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2024-2025 Florida Atlantic (FAU)

• Thread starter wysdoc
• Start date Apr 12, 2024

Plain-spoken Texan

• Apr 12, 2024

Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Interview Feedback

Admissions advisor

• Jun 10, 2024

2024-2025 list of schools and their SJTs

magician7772222

Full member.

• Jul 11, 2024

Has anyone gotten secondaries?  

magician7772222 said: Has anyone gotten secondaries? Click to expand...

sensorimotorstage

Md/do applicant.

• Jul 17, 2024

+1 IS!  

soldier boy

+1 IS  

+1 OOS Is anybody else getting an error message "A problem was encountered. Please check below, correct any errors, and resubmit." when trying to continue to the next page of the secondary application? This was on the "Experience" page.  

soldier boy said: +1 IS Click to expand...

• Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason)
• Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution.
• Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 character limit including spaces)
• Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 character limit including spaces)
• Please share a meaningful community service experience outside of direct patient care that has been meaningful to you. What drew you to this particular experience? How did it contribute to your personal growth and learning? What aspects of your involvement did you find particularly fulfilling? (1600 character limit including spaces)
• How have your previous experiences, whether in paid roles or volunteer work, shaped the skills and qualities you believe will be essential for success in medical school and as a future physician? These experiences do not necessarily have to involve direct patient care. (1600 character limit including spaces)
• Describe a situation where you effectively demonstrated your leadership skills by guiding a group or organization towards a common goal or aligning their collective efforts. (1600 character limit including spaces)
• Share a notable personal challenge that has influenced you personal growth. Discuss the insights gained about yourself and how these lessons will assist you in navigating challenges in medical schol and your future career as a physician. Describe the support systems or resources you relied on and their impact on your journey. (1600 character limit including spaces)

soldier boy said: Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason) Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 character limit including spaces) Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 character limit including spaces) Please share a meaningful community service experience outside of direct patient care that has been meaningful to you. What drew you to this particular experience? How did it contribute to your personal growth and learning? What aspects of your involvement did you find particularly fulfilling? (1600 character limit including spaces) How have your previous experiences, whether in paid roles or volunteer work, shaped the skills and qualities you believe will be essential for success in medical school and as a future physician? These experiences do not necessarily have to involve direct patient care. (1600 character limit including spaces) Describe a situation where you effectively demonstrated your leadership skills by guiding a group or organization towards a common goal or aligning their collective efforts. (1600 character limit including spaces) Share a notable personal challenge that has influenced you personal growth. Discuss the insights gained about yourself and how these lessons will assist you in navigating challenges in medical schol and your future career as a physician. Describe the support systems or resources you relied on and their impact on your journey. (1600 character limit including spaces) @wysdoc questions for secondaries. hope this helps Click to expand...

IS secondary received  

First-genDoc

IS secondary just now!  

OligomerMan

Had a question about the letter of recommendation requirements at FAU. I am a traditional student and my college does not have a premed advisory committee, so I would need three letters from faculty, two science and one non-science. I have two letters from science professor but not for a non-science professor. The last time I had a non-science course taught by a professor was two years ago. My other non-science courses were over zoom during COVID 2020 and mainly taught by graduate students. I do have two letters from physicians that would count under the non-traditional requirements. Are these letter of rec requirements super strict, as in my secondary won't be accepted,... or should I just email the school (scary!) for clarification.  

Why does the email say they are trying to assemble a mean mcat score of 510 for the incoming class when their median is actually 516?  

futuresportsmed

magician7772222 said: Why does the email say they are trying to assemble a mean mcat score of 510 for the incoming class when their median is actually 516? Click to expand...

futuresportsmed said: this confused me too Click to expand...

• Jul 18, 2024

magician7772222 said: how do you switch MSAR data to marticulants? I didn't even know that was a thing. Click to expand...

goldenretriever99

• Jul 19, 2024

Is anyone having a hard time accessing the secondary? It is not letting me log in and when I do forget password, it never sends an email.  

• Jul 20, 2024

goldenretriever99 said: Is anyone having a hard time accessing the secondary? It is not letting me log in and when I do forget password, it never sends an email. Click to expand...

• Jul 30, 2024

Is it bad to talk about an AMCAS most meaningful experience for the question that asks about community service? It is the most meaningful community service experience I had and would be the best for me to write about.  

eb124101 said: Is it bad to talk about an AMCAS most meaningful experience for the question that asks about community service? It is the most meaningful community service experience I had and would be the best for me to write about. Click to expand...

• Aug 4, 2024

When I hit enter to make a new paragraph for an essay, it counts each enter as two characters. Has anyone else noticed this?  

• Aug 14, 2024

OOS Rejection just now  

I'm confused...I haven't submitted my secondary for FAU (prioritizing other schools). This morning, I got an email saying they already filled their class. Like I said, FAU isn't my dream school or anything so I'm at peace with that lol. However! I got another email from them about 3hrs later inviting me to submit my secondary?? Is this a glitch or something? Obvs don't want to waste my time/money submitting an app for a school with no spots. Any thoughts are appreciated.  

gr00vyMed said: I'm confused...I haven't submitted my secondary for FAU (prioritizing other schools). This morning, I got an email saying they already filled their class. Like I said, FAU isn't my dream school or anything so I'm at peace with that lol. However! I got another email from them about 3hrs later inviting me to submit my secondary?? Is this a glitch or something? Obvs don't want to waste my time/money submitting an app for a school with no spots. Any thoughts are appreciated. Click to expand...

JolieFleur said: I think it's a glitch because I received a second rejection email from the last cycle today. They had already sent me one back in late April. As if the first one wasn't enough..... Click to expand...

JolieFleur said: I think it's a glitch because I received a second rejection email from the last cycle today. They had already sent me one back in late April. As if the first one wasn't enough... goldenretriever99 said: Oh wait mine says for Fall class 2024, so mine must be for last cycle too Click to expand...

• Aug 15, 2024

gr00vyMed said: Weird. Mine says "the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University has completed its selection of the class entering Fall 2025 ." But then later on in the email it says, "we will not be able to offer you any further consideration for the 2024 admissions cycle." Not sure what to make of that...oh well. Click to expand...

• Aug 26, 2024

IS II, submitted 7/30!  

doctoringbeaches

_m31_ said: IS II, submitted 7/30! Click to expand...

No II but my portal now says Preliminary Review Complete  

rkm24 said: Stats ? Click to expand...

doctoringbeaches said: Did your status in the portal change past "admissions screening in progress" ? Click to expand...

medhopeful249

• Aug 27, 2024

sensorimotorstage said: No II but my portal now says Preliminary Review Complete Click to expand...

• Aug 28, 2024
• Aug 30, 2024

mapled0nut said: IS II received 8/19, submitted secondary 7/27! Really excited and nervous Click to expand...

rkm24 said: What date is it on? All the best . Click to expand...

• Aug 31, 2024

mapled0nut said: Happened yesterday (8/29)! Thanks for the well wishes and good luck to you as well! Click to expand...

• Sep 2, 2024

_m31_ said: Hope it went well! Would you mind sharing if the asynchronous and one-on-one interviews were both behavioral or if one of them was traditional? MSAR just says "Each applicant will have a situational-behavioral style format." Click to expand...

rkm24 said: Thank you. Mine is on 5th. Is Asynchronous and 1-1 both behavioral or different format ? Click to expand...

Weagle Weagle

• Wednesday at 1:01 AM

mapled0nut said: From my experience: both asynchronous and one-on-one interviews featured situational and behavioral questions. The only difference between the two sessions was the Zoom vs. Sparkhire platform. For me, there was no traditional aspect anywhere. Hope this helps! Click to expand...

• Thursday at 1:01 AM

Weagle Weagle said: Is Sparkhire only one take or can you redo your video? Click to expand...

• Thursday at 7:30 AM

mapled0nut said: Answered above! Best of luck Click to expand...

• Thursday at 8:31 PM

rkm24 said: What date they gave for the decision? Is it within a month after interview date ? Click to expand...

• Today at 11:09 AM

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Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine: FAU Secondary Application Essay Prompts and Tips

• Cracking Med School Admissions

Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine cares deeply about serving its community. FAU Admissions wants to recruit students who are passionate about improving community health and who care about social justice. It is important to write about how you have served your community in your FAU medical school secondary application. Read more of our FAU secondary application tips below. 

Pre-Writing Guidance: FAU removes some of its prompts each year, but there is always a leadership question, Why Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine question, a challenge question, and optional questions about your academic career. We would strongly suggest that you look at the FAU secondaries prompts for the last 4 years and pre-write the essays that don’t seem to change too much.

Our  Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to Schmidt FAU College of Medicine for the past several years. Get our help with writing FAU secondaries that stand out with our secondary essay editing packages . 

• 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

FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2023 – 2024

• Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason). (1,600 characters max)
• Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution.  (1,600 characters max)
• Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1,200 characters max)
• Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community?  (1,600 characters max)  worded slightly differently this year
• Your AMCAS application should reflect your community service experiences. Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience that is  unrelated to direct patient care. How did you grow? What did you learn? What did you enjoy about serving others?  (1,600 characters max)
• What traits do you feel you have developed through your experiences thus far (such as paid or unpaid work experiences) that will help prepare you to be successful in medical school and a future physician. Experience does not need to be related to patient care.  (1,600 characters max)   New Prompt this year
• Leadership can be defined in many ways. One way of defining leadership is as a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective direction, or lead a group or an organization. Tell us about a time you executed your leadership skills.  (1,600 characters max) Slightly reworded from last year
• Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during challenges you may face during medical school and as a future physician. Describe any support system and/or resources you had available and how you utilized them.  (1,600 characters max) Slightly reworded from last year

For the FAU secondaries prompt, “Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason)” you should strongly consider discussing the following:

• Receiving a grade of “C” or lower
• A semester when your Grade Point Average (GPA) was a lot lower than other semesters
• A downward trend in your Grade Point Average
• A semester when you took less credits than you normally do
• Times when you were not a full-time student 

Contact us if you have questions about what you should include.

Removed a couple of essays from last year.

Tips to Answer FAU Secondaries

FAU Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: FAU slightly tweaks the wording of its FAU secondary essay prompts each year. However, there are 4-5 prompts that stay fairly similar each year, and our FAU secondary application ti ps on how to answer these questions don’t change.  We think this is a great secondary to pre-write, especially given that FAU is a more time-sensitive school. 

• Download our Cracking Med Secondary Essay Workbook and Examples  to help you with all your secondary essays!

FAU Secondary Application Tip #1: Include as many anecdotes as possible. 1200-1600 characters may not seem like a lot, but our students are successful in incorporating anecdotes for many of their Florida Atlantic University Medical School secondary application essays. In our opinion, you can definitely add anecdotes and stories in the following FAU secondaries prompts: 

• Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience that is unrelated to direct patient care. How did you grow? What did you learn? What did you enjoy about serving others?
• What traits do you feel you have developed through your experiences thus far (such as paid or unpaid work experiences) that will help prepare you to be successful in medical school and a future physician. Experience does not need to be related to patient care.
• Leadership can be defined in many ways. One way of defining leadership is as a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective direction, or lead a group or an organization. Tell us about a time you executed your leadership skills.
• Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during challenges you may face during medical school and as a future physician. Describe any support system and/or resources you had available and how you utilized them. 

FAU Secondary Application Tip #2:  Highlight your leadership, passion to change healthcare, and impact on society. After reading your entire FAU Medical School secondary application, the reader should understand: how are you committed to improving your community?

FAU Secondary Application Tip #3: To answer FAU Medical School’s diversity question, you don’t have to necessarily talk about your ethnic background. You can discuss working with immigrant populations or other talents / activities that have shaped who you are today. 

• Read our helpful blog post:  Medical School Diversity Essay Examples and Tips

FAU Secondary Application Tip #4: Of course, you should incorporate “Why FAU Medical School” in the FAU secondary application question, “ Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What makes you a good fit for our College of Medicine?” But, you can definitely incorporate more “Why FAU Medical School” throughout your other responses. 

• Read our HIGH-YIELD blog post  Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example to learn how to write great “Why this medical school” essays. 

FAU Secondary Application Tip #5:  For the question,  “Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during challenges you may face during medical school and as a future physician. Describe any support system and/or resources you had available and how you utilized them”  make sure you clearly discuss what the challenge was and how you overcame this.

Common mistakes students make include:

• Talking about a topic that is too common among premedical students, such getting a “C” in organic chemistry.
• Not providing enough context about the challenge they faced.
• Not discussing how they overcame the stressful situation.
• Not discussing how they grew from the challenge.

Great topics for the FAU Medical School secondary application challenge essay include:

• Challenge in leading a community service project
• Challenge in leading a team
• Challenge with helping a patient receive better healthcare access
• Challenge in a class (but not grade related) and how the applicant became better at studying
• Challenge during a study abroad program
• Challenge when immigrating to America as a new international student

If you have questions about whether your topic is a good topic to write about, send Dr. Mediratta and Dr. Rizal a question through our contact form  below. 

FAU Secondary Application Tip #6: Get our help to edit your FAU secondaries through our secondary essay editing packages . Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a strong track record of several of our mentees getting accepted to Florida medical schools and residency programs. And, Dr. Rachel Rizal has visited her mentees at the Florida medical schools herself! Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us below.

[ Read more secondary essay tips:  Florida State University (FSU) , Florida International University (FIU) , University of Central Florida , George Washington )

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FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2022 – 2023

• Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What makes you a good fit for our College of Medicine? (1,600 characters max)
• Tell us about your leadership experience(s) and/or key leadership skills. (Organized a fundraiser, had club/organization officer role, etc.) How do you motivate or influence people?  If none, please write not applicable. (1,600 characters max)  Slightly reworded from last year
• Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity; include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician. If none, please write not applicable. (1,600 characters max) Slightly reworded from last year
• The Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine has made a commitment to foster an inclusive environment in which every person in our medical school community has the ability to achieve their full potential. We are proud to have a medical school rich in cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community?  (1,600 characters max) Slightly reworded from last year
• You may have worked during or after college. Having to maintain paid employment can be challenging, yet it can also develop a number of qualities that can help you succeed in medical school, as well as beyond. Tell us about your most meaningful paid employment. What was it about the experience that made it meaningful? What qualities and skills did the job help you develop and strengthen? (Experience does not need to be related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)

FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2021 – 2022

• Your AMCAS application should reflect your community service experiences. However, tell us more about your most meaningful community service involvement, particularly an experience that really inspired you. How did your involvement move you? (Experience does not need to be related to patient care) (1,600 characters max)
• Good leaders add value to the healthcare profession. They have passion, motivation, conflict resolution skills and integrity, among other attributes and traits. Tell us about your leadership experience(s) and/or key leadership skills. Have you organized a fund raiser, had a club organization/leadership role? How do you motivate or influence people? (1,600 characters max)
• Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome an obstacle or were faced by a difficult challenge or decision. What valuable lessons did you learn? How do you think the experience prepared you for a career as a future physician? (1,600 characters max)
• Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. Describe what uniqueness you would bring to the Schmidt COM. We are proud to already have a medical school rich in cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you add to our culture? (1,600 characters max)
• As a community FAU Schmidt COM has made a commitment to be anti-racist and address systemic racism in education and healthcare. Institutionalized racism can be defined as “macro level systems, social forces, institutions, ideologies, and processes that interact with one another to generate and reinforce inequities among racial and ethnic groups.” As a future medical student at FAU, how can you play an active role in addressing and dismantling systemic racism? (1,600 characters max)
• One of the values of the FAU Schmidt College of Medicine is to provide the best medical care for all people. A major challenge for all physicians to provide the best medical care are Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). These can be defined as “conditions in the social, physical, and economic environment in which people are born, live, work, and age.” What will you as a future doctor do to address SDOH? (1,600 characters max)

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FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2020 - 2021

• Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. How did you grow? What did you learn? What did you enjoy about serving others? (not related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)
• Tell us about your leadership experience(s) and/or key leadership skills. (Organized a fund raiser, club/organization officer role, how do you motivate or influence people, if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)
• Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity; include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician (if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)

FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2019 – 2020

• Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason) (1,600 characters max)
• What MCAT course and when did you take? (1,600 characters max)
• Your AMCAS application should reflect your community service experiences. However, tell us more about your most meaningful community service involvement, particularly an experience that really inspired you. How did your involvement move you? (Experience does not need to be related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)
• Good leaders add value to the healthcare profession. They have passion, motivation, conflict resolution skills and integrity, among other attributes and traits. Tell us about your leadership experience(s) and/or key leadership skills. Have you organized a fund raiser, had a club/organization officer role? How do you motivate or influence people? (If none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)

FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2018 – 2019

• The college’s mission is to advance the health and well-being of our community by training future generations of humanistic clinicians and scientists and translating discovery to patient-centered care. Therefore, as a community-based medical school, community service is important to the College. What community service activity was your most meaningful and do you currently continue to give your time to the activity? (1,600 characters max)
• Our College believes in working collaboratively. Thus being able to work in a team is vital to the success of an FAU Medical Student, yet being able to lead is equally important. Give an example of when you were part of a team and had a leadership role. How did you influence your team members to carry out their tasks within the group? How did you perform in your role within the team? What did you learn from having to lead a team? Did any problems arise? How did you overcome them? What did you learn about being a part of a team, while also holding a leadership position? (1,600 characters max)
• The FAU College of Medicine Admissions Committee is interested in learning more about you as a person. Please describe a noteworthy personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral and/or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result. (1,600 characters max)
• Diversity is an array of things. What unique qualities and/or traits will you bring to our College? What distinctive attributes would you bring to the practice of medicine? What values, skills, talents, and life experiences – and how you would add to the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine? (1,600 characters max)
• Have you held any type of paid employment? If so, please tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. What traits do you feel you learned while with that employer? (If you have not held paid employment, please write none) (1,600 characters max)

FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2017 – 2018

• Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. (1,200 characters max)
• Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. (not related to patient care if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)
• Tell us about your leadership experience(s) and/or key leadership skills. (Organized a fundraiser, club/organization officer role, how do you motivate or influence people, if none, please write none) (1,600 characters max)
• Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity; include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician (if none, please write none)
• Describe what you would bring to the practice of medicine – your values, skills, talents, and life experiences – and how you would add to the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. (1,200 characters max)
• Tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. (not related to patient care, if none, please write none)

FAU Secondary Application Questions: 2016 – 2017

• Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. (not related to patient care if none, please write none) (1,200 characters max)
• Tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. (not related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1,200 characters max)
• Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience. (if none, please write none) (1,200 characters max)
• Tell us about any creative endeavors you participate(d) in. (e.g., art, dance, music, etc if none, please write none) (1,200 characters max)
• Describe a situation in which you interacted with a culturally diverse group. (if none, please write none) (1,200 characters max)

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Hi everyone! I'm planning on applying to Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Does anyone know if they require an essay for their application? Thanks for any info!

Hello! Florida Atlantic University (FAU) does not require a general application essay as part of their undergraduate admissions process. However, it's important to keep in mind that some specific programs, departments, or scholarships within FAU may have their own essay requirements. Make sure to double-check the requirements for the particular program or major you're interested in to see if there are any additional materials or essays required. Good luck with your application!

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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.

How to Write Standout PA School Supplemental Essays

Related Articles

If you’re applying to PA programs , you likely already have a handle on the requirements for your CASPA application. But what about any supplemental applications? It can often be difficult to navigate each program’s individual requirements for supplemental applications, including different essay prompts and additional fees for each. If you’re wondering how to make your PA school supplemental essays stand out from other applicants, here’s everything you need to know to get started.

Many years ago, when I was a pre-PA applicant, I impulsively added a school to my CASPA application at the last minute without thoroughly researching the school’s requirements. Surprisingly, I received an email a few days later informing me that my application would not be considered complete until I finished the supplemental application and paid an additional fee. I distinctly remember clicking the link in the email and feeling overwhelmed as a new browser window opened and three additional essay questions popped up. Rather than completing the essays, I promptly closed out of the browser window and didn’t look back. 

Now, I think back on this moment and wonder: What if this school had been the perfect fit for me? What if it was one that I hadn’t impulsively added to my application, but rather one that I had meticulously researched and had my sights set on for years? I would hope that after years of completing prerequisite coursework , obtaining patient care experiences, and polishing my personal statement, a supplemental essay wouldn’t be the obstacle standing in the way of a school that I desperately wanted to attend.

What are supplemental essays and how are they different from your personal statement?

As a reader of many applications over the past few years, it’s clear that supplemental essays aren’t simply there to add additional steps to the application process. Supplemental essays allow a program to ask questions that are more targeted to their specific program (e.g., “Why did you apply to our program?”). It helps the application reviewer further delineate whether you’re a good fit for their cohort, and it also gives you another opportunity to demonstrate who you are.

The prompt for your CASPA personal statement is “Please explain why you are interested in being a PA.” This question is general and nonspecific, as your response is included in your application to every program where you apply. In contrast to your personal statement, supplemental applications are not a required component of every program. Additionally, some programs may have a supplemental application, but no supplemental essay. Some programs may include one supplemental essay, while others may have multiple essay prompts. 

What are the general requirements for PA school supplemental essays?

Supplemental essays are typically shorter than your personal statement, though this can vary. While CASPA personal statements have a character limit of 5,000 characters (including spaces and punctuation), supplemental essays are often shorter than personal statements, varying from 250–2,000 words based on the program and prompt. Some supplemental applications may have short answer questions requiring a response in 50–100 characters rather than a full essay. 

Additionally, supplemental applications often have an additional fee. You should thoroughly research schools of interest so they can appropriately budget for this added expense. 

The delivery of supplemental applications and essays may also vary by program. Some may need to be submitted at the same time as CASPA. Some programs may automatically send the supplemental application to students via e-mail as soon as their CASPA application is received, while others may only send it out if an interview invitation is offered. You should work quickly to complete the supplemental essays and pay attention to deadlines, as these may differ from the program’s posted application deadline or may differ from applicant to applicant based on when their application was received and verified.

If you’re required to upload a document with your responses, standardize your formatting (12-point, monospaced sans-serif font, such as Arial). Also, pay attention to specific uploading instructions regarding document type (.doc vs. .pdf) and naming the document.

What are some common questions that PA programs ask as supplemental prompts?

While supplemental essay prompts vary from program to program, there are some common themes that pre-PA students should expect:

How do I start brainstorming ideas for these prompts?

Begin early—ideally before you submit your CASPA application. It may be helpful to create a “brainstorm notebook” with pages dedicated to potential supplemental essay themes. Keep your notebook with you at all times and jot down ideas as they come to you. This process was helpful to me during personal statement writing as I often find inspiration on my walks home from work. 

Ask yourself the following questions as you brainstorm:

• What are my future goals?
• What am I looking for in a PA program?
• How have I been shaped by my experiences?
• Which aspects of myself will set me apart from other applicants?

What are some tips for writing my PA school supplemental essays?

1. plan ahead.

Identify which schools have supplemental essays before you submit your application. Keep track of deadlines for supplemental essays and plan ahead. Then, budget your time to complete your supplemental essays as soon as you receive your essay questions.

2. Get familiar with the program

Familiarize yourself with the programs to which you applied and their missions. Peruse the website, attend info sessions, and participate in pre-PA events. You want to have a good grasp and understanding of what the school is looking for in a student and make sure this matches what you’re looking for in a school.

3. Make it different than your personal statement

Don’t copy and paste your personal statement! You should be covering different material than you do in your CASPA personal statement. Remember, this is your opportunity to supplement your application, not repeat it using different words.

4. Be specific

Highlight your answers with experiences and clear examples. Your answers should demonstrate your research and understanding of the program along with your ability to tie them to your own experience, interest, values, and goals. Also, be sure to avoid generic statements or vague language.

5. Tell the truth

Don’t write based on what you think the program wants to hear, especially if it conflicts with your true interests and values. Honesty is the best policy!

6. Proofread

You don’t need to pay for proofreading services—have a friend or family member read your essays and provide feedback. Consider recording yourself reading your essays and then playing it back. You may discover “sticky” areas, redundancy, or sections that are in need of smoothing over. 

7. Tailor to each specific program

Don’t reuse a supplemental essay without first revising it to align with that specific program’s essay prompt. Even though supplemental essay questions may be similar across programs, prompts will still have enough variation in their wording that it is obvious if a response was reused. I’ve personally seen students submit an essay to one program with another school’s name in it!

8. Clearly answer the prompt 

If the question is asking about the program’s mission, don’t ignore the prompt and use the open space as an opportunity to explain a failure on your transcript or another unrelated experience. Supplemental essays are often scored based on a specific rubric, so if you don’t answer the question a reviewer may be unable to score you.

9. Avoid buzzwords

Make sure that in an attempt to tailor to a specific program, you aren’t simply regurgitating language from the program’s website. There is a time and place for buzzwords, but using too many of them will distract from your essay and make it feel less personal.

10. Demonstrate who you are

Remember, your supplemental essays are an opportunity for an application reviewer to get to know the real you! It’s always frustrating when I’ve read through an entire applicant’s package and I still feel like I don’t know anything about them. Above all, the best way to stand out in your essays is to expand upon what makes you unique, the same way that you would in an interview. You got this!

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By Jennifer Comini, PA-C

Jenn Comini, PA-C, is a physician assistant educator in Los Angeles. After receiving a bachelor’s in behavioral neuroscience from Northeastern University, Jenn completed her MS in Physician Assistant Studies at the Pace University-Lenox Hill Hospital PA Program. She has worked clinically in urgent care and neurology, with a special interest in headache disorders, neuroimmunology, and mental health. She now works as an Assistant Professor at a PA program. Jenn has been a question author for Rosh Review since 2017. When not lecturing or writing questions, Jenn is often spending time with her rescue dogs and doing yoga.

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