To Be...A Spartan MD

These continue to be very unusual times. As such, we recognize that the COVID-19 crisis is life-disrupting for everyone and that colleges and universities are navigating this crisis in varying ways. Note: This post was updated on 5/13/20 Winter/Spring 2020 Grades Many of our current and future applicants are facing uncertainty about how 2020 winter and spring courses will be graded, including coursework that is traditionally considered prerequisite or recommended for many medical school admissions processes. The challenge for medical school admissions committees is that accurate and specific information is always preferred. When committees are faced with ambiguity, their bias may factor a “Pass” grade on par with a “C/D” or “2.0/1.0” rather than a higher grade. So, if you have an option to proceed with a letter grade for prerequisite coursework, many schools (including the College of Human Medicine) would prefer this option. For those of you in which a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory...

They call themselves MI COVIDsitters. They are medical, nursing and other health care students not yet ready for the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, but wanting to help somehow. “I’d been reading the stories about how the hospitals are overwhelmed like a war zone,” Jordan Griep, third-year MSU College of Human Medicine student, said. "If we can’t be there helping them, at the very least, it would be nice to set something up to help the people who are working there.” That’s when he heard of a group of medical students at the University of Minnesota, calling themselves MN COVIDsitters, offering health care workers a range of free services, including childcare, petsitting and household errands. A group of Ross University medical students had already set up a similar program in the Detroit area and created a MI COVIDsitters web page . Griep and Claire Krohn, another College of Human Medicine student, offered to head a West Michigan chapter. Griep posted informatio...

Justin Robinson, a third-year medical student from Inkster, Michigan, has been named the first Miles Family Scholar. The Katherine B. and Floyd W. Miles Endowed Scholarship fund was recently established by Katherine Miles, to support African American medical students and in honor of her late husband, Tuskegee Airman Floyd W. Miles. A long-time Grand Rapids, Michigan resident, Kathryn Miles had a significant career in housing and urban policy. The scholarship will be awarded annually to students who meet its criteria. Robinson admits he is extremely honored and humbled to be the first of many to receive the award. “I really appreciate what the Miles family has done, and plan to keep moving the ball forward to continue the Miles legacy,” Robinson said. See Robinson's heartfelt video message to the Miles family here .