*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2012-2013*~*~*~*

Get Your Med School Admissions Questions Answered!
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1) if my parents went to med school in another country, do i have personally type in the name of those schools or do I just keep it as "Foreign College Not Coded"?

2) for parents' income during the majority of childhood to eighteen, do we just average the income or put down the most common amount? since my parents worked in china for half of my childhood their income converted into dollars is significantly less than the normal income in the u.s...

3) i took some independent research courses under the psychiatry & biobehavioral sciences department... can i classify them as biology?

4) for independent research courses, you classify them as just lab right...? or lec & lab?


thank you!
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Do our letter writers really need to include the AMCAS ID number on their letters even if they're submitting through AMCAS letter services? Isn't that a little redundant?
 
Hi guys,

I have transferred 90 credit hours of my first bachelor in Biology which I have done it in an non-US institution in Middle East to an American university (Northeastern Illinois University) and I just need to do 20 or so credits to get a second bach in Chemistry.

All the prereqs (biology, chemistry, orgo, physics) are also transferred. I emailed AMCAS and they replied that any courses on your American transcript would be verified.

I was wondering would this verification be adequate for most of medical schools (I know there are a few schools like Northwestern, or Rush that ask at least 90 credits to be finished in US), or I need to redo these courses.

Your help would be much appreciated.
 
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If you are a rising senior and will have finished all prerequisites by fall semester, do you still have to include future courses for next spring? What if one doesn't know? Should I put down an educated guess? What if I change my mind? Thanks.
 
no beans said:
If you are a rising senior and will have finished all prerequisites by fall semester, do you still have to include future courses for next spring? What if one doesn't know? Should I put down an educated guess? What if I change my mind? Thanks.
Click to expand...

It's not binding. I'm sure best guess would suffice.
 
Anyone know about this before I delete my whole essay and attempt retyping it?

dreamer67 said:
On the essay summary page, I am seeing added spaces between words, like experiencing is showing as experiencin g. I don't see this on the PDF of my application though. Is any one else experiencing this?
Click to expand...
 
dreamer67 said:
Anyone know about this before I delete my whole essay and attempt retyping it?
Click to expand...

I'm having the same problem with mine too. There will be a random extra space or a deleted space every now and then. I've tried retyping and the spaces come back in different spots, I think it's just glitchy.
 
I received an email saying that my transcript was received but I cannot find a place on the actual application that says this - does anyone know where it lists this? I'm also waiting on one more transcript to be received. My application will not be complete until all transcripts are received, correct? So I might as well not submit until both are there?
 
"June 5
Applications may be submitted
June 29
Data transferred to medical schools"

does this mean the only thing i can do in june is verify my app and submit it? secondaries won't even be released until july?
 
runnergirl90 said:
I received an email saying that my transcript was received but I cannot find a place on the actual application that says this - does anyone know where it lists this? I'm also waiting on one more transcript to be received. My application will not be complete until all transcripts are received, correct? So I might as well not submit until both are there?
Click to expand...

Go to the Main Menu and click "details" on the left.
 
Should I list the future courses I'm taking this fall? One of the classes I'm taking in the fall is a bio lab course that is a requirement for some schools I'm applying to. If I did this, would I have to list the courses I'd take in the spring? I'm not sure exactly what I'll be taking aside from 2 classes so I'm not sure how I'd go about doing that...


I've done a search and I can't find a definitive answer. Some say you should not put future courses down since you can't get a transcript for them. Some say you should put all courses down especially if they are pre reqs.

Thanks
 
I'm having some trouble entering foreign coursework. I did a semester of medical school in my native country before moving to the US and getting my bachelors. I didn't transfer any credits. I called AMCAS and emailed them, as well as read the manual, but was unable to obtain a clear answer. I know that for foreign coursework not transferred they don't require nor accept transcripts, and usually you don't need to list courses, just the school, but for MD coursework you need to list it. Usually though when you list foreign coursework you shouldn't list grades and credits, because they can't verify it, but in the manual it says to list grades for MD courses, except they never say anything about grades for MD in another country. I know this is confusing and like a huge exception, but if anyone know if I should enter the grades and credits I would appreciate the help.

Also regarding the same topic, should I list the courses as graduate level or freshman? (I did it before getting my bachelors, but where I come from MD is not a graduate level, it's straight out of high school)

Thanks!
 
DAPI said:
Here is the deal, I'm a senior and plan on applying this cycle. I already sent in a transcript without my spring grades because I initially wanted to submit on June 5th, and did not think my grades would make all that much of a difference. But now I'm a little concerned I will not actually submit on June 5th because I have quite a bit to do between now and then and want to make the application the best it can be. Because of this delay, I thought I may as well include my spring grades as they will likely be available within the first 2 weeks of the application being open.

I am curious as to if I can send in a new transcript when my grades are available in early June (before submitting) or will this screw everything up? - cause they will now have two from the same school.

BTW, my spring grades will take me from a cGPA of 3.752 to 3.775 and a sGPA of 3.810 to 3.818.

Let me know your thoughts

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Incase anyone else read this and was curious as to an answer, I called AMCAS and they said they would take the most recent transcript w/o any problems. I talked to the guy for sometime and what I learned is they will look at the most recent transcript they have when they review it, not necessarily when I hit submit. So if you are a gambling man, you can hit submit on June 5th w/o the new transcript actually showing as received and hope they have it and include the new grades.

My plan is just to wait 'till it actually shows as it should be like June 7th or so based on my estimates as to how fast my university gets transcripts out (they said 2-3 days), how long it takes the USPS to get them to AMCAS, and for it to show as received. I will still be VERY early, and give my GPA a little boost :D

FWIW to future applicants, I would recommend this type of strategy. It allows you to send in a transcript w/o spring grades and then wait for spring grades to be posted and decide if you want to include the new ones depending on courses you took and the grades you go in them. That way if your GPA takes a slight hit the last semester, schools will not know until they have already accepted you, and a small hit is not going to make a difference at that point, but it could have when determining to offer you and interview or accept you over another candidate who had similar stats and EC's.
 
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You know how everyone says to submit AMCAS early. Does that mean to submit it on June 1st, when it opens, or for example June 28th, the date of transmission.
 
for the question asking if "you or members of your immediate family ever used federal or state assistance programs".. so if my sibling has "reduced/free lunch" since 2 years ago, does that count? how about if I get cal grants or university grants for tuition?
 
June 28th is the day when all VERIFIED amcas primaries will be submit to the schools designated on them. verification can take up to 6 weeks. ie if you submit your primary june 28th it will NOT be ready to go to schools by the next day.
 
What are peoples thoughts on copy/paste for the PS. I copied out of word and it looks fine in the pdf format but I was wondering if I should still take the time to rewrite it into AMCAS. how are others handling this?
 
So if I, along with my siblings, received reduced lunch before age 18, that should or should count as using federal/state assistance programs? Based on LizzyM's post, it seems like she was saying full-priced lunch wouldn't be counted, but free/reduced would.

ilovemedi said:
for the question asking if "you or members of your immediate family ever used federal or state assistance programs".. so if my sibling has "reduced/free lunch" since 2 years ago, does that count? how about if I get cal grants or university grants for tuition?
Click to expand...

Wolverine Fan said:
It's a pretty big stretch:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=12493739&postcount=314
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=12494065&postcount=317

Both of these replies are on this thread... check out a few more posts above them, too.
Click to expand...
 
i think the dates changed slightly this year. june 5th (tuesday) is the earliest to submit. med schools get to see your stuff on june 29th ^.^
 
And just to go off the post above, if both my brother and I qualified for reduced-fee lunches, would we be considered economically disadvantaged?

would I also be considered educationally disadvantaged if only 10% of my HS graduating class attended a four-year college?
 
Do med schools see if the classes that we took are "online" ones?
 
AMCAS still hasn't received my transcript.. My school sent it on the 21st. Anyone having a similar problem?
 
^I sent mine in May 23rd and still haven't received word yet. They're probably backed up because of Memorial Day, I'd probably expect them to be in tomorrow or early next week.
 
I'm noticing that as I'm entering my activities, they are going in in a different order than they are entered, but not chronologically nor by category. Am I doing something wrong or is everyone noticing this? Is there any way to enter them chronologically or by category? Thanks, it's just a mish-mesh that doesn't make any order sense.
 
DOCTAfoHIRE said:
What are peoples thoughts on copy/paste for the PS. I copied out of word and it looks fine in the pdf format but I was wondering if I should still take the time to rewrite it into AMCAS. how are others handling this?
Click to expand...

You might try to copy/paste into textEdit, scroll down and click on plain text, then you can copy/paste into AMCAS. This keeps the formatting right. Also, I have heard that adcoms see what you see in pdf format, so if your pdf format looks fine, it should supposedly be good. HTH.
 
I cannot see the early decision process (EDP) option for my state schools at AMCAS. Do my med schools to apply need to enable that for my account before?
 
crazypilovee said:
1) if my parents went to med school in another country, do i have personally type in the name of those schools or do I just keep it as "Foreign College Not Coded"?

2) for parents' income during the majority of childhood to eighteen, do we just average the income or put down the most common amount? since my parents worked in china for half of my childhood their income converted into dollars is significantly less than the normal income in the u.s...

3) i took some independent research courses under the psychiatry & biobehavioral sciences department... can i classify them as biology?

4) for independent research courses, you classify them as just lab right...? or lec & lab?


thank you!
Click to expand...

anyone? even answering one of the questions will be helpful!!
 
I have 2 questions regarding listing AP credit in AMCAS that I haven't found the answer for in this thread.

1. Since the AP courses have to be listed as part of Freshman year Fall semester, should I list them before the actual courses that I took in college that semester, or should I first list my freshman fall college courses and then the AP courses?

2. In the AMCAS tutorial, she listed the course as "AP Credit: Calculus." My transcript lists them as "AP: Calculus." I know she mentioned we should follow our transcript, so should I list the credit as my transcript does (AP: Calculus) instead of the way she did (AP Credit: Calculus)?

Sorry for asking such neurotic-sounding questions. I just want to make sure AMCAS doesn't have problems matching my transcript with what I enter. I don't know how nit picky they are.
 
An MD Hopeful said:
I have 2 questions regarding listing AP credit in AMCAS that I haven't found the answer for in this thread.

1. Since the AP courses have to be listed as part of Freshman year Fall semester, should I list them before the actual courses that I took in college that semester, or should I first list my freshman fall college courses and then the AP courses?

2. In the AMCAS tutorial, she listed the course as "AP Credit: Calculus." My transcript lists them as "AP: Calculus." I know she mentioned we should follow our transcript, so should I list the credit as my transcript does (AP: Calculus) instead of the way she did (AP Credit: Calculus)?
Click to expand...

1 and 2. Just like your transcript. (My AP courses were listed before my freshman year, so I put those first.)
 
question...

1) if I took a course under the name BIOLOGY but want to classify it as PSYCHOLOGY (its cross listed with psych), can I do that or no?

2) can I classify a WRITING course as ENGLISH?

thanks!
 
Not really sure how to enter this, any advice would be appreciated:
I graduated undergrad and then immediately started a graduate program at the same school, which i did for one semester, then withdrew during the second and changed my status to post-bac but took no further classes. When I'm entering colleges & coursework, do I list the courses I took after graduating as graduate, or can I list them as postbac since I ended up changing my status to that? I only ask because I fear that switching out of a graduate program may look not so great and I'd like to avoid drawing attention to that if possible.
 
I sent my transcript to AMCAS, but my school is on the quarter system and I want my spring grades to be included. Can you send a transcript twice and they'll take the most recent?
 
I've encountered a problem with the AMCAS application due to a mistake on my part. I took the MCAT last July, but did not apply, so I was already in the AAMC system. This May, I registered for the AMCAS under a different username because I did not realize the two were intertwined. I plan on taking the MCAT again this July. I have contacted AMCAS and they said my two accounts cannot be merged until my test date. This means that I would be sending in my application as if I had not taken the MCAT before. I suppose this isn't important until AMCAS processes the applications. Or it may not really be a problem at all, since I'm registered to take another MCAT, schools wouldn't look at my application until those scores came in? As of now I am registered for July 26th to take the MCAT, though I am looking to move up to an earlier date. Any suggestions on how to approach this issue?
 
I'm not sure if this is too nit-picky, but in my transcript, the credit hours include decimals...for example, it will have 4.00 (not just 4). Should I include the decimal points so that they match the transcript exactly, or should I leave out the decimals?
 
Does AMCAS send your actual transcript to med schools, or just the grades? The reason I ask is because my spring grades are out, but other info like class sizes, median grades, degrees, etc. are not on there yet. I'd like this info to be visible to med schools, so I was wondering if I should wait or just send the transcript to AMCAS now.
 
Hi!

My AMCAS is just about ready to go for Tuesday, but I was wondering if I have to/how to report my enrollment in an SMP for the 2012-2013 academic year? We don't register for classes until July-August, so how would I report coursework? Also, I don't know what program "track" I'll be in until that same time.

Thanks for the help!
 
x3virgie said:
And just to go off the post above, if both my brother and I qualified for reduced-fee lunches, would we be considered economically disadvantaged?

would I also be considered educationally disadvantaged if only 10% of my HS graduating class attended a four-year college?
Click to expand...


anybody know?
 
amonymous said:
Does AMCAS send your actual transcript to med schools, or just the grades? The reason I ask is because my spring grades are out, but other info like class sizes, median grades, degrees, etc. are not on there yet. I'd like this info to be visible to med schools, so I was wondering if I should wait or just send the transcript to AMCAS now.
Click to expand...

AMCAS doesn't send your transcripts. They only verify your coursework section with your transcript.
 
My transcript lists my minor but I recently decided to drop my minor AFTER I sent my transcript to AMCAS. Should I still put down my minor on the application? Thanks!
 
Two quick questions:

1. I put that I have a minor on my AMCAS application, and I will be taking the taking the courses necessary to get it during my senior year. But I haven't actually declared it since my school recommends to declare the minor after fulfilling all the requirements. Is it OK to keep it on my AMCAS?

2. I withdrew from one course, and I listed it as W for my grade and 0 credits earned. I left "course type" blank even though one of the options is "Withdrawal (W)." Can I leave this "course type" out, just putting the W as my grade instead? I want to leave it out because I don't want extra things drawing attention to it.

Thanks!
 
essence25 said:
question about transcript, please bear with me...
I know it has been stated clearly that you should send in a transcript from every university you attended. BUT here's my situation: I took a French course last summer through a French university in Canada, I did not transfer it to my university, so there's no indication whatsoever that I took that course at all on my university transcript.
The thing about requesting a transcript from that French university is that I'm really afraid that there's going to be some kind of mix up with the language issue, and my verification will be delayed and if there is I can't even call that university and ask (my French ability is, um, non-conversational.) so my question is: what if I didn't put down this course? how will the AMCAS people know?

Merci! (see what I did there?)
Click to expand...

anyone?
 
essence25 said:
anyone?
Click to expand...

You are going to have to bite the bullet and find a way to get a transcript request. AMCAS does not leave room for "buts". Your only other option is to contact AMCAS and ask their opinion directly. Either way, my guess is you'll be figuring out how to get the transcript, a way better option than dealing with a lengthy delay of verification.
 
skargylejohn said:
You are going to have to bite the bullet and find a way to get a transcript request. AMCAS does not leave room for "buts". Your only other option is to contact AMCAS and ask their opinion directly. Either way, my guess is you'll be figuring out how to get the transcript, a way better option than dealing with a lengthy delay of verification.
Click to expand...

but how would they even know I took the course? this "course" I took was just for fun, as part of a French immersion program sponsored by the Canadian government. I actually did quite well in the course... Delay of verification is exactly why I'm anxious about sending a transcript...
 
I am still waiting for 1 (out of 2 total) transcript to arrive... should I wait till it gets there to submit or go ahead and submit on June 5?
 
Wolverine Fan said:
You have three options, as I see it:

  1. Send the transcript
    Mail stopped taking months to travel across the Atlantic when airplanes started delivering it - back in 1911. As a result of this change, people were able to communicate via mail within days. It's hard to believe, I know!
  2. Submit a "Transcript Exception Request"
    AMCAS is able to give transcript exceptions for foreign college coursework in which no credits were transferred to a school in the US or in Canada. See the manual for more details.
  3. Lie on Your AMCAS Application
    You're a ******* if you choose to blatantly lie on an application that allows you to pursue the career you'll be in for the rest of your life. It's already clear you don't want to send the transcript, though, because you're asking us "but how would they even know I took the course?". Next time, plan ahead and get the transcript delivered on May 1, instead of waiting until the weekend before you want to submit the application.
Click to expand...
you are really good at making people feel ashamed, you know that? I just have this intense fear that something will go wrong and my application will be held up due to ONE course. I guess I'm looking for an easy way out...
I'll contact the school for the transcript, maybe via fax, so it's faster. I'll call AMCAS and describe my situation, also the transcript would be in French so I'll have to ask if they need a translated copy... sounds like a plan?
 
My letter writers are lagging. Can I submit my application to have the transcripts verified, then add the letters afterwards?
 
Okay, this is going to be a stupid question, but am I getting it right that letters must be submitted through AAMC and I cannot just use interfolio directly?
 
TriagePreMed said:
Okay, this is going to be a stupid question, but am I getting it right that letters must be submitted through AAMC and I cannot just use interfolio directly?
Click to expand...

I think it was in the AMCAS Guide with even more detail, but this is what I found on a quick search:

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/faqs/147760/amcas_2010_faqs-17.9.html

http://www.interfolio.com/blog/post...rs-of-recommendation-from-interfolio-to-amcas

Haven't tried it yet as exactly NONE of my letters writes have sent one in yet!
 
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