One of the novel questions medical candidates were asked this cycle is as follows:
Please describe how COVID -19 has impacted your pathway to medical school. Items to consider incorporating into your response may include, but are not limited to the following:
Academic: Were you able to interact with your professors? Did you have to leave an academic program stateside or abroad? Did your school require you to move to pass/fail grading systems? Did your MCAT exam get cancelled, delayed? Other academic barriers?
Personal: Did you have to move out of a house or dorm? Did you have to cancel travel plans? Did you modify your planned experiences related to healthcare or volunteer opportunities? Did you seek out volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis? Did you assist any family or community members that were affected?
This is your opportunity to truly shine! The pandemic has certainly underlined the importance of empathy, community service and assisting the less fortunate, and these are all qualities essential to future Medical Doctors. A response which showcases these qualities is certainly impressive. For instance, some medical candidates may have created a way to reach out to local hospitals in dire need of medical masks for incoming patients in their ER waiting areas. One could make the masks themselves or purchase them and then donate them to local hospitals. Another way to reach out to one’s community is to donate basic necessities to local churches, temples, synagogues or mosques so that those in need will receive them.
The tone of one’s response is as important as the content. Students should avoid
language which is too syrupy or hyperbolic because it strikes as insincere. Plain English without flowery language is preferable. Simply state facts without exaggerating for effect. For instance, numerous students may have lost their jobs and therefore their ability to raise money for Medical School. What follows is an answer which is hyperbolic: “the evil and pernicious pandemic caused me to lose the only means I had of procuring sufficient monetary funds for me to be able to realize my life time dream of becoming a doctor and thereby supporting my poor mom, dad, ten siblings, aunts and uncles etc.” Clearly, the pandemic has caused financial hardship; however, the way in which we express this speaks volumes about our character. Admission Committees do not appreciate hyperbole. What they do respect is a student who simply states facts. So, a better answer would be: “the pandemic has caused my family and financial stress.” Moreover, Admission Committees respect potential medical students who find ways of mitigating their circumstances. Many students lost their part-time jobs; however, they chose to be resourceful and find other ways of supporting themselves. We live in a virtual world, and so students may create financial opportunities via the internet.
Additionally, one may wonder how a potential student will be able to even afford the tuition for Medical School if he or she has no financial support from their families or no means of supporting themselves. This is particularly relevant in the USA where Medical School tuition is exceedingly more than it is in Canada. In fact, potential medical candidates in the USA must show proof that they can indeed afford the tuition. So, an answer which is overly dramatic may actually backfire and create a question about the student’s ability to even afford Medical School.
In closing, the best response to how COVID – 19 has impacted one’s pathway to Medical School is one which is honest, direct, straightforward and authentic. Admission Committees can smell disingenuousness, hyperbole and self-serving drama. The way in which
we write expresses who we are, and so, the best responses are answers which are natural, simple and understated. After all, who wants to deal with a future Medical Doctor who is arrogant, hyperbolic, syrupy and disingenuous?