Do I link to my music in AMCAS?

[ChrisMack390]

I toured as a musician for a while and have recorded and released an album of original music. Obviously, I will be listing this as a pretty cool EC on my AMCAS. The question is - do I link to where the music can be seen/listened to? This gives me a little more credibility I suppose, but the music is, well a bit 'strange', especially if you are an older and more conservative physician or adcom member. Certainly nothing profane, but a lot of it is electronic music with live instrumentation that I could imagine turning off a portion of the population. Any thoughts?

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[memory tcells]

ooh I want to listen, can you put up a link? I'm not sure if it will be interpreted as "advertising" on SDN though.

 

[Catalystik]

I toured as a musician for a while and have recorded and released an album of original music. Obviously, I will be listing this as a pretty cool EC on my AMCAS. The question is - do I link to where the music can be seen/listened to? This gives me a little more credibility I suppose, but the music is, well a bit 'strange', especially if you are an older and more conservative physician or adcom member. Certainly nothing profane, but a lot of it is electronic music with live instrumentation that I could imagine turning off a portion of the population. Any thoughts?

You may include a link in the AMCAS activities section. Some might listen; some won't have time; some won't care; classicists might be turned off. But it's acceptable to provide the opportunity.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Acceptable, sure. Ideal though?

 

[Catalystik]

Acceptable, sure. Ideal though?

As your assessment is that it might turn off a portion of the population, especially older, stodgy adcomms, it seems like a better bet not to provide the link.

 

[Catalystik]

Or you could give a link to one selection that is less contemporary/discordant/jangly, that might appeal to a grandmother (who isn't yet hearing-impaired).

 

[ChrisMack390]

Hm I could definitely do that.

@Goro I'm curious what you think of this since you are a fan of musicians

 

[Goro]

Do NOT do this. It smacks of show and tell.

I toured as a musician for a while and have recorded and released an album of original music. Obviously, I will be listing this as a pretty cool EC on my AMCAS. The question is - do I link to where the music can be seen/listened to? This gives me a little more credibility I suppose, but the music is, well a bit 'strange', especially if you are an older and more conservative physician or adcom member. Certainly nothing profane, but a lot of it is electronic music with live instrumentation that I could imagine turning off a portion of the population. Any thoughts?

 

[gyngyn]

I haven't seen one of these turn out to be a net positive for an application yet.
I have seen a lot of Indian drums, pageants, sporting events and TED talks, though.

 

[missionarydoctorhopeful]

I haven't seen one of these turn out to be a net positive for an application yet.
I have seen a lot of Indian drums, pageants, sporting events and TED talks, though.

Not trying to hijack this thread but I'm also another avid music composer. Are you saying it is unfavorable for one to put down in their activities section that they are a composer? Or are you distinguishing between that and placing a link?

Btw my music is all piano and pretty soft/mellow.

 

[gyngyn]

Not trying to hijack this thread but I'm also another avid music composer. Are you saying it is unfavorable for one to put down in their activities section that they are a composer? Or are you distinguishing between that and placing a link?

Btw my music is all piano and pretty soft/mellow.

The links haven't worked out yet. Musicians are welcome.

 

[medApplicant12345]

Do NOT do this. It smacks of show and tell.

Are you saying that in general, if you want to express an EC that may be difficult to do in words, adding a link to a video/audio would be bad?

Because I have an EC that is fairly unusual that I have been very successful in (performing art) but it's very difficult to express in words and I think a video would help capture my skill.

I haven't seen one of these turn out to be a net positive for an application yet.
I have seen a lot of Indian drums, pageants, sporting events and TED talks, though.

What is "these" that you are referring to? The odd music choices or the Indian drums, pageants, sporting events and TED talks?

I have a performing art EC that I think including a video to help express the skill would be useful, but I would hope that it's not something that would turn out to be a net negative for my application!

 

[ofthesaints]

OP, I toured for 6 months with a hard rock/hardcore band that has hit "Top 5" recently on Billboard's Top 200 albums. I didn't list any links; just told them the band's name and how the things I learned from the experience could be applied to being a good doctor. IMO, don't put a link in the activity description. I'd bet that many adcoms are not metalheads in my case, and like EDM in yours, so I'd recommend just listing the name of the group and if they're interested in listening to it, they'll look it up themselves.

 

[neekzg]

Are you saying that in general, if you want to express an EC that may be difficult to do in words, adding a link to a video/audio would be bad?

Because I have an EC that is fairly unusual that I have been very successful in (performing art) but it's very difficult to express in words and I think a video would help capture my skill.


What is "these" that you are referring to? The odd music choices or the Indian drums, pageants, sporting events and TED talks?

I have a performing art EC that I think including a video to help express the skill would be useful, but I would hope that it's not something that would turn out to be a net negative for my application!

For future sake of discussing this EC through your essays or potentially at interviews, I would really try to find a way to capture it convincingly through words. I know this may be difficult for some art forms, but it is your duty as the medical school applicant to find ways to articulate your strengths.

 

[7331poas]

A small spin off of this. How do we feel about engineers placing their github in an application? For instance I say I have x projects and describe them. Would it be bad to go further and actually link the source code?

 

[MaxPlancker]

One should be able to describe the quality of work in words whether through descriptions of the accolades or what not. If something has been very successful, there must be a tangible way to measure that success. A link could actually hurt if it doesn't suit someone's taste. More importantly, adcoms are not really the best at discerning the qualities of pieces of art, music, etc so...

 

[MaxPlancker]

Real world example: Recently, an older medical school faculty, life time New Yorker and Broadway fan, paid a tremendous amount of money thru reseller to get tickets to the hit musical "Hamilton," which is almost all rap. I think he dropped some form of the "F" bomb a half dozen times when describing it to me as "how F'***ing dare they call this a musical," and " there was no F***ing music in the damn thing" and "Rap is not F***ing music."

Hahahaha.

 

[gyngyn]

What is "these" that you are referring to? The odd music choices or the Indian drums, pageants, sporting events and TED talks?

When you send us a link as part of your application we are required to review it as part of our due diligence.
Would you want any audience to be required to participate?
We are more interested in your ability to describe how your art is (or is not) relevant to your medical school application, not in the art itself.

 

[gyngyn]

A small spin off of this. How do we feel about engineers placing their github in an application? For instance I say I have x projects and describe them. Would it be bad to go further and actually link the source code?

Describe them if they are relevant to your application.

 

[Goro]

Yes.

A small spin off of this. Would it be bad to go further and actually link the source code?

 

[bumblebee611]

Real world example: Recently, an older medical school faculty, life time New Yorker and Broadway fan, paid a tremendous amount of money thru reseller to get tickets to the hit musical "Hamilton," which is almost all rap. I think he dropped some form of the "F" bomb a half dozen times when describing it to me as "how F'***ing dare they call this a musical," and " there was no F***ing music in the damn thing" and "Rap is not F***ing music."

Sorry, but what exactly did he think it was going to be like?! Sad that someone so educated can't appreciate that even if music isn't his/her personal taste, it can still be well-performed and worthy of recognition.

 

[gyngyn]

Sorry, but what exactly did he think it was going to be like?! Sad that someone so educated can't appreciate that even if music isn't his/her personal taste, it can still be well-performed and worthy of recognition.

We all appreciate this.
Our responses are here to let applicants understand how their applications are viewed, whether we necessarily agree with them or not.

 

[bumblebee611]

We all appreciate this.
Our responses are here to let applicants understand how their applications are viewed, whether we necessarily agree with them or not.

I understand-sorry for derailing a bit. I am just stunned--mostly that someone would invest that much in the Hamilton tickets without even bothering to learn the genre of the music.

 

[bumblebee611]

The genre is broadway musical and there has never been one like this.

I mean, the President went to see it early on in its run. It has generated an insane amount of press. How clueless a New Yorker would you have to be to think it was the standard show tunes? This is like going to see the Book of Mormon and thinking it's going to be a reverent, worshipful treatment of the subject.

 

[Dr.TonySoprano]

I linked to my music and it went very well..

 

[medApplicant12345]

I linked to my music and it went very well..

Could you elaborate? Did adcoms comment highly on your music?

 

[Glashutte32]

Anecdotally, I linked to music for two of my EC's on AMCAS. Of all the interviews I attended, music came up in the majority because of its personal significance to me but none mentioned having listened. It may be that the admissions committee did though.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I decided not to link it. I did indicate it as a most meaningful experience, and if someone really cares that much they can ask me for the links at an interview. Honestly if they really care I gave enough info that they can probably find it.

 

[Dr.TonySoprano]

Could you elaborate? Did adcoms comment highly on your music?

For example, after an interview, I got an unsolicited email from one of my interviewers:

"I just wanted to shoot you a quick email to say that I listened to ‘Skyfall’ on your website. It’s great! You’d definitely enjoy the narrative medicine piece of our curriculum. It goal is to help train our students to realize that the care of the sick unfolds in stories. The effective practice of healthcare requires the ability to recognize, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories (whether they are written, spoken, sung) and plights of others."