The Pandemic’s Impact on Your Application

What impact, if any, has the COVID-19 pandemic had on your preparation for medical school?

For the next few years, this question—or some variation of it—will be on medical school secondary applications. You can count on it. Last year when reviewing medical school applications, this was one of the first questions I looked at. I wanted to know, up front, how COVID-19 had affected their application and desire to be a physician. Some responses left me almost in tears, others may have made me roll my eyes a little bit. I was also very surprised that some applicants left this question without a response. Personally, I don’t believe you should leave any of the questions empty, but especially not this one! After the 2020 we all had, who can’t answer this question??

So when you see it on all those secondary applications you’ll be getting in the future (claim it!), don’t leave this question blank! Whether negatively or positively, COVID-19 has impacted your preparation to apply to medical school. Now, don’t go making up anything outlandish just to have something to write down (that is so easy to spot), but do start thinking now about this question and how you will respond to it when the time comes. This is applicable whether you are applying now in this 2022 cycle or if you won’t apply until a few years from now. 

COVID-19 is real. 

And we have all had to adapt because of it, in one way or another. It may have impacted your social life: You may have missed out on weddings, awesome vacations, and unnecessary trips to Target. It may have affected your personal life: You may have lost friends and loved ones to the disease. You may have lost your job that was your only source of income. It may have affected your pre-med plans: You may have been set up for a shadowing experience in a physician’s office that was cancelled due to safety restrictions. Or an international medical mission or research experience at another institution that you had planned for the Summer may have been cancelled. You may have had to take organic chemistry online (I don’t even know how that’s possible, but apparently it happened). You may have had to move your MCAT date because the test site closed. Or you may have had to study at home in a house with multiple generations under one roof all making way too much noise to study effectively. What I’m getting at is: surely COVID-19 had some effect on your application. They’re not asking you to make excuses for any poor grades or lack of experiences, but you should be transparent here.

Don’t hang your hat on “blaming” COVID-19.

A word from someone who reviewed many applications and conducted medical school interviews last year: people are out here not missing a.single.beat because of COVID-19. Many pre-med students are still doing amazing things during this time and their applications are SHINING. And that’s what I want for you too. I have seen some of the most innovative experiences this past year; students who made a way out of what seemed like no way, even in the midst of most of the country being shut down. So don’t think everyone is using “but COVID” as an excuse and that it is a pass to not have a complete application. Now I realize that some students aren’t missing a beat because their parents are physicians and could still get them in for medical exposure or because their family dynamics, social status, finances, etc were such that they never had any hardships related to COVID-19. Members of Admissions Committees should take this into consideration but sometimes it’s hard to not compare what some students are doing to what others are doing. So don’t even set yourself up for that possibility…don’t let your application be viewed right after someone’s who didn’t miss a beat and your application appear to be lacking compared to theirs. Get out there and find opportunities that are still available to get you medical exposure, research, service, and leadership experience. Re-read this post if you need ideas. Remember the internet? There’s virtual shadowing, summer experiences have moved to on-line, people are working from their sofas, etc, etc. There are so many new ideas out there to provide you virtual access to the exposure you need to be a strong applicant. Take advantage of it! And if you have an idea for a project but can’t find it in existence already, start it yourself! I realize that some opportunities may be off the table because of COVID-19, but they’re not all off. Furthermore, if you can’t find meaningful service or a research opportunity with all of these COVID-19 projects going on, it maaaay be that you’re just not looking hard enough! 

Find a bright side

Despite the negative impact COVID-19 may have had, your application is a time to show perseverance. So don’t leave the response to this question at “woe is me.” But, be sure to also talk about how you persisted still and are a stronger applicant because of the wrench COVID-19 threw in your plans. Maybe this awful pandemic has solidified your desire to be a physician or this disease that disproportionately affected Black and Brown communities has made you decide you want to practice in a predominately Black or Brown community? Find that “silver-lining” and store it away in your heart…but also put it on your application or slide it into an interview. COVID-19 has taken a lot from us this past year…search within yourself to see if, perhaps, it’s given you something too. 

Are you able to think of any ways that COVID-19 has affected your life as a pre-med student or your preparation to apply to medical school? If so, jot them down now because you’ll need to have that when the time comes to complete your application. And writing it now, in the midst of all this COVID-craziness, is sure to be more impactful than recalling it later.

Do you have questions about what you should, or shouldn’t, include as a response to this? Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email!