Let’s get this straight. You’re not only going to one of the best medical schools in the country, but it’s also free?
That’s the scenario more and more medical school applicants dream of, and it’s probably why NYU Medical School, long a top program, has suddenly grown even more enticing for the ambitious premed.
NYU Medical School, recently renamed NYU Grossman School of Medicine, has always been a reach school for nearly every applicant who applies, given its low admissions rates and an expectation of top undergraduate performance and MCAT scores. But when NYU changed its tuition policy to offer all matriculants a tuition-free ride in 2018, applications went up nearly 50 percent.
So in this increasingly competitive environment, how can you get into NYU Medical School? Here we’ll demystify the components of the NYU Medical School application process and provide input on how to tackle NYU’s secondary prompts.
NYU offers its students several routes through which they can get an MD:
In addition to these programs, you can apply to the three-year MD at NYU Long Island School of Medicine (LISOM), a new medical school whose first class matriculated in July 2019.
NYU LISOM was created to increase the number of primary care physicians working in New York. Like Kaiser Permanente Medical School, NYU LISOM’s interest in funding students’ schooling is to encourage people to choose traditionally lower-paying specialties like family medicine or pediatrics. This will come up in essays and interviews, so you should not plan to apply to NYU LISOM if you don’t have this genuine interest.
Yes. NYU is now covering its students’ tuition. But living in Manhattan (or on Long Island) is extremely expensive, and paying for room, board, books, and other expenses will still cost you $28,153 a year, according to NYU’s cost of attendance estimates.
Plan around those costs when you consider an NYU medical education. If cost is your primary concern when considering medical school, your in-state school might actually be cheaper than NYU, even with the free ride built in.
With an acceptance rate of just 2.70 percent, NYU Grossman is one of the most competitive medical schools in the country. Let’s break down the admissions numbers for the incoming class of 2023 (graduating class of 2027):
NYU Grossman also publishes the following MCAT and GPA statistics for this class:
The acceptance rate for NYU LISOM is even lower at 1.5 percent. Here are some admissions figures pertaining to the class of 2024:
When NYU LISOM opened its doors, it announced plans to slowly increase its class size over a few years until its entering class reached 40 students. However, it appears that NYU LISOM plans to limit its seats to 24 students per class for the foreseeable future. As such, we can continue to expect its acceptance rate to hover at a very low number.
Neither NYU Grossman nor NYU LISOM require applicants to complete specific coursework. That said, they do recommend that you take the following:
In addition, NYU LISOM recommends coursework in psychology and sociology.
To apply to NYU, you must submit an MCAT score no older than three years before your matriculation date. For example, if you plan to enroll in fall 2025, the oldest permissible MCAT score would be from January 2022.
When applying to NYU Grossman or LISOM, plan to submit your AMCAS application and secondaries early. However, the application timelines for the two schools differ slightly.
Below are the dates you’ll want to keep in mind when applying to NYU Grossman:
Here are the dates that differ for NYU LISOM:
After you’ve submitted your AMCAS application, you’ll have a chance to complete your secondary applications. Below you’ll find the current secondary essay prompts faced by applicants to NYU Grossman this year, plus a few strategies about how to approach them. We’ve also included sample essays written in response to the major questions, based on composites of our successful students from nearly 20 years of advising.
Question 1: If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application. (No limit)
When answering this question, you’ll want to take a non-defensive approach, and spin your fluctuations into a positive, if possible.
In my second semester of my freshman year, I was enrolled in six credits, including organic chemistry and advanced Russian. Knowing that I wanted to spend my summer researching public health outside of Moscow, I withdrew from the organic chemistry course so I could spend the following summer completely immersed in the subject matter. I earned top marks in the summer program and my time in Russia led me directly to the Master’s in Public Health I’m completing this year.
Question 2: If you have taken any time off from your studies, either during or after college, please describe what you have done during this time and your reasons for doing so. (No limit)
Question 3: The Admissions Committee holistically evaluates a range of student qualities and life experiences that complement demonstrated academic excellence. What unique qualities do you possess that make you uniquely suited to become a physician or physician-scientist? How have your individual lived experiences shaped your core values and desire to be a future leader in our profession? (2500 characters)
Question 4: Please answer ALL 3 of the following questions (2500 characters max):
1. The most meaningful achievements are often non-academic in nature. Describe the personal accomplishment that makes you most proud. Why is this important to you?
2. Conflicts arise daily from differences in perspectives, priorities, worldviews and traditions. How do you define respect? Describe a situation in which you found it challenging to remain respectful while facing differences?
3. Describe a situation in which working with a colleague, family member or friend has been challenging. How did you resolve, if at all, the situation as a team and what did you gain from the experience that will benefit you as a future health care provider?
Question 5: NYU Grossman School of Medicine strives to provide our students with the option of accelerating their medical educational training. In order to guide our curricular efforts to provide additional opportunities for early career exploration for our students, please select up to three residency specialties that are currently of interest to you. Please note that your selection in no way impacts your admissions decision (i.e., there are no right or wrong selections), that it is not binding in any way, and that you may select “Undecided” if you are unsure of your future career path.
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If you’re planning on attending NYU LISOM, you’ll have a different set of secondary questions to answer. Below, we’ve included the 2022-2023 NYU LISOM secondary prompts, along with information on how to answer each prompt and sample essays for each prompt.
Question 1: NYU LISOM offers a direct link to residency into one of four ACGME-accredited residency programs at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island in fields of medicine that address the primary care needs of the population and physician workforce shortages. Please select the residency track for which you wish to be considered and reason(s) for your choice – including those experiences (pre-medical, professional or personal) which have confirmed your interest in this area. Choose one: (250 words)
Internal Medicine
Pediatrics
Obstetrics & Gynecology
General Surgery
When answering this prompt, be sure to do some research at NYU LISOM’s website for your chosen track so you can tie that in with what you write. You’ll want to pay particular attention to the key competencies and roles that are discussed for residents of that track and be sure to choose experiences that demonstrate that you’ve developed those competencies.
Here’s an example written by a student who was interested in the Pediatrics residency track:
I knew early on I wanted to work with kids in my future career, but probably the biggest factor involved watching my youngest brother delivered prematurely and seeing the delicate way the pediatric neurosurgeon, pediatric cardiologist, and NICU nurses handled him and the other patients in their care. My mother had COVID during her delivery making his situation even more critical. I remember being frightened because very little was known about the effects of COVID on pregnancy and what we did know sounded dismal for preterm patients.
As the oldest of eight, I’ve had many experiences working with young kids both in my home and outside it. Growing up, I volunteered with my church’s preschool department, babysat many of the neighborhood kids after school, and worked as a VBS leader every summer. I also spent every summer of my college years back home as a VBS leader and helped organize my church’s annual Back-to-School Bash, which was a community-wide event that involved collecting donations throughout the summer and culminated with handing out backpacks and school supplies to the kids in my community.
With this in mind, I have a strong interest in pursuing the Pediatrics Residency track. Specifically, I’d like to become involved in the research that centers around predicting preterm labor in COVID patients. My baby brother’s birth played a huge role in this interest, but I’d also like to know that I’m at the forefront of innovative research that supports the Long Island community on the whole.
What makes this an effective response?
Question 2: NYU LISOM is committed to training physicians guided by the principles of primary care which encompass patient-centered care that is: comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, collaborative, culturally sensitive and community-based. Please tell us how these principles align with your professional goals as a future physician? (250 words)
Question 3: Among the core competencies expected of entering medical students are the capacity for improvement as well as evidence of adaptability and resilience. Describe a situation or personal challenge that motivated you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, reassess or change your behavior, navigate an unexpected outcome and/or learn from your mistakes. (250 words)
Question 4: Choose either Option A or Option B. (250 words)
Option A: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a core active learning methodology at NYU LISOM which involves students working together in small groups on clinical case-based problems utilizing:
Self-directed learning: Identifying information needed and thinking critically in applying this information to address the problem
Self-assessment: Identifying knowledge gaps or what is not understood about the problem
Teamwork: Assisting peers to integrate and apply knowledge to a given problem as well as being able to learn from peers
Using this framework, please share an example of a problem-solving experience you have encountered in a small-group setting or leadership role which you feel has prepared you to be successful in an active learning environment and why?
Option B: The NYU Long Island School of Medicine seeks to prepare future physician leaders who will be ‘change agents’ in health systems science in domains such as:
Healthcare Policy & Economics
Population and Public Health
Evidenced-based Medicine and Practice
Health System Improvement and Patient Safety
Clinical Informatics
Which of these domains interests you the most and why? If applicable, please include those aspects of your academic studies, pre-medical, or professional experiences that have informed your interest in the domain you selected.
Question 5: Please provide the response that applies to you: - If you are still in school, please tell us your planned activities for the application cycle. - If you have graduated from college, please tell us what you have been doing since that time and your reasons for doing so. (250 words)
Question 6: Optional: Please comment on any significant fluctuations in your academic record or inconsistencies in your MCAT score; if you took a leave of absence for any reason during college; or any application irregularities about which you wish the admissions committee to know more. (250 words)
Question 7: Optional: We recognize applicants may have had to overcome significant obstacles or adversity in their lives. If you feel this applies to you, the admissions committee is interested to understand how these experiences may have impacted your personal, educational and/or professional path. (250 words)
