Featured Supplemental Essay Prompt For UConn SPIM Applicants:

Special Program in Medicine Supplemental Essay 3: Please describe a role you have held in a meaningful group/peer-related activity. 600 Word Maximum.

Successful Supplemental Essay Example From Our Accepted Alumni Student:

When I started robotics, it seemed like a world of “them” and “us.”

“They” were the older, more confident high school students. The “us” was a rag-tag group of six 6th-graders. Not only did we barely know our nuts from bolts—we were thrown in with the sharks immediately. At every competition, we would join [town]’s high school teams—even competing against them and other high school teams from across the region.

We were left to fend for ourselves against the behemoths of the robotics world.

The longer I spent in the program, however, the more I observed from the older teams. The biggest takeaway? Everybody was incredibly collaborative. Given the battle to snatch qualifying spots, I initially envisioned ruthless competition and desperate pursuit of any possible advantage.

However, I found that this ruthless culture didn’t really exist. When an older team made a breakthrough, they always found ways to teach and share with all.

We were a collective program—not individual teams.

I found belonging—and community—through near-endless revisions, bleary-eyed work sessions, and critiques not meant to tear down, but to build up. What mattered most was developing the program’s legacy and setting up [Town] for success for years to come. This program-first mentality, as I would come to observe, was the driving factor for all the success and collaboration I witnessed.

This new, refreshing brand of teamwork proved an important stepping stone for me, as it led me to many of my future passions and ventures. Since those early robotics experiences, which highlighted the power of teamwork, I’ve continued to pursue this passion to the present day. Every year since 6th grade, I have worked with teams of 5 other kids to collectively build, develop, and program a robot that would complete the objectives of the assigned game each year. We have met—and often navigated unexpected mishaps—three times a week, for 30 weeks a year.

Since I began robotics, I have qualified for the [Region] Regional Championships five times, and have traveled to the VEX World Championships. With my experience, I’ve also gained the trust and confidence of my coach, getting selected as a member of the Leadership Council. Now, as a senior, in my last year of [Town] Robotics, I see the new sixth graders forming teams—where I know they will build not just intricate robots, but also core friendships. With Leadership Council, I mentor a middle school team, empowering them to be the best possible team they can be.

Once or twice a week, I check in with the middle school team that I have been assigned to. Throughout the year, I conduct these little meetings to analyze and monitor the progress of the team. I share insights with them that have been discussed among the older teams, so that they can start implementing new design innovations into their own robots. This also is vital in that it introduces the younger kids to more advanced levels of robotics—from building to coding to detailing the engineering notebook. This will better prepare them to compete at a level above compared to other teams from the region for when they enter the high school level.

As I mentor them, I channel all of the inspiration I’ve had over the years. Because [Town] Robotics isn’t about individuals—it’s a community that is, undeniably, all of “us.”

I look forward to channeling the creativity, innovation, and leadership that robotics taught me toward my future medical career. I am inspired by the ever-changing field of medicine, as new innovations can help patient care, diagnostics, outcomes, and more.