Miller School Makes Exceptions for Medical School Applicants During an Exceptional Time

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has relaxed some requirements for college seniors applying to medical school, including acceptance of pass/fail grades for current classes.

“We decided to be as compassionate and caring as we could possibly be, recognizing that this is an unparalleled and unprecedented time,” said Richard S. Weisman, Pharm.D., associate dean for admissions and enrollment and professor of pediatrics at the Miller School.

Dr. Richard S. Weisman

Accepting pass/fail grades for spring, and possibly summer, “was one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make in the last two weeks,” Dr. Weisman added.  Most undergraduate schools already have transitioned to pass/fail grading because classes are online.

“We began to hear from students that they were not going to be able to comply with what are normally very rigid requirements, so we got together and decided we needed to do something this year,” Dr. Weisman said.

Applicants for 2021 admission will still need to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the MCAT in March and April and could do the same for test dates scheduled in May and June. The incoming August 2020 class remains unaffected by these cancellations because they completed MCAT requirements last year.

Social distancing during the pandemic has led to similar changes. For example, lab requirements for science courses, in-person research requirements, community service hours, and volunteering or shadowing clinicians in a hospital are no longer possible.

One notable exception is letters of recommendation, which applicants will likely still be able to submit without delay.

Normally, undergraduate seniors would be visiting campus to interview and to get a sense of the medical school, health system and Miami in general. Neither is possible this year. Instead, the Admissions Committee will be interviewing applicants for the Class of 2025 via remote video.

The Class of 2024 students already are accepted or remain on the alternate list. These students will attend a virtual Second Look Day on April 17.

The digital interview works well for interviewers, but Dr. Weisman is concerned that it could shortchange students. “They are basically meeting with someone in a room, without them understanding the culture, the ethnicity, the diversity and all the things that come with being across the street from Jackson Memorial,” he said. “Jackson is a remarkable training institution for us.”

The realities of the COVID-19 pandemic extend to finances as well. Applicants who had two working parents or a solid income at the start of 2020 might find themselves in a different situation, Dr. Weisman said. “We are anticipating there is going to be an awful lot of need that didn’t exist a month ago or two months ago.” The school may have to redo financial packages for next year.

The Miller School is not alone in accepting pass-fail grades this semester. “The prevailing attitude of medical schools across the country is this was not in any way the students’ fault, and they should not in any way be punished,” he said.

Dr. Weisman said the Miller School Admissions Committee plans to remain flexible as the fallout from the pandemic evolves. “It seems like every time we put something together, we think of three other things that are going to be affected. So it’s ongoing.

“It’s going to be a very different year than we’ve ever had before.”

Tags: Admissions Committee, Dr. Richard Weisman, Miller School of Medicine