2026-2027 Application Cycle
**Updated June 3, 2026**
We would like to provide our applicants with the essay prompts for this year’s CWRU SOM secondary application. Throughout the week of July 13th, secondary application invitations will be emailed to CWRU SOM applicants with a verified AMCAS application and an MCAT score of greater than or equal to 502. After receiving our secondary application, applicants will select the MD programs to which they would like to apply, and this selection will then dictate which essay prompts are displayed.
We hope that this early availability will alleviate some of the stress that may be associated with the application process, and will allow more time for essay writing while waiting for other processes, such as AMCAS application verification or an MCAT administration, that are required for application completion.
Please note that spaces are counted as characters in our secondary application platform. You will only need to provide one response for prompts that are shared by programs and each program will have access to that response. You won't have to write multiple responses for the same prompt.
*Program Selection & Application Integrity
Intentionality in Program Choice
If you intend to apply for more than one program, please be thoughtful and intentional in considering how each program aligns (or doesn’t) with your interests, experiences, and professional goals.
A Note on Originality and AI Tools
Please be mindful about the essays that you will be submitting. The use of Large Language Models (LLMs) can lead to homogeneity, a lack of authenticity, and minimal reflection in personal writing. With the rise in the use of these technologies, your personal voice, perspectives, and experiences become even more important in our evaluation of your candidacy and potential for the practice of medicine. Applicants are expected to submit original writing that reflects their unique ideas and experiences. This is your opportunity to authentically demonstrate your humanistic and personal qualities that are integral to the practice of medicine.
University Program (4 yr. MD) Applicants
Required Essay Responses:
- Personal Challenge: The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced that helped shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral 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. (2,000 character limit)
- Context of Care: Describe an experience (or experiences) that changed how you understand the relationship between a person’s health and the conditions of their life. (1,500 character limit)
Optional Essay Responses:
- Research/Scholarly Work (if applying to University Program only): One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve2 Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. While research is not a required prerequisite for the University Program, if you have participated in research or other scholarly project (capstone project, honors thesis, etc.), please reflect on the prompts below where relevant.
- Have you participated in research or a scholarly project (capstone project, honors thesis, etc.)? (Yes or No)
If yes:
- A. Briefly describe your research/scholarly project and your role in it. If you have participated in multiple projects, choose one to discuss. (600 characters max)
- B. What did you learn from the project? (600 characters max)
- C. If you worked in a team, what did you learn about team dynamics? (600 characters max)
- D. What challenges, if any, manifested during the project and how were they overcome? (600 characters max)
2. Gap Year(s) if applicable: If applicable, please reflect on the time you are taking between college graduation and medical school matriculation, including why you chose to take a gap/growth year(s) and what you will be doing or have done during this time. (1,000 character limit)
3. Additional Information: Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? (2,000 character limit)
Lerner College Program (5 yr. MD) Applicants
Required Essay Responses:
- Personal Challenge: The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced that helped shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral 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. (2,000 character limit)
- Research: Please tell us about ONE research project to which you made a significant contribution. In your essay, describe your role on the project, the hypothesis of your research and whether you contributed to hypothesis generation, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results, and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. In addition, please briefly share your motivation for pursuing this research project and reflect on how this experience affected your future career goals. (3,500 character limit)
- Context of Care: Describe an experience (or experiences) that changed how you understand the relationship between a person’s health and the conditions of their life. (1,500 character limit)
- Career Goals: What does your ideal career entail fifteen years after medical school graduation? (1,000 character limit)
Optional Responses:
- Gap Year(s) if applicable: If applicable, please reflect on the time you are taking between college graduation and medical school matriculation, including why you chose to take a gap/growth year(s) and what you will be doing or have done during this time. (1,000 character limit)
- Additional Information: Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? (2,000 character limit)
MSTP (MD/PhD) Applicants
Required Essay Responses:
- Personal Challenge: The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced that helped shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral 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. (2,000 character limit)
- Context of Care: Describe an experience (or experiences) that changed how you understand the relationship between a person’s health and the conditions of their life. (1,500 character limit)
- PhD Advisor: What do you look for in a PhD advisor, and who at CWRU would interest you? (800 character limit)
- Area of Interest: What is your specific interest in the MSTP at CWRU? (800 character limit)
- What is the hardest academic or research challenge you’ve faced so far? How did you handle it? (1000 character limit)
Optional Essay Responses:
- Gap Year(s) if applicable: If applicable, please reflect on the time you are taking between college graduation and medical school matriculation, including why you chose to take a gap/growth year(s) and what you will be doing or have done during this time. (1,000 character limit)
- Additional Information: Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? (2,000 character limit)