*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2015-2016*~*~*~*

[AHOT]

There is a huge possibility there isn't really a great answer for my question, but basically I played 4 years of a varsity sport (team sport too) in college and did very well. I dedicated so much of my time to it so I think its only reasonable to put it as one of my 3 most important activities. However - and maybe this is just because I have played a sport for so long and have had to write about it for so many things - I don't know how to talk about this without sounding like every other athlete anymore. It's so significant to me in details I don't need to go in to, but how do I convey this without sounding so unoriginal?

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[Catalystik]

There is a huge possibility there isn't really a great answer for my question, but basically I played 4 years of a varsity sport (team sport too) in college and did very well. I dedicated so much of my time to it so I think its only reasonable to put it as one of my 3 most important activities. However - and maybe this is just because I have played a sport for so long and have had to write about it for so many things - I don't know how to talk about this without sounding like every other athlete anymore. It's so significant to me in details I don't need to go in to, but how do I convey this without sounding so unoriginal?

Speak in your own voice as you write down ideas for your essay and put your thoughts together in final form. Highlight qualities that made you a successful athlete which you feel translate into good characteristics for a physician. Don't read others' essays before writing your own. Omit most -ly words, cut down the adjectives, and avoid hyperbole. Be succinct in what you have to say. Don't feel compelled to fill the entire space if you've finished expressing your ideas.

 

[Stephktom08]

@Catalystik So I am sort of embarrassed to post this question but I need advice on it.

I volunteered a very short (one month out of my summer for about 8 hours) at my hometown hospital's gift shop. Should I even include this? If so is it deserving of its own slot? I could maybe fit it into the shadowing experiences I grouped together at the same hospital?

Also, a semi-similar situation with my "research" opportunity I had my first semester of college. One of my biology professors accepted to be my mentor, but during the 3 months (15-20 hours). Since I didn't do anything substantial all I can say that I got from the opportunity was gaining experience in lab procedures, use of equipment, and simple PCR runs. Should I even mention it? If so what should the experience name be?

 

[Catalystik]

@Catalystik So I am sort of embarrassed to post this question but I need advice on it.

1) I volunteered a very short (one month out of my summer for about 8 hours) at my hometown hospital's gift shop. Should I even include this? If so is it deserving of its own slot? I could maybe fit it into the shadowing experiences I grouped together at the same hospital?

2) Also, a semi-similar situation with my "research" opportunity I had my first semester of college. One of my biology professors accepted to be my mentor, but during the 3 months (15-20 hours). Since I didn't do anything substantial all I can say that I got from the opportunity was gaining experience in lab procedures, use of equipment, and simple PCR runs. Should I even mention it? If so what should the experience name be?

1) Leave it out.

2) Do you have another Research entry? You might mention the training in lab procedures as an aside in the narrative, like, "Prior to beginning this activity, I spent 15-20 hours learning XXX, Yyy, and zzz in the Smith Lab." If you do not have another Research entry, leave it out. JMO.

 

[Mr. Beefy Lion]

Would this be an appropriate description for the hobby "fitness"? Writing these descriptions has been harder than the personal statement for me, not sure why....

"I began working out my freshman year of high school. Since then I have lifted weights and ran for a combined eight hours a week. By graduation I expect to accumulate 1600 total hours of exercise. Exercised in order to promote health and develop athleticism. Mentored high school students on how to exercise correctly. Trained peers in order to help them achieve their goals. Using the knowledge that I have learned to help others achieve their goals has been rewarding and has motivated me to continue pursuing my own goals."


Also if I was going to put down making the Dean's list as an achievement who would be the contact? Is putting Dean's list down even a good idea though, considering most people applying probably have it?

 

[Lunistrella]

Would about 65 hours of volunteering at a local hospital (discharging patients, running minor errands like delivering lab samples and flowers, etc) in the summer between high school and college be something you'd recommend adding as an activity? I'm not sure as it's technically from before I started college. Also, I continued volunteering at the same hospital the next summer, but only had time for ~20 hours as I was out of state for the majority of the summer, but I was in the ED instead so I was mostly transporting patients to radiology or conversing with families. And would this be considered clinical or nonclinical (mainly asking because I already have more than enough clinical volunteering as I'm a supervisor of my on campus EMS organization)? Either way, I feel it would be beneficial for my application considering the rest of my hospital experience is from shadowing.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Would this be an appropriate description for the hobby "fitness"? Writing these descriptions has been harder than the personal statement for me, not sure why....

"I began working out my freshman year of high school. Since then I have lifted weights and ran for a combined eight hours a week. By graduation I expect to accumulate 1600 total hours of exercise. Exercised in order to promote health and develop athleticism. Mentored high school students on how to exercise correctly. Trained peers in order to help them achieve their goals. Using the knowledge that I have learned to help others achieve their goals has been rewarding and has motivated me to continue pursuing my own goals."


2) Also if I was going to put down making the Dean's list as an achievement who would be the contact? Is putting Dean's list down even a good idea though, considering most people applying probably have it?

1) Editorial commentary falls outside the scope of this thread, but if you're interested in seeing how some others have written their activity entries, here are some examples for you. Scroll down to activities. Click each title for an expanded narrative:http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=24817
http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=19291

2) There is not much point in listing Dean's List as an Honor/Award, since your GPA speaks for itself, but if you feel compelled to do so anyway, your college Registrar is a good contact.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Would about 65 hours of volunteering at a local hospital (discharging patients, running minor errands like delivering lab samples and flowers, etc) in the summer between high school and college be something you'd recommend adding as an activity? I'm not sure as it's technically from before I started college.
2) Also, I continued volunteering at the same hospital the next summer, but only had time for ~20 hours as I was out of state for the majority of the summer, but I was in the ED instead so I was mostly transporting patients to radiology or conversing with families.
3) And would this be considered clinical or nonclinical (mainly asking because I already have more than enough clinical volunteering as I'm a supervisor of my on campus EMS organization)? Either way, I feel it would be beneficial for my application considering the rest of my hospital experience is from shadowing.

1) Yes, add it. Anything after HS graduation is considered to be within "the college years" and is legit to list.

2) Since this volunteer date span took place in the same venue, I suggest you use the Repeated feature. In the narrative you can differentiate the duties for each period.

3) Clinical.

 

[Lunistrella]

@Catalystik Thank you very much.

 

[Stephktom08]

1) Leave it out.

2) Do you have another Research entry? You might mention the training in lab procedures as an aside in the narrative, like, "Prior to beginning this activity, I spent 15-20 hours learning XXX, Yyy, and zzz in the Smith Lab." If you do not have another Research entry, leave it out. JMO.

Sadly no, I do not have any other research entries, but I am very close to submitting a publication with a physician I have been working with so maybe the clinical research will compensate for me not having any lab research?

 

[Catalystik]

Sadly no, I do not have any other research entries, but I am very close to submitting a publication with a physician I have been working with so maybe the clinical research will compensate for me not having any lab research?

Hypothesis-driven clinical research is definitely potential fodder for a Research entry, if you were involved in the process. You could mention the "manuscript in progress" in that same space. Is that your plan?

 

[Stephktom08]

Hypothesis-driven clinical research is definitely potential fodder for a Research entry, if you were involved in the process. You could mention the "manuscript in progress" in that same space. Is that your plan?

If it would be acceptable that I put that it was in progress for submission to be published then I will. By this I mean that it is written and ready to be sent in but it has not been previously reviewed and or accepted as a publication yet, so I am not sure if that chances the game?

 

[Mr. Beefy Lion]

1) Editorial commentary falls outside the scope of this thread, but if you're interested in seeing how some others have written their activity entries, here are some examples for you. Scroll down to activities. Click each title for an expanded narrative:http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=24817
http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=19291

2) There is not much point in listing Dean's List as an Honor/Award, since your GPA speaks for itself, but if you feel compelled to do so anyway, your college Registrar is a good contact.

That's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

Also, do you think ad coms would laugh/look down on me choosing being a research assistant as one of my most meaningful activities? I didn't have any publications or anything but had around 400 hours in the lab in 2 semesters. I was going to talk about how it familiarized me with the research aspect of science and helped me overcome the uneasy feeling of being in an unfamiliar environment/situation? Thanks in advance

 

[Catalystik]

If it would be acceptable that I put that it was in progress for submission to be published then I will. By this I mean that it is written and ready to be sent in but it has not been previously reviewed and or accepted as a publication yet, so I am not sure if that chances the game?

You can't enter it as a Publication. It's actually premature to mention it at all as it's just a manuscript in progress. But if you have the space, you may mention it in the affiliated research description without it hurting you. Many would save it for a Secondary or fall update letter.

BTW, in reference to your earlier question: you can safely exclude the 15-20 hours of learning lab techniques. in light of this research project involvement.

 

[Catalystik]

Also, do you think ad coms would laugh/look down on me choosing being a research assistant as one of my most meaningful activities? I didn't have any publications or anything but had around 400 hours in the lab in 2 semesters. I was going to talk about how it familiarized me with the research aspect of science and helped me overcome the uneasy feeling of being in an unfamiliar environment/situation?

I think this activity would be fine to include as a MM activity.

 

[Stephktom08]

@Catalystik So I just read in above conversations that high school things are "old news". What if the majority of my shadowing experiences were in my high school summers because I had to work my summers in college? Should I not include them??

 

[AHOT]

Speak in your own voice as you write down ideas for your essay and put your thoughts together in final form. Highlight qualities that made you a successful athlete which you feel translate into good characteristics for a physician. Don't read others' essays before writing your own. Omit most -ly words, cut down the adjectives, and avoid hyperbole. Be succinct in what you have to say. Don't feel compelled to fill the entire space if you've finished expressing your ideas.

Thank you for all your help! Also, I took an EMT course over the summer which required a lot of my time and I feel like I learned a lot from it. However, I was not able to immediately find a job because I wasn't of age for insurance etc. and I was also a full time student. Timing was just wrong. Now that I am of age and graduated, I found another job that I am more interested in. Long story short, basically I spent time taking an EMT course but was never an EMT. Do I add that as one of my activities or no?

 

[Dede77]

Would you consider working at a medical billing office (for 4 years) medical paid employment or nonmedical?

 

[Catalystik]

@Catalystik So I just read in above conversations that high school things are "old news". What if the majority of my shadowing experiences were in my high school summers because I had to work my summers in college? Should I not include them??

My strategy would depend. How many hours did you do in college. And how many docs? How many HS hours?

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you for all your help! Also, I took an EMT course over the summer which required a lot of my time and I feel like I learned a lot from it. However, I was not able to immediately find a job because I wasn't of age for insurance etc. and I was also a full time student. Timing was just wrong. Now that I am of age and graduated, I found another job that I am more interested in. Long story short, basically I spent time taking an EMT course but was never an EMT. Do I add that as one of my activities or no?

Achieving an EMT certification is of little help when you never used it, however some will have an entry about the Experience of Taking EMT Coursework (under the Other tag) so they have an opportunity to mention the clinical exposure they had. Alternatively, you might include your Ride-Along Time as EMT shadowing along with your other Shadowing (but only include the total hours in the narrative, and add "Not included in the above Total Hours."

 

[Catalystik]

Would you consider working at a medical billing office (for 4 years) medical paid employment or nonmedical?

At first glance I'd assume that this is nonclinical (as even if it took place within a clinical environment, for AMCAS purposes, the Clinical tag implies patient interaction) but as there are a few roles you might have taken on, I don't want to make an assumption without more information. Perhaps you could describe your actual role in the workplace.

 

[Stephktom08]

My strategy would depend. How many hours did you do in college. And how many docs? How many HS hours?

@Catalystik For my high school summers: summer 2010, 2011, and 2012 each had about 15-20 hours in the operating room with various specialties.

I was in and out over the summers when I was home. Summer 2013 after my first college year, I worked completely and I didn't shadow at all. Summer 2014 I did shadow through a medical program but I mentioned kept it in the same section as it wasn't the major goal of the program, but I could put it into a separate one? I watched my two deliveries! This Summer I have spent maybe 10 hours so far in the Operating Room and I still have more hours I will complete.


Another quick question, I decided to group all of my sorority events together (ie the philanthropic events we do, positions I've held etc). Would it look terrible if I mark this as one of my meaningful experiences? I am trying to come up with a way to describe how it help me gain confidence, becoming more outgoing, and all around having a positive influence on my life. I don't want the admission council to just think Greek life is just to meet people and party and all the stigmatized nonsense so I figured I could further explain the impact it had on my to help them understand that? Any thoughts?

 

[bonjour13]

I got a job as an ER scribe and began online training in late April. However, I will not actually start in-person training until early July, after I have sent in my application. Should I still include this job in the Work/Activities section?

 

[Catalystik]

@Catalystik 1) For my high school summers: summer 2010, 2011, and 2012 each had about 15-20 hours in the operating room with various specialties.

I was in and out over the summers when I was home. Summer 2013 after my first college year, I worked completely and I didn't shadow at all. Summer 2014 I did shadow through a medical program but I mentioned kept it in the same section as it wasn't the major goal of the program, but I could put it into a separate one? I watched my two deliveries! This Summer I have spent maybe 10 hours so far in the Operating Room and I still have more hours I will complete.


2) Another quick question, I decided to group all of my sorority events together (ie the philanthropic events we do, positions I've held etc). Would it look terrible if I mark this as one of my meaningful experiences? I am trying to come up with a way to describe how it help me gain confidence, becoming more outgoing, and all around having a positive influence on my life. I don't want the admission council to just think Greek life is just to meet people and party and all the stigmatized nonsense so I figured I could further explain the impact it had on my to help them understand that? Any thoughts?

1) Any shadowing done in the summer after HS graduation counts toward "the college years." Hopefully, you had 15-20 hours that summer, too. I suggest you list that precollege summer shadowing (if applicable), along with the shadowing hours from the summer 2014 college program (subtracting those hours from the total for that program and mentioning that you watched two deliveries), plus the hours from this summer. After this is all described, also mention the dates and hours of the rest of the HS shadowing (or alternatively, add it to your PS somewhere, as part of your path to medicine). And at the end make a note of the future hours you plan to add.

I hope there is some office-based shadowing in there somewhere, ideally with a primary care doc.

2) I think that's fine to include as a MM activity.

 

[Catalystik]

I got a job as an ER scribe and began online training in late April. However, I will not actually start in-person training until early July, after I have sent in my application. Should I still include this job in the Work/Activities section?

It would be best to save this for Secondaries and update letters. If you really, really want to squeeze it in somewhere, you might make a note at the end of the PS that your experiences to date inspired you to seek a closer experience of doctoring, so you've completed initial scribe training and expect to complete it in July 2015." Of course if you never manage to get employed in this area, it will look bad that you mentioned it at all. So make your decision carefully.

 

[Stephktom08]

1) Any shadowing done in the summer after HS graduation counts toward "the college years." Hopefully, you had 15-20 hours that summer, too. I suggest you list that precollege summer shadowing (if applicable), along with the shadowing hours from the summer 2014 college program (subtracting those hours from the total for that program and mentioning that you watched two deliveries), plus the hours from this summer. After this is all described, also mention the dates and hours of the rest of the HS shadowing (or alternatively, add it to your PS somewhere, as part of your path to medicine). And at the end make a note of the future hours you plan to add.

I hope there is some office-based shadowing in there somewhere, ideally with a primary care doc.

2) I think that's fine to include as a MM activity.

Should I still group the shadowing together even if they now aren't at the same location? How should I mention that in one summer I watched those deliveries at one hospital through the summer program and an open heart surgery at my hometown hospital? The hometown hospital is where I am currently doing the shadowing and where I did my shadowing the summer right before my first year at college.

Yes! I was in the clinic (office) also, mainly with the surgeon during follow consultation and consultation before surgeries. The physician also did biopsies in the office, should I mention these?

 

[Catalystik]

1) a) Should I still group the shadowing together even if they now aren't at the same location? b)How should I mention that in one summer I watched those deliveries at one hospital through the summer program and an open heart surgery at my hometown hospital?

2) The hometown hospital is where I am currently doing the shadowing and where I did my shadowing the summer right before my first year at college.

3) Yes! I was in the clinic (office) also, mainly with the surgeon during follow consultation and consultation before surgeries. The physician also did biopsies in the office, should I mention these?

1) a) Yes. b) Brief mention is fine. See post #359 for an example.

2) Why not mention those first and then you can put that location in the header. Other locations can be mentioned in the narrative.

3) Biopsies aren't exciting. Baby deliveries are worth mentioning.

 

[Dede77]

At first glance I'd assume that this is nonclinical (as even if it took place within a clinical environment, for AMCAS purposes, the Clinical tag implies patient interaction) but as there are a few roles you might have taken on, I don't want to make an assumption without more information. Perhaps you could describe your actual role in the workplace.

It is basically a lot of organizing, look up patient information for doctors offices, scanning routers/eob's, going to doctor's offices to pick up and drop off their work sort of thing... so yeah

 

[302356]

Please help!

Where would a non-thesis Master's program literature review go under? "Other" or "Research" - It was 30 pages and focused on common genes and pathways in neurological disorders. Can I list it as MM even if it's not actual research since it's a lit review?

Where would an undergraduate senior honor's thesis go under as well? It was a history thesis paper and because of it, I graduated with honors in history

For publications, can I list the citation in the narrative, along with basic findings? Do most adcoms expect publications to be MM or no? Is the "title section" of the Publication the actual title of the published publication?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

It is basically a lot of organizing, look up patient information for doctors offices, scanning routers/eob's, going to doctor's offices to pick up and drop off their work sort of thing... so yeah

So, Employment - Not Medical/Clinical it is. And a VERY useful background to have.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Where would a non-thesis Master's program literature review go under? "Other" or "Research" - It was 30 pages and focused on common genes and pathways in neurological disorders. Can I list it as MM even if it's not actual research since it's a lit review?

2) Where would an undergraduate senior honor's thesis go under as well? It was a history thesis paper and because of it, I graduated with honors in history

3) For publications, can I list the citation in the narrative, along with basic findings? 4) Do most adcoms expect publications to be MM or no?
5) Is the "title section" of the Publication the actual title of the published publication?

1) "Other" is the best tag to use. You can list it as MM if the experience had a significant impact on you and perhaps led to important insights.

2) This would also generally go under "Other."

3) Assuming you're referring to hypothesis-driven original research that led to new generalizable knowledge and resulted in a publication that was not in a campus journal, you would cite it under a Publications spot, but discuss the actual affiliated research in a Research space. If it was published in a campus journal, it's most appropriate to add the citation to the Research entry.

4) No.

5) Are you referring to the Experience Name? No, it would not be the title of the publication. Instead, use something like, Third-Authored Paper on Drosophila Genetics, Scholarly Journal Article on [XXX Topic] or Accepted Manuscript: [XXX Topic], or somesuch.

 

[302356]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

-I have two published publications in which I am second author in reputable national scientific magazines so that's why I asked. Would the organization name be the name of the medical school where I did the research? (It's not affiliated with my undergraduate school)

-And so you're saying that ALL the publication portion includes is the citation?

-For this research, I used regression models, ANOVA approach, and other biostatistical methods, and discovered a lot of things. So all of that goes under Research? Since I have two papers, then I just discuss generally the methods used or do I have to be specific to each paper?

-For physician shadowing, like you mentioned, I plan to group all my doctors under one category. However, I shadowed two doctors at one hospital and another doctor at another clinic so whose primary contact do I put? Since the locations are different, can I leave that blank?

-How terrible is it if I check off MM for something I also mentioned in my personal statement? Should I really pick something else?

 

[Catalystik]

1) -I have two published publications in which I am second author in reputable national scientific magazines so that's why I asked. Would the organization name be the name of the medical school where I did the research? (It's not affiliated with my undergraduate school)

2) -And so you're saying that ALL the publication portion includes is the citation?

3) -a) For this research, I used regression models, ANOVA approach, and other biostatistical methods, and discovered a lot of things. So all of that goes under Research? b) Since I have two papers, then I just discuss generally the methods used or do I have to be specific to each paper?

4) -For physician shadowing, like you mentioned, I plan to group all my doctors under one category. However, I shadowed two doctors at one hospital and another doctor at another clinic so whose primary contact do I put? Since the locations are different, can I leave that blank?

5) -How terrible is it if I check off MM for something I also mentioned in my personal statement? Should I really pick something else?

1) Organization name could be the full name of the journal (as the citation usually has an abbreviation).

2) Yes, usually. Those with multiple pubs might put them in the same slot, if space is short.

3) a) Yes. b) Either is fine; try not to be repetitive. Again, the space at your disposal is often the determining factor.

4) Organization name is elective. Contact is required. For the header, use the Contact for the first two shadowees on your list (assuming it's the same). For the other, you'd include the contact in the narrative. For an example, see post #359 on page 8.

5) No problem. Just use different vocabulary anecdotes, insights, etc, where possible. Try not to be too repetitive.

 

[NothingWasTheSame]

When explaining research, is it okay to use abbreviations such as E. coli or should I spell it out the first time ( Escherichia coli) and then abbreviate afterwards?

 

[Catalystik]

When explaining research, is it okay to use abbreviations such as E. coli or should I spell it out the first time ( Escherichia coli) and then abbreviate afterwards?

Some near-universally known abbreviations are OK to use without first defining them. IMO, E. coli is one of them.

 

[302356]

You're seriously incredible.

The two publications that I have are sort of related, but are different. They're both published in 2013. Do they go under one category or two different ones?
For the location of the publications, can I put the medical school that they were conducted at?
Is the citation in APA format?
Would Relay for Life be an extracurricular activity or non-clinical community service?
Just to be sure, the 700 word narrative is to list the mechanics of what we did and the 1325 elaboration is more how we grew and how that led us towards medicine? Is it bad if they contain similar information?
Finally, I received two scholarships for the first two years of college, along with Dean's List and an award for a global health competition. I got them at different dates so what date do I list?

 

[bonjour13]

It would be best to save this for Secondaries and update letters. If you really, really want to squeeze it in somewhere, you might make a note at the end of the PS that your experiences to date inspired you to seek a closer experience of doctoring, so you've completed initial scribe training and expect to complete it in July 2015." Of course if you never manage to get employed in this area, it will look bad that you mentioned it at all. So make your decision carefully.

Will there definitely be a space to talk about this position in secondaries?

 

[Catalystik]

Will there definitely be a space to talk about this position in secondaries?

Not all Secondaries provide an appropriate prompt, so it depends on where you apply. Not all schools permit update letters, either.

 

[Catalystik]

1) The two publications that I have are sort of related, but are different. They're both published in 2013. Do they go under one category or two different ones?
2) For the location of the publications, can I put the medical school that they were conducted at?
3) Is the citation in APA format?
4) Would Relay for Life be an extracurricular activity or non-clinical community service?
5) Just to be sure, the 700 word narrative is to list the mechanics of what we did and the 1325 elaboration is more how we grew and how that led us towards medicine? Is it bad if they contain similar information?
6) Finally, I received two scholarships for the first two years of college, along with Dean's List and an award for a global health competition. I got them at different dates so what date do I list?

1) If they are semi-related and came out of the same lab, it is reasonable to group them. If you have extra space, each deserves its own slot.\
2) Location for Publications is elective. The name of an institution wouldn't fit there. If you want to squeeze it in there, try seeing if it will fit in the title you give your Contact.
3) You can use any of multiple formats, including an abbreviated version if space is short, with a PMID#. As long as an adcomm can find the paper with the info you provide, you're good.
4) If you were a race participant alone, it's an EC. If you were an organizer/committee person/staff, then it's Volunteer.
5) 700 characters for description, role, maybe an anecdote and the 1325 could be used for impact, inspiration, insights, future plans, other anecdote. Don't be repetitive as they appear together like a single essay with one blank line between, like a paragraph break. Only a left margin notation signals where the second space begins. Be sure there is a smooth transition between the two.
6) List the last date in the header, by which time you will have received every recognition listed in the space. Use the Registrar as your Contact for all of them.

 

[Dede77]

f

So, Employment - Not Medical/Clinical it is. And a VERY useful background to have.

Okay thank you so much !

 

[bonjour13]

Not all Secondaries provide an appropriate prompt, so it depends on where you apply. Not all schools permit update letters, either.

Thanks for your help!

 

[302356]

Several more questions!
-If I was involved in a South Asian cultural group, is that extracurricular? I was a choreographer for the Diwali festival.
-Would I list Dance choreographer for Experience name and the name of the student organization for Organization name or the name of the university?
-I was also involved in a group that championed youth political activism and dealt with organizing a conference to discuss relevant issues among several universities in my city. Would that also be extracurricular? Would "Events Coordinator" be the Experience name and once again, the name of the student organization be sufficient for Organization name?
-In general, does "Experience name" refer to the verb - like volunteer, writer, planner etc. or would I write "Relay for Life volunteer" all in the Experience name box?
-For the non-thesis literature review, would the experience name be "Non-thesis Literature Review" or something else?
-For the Senior Honor's thesis, again, would the experience be "Senior Honor's Thesis" or something else?
-Do I input 0 hours for the literature review and honor's thesis like publications?
-For the lit review and honor's thesis, would the organization name be the name of the university or the department?

 

[Catalystik]

Several more questions!
1) -If I was involved in a South Asian cultural group, is that extracurricular? I was a choreographer for the Diwali festival.
2) -Would I list Dance choreographer for Experience name and the name of the student organization for Organization name or the name of the university?
3) -I was also involved in a group that championed youth political activism and dealt with organizing a conference to discuss relevant issues among several universities in my city. Would that also be extracurricular? Would "Events Coordinator" be the Experience name and once again, the name of the student organization be sufficient for Organization name?
4) -In general, does "Experience name" refer to the verb - like volunteer, writer, planner etc. or would I write "Relay for Life volunteer" all in the Experience name box?
5) -For the non-thesis literature review, would the experience name be "Non-thesis Literature Review" or something else?
6) -For the Senior Honor's thesis, again, would the experience be "Senior Honor's Thesis" or something else?
7) -Do I input 0 hours for the literature review and honor's thesis like publications?
8) -For the lit review and honor's thesis, would the organization name be the name of the university or the department?

1) Belonging to the group is an Extracurricular.
2) Name might be General Member of Cultural Group and Diwali Festival Dance Choreographer. Either could be the Organization name.
3) Extracurricular with elements of leadership. If you organized more than one event, use General Member of XXX Group and Events Coordinator. If you organized the one conference, then maybe use General Member of XXX Group and Multi-University Conference Organizer. Organization could be the university name or the name of the club.
4) The Experience name is often one's title (but could be a verb) and a description of what one is going to describe in the narrative. You can use the name of the group/organization/lab/etc if you don't also use it as the Organization (as you'd want to try not to be repetitive). See post #2, item 18 for naming strategies.
5) That's fine, but maybe add on Genes and Pathways in Neurological Disorders.
6) Same strategy.
7) If you have a entry under Other describing the process of writing the thesis, then you may include the actual hours you probably spent doing the work.
8) Either.

 

[302356]

Thank you so much!

-When listing the university registrar, what do I put for first and last name? Someone's name and then "University Registrar" for contact title?
-Since location is elective for publications, do you recommend I put it or no?
-Would the "contact title" for the publication be PI or MD?
-Likewise, would the contact for a lit review be "PhD, professor"?
-Should I include the medical school where it was conducted or is that insignificant?
-For the youth activism thing, can I list it as leadership or is leadership stand alone and not part of an organization?

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you so much!

1) -When listing the university registrar, what do I put for first and last name? Someone's name and then "University Registrar" for contact title?
2) -Since location is elective for publications, do you recommend I put it or no?
3) -Would the "contact title" for the publication be PI or MD?
4) -Likewise, would the contact for a lit review be "PhD, professor"?
5) -Should I include the medical school where it was conducted or is that insignificant?
6) -For the youth activism thing, can I list it as leadership or is leadership stand alone and not part of an organization?

1) See post #234 on page 5 if you can't get a person's name.
2) No one cares where a journal is printed, so don't include it.
3) See post #859 on page 18 for examples on what you can include.
4) Ditto.
5) There might be some value to including it.
6) If you list it under Leadership, you'd only put the dates of the leadership experience in the header, and not those of your general membership that led to the leadership. So you'd lose some context.

 

[302356]

You are just incredible. I can't begin to thank you enough. Seriously though.

-When listing the associated research techniques for the two publications, can the event experience be just "Research techniques"?
-Would I list myself as the contact or the PI?
-If I list the PI, would the contact title be "Principle investigator" or the official title of the professor like "Chair of Endoscopic surgery"?
-If you were president of a community health organization but want to list it as non-clinical community service instead of leadership, would the experience name be "President of XXX Organization"?
-For Awards and accolades, is "Various Awards and Scholarships" sufficient?

 

[Catalystik]

You are just incredible. I can't begin to thank you enough. Seriously though.

-When listing the associated research techniques for the two publications, can the event experience be just "Research techniques"?
-Would I list myself as the contact or the PI?
-If I list the PI, would the contact title be "Principle investigator" or the official title of the professor like "Chair of Endoscopic surgery"?
-If you were president of a community health organization but want to list it as non-clinical community service instead of leadership, would the experience name be "President of XXX Organization"?
-For Awards and accolades, is "Various Awards and Scholarships" sufficient?

-I should think you'd want to describe the research, not just talk about techniques. Why not name it for the general area of research involved, to pique interest?
-The PI
-Principle Investigator
-I doubt you were president the day you joined, so the title should reflect whatever you were prior to attaining the presidency, too.
-Avoid repeating words if you can, and pick, maybe, Collegiate Recognitions and Accolades.

 

[tyrsa]

Hi all! I have 2 questions regarding listing my publications in the Work/Activities portion of AMCAS:

(1) A paper of which I am a co-author is currently under review at a journal. Specifically, it was already reviewed, and the authors are now making revisions. Can I list the paper in AMCAS and indicate that the status of the paper is “Awaiting revisions”?

(2) I recently completed a manuscript of a first author paper and submitted it to the Journal of Clinical Investigation. It was rejected because it was deemed not clinical enough. We are now submitting it to another journal; my PI already contacted the editor, and the editor is excited about the paper. I have to rework the abstract in order to tailor it to the new journal, and will submit the paper next week. Can I list this paper in AMCAS? If so, can I list its status as something like “Manuscript completed and will be submitted shortly”? Alternatively, I can avoid listing this paper in AMCAS, and mention it in my secondaries; at that time, the paper will be under review. What would you recommend?

Thank you!

 

[302356]

Hopefully this is the last time! I truly can't express my gratitude!

1. Is 14 entries too much?
2. For the literature review, would contact title be neurologist or faculty advisor?
3. For publications, can I put "Chair of Endoscopic Surgery" instead of PI because it sounds cooler? (I'm using PI for associated research)
4. Can I list a fellow member of an organization as a contact since the former university contact is no longer working there? (I checked LinkedIn)
5. Are contact titles for students such as "Diwali Chair", "President" and "Executive Chair" self-explanatory or is "Fellow Student" better?
6. I look equally upon a year of volunteer work in the cardiology department since I saw so many procedures and learned so much as an undergraduate honor's thesis in history. What do you recommend as MM?
7. My other two MM topics are the non-thesis literature review and research associated with two publications. Should I pick more community service or leadership instead to vary it?
8. Since two physicians I shadowed are at one university medical center, and the other at a clinic, can I leave "Organization Name" and "Location" blank? (I know I can add the other email addresses of the physicians in the box, apart from the main contact)
9. Is there any point in selecting the dates for the physician shadowing if I plan to write the dates in the narrative next to each physician? (I don't want to be repetitive)
10. For a physician I shadowed, is "Pediatrician" better or "Chair of XXX Genetics Center"? (He's technically both)

 

[Catalystik]

Hi all! I have 2 questions regarding listing my publications in the Work/Activities portion of AMCAS:

(1) A paper of which I am a co-author is currently under review at a journal. Specifically, it was already reviewed, and the authors are now making revisions. Can I list the paper in AMCAS and indicate that the status of the paper is “Awaiting revisions”?

(2) I recently completed a manuscript of a first author paper and submitted it to the Journal of Clinical Investigation. It was rejected because it was deemed not clinical enough. We are now submitting it to another journal; my PI already contacted the editor, and the editor is excited about the paper. I have to rework the abstract in order to tailor it to the new journal, and will submit the paper next week. Can I list this paper in AMCAS? If so, can I list its status as something like “Manuscript completed and will be submitted shortly”? Alternatively, I can avoid listing this paper in AMCAS, and mention it in my secondaries; at that time, the paper will be under review. What would you recommend?

1) Is it Accepted pending minor revision or Accepted pending major revision? What triggered the revisions?

2) This is the sort of thing that has no place on the application, however, many will add at the end of the affiliated Research entry, "Manuscript completed with abstract in progress and submission pending." Don't mention the rejection. The Secondary is a better place for this.