Message Regarding COVID-19 and Its Impact on Health Professions Applications 

We are still here to support you! One-on-one virtual appointments through Zoom are available throughout the rest of the spring and summer semesters. Visit Handshake to schedule appointments.

Additionally, many pre-health events will stay on and go live through Zoom. These include our Applicant Seminar Series for those applying this upcoming cycle.

Many of the activities you were involved with or were hoping to pursue this spring or summer have been cancelled or postponed. Most hospitals and clinics have put volunteer programs on hold including our Scripps Mercy trauma surgery internship as well as service and leadership activities. Remember, this is affecting all students nationally.  

Traditionally speaking, most health professions graduate programs want you to earn grades for prerequisites. As of now, there is not a formal consensus from these programs if they will accept prerequisites courses as Pass/Fail. Most are indicating that they will be flexible and accept them but that grades are preferred.

As we learn more about the health professional school policies, we will keep you updated. For now, we advise students to proceed in prerequisite classes as if you are receiving a grade, but wait until closer to the Pass/Fail deadline before making a decision. Hopefully by that time, we will have more information.

One thing to consider doing is to keep your prerequisite course grades as a letter grade, but select other courses as Pass/Fail. This way, you will be able to focus more on prerequisite courses than other courses.  

If you are trying to raise your GPA (total, science, and/or non-science) this semester, you should keep your letter grade as long as you are doing well.

At this point, the application deadlines have not changed. Students who are applying to medical or dental school this upcoming cycle and are not part of the applicant email listserv, please email cagomez@sandiego.edu to be added.  

Weekly emails are being sent with updates and information specific to 2021 applicants.