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Please post any questions relating to the TMDSAS Application here.
2015-2016 Thread Link
Stole this from @Ismet
This thread is brought to you by the Pre-Allopathic Volunteer Staff. Ask away, and good luck!!
Please remember that each thread has a search function in the header labeled "Search this Thread". Please use it to avoid repeating questions.
Please use the TMDSAS Application site as your first resource for questions. The website has a list of FAQ's and plenty of other information. http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/medical/homepage.html
TMDSAS Activities FAQ:
Available categories (http://www.tmdsas.com/medical/section_Overview.html)
ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
NON-ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
LEADERSHIP
EMPLOYMENT
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
HEALTHCARE ACTIVITIES
COMMUNITY SERVICE
EXTRACURRICULAR & LEISURE ACTIVITIES
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
1) Should I write descriptions in narrative or bullet form?
They say either list or paragraph is fine. But as far as formatting goes in TMDSAS activity section, you will see that when you hit save, the listed items are strung together one after another (instead of each in separate lines). Many write in paragraphs because of this formatting issue to make it more readable. Be cautious if you want to use bullets (or hyphens in their place).
2) If there's a significant non-medical volunteer experience I did back in High School for 4 years, can I include it on my application?
Some don't think your application should include activities that occurred before your college freshman year. Maybe bring it up in a "why do you want to be a doctor," Secondary, or interview.
3) Should I list all my shadowing together?
Yes, but if it doesn’t fit gracefully into the 300 space limit, list the experiences separately.
4) If I had multiple leadership positions within an organization, do I list them separately on the TMDSAS? (ex: entry 1- VP of Org X, then separate entry 2 for Pres of Org X)
Yes, as long as each leadership role required uniquely different components.
5) For an award that I have received multiple times (Dean's List) should I list it every time I earned it since it shows up on my transcript as well multiple times?
Put it once and say earned x number of times, or list separately.
6) Where do you put publications, under Research Experiences? Do you just paste the citation into the description?
You could just put the citation but if you can fit in a short description about what you did, include that.
7) What if I have multiple publications?
If possible, put multiple publications under one entry for research with a 1 for the hours. As 300 chars aren’t enough for full citations one can abbreviate which author spot, the journal, and the year published (TMDSAS was called and the lady mentioned this would be fine).
8) My research lab is working on a publication for the next school year. I have the citation, so should I put this in the "planned activities" section?
The perfect place to put this.
9) If I have a recurring volunteer experience that happens every winter break for the past 4 winter breaks, should I separate them into four entries or just clump them into one entry? If I clump them into one entry, do I just put down the dates for one and the total hours for one? Or do I put down total hours over 4 winters for cumulative?
You could do either, one would probably put it in one, combine the hours, and mention how this was done every winter break as well as information about it (if you can fit it).
10) I already put under my medical volunteering section that I plan to continue a volunteer activity indefinitely, but should I also put it in again under future activities?
Treat each section as a stand-alone section. An interviewer should be able to look at the Planned Activities section and know everything you are going participate in during the foreseeable future. One person calling TMDSAS reported they said, "For the planned activity you should enter the start date as today and it should be up to the date of med school matriculation."
11) I understand that for the PLANNED ACTIVITIES section, it's okay to list all of your continued activities even if you previously indicated in another section that they would run until May 2015 or whatever. Because each activity may fit the criteria for different categories (ex. community service AND leadership), which category would I select for that activity in the planned activities section? Do I make two nearly identical planned activities (one labeled community service and the other labeled leadership), or do I simply choose the most appropriate category?
List it under the most appropriate category, but write the description in such a way that the reader would infer it falls under both. It shouldn’t be a problem if you list it twice though.
12) For the optional essays, is it better to fill out one versus not filling any of them out? I have a unique experience of being chosen to go to Washington DC for a conference as the only student from Texas attending. However, I read that essay is only for hardships and things of that nature. Is that true, or is my idea fine for that essay?
Definitely write the essay as you're thinking. It's always a good idea to write the essays in the first place, especially considering that several TX schools have no Secondaries. Take every chance you're given to sell yourself. As for your specific idea, this is an opinion: don't read any subtext into the prompt. It asks for "unique circumstances or life experiences" that would provide the schools with a "broader picture of who you are". Your idea sounds like it fits the bill.
13) If the date range for a particular activity spans into the future, do they want us to list completed hours + projected hours under Total Cumulative Hours or do we just list the hours we have completed thus far? For example:
Date Range: September 2013-June 2015
September 2013-Present: 100 hours completed
Present-June 2015: 100 hours projected
Total Cumulative Hours = 200 or 100
TMDSAS, when called, said if the date range spans into the future, one should include projected hours in the Total Cumulative Hours.
14) After I typed up all my activities, I created the chronology of activities. It is all correct, but the description was cut off due to 50 characters limit. Do we need to fix this in the chronology of activities itself or is this ok?
TMDSAS was called and they said to leave it truncated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TMDSAS General FAQ
1) Can I add more schools after I submit? Yes, but not via the application - you have to send an email to TMDSAS or go through the application's internal messaging system. The request must be received by the application deadline. Include your full name, TMDSAS ID and list the schools you would like added to your application. This can be done anytime until September 30th. (further reading: https://www.tmdsas.com/frwqAskedQ/02-ChangingYourApp.html)
2) Can I change a letter writer if necessary? Yes, you can change your letter writer. Per TMDSAS website:
"We understand that evaluators may change. You MUST update TMDSAS of an evaluator change immediately.
Once you have secured a different evaluator, please notify TMDSAS of the new evaluator. To make this change, email [email protected] . Include your full name, TMDSAS ID and the name of the evaluator that needs to be removed. Provide the following information for the evaluator that should be added:
Salutation (i.e. Dr, Prof, Mr, Mrs, etc.)
First name of Evaluator
Last name of Evaluator
Suffix (i.e. MD, PhD, etc.)
Relationship to you (Academic Advisor, HP Advisor, Professor, Business Associate, Work/Volunteer Supervisor, Other)
Letter delivery method (upload directly to TMDAS or through Interfolio)
Email address of evaluator if he/she will upload directly to TMDSAS"
3) How accurately does the "what schools on AMCAS are you applying to?" have to be on the TMDSAS? Not very, but be aware that interviewers can see your list.
4) What are "minor traffic violations"?
Minor traffic violations are those offenses not subject to a jail sentence. Types of minor traffic violations include speeding, failure to wear a seat belt, illegal parking, failure to stop, driving with an expired or invalid driver license that has not been suspended or revoked, and disobeying traffic lights signs or signals.
Examples of violations of law not considered minor traffic violations are: driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving under the influence (DUI), driving while license is suspended (DWLS), failure to appear (FTA), reckless driving, open container, and assault with a motor vehicle. These types of violations must be reported on your application.
5) Can you explain the Texas acceptance/match setup? TMDSAS opens in early May. Texas schools begin offering interviews in late June to early August (it varies). Interviews are handed out until around November or maybe December. No in-state acceptances are offered until November 15th, which is the beginning of the "pre-match period" that continues until December 31st. At this time, admissions are rolling. Applicants are permitted to hold as many prematch offers as they receive and continue interviewing elsewhere if you have more interviews lined up, but are encouraged to withdraw from any school they are sure they don't want to attend. You are permitted to keep all of these offers until the match. By a day in January (the 21st I think?) you are required to rank all schools you've interviewed at (they appear in a window on TMDSAS) in order of preference. On February 1st, a computer automatically matches candidates to their highest ranked school that gave them an acceptance, and auto-withdraws them from lower ranked schools, according to an algorithm. If you were holding multiple offers, you are thus withdrawn from schools you ranked lower. If you didn't have an offer, you have a chance to match to a school that didn't offer you yet. Interviewees who didn't match are put on waitlists if deemed "acceptable", and may or may not be told their position on the waitlist. After this point, based on any further movement of the classes (particularly from students withdrawing after picking up an OOS acceptance) acceptances are once again given out on a rolling basis. You can technically still pick up an acceptance until classes begin in late August (early September?), but it's considered rare for this to happen after May 15th.
If you do receive a match on Match Day, you cannot be pulled off the waitlist at any TMDSAS school past June 1. Only students who did not match anywhere can still be accepted after that date.
6) How do I enter in a zero credit class (or a W or an Audit)? TMDSAS won't let me enter 0 for credit hours. The 0 credit hour courses do not affect GPA whatsoever, so just leave them out, even though they show up on your transcript. Alternatively, if you enter a 1, TMDSAS will correct them when they verify your official transcript.
7) Is Pre-Calculus included in the BCMP GPA? Even though all math other than Calculus and Statistics are categorized as Other Science, it is still included in the BCPM GPA, per a call by gonnif to TMDSAS.
If you have FAQ's you would like posted, feel free to send me a PM with the question and answer.
2015-2016 Thread Link
Stole this from @Ismet
This thread is brought to you by the Pre-Allopathic Volunteer Staff. Ask away, and good luck!!
Please remember that each thread has a search function in the header labeled "Search this Thread". Please use it to avoid repeating questions.
Please use the TMDSAS Application site as your first resource for questions. The website has a list of FAQ's and plenty of other information. http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/medical/homepage.html
TMDSAS Activities FAQ:
Available categories (http://www.tmdsas.com/medical/section_Overview.html)
ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
NON-ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
LEADERSHIP
EMPLOYMENT
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
HEALTHCARE ACTIVITIES
COMMUNITY SERVICE
EXTRACURRICULAR & LEISURE ACTIVITIES
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
1) Should I write descriptions in narrative or bullet form?
They say either list or paragraph is fine. But as far as formatting goes in TMDSAS activity section, you will see that when you hit save, the listed items are strung together one after another (instead of each in separate lines). Many write in paragraphs because of this formatting issue to make it more readable. Be cautious if you want to use bullets (or hyphens in their place).
2) If there's a significant non-medical volunteer experience I did back in High School for 4 years, can I include it on my application?
Some don't think your application should include activities that occurred before your college freshman year. Maybe bring it up in a "why do you want to be a doctor," Secondary, or interview.
3) Should I list all my shadowing together?
Yes, but if it doesn’t fit gracefully into the 300 space limit, list the experiences separately.
4) If I had multiple leadership positions within an organization, do I list them separately on the TMDSAS? (ex: entry 1- VP of Org X, then separate entry 2 for Pres of Org X)
Yes, as long as each leadership role required uniquely different components.
5) For an award that I have received multiple times (Dean's List) should I list it every time I earned it since it shows up on my transcript as well multiple times?
Put it once and say earned x number of times, or list separately.
6) Where do you put publications, under Research Experiences? Do you just paste the citation into the description?
You could just put the citation but if you can fit in a short description about what you did, include that.
7) What if I have multiple publications?
If possible, put multiple publications under one entry for research with a 1 for the hours. As 300 chars aren’t enough for full citations one can abbreviate which author spot, the journal, and the year published (TMDSAS was called and the lady mentioned this would be fine).
8) My research lab is working on a publication for the next school year. I have the citation, so should I put this in the "planned activities" section?
The perfect place to put this.
9) If I have a recurring volunteer experience that happens every winter break for the past 4 winter breaks, should I separate them into four entries or just clump them into one entry? If I clump them into one entry, do I just put down the dates for one and the total hours for one? Or do I put down total hours over 4 winters for cumulative?
You could do either, one would probably put it in one, combine the hours, and mention how this was done every winter break as well as information about it (if you can fit it).
10) I already put under my medical volunteering section that I plan to continue a volunteer activity indefinitely, but should I also put it in again under future activities?
Treat each section as a stand-alone section. An interviewer should be able to look at the Planned Activities section and know everything you are going participate in during the foreseeable future. One person calling TMDSAS reported they said, "For the planned activity you should enter the start date as today and it should be up to the date of med school matriculation."
11) I understand that for the PLANNED ACTIVITIES section, it's okay to list all of your continued activities even if you previously indicated in another section that they would run until May 2015 or whatever. Because each activity may fit the criteria for different categories (ex. community service AND leadership), which category would I select for that activity in the planned activities section? Do I make two nearly identical planned activities (one labeled community service and the other labeled leadership), or do I simply choose the most appropriate category?
List it under the most appropriate category, but write the description in such a way that the reader would infer it falls under both. It shouldn’t be a problem if you list it twice though.
12) For the optional essays, is it better to fill out one versus not filling any of them out? I have a unique experience of being chosen to go to Washington DC for a conference as the only student from Texas attending. However, I read that essay is only for hardships and things of that nature. Is that true, or is my idea fine for that essay?
Definitely write the essay as you're thinking. It's always a good idea to write the essays in the first place, especially considering that several TX schools have no Secondaries. Take every chance you're given to sell yourself. As for your specific idea, this is an opinion: don't read any subtext into the prompt. It asks for "unique circumstances or life experiences" that would provide the schools with a "broader picture of who you are". Your idea sounds like it fits the bill.
13) If the date range for a particular activity spans into the future, do they want us to list completed hours + projected hours under Total Cumulative Hours or do we just list the hours we have completed thus far? For example:
Date Range: September 2013-June 2015
September 2013-Present: 100 hours completed
Present-June 2015: 100 hours projected
Total Cumulative Hours = 200 or 100
TMDSAS, when called, said if the date range spans into the future, one should include projected hours in the Total Cumulative Hours.
14) After I typed up all my activities, I created the chronology of activities. It is all correct, but the description was cut off due to 50 characters limit. Do we need to fix this in the chronology of activities itself or is this ok?
TMDSAS was called and they said to leave it truncated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TMDSAS General FAQ
1) Can I add more schools after I submit? Yes, but not via the application - you have to send an email to TMDSAS or go through the application's internal messaging system. The request must be received by the application deadline. Include your full name, TMDSAS ID and list the schools you would like added to your application. This can be done anytime until September 30th. (further reading: https://www.tmdsas.com/frwqAskedQ/02-ChangingYourApp.html)
2) Can I change a letter writer if necessary? Yes, you can change your letter writer. Per TMDSAS website:
"We understand that evaluators may change. You MUST update TMDSAS of an evaluator change immediately.
Once you have secured a different evaluator, please notify TMDSAS of the new evaluator. To make this change, email [email protected] . Include your full name, TMDSAS ID and the name of the evaluator that needs to be removed. Provide the following information for the evaluator that should be added:
Salutation (i.e. Dr, Prof, Mr, Mrs, etc.)
First name of Evaluator
Last name of Evaluator
Suffix (i.e. MD, PhD, etc.)
Relationship to you (Academic Advisor, HP Advisor, Professor, Business Associate, Work/Volunteer Supervisor, Other)
Letter delivery method (upload directly to TMDAS or through Interfolio)
Email address of evaluator if he/she will upload directly to TMDSAS"
3) How accurately does the "what schools on AMCAS are you applying to?" have to be on the TMDSAS? Not very, but be aware that interviewers can see your list.
4) What are "minor traffic violations"?
Minor traffic violations are those offenses not subject to a jail sentence. Types of minor traffic violations include speeding, failure to wear a seat belt, illegal parking, failure to stop, driving with an expired or invalid driver license that has not been suspended or revoked, and disobeying traffic lights signs or signals.
Examples of violations of law not considered minor traffic violations are: driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving under the influence (DUI), driving while license is suspended (DWLS), failure to appear (FTA), reckless driving, open container, and assault with a motor vehicle. These types of violations must be reported on your application.
5) Can you explain the Texas acceptance/match setup? TMDSAS opens in early May. Texas schools begin offering interviews in late June to early August (it varies). Interviews are handed out until around November or maybe December. No in-state acceptances are offered until November 15th, which is the beginning of the "pre-match period" that continues until December 31st. At this time, admissions are rolling. Applicants are permitted to hold as many prematch offers as they receive and continue interviewing elsewhere if you have more interviews lined up, but are encouraged to withdraw from any school they are sure they don't want to attend. You are permitted to keep all of these offers until the match. By a day in January (the 21st I think?) you are required to rank all schools you've interviewed at (they appear in a window on TMDSAS) in order of preference. On February 1st, a computer automatically matches candidates to their highest ranked school that gave them an acceptance, and auto-withdraws them from lower ranked schools, according to an algorithm. If you were holding multiple offers, you are thus withdrawn from schools you ranked lower. If you didn't have an offer, you have a chance to match to a school that didn't offer you yet. Interviewees who didn't match are put on waitlists if deemed "acceptable", and may or may not be told their position on the waitlist. After this point, based on any further movement of the classes (particularly from students withdrawing after picking up an OOS acceptance) acceptances are once again given out on a rolling basis. You can technically still pick up an acceptance until classes begin in late August (early September?), but it's considered rare for this to happen after May 15th.
If you do receive a match on Match Day, you cannot be pulled off the waitlist at any TMDSAS school past June 1. Only students who did not match anywhere can still be accepted after that date.
6) How do I enter in a zero credit class (or a W or an Audit)? TMDSAS won't let me enter 0 for credit hours. The 0 credit hour courses do not affect GPA whatsoever, so just leave them out, even though they show up on your transcript. Alternatively, if you enter a 1, TMDSAS will correct them when they verify your official transcript.
7) Is Pre-Calculus included in the BCMP GPA? Even though all math other than Calculus and Statistics are categorized as Other Science, it is still included in the BCPM GPA, per a call by gonnif to TMDSAS.
If you have FAQ's you would like posted, feel free to send me a PM with the question and answer.
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