Submit questions and find previous responses here!
Q: I’m at junior year in undergrad. How do you highlight your strength through your extra-curricular activities when you apply?
A: In general, you want to talk about how your extra-curricular activities were meaningful to you. You can highlight your strengths by talking about what you did in them and what they taught you. For example, if you led a student volunteer group in college, you could highlight your leadership skill by talking about how you assigned people shifts and managed everyone’s schedule. You can also talk about how you managed when conflicts arose between volunteers. Overall, just talk about extra-curricular that were meaningful to you and show what you did in them.
Q: How well has HSDM responded to the COVID crisis?
A: This is a great question, and it really gets at some of the often overlooked qualities of a school that can either make or break your 4-year experience. When the news first broke out, clinics were swiftly closed and didactics moved online. HSDM managed to get all of our 4th years graduating on time with minimal hitches. The rest of the classes have had their didactics front-loaded online. The situation is still evolving, but the school is focusing their efforts on mitigating disturbances in our education, both during the remote learning and after we return. There are planned changes to each year’s curriculum and clinic hours to ensure that students get the clinical experience they need. Through this extraordinary period, we’re reminded of the blessing of being a smaller school. Everyone’s situation is being taken into account, and decisions internal to the school can be made collectively and quickly.