MCAT Update from UCSD School of Medicine
On September 9th, the admissions committee at UCSD updated their MCAT Policy with the following updates:
What Comes Next
Based on this update to the UCSD SOM admissions policy, and despite the above critiques held by ARC, we encourage pre-medical applicants--particularly pre-meds of color, who are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic--to apply to medical school!
If you have already applied, and are considering whether to submit a secondary / interview versus withdraw:
If you are considering whether to apply to UCSD:
Finally, don’t be scared to advocate for yourself! Deans want to hear from you. We want to hear from you. Please reach out to us for assistance with writing your diversity and COVID statements.
Resources for applicants:
Disadvantaged Statement:
- All decisions regarding secondaries and interviews will be made without consideration of MCAT score. The admissions committee is blinded to MCAT status for secondary and interview decisions.
- MCAT scores will be accepted until Jan 2021.
- “We may decide to consider an applicant for an admission decision without an MCAT, on a case-by-case basis, if they were prevented from taking it due to an insurmountable barrier or extenuating circumstance despite a good-faith effort, exclusively per our determination. We will vet applicants in this position for an admissions decision without an MCAT only after they have completed an interview, and not beforehand.”
- Applicants who have taken the MCAT but feel that their score was affected by the pandemic have the option to submit a short statement describing this.
What Comes Next
Based on this update to the UCSD SOM admissions policy, and despite the above critiques held by ARC, we encourage pre-medical applicants--particularly pre-meds of color, who are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic--to apply to medical school!
If you have already applied, and are considering whether to submit a secondary / interview versus withdraw:
- Unless you are barred by financial or other barriers, we encourage you to continue the application process.
- We encourage all applicants to submit a statement regarding the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and other current events have impacted your application.
If you are considering whether to apply to UCSD:
- Admissions decisions are being delayed substantially due to pandemic-related delays. It is possible that applicants who apply relatively “late” in the cycle may not be hurt as much as in previous years.
- However, deciding whether and when to apply to medical school is a very personal decision. We encourage all applicants, and especially applicants of color or those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to reach out to members of the ARC for individual guidance.
Finally, don’t be scared to advocate for yourself! Deans want to hear from you. We want to hear from you. Please reach out to us for assistance with writing your diversity and COVID statements.
Resources for applicants:
Disadvantaged Statement:
pumadisadvantagedstatement.pdf |