Is the covid question optional

following

How screwed am I if I scheduled my preview exam on 8/14? Totally my fault for not researching ahead of time 😭

+1 OOS MD secondary!! so hyped 😭

It's not explicitly marked as optional at least... exact same question as last year: "3. Describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your pathway to medical school. Include any academic, personal, financial or professional barriers, as well as other relevant information. (800 characters)"

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It seems like it is not a required field, so I assume the question is meant to be optional.

has anyone just left the COVID question blank in the past and still gotten in? im wondering if this is one of those situations where if you dont answer optional you get marked down

i assume it's optional, especially since a lot of students applying were in high school during covid and it makes sense it would have no real impact on us. if u want u could just write a sentence saying that but im just saying n/a

I wore about how it opened my eyes to health disparities in my home communities and what I did about these issues in my community health work