Q: Will Holy Cross laboratory classes taught online be accepted as prerequisites for medical, dental, and other health professional graduate schools?
A: While there is no published policy for online courses, we have been communicating with medical schools and are assured there is no reason to be concerned that our courses won’t be accepted as prerequisites. Many, many colleges and universities are offering all or most of their courses online, including universities with medical, dental, and other health professional programs. As long as online courses are offered as part of a college’s regular offerings, there is no reason to think they won’t be accepted.
Q: What guidance is there for students considering a gap year?
A: Our advice is to take laboratory science classes at Holy Cross. The guidance medical schools admissions offices have given us is they expect to see basic science courses to be taken at the home institution, as part of a full academic load.
Q: What will health professions advising at Holy Cross look like during this online semester?
A: Our advising work is largely unchanged – just the platform is changing. We will still offer the same individual appointments, except through Zoom or by phone. Likewise, we will hold our typical meetings and workshops using distance platforms. We plan to have alumni health professionals and admissions offices hold virtual events. In addition, Associate Advisor Dr. Keith Muccino, SJ, MD. is developing a number of modules and video podcasts on such topics as identity/career discernment, interviewing skills, personal statement writing, diagnostic reasoning, interacting with patients, and several others.