as we go through medical training and practice. Put simply, none of us is exempt from suffering. As the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) once observed, “When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.”

Essay 7)   Read the following description of introversion and extraversion from the  Myers-Briggs foundation website . Most people, while seeing themselves to one degree or another in each description, are inclined towards either being introverted or extroverted. Both groups make wonderful physicians, but each personality type has some inherent strengths and weaknesses which need to be appreciated as individuals develop into practicing physicians. Indicate using the checklists below to what extent you see yourself as more of an extravert or an introvert.

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University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2021 – 2022

If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2021 and May 2022, please detail your current and planned activities below. (500 words max)

At the core of our profession are attributes sometimes called the three C’s; Competence (clinical excellence), Caring (a genuine desire to help others or “other centeredness”) and Character (personal integrity and honesty). In order to grow in these areas, the best practitioners are able to reflect upon who they are as individuals (self-assessment) and allow these insights to shape how they develop as physicians. The relationships we develop with patients and colleagues are among the most rewarding aspects of being a physician and provide the theatre in which the 3 C’s are both learned and practiced. We therefore have 3 prompts designed to help you explore these important topics. The first, below, deals with self-assessment (no essay required), followed in the next section by two essay prompts.

The exciting advances in our understanding of the biological basis for disease have led to the emergence of a host of targeted therapies and amazing technologies improving the duration and quality of our patients’ lives. The better a physician knows his/her patient, the better decisions they will make together as they approach important healthcare related questions. This so-called shared decision-making model is one key feature of patient centered care. Practicing the art of medicine in this way yields a physician patient relationship (PPR) that is both therapeutic and mutually enriching. However, many of these same technologies have the unintended consequence of separating us from our patients, both literally and figuratively. In addition, the industrialization of medicine and use of electronic health records have led to a decrease in the time physicians spend with their patients further eroding the strength of the PPR.

• At the UFCOM, we have many strategies to equip our students to preserve their own humanity and that of their patients. One of the most important is the ability to make connections with and get to know their patients. Frequently such connections are the first time students taste the joy of medical practice. A second grows from cultivating a grateful heart by attending to the many blessings in our lives rather than focusing on what is wrong. There is now a strong scientific basis for the importance of gratitude  (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain)  but the ancients knew this from experience. For example, when mounting a legal defense for a friend, Cicero observed, “while I wish to be adorned with every virtue, yet there is nothing which I can esteem more highly than the being and appearing grateful. For this one virtue is not only the greatest, but is also the parent of all the other virtues.” A third is dedicated time to reflect individually and with colleagues upon one’s developing understanding of the profession.
• Here are two such reflective essays  from UFCOM students during their third year internal medicine clerkship which you should read carefully. One student sees each connection to a patient as like the individual brush strokes of an artist and the other sees gratitude in a patient with an incurable illness and is moved to gratitude in her own life. Reflect on both essays and then choose one and describe how the student grew from the experience. Then explain what you learned as a result of your reflection and how the lesson(s) will influence your future patient physician relationships.
• “Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don’t be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren’t paying any attention to you. It’s your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you’ll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there’s no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.” -Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life
• “As soon as possible, experts hungrily seek feedback on how they did. Necessarily, much of that feedback is negative. This means that experts are more interested in what they did wrong—so they can fix it—than what they did right. The active processing of this feedback is as essential as its immediacy.” -Angela Duckworth, Grit
• “…grit grows as we figure out our life philosophy, learn to dust ourselves off after rejection and disappointment, and learn to tell the difference between low-level goals that should be abandoned quickly and higher-level goals that demand more tenacity. The maturation story is that we develop the capacity for long-term passion and perseverance as we get older.” -Angela Duckworth, Grit: Passion, Perseverance, and the Science of Success
• (Optional)  If you think there is any additional information that would help the admissions committee in its review of your application, including any disruptions in your academic/volunteer/work/personal life related to COVID-19, please use the space below. (750 characters max)

University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2020 – 2021

University of florida college of medicine secondary application essay prompts: 2019 – 2020.

• If you are not a legal resident of Florida according to your AMCAS application, write a statement describing your association with the State of Florida below. This statement is required even if you have no ties to the State of Florida.
• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2019 and May 2020, please detail your current and planned activities below. (500 words max)

At the UFCOM, we have numerous strategies to equip our students to preserve their own humanity and that of their patients. As students make connections with and get to know their patients, they begin to experience the joy in medical practice. They also have the chance to consider ways that the forces mentioned above can rob a physician of that joy. As they s hare their stories, they encourage one another to make deliberate choices to preserve what we might call the heart or soul of the profession.

Read these reflections from two third year students, one about a memorable encounter with a patient and the patient’s daughter and the second a very moving poem where a student explores the importance of taking time to be quiet and alone despite the busyness of our lives. After considering them, comment on what you learned from one or both of the reflections, and then explain what you will do to “never lose the human side of yourself,” treat your future patients as you would a family member, and thereby preserve the soul of medicine. (500 words max)

Below are two brief quotations, one from the Greek philosopher Plato and the other from Sir William Osler (1849-1919), widely regarded as one of the fathers of modern medicine. Read and reflect upon them and then choose one for an essay. Please address whether or not you agree with the author, why you do or do not, and how your conclusion might affect the way you practice as a physician. (500 words max)

• “Variability is the law of life, and as no two faces are the same, so no two bodies are alike, and no two individuals react alike and behave alike under the abnormal conditions which we know as disease.” -William Osler
• “The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.” -Plato

University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2018 – 2019

University of florida college of medicine secondary application essay prompts: 2017 – 2018.

*All essays have a 250-500 word limit

• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2017 and May 2018, please detail your current and planned activities below.
• Read the following description of introversion and extroversion from the Myers-Briggs foundation website. Most people, while seeing themselves to one degree or another in each description, are inclined towards either being introverted or extroverted. Both groups make wonderful physicians, but each personality type has some inherent strengths and weaknesses which need to be appreciated as individuals develop into practicing physicians. Indicate using the checklists below to what extent you see yourself as more of an extrovert or an introvert.
• Using the links provided, please read two essays written by University of Florida College of Medicine students as part of their clinical rotations. One tells the story of a student’s experience giving “Bad News” to a patient and her family with his attending physician. The second uses the wear and tear of the “The White Coat” as a way to reflect upon what lessons she learned during the third year of medical school. Pick one of these and tell us what attributes of a good physician you would like to emulate are highlighted in these accounts.
• “We desire to recruit and matriculate the brightest students who are intellectually curious, have a strong work ethic and a deep commitment to humanism and service. In so doing we will train the next generation of caring, compassionate, and culturally competent medical professionals, be they practitioners, researchers and/or teachers.” These wonderful ideals are not simply skills to learn, but assume that physicians are virtuous and that their practice grows naturally from these virtues; which raises a question. What are the most important virtues of a physician and how can they be nurtured or undermined? Please consider this question and offer us your thoughts below.
• (Optional)  If you think there is any additional information that would help the admissions committee in its review of your application please use the space below.

University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2016 – 2017

• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2016 and May 2017, please detail your current and planned activities below.

University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2015 – 2016

• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2015 and May 2016, please detail your current and planned activities below. (500 words max)
• In the practice of medicine, we have the amazing privilege to not only help our patients, but also to learn from them in very unexpected ways. Read the following 2 essays, written recently by students at the University of Florida College of Medicine. In the first, a student had a major impact on a young patient on the pediatric surgery service. In the second, the student describes her care for a noncomplient patient. Both made a difference in their patients and both changed and grew through the experience. Pick one, and describe the skills of the author that you notice and think are helpful, then describe how one or both of these stories relate to the kind of physician that you want to be. (500 words max)
• Consider three areas of integrity: personal, professional, and intellectual. Using an example, describe how these areas may be interrelated. In your response include why the connection between these areas is significant. (5oo words max)

University of Florida College of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2014 – 2015

• If you are not a full-time student during this application cycle, in particular at any time between September 2014 and May 2015, please detail your current and planned activities below. (500 words max)

Do you see yourself as more of an extravert or an introvert and how will this impact how you learn to communicate with patients and colleagues?

• Consider three areas of integrity: personal, professional, and intellectual. Using an example, describe how these areas may be interrelated. In your response include why the connection between these areas is significant. (500 words max)

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