*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2014-2015*~*~*~*

[yunsenb]

so um just got my secondary from state school. Not verified by amcas yet tho...what is going on?!

I've heard many schools send secondaries regardless of your AMCAS being verified.

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[billdog]

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[poeir]

What is the latest we can be entirely complete (amcas verified and done with secondaries, LORs in, etc) and still considered early? I am a re-applicant and was complete for my schools on 9/13 last year, which is pretty late i think.... I was hoping to better my chances this year by being complete earlier, but I haven't felt ready to submit yet. Getting anxious that I may be repeating my mistake from last year. I'm aiming to submit July 10th, but would that be too late?

 

[Osteoth]

So what if I am verified by AMCAS, my letters have been in for a while, but on my secondary apps. the letters don't show up?

 

[thenykway]

Just submitted today, July 2nd and it is ready for review. Anyone have a good estimate of how long it will take for me to be verified and how long it will take for my secondaries to come in?

 

[NYCdude]

Just submitted today, July 2nd and it is ready for review. Anyone have a good estimate of how long it will take for me to be verified and how long it will take for my secondaries to come in?

How is that possible? On the AMCAS site, it says June 15th submissions are ready for review?

 

[thenykway]

How is that possible? On the AMCAS site, it says June 15th submissions are ready for review?

It says:
Application Status:Submitted to AMCAS - Ready for Review
and then when I click for more info it says:
"AMCAS has received a copy of all required transcripts and has placed the application in line to be reviewed by an AMCAS verifier."

 

[NYCdude]

It says:
Application Status:Submitted to AMCAS - Ready for Review
and then when I click for more info it says:
"AMCAS has received a copy of all required transcripts and has placed the application in line to be reviewed by an AMCAS verifier."

Oh okay, that makes sense. Typically takes 4-6 weeks to get verified. Not sure when secondaries get sent out.

 

[motz]

OK, for works and activities, do I do resume style or write in first person and complete sentences? If I write in resume style, it sounds weird to describe the organization I worked for then switch to sentences missing a subject.

"The Student Council did this, that, and this. Assisted in X, Y, Z."

Different help guides say different things. What to do?

 

[Catalystik]

What is the latest we can be entirely complete (amcas verified and done with secondaries, LORs in, etc) and still considered early? I am a re-applicant and was complete for my schools on 9/13 last year, which is pretty late i think.... I was hoping to better my chances this year by being complete earlier, but I haven't felt ready to submit yet. Getting anxious that I may be repeating my mistake from last year. I'm aiming to submit July 10th, but would that be too late?

If you have everything in so your entire application is ready for review at each school, you will not be "late" if it's before 9/1. If you submit July 10, you won't be "early" (considering how long verification is likely to take), but there's nothing wrong with being "average."

 

[Catalystik]

Just submitted today, July 2nd and it is ready for review. Anyone have a good estimate of how long it will take for me to be verified and how long it will take for my secondaries to come in?

DAPI’s AMCAS days to transcript verification graph (2010-2013): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tions-thread-2014-2015.1062247/#post-15178519

 

[Catalystik]

OK, for works and activities, do I do resume style or write in first person and complete sentences? If I write in resume style, it sounds weird to describe the organization I worked for then switch to sentences missing a subject.

"The Student Council did this, that, and this. Assisted in X, Y, Z."

Different help guides say different things. What to do?

See my response to your other post asking this question in the Work/Activities Tips Thread.

 

[Catalystik]

so um just got my secondary from state school. Not verified by amcas yet tho...what is going on?!

All schools don't screen an application to be sure you meet their criteria before asking you to shell out Secondary fees. I'm sure these funds are a good source of income for med schools, so why delay filling up the institutional coffers?

 

[thenykway]

Hey all!

I submitted my primaries 2 days ago but now I want to add another school to my list.

Is it possible to do that? And if so, will it delay how long it takes for my other schools to get my primary or delay the verification process?

I would truly appreciate someones help in this matter!

 

[nicmar22]

Hey all!

I submitted my primaries 2 days ago but now I want to add another school to my list.

Is it possible to do that? And if so, will it delay how long it takes for my other schools to get my primary or delay the verification process?

I would truly appreciate someones help in this matter!

Just go to the medical school section where you added your first schools and it will let you add another school. It won't delay anything, just added 17 more schools yesterday!

 

[nicmar22]

I hope this is the right place for this question. I have a LOR writer who is taking absolutely forever to write my letter (gave her an early June deadline all the way back in April).

As much as I want her LOR since I think it will be a strong letter, should I just go ahead and submit my current LORs? I have enough to satisfy my schools' requirements. Can I add that letter later if I'm not complete at my schools by the time I get the letter or send it as an update?

I just think it would be more damaging to my application to wait around for her letter than to just submit without it. Thoughts?

 

[anon172]

Hey everyone (and @Catalystik, who seems to be more active)--I have a ton of questions right now, some of which might be stupid and/or previously answered (in which case I apologize!):

1. How much is the fee that you pay if you want to add schools after submitting? Is this in addition to the $160 + $36(N-1) that you pay upon submission?

2. Coursework:
a. Does a music history course count as ARTS or HIST?
b. I took a course (examining different mythological texts) that satisfied a GE requirement called "Literary and Cultural Analysis"--do I list this as ENGL, FLAN, or other?
c. How do would I list future coursework that I'm not completely sure on? For instance, I will take another writing course during the next year to fulfill the 1-year English requirement, I just don't know when or where exactly, so of course I wouldn't know the course name.
d. Do courses including a weekly computer lab meeting count as a lecture+lab or just lecture only?
e. In the honors program at my school, if you take an adjunct honors seminar for one of your classes, ALL of the units count as honors units (i.e. 4 unit class + 1 unit seminar = 5 honors units). Do I check both as honors?

3. For coursework that I am currently completing at an institution that I have never before attended, when would I send the transcript?

4. I have a few spots open on my Work and Activities section, would it be worth using one of them as a "Misc" for random hobbies that I do when I do happen to have the spare time (but not terribly regularly)? Or international travelling, which is actually fairly regular?

 

[lawlzi]

Quick question: When I submitted my amcas in mid-June, I listed my June 5 mcat as a "recent/future" mcat intent date. The scores came out today and were loaded on my amcas (as expected). However, in addition to my scores from June, my amcas still shows "Addl mcat intent date: 06/05/14" . Why is it still showing up as a future test date even though the scores are already visible for that test date? Do I have to go in to my application and manually remove 6/5 from the "future test dates" part? I don't want med schools to think I'm taking the test again. I have not been verified yet too. Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

1. How much is the fee that you pay if you want to add schools after submitting? Is this in addition to the $160 + $36(N-1) that you pay upon submission?

2. Coursework:
a. Does a music history course count as ARTS or HIST?
b. I took a course (examining different mythological texts) that satisfied a GE requirement called "Literary and Cultural Analysis"--do I list this as ENGL, FLAN, or other?
c. How do would I list future coursework that I'm not completely sure on? For instance, I will take another writing course during the next year to fulfill the 1-year English requirement, I just don't know when or where exactly, so of course I wouldn't know the course name.
d. Do courses including a weekly computer lab meeting count as a lecture+lab or just lecture only?
e. In the honors program at my school, if you take an adjunct honors seminar for one of your classes, ALL of the units count as honors units (i.e. 4 unit class + 1 unit seminar = 5 honors units). Do I check both as honors?

3. For coursework that I am currently completing at an institution that I have never before attended, when would I send the transcript?

4. I have a few spots open on my Work and Activities section, would it be worth using one of them as a "Misc" for random hobbies that I do when I do happen to have the spare time (but not terribly regularly)? Or international travelling, which is actually fairly regular?

1) In addition to the base fee that you've already paid, when you add new schools, it will cost another $36 for each.
2a) History. I'm not going to guess on the rest.
3) You will send a transcript only to the med school you will attend, unless you feel the fall transcript would have an important impact on your current application cycle, then you might send one to each school (like if you're in an SMP). But in the latter instance, an informal report is generally enough, included in an update letter.
4) Yes for both, or you could combine them into a single Hobbies, Exctracurricular, or Other spot, with yourself as the contact.

 

[JuxGiant]

I'm based in Texas and I'm a reapplicant for TMDSAS this year (2012, 2014), so I have no experience with AMCAS at all. I did apply for the FAP and was accepted, so I can't see how applying to some OOS schools would hurt. I've just finished the app for TMDSAS.

With that said, I'm about to buy the MSAR while starting an AMCAS application. I'm mindful that "asap" would be the answer to "when should I submit my AMCAS?" but is there a clearer answer? I won't procrastinate on this, but I'd also like to know if I'm late in the cycle, since I'm only starting this week.

Also, has anyone here done both TMDSAS and AMCAS? What are some similarities and differences between the two application services?

 

[whalewind]

Quick question regarding entering Minors on AMCAS. I have completed all coursework for a Math Minor, but just realized I never actually declared it, so it doesn't show up on my transcript. I contacted my university, and they said I should be able to see it by the time Fall semester starts. Should I enter my Math Minor on AMCAS or leave it out? Because I have already sent them my transcripts, and the minor isn't on there, I'm worried it will cause a delay. Thanks for the help!

Also, along the same line of reasoning, I am planning to obtain a minor in History, but haven't completed all my coursework (2 classes left), and again, it doesn't reflect on my transcript. Declare on AMCAS or no? The Instruction Manual doesn't really address these points, since I'm mainly concerned with a discrepancy between my transcripts and my AMCAS form.

 

[Allium cepa]

Does anyone know how long AMCAS takes to upload letters once the letters are received? I know it says 2 weeks on AAMC website but is it really that long? My letters were mailed out by my school on 7/2 but still have not been uploaded onto AMCAS yet..... Should I be worried?

 

[NYCdude]

@Catalystik I'm bothering you for the last time (I'm submitting within this hour). I have an activity gap of about 3 months (April till now) because I injured my knee and had surgery. Can I just mention this at the end of my Personal Statement like: "Note: I want to briefly address the activity gap. I have not been active in extra-curricular activities because of a leg injury and subsequent surgery."

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

@CatalystikI have an activity gap of about 3 months (April till now) because I injured my knee and had surgery. Can I just mention this at the end of my Personal Statement like: "Note: I want to briefly address the activity gap. I have not been active in extra-curricular activities because of a leg injury and subsequent surgery."

JMO, but I don't think that the PS is a good place for that, though of course you can do what seems best to you. If possible, consider putting the explanation in one of the affected activity descriptions: "Time span includes 3 month hiatus due to injury and post-op recovery." Or, "Activity terminated prematurely due to . . ." (if you haven't returned to it yet). Alternatively, you might include it in a Secondary essay.

 

[NYCdude]

JMO, but I don't think that the PS is a good place for that, though of course you can do what seems best to you. If possible, consider putting the explanation in one of the affected activity descriptions: "Time span includes 3 month hiatus due to injury and post-op recovery." Or, "Activity terminated prematurely due to . . ." (if you haven't returned to it yet). Alternatively, you might include it in a Secondary essay.

I will take your advice and put it in one of the activities. Thank you! Also, I hope you get paid handsomely as an SDN advisor.

 

[Premixis]

Quick question regarding entering Minors on AMCAS. I have completed all coursework for a Math Minor, but just realized I never actually declared it, so it doesn't show up on my transcript. I contacted my university, and they said I should be able to see it by the time Fall semester starts. Should I enter my Math Minor on AMCAS or leave it out? Because I have already sent them my transcripts, and the minor isn't on there, I'm worried it will cause a delay. Thanks for the help!

Also, along the same line of reasoning, I am planning to obtain a minor in History, but haven't completed all my coursework (2 classes left), and again, it doesn't reflect on my transcript. Declare on AMCAS or no? The Instruction Manual doesn't really address these points, since I'm mainly concerned with a discrepancy between my transcripts and my AMCAS form.

In my opinion, I wouldn't declare the major(s)/minor(s) if they aren't reflected on your transcript. AMCAS bases their verification off of the official transcript that they receive and any discrepancy could lead to a delay in your application. I would suggest calling AMCAS to have an answer provided to you directly by the source, but call early so you won't have to wait!

With that said, I'm about to buy the MSAR while starting an AMCAS application. I'm mindful that "asap" would be the answer to "when should I submit my AMCAS?" but is there a clearer answer? I won't procrastinate on this, but I'd also like to know if I'm late in the cycle, since I'm only starting this week.

Most pre-health committee's would advise their students to submit by July 1st to be considered somewhat "early". At this time in the cycle, I think you'd be considered a "normal" applicant and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Just make sure that you do not rush the application, the personal statement, or the experiences section of the application. There's nothing worse than throwing together a rushed application. If you haven't started the writing aspect of the application, my advice would be to work on it consistently and get feedback from multiple different sources as you progress.

 

[whalewind]

Yes, thank you! I re-read the manual and it specifically says "declared" minor so I decided to leave it off I was just unsure of the wording at first.

 

[NonTradJp]

Hello, I took classes an Berkeley Extension. At extension themselves, the instructors are only listed as instructors with a PhD. Does that mean I should use instructor as their title even if they are professors at the main campus? And should I use Dr. As their prefex? Thank you for your help.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Something really odd things occurred with verification of my AMCAS primary. Anyone have idea what the heck happened?

1. I reached "Ready for review" status on 6/23, and I was verified this morning. That wouldn't be weird, except on the login page of AMCAS it says applications ready for review on 6/22 are in the front to be verified. How did I jump ahead in line?

2. I initially received a verification email, and I went to look at the coursework section just to see if they made any changes. They made 4 changes. Then, a little bit later, I get another email about being verified, this was the same exact email as earlier. I thought this was somewhat odd - happen to anyone else?

3. Feeling a little bit unsure after receiving the second verification email, I went back to look at my coursework again, and this time almost half the courses showed a correction by AMCAS. Every single of these corrections (besides the initial 4 from before) showed that they changed the semester of the course from S1 or S2 to "41", or "42." What does this mean? Will my app get returned to me? I know for a fact that I input the semesters right for each course, and it is really strange that they changed it in this way. Anyone have any experience with this?

I did receive a bunch of secondary invites today, so at least it seems that I am verified. I am just a bit uneasy about this.

 

[K1NG]

Is amcas down for anyone else? Just submitted my app for verification today but went to add some schools and it says the service is down.. freaking out lol

EDIT: Working now! Another question though.. when adding schools do you guys have to check all the boxes again? Don't think I had to do that last time.

 

[blackkrim]

I have a question more related to secondaries but I don't think it warrants its own thread, so I'll post it here:

Shortly after submitting a few of my secondaries, I got a new position as a research assistant. I have no research experience, so this fills one of the major holes in my application. Is this worthy of an update letter to the schools I'm already complete at? If so, how does one go about writing these things?

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

Hope everyone apps are going well! hoping someone can help me out before I have to call AMCAS.

So I just realized I've been filling out last years app, and i had to refill everything back out into the 2015 app which sucked (I'm dumb I know).

This wasn't the problem, my problem is that I ordered my transcripts the other day and sent the transcript request forms I generated from last years app that Ive been filling out like an idiot. Is this going to be a big issue? has anyone ever dealt with this?

Assuming I'm just going to have to call AMCAS to figure this one out, but figured I'd ask. good luck to all!

 

[NYCdude]

Hope everyone apps are going well! hoping someone can help me out before I have to call AMCAS.

So I just realized I've been filling out last years app, and i had to refill everything back out into the 2015 app which sucked (I'm dumb I know).

This wasn't the problem, my problem is that I ordered my transcripts the other day and sent the transcript request forms I generated from last years app that Ive been filling out like an idiot. Is this going to be a big issue? has anyone ever dealt with this?

Assuming I'm just going to have to call AMCAS to figure this one out, but figured I'd ask. good luck to all!

The Transcript ID number might be different if you were to send this year's transcript request form but I'm not 100% sure on that. In any case, so long as you didn't put any holds on grades or something, so long as they get the transcript they should be able to match it to your account using name and AAMC ID number and all that stuff.

But I'd call AMCAS just to get a better idea.

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

The Transcript ID number might be different if you were to send this year's transcript request form but I'm not 100% sure on that. In any case, so long as you didn't put any holds on grades or something, so long as they get the transcript they should be able to match it to your account using name and AAMC ID number and all that stuff.

But I'd call AMCAS just to get a better idea.

yeah I'm pretty sure the number is different, but I'm hoping they can just match it and not give me a hard time over it lol. ill find out when I call tomorrow morning. thank you for the help though!

 

[alexibluezz]

So I tested out of English Comp I based on my ACT score, but never bought the credit until last fall, years into my college career. It's listed as being applied during Fall 2013 on my transcript. This is all AMCAS tells us about CLEP credits:

Assign Freshman (FR) status to Advanced Placement, Exempt, or CLEP credit awarded when you first entered college.

Help?

 

[Nelmezzodelcammin]

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[Nelmezzodelcammin]

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[baconcures]

Hey guys, has any of your LoR writers snailmail the letter? Do you think it would take around the same time to receive and proccess as snailmailing transcripts? Thanks!

 

[revbro123]

Hi, does anyone know how they can find out which medical schools they applied to on a past application? I applied once to medical school back in 2010, and I'm not exactly sure of all the medical school that were on that application.

Also, is that a big problem is I incorrectly list a few as "previously applied" or not?

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

I wasn't really sure where to put this, so... I have noticed on a couple of applications where my MCAT score is automatically loaded it shows my older, lower score. Is this something I should worry about? Do schools usually have programs that auto-fill a form from the AMCAS app or do schools usually look at the same AMCAS app I see when I preview it?

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

*Quote Deleted per poster's request*
-Staff

do schools really not send secondaries if you have a single F on your transcript? I thought it was all based on GPA.

either way, I truly don't think your PS is the place to put that note. hopefully someone can chime in with a better spot, assuming it's even necessary at all.

 

[moop]

*Quote Deleted per poster's Request*
-Staff

Your PS is not the place to do this. The F will not prevent interviews, but the "note" in an inappropriate places addressing something nobody asked for will. Your "feeling" that schools reject based on one grade is absolutely wrong; this process isn't about what you feel about things.

 

[Fork909]

How should I go about listing & describing being ranked #3 in my graduate program's class? I am having a hard time with the experience description, specifically.

Thanks!

 

[NYCdude]

How should I go about listing & describing being ranked #3 in my graduate program's class? I am having a hard time with the experience description, specifically.

Thanks!

That sounds like it would be part of an "Awards/Honors/Recognitions" type of listing.

 

[Fork909]

That sounds like it would be part of an "Awards/Honors/Recognitions" type of listing.

Thanks for the reply. I agree that it should be part of the "Awards/Honors/Recognition" listing. The only issue I have is describing the "experience."

 

[NYCdude]

Thanks for the reply. I agree that it should be part of the "Awards/Honors/Recognition" listing. The only issue I have is describing the "experience."

(After listing a bunch of other awards/scholarships, etc)... In addition, I have succeeded in graduating as the 3rd highest ranked graduate in my class. All of these achievements demonstrate that I have the academic drive to succeed in medical school... blah blah.

I wrote something along those lines and my advisor said it was good. Hope that helps.

 

[socks99]

Hi everyone,

I took A&P 1 online with an online lab (via a CD). It doesn't state that it was online on the transcript, but I feel as though it's important to note. I did not do as well as my other science courses because of the awkward setup of doing it all online. Will it be okay to list it as "Online A&P I" or do I have to list it as "A&P I"?

Thanks for the help! This thread has been incredible.

 

[thenykway]

I submitted all my secondaries by August 1st. Is this considered relatively early, late or something in between compared to the average applicant? I know this is a pretty subjective question but just curious.

 

[longdukdong]

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[emannc]

I submitted all my secondaries by August 1st. Is this considered relatively early, late or something in between compared to the average applicant? I know this is a pretty subjective question but just curious.

early