How long does the AMCAS application take to complete?

[TomW]

I'm trying to plan ahead a bit here. I know it's not a short application, but just how long does it take to complete on average? 2 hours? 6 hours? 10+ hours?

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[625233]

I haven't done it yet, but it looks like 3-4 hours

 

[cactusinmyhead]

The longest part of the application is writing your personal statement. There is also a "work/acitivties" section where you list any clinical, volunteer, work experience, awards, hobbies, etc. And you get to write a small explanation of each of them. But if you have your personal statement and work/activities descriptions written it won't take long at all....2 hours max to fill everything out and copy/paste stuff in.

 

[DocFarnsworth]

how fast can you type

 

[Promethean]

About a year, in my experience.

Seriously, it isn't something you sit down and do all at once, unless you are one of the most organized and prepared students ever. You will pick it up and put it down, and need to log in a few times over the course of at least a few days. You will need to check some bit of info that you hadn't realized it would ask for, or confirm something that you don't want to enter incorrectly. That is what makes it tedious. The actual data entry of it, depending on how much or little you need to say about yourself, can be done pretty quickly. It is the quality assurance stuff that took so long for me.

And that horrible personal statement. That is what took about a year.

 

[TomW]

The longest part of the application is writing your personal statement. There is also a "work/acitivties" section where you list any clinical, volunteer, work experience, awards, hobbies, etc. And you get to write a small explanation of each of them. But if you have your personal statement and work/activities descriptions written it won't take long at all....2 hours max to fill everything out and copy/paste stuff in.

Thanks. Hopefully it won't take that long then since I'm pretty much done with my personal statement.


One more question I should ask - I plan on submitting my AMCAS application on June 1st. However, I am going to be engaging in a few significant ECs later this summer and in early fall (volunteer trip, EMT certification). Is there a way to update AMCAS or the schools to which I'm applying on these updated ECs? I wouldn't want to list them now since they haven't even occurred yet - at the same time, I don't want the schools to be unaware of these ECs either...

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

Actually filling out the app takes a good few hours but taking into account personal statement planning/writing, filling in EC descriptions, etc took about four months. As for any updates, you can usually send them in with many secondaries when they start rolling in late July/August. Many schools will put a section for updates and some will accept updates pre-interview with EC's, grades, etc via email.

 

[cactusinmyhead]

Thanks. Hopefully it won't take that long then since I'm pretty much done with my personal statement.


One more question I should ask - I plan on submitting my AMCAS application on June 1st. However, I am going to be engaging in a few significant ECs later this summer and in early fall (volunteer trip, EMT certification). Is there a way to update AMCAS or the schools to which I'm applying on these updated ECs? I wouldn't want to list them now since they haven't even occurred yet - at the same time, I don't want the schools to be unaware of these ECs either...

oh, and another thing is adding all the courses you've taken. That can take some time.

You cant't make changes to AMCAS after submitting, but most schools allow updates

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Took me a week or so. Inputting the info only takes a few hours, but I would wait a day or so and double-check EVERYTHING again to make sure it is correct. Especially your list of coursework. It is very difficult (and for some sections impossible) to make edits after you submit it.

 

[emraldragon]

The longest section to physically enter for me was the coursework. I managed it in a couple of hours while having a movie on in the background. The personal statement took several rewrites over the course of a couple of months. What I didn't plan on was how long it would take to write the work/activities section--not as long as the personal statement of course, but its not a quick two second type either. Also, if you haven't thought to actually do this yet, pre-write your secondaries. I wish I'd known.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Course work is tedious to enter, important to get correct. The activities took awhile to draft, double check hours, figure out who is the contact. For the 3 most important activities, it is a mini PS. As this is your first impression, make it count, no typos/grammar errors. I did this 2 years ago, but never submitted, took a couple of gap years. GLad I kept a copy to just update.

 

[Catalystik]

Is there a way to update AMCAS or the schools to which I'm applying on these updated ECs? I wouldn't want to list them now since they haven't even occurred yet - at the same time, I don't want the schools to be unaware of these ECs either...

You cant't make changes to AMCAS after submitting, but most schools allow updates

And many will have suitable Secondary essay prompts that will allow you to mention them.

 

[gorte002]

It seems to vary. Take as long as you need to (while still having it ready to submit early on), and make sure that you are satisfied with the application. You also want to make sure that your EC section accurately describes you and showcases your good qualities.

 

[TaroBubbleTea]

Took me a few weeks. I went over my PS and Activities sections like crazy. Definitely do not submit until you are ready, even if that means submitting AFTER the first day one can submit!

 

[katefromlost]

I took two months averaging fifteen hours per week. I was paranoid of having a typo