Secondary question: COVID prompts

[Unsweet_Tea_Enthusiast]

Vandy has this prompt:

Optional: If applicable, please describe how the COVID-19 outbreak affected your pathway to medical school. You may discuss any academic, personal, financial, or professional alterations to your plans. NOTE: Disclosing certain hardships or obstacles that have been faced during this time will not negatively affect an application. (200 words)

The COVID-19 outbreak did affect my pathway to medical school because I took a year off between my third and fourth years of undergrad. I took that year and did full-time research, and made it into a productive year that ultimately led to a change in my career path (MD to MD-PhD).

Someone pointed out to me, however, that this prompt should be reserved for hardships and obstacles. I feel like it was a difficult time for everyone, but I definitely had it "less bad" because I had a great time working full-time and living with my family again. Should I skip the prompt altogether? Or do you see merit in answering and explaining how it affected my career, even if it wasn't necessarily a "hardship"?

What do you think?

Thank you!

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[eatfresh]

I think you should be fine in discussing that because this specific prompt seems pretty broad in the sense that it's not just asking about hardships but about anything that "affected your pathway to medical school", including "professional alterations to your plans." I would just be careful copying and pasting your answer onto other covid prompts from other secondaries which may have slightly different wordings that are more specifically asking about struggles/obstacles caused by the pandemic.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'll also say that interrupting your schooling due to the pandemic is fair game to mention in the essay, especially if you are saying it was key to adding the PhD element.

 

[LizzyM]

It seems very reasonable to explain here the break in your education and what you did during that break which coincided with the pandemic.

 

[Unsweet_Tea_Enthusiast]

Thank you all so much!

It seems very reasonable to explain here the break in your education and what you did during that break which coincided with the pandemic.

I'll also say that interrupting your schooling due to the pandemic is fair game to mention in the essay, especially if you are saying it was key to adding the PhD element.

I think you should be fine in discussing that because this specific prompt seems pretty broad in the sense that it's not just asking about hardships but about anything that "affected your pathway to medical school", including "professional alterations to your plans." I would just be careful copying and pasting your answer onto other covid prompts from other secondaries which may have slightly different wordings that are more specifically asking about struggles/obstacles caused by the pandemic.