Covid-19 Information for Fall 2023 Cycle Norton College of Medicine Applicants
To our valued applicants,
We know that you have worked tirelessly to prepare yourself to apply to medical school and we look forward to reviewing your application. We realize that we are living in quite unprecedented times. At Upstate, we are quite fluid in our thinking and will continue to monitor the COVID-19 crisis very closely. The well-being of our community, students and prospective students remains our top priority. That being said, below are some answers on what we imagine to be your top concerns as it relates to the impact of this COVID-19 pandemic. Please be sure to check back for regular updates as we continue to monitor the situation closely. Above all, be well and be safe.
MCAT
For the admissions cycle of 2022-2023, with matriculation in Fall 2022, we have decided to accept MCAT scores from 4 years prior to the time of application. For this cycle, 2018 scores are the oldest we will accept. If your MCAT scores are on the older end of this timeline, it will be important to note that more recent grades and activities will be particularly paid attention to in the review process. You will want to seriously consider if a new score may be beneficial when evaluating your academic record. Additionally, you will want to make sure you address any weaknesses in your application. Although, we do recommend this to all applicants, regardless of when your MCAT was last taken.
Prerequisite Courses
If your undergraduate institution has required students to go to Pass/Fail coursework, we will accept this. We do suggest that if this is optional, you do your best to take the medical school prerequisites for a letter grade. We also suggest that if you must take a Pass/Fail in a prerequisite, that you try to take an additional upper-level science course this fall to demonstrate additional competency in the subject area.
In the wake of the current situation, we realize that some of your prerequisites for this spring 2020 semester may not have allowed you to complete the lab component. We will certainly still give this full consideration and will be as flexible as possible. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Online Courses
We realize that undergraduate schools are offering more online courses during this time. We will certainly accept online courses if they are offered by the school at which the candidate was already enrolled. For students who are beyond their undergraduate education, we will accept online courses undertaken to meet prerequisites as long as this current crisis persists. In-person courses, if available, are preferred, however.
BLS Certification
In the wake of COVID-19, incoming medical students are required to take the Basic Life Support are able to take this course:
or in Syracuse