Admissions

Neha Vapiwala of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on the uptick in applications to medical programs. “There is a sense of respect and in some cases newfound respect for health-care workers, for scientists, for this idea that during a pandemic, when so many other aspects of life were unavailable or deemed nonessential, that the one source of inspiration was the role of health-care workers, of doctors and nurses on the front lines helping people get through this frightening time,” she said. Olivia Palmer, a first-year medical student from Connecticut, is also interviewed.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg, co-authors of “The College Conversation,” shared an excerpt from their guide to navigating college admissions and freshman year amid the pandemic.

Admissions Dean Neha Vapiwala of the Perelman School of Medicine said some medical schools are waving prerequisites to accommodate students who may have been unable to participate in extracurricular activities earlier this year.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg, authors of “The College Conversation,” wrote about how students should address the pandemic and other current events when writing college-application essays.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda offered advice about writing college admissions essays amid the pandemic. “Students should explain as well as they can the context of their lives during COVID,” he said. “That means hunting deep for insight about how COVID affected them, how they were able to derive meaning from it, how it will impact them moving forward.”

Admissions dean Eric Furda co-authored “The College Conversation,” a book that offers advice to families preparing to apply to college.

Penn has announced that it will not require standardized test scores from next year’s applicants.

MBA admissions officer Blair Mannix spoke about the Wharton School’s new deferred admission program, which allows students in their final year of undergraduate or graduate study to apply for a guaranteed spot in a future MBA class, allowing them to work for two to four years prior to enrollment.