How to Get Into Weill Cornell Medical School: Requirements and Strategies
/Learn the Weill Cornell Medicine acceptance rate and admissions strategies, plus Cornell secondary essay prompts and sample essays
weill cornell medicine is currently the #10 ranked Medical School for research According to us News & World report
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Part 1: Introduction
If you are hoping to attend one of the top medical schools in New York, you are likely interested in learning how to get into Cornell Medical School. Weill Cornell Medicine prides itself on its “progressive” curriculum that de-emphasizes the lecture format in favor of self-directed, active learning, and small group inquiry.
Cornell Medical School shares a campus on the east side of Manhattan with four other world-renowned institutions: New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Rockefeller University, and the Hospital for Special Surgery. This translates to a plethora of research opportunities for med students. It's no surprise that U.S. News and World Report ranks Weill Cornell as one of top 10 medical schools for research.
In addition to putting its students in contact with one of the most diverse patient populations in the world, Cornell Medical School prioritizes internationalism. Cornell students perform clinical care and conduct research in 62 countries and on six different continents.
Read on to learn more about Cornell Medical School’s admissions requirements, essay prompts (with sample essays), and interview process. This guide will cover all of that and more.
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Part 2: Weill Cornell Medical School MD programs
There are a number of ways to achieve an MD at Cornell, including two renowned dual-degree programs:
The traditional, four year MD
The Tri-Institutional MD/PhD Program (in conjunction with Rockefeller University and Sloan Kettering Institute)
The MD/MBA (a joint degree with Cornell’s Johnson School of Management)
Suggested reading: (MD-PhD Programs: The Ultimate Guide and MD-MBA Programs: The Ultimate Guide)
Cornell Medical School tuition and scholarships
In the 2023–2024 academic year, Weill Cornell’s yearly tuition for first year MD students was $67,400. Including fees and costs of living, their estimated cost of attendance was $94, 160. As a private medical institution, this is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. The high cost of living in New York City is important to factor in.
Cornell’s admissions are need-blind, meaning admissions decisions are made without consideration to the applicant’s financial status. The majority of Weill Cornell students receive financial aid.
Starting in 2019, Weill Cornell eliminated all student loan debt for students who qualify for financial aid, replacing loans with scholarships for tuition, housing, and other living expenses. This initiative was meant to allow students from financially diverse backgrounds to attend the program and pursue careers in their area of interest rather than chasing the highest salaries to repay loans. Financial support for community service, research, and international clinical work and research is available to all students.
All students are also guaranteed subsidized housing on the Weill Cornell campus in Manhattan. First year students live in Olin Hall, across the street from the main campus. After the first year students will participate in a housing lottery that offers a wide range of room accommodations and price points.
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Part 3: How hard is it to get into Weill Cornell Medical School?
Cornell Medical School admissions statistics
Weill Cornell Medicine is highly selective. While they don’t report the number of acceptances, we do know that they receive over 7,000 applications each year for 106 seats in the entering class.
For the most recent entering class of 2023, only about 11% of applicants were granted an interview and, among interviewees, only 13.2% matriculated. The overall matriculant rate is only 1.4%.
Applications: 7,221
Interviews: 801
Matriculants: 106
Median GPA: 3.91
Median MCAT: 519
(Suggested reading: Average GPA and MCAT Score for Every Medical School)
Cornell Medical School admissions requirements
Though the median MCAT score is quite high, there’s no cutoff for scores. Keep in mind that Cornell Medical School does not accept scores older than three years old at the time of application. For the 2024–2025 application cycle, you should expect to submit an MCAT score from an exam taken between January 2021 and September 9, 2024.
International applicants should remember, per the Weill Cornell Medical College policy, you are expected to complete “one year of full-time coursework at a college or university in the U.S.” Completing coursework in the U.S. provides the admissions team (and the applicant) with a perspective on how well you’ll do in Cornell’s medical program.
On that note, here is the coursework required for admission into Weill Cornell:
Biology: Two semesters with lab (typically including molecular biology, cell biology and genetics)
If you do not major in science, adcoms recommend that you take at least two additional semesters of biological science above they introductory level.
Chemistry: Two semesters with lab
Physics: Two semesters with lab
Organic chemistry: Two semesters with lab are recommended; one semester with lab plus one semester of another advanced biology or chemistry course is acceptable (e.g. biochemistry, physical chemistry, analytic chemistry, and molecular genetics)
Writing-intensive courses: Two semesters, one in the humanities or social sciences (e.g., history, philosophy, anthropology) and one in English-language literature.
Cornell notes that actual lab work experience and integrated science courses may be acceptable substitutes for some of above requirements. Furthermore, applicants are strongly encouraged to pursue breadth in their undergraduate studies by going beyond the minimum required coursework.
Cornell Medical School application timeline
Here is the application timeline you’ll need in order to apply to Weill Cornell’s MD program:
May 1, 2024: AMCAS application opens
May 28, 2024: AMCAS application can be submitted
June 28, 2024: Application submission to medical schools begins
Early July 2024: Weill Cornell secondary application opens
September 2024: Interviews begin
October 16, 2024: AMCAS application deadline
November 15, 2024: Weill Cornell secondary application deadline
March 2025: Admissions decisions sent out
Be aware that applications for the Tri-Institutional MD/PhD program are due September 13th, with additional application materials due October 18th. However, both programs strongly encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. We suggest June.
Cornell does not employ rolling admission. Most acceptances are sent out in March, with additional offers periodically going out after this to students on the wait list.
(Suggested reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline)
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Part 4: Weill Cornell secondary application essays (examples included)
Cornell’s selection criteria stresses that they look for the most qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, both academic and personal. Ideal applicants demonstrate exceptional academic performance and personal initiative (through extracurricular activities ranging from creative pursuits to research) that reflect the type of medical student they will be. Academic performance is easy to show in a transcript—but what about diversity and personal initiative? That’s where an outstanding essay can make the difference between an acceptance and rejection.
For each of Weill Cornell’s secondary essay prompts, we’ve compiled strategies and sample essays informed by our nearly 20 years of advising.
Question 1: Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Weill Cornell Medical College. (1525 characters)
This is a basic “Why us?” prompt, which means the best strategy for acing this essay is to do your research and tailor your answers to the school as specifically as possible. What is it about the school’s philosophy, faculty, research opportunities, and location that makes it the place you would thrive as a medical student?
Most run-of-the-mill candidates will stop there, but your essay needs to go a step further to stand out. Don’t just list off the most obscure factoids about the program you can find. Rather, tell a story about how the program aligns with your personal and academic experience and fits into your plans for the future. Here’s one example:
As a teenager, I fell in love with chemistry and French. Then, as an undergrad, I fell in love with biochemistry and francophone studies. I fell in love with women’s health working in a clinic in rural Senegal for the past three years, and I know my passion as a doctor will be to help women in underserved immigrant communities with an intersectional knowledge of language, culture, and medicine.
My priorities as a medical student run parallel with Weill Cornell’s priority of internationalism, and the opportunity to contribute to the school’s Center for Human Rights would be singular for my particular education. To augment my medical studies, I plan to conduct research within the Center on the effects of migration on pregnancy in women from francophone countries, and apply that knowledge to volunteering with the Weill Cornell Community Clinic. Weill Cornell is one of the only programs that combines a diverse patient pool with expansive research opportunities that uniquely fit my aspirations as a future OB/GYN.
What’s so successful about this essay?
The applicant concisely explains how their particular skill set and aspirations as a doctor developed. They highlight two Cornell initiatives they’re interested in and explain how they plan to contribute to each of them with their specific knowledge and skills.
Then the applicant takes it a step further, explaining how working with these Weill Cornell initiatives will later serve them as a doctor. Weill Cornell is proud of their access to a diverse pool of patients due to their Manhattan location, as well as their world-class research facilities. This applicant incorporates both in their essay.
Let’s say you want to attend one of Cornell’s dual-degree programs. Here’s a successful example that addresses that situation:
As a genetic engineering major, I worked on the cutting edge of immunotherapy research and believe we are years away from groundbreaking cancer prevention technology. In addition to becoming a practicing oncologist, I plan to build a biotechnology firm that focuses on creating affordable, accessible routes to the latest developments in immunotherapy. Weill Cornell’s MD-MBA program will allow me to become both an exceptional doctor and an entrepreneur.
This course of study is a unique opportunity for me to work with immunotherapy technology on both micro and macro levels. As an oncologist, caring for individual patients that may benefit from this technology and learning their histories and concerns for the future will make my leadership at a biotechnology firm more human-centric and more effective. Weill Cornell’s MD-MBA is a singular opportunity for me to achieve my goals in both medicine and business.
What works here?
It’s strongly tailored to the program. The applicant articulates exactly how their studies in medicine and business intersect in the field of immunotherapy technology and why both degrees are integral to their career goals.
Question 2: Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it. (1525 characters)
Question 3: If applicable, please tell us about any special circumstances related to COVID-19 that could help us understand you better. (1525 characters)
Question 4: If you are not attending college during the upcoming year, what are your plans? (1525 characters) (Optional)
Gain instant access to med school secondary essay examples for every single prompt required by every medical school in the United States and Canada. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing after May 31 for new subscribers.
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Part 5: Weill Cornell Medical School interview
Cornell typically interviews around 10% of the MD applications they receive each year. In the 2023–2024 application cycle, all interviews were held virtually and the same can be expected for the 2024-2025 cycle.
If you meet Cornell’s admission criteria and are chosen for an interview, you should expect a full day of meetings with admissions personnel, a virtual tour of the medical campus, talks with current medical students, and, finally, two open-file interviews with members of the admissions committee.
Each interview will take about 30 minutes and will provide you with an opportunity to talk in-depth about your decision to become a doctor, how you’ve prepared for medical school so far, and how your other interests and experiences relate to medicine. Based on our research, here are some questions that frequently come up during Weill Cornell interviews:
Why do you want to come to New York City?
What are some of your weaknesses?
Why Cornell?
What is one skill you would like to improve upon?
What do you think you've accomplished so far in your life/studies/career?
Tell me about your family.
Is there anything we haven't talked about that you wanted to tell me?
What has been your exposure to medicine?
What are you most proud of?
You are likely expecting to answer questions like “Why Cornell?” and “Why New York City?,” but could you come up with a response to “What is one skill you would like to improve upon?” on the spot? Think about how might you answer this.
Preparation can go a long way. It can help you walk into the room with confidence and ready to discuss your future at Weill Cornell. At the same time, however, be careful not memorize answers to the point that you come off like a robot.
Furthermore, be sure to review all aspects of your application prior to the interview. Admissions committees could ask you about anything that caught their interest, whether it be an extracurricular activity or a personal story you used in your essays. Remember to show the same level of enthusiasm for patient care and research that you weaved throughout your application. Your interview is a chance to express your excitement about Cornell and how you plan to take advantage of all the school has to offer. Take time to cement your knowledge about Weill Cornell and find ways to relate this to your personal and academic journey.
(Suggested reading: How to Ace Your Medical School Interviews)
Final thoughts
Weill Cornell Medical College will receive hundreds (if not thousands) of applications from top medical school applicants this admissions season. If you, too, are a top applicant with a penchant for clinical research and a desire to learn from the city of New York, your best chance to compete for a spot at Weill Cornell Medicine is to write compelling, specific secondary essays. Use your essays to convince Weill Cornell that you’re a teamwork-driven, globally minded future leader in your chosen healthcare field.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.