RETURN TO CAMPUS: JANUARY 2021

No. AUC School of Medicine has elected to waive the MCAT requirement for impacted applicants for the January 2021 semester in cases where the MCAT exam was unavailable due to COVID-19 related interruptions. AUC’s evaluation for admission is conducted on an individual basis and uses a holistic approach. Applicants are required to submit MCAT scores for all attempts in the previous five years. For those applicants who have attempted the MCAT one or more times previously but may have been prevented from a final MCAT attempt also due to testing-center closures, please submit your application with current MCAT scores and consult with an admissions ambassador about your individual situation. NOTE: Recent U.S. Department of Education guidance permits waiving theMCAT requirement for impacted applicants when related to continued COVID-19 related interruptions

That’s ok. Over the past several months, COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the availability of standardized medical school admissions tests in multiple countries. As a result, AUC School of Medicine has elected to waive the standardized admission test requirement for impacted applicants that are applying to the January 2021 semester. Please submit your application and consult with an admissions ambassador about your individual situation.

AUC will return to Sint Maarten to deliver the January 2021 semester using a hybrid approach to our academics. Distance learning will not be conducted after the September 2020 semester.

The semester starts on January 4, 2021. AUC’s policy regarding when to arrive has not changed and students should plan to arrive by no later than January 8, 2021. A full academic calendar is available here.

We know that public campus spaces including the gym, cafeteria, testing center, and study rooms are an important part of your medical school experience—and important to your academic preparation and wellbeing. These spaces will be open but will operate with new safety procedures, reduced occupancies, and potentially different hours to enable proper physical distancing and more stringent cleaning protocols.

We expect to gradually reopen these facilities during the September 2020 semester and will soon announce dates and safety rules for these areas.

Most businesses and public spaces in Sint Maarten are open, including grocery stores, restaurants, businesses, parks, beaches, etc.

Yes. Our Campus Return Team is working hard on ways to safely conduct social events on and off campus.

AUC understands the COVID-19 pandemic has created increased anxiety and uncertainty that affects our entire community. That being said, there is currently no definitive end in sight to the pandemic, and it is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Students will be eligible to take a leave of absence with no academic penalty (similar to the special allowance we offered after Hurricane Irma). Please note however that clinical students are currently working in hospitals, oftentimes directly caring for COVID-19 patients. As future medical professionals you will soon be expected to join your colleagues on the frontlines. Each of us as individuals, and together as a society, will need to come to our own terms with COVID-19.

Yes, you should arrange travel to Sint Maarten with enough time to prepare for our January 4, 2021 start.

Yes, we are ready to begin welcoming students immediately. Before making travel arrangements, please complete our Student Travel Tracker form so that we can plan for your arrival and coordinate your access to campus. Students must also complete the Sint Maarten government’s Electronic Health Authorization System (EHAS) form, which is mandatory for every individual planning to enter the island.

No. There is currently no quarantine requirement for Sint Maarten.

Everyone travelling to Sint Maarten, including all AUC students, faculty, staff and families will need to have a negative RT-PCR Nasal swab within 5 days of arrival (within 120 hours of the last leg of your flight if you have a layover). This negative test result must be uploaded to the government web site prior to boarding your flight to be admitted to Sint Maarten.

Given the changing nature of COVID-19 and each government’s response, travelers should regularly monitor the Sint Maarten government’s travel website at https://stmaartenehas.com/travel-requirements/.

The CDC provides a comprehensive list of travel guidelines with best practices and recommendations.

No. Canadians are able to fly both to the United States for layovers and directly into Sint Maarten.

Please reach out to Dr.  Scott Rinker, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, at [email protected] to discuss how AUC can best troubleshoot your situation. This will be handled on a case by case basis.

The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), commonly known as a coronavirus, is a virus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. For additional information visit the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website. 

According to the World Health Organization, common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. The CDC believes that symptoms may appear in as few as two days or up to 14 days after exposure. 

Students who are immunosuppressed or have a pre-existing medical condition should contact Dr. Scott Rinker, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, at [email protected] to discuss their unique case prior to arranging travel to Sint Maarten.

Precautions can be taken to minimize your risk and prevent exposure and spread of the disease. 

Personal Hygiene 

It is important that we work together to take common sense precautions that can reduce the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.  

Per CDC guidelines 

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, if soap and water are not available. 
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick, even inside your home.
• Practice social distancing with people outside of your home. Stay at least 6 feet from other people.
• Wear a cloth face covering when around others.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. 
• Clean and frequently disinfect common work surfaces. 
• If you or a family member develops a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as a cough or shortness of breath, or are experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms, work with to alert appropriate contacts and practice social distancing.   

The overall trend of COVID-19 has been downward with some daily fluctuations. As of early October there were 200 total confirmed active cases.

AUC’s Campus Return Team has instituted numerous protocols as a part of our comprehensive safety plan. Some elements include symptom screenings with temperature checks upon campus entry, installing hand sanitizer stations, reduced capacity of common spaces, mandatory masks, redirecting pedestrian traffic to utilize one-way routes, and physical barriers in student service areas. We will continue to iteratively improve and implement best practices. Additionally, it should be explicitly clear that AUC has transparent expectations laid out in the student handbook detailing student code of conduct and behavior standards. These principles apply to all COVID-19 policies and students are expected to act accordingly.

A second wave has actually already come and gone in Sint Maarten similar to many communities in the US and around the world. Remember the major challenge with the first wave was flattening the curve to give health care systems the time needed to increase their capacity to care for COVID-19 patients and put safeguards in place. Second waves have largely stayed under the hospital system capacity, which is certainly the case in Sint Maarten. Cases are still expected to occur and the number of individuals affected will fluctuate, however temperate climate and ample outdoor spaces will enable a safe, socially distanced environment for fun, study, and relaxation.

Sint Maarten currently has no travel restrictions and a fairly low rate of COVID-19 incidence. That being said, whether families and loved ones should return is ultimately an individual decision. AUC considers students’ families to be part of the AUC community and they are very welcome, assuming they are comfortable returning.

Yes, both surgical and cloth masks will be available for students and faculty; although be aware you will need masks for travel to and from Sint Maarten and should have your own available.

All AUC students sign a code of conduct agreeing to abide by our policies and as future medical professionals are expected to adhere to them. Individuals found to be non-compliant will have a meeting with Dr. Rinker, Dean of Student Affairs. Each situation is different/unique and will be handled individually on a case by case basis.

All large group lectures will be pre-recorded and posted to Echo360. The large lecture halls will be primarily used for in-person activities with priority given to ICM and clinical skills practice. Anatomy labs and cadaver dissection will also be conducted in-person with social distancing. Select other courses will have in-person components (flipped classrooms, small group case-based learning) as time, space and schedules allow. It is likely that activities will have to be staggered to enable maximal use of our available spaces. Please understand that campus facilities are operating under reduced capacities and we must be creative to allow proper physical distancing for each space. All in-person activities will take place with appropriate PPE.

The large group lecture halls are reserved for in-person activities, so all lectures will be pre-recorded. AUC faculty have been diligently recording new, updated lectures. While lectures will not be presented live, we anticipate having most lectures recently recorded and updated with only a few instances where we will rely on old Echo360 recordings from prior semesters.

Students in semesters 2, 3, 4, and 5 will be able to participate in live small group ICM sessions with Q&A and case discussions. We will gradually introduce these sessions one month into the semester and plan to hold them in the Auditorium with strict social distancing. As the semester progresses, we will start adding additional small group activities from other classes.

Testing will be done in the testing center, with reduced capacity and spacing that will be every other cubicle at a minimum. It will vary by course but many courses will need to have two testing slots to enable all students to use the testing center.

Many local landlords and property owners have agreed to offer 4-month and 8-month lease options. Rising 5th semester students can also request an on-campus housing unit for a single semester term through our Department of Housing and Residential Life. Units will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis so please contact [email protected] as soon as possible to secure your spot.

Additionally, a brand new housing development located just next to campus is expected to open in time for January semester start.

We would like to offer double occupancy rooms to those students who are interested. We are working through those agreements and requirements and will provide an update shortly.

No. The January 2021 semester plans have no bearing on your tuition and fees, which have been set for the entire academic year (September 2020 - September 2021). In July, AUC and our Board of Directors approved a tuition freeze understanding the financial hardships that medical students and their families are facing as a result of the pandemic. We continue to work hard to find efficiencies and keep costs down while investing in educational resources, innovation, and university-wide safety measures.