*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2012-2013*~*~*~*

[Catalystik]

how should i categorize these:
(1) capstone thesis
(2) presented thesis and defended it in front of a panel of professors, also a more general q&a session

would 2 be considered a presentation?

also, is "research/lab" ONLY for scientific research? (the way "publications" is pretty much only for scientific pubs?) if so, where should I list non-scientific research?

The experience of writing a thesis, defending it, etc, is usually listed under Other. I've never seen a thesis defence listed under Presentations.

Research/Lab is not just for hard science research, but the research should be hypothesis-driven and potentially publishable, and not a general review and regurgitation of material about one's suibject, like a term paper would be. Folks do research in economics, psychology, linguistics, sociology, etc, which is perfectly fine for use with AMCAS schools.

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[Bean Counter]

Forgive me if the answer to my question has been posted already but I have a CPA license and a Certified Fitness Trainer license and I'm not sure how to categorize them.

Also, is CPA something I can abbreviate in my personal statement?

 

[orangeblossom]

could i list thesis under research? and in the description, mention that i defended it? i also got an academic honor out of it, im not sure how to list that under "honors" w/o repeating information

 

[Catalystik]

1) could i list thesis under research?
2) and in the description, mention that i defended it?
3) i also got an academic honor out of it, im not sure how to list that under "honors" w/o repeating information

1) If your research was hypothesis -driven, your results and conclusions added to generalizable human knowledge, and it was potentially publishable, you could list it under Research.
2) In the same space, you can mention that the activity was the basis for your thesis and that you defended it, and
3) received an academic honor as a result.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Forgive me if the answer to my question has been posted already but I have a CPA license and a Certified Fitness Trainer license and I'm not sure how to categorize them.

2) Also, is CPA something I can abbreviate in my personal statement?

1) If you have a CPA, then you theoretically worked for two years in public accounting, right? I suggest mentioning the CPA in the same space as the Employment-not Military space.

I suggest the same approach to the Certified Fitness Trainer. Mention it along with the relevant work experience. Certifications are not usually listed on their own, but rather with the activity that required/resulted from them.

2) I suggest you spell it out the first time.

 

[Bean Counter]

1) If you have a CPA, then you theoretically wrorked for two years in public accounting, right? I suggest mentioning the CPA in the same space as the Employment-not Military space.

I suggest the same approach to the Certified Fitness Trainer. Mention it along with the relevant work experience. Certifications are not usually listed on their own, but rather with the activity that required/resulted from them.

2) I suggest you spell it out the first time.

Thanks Catalystic! I really appreciate your help

 

[skehl]

I'm debating over whether or not to add this activity to my application-

I was a panelist for a granola bar study that lasted 3 months. After a few weeks of training on how to describe and evaluate the granola bars, I would come in a few times a week to do granola bar taste testing and fill out lengthy evaluations about each one. Even though I wasn't a researcher, I learned a lot about how the process works and what needs to be controlled and what not. Since it was short and I was only a panelist, I'm not sure if it's worth listing.

What do you think?

 

[orangeblossom]

Thanks Catalystik!

 

[Catalystik]

I'm debating over whether or not to add this activity to my application-

I was a panelist for a granola bar study that lasted 3 months. After a few weeks of training on how to describe and evaluate the granola bars, I would come in a few times a week to do granola bar taste testing and fill out lengthy evaluations about each one. Even though I wasn't a researcher, I learned a lot about how the process works and what needs to be controlled and what not. Since it was short and I was only a panelist, I'm not sure if it's worth listing.

What do you think?

I don't think that being born with discriminatory taste buds suggests a characteristic that translates well into what adcomms are looking for in a future physician, HOWEVER, it's unique and interesting, so I would list it anyway. Presumably, it was Employment? Name it someting interesting to grab attention, like maybe "Gustatory Expert Panelist" or Granola Taste-Tester" (though I'm sure you can come up with something more evocative of the activity than that).

 

[orangeblossom]

is Alternative Breaks well-known enough that I don't have to explain what it is exactly? Even if it is not, I mention that it was community service. Sufficient?

 

[mehc012]

If my involvement with a club sports team involved both high levels of athletic commitment (2hrs/wkday, at least 50% of my weekends, and most of my Spring Break, for 4 years, competed at the national level) and organizational leadership (one of a few people in charge of tournaments, travel, registration arrangements, summer meetings and more for the entire group) of the largest student group on my campus (probably 5-10% of the student body participated in some way), how should I classify that? Should I list the athletic portion of it separately from the organizational portion? Each took up a fair amount of time on its own.

 

[Catalystik]

is Alternative Breaks well-known enough that I don't have to explain what it is exactly? Even if it is not, I mention that it was community service. Sufficient?

The concept seems to be well-known, but it is not called the same thing at every school. That it was community service is sufficient. I'd be sure to be expicit about the dates of involvement and not put the hours per week in the header, rather, give a total in the description, since the date span they allow might imply a month's involvement.

 

[Catalystik]

If my involvement with a club sports team involved both high levels of athletic commitment (2hrs/wkday, at least 50% of my weekends, and most of my Spring Break, for 4 years, competed at the national level) and organizational leadership (one of a few people in charge of tournaments, travel, registration arrangements, summer meetings and more for the entire group) of the largest student group on my campus (probably 5-10% of the student body participated in some way), how should I classify that? Should I list the athletic portion of it separately from the organizational portion? Each took up a fair amount of time on its own.

I think that splitting out the Leadership component is a good idea, taking care not to count the hours twice.

The athletic portion might be designated as an Avocation, since you were so involved.

 

[orangeblossom]

im really sorry for asking this since it's been asked many times before, but just wanted to clarify: contact info for scholarships etc is the registrar. is that THE registrar (the person) or just a registrar representative?

 

[Catalystik]

im really sorry for asking this since it's been asked many times before, but just wanted to clarify: contact info for scholarships etc is the registrar. is that THE registrar (the person) or just a registrar representative?

I think it's fine to use the name of the actual person at your college, even though he/she is unlikely to be the one picking up the phone. Alternatively, you might call the office and find out the person such a call would be directed to, and get their title and direct phone #.

 

[Arkstudent]

So over this summer I was part of a summer internship as an area children's hospital. We worked 40 hours a week for 8 weeks with 1/2 to 2/3 of the time doing research and the rest shadowing physicians. At the end of the summer we all gave presentations. I shadowed several types of surgery, several clinics and was allowed to fly around the state with the ED residents doing patient transport one day. I plan on listing this as one of my most influential experiences but I was wondering if I should break up the research and shadowing aspects of it? Or include both together? If together what category should I use?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

So over this summer I was part of a summer internship as an area children's hospital. We worked 40 hours a week for 8 weeks with 1/2 to 2/3 of the time doing research and the rest shadowing physicians. At the end of the summer we all gave presentations. I shadowed several types of surgery, several clinics and was allowed to fly around the state with the ED residents doing patient transport one day. I plan on listing this as one of my most influential experiences but
1) I was wondering if I should break up the research and shadowing aspects of it? Or include both together?
2) If together what category should I use?

1) You could do it either way, depending on the space space limitations, whether you have other similar experiences, and how much you have to say. For example: If you have nothing else in either category I think that breaking the experience into its two major components is a fine idea (but not double counting the same hours twice), so you'd have a Research and Shadowing (under Other) entry, if you wouldn't want either to be missed by calling it by a catch-all name like Internship.

2) If you leave them together, name the activity Childrens Hospital Research and Shadowing Internship, or some such. It should be designated under Other, since it's a mixed bag with unrelated elements.

 

[karis0166]

Brief Intro:
I'm non-traditional with a previous career as a research scientist and as second career as a web/multimedia developer and medical illustrator.

Would like feedback on the following:
1 - "Publications" - In my former career as a soil scientist, I have 3 journal publications, 6 extension publications, and 8 abstracts (most of which were also presented as posters at national conferences).

- Best way to handle this due to space limitation? Should I just cite the journal articles, since those would probably be considered most prestigious? (They were in well-respected peer-reviewed journals, though I don't really expect people outside soil science to recognize that.) That's about all the alloted space will accommodate, 3 citations.

- Incidentally - I plan to dedicate a separate entry to Soil Science Research, as "Research" - since I had 5+ years experience in that field, and consider it one of my "most meaningful" activities. (And I've easily used up my 700+1325 character allotment already...)

2 - In my current/most recent career as Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator, I have published educational posters and interactive CD-ROMs (both of which were published and sold commercially), and illustrations which have been published with research articles in medical journals (such as Annals of Pharmacology and US Endocrine Disease).

- Does this sound like a worthwhile inclusion? Would these best be categorized as Artistic Endeavors? Presumably, from other posts, the category of Publications is not appropriate?

- Similarly, since I have 10+ years in this career, I plan to have a separate entry for "Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator", and plan to use this career as one of my "most meaningful" activities, but I wanted to highlight these as published professional works; I was not planning to mention them in my entry for "Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator."

3 - Leadership category - if other activities include leadership, it is fine to not have anything explicitly listed as this Type? I was planning on listing 3 "Teaching / tutoring" activities, but could potentially move 1 or 2 of them to Leadership; these are the 2 possibilities:

a - Biology Teaching Assistant/TA Trainer (TAed 2 years, 2nd year I was head TA, in charge of training the other ~20 TAs) - but I thought keeping it under "teaching" was neater since the first year I was not the head TA, just a regular TA.

b - Adjunct Faculty (Medical Illustration) which I did for 1 quarter while holding another full-time job. The MFA program from which I graduated asked me to come back and teach a few years later. I could have continued, but doing it on top of my full-time job, in which I was incurring overtime, was a bit much, so I declined.

- [The 3rd teaching activity was Teaching Assistant/Lab Assistant in Soil Science]

- I was also a Project Lead for a special project for 1 yr, as a Clinical Research Assistant in the Emergency Dept where I volunteered for 2 years. During that same 1 yr-period I was a Volunteer Trainer, also. This is my only "Community service / volunteer (medical / clinical)" activity, which is why I don't want to count it as anything else. Makse sense, yes?

Thanks so much!

 

[Catalystik]

Brief Intro:
I'm non-traditional with a previous career as a research scientist and as second career as a web/multimedia developer and medical illustrator.

Would like feedback on the following:
1 - "Publications" - In my former career as a soil scientist, I have 3 journal publications, 6 extension publications, and 8 abstracts (most of which were also presented as posters at national conferences).

- Best way to handle this due to space limitation? Should I just cite the journal articles, since those would probably be considered most prestigious? (They were in well-respected peer-reviewed journals, though I don't really expect people outside soil science to recognize that.) That's about all the alloted space will accommodate, 3 citations.

- Incidentally - I plan to dedicate a separate entry to Soil Science Research, as "Research" - since I had 5+ years experience in that field, and consider it one of my "most meaningful" activities. (And I've easily used up my 700+1325 character allotment already...)

2 - In my current/most recent career as Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator, I have published educational posters and interactive CD-ROMs (both of which were published and sold commercially), and illustrations which have been published with research articles in medical journals (such as Annals of Pharmacology and US Endocrine Disease).

a) Does this sound like a worthwhile inclusion?
b) Would these best be categorized as Artistic Endeavors?
c) Presumably, from other posts, the category of Publications is not appropriate?

- Similarly, since I have 10+ years in this career, I plan to have a separate entry for "Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator", and plan to use this career as one of my "most meaningful" activities, but I wanted to highlight these as published professional works; I was not planning to mention them in my entry for "Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator."

3 - Leadership category - if other activities include leadership, it is fine to not have anything explicitly listed as this Type? I was planning on listing 3 "Teaching / tutoring" activities, but could potentially move 1 or 2 of them to Leadership; these are the 2 possibilities:

a - Biology Teaching Assistant/TA Trainer (TAed 2 years, 2nd year I was head TA, in charge of training the other ~20 TAs) - but I thought keeping it under "teaching" was neater since the first year I was not the head TA, just a regular TA.

b - Adjunct Faculty (Medical Illustration) which I did for 1 quarter while holding another full-time job. The MFA program from which I graduated asked me to come back and teach a few years later. I could have continued, but doing it on top of my full-time job, in which I was incurring overtime, was a bit much, so I declined.

- [The 3rd teaching activity was Teaching Assistant/Lab Assistant in Soil Science]

- I was also a Project Lead for a special project for 1 yr, as a Clinical Research Assistant in the Emergency Dept where I volunteered for 2 years. During that same 1 yr-period I was a Volunteer Trainer, also. This is my only "Community service / volunteer (medical / clinical)" activity, which is why
c - I don't want to count it as anything else. Makse sense, yes?

1) Yes, just cite the journal publications. You can mention the others just as you have here, if you wish.

2a) Yes, because it makes you different and interesting, if you have the space.
2b) Yes. That designation helps to balance your entries since you have other stuff for Employment.
2c) Correct.

3) Yes, it fine not to have a specific Leadership entry if you make the leadership role clear in your other descriptions and/or title. The Leadership designation is actually, Leadership-Not Listed Elsewhere.

3a) That's fine. The title you used here indicates both roles.
3b) This seems clearly to be teaching, and not Leadership. Mention of an offer that you didn't take is not necessary or helpful.
3c) I agree that strategically it should stay under Community Service/Volunteer-Medical/Clinical. Perhaps the title you give it could reflect all your roles.

 

[karis0166]

Catalystik, thank you so much for the above!

Another question...
I haven't done much shadowing per se, but across my experiences I've had a fair amount of shadowing and/or surgical observation as follows:
- I've shadowed 3 individual physicians for a half day each (~12 hr).
- As part of my medical illustration Master's program, I was required to observe surgeries in the OR weekly for about 16-17 weeks, up to a half day per week typically, 2 different hospitals (~70 hr).
- As part of my other 2 clinical experiences (one paid, in which I worked multiple hospital units as IT support for physicians learning the newly installed EMR; one volunteer position in the ED) I got to observe procedures -- est. total for these 2 positions (~35 hr).

Would it be fair to lump these as a single activity, (maybe something like this):
Other (Exp. type)
Physician Shadowing and Surgical Observation (Exp. Name)
Dec 1998 to May 1999 (those were the dates for the surgical observation)
Ave Hrs - 4
Unity Hospital at Parkridge; Strong Memorial Hospital (locations for the surgical observation) (Organization Name)

DESCRIPTION
Misc. Clinical Observation
120 hours (total, approx.)

Individuals Shadowed (approx. 4 hours each):
- Joe Doctor, DO, Osteopathic Clinic, Portland OR. 2 Jun 20XX.
- Jane Doctor, MD, Another Clinic, Portland OR. 6 May 20XX.
- John Smith, MD/Hannah Nurse, RN, FNP, Soandso Medical Plaza, Portland OR. 13 Aug 20XX.

Other observation opportunties via volunteering/work/school:
- BigHospital Emergency Department, via the _______ Program. Mar 20XX-Jan 20XX (~20 hr)
- Another Big Hospital, while serving as an ___ (Contract Employee). Apr 20XX. (~15 hr)
-Y Hospital and Z Hospital, Rochester NY. Dec 19XX-May 19XX. (~70 hr). Surgical Observation requirement for medical illustration MFA program.

OR, would it be better to somehow split them up?
- I'm just concerned that split up, the individual shadowing (12h) will seem too paltry an entry to stand alone.
- However, for the surgical observation I could easily list many of the surgeries I observed, if I were to make that an activity by itself.

Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

Catalystik, thank you so much for the above!

Another question...
I haven't done much shadowing per se, but across my experiences I've had a fair amount of shadowing and/or surgical observation as follows:
- I've shadowed 3 individual physicians for a half day each (~12 hr).
- As part of my medical illustration Master's program, I was required to observe surgeries in the OR weekly for about 16-17 weeks, up to a half day per week typically, 2 different hospitals (~70 hr).
- As part of my other 2 clinical experiences (one paid, in which I worked multiple hospital units as IT support for physicians learning the newly installed EMR; one volunteer position in the ED) I got to observe procedures -- est. total for these 2 positions (~35 hr).

Would it be fair to lump these as a single activity, (maybe something like this):
Other (Exp. type)
Physician Shadowing and Surgical Observation (Exp. Name)
Dec 1998 to May 1999 (those were the dates for the surgical observation)
Ave Hrs - 4
Unity Hospital at Parkridge; Strong Memorial Hospital (locations for the surgical observation) (Organization Name)

DESCRIPTION
Misc. Clinical Observation
120 hours (total, approx.)

Individuals Shadowed (approx. 4 hours each):
- Joe Doctor, DO, Osteopathic Clinic, Portland OR. 2 Jun 20XX.
- Jane Doctor, MD, Another Clinic, Portland OR. 6 May 20XX.
- John Smith, MD/Hannah Nurse, RN, FNP, Soandso Medical Plaza, Portland OR. 13 Aug 20XX.

Other observation opportunties via volunteering/work/school:
- BigHospital Emergency Department, via the _______ Program. Mar 20XX-Jan 20XX (~20 hr)
- Another Big Hospital, while serving as an ___ (Contract Employee). Apr 20XX. (~15 hr)
-Y Hospital and Z Hospital, Rochester NY. Dec 19XX-May 19XX. (~70 hr). Surgical Observation requirement for medical illustration MFA program.

OR, would it be better to somehow split them up?
- I'm just concerned that split up, the individual shadowing (12h) will seem too paltry an entry to stand alone.
- However, for the surgical observation I could easily list many of the surgeries I observed, if I were to make that an activity by itself.

Thank you!

I think your Shadowing experiences would have the most impact if grouped into one listing. And, an unsolicited suggestion: Since the actual observation of physician-patient interaction is sparse and many of the experiences are dated, you might consider getting in some primary care shadowing sometime soon for the purpose of observing longitudinal care, for the sake of Secondaries, update letters, and interview conversations. JMO.

 

[quechua]

Which category should I pick for this experience:

I completed an unpaid internship at my undergrad's medical school that fortunately allowed me to research the educational effectiveness of a particular department's clerkship curriculum for 3rd year medical students. Overall the experience was amazing and I gained much more than just research experience - there was an ample amount of shadowing involved as well as grand rounds, specialized lectures, etc... I will write about the internship and categorize it under "other", but I plan to discuss the research separately.

My dilemma: I actually presented my team's findings at the medical school's annual research day as well. Should I list the research under "research/publications" and "poster's/presentations" or simply pick from the two?

Note: I was third author and our abstract was only published in the pamphlet listing all presenters for that day - the abstract was not published in an academic journal.

 

[Catalystik]

Which category should I pick for this experience:

I completed an unpaid internship at my undergrad's medical school that fortunately allowed me to research the educational effectiveness of a particular department's clerkship curriculum for 3rd year medical students. Overall the experience was amazing and I gained much more than just research experience - there was an ample amount of shadowing involved as well as grand rounds, specialized lectures, etc... I will write about the internship and categorize it under "other", but I plan to discuss the research separately.

My dilemma: I actually presented my team's findings at the medical school's annual research day as well. Should I list the research under "research/publications" and "poster's/presentations" or simply pick from the two?

Note: I was third author and our abstract was only published in the pamphlet listing all presenters for that day - the abstract was not published in an academic journal.

Where research findings are presented at a campus event, mention of the activity is best included with the Research entry and not in its own Posters/Presentations space. An abstract that appeared in a campus publication would also be mentioned in the same space, rather than under another spot in Publications.

 

[Bean Counter]

I have a question of an activity that I did while working for a public accounting firm.

I was transferred to a new office and became the Philanthropy Committee representative for my office. We would poll co-workers on the causes that were most important to them, perform research on non-profits and charities that worked on these causes, and conference call each week with the philanthropy committee members from each office (national firm) to discuss the charities/causes etc to allocate donation funds to the organizations we agreed on. I would also present this information to the employees in my office. I was also in charge of keep my office informed about local volunteering events.

I'm not sure how to list/categorize this. Like I said, I did this for a company that I worked for but it was unrelated to work and I would often work on this after-hours. I think it was significant enough that I should list it as its own activity.

Would this be considered community service -non medical or leadership or just other?

 

[Catalystik]

I have a question of an activity that I did while working for a public accounting firm.

I was transferred to a new office and became the Philanthropy Committee representative for my office. We would poll co-workers on the causes that were most important to them, perform research on non-profits and charities that worked on these causes, and conference call each week with the philanthropy committee members from each office (national firm) to discuss the charities/causes etc to allocate donation funds to the organizations we agreed on. I would also present this information to the employees in my office. I was also in charge of keep my office informed about local volunteering events.

I'm not sure how to list/categorize this. Like I said, I did this for a company that I worked for but it was unrelated to work and I would often work on this after-hours. I think it was significant enough that I should list it as its own activity.

Would this be considered community service -non medical or leadership or just other?

I agree that it's meaty enough to stand on its own. I suggest that using the Leadership designation would get around the perception that much of the activity occured during paid work hours.

 

[Bean Counter]

I agree that it's meaty enough to stand on its own. I suggest that using the Leadership designation would get around the perception that much of the activity occured during paid work hours.

Thanks so much Catalystik. You have been a great help. I need to get this primary submitted!

 

[quechua]

Where research findings are presented at a campus event, mention of the activity is best included with the Research entry and not in its own Posters/Presentations space. An abstract that appeared in a campus publication would also be mentioned in the same space, rather than under another spot in Publications.

Thank you!


**********************

After reading more of the thread I've grouped my experiences according to their category. I'm happy I found this thread because I would have written about only 15 experiences... I didn't know that I could group things. That was great news!

Below are the results of my groupings. Experiences bolded blue will be discussed separately. Any input would be great... Particularly if you see some experience that you think should be discussed separately.

A -Paid Employment (not military)
A Resident Assistant
A* Emergency Department (non-clinical)... but lots of on the job shadowing
A Plasma Center Biomed Tech
A Movie Theater Usher & "Concessionaire"

C -Community service/volunteer (not medical/clinical)
C South America Volunteering - Afterschool homework help
C Mentoring/student sponsor - 2 high school students
C American Red Cross Disaster relief training (tornadoes of 2011)

D -Community Service/volunteer (medical/clinical)
D voluntary cadaver prep work after grad school (Perhaps this should be moved to non-clinical/medical volunteer work...)
D Healthfair Coordinating Assistance H.S. & College
D* South America Volunteering - Clinic
D Volunteer EMT Local County Fire Rescue

E -Research/lab
E Educational research in a medical school

F -Teaching/tutoring
F Teaching chemistry, a.p. environmental science, and first responder

G -Honors/awards/recognitions
G Dean's List
G Recipient - State Merit-based Scholarship and University Merit-based Scholarship
G Scoring in the 90th percentile of ACS Organic Chemistry exam

H -Conferences attended I -Presentations/posters
H Multiple specialized lecture attendances.
H Local Leadership conference attendee
H University sponsored Summer Science Institute for Teachers

K -Extracurricular/hobbies/avocations
K Dance team member at church
K Rugby player @ two universities (club sport)
K Small Electronic Repair - iPhones to earn money for school
K University Student Club Organizations (3) General Member
K Intramural Sports Athlete Undergrad and Grad

L -Leadership (not listed elsewhere)
L Founder & President of Dance club at my university
L Faculty advisor for HOSA (post-secondary education)
L Co-chair Advisory Committee (for the high school I teach in)
L Self Organized Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund

O -Other
O Medical School Education Internship that included shadowing
O EMT training

I have 2 spots open on the AMCAS app if I should discuss something else separately. ...but there's no pressure to fill those. - I don't want fluff.

If you see something that I should re-categorize, discuss separately, perhaps grouped instead, or deleted altogether please suggest it : )

Thanks everyone!

 

[Catalystik]

If you see something that I should re-categorize, discuss separately, perhaps grouped instead, or deleted altogether please suggest it :
**********************

After reading more of the thread I've grouped my experiences according to their category. I'm happy I found this thread because I would have written about only 15 experiences... I didn't know that I could group things. That was great news!

Below are the results of my groupings. Experiences bolded blue will be discussed separately. Any input would be great... Particularly if you see some experience that you think should be discussed separately.

A -Paid Employment (not military)
A Resident Assistant
A* Emergency Department (non-clinical)... but lots of on the job shadowing
A Plasma Center Biomed Tech
A Movie Theater Usher & "Concessionaire"

C -Community service/volunteer (not medical/clinical)
C South America Volunteering - Afterschool homework help
C Mentoring/student sponsor - 2 high school students
C American Red Cross Disaster relief training (tornadoes of 2011)

D -Community Service/volunteer (medical/clinical)
D voluntary cadaver prep work after grad school (Perhaps this should be moved to non-clinical/medical volunteer work...)
D Healthfair Coordinating Assistance H.S. & College
D* South America Volunteering - Clinic
D Volunteer EMT Local County Fire Rescue

E -Research/lab
E Educational research in a medical school

F -Teaching/tutoring
F Teaching chemistry, a.p. environmental science, and first responder

G -Honors/awards/recognitions
G Dean's List
G Recipient - State Merit-based Scholarship and University Merit-based Scholarship
G Scoring in the 90th percentile of ACS Organic Chemistry exam

H -Conferences attended I -Presentations/posters
H Multiple specialized lecture attendances.
H Local Leadership conference attendee
H University sponsored Summer Science Institute for Teachers

K -Extracurricular/hobbies/avocations
K Dance team member at church
K Rugby player @ two universities (club sport)
K Small Electronic Repair - iPhones to earn money for school
K University Student Club Organizations (3) General Member
K Intramural Sports Athlete Undergrad and Grad

L -Leadership (not listed elsewhere)
L Founder & President of Dance club at my university
L Faculty advisor for HOSA (post-secondary education)
L Co-chair Advisory Committee (for the high school I teach in)
L Self Organized Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund

O -Other
O Medical School Education Internship that included shadowing
O EMT training

I have 2 spots open on the AMCAS app if I should discuss something else separately. ...but there's no pressure to fill those. - I don't want fluff.

***Comments:

Under D, I agree with you about recategorizing cadaver work as community service-not medical/clinical. It is clearly relevant to medicine, but did not involve breathing patients.

Also, consider including the teaching of first responder classes along with mention of the involvement as a volunteer (and the training), giving all his its own space, rather than fragmenting it. This would remove parts from the HS teaching and from an Other space.

For G: I've never seen someone list the results of a single test under Honors/Awards. Your grade in the class would speak for itself.

For H: Conferences Attended isn't a category that helps you, unless you presented or organized it. Switch everything you can to "I" category, and consider omitting the rest. It isn't wrong to include them, it's just sort of a waste of space. The leadership and teaching conferences would be better mentioned with the associated activity that showed you learned something.

For K: Consider splitting out the sports involvement and giving them their own space.

L: Consider putting the dance team stuff under Artistic Endeavor and keeping it all together, mentioning the leadership in the same space.


***Recall that there is not just one correct way to do this, and these are only suggestions for consideration, to give various elements more impact and to tighten it up. JMO.

 

[quechua]

***Comments:

Under D, I agree with you about recategorizing cadaver work as community service-not medical/clinical. It is clearly relevant to medicine, but did not involve breathing patients.

Also, consider including the teaching of first responder classes along with mention of the involvement as a volunteer (and the training), giving all his its own space, rather than fragmenting it. This would remove parts from the HS teaching and from an Other space.

For G: I've never seen someone list the results of a single test under Honors/Awards. Your grade in the class would speak for itself.

For H: Conferences Attended isn't a category that helps you, unless you presented or organized it. Switch everything you can to "I" category, and consider omitting the rest. It isn't wrong to include them, it's just sort of a waste of space. The leadership and teaching conferences would be better mentioned with the associated activity that showed you learned something.

For K: Consider splitting out the sports involvement and giving them their own space.

L: Consider putting the dance team stuff under Artistic Endeavor and keeping it all together, mentioning the leadership in the same space.

Very helpful feedback! I did initially consider grouping the athletic activities together - it's nice to hear the same suggestion. Defragmenting the EMT related activities is very strategic as well as recategorizing the dance activities.

I will simply remove category H "conferences attended" because though I gained a lot from attendance, I did not present at any of them. The summer teaching conference was this summer, so this will be the first year that I will implement anything I gained from that. It's better to leave it off all together.

Thanks again!

 

[derail]

I have about 30 poster presentations at various conferences. About 5 or 6 are national conferences. One citation takes up about 1/3 of the space provided. How should I list these? Should I redo the citations? I have them by authors, title, dates, location. Should I drop the local presentations, or just remove the authors?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

I have about 30 poster presentations at various conferences. About 5 or 6 are national conferences. One citation takes up about 1/3 of the space provided. How should I list these? Should I redo the citations? I have them by authors, title, dates, location. Should I drop the local presentations, or just remove the authors?

Some ideas:

Drop the campus presentations and just summarize them as "XX Posters/Presentations at Campus Events." Or, same data presented at Campus Research Symposium XX/XX/XX."

Streamline the formal citations. Rewrite citations with first author, et al, and give your position on the authors list. Or, just state that you had third author position after the poster title, especially if the others were also students.

Recall that when the same data is presented via several venues, only the most prestigious (generally at a national conference) need be fully listed with a summary below that of previous presentations.

 

[Arkstudent]

How do these activities look? If you have any recommendations as a to a different way to organize it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Catalystik your help is invaluable!



Paid employment- nonmilitary
.John Doe Construction Inc, Winter 2009, 2011 General Labor .
.Mexican Restaurant Chain,.. Summer 2008, 2009, 2010 ..Waiter.
.(listed together, are the dates listed before college worth including or do they show consistency?).

Community service volunteer-medical
6 hours working with a bone marrow drive
8 hours working with red cross campus blood drives
(listed together)

Community service volunteer –nonmedical
.Volunteering local Homeless shelter (Fall 2010-2011) .
.Local youth center (Fall 2011-Present) .
.(This was done through my fraternity when I was the Philanthropy chair and I organized several events with each organization. Do I list the hours volunteered here mention I was organizing it or do I list that later under leadership?).

Research/lab
.Undergraduate Biology Research (Fall 2010-present) (6 hours a week).
. Currently writing biology departmental thesis as well as honors thesis on research.

Honors/ awards/ recognitions
.Accepted into the Honors college program and Awarded Honors College Full Scholarship .
.Awarded Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.
.Awarded NASA Space Grant (Spring 2011) to continue research.
.Awarded College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics(CNSM) Student Research Funding (Spring 2012).
(can these all be listed together or how should they be broken up? How much information should be given for each, should I include dollar value amounts?)

Conference
.Traveled to the national AMSA convention in Houston Tx (Spring 2012).

Presentations/posters
.Presented Research Poster at CNSM poster symposium (Spring 2012).

Extracurriculatory /hobby's
.Campus Fraternity (Spring 2009-Present).
.Campus Student Ministry (Fall 2009-Present).
.Honors Council Student representative(Spring 2009-10,Fall 2012-Present).
.o ..Vice-President (2009-10).
.Honors college ambassador (Fall 2012) .
.Mission trip to South Africa and Lesotho installing wells and visiting schools. (Summer 2011).
.American Medical Student Association Local Chapter Member
.
Leadership
· .Philanthropy Chair(Fall 2010,Fall 2011-Present) (should this just be listed under the fraternity information or under volunteering?)
.· .F.R.E.S.H. Team leader (fall 2011).
.o ..Freshman orientation program for the first semester at college.

Other
.Shadowing an ER physician-40 hours.
.Certified Conservation Education Instructor.
.o ..Project W.E.T., Project W.I.L.D., LEP Educator .
.o ..Taught at local elementary school several times..
.Summer internship (40 hours a week for 8 weeks).
.o ..2/3 research.
.o ..1/3 shadowing .
.American Heart Healthcare Provider CPR certified (is this even worth mentioning?).




.Thanks again!
.

 

[derail]

Thanks Catalystik!

I have one more question: I'm going to a very prestigious conference this fall; should I put that down even though I haven't attended yet? I'm registered and everything.

 

[Catalystik]

I'm going to a very prestigious conference this fall; should I put that down even though I haven't attended yet? I'm registered and everything.

I would not. Save mention of it for a future update letter if you will be doing a poster or presentation.

 

[Catalystik]

Your questions and my comments are highlighted in red with responses below.

[QUOTE=Arkstudent;12955505] How do these activities look? If you have any recommendations as a to a different way to organize it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Catalystik your help is invaluable!

Paid employment- nonmilitary
.John Doe Construction Inc, Winter 2009, 2011 General Labor .
.Mexican Restaurant Chain,.. Summer 2008, 2009, 2010 ..Waiter.
.(listed together, .
.1) are the dates listed before college worth including or do they show consistency?).

Community service volunteer-medical
6 hours working with a bone marrow drive
8 hours working with red cross campus blood drives
(listed together) You're planning to use a space for 14 hours of activity? Maybe rethink that.

Community service volunteer –nonmedical
.Volunteering local Homeless shelter (Fall 2010-2011) .
.Local youth center (Fall 2011-Present) .
.(This was done through my fraternity when I was the Philanthropy chair and I organized several events with each organization. .
.2) Do I list the hours volunteered here mention I was organizing it or do I list that later under leadership?).

Research/lab
.Undergraduate Biology Research (Fall 2010-present) (6 hours a week).
.Currently writing biology departmental thesis as well as honors thesis on research.

Honors/ awards/ recognitions
.Accepted into the Honors college program and Awarded Honors College Full Scholarship .
.Awarded Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.
.Awarded NASA Space Grant (Spring 2011) to continue research.
.Awarded College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics(CNSM) Student Research Funding (Spring 2012).
(3) can these all be listed together or how should they be broken up? How much information should be given for each, should I include dollar value amounts?)

Conference
.Traveled to the national AMSA convention in Houston Tx (Spring 2012) Listing conferences attended generally doesn't help an application much. If you must mention it, include it in the same space as the AMSA membership..

Presentations/posters
.Presented Research Poster at CNSM poster symposium (Spring 2012).

Extracurriculatory /hobby's
.Campus Fraternity (Spring 2009-Present).
.Campus Student Ministry (Fall 2009-Present).
.Honors Council Student representative(Spring 2009-10,Fall 2012-Present).
.o ..Vice-President (2009-10).
.Honors college ambassador (Fall 2012) .
.Mission trip to South Africa and Lesotho installing wells and visiting schools. (Summer 2011).
.American Medical Student Association Local Chapter Member.

Leadership
· .Philanthropy Chair(Fall 2010,Fall 2011-Present) (.
.4) should this just be listed under the fraternity information or under volunteering?).
· .F.R.E.S.H. Team leader (fall 2011).
.o ..Freshman orientation program for the first semester at college.

Other
.Shadowing an ER physician-40 hours.
.Certified Conservation Education Instructor.
.o ..Project W.E.T., Project W.I.L.D., LEP Educator .
.o ..Taught at local elementary school several times..
.Summer internship (40 hours a week for 8 weeks).
.o ..2/3 research.
.o ..1/3 shadowing .
.5) American Heart Healthcare Provider CPR certified (is this even worth mentioning?) .[/QUOTE]


1) Yes. Give the full date span.

2) I think it should be separate under a Leadership listing.

3) Listing these together is fine. It's OK to give scholarship amounts where they are substantial, and if they are based on merit.

4) See #2.

5) No.

You might consider reading through 10-25 pages of this thread to get further ideas.

 

[positivityrocks]

I realize I'm super late to be submitting AMCAS app. this season, but I am hoping to finish up today, and second-guessing my "most meaningful" explanations...

I'm basically afraid I may have taken the wrong approach. Having read that they were similar to "mini personal-statements," I created very short essays within the 1325 character limit to demonstrate an example from the activity and what I learned from it. For example, if I were to write a "most meaningful" explanation about volunteering in a homeless shelter, I might start with a specific/exciting example from the activity in 1st paragraph, explain a bit more and begin connecting to medicine in 2nd paragraph, and then wrap-up / explain why the activity was meaningful to me in the 3rd paragraph.

I'm curious if anybody else took a similar approach? I feel like it might be a little more interesting to read than simply reflection/explanation of my thoughts, but also worry a bit that it might look like I can't explain things clearly and rely too much on personal stories, rather than actual explanations. I'd be really interested to hear advice/opinions about whether such an approach would be advised or not advised?

Thanks in advance!

 

[samaansn]

I'm also hoping to submit my AMCAS app today, and I'm having trouble with one of my activities.

In a first year biology class, all of the students (myself included) were split into roughly 120 groups (each group consisted of 5-6 students), and we were instructed to spend the entire semester coming up with a feasible solution to an environmental issue. Then out of the 120 groups, the top 6 groups were selected as "finalists" to present their solutions to a panel of judges (professors and teaching assistants) at our school's First Year Biology Symposium. My group was one of the 6 finalists, and we achieved 2nd place after presenting at the symposium.

I was considering including this as it demonstrates team-work and critical thinking, plus we presented our work and were recognized for it. Should I include this, and if I do, does it fall under "Posters/Presentations" or "Honors/Awards"? Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

I realize I'm super late to be submitting AMCAS app. this season, but I am hoping to finish up today, and second-guessing my "most meaningful" explanations...

I'm basically afraid I may have taken the wrong approach. Having read that they were similar to "mini personal-statements," I created very short essays within the 1325 character limit to demonstrate an example from the activity and what I learned from it. For example, if I were to write a "most meaningful" explanation about volunteering in a homeless shelter, I might start with a specific/exciting example from the activity in 1st paragraph, explain a bit more and begin connecting to medicine in 2nd paragraph, and then wrap-up / explain why the activity was meaningful to me in the 3rd paragraph.

I'm curious if anybody else took a similar approach? I feel like it might be a little more interesting to read than simply reflection/explanation of my thoughts, but also worry a bit that it might look like I can't explain things clearly and rely too much on personal stories, rather than actual explanations. I'd be really interested to hear advice/opinions about whether such an approach would be advised or not advised?

Some collected opinions on the matter regarding number and content of "Most Meaningful" entries. Particularly, see #3 in response to your question.

1) It isn't necessary to have more than one Most Meaningful if the first 700 characters say what needs to be said. Taking advantage of the extra characters rarely strengthens the activity description. If they are used, they should matter.

2) Consider designating three MM entries. Even when the extra space isn't used much, knowing what is "Most Meaningful" makes it easy to appreciate what the applicant thinks is important.

3) Definitely, pick three: Particularly when they involve an in-depth story that led to improved self-awareness. But when the extra space is used, every sentence should express something of significance.

So as you can see, you can choose any approach you like and someone will be happy with it.

 

[Catalystik]

I'm also hoping to submit my AMCAS app today, and I'm having trouble with one of my activities.

In a first year biology class, all of the students (myself included) were split into roughly 120 groups (each group consisted of 5-6 students), and we were instructed to spend the entire semester coming up with a feasible solution to an environmental issue. Then out of the 120 groups, the top 6 groups were selected as "finalists" to present their solutions to a panel of judges (professors and teaching assistants) at our school's First Year Biology Symposium. My group was one of the 6 finalists, and we achieved 2nd place after presenting at the symposium.

I was considering including this as it demonstrates team-work and critical thinking, plus we presented our work and were recognized for it. Should I include this, and if I do, does it fall under "Posters/Presentations" or "Honors/Awards"? Thanks!

I suggest that you should choose either Honors/Awards or Other for your designation.

 

[positivityrocks]

Some collected opinions on the matter regarding number and content of "Most Meaningful" entries. Particularly, see #3 in response to your question.

1) It isn't necessary to have more than one Most Meaningful if the first 700 characters say what needs to be said. Taking advantage of the extra characters rarely strengthens the activity description. If they are used, they should matter.

2) Consider designating three MM entries. Even when the extra space isn't used much, knowing what is "Most Meaningful" makes it easy to appreciate what the applicant thinks is important.

3) Definitely, pick three: Particularly when they involve an in-depth story that led to improved self-awareness. But when the extra space is used, every sentence should express something of significance.

So as you can see, you can choose any approach you like and someone will be happy with it.

Great, thanks -- I think that explanation helps a lot! I think I will end up keeping my "most meaningful" descriptions as they are currently, and just hope that individuals reading my application lean towards the third opinion you listed Thanks again!

 

[samaansn]

Thanks for the prompt reply! Much appreciated.

 

[drdoom12]

I have a question regarding my top 3 activities. Upon applying, I'll have worked as an RN for 3 years. My decision to become a physician really occurred in nursing school, and the years I've worked have really solidified that choice. However, I'm scared to put my 3 years plus schooling as a top activity due to the fact that I am no longer interested in continuing to work as a nurse. From an adcom perspective, despite what I feel as though would be a well-conveyed reasoning for the switch, would it raise a red flag to see an applicant list another profession in healthcare as one of their top experiences?

Also, I have a question regarding research. I was accepted into a research position two years in a row. During this time, I'll have given two poster presentations at least and hopefully have a publication. Should I list everything just under research, or would it be in my best interest to divide it up into research, poster presentation, and publication? I have plenty of activities to probably fill out all 15 spots, but I don't want to sell myself short.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Catalystik]

I have a question regarding my top 3 activities.

1) Upon applying, I'll have worked as an RN for 3 years. My decision to become a physician really occurred in nursing school, and the years I've worked have really solidified that choice. However, I'm scared to put my 3 years plus schooling as a top activity due to the fact that I am no longer interested in continuing to work as a nurse. From an adcom perspective, despite what I feel as though would be a well-conveyed reasoning for the switch, would it raise a red flag to see an applicant list another profession in healthcare as one of their top experiences?

2) Also, I have a question regarding research. I was accepted into a research position two years in a row. During this time, I'll have given two poster presentations at least and hopefully have a publication. Should I list everything just under research, or would it be in my best interest to divide it up into research, poster presentation, and publication? I have plenty of activities to probably fill out all 15 spots, but I don't want to sell myself short.

1) Opinion may vary by adcomm member, but IMO it's not a negative, assuming you properly express the impact of the experience on you.

2) If the poster presentations and publication occurred on campus, then mention them in the associated Research description. If they occurred in regional or national meetings/journals, then another space should be used.

If the latter is true and the data was the same for all three venues, then pick the most prestigious way in which your data was shared, and mention everything under that designation. If the projects varied, each deserves its own space, but you may group them if you have space limitations.

 

[karis0166]

I'm having trouble narrowing down my choices for W/A. Below I list my list of 15... followed by questions & thought in which I'm re-considering.
THANK YOU for your input!

Basically - my life has three parts In reverse chronological order:
A) I became pre-med (2010-present).
B) I am/was a web/multimedia developer and medical illustrator (1998-present).
C) Before that, I was a bio/soil sci TA/scientist (1991-1997, counting undergrad experience).

A) Pre-med (2010-present)
1. Volunteer Clinical Research Assistant (Emergency Department)
[Activity Type: Volunteer - Clinical]
- Emergency Dept
- 500+ hrs (2009-2012)

2. EPIC Tutor (Tech Support for EMR Implementation)
[Paid Employment]
~140 hr
- Served as at-the-elbow tech support for physicians new to EPIC EMR system

3. Volunteer Research Assistant
[Volunteer - Non-Clinical]
- 40 hr (2010)
- Obtained official state census data, e.g., age demographics per county.
- Created original illustrations/infographics of various data, used for presentation.
- Set up SPSS spreadsheet for data entry and statistical analysis for research team use.

4. Physician Shadowing and Surgical Observation
[Other]
- Assorted experiences, including long-term OR observation for medical illustration program (Master of Fine Arts), on-the-job observation while volunteering/working in hospitals, and short-term shadowing at different individual physician practices.

B) Web/Multimedia/Medical Illustration (1998-present)
5. Medical Illustration Teaching Assistant and Adjunct Faculty
[Teaching/Tutoring]
- Served as TA for Medical Illustration program (Fall 1998- Spring 1999).
- As adjunct faculty, taught quarter-long course in computer animation (Fall 2003).

6. Web/Multimedia Developer and Medical Illustrator
[Paid Employment]
- Versatile professional in web, multimedia and medical illustration (1998-2012).

7. Non-profit Volunteer Web Developer and Webmaster
[Volunteer - Non-Clinical]
- Single-handedly designed, developed and programmed websites for two different non-profits.

8. Web Committee Member and Web Committee Vice-Chair
[Volunteer - Non-Clinical]
- Served 2 years on web committee.

9. Illustrations/Multimedia
[Artistic Endeavors]
- Professional examples of multimedia I've created that has been published: posters, CD-ROMs, illustrations, multimedia programming.

C) Bio/Soil Sci Teaching and Research (1991-1997)
10. Soil Science Lab Assistant and Teaching Assistant
[Teaching/Tutoring]
- Served as lab course assistant for intro soils course at Cornell University (Spring 1992).
- Served as Teaching Assistant for intro soils course at Cornell University (Spring 1993).

11. Biology Teaching Assistant & Head Teaching Assistant/TA Trainer
[Teaching/Tutoring]
- Served as Teaching Assistant in intro biology course for biology majors (Fall 1993-Spring 1994).
- Served as TA Trainer / Head Teaching Assistant for intro bio course (Fall 1994-1995).

12. Soil Science Research
[Research]
- Spans 6 years.
- Undergraduate research assistant at Cornell University (Summers 1991 & 1992).
- Graduate research assistant at Cornell University (Fall 1992-Fall 1995).
- Faculty research assistant at Oregon State University - Central Oregon Agric. Res. Ctr (Jan 1996-Jul 1997).

13. Journal Articles, Extension Publications, and Abstracts
[Publications]
- From my soil science career.

D) Non-professional and non-pre-med activities
14. Choir/Choir Outreach
[Volunteer - not medical]
- Sang soprano 5 years in small church choir.
- Choir also participated in various community concerts.

15. Running, Biking, Hiking, Yoga
[Hobbies]
- Long-standing interests in hiking and running, and later biking and yoga, for fitness and recreation.

Questions:
Q1 - I've dedicated a lot of space to Web/Multimedia/Medical Illustration, so MAYBE it would be better to include something else, instead of (9), or combine (9) into (6). What do you think?

Q2 - I have some certifications, but assume they are not really noteworthy - do you agree?
- Hazardous Materials — Nuclear Gauge Safety Training Certification (1996 to 1998)
- Oregon Department of Agriculture Pesticide Consultant License (1996 to 1997)
- CPR/First Aid (previously and now current again)

Q3 - Do you think this is worth including as an activity- I have attended conferences in teaching, soil science, medical illustration and programming. Note/also: Is is a detractor that none are recent?

Conferences and Workshops
- Flash ActionScript Boot Camp, Rochester, NY (2005)
- Association of Medical Illustrators Annual Meeting, Los Angeles (2005)
- Association of Medical Illustrators Annual Meeting, Cleveland (2004)
- php | works - 2004 PHP conference, Toronto (2004)
- Macromedia Beginning Macromedia Flash MX Seminar, Rochester, NY (2002)
- American Society of Agronomy/Soil Science Society of America Annual Conference (1996)
- University-wide Teaching Assistant Training Workshop Facilitator (1994)
- American Society of Agronomy/Soil Science Society of America Annual Conference (1993)
- University-wide Teaching Assistant Training Workshop Volunteer (1993)
- University-wide Teaching Assistant Training Workshop Participant (1992)

Q4 - I also thought that my industry awards might seem too obscure:
Industry Awards and Honors:
- Davey Award, Interactive Multimedia Gold Award - Direct Marketing category (2006)
- Davey Award, Interactive Multimedia Gold Award - Sales category (2006)
- PRism Award, Interactive CD - Corporate category (2003)
- Scienceman 4.5 out of 5 ranking for CD-ROM (2001)

Q5 - Also thought these are probably too pedestrian - nothing special - agreed?
Academic Awards:
- Graduate Scholarship, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998 to 1999)
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Medical Illustration, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998 to 1999)
- Graduate Assistantship, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998 to 1999)
- Graduate Assistantship, Rochester Institute of Technology (1997 to 1998)
- Teaching Assistantship, Division of Biology, Cornell University, Head TA (Fall 1994 to Spring 1995)
- Teaching Assistantship, Division of Biology, Cornell University (Fall 1993 to Spring 1994)
- Teaching Assistantship, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University (Spring 1993)
- Research Assistantship, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University (Fall 1992)
- Dean's List, Cornell University (Fall 1991)
- National Merit Scholarship Finalist (1989)
- National Honor Society

Q6 - For two years, during my Master of Fine Arts program, I served as an assistant to the chair of a department at the college I was attending - perhaps this activity is a better choice since it adds diversity and demonstrates some different skills/responsibilities?

Assistant to the Chair
(Sep 1997-May 1999, 10-20 hr/wk)
- Provided extensive support for Chair of XYZ Department of an art school. Scheduled, coordinated, and facilitated official faculty reviews of all incoming freshman applicants' art portfolios to the school, filing evaluation forms and reporting results to the admissions office. Developed and managed databases for the department chair. Performed invoicing, light accounting, purchase order processing, and bank deposits related to professional art educators association for which the chair served as treasurer.

 

[BurntFlower]

I realize I'm super late to be submitting AMCAS app. this season, but I am hoping to finish up today, and second-guessing my "most meaningful" explanations...

I'm basically afraid I may have taken the wrong approach. Having read that they were similar to "mini personal-statements," I created very short essays within the 1325 character limit to demonstrate an example from the activity and what I learned from it. For example, if I were to write a "most meaningful" explanation about volunteering in a homeless shelter, I might start with a specific/exciting example from the activity in 1st paragraph, explain a bit more and begin connecting to medicine in 2nd paragraph, and then wrap-up / explain why the activity was meaningful to me in the 3rd paragraph.

I'm curious if anybody else took a similar approach? I feel like it might be a little more interesting to read than simply reflection/explanation of my thoughts, but also worry a bit that it might look like I can't explain things clearly and rely too much on personal stories, rather than actual explanations. I'd be really interested to hear advice/opinions about whether such an approach would be advised or not advised?

Thanks in advance!

I did the same...and I also submitted my app pretty late.

 

[Catalystik]

I'm having trouble narrowing down my choices for W/A. Below I list my list of 15... followed by questions & thought in which I'm re-considering.

Questions:
Q1 - I've dedicated a lot of space to Web/Multimedia/Medical Illustration, so MAYBE it would be better to include something else, instead of (9), or combine (9) into (6). What do you think?

Q2 - I have some certifications, but assume they are not really noteworthy - do you agree?
- Hazardous Materials — Nuclear Gauge Safety Training Certification (1996 to 1998)
- Oregon Department of Agriculture Pesticide Consultant License (1996 to 1997)
- CPR/First Aid (previously and now current again)

Q3 - Do you think this is worth including as an activity- I have attended conferences in teaching, soil science, medical illustration and programming. Note/also: Is is a detractor that none are recent?

Conferences and Workshops
- Flash ActionScript Boot Camp, Rochester, NY (2005)
- Association of Medical Illustrators Annual Meeting, Los Angeles (2005)
- Association of Medical Illustrators Annual Meeting, Cleveland (2004)
- php | works - 2004 PHP conference, Toronto (2004)
- Macromedia Beginning Macromedia Flash MX Seminar, Rochester, NY (2002)
- American Society of Agronomy/Soil Science Society of America Annual Conference (1996)
- University-wide Teaching Assistant Training Workshop Facilitator (1994)
- American Society of Agronomy/Soil Science Society of America Annual Conference (1993)
- University-wide Teaching Assistant Training Workshop Volunteer (1993)
- University-wide Teaching Assistant Training Workshop Participant (1992)

Q4 - I also thought that my industry awards might seem too obscure:
Industry Awards and Honors:
- Davey Award, Interactive Multimedia Gold Award - Direct Marketing category (2006)
- Davey Award, Interactive Multimedia Gold Award - Sales category (2006)
- PRism Award, Interactive CD - Corporate category (2003)
- Scienceman 4.5 out of 5 ranking for CD-ROM (2001)

Q5 - Also thought these are probably too pedestrian - nothing special - agreed?
Academic Awards:
- Graduate Scholarship, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998 to 1999)
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Medical Illustration, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998 to 1999)
- Graduate Assistantship, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998 to 1999)
- Graduate Assistantship, Rochester Institute of Technology (1997 to 1998)
- Teaching Assistantship, Division of Biology, Cornell University, Head TA (Fall 1994 to Spring 1995)
- Teaching Assistantship, Division of Biology, Cornell University (Fall 1993 to Spring 1994)
- Teaching Assistantship, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University (Spring 1993)
- Research Assistantship, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University (Fall 1992)
- Dean’s List, Cornell University (Fall 1991)
- National Merit Scholarship Finalist (1989)
- National Honor Society

Q6 - For two years, during my Master of Fine Arts program, I served as an assistant to the chair of a department at the college I was attending - perhaps this activity is a better choice since it adds diversity and demonstrates some different skills/responsibilities?

Assistant to the Chair
(Sep 1997-May 1999, 10-20 hr/wk)
- Provided extensive support for Chair of XYZ Department of an art school. Scheduled, coordinated, and facilitated official faculty reviews of all incoming freshman applicants’ art portfolios to the school, filing evaluation forms and reporting results to the admissions office. Developed and managed databases for the department chair. Performed invoicing, light accounting, purchase order processing, and bank deposits related to professional art educators association for which the chair served as treasurer.

1) Combining seems like a good idea.
2) Yes.
3) I would not include them.
4) If you want to include them, you'll have to explain them.
5) Maybe some of the teaching could be added into 10) and 11). You decide. More recent stuff is more important. you could probably summarize the long-ago activity in a sentence or two.
6) It's your call, but the various positions of trust would reflect well on you.

 

[karis0166]

Catalystik,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful, prompt responses!

 

[SwissMs]

Hello all! I have a question about one of my activities and was wondering if anyone had any tips (I know I'm pretty late in the game but I just got my MCAT score back this week. Anyway.)

One of my activities, that I will list as most meaningful, was a study abroad/internship experience; I spent 3 months in Zimbabwe with a few other students. Mainly we were there to assist with a public health research project; we also shadowed some doctors in the capital where we were working, went out with data collection teams (surveys mainly) etc. Most of our time was spent on activities related to this study, particularly data entry.

However, we also spent 2 and a half weeks of our time at a rural hospital where we were able to shadow doctors, hang out with patients, particularly playing with children, help with vaccination drives and in some procedures where more hands were needld ed, and assist with general tasks around the hospital.

How should I list this: As one experience combined under 'other'? Or should I split it up into 'research' and something else? If I put the time at the hospital under another name, what should that be? Volunteering, or other?

Thanks for any input! Reading this thread has made me think that it's important to have something under each heading, otherwise I would have just lumped all into "other" and used my 1300 characters to explain...

 

[Catalystik]

One of my activities, that I will list as most meaningful, was a study abroad/internship experience; I spent 3 months in Zimbabwe with a few other students. Mainly we were there to assist with a public health research project; we also shadowed some doctors in the capital where we were working, went out with data collection teams (surveys mainly) etc. Most of our time was spent on activities related to this study, particularly data entry.

However, we also spent 2 and a half weeks of our time at a rural hospital where we were able to shadow doctors, hang out with patients, particularly playing with children, help with vaccination drives and in some procedures where more hands were needld ed, and assist with general tasks around the hospital.

How should I list this: As one experience combined under 'other'? Or should I split it up into 'research' and something else? If I put the time at the hospital under another name, what should that be? Volunteering, or other?

Thanks for any input! Reading this thread has made me think that it's important to have something under each heading, otherwise I would have just lumped all into "other" and used my 1300 characters to explain...

One's strategy depends on whether one has all those bases covered with other activities or not. It sounds like you don't, so it would be better to split everything out, into Research, Volunteer-Medical/Clinical (for anything where you helped with patients), and Other for the shadowing where you mainly observed physician activity (and I'd include these hours in the same entry with your US shadowing). Just don't double count the hours; they shouldn't add up to > 16 hours a day. For the shadowing, it's fine to give your best, honest estimate.

 

[SwissMs]

Thanks Catalystik! I will do that, I am a little light on volunteering, and I'll put the shadowing with the rest of my shadowing.

I have a question--I have (other than this experience) about 48 hours of shadowing. I was thinking of getting more before interviews, but I live in Switzerland right now, so it would have to be here. Is that worth much, or not really because it's in another country?

By the way, I love the cat picture. It makes me smile every time.