florida atlantic university essay prompt

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 . 

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• 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 )

Your medical school application Coaches, Mentors, & Cheerleaders

We Personally Advise Every Student We Work With.

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Awards & Scholarships Fulbright Scholar USA Today Academic First Team Tylenol Scholarship

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Undergraduate Johns Hopkins University, Phi Beta Kappa

Residency Stanford, Pediatrics

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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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Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University calls to the innovative and ambitious. FAU leads the state in research, diversity, and opportunity, thereby setting the pace for student success. With six strategic sites stretching along the southeast Florida coast, each one offers distinct programs and services to students and local communities. The largest FAU campus is located in Boca Raton, featuring modern academic and recreational facilities, a lush sub-tropical environment, and a vibrant community that breathes life into the surrounding areas. Florida Atlantic graduates earn the second-highest starting salaries in Florida. With business partnerships across all industries in south Florida, FAU allows students to connect with employers and enter their desired field immediately. Additionally, Florida Atlantic’s debt-to-salary ratio is among the lowest in the state—that means less debt and more success!

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Florida Atlantic Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Secondary Questions

Here are Florida Atlantic Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine secondary questions.

Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 characters)

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? (1600 characters)

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? (1600 characters)

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? What traits do you feel you learned while with that employer and/or the work experience? Experience does not need to be related to patient care. If none, please write not applicable. (1600 characters)

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. (1600 characters)

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. (1600 characters)

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? (1600 characters)

Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year (1200 char)

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? (1600 char)

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) (1600 char)

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? (1600 char)

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? (1600 char)

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? (1600 char)

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) (1600 char)

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? (1600 char)

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? (1600 char)

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) (1600 char)

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) (1600 char)

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) (1600 char)

Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. Describe what uniqueness you would bring to the Schmidt College of Medicine. 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? (1600 char)

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? What traits do you feel you learned while with that employer and/or the work experience? (Experience does not need to be related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1600 char)

As a community Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine 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? (1600 char)

One of the values of the Florida Atlantic University 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? (1600 char)

Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason) 1600 characters.

Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. 1200 characters.

What MCAT course and when did you take?

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? 1600 characters.

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) (1600 characters).

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) (1600 characters).

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 you think the experience prepared you for a career as a future physician (If none, please write none) (1600 characters).

Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. Describe what uniqueness you would bring to the Schmidt College of Medicine. 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? (1600 characters).

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)

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?

Character limit 1600 (including spaces)

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?

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.

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?

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)

2017 – 2018

Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 Character limit)

Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. (1600 Character Limit)

Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. (not related to patient care if none, please write none) (1600 Characters)

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) (1600 Characters)

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. (1600 Characters)

Tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. (not related to patient care, if none, please write none)

2016 – 2017

Limit all essays to 1200 characters including spaces

1.Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. (not related to patient care if none, please write none) 2.Tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. (not related to patient care, if none, please write none) 3.Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience. (if none, please write none) 4.Tell us about any creative endeavors you participate(d) in. (e.g., art, dance, music, etc if none, please write none) 5.Describe a situation in which you interacted with a culturally diverse group. (if none, please write none)

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Florida Atlantic University (Schmidt) Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page .

About Florida Atlantic University (Schmidt)

Secondary Deadline : December 31, 2023 Secondary Fee : $30 FAP Waiver : Full Fee Waived CASPer Required : Yes Screens Applications : Yes Accepts Application Updates : Yes/Portal

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. The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is an integrated learning organization that fosters high-quality, humanistic, and patient-centered care. Our mission is to deliver high-touch, high-tech education to our students and residents, and to collaborate on high impact, interdisciplinary research with leading experts in the field. The College of Medicine is dedicated to integrating discovery with health care and education in order to contribute to the vitality of our immediate communities, to improve the health and well-being of people and populations, and to transform community-based health care.

As an integrated learning-organization, our values encompass collaboration, innovation, respect, compassion, lifelong learning and engagement. Through collaboration, we share knowledge and build trust and consensus. Through innovation, we embrace creativity and flexibility. By respecting one another, we strive to acknowledge and express our appreciation for the unique and diverse contributions of others. Through compassion, we empathize with our patients, students, and peers. Through lifelong learning, we value intellectual curiosity and the drive toward continuous knowledge acquisition and human development. Through engagement, we foster teamwork within our organization and within our community.

1. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 Character limit)

2. Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. (1600 Character Limit)

3. 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? (1600 Character Limit)

4. 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? (1600 Character Limit)

5. 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. (1600 Character Limit)

6. 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? (1600 Character Limit)

7. 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). (1600 Character Limit)

1. Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason)

2. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 Character limit)

3. Tell us why you would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. (1600 Character Limit)

4. Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. (not related to patient care if none, please write none) (1600 Characters)

5. 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) (1600 Characters)

6. 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)

7. 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. (1600 Characters)

8. Tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. (not related to patient care, if none, please write none)

1.Tell us about your most meaningful community service experience. (not related to patient care if none, please write none) (1200 char)

2.Tell us about your most meaningful employment experience. (not related to patient care, if none, please write none) (1200 char)

3.Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience. (if none, please write none) (1200 char)

4.Tell us about any creative endeavors you participate(d) in. (e.g., art, dance, music, etc if none, please write none) (1200 char)

5.Describe a situation in which you interacted with a culturally diverse group. (if none, please write none)

Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on the medical school’s website. Med School Insiders does not guarantee the accuracy of the information on this page.

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How to Write the Florida State University Essays 2021-2022

Located just west of Tallahassee, Florida State University is a suburban public university that hosts over 41,000 students on its campus. FSU offers its students a wide selection of 351 programs, including 107 undergraduate majors across various disciplines.

Florida State is well known for its vibrant social scene and its top varsity athletic programs. The beloved “Seminoles” have won many Atlantic Coast conferences and national championships. The intensity of the football team’s rivalry with the University of Florida’s Gators spreads throughout the entire student body and reaches a climax at the annual Sunshine Showdown.

Approximately 37% of applicants gain admission. Calculate your chances of acceptance to FSU using our free chancing engine.

Florida State accepts its own FSU Application, the Common Application, or the Coalition Application. For the FSU and Coalition Applications, there are 5 essay topics you can choose from. You only need to choose one and write a 650-word essay. We’ve broken those 5 down below. For the Common Application, you can choose from the Common App prompts .  

FSU Application Essay Prompts

Essay prompt instructions.

Candidates are to compose one 650-word essay after deciding on one of the five prompts published on the school’s website.

The purpose of the essay is to help the admissions committee learn more about you as a person. Although the essay is described as only “highly recommended,” in reality admissions officers are expecting serious applicants to submit an essay (unless under extenuating circumstances). Your writing will paint a personal picture for the admission officers and demonstrate serious interest in the school.

Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

The first prompt asks for you to discuss a memory or story of a situation that either showcased or affected you personally. FSU’s goal here is to assess your storytelling ability and better understand your values and character through a specific example.

It is crucial for you to connect your story and its effect on your character to who you are as a person. It would be an easy mistake to use all 550 words to discuss this important narrative and ignore the crux of the question: its “demonstration of your character.”

Impactful essays do not have to be based on extreme physical or mental experiences. In fact, it is the accumulation of small experiences that defines how we react during turbulent times. An act of any scale that was especially memorable to you can work; it’s about how you analyze the incident, not what the incident was.

For instance, you might choose to write about being friends with someone who faced mental health issues and how that changed your feelings toward such illnesses and led you to participate in a campaign for raising mental health awareness. You could take it a step further, explaining how the experience shaped your behavior not only around that particular friend, but also around everybody else you know.

Keep in mind that the scope of the question also includes experiences that helped shape your character, so you can even choose to write about something you’ve witnessed others do. Remember to use concise but vivid imagery to describe the situation in the first 150-250 words and then devote the rest of the words to analyzing its impact on character.

It may be wise to write longer drafts at first (in the 700-word range). This allows the editing process to filter for the essence of the writing, instead of trying to add more content, thereby ensuring the fluency of the writing.

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.

This question appears to be more challenging than the previous one, as you have to detail a selfless act of sacrifice while explaining your motivations and avoiding corny wording.

Note that this “greater good” contribution does not limit you to instances in which you interacted with groups of “great” numbers. No matter the scale of your impact, if there existed a beneficiary to your actions, then you can write about it. Remember that “greater good” excludes class assignments or other activities that were required of you.

The key to this essay is making sure your motivations for the contribution are portrayed as personal and unique to you.

Many students will choose to write about a volunteer experience they participated in. If you choose to discuss a community service activity, make sure you differentiate your experience by highlighting your motivations and your emotions during the experience (rather than describing simply the activity you participated in).  

For example, you might choose to write about a mission trip to another country that you took in your sophomore year of high school. However, rather than discussing the trip as a whole, it would be more effective to focus on a particular moment or problem that you encountered during the trip.

For instance, you could elaborate on the experience of visiting one of the children’s homes and the feeling of speaking to his parents directly. Describing a particular moment, as well as the specific emotions you felt and how your perspectives changed because of it, would help the essay stand out in a pile of volunteering essays.

In addition, focus on the process of the contribution and how you felt emotionally throughout the act.

Try to answer the following questions:

• What would have happened if you did not make that sacrifice/contribution? How would you have felt then?
• How did the contribution make you feel? How did it make others around you feel? How did it make the beneficiaries feel?
• What did you learn?

Emphasizing the internal development that occurred during your experience is key to making this essay shine.

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?

This third prompt asks to hear about a philosophical difference you have had with a family member, teacher, peer, society at large, or even yourself. In a sense, this prompt is similar to the previous one about the “meaningful contribution.” In both cases, FSU wants to learn about a process occurring in your mind. The previous prompt emphasizes actions and their effects, while this focuses more on an ideological struggle.

For example, though you’ve believed in religion all your life, perhaps you learned of a different viewpoint while reading a research paper and began questioning the validity of adhering to the religion in which you grew up. The research paper may have been the stimulus that led you to develop your own feelings toward particular values or even the presence of the supernatural.

An average essay would discuss an incident in which you completely disregarded the challenging viewpoint or, on the other end of the spectrum, completely threw away your previous tenet and grasped onto the new idea. Such an essay does not show any meaningful growth or internal re-evaluation. Instead, a great essay would elucidate the internal struggle stemming from confronting a new viewpoint and the difficulties associated with challenging your own beliefs.

As with the first prompt, remember to focus the essay on your response to someone/something’s questioning of your tenant. Using too much of the essay for a description of the conundrum will render it ineffective in answering the latter two parts of the question.

What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?

This prompt is the wild card. It allows more room for creativity and “fun” writing than any of the other questions. FSU’s goal here is not only to evaluate your ability to reflect on experiences, but also to understand what you value in life.

This essay can be particularly difficult to write well because it requires additional effort to compose an engaging, intriguing, fun, but also appropriate essay. There are universal challenges to being a teenager: arguments with parents; teenage angst; finding one’s place in school, family, and life, etc. It is completely fine to write about “common” obstacles, but you need to be able to differentiate your stories from others.

Humor and style of writing will play large roles in this essay, so we recommend this prompt if you sincerely enjoy creative writing, particularly short stories, novels, and comedies. Keep in mind, however, that the majority of admissions officers reading these essays are going to be in a generation older than you. It is not a bad idea to consider what kinds of teenage experiences would be relatable to them.

Additionally, the essay is asking for the “hardest part” as well as the “best part;” answering both of those separately in 550 words can make both answers short and ineffective. We recommend that you choose one single story that can relate to both of those questions. For example, you could use stories from your part-time job at Dairy Queen to connect the difficulties of adjusting to added responsibility in conjunction with the increased respect you received from your parents.

Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

This last question is a catch-all.

Do not let your guard down because you can write about anything here. Unless you already have a great essay prepared from answering another school’s prompts, without a prompt here your creative idea may lose focus. Oftentimes, candidates are so engrossed in telling the story that they lose sight of what is really important: selling yourself.

As with the previous essays, you should decide and write down concretely what exactly you want the admissions officers to think about you upon finishing this essay. Build the rest of the essay around how you want them to perceive you, and dedicate more than half of the writing to demonstrating that main point through various anecdotes, not general statements.

We here at CollegeVine wish you the best of luck on your FSU essay!

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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After a university shut down its diversity center, students stepped up

Public colleges and universities across Florida are closing down diversity, equity and inclusion programs, in response to changes in state law. At Florida Atlantic University, that led to the closure of the Center for IDEAs. But now students are bringing new life to the space.

On the second floor of the student union at Florida Atlantic University, there was a room where Black, Latino and queer students could go to talk to dedicated staff if they needed help — or just hang out between classes.

“It was just a space where we could all come relax. Enjoy each other. Feel safe, really,” said sophomore Kenny Ruff, who’s studying journalism at FAU.

For Ruff, this place — the Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education, and Advocacy — was like a second home.

“We'd like beeline from getting food at a dining hall to coming up here,” Ruff recalled. “Talking for like an hour, an hour and a half. Doing homework. Falling asleep on couches. Doing absolutely everything just to enjoy the room.”

According to a state audit, the Center for IDEAs used to employ five full-time staff, with an annual budget of more than $400,000. The office hosted campus workshops for students and faculty, and shaped policies and procedures about how best to support people from historically marginalized backgrounds.

According to annual reports published by FAU’s Division of Student Affairs, the Center for IDEAs helped put on conferences that attracted hundreds of students . On average, 94% of students who attended the events told staff they felt their identities were accepted at FAU. And the university was expanding the center’s footprint .

But the center technically doesn’t exist any more.

“It's a grim reality,” Ruff said. “Not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but for basically every minority group that comes here.”

State laws prompt the closure of DEI programs

The Center for IDEAs was quietly closed down, like other similar programs at public colleges and universities across Florida. That’s due to a new state law and rules championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies that ban the use of public money on programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI, as part of an effort to combat what they call “woke” policies in education.

“This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said at a bill signing event in May 2023. “We are eliminating the DEI programs. We are going to treat people as individuals. We’re not going to treat people as members of groups.”

READ MORE: UF axes DEI office under GOP-led law aimed at ridding similar programs

The governor’s lean into culturally divisive issues came as he courted conservative voters in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

The changes in state law have forced universities to cut staff and close programs — unraveling efforts that advocates say promote access for people who face challenges because of their race, gender, disability or socioeconomic background.

In some cases, universities have reversed commitments they made to promote social justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd , under pressure from the new laws and conservative activists.

At FAU, the school’s track record of social mobility and diversity have helped propel disadvantaged students into the middle class, which in turn has helped boost its national rankings. And that’s a selling point in the university’s promotional videos.

“FAU is one of the most ethnically and racially diverse universities in the nation. And prides itself on being a welcoming place for all students,” a narrator touts in a video posted on FAU’s Youtube channel.

A university spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on the Center for IDEAs, or questions about how other campus programs have been affected by the DEI ban.

‘It reminds you of what the space used to be’

One morning in February, FAU senior and multimedia journalism student Mary Rasura showed a WLRN reporter around what used to be the Center of IDEAs.

That day, the door was open and the lights were on, but the space was quiet. The collection of board games and the coffee machine were untouched. The velvety red couch and the bean bag chair sat empty. In an office off the main lobby, an untidy jumble of boxes of t-shirts, banners, brochures, and the contents of someone’s desk were scattered across the floor.

“It kind of looks like under your bed. When you're cleaning your room and you just shove everything under your bed,” Rasura said. “It has that energy.”

In the center’s main room, a flurry of colorful posters still hung on the wall, celebrating various holidays and events like Juneteenth and Hispanic Heritage Month.

“That’s Malcolm X right there for Black History Month,” Rasura pointed out. “So it's just kind of interesting to just see this here. It's still here and it reminds you of what the space used to be. But there's not as much people here. And there's not the employees that used to work here.”

And on that day in February, the center’s metal sign was still hanging on the wall.

“There’s still a sign up here that says the FAU Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education, and Advocacy,” Rasura said. “I almost kind of want to put something above it that says, like, RIP.”

Rasura, who is bisexual, went to a couple of the center’s events over the years, including a training about how to come out at the workplace.

“It was years ago and I still remember it really clearly because it was impactful,” Rasura recalled. “So I think students are missing out on presentations like that. They're missing out on knowing that there's a person at the university that they could go to if they want to talk about issues affecting their identity.”

Geanny Joseph Ruiz used to work at the center, focusing on LGBTQ initiatives. Now she’s with the statewide advocacy group Equality Florida .

She’s worried that without the center, students in crisis may not get the help they need.

“I think their academic achievement is at risk … because they don't have a point person to go to who can connect the dots,” she said. “Making it so that they will have to … maybe drop out because they're facing homelessness or they're facing bullying or they are maybe in a classroom where they feel unsafe or unsupported or targeted.”

‘Bringing a community back to the space’

Even though the center’s staff are gone, the space is still there. And students have been putting it to use.

In the months since the center’s closure, a small team of student journalists have been working out of the old Center for IDEAs. And they’ve launched a new publication — an actual newspaper, with reported stories, reviews and color photo spreads, written for and by LGBTQ students, with the title in bold type at the top of the front page: “OUT FAU”.

Mary Rasura, the senior journalism student, is the executive editor.

“My goal, in starting this paper, is to try to bring a community back to the space,” Rasura said. “We have had staff meetings in here now. So just meeting here, talking about the paper.”

When WLRN went back to the center a month and a half later, the space was busy with activity as the staff of OutFAU munched on slices of pizza and pored over the latest edition.

The old staff offices have been turned into student work stations. One has been converted into a meditation room.

Kenny Ruff, who used to come to the center to crash on the couch with friends, now writes for the new paper. He thumbed through stories about campus events and student activism, and a profile of a retired queer studies professor, the pages rustling between his fingers.

“This front is about Palm Beach Pride that's happening in two weeks, and headlining is queer country singer Brooke Eden,” Ruff said.

OutFAU has given some students their first opportunity to see their byline in print, like history major Ximena Dipietro.

“It’s a unique experience,” she said with a smile. “It’s one thing putting together a zine. But to be published is … it’s a good feeling. It’s like an actual paper, yeah! With color! Oh my god.”

The paper launched with financial and editorial support from the local LGBTQ publication Out South Florida — so they’re not relying on university funding. (The new law banning the use of public funds on DEI programs has a carveout for student fees , allowing student-funded clubs and campus activities to continue).

And the student journalists have brought new life into the old Center for IDEAs. On a practical level, it’s a free space where they can gather and hash out stories. But Ruff says it’s symbolic as well.

“The process of coming up to this room was … let's reclaim it for what it was,” Ruff said. “The purpose it was originally slated for. To try to fight back, we fight back harder.

As Rasura put it in the paper’s very first issue, publishing OutFAU is itself “an act of defiance”.

“It is a form of resistance,” she told WLRN. “We're still here.”

“We have First Amendment rights. And we're gonna write about what's going on,” she said. “And I just am really excited and hopeful I can kind of bring life back into this. And connect with my fellow students. And create a space through this paper for us to express ourselves.”

Copyright 2024 WLRN 91.3 FM

Gustavo Almeida Correia

Finished Papers

Florida International University | FIU

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Florida International University | FIU’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Common app personal essay.

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?