Perelman School of Medicine Admissions Mission Statement
To advance knowledge and improve health through research, patient care, and the education of trainees in an inclusive culture that embraces diversity, fosters innovation, stimulates critical thinking, supports lifelong learning, and sustains our legacy of excellence.
Highlights
- Degree: MD (with dual-degree options such as MD/PhD and MD/MPH)
- Secondary fee: $100; AMCAS Fee Assistance Program (FAP) waivers are honored.
- Class profile (most recent published medians): GPA ~3.97; MCAT ~521; about 150 matriculants per class.
- Mission focus: Advancing knowledge and improving health through inclusive education, research, and patient care.
UPenn Medical School Secondary Application Questions
The University of Pennsylvania is the oldest and among the finest medical schools in the United States. Founded in 1765, the School has maintained a significant presence in the community, while educating the leaders of tomorrow in patient care, medical education, and biomedical research.
Perelman invites all verified AMCAS applicants to complete a supplemental application (supplemental fee required; AMCAS FAP waivers honored). Essay prompts vary by year but typically ask about recent experiences (e.g., gap time, global activities), personal context (e.g., economic hardship), decision-making under uncertainty, and your specific reasons for Perelman. Check the current cycle’s prompts in your portal.
Responding to the Secondary Essay Questions
Disclaimer: Perelman does not publish its secondary prompts in advance and wording can change each year. The items below reflect commonly reported recent prompts. Always follow the exact prompts and limits shown in your application portal.
COVID-19 impacts
Prompt style: Briefly describe any academic, professional, or personal challenges related to the pandemic.
How to approach:
- State the specific disruption and timeline.
- Emphasize response and adaptation, not only hardship.
- Close with what you learned that will help you in medical training.
Pass/Fail choice during the pandemic
Prompt style: If you elected Pass/Fail when a graded option was available, explain why.
How to approach:
- Give a clear reason grounded in circumstances (health, caregiving, access, equity).
- Acknowledge tradeoffs and where you demonstrated rigor elsewhere.
- Keep the tone factual and concise.
Time off or gap time
Prompt style: Describe how you spent or will spend time between college and medical school.
How to approach:
- Highlight impact, responsibilities, and skills gained.
- Connect experiences to competencies for medical school.
- For future plans, be concrete about role, goals, and outcomes.
Global activities
Prompt style: If applicable, describe experiences outside the United States.
How to approach:
- Focus on context, ethics, and cultural humility.
- Explain how the experience shaped your perspective on patient care.
- Avoid generalities. Use one or two specific moments.
How your life experiences will contribute to Perelman
Prompt style: Share experiences or perspectives you would bring to the community.
How to approach:
- Identify two or three authentic themes from your background.
- Show how these will benefit peers, patients, and the school community.
- Tie to values such as service, inclusion, collaboration, and innovation.
Decision making under ambiguity
Prompt style: Describe a time you made a decision with incomplete information and how you navigated it.
How to approach:
- Pick one situation with real stakes.
- Walk through your process: options considered, risks, resources, and rationale.
- Reflect on outcome, learning, and how you would apply it in clinical settings.
Economic hardship
Prompt style: If applicable, describe financial constraints and their effect on your path.
How to approach:
- Provide concise, concrete details that give context.
- Emphasize resilience, resourcefulness, and sustained commitment.
- Note how these experiences inform your goals in medicine.
Why Perelman
Prompt style: Explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine.
How to approach:
- Research programs, centers, clinical sites, or initiatives that align with your goals.
- Explain the fit: what you will pursue there and how you will contribute.
- Be specific and consistent with the rest of your application.
General tips for all essays
- Answer the exact question and stay within the limits.
- Use specific examples and quantify impact when possible.
- Balance story and reflection. What you learned matters.
- Keep your voice authentic and professional.
- Ensure consistency with your activities, letters, and interview.
- Proofread and get targeted feedback without losing your voice.
Interviews
Interviews at the Perelman School of Medicine are by invitation only and typically take place between early fall and mid-winter. Receiving an invitation is already an accomplishment - only applicants who are viewed as strong fits for Perelman are selected to interview. The interview is designed to be a conversation, not an interrogation. The committee genuinely wants to learn about you as a person, not just as a set of grades and scores.
You will usually meet one-on-one with faculty and sometimes current medical students. Each interviewer is looking to understand not just your academic readiness, but also the qualities that align with Perelman’s mission: a commitment to service, the ability to thrive in a collaborative environment, resilience when faced with challenges, and the maturity to handle the demands of medical training. It’s common for interviewers to ask about your motivation for medicine, your experiences in clinical or research settings, and how you’ve responded to setbacks or ethical dilemmas.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Be reflective: Think about experiences that shaped you and be ready to share both what happened and what you learned.
- Show self-awareness: Acknowledge growth areas and demonstrate how you’ve worked to improve them.
- Connect to Perelman: Speak about why this school specifically is the right fit for your goals and values.
- Stay professional but warm: Interviewers want to see your authentic personality, not rehearsed answers.
Remember, interviews are a two-way street. Use the opportunity to ask thoughtful questions about the curriculum, clinical opportunities, or student life. Doing so not only shows preparation but also helps you decide whether Perelman is the environment where you will thrive. Above all, approach the day as a chance to share your story with people who are truly interested in hearing it.
Letters of Recommendation
Perelman places a great deal of weight on your letters of recommendation because they provide context that numbers alone cannot. They help the admissions committee understand how you work with others, how you lead, and how you contribute to a team or community. Strong letters often make the difference between a good application and a truly memorable one.
You will need to submit either:
- A committee or composite letter from your undergraduate institution, if available, or
- At least three individual letters from faculty members, with at least one from a science professor.
All letters must be submitted through AMCAS, and while the school does not set a maximum, AMCAS allows up to ten. Quality is always more important than quantity.
When choosing recommenders, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Prioritize substance over title: The best letters come from people who know you well and can share detailed examples of your academic ability, professionalism, and character.
- Highlight variety: A mix of perspectives - such as one science professor, one research mentor, and one clinical supervisor - can show your readiness for both the classroom and patient care.
- Prepare your recommenders: Share your résumé, personal statement draft, and reminders of projects or interactions they can reference. This helps them write a richer, more personal letter.
- Ask early: Give your recommenders plenty of time, ideally several months before the deadline, so they can reflect and write thoughtfully.
Remember, your letters should come together to paint a consistent picture: a student with the academic preparation, integrity, and compassion to thrive at Perelman and in medicine more broadly. Thoughtful choices here can truly strengthen your application.
Perelman School of Medicine Application Timeline
AMCAS opens in May; Perelman receives verified applications July–November. AMCAS submission usually closes mid-October, and Perelman’s ‘complete by’ deadline is mid-November. Interview invitations roll out September–January, and admissions decisions post in March.
Application Timeline (2025–2026)
- AMCAS opens: May 2025
- Verified primaries received at Perelman: July–November 2025
- Early Decision (EDP) deadlines:
- AMCAS application: August 1, 2025
- All EDP materials due: August 15, 2025
- EDP decision notification: October 1, 2025
- AMCAS primary application deadline (regular MD): October 15, 2025 (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Final materials deadline (supplemental, fee, MCAT, letters): November 15, 2025 (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Interview invitations released: September 2025 – January 2026
- Admissions decisions released: March 2026
Additional Application Information:
https://www.med.upenn.edu/admissions/application-timeline
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