*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2014-2015*~*~*~*

[Catalystik]

Last question for ya (if you don't mind). What is your opinion about having three meaningful experiences as opposed to just one or two? Does it look better for someone to have all three filled rather than just one or two?

See item #8 in post 2 here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-tips-thread-2014-2015.1062704/#post-15070525

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[Catalystik]

Does it matter what tense the descriptions are in (bullet point format)? Ex: For a past experience of when I was a tutor, can it be "Tutored students in..." or can it be "Tutor students in.." ? The only reason I ask is because I'm short a few characters and removing the "ed" from a handful of verbs would be helpful. But, I don't want to imply that I'm currently doing this activity.

Personally, I would leave in the -ed so that there isn't any confusion about if/if not you are still doing the experiences.

I agree. You don't want an adcomm thinking you're still engaged in the activity if you are not, and present tense implies that the experience is ongoing.

 

[Premixis]

Is it alright to talk about an experience that will end up adding ~120 hours of shadowing to my application (hospital rotations) if I only just recently started it? This will be a great addition to my application since it was previously light on the shadowing aspect. If so, should I talk about it in the present or future tense?

 

[Catalystik]

Is it alright to talk about an experience that will end up adding ~120 hours of shadowing to my application (hospital rotations) if I only just recently started it? This will be a great addition to my application since it was previously light on the shadowing aspect. If so, should I talk about it in the present or future tense?

If you recently started the activity it is ongoing, so you can use past, present, or future tense in your description, depending on what you're referring to. It's fine to discuss future shadowing plans, but be sure to discriminate between the hours you've already accomplished, those you you have scheduled, and those you plan to add but aren't yet confirmed (if this scenario applies to you). You can do this with the Repeated button, or through your narrative.

 

[NYCdude]

Could someone please answer my question: If you select more than one "Most Meaningful Experience", is it supposed to give you an option to select which of those two are the most meaningful? That's what I'm assuming based on reading the manual but I don't see any option like that. Thanks.

 

[Catalystik]

If you select more than one "Most Meaningful Experience", is it supposed to give you an option to select which of those two are the most meaningful? That's what I'm assuming based on reading the manual but I don't see any option like that.

No, there is no mechanism to rank the MM activities you designate to show that one is even more meaningful than another.

 

[PharmaHarma]

Is it worth including that I often organized and led study groups for some of the more difficult classes encountered during undergrad? In which I mostly just reviewed the material and tutored others who were having trouble. It could be noted that their grades improved significantly with my help. In addition, I often tutored friends in classes I was not taking at the time. Can I include this informal leadership/tutoring? If so, in which section would it be most appropriate?
Also, I have seen in multiple places where adding GPA-dependent honors such as Dean's List and random honor societies, while not frowned upon, isn't particularly beneficial, as GPA speaks for itself. However, is it worth adding that I was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll at my school during my time playing football? Though it's providing no new information, as football is discussed and my grades are provided, I imagine it's a less common award/honor.
On the topic of football, I plan on discussing it at length in my PS, as well as making it a higher priority experience. Do I need to worry about redundancy?

My apologies if any of this has already been discussed. My search turned up no relevant results, and as for the redundancy between PS and ECs, I didn't see it addressed in a way that spoke to my situation.

Thank you for your time!

 

[Catalystik]

1) Is it worth including that I often organized and led study groups for some of the more difficult classes encountered during undergrad? In which I mostly just reviewed the material and tutored others who were having trouble. It could be noted that their grades improved significantly with my help. In addition, I often tutored friends in classes I was not taking at the time. Can I include this informal leadership/tutoring? If so, in which section would it be most appropriate?

2) Also, I have seen in multiple places where adding GPA-dependent honors such as Dean's List and random honor societies, while not frowned upon, isn't particularly beneficial, as GPA speaks for itself. However, is it worth adding that I was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll at my school during my time playing football? Though it's providing no new information, as football is discussed and my grades are provided, I imagine it's a less common award/honor.

3) On the topic of football, I plan on discussing it at length in my PS, as well as making it a higher priority experience. Do I need to worry about redundancy?

1) I suggest you use the "Teaching" tag for this activity. It's fine to include it.

2) Since it's less common, be sure to include the criteria for it. Spell out SEC before using the abbreviation (since you're not referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission).

3) Yes. It's up to you to keep both sections interesting and let your passion for your sport shine out. Where repeating information is essential, use different vocabulary words. Try to focus on different aspects of the experience in each portion. Don't use the same anecdotes twice. Also, don't feel obliged to use all the characters allowed. If you're done with what you want to convey, then stop. The application adjusts to the number of words you use so there won't be any empty spaces.

 

[PharmaHarma]

1) I suggest you use the "Teaching" tag for this activity. It's fine to include it.

2) Since it's less common, be sure to include the criteria for it. Spell out SEC before using the abbreviation (since you're not referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission).

3) Yes. It's up to you to keep both sections interesting and let your passion for your sport shine out. Where repeating information is essential, use different vocabulary words. Try to focus on different aspects of the experience in each portion. Don't use the same anecdotes twice. Also, don't feel obliged to use all the characters allowed. If you're done with what you want to convey, then stop. The application adjusts to the number of words you use so there won't be any empty spaces.

Thank you so much for the quick reply! Follow up questions:
Would it be best to put myself as the contact, or maybe a friend whom I have tutored?
And who would I need to put as my honor roll contact?

 

[Catalystik]

Follow up questions:
1) Would it be best to put myself as the contact, or maybe a friend whom I have tutored?
2) And who would I need to put as my honor roll contact?

1) Use the most objective possible witness: Nonfriend > friend > Mom > yourself.

2) The college Registrar (who should have a record of all Academic Recognitions) or your coach.

 

[Mellow Fisherman]

For ongoing activities, do you put your total predicted hours or just the total hours you've completed thus far?

 

[Catalystik]

For ongoing activities, do you put your total predicted hours or just the total hours you've completed thus far?

Being able to enter a future End Date is new to AMCAS since last year. Adcomms are accustomed to knowing how many hours you have already spent on an activity, without the addition of how many you predict you will spend in the future (which may or may not happen). But there is only one Total Hours blank to fill in. Applicants would ideally make the difference clear, so there is no inaccurate guesswork on the adcomm's part. Some ways to do this:

1) Use this month for the End Date blank and the Total Hours space for current hours, then in the narrative, state future End Date + predicted additional hours.

Example for Research:

15-20 hrs/wk.; 40 hrs/wk in summer.
Plan to continue through 9/14, adding 500 more hours
- Paid research assistant since June 2011. Continuing full-time post-application.
- Research directed at finding interventions to improve outcome following acute brain injury by identifying potential candidates in experimental stroke models from those drugs either already in use or in human trials for other purposes.
- Involved in tasks ranging from microscopy to cell counting.
- Current Project: Confocal analysis of the effects of progesterone and allopregnanolone on neurogenesis following cerebral ischemia in mice.
- First job ever - able to gain an understanding of working with a superior and employing teamwork with colleagues.

Or

2) State the Total Hours completed for a date span ending the month of submission. Select "Yes" that you Repeated the activity. For the second date span use a start date also for the month of submission and the end date in the future. Enter the predicted future Total Hours.

 

[drmak89]

Hi, I have a quick question as this is the last step before I submit my app. I am a non-traditional student who was an art major in undergrad. My senior project (completed over the course of a semester) was to redesign the identity of a business located in the same community as my school. The final pieces were put on display at the on campus art museum for about a month before I graduated. Would something like this be favorable to include on my app? Does it warrant the title of artistic endeavor or presentation/posters?

Also, I've worked at a healthcare agency for the past 7 years in various roles, one of which I am listing as most meaningful (over 1000 hours of direct patient care/contact). The other roles are also very important but I plan to list the company name as a separate space with a brief description of each. Some of the roles overlap (ex: held two job titles at once) so I would make a brief note at the end to draw attention to this. Would this be sufficient?

 

[Catalystik]

1) Hi, I have a quick question as this is the last step before I submit my app. I am a non-traditional student who was an art major in undergrad. My senior project (completed over the course of a semester) was to redesign the identity of a business located in the same community as my school. The final pieces were put on display at the on campus art museum for about a month before I graduated. Would something like this be favorable to include on my app? Does it warrant the title of artistic endeavor or presentation/posters?

2) Also, I've worked at a healthcare agency for the past 7 years in various roles, one of which I am listing as most meaningful (over 1000 hours of direct patient care/contact). The other roles are also very important but I plan to list the company name as a separate space with a brief description of each. Some of the roles overlap (ex: held two job titles at once) so I would make a brief note at the end to draw attention to this. Would this be sufficient?

1) Yes, you can include it. Artistic Endeavor works fine unless you want to present it as a special project that included non-artistic elements, in which case the Other category could be used (don't use Presentations/Posters, which is reserved for original hypothesis-based research). If you have pics on a site with a very-short URL, you might even provide a link. I'd want to look at it.

2) Sounds good. Including a date span for each role is a good idea if you have the space, but isn't essential.

 

[CKP7175]

.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi everyone,

I just submitted my AMCAS yesterday and I was wondering how your description of work/activities appears to AdComms. When I view my app as a PDF after clicking "Print Application" (as I believe I read somewhere on SDN is how AdComms see it) the descriptions look exactly how I intended, but when I go into the work/activities section and actually view the description for each entry, there are formating issues with the entries where I used a catchall title and multiple sub-entries with colons and hyphens to separate them.

Try not to look at the "Show Details" summary. It has nothing to do with what adcomms will see and is just there for your convenience. The PDF view is what we'll be looking at.

 

[CKP7175]

Awesome, thanks @Catalystik !

 

[thsc]

Hi @Catalystik ,

You may have answered similar questions before but there are too many posts on this forum to navigate through all of them and the search function didn't yield any useful results, so I thought of asking these directly (sorry of they are repetitive for you):

1. When grouping multiple similar activities together, how do you go about listing verifiers if these activities have different verifiers? For example: I'm grouping all my awards/honors into one entry, but not all my awards were from my institution, some of them were from external organizations and my registrar wouldn't have a record of that. So in this case, I'll need multiple verifiers for my awards, but it looks like I can only enter one. Any ideas what to do here? Another situation is sports teams. I have played for multiple sports teams over the years and they were not all associated with my university, so again I'll need different verifiers for different teams since no single person can verify for all of them. So what do I do in this case? Same question goes for the organization although I suppose I could leave that one blank.
I was thinking of just listing the verifiers in brackets next to each award or activity name in the description box, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate.

One of the things I wanted to do was group the fact that I played intramural soccer on campus for a few years with the fact that I also directed the organization of a couple of soccer tournaments on campus through a charity organization, since they can both be related under the same theme. But you can see the issue with something like this is that I"ll require 2 verifiers for the same entry if I group them like this.

2. Is it a negative thing to list an activity with very few hours i.e. 20 hrs? I was a swimming instructor for 8 months and taught about 1 hr of swimming to kids with disabilities per week, which is why the total only came out to 20 hrs, but since it was done over close to 1 year , I still would like to use it. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[abcjmz]

Hi, I am in the process of filling out my application and was going to list as an Extracurricular Activity my musical instrument playing. I've been playing since 5th grade (2004) so was going to make that the start date. I played all thoughout high school, formally for a year in college, and in my free time.

I was also part of the music department and played in my church since middle school (2006) to the present. It has been mostly for special services like Easter, Christmas, New Years, and a few summer services per year. I was thinking about classifying this as non-medical community service.

Should I list these two separately? As an Extracurricular for the playing, then as Non-clinical community service?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Catalystik]

1 a) When grouping multiple similar activities together, how do you go about listing verifiers if these activities have different verifiers? For example: I'm grouping all my awards/honors into one entry, but not all my awards were from my institution, some of them were from external organizations and my registrar wouldn't have a record of that. So in this case, I'll need multiple verifiers for my awards, but it looks like I can only enter one. Any ideas what to do here? Another situation is sports teams. I have played for multiple sports teams over the years and they were not all associated with my university, so again I'll need different verifiers for different teams since no single person can verify for all of them. So what do I do in this case? Same question goes for the organization although I suppose I could leave that one blank.
I was thinking of just listing the verifiers in brackets next to each award or activity name in the description box, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate.

b) One of the things I wanted to do was group the fact that I played intramural soccer on campus for a few years with the fact that I also directed the organization of a couple of soccer tournaments on campus through a charity organization, since they can both be related under the same theme. But you can see the issue with something like this is that I"ll require 2 verifiers for the same entry if I group them like this.

2. Is it a negative thing to list an activity with very few hours i.e. 20 hrs? I was a swimming instructor for 8 months and taught about 1 hr of swimming to kids with disabilities per week, which is why the total only came out to 20 hrs, but since it was done over close to 1 year , I still would like to use it. Any thoughts?

1a) Your solution is correct, except for the first on your list, which is included in the header. Also, you aren't obliged to fill in an Organization. For the sports teams, you'd probably be fine with just including the most recent contact for each sport, as presumably your current/most recent coach/team captain knows your background and can attest to it.
1b) Yes.

2) I've seen fewer hours listed. Go for it, or even group it with other swimming involvement, similar to your strategy in 1b), to make it look more substantial. I like seeing those in college sports sharing their love of it with others, and this grouping would keep the related activity in context.

 

[Catalystik]

I am in the process of filling out my application and was going to list as an Extracurricular Activity my musical instrument playing. I've been playing since 5th grade (2004) so was going to make that the start date. I played all thoughout high school, formally for a year in college, and in my free time.

I was also part of the music department and played in my church since middle school (2006) to the present. It has been mostly for special services like Easter, Christmas, New Years, and a few summer services per year. I was thinking about classifying this as non-medical community service.

Should I list these two separately? As an Extracurricular for the playing, then as Non-clinical community service?

You have the option of listing them separately as you describe, listing them together under Extracurricular, naming it "Musical Involvement", or listing them together under Artistic Endeavors, which is suitable since you performed publicly. Your description for the latter options would make clear that you volunteered to enrich your religious community. I like the last option best, but you get to choose, as there's no one right way to do it.

 

[drmak89]

1) Yes, you can include it. Artistic Endeavor works fine unless you want to present it as a special project that included non-artistic elements, in which case the Other category could be used (don't use Presentations/Posters, which is reserved for original hypothesis-based research). If you have pics on a site with a very-short URL, you might even provide a link. I'd want to look at it.

2) Sounds good. Including a date span for each role is a good idea if you have the space, but isn't essential.

Thank so much for the response! I included it. The link is a bit long and I would want to update my portfolio to showcase more recent work. So I will work on that. If given the opportunity to speak of any hobbies during secondaries I will definitely link it since it is a great idea.

 

[pTangel]

Hey guys, quick question. If I volunteered in a research lab and then this later transitioned into a paid summer position, do I put this under volunteer, research, or work?

Thanks again!

 

[Catalystik]

Hey guys, quick question. If I volunteered in a research lab and then this later transitioned into a paid summer position, do I put this under volunteer, research, or work?

Tag it with Research/Lab.

 

[abcjmz]

You have the option of listing them separately as you describe, listing them together under Extracurricular, naming it "Musical Involvement", or listing them together under Artistic Endeavors, which is suitable since you performed publicly. Your description for the latter options would make clear that you volunteered to enrich your religious community. I like the last option best, but you get to choose, as there's no one right way to do it.

So list it out as 2 different activities, one under Extracurricular pertaining to playing through school and in various bands, then another as non-clinical volunteering as part of my church? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Catalystik]

So list it out as 2 different activities, one under Extracurricular pertaining to playing through school and in various bands, then another as non-clinical volunteering as part of my church? Thanks for the feedback.

If you have no other nonmedical community service that would be fine. If you do, you could consider using Artistic Endeavors for the public performance component at the church to balance your application and use more of the pre-selectable tags.

 

[pTangel]

Tag it with Research/Lab.

Great thanks! Another question, I did an individual research project and this led to an NSERC and conference poster presentation. If I already listed an individual research project as one activity, should I list the NSERC and conference attendance+poster under it or split it up?

As well, for the most meaningful activity there's a description of 700 characters and a summary box of 1300 characters. Do I fill out both of just the summary box or?

 

[Catalystik]

1) I did an individual research project and this led to an NSERC and conference poster presentation. If I already listed an individual research project as one activity, should I list the NSERC and conference attendance+poster under it or split it up?

2) for the most meaningful activity there's a description of 700 characters and a summary box of 1300 characters. Do I fill out both of just the summary box or?

1) If the conference was on your current campus, then mention the poster in the same space as the Research. If the conference was off campus (implying more selectivity in whois chosen to present), then list it in its own Posters/Presentations space. The NSERC grant could be put in an Awards/Honors space (if you have enough to say about how competitive it was), or wherever you mention the poster. If the grant was $3000 (in US dollars equivalent) you can mention the amount.

2) Use the first box for description and role. Use the second for insights gained and impact (and maybe anecdotes, if any). Don't try to fill each box as the program will only display the characters you use without a lot of blank space after it if you don't use them all. Succinctness is good.

 

[PharmaHarma]

Try not to look at the "Show Details" summary. It has nothing to do with what adcomms will see and is just there for your convenience. The PDF view is what we'll be looking at.

Hmm well in the PDF view, my bulleted points show up in series, rather than spaced like I entered them. Does that mean they'll show up in this way to adcomms? And is this something I should be particularly concerned about?

 

[Catalystik]

Hmm well in the PDF view, my bulleted points show up in series, rather than spaced like I entered them. Does that mean they'll show up in this way to adcomms? And is this something I should be particularly concerned about?

Did you get to the PDF view from the Main Menu through the Print Application button? If so, and it looks that distorted, I would be concerned. Consider retyping the description directly into the box rather than cut and pasting it.

 

[NonTradGoingBig]

I worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative in primary care. Is this medical/clinical work experience or should I list it as non-clinical work? The same pertains to my experience selling in microbiology laboratories in hospitals - clinical or non-clinical?

Thanks,

 

[Catalystik]

I worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative in primary care. Is this medical/clinical work experience or should I list it as non-clinical work? The same pertains to my experience selling in microbiology laboratories in hospitals - clinical or non-clinical?

Thanks,

If you did not personally interact with sick and/or injured patients while working, for AMCAS purposes these jobs would not be considered medical/clinical. From my experiences with such reps, this is probably nonclinical.

 

[CanadianRN]

Alright, so I know this is covered in the FAQ, and I am almost positive I know the answer to this, but I NEED confirmation before I hit the "submit" button.

Is a bullet-point form just as good as writing in prose to describe my activities? I have a TON of work and life experience as I am a mature applicant, and I have tried both methods. With bullet points, I can get more important information across. For my top three activity 1325-character impact statements, I have written out a paragraph in prose. From what I can see on this long and thorough thread, almost all of your examples are written in a bullet point format such as:

Brief description of activity/organization/role as needed. Responsibilities included:
- Saved the world
- Cured cancer
- Learned how to perform CPR while on a unicycle
- Etc...

I am obviously joking about the descriptions, but the format is what I am curious about. Is this format acceptable? Or, should I be writing out a paragraph for each 700 character description. I was about to submit when a friend freaked me out by telling me that I am going completely against the norm. Help!

Thank you!!

 

[Catalystik]

Alright, so I know this is covered in the FAQ, and I am almost positive I know the answer to this, but I NEED confirmation before I hit the "submit" button.

Is a bullet-point form just as good as writing in prose to describe my activities? I have a TON of work and life experience as I am a mature applicant, and I have tried both methods. With bullet points, I can get more important information across. For my top three activity 1325-character impact statements, I have written out a paragraph in prose. From what I can see on this long and thorough thread, almost all of your examples are written in a bullet point format such as:

Brief description of activity/organization/role as needed. Responsibilities included:
- Saved the world
- Cured cancer
- Learned how to perform CPR while on a unicycle
- Etc...

I am obviously joking about the descriptions, but the format is what I am curious about. Is this format acceptable? Or, should I be writing out a paragraph for each 700 character description. I was about to submit when a friend freaked me out by telling me that I am going completely against the norm. Help!

Thank you!!

I disagee with your friend's perception. You are fine to go with bullets or narrative as seems to best convey the information you need to get across. And succinctness is always valued.

 

[CanadianRN]

Thank you Catalystik! That makes sense, and it is what I needed to hear. I will now hit the "submit" button.

I disagee with your friend's perception. You are fine to go with bullets or narrative as seems to best convey the information you need to get across. And succinctness is always valued.

 

[leonphelpss11]

Should I use an activity space to include Dean's List when I only achieved it one semester? I have no other academic recognitions and I only have 8 activities including that Dean's List.

Also, how do I list the title of books I have read in my "hobbies" activity if it does not allow me to underline it?

 

[Catalystik]

Should I use an activity space to include Dean's List when I only achieved it one semester? I have no other academic recognitions and I only have 8 activities including that Dean's List.

Also, how do I list the title of books I have read in my "hobbies" activity if it does not allow me to underline it?

IMO listing one term of Deans List is not going to enhance your application, unless it was the last semester, which would highlight an upward grade trend. But you can list it if you wish, regardless.

You could try putting the book title in quotes or alternatively capitalize most of the book titles' words to make them stand out (War and Peace, Lord of the Rings, etc.).

 

[discocasino]

Contact question:
non-trad, I was in a club in the beginning of undergrad, almost 6 yrs ago. I have no idea who the faculty advisor was at the time; I remember a couple of the officers' names but I'm sure they wouldn't know me. Is it better to list the club's current faculty advisor, or the past officers (undergrads at the time)?

 

[Catalystik]

Contact question:
non-trad, I was in a club in the beginning of undergrad, almost 6 yrs ago. I have no idea who the faculty advisor was at the time; I remember a couple of the officers' names but I'm sure they wouldn't know me. Is it better to list the club's current faculty advisor, or the past officers (undergrads at the time)?

For a club from so long ago, I suggest you list yourself as a contact.

 

[aegistitan]

For a club from so long ago, I suggest you list yourself as a contact.

Is there anything wrong with listing yourself as a contact for clubs whose faculty members are not involved at all?

Also, one of the physicians I shadowed did not want to give me his personal phone number or personal email when I asked for it. Is it alright if I use the office phone number on the AMCAS, even if it goes to the receptionist at the office?

 

[Catalystik]

Is there anything wrong with listing yourself as a contact for clubs whose faculty members are not involved at all?

Also, one of the physicians I shadowed did not want to give me his personal phone number or personal email when I asked for it. Is it alright if I use the office phone number on the AMCAS, even if it goes to the receptionist at the office?

No to the first question and yes to the second.

 

[AlphaKY1]

Out of high school and during my first 1.5 years of college I developed the hobby of high volatility stock trading (penny stocks, yes). I was successful, but stopped to focus on school. Should I list this in my hobby section if I have room?

 

[Catalystik]

Out of high school and during my first 1.5 years of college I developed the hobby of high volatility stock trading (penny stocks, yes). I was successful, but stopped to focus on school. Should I list this in my hobby section if I have room?

It's a more unusual hobby at that age, and worth listing, however, take caution about emphasizing the riskiness of your ventures, perhaps softening the language somewhat. You'd be better off coming across as someone with a working knowledge of finance, not the hobby-equivalent of a high stakes poker player. JMO.

 

[psp251]

For Experience Name, I'm thinking of putting "Academic Honors," and in the description I can list Dean's List, Summa Cum Laude, etc. However, the box for Contact Name, Title, etc. is required. I have no idea what to put for this. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

For Experience Name, I'm thinking of putting "Academic Honors," and in the description I can list Dean's List, Summa Cum Laude, etc. However, the box for Contact Name, Title, etc. is required. I have no idea what to put for this. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!

Your school's Registrar will have a record of all these honors and would be a good contact to use.

 

[Omidvar]

Hi, the character count between what I posted in the AMCAS application for my PS and that of Word are not matching up, any suggestions as to why that may be? Everything looks fine in the summary view of the PS. Thanks

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, the character count between what I posted in the AMCAS application for my PS and that of Word are not matching up, any suggestions as to why that may be? Everything looks fine in the summary view of the PS. Thanks

Don't use the summary view. See the more-reliable PDF view by going to the Main Menu, click Print Application, then select PDF (you don't have to print it for a preview).

Consider the warnings in the AMCAS instruction manual about copy and pasting from heavily formatted programs like Word. You'd be better off transferring to something like Wordpad first, editing again, and then pasting that copy if you don't want to type directly into the application.

 

[knower214]

I was wondering if you guys could look at my work/activities section and give me any input on it. Thanks in advance!

Also should I put TA in the leadership section or make it TA a completely separate section on the AMCAS?

1) Paid employment – nonmilitary

· Executive Inn – Weekend Daytime Desk Clerk ( 2010 (Summer) – 2011 (Spring))


2) Community service volunteer- non medical

· Participating in various science fairs around Central Arkansas ( 5-6 per year from Fall 2011 – Present)

o Teaching elementary students basic science concepts through experimentation.

· Helped with the tornado disaster relief in in Vilonia, AR. (50 hours)

· Helping in organizing and assisting with cultural activities and events that take place for the Indian Gujarat community in the Dallas, Texas area. ( 5-6 events per year from 2007 – Present)

· Helping my hometown community with their technological needs ( 2010-2011, Summer of 2012 and 2013)

o Troubleshooting hardware/software errors and connectivity issues.


3) Research/ Lab

· Undergraduate Biology Research (Spring 2012 – Spring 2013)

· Summer Science Research Internship ( Summer 2013)


4) Honors/ Awards/ Recognition

· Awarded“EAST Initiative” Scholarship - awarded from my university due to helping my community their technological needs.

· Awarded Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship

· UCA Presidential Scholars List (Fall 2011 – Spring 2014)

· Undergraduate Student Research Grant (Spring 2012 – Spring 2014)


5) Presentation/ Poster

· Presented Biology Research Poster at CNSM poster symposium ( Spring 2012 & Spring 2013)

· Presented Biology Research Poster at the Meeting of the Southern Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists. (Spring 2012)

· Presented Summer Microbiology Research at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. (Summer 2013)



6) Shadowing

· Shadowed my local doctor at the clinic. (200 hours)

o More focus on physician-patient interaction

· Shadowed my local surgeon at the hospital (50 hours)

· Shadowed doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (50 hours)


7) Teaching Assistant/ Tutoring

· Organic Chemistry Teaching Assistant ( Present)

o Perform data analysis techniques for the lab and assisted professors with lessons.

o Explain challenging organic concepts to the students.

o Evaluate students’ lab homework and quizzes.

· Teaching 5th grade students about video-editing software (20 hours a week for a month)



8) Leadership

· Executive Inn – General Manager ( 3 to 4 days a week for Summer 2012 & Summer 2013)

o Manage the motel completely


9) Other

· Certified Conservation Education Instructor

o Project W.E.T., Project W.I.L.D., LEP Educator

o Taught at local elementary school several times

· CPR-Certified


10) Hobbies

· Playing disc golf and volleyball

· Running

· Repairing electronics like computers

· Reading on technological advancements (consumer electronics)

 

[Catalystik]

I was wondering if you guys could look at my work/activities section and give me any input on it.

Also should I put TA in the leadership section or make it TA a completely separate section on the AMCAS?

A comprehensive review of your ECs falls outside the scope of this thread (you could consider editing out your CV here and reposting in the WAMC subforum for input). To answer your one relevant question: TA falls under the Teaching category generally. Leadership might be used if you are the manager of other TAs for a given course.

 

[KC7]

I'm an author on a couple of posters that were presented at Society for Neuroscience conferences, but I wasn't actually at the conference presenting it. Can I still list these as "presentation/poster" but just specify in the description that I didn't personally present?