*~*~*~*Tips for Entering your "Work and Activities" in AMCAS*~*~*~*

sixpence said:

When combining several items under a single category such as 'part-time jobs' or 'medical volunteering' do I need to list the contact info for each in the descriptions?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Catalystik said:

If you are mainly following someone else's protocol in collecting information and performing tasks, and have little creative or problem-solving involvement, then you'd probably list it under Employment and name the activity "Clinical Research Tech" or "Clinical Research Assistant." If you designed the study or have a lot of control over what happens, then list it under Research, maybe naming it "Paid Clinical Researcher." If your role is somewhere in the middle, then use Research, naming it "Clinical Research Assistant."

Click to expand...

Thanks Cat. I have a fair amount of autonomy and just first authored a paper of my own design, so I think the Paid Clinical Researcher sounds more apt.

Much appreciated

Wow, Catalystik has been busy today!

1) Does anyone have suggestions about how to include a published research article in the description section? Should I include a full citation, similar to APA, or just mention some key points like the title and journal?

2) I have 2 articles (published), 3 posters I presented (all at different conferences, but 2 were the same title and project), and 1 poster I was coauthor on, all stemming from 3 years of dedicated time in a lab. Does the following approach seem reasonable?

EC#1: Research category: General info about my lab experience and leadership in the lab (marked as most meaningful too, with additional explanation)
EC#2: Publication category: Info about my role in publication number 1
EC#3: Publication category: Info about my role in publication number 2
EC#4: Presentations/Posters category: Info about my 2 poster presentations that were the same project, just presented at different conferences
EC#5: Presentations/Posters category: Info about my 3rd presented poster, with my coauthored poster included (similar topic)

I think I will have space to include all of these as separate ECs, but I'm wondering if this is too much?

So how far back can we really go with extracurriculars? I did some great things during my latter years of High School that I feel really highlight my motivation to go into medicine. I guess that's irrelevant to medical school admission committees if they only care about things done during and after college?

PNAU said:

So how far back can we really go with extracurriculars? I did some great things during my latter years of High School that I feel really highlight my motivation to go into medicine. I guess that's irrelevant to medical school admission committees if they only care about things done during and after college?

Click to expand...

I think that the best idea would be to include those experiences in your personal statement, unless some of the activities continued into your college years

sector9 said:

1) Does anyone have suggestions about how to include a published research article in the description section? Should I include a full citation, similar to APA, or just mention some key points like the title and journal?

Click to expand...

Journal name, article title, abbreviated author list ("first author et al.") and date of publication would be enough, I'd think. You don't need to follow strict citation style for this; only enough information to find the paper in question if the reader wanted to look it up.

Catalystik said:

Americorps is a one-year commitment.

The Peace Corps is a nearly two-year commitment, but I recall in times past that some schools were open to accepting a Peace Corps volunteer knowing they'd be deferred for a year if accepted in the current cycle. Yes, it's considered that strong of an EC to give special consideration. I will be honest and say I haven't heard of this happening in the past few years though.

Click to expand...

I'm doing Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa right now and there is a health volunteer in the year ahead of me who applied during his first year here and then deferred his acceptance for his second year. I'm pretty sure it's at Tufts. I'm applying this year during my second year to start a month or so after my service is ending. Either way is pretty common from what I hear, although my way is a bit easier I think.

Catalystik said:

No, the presentation at the national conference is the more prestigious accomplishment. If you present at a school's symposium, it is preferred to mention it at the end of the Research entry rather than giving it its own space under Presentations/Posters.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I figured i wouldn't be able to put it under the presentations section anyway. Glad to at least have some research to put on there

sector9 said:

1) Does anyone have suggestions about how to include a published research article in the description section? Should I include a full citation, similar to APA, or just mention some key points like the title and journal?

2) I have 2 articles (published), 3 posters I presented (all at different conferences, but 2 were the same title and project), and 1 poster I was coauthor on, all stemming from 3 years of dedicated time in a lab. Does the following approach seem reasonable?

EC#1: Research category: General info about my lab experience and leadership in the lab (marked as most meaningful too, with additional explanation)
EC#2: Publication category: Info about my role in publication number 1
EC#3: Publication category: Info about my role in publication number 2
EC#4: Presentations/Posters category: Info about my 2 poster presentations that were the same project, just presented at different conferences
EC#5: Presentations/Posters category: Info about my 3rd presented poster, with my coauthored poster included (similar topic)

I think I will have space to include all of these as separate ECs, but I'm wondering if this is too much?

Click to expand...

1) As Mauberly suggests, but I'd suggest enough of an author list to show where your name is, or a formal citation if you prefer.

2) If you presented the same data/project, then you'd only list the highest level achieved in its own space, with mention of a lesser category either in the same space or at the end of the Research space. So if the same information was presented at a campus symposia, regional conference, a national conference, an international conference, and then published in a known national journal (not campus only), the last category is the most prestigious. Does that help you condense things somewhat?

PNAU said:

So how far back can we really go with extracurriculars? I did some great things during my latter years of High School that I feel really highlight my motivation to go into medicine. I guess that's irrelevant to medical school admission committees if they only care about things done during and after college?

Click to expand...

There is no rule that you can't include a HS activity, so if it's particularly substantive and meaningful, you can list it, but adcomms will probably discount something from long ago and would expect additional supplemental activities. I agree with sector9, that a more graceful way to get it into the picture is to work it into the PS. And BTW, anything you continued after you got the HS diploma, would be considered as "during the college years."

Catalystik said:

1) As Mauberly suggests, but I'd suggest enough of an author list to show where your name is, or a formal citation if you prefer.

2) If you presented the same data/project, then you'd only list the highest level achieved in its own space, with mention of a lesser category either in the same space or at the end of the Research space. So if the same information was presented at a campus symposia, regional conference, a national conference, an international conference, and then published in a known national journal (not campus only), the last category is the most prestigious. Does that help you condense things somewhat?

Click to expand...

1) Thanks! I see that this questions is on the FAQ as "To be answered" so maybe your answer and Mauberly's can be summarized there

2) Hmm that doesn't help me condense much more than I already have. I saw that you gave someone else the same advice earlier in the thread so I did group my projects together. I guess I'll end up with 5 ECs about research

Can you list a family member as a reference? As in if you shadowed your uncle, would it be appropriate to list them as a reference, or would you have to list someone else from the hospital?

dreamer67 said:

Can you list a family member as a reference? As in if you shadowed your uncle, would it be appropriate to list them as a reference, or would you have to list someone else from the hospital?

Click to expand...

I have no choice but to list my parent for one of my contacts (granted it is a "hobbies" category). Ha, I mean it was either list her or US Airways.

Yea I have some traveling and hobbies I want to list too but I don't know what to do for the contact. I guess I could list a parent, but not sure if that would be appropriate.

Frazier said:

I have no choice but to list my parent for one of my contacts (granted it is a "hobbies" category). Ha, I mean it was either list her or US Airways.

Click to expand...

I've held some form of part-time job or another since I was 16. I was planning on lumping all the jobs together under "Employment Experiences" and then listing 2004-2011 or something for the dates. Who would I list as the contact? Should I just list myself? Personal reference?

I assisted with developing the pre-med curriculum at my school. Is this something I should list under activities, and what would I list it under?

I have an experience that has shaped me but not one that directed me towards medicine. My brother had some drug issues so it has changed my outlook on things so i feel it is worthy of mention but not necessarily in my ps. would it go here?

lowdy100 said:

I have an experience that has shaped me but not one that directed me towards medicine. My brother had some drug issues so it has changed my outlook on things so i feel it is worthy of mention but not necessarily in my ps. would it go here?

Click to expand...

It might go better in a Secondary essay.

Hello678 said:

I assisted with developing the pre-med curriculum at my school. Is this something I should list under activities, and what would I list it under?

Click to expand...

If it was an important formative experience that took a fair amount of time, you might list it under "Other" as a project, or. depending on your role, perhaps under "Leadership" if you think it qualifies.

Slack3r said:

I've held some form of part-time job or another since I was 16. I was planning on lumping all the jobs together under "Employment Experiences" and then listing 2004-2011 or something for the dates. Who would I list as the contact? Should I just list myself? Personal reference?

Click to expand...

Consider eliminating the ones from the HS years, unless they continued in college. You could pick the one you engaged in the longest, use that one for contact, date span, and hours/week, then list the others after it, putting separate date spans, contact info, and hours/week.

dreamer67 said:

Can you list a family member as a reference? As in if you shadowed your uncle, would it be appropriate to list them as a reference, or would you have to list someone else from the hospital?

Click to expand...

Yes, list a relative if necessary, but if you have a choice, list his office manager, nurse manager, etc, who can vouch for you.

Frazier said:

I have no choice but to list my parent for one of my contacts (granted it is a "hobbies" category). Ha, I mean it was either list her or US Airways.

Click to expand...

made me LOL.

.

From what I understand so far, it's recommended that you group similar activities together. Going by this I would have an entry for: hospital volunteering, clinical volunteering, research, teaching, physician shadowing, community volunteering, awards/honors, poster presentation, leadership, and a couple of hobbies. However, I don't feel I can condense similar activities together and explain them/their impact in such few characters. Any tips on how to do this?

Flamen04 said:

From what I understand so far, it's recommended that you group similar activities together. Going by this I would have an entry for: hospital volunteering, clinical volunteering, research, teaching, physician shadowing, community volunteering, awards/honors, poster presentation, leadership, and a couple of hobbies. However, I don't feel I can condense similar activities together and explain them/their impact in such few characters. Any tips on how to do this?

Click to expand...

Try narrating your descriptions with 'text talk'. See a comparison below:

Specimen A) "Fosho sav u cuppl charcterz. N lukz kewl 2."
Specimen B) "For sure, my good chap, utilizing "text talk" vernacular will save you a couple characters. It is also aesthetically pleasing."

I think the results speak for themselves, if you have a lot to say - think outside the box [and grammatical precision].

Flamen04 said:

From what I understand so far, it's recommended that you group similar activities together. Going by this I would have an entry for: hospital volunteering, clinical volunteering, research, teaching, physician shadowing, community volunteering, awards/honors, poster presentation, leadership, and a couple of hobbies. However, I don't feel I can condense similar activities together and explain them/their impact in such few characters. Any tips on how to do this?

Click to expand...

Not to take away from Frazier's brilliant strategy, (which would save the adcomm lots of time, since they wouldn't read it at all ) but as additional commentary:

No, it isn't recommended that you necessarily group similar activites, except for Shadowing and Awards/Honors, perhaps. One does it when one doesn't have enough spaces and can't decide what is "Most Important." If forced to condense, consider using bullets, and don't feel compelled to explain anything that everyone knows (like what a waitperson does, what you saw when shadowing XXXX type of doc, what a coach or tutor does, etc. With the characters saved, ideally you'd have room to explain what you learned/impact that has relevance to being a physician.

What is the category for poster/presentation mean? Does it have 15 slots just like the rest of the items??

Swiss Medical said:

What is the category for poster/presentation mean? Does it have 15 slots just like the rest of the items??

Click to expand...

There are 15 categories available on a pull-down menu. You would pick one of them for each activity you want to list. One of the categories is Posters/Presentations, which you would choose if you presented your research publicly at a regional or national scientific meeting.

Does the posters/presentations category apply specifically to research?

If you spent a semester researching literature about a health epidemic and gave presentations at your school to raise awareness, would this go under presentations?

so when condensing all shadowing into a block, whose contact info goes in the official boxes? just the first one listed? and include name/email along with each doc's description you give?

fizzgig said:

so when condensing all shadowing into a block, whose contact info goes in the official boxes? just the first one listed? and include name/email along with each doc's description you give?

Click to expand...

If all the shadowing were done at one institution, like a clinic, or under the umbrella of an organized program, then you could list that. If the shadowing was a hodgepodge of docs, then I'd list the one with the greatest number of hours first, using that contact info, and list individual name, specialty, date span, total hours, contact info for each of the others in the narrative.

Hello678 said:

Does the posters/presentations category apply specifically to research?

If you spent a semester researching literature about a health epidemic and gave presentations at your school to raise awareness, would this go under presentations?

Click to expand...

You are expected to self-select the category that best fits the Experience. While 99% of the time "Posters/Presentations" is used in regards to Research, there is no reason you can't use it for the project you describe. Alternatively, you could list it as a Special Project under the "Other " category, describing both the lit review that went into it, as well as the presentations you gave (with dates and locations), especially if there was no formal Conference Name for you to cite. Choose what you think fits best. Hopefully, you have a faculty advisor you can list as the contact.

Hello everyone
I have a question on timeframe and hours?

1. I started working on 08/2010 and will stop on 08/2011. And i want to submit my app on 06/2011. So do i put 08/2010-08/2011 or 08/2010-present? I am thinking the former one.

2. I started working for 15 hrs/wk. But 3 months in, I only did 8 hrs/wk. How should i list the hrs?

Thank you

ICUatUCI said:

1. I started working on 08/2010 and will stop on 08/2011. And i want to submit my app on 06/2011. So do i put 08/2010-08/2011 or 08/2010-present? I am thinking the former one.

Click to expand...

Correct. From page 52 of the instruction manual: "...current experiences (those in which you are still involved and which do not have a known end date)..."

ICUatUCI said:

2. I started working for 15 hrs/wk. But 3 months in, I only did 8 hrs/wk. How should i list the hrs?

Click to expand...

Average it out to whatever you feel best represents your weekly commitment. I would go closer to 8 for the official number but indicate in the description that your first three months were spent at 15 hours per week.

Thank you sir

Thank you for everything! P.S. catalystik you're a star.

Apologies if this has been answered! I know it's still a "to be answered" on the original post.

I was wondering if this is a good way to deal with PS/most meaningful experience overlap.

After college, I spent (am spending...) a few years working in research. One clinical research project in particular was pretty inspirational for me, for a lot of reasons - I spent time talking to people about adopting a healthier lifestyle, and I observed/got to know a really excellent MD, among other things.

So the way I have my personal statement now, about half of it is dedicated to building a story around my experiences on that project. Of course I want to list this job in the work/experiences section, and as I've spent more waking hours with it than anything else, and it has been meaningful, it feels silly to not list it as one of my most meaningful. Plus, I only have like 5-6 listings total, so not picking this one is going to leave me talking about how receiving a small academic scholarship one year out of the blue was life-changing.

I figured in my 1300 characters about this job, I can say something like, besides the inspirational xxxxx project, this job was meaningful to me because...

Or, perhaps tell another short story about another meaningful moment during my time there, without addressing how the most inspirational things are already in the PS?

Thoughts?

Catburr said:

I figured in my 1300 characters about this job, I can say something like, besides the inspirational xxxxx project, this job was meaningful to me because...

Or, perhaps tell another short story about another meaningful moment during my time there, without addressing how the most inspirational things are already in the PS?

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

I'd go with your first idea, if only because it would be redundant to recap your PS. You have precious little space in your primary application; use it wisely and effectively.

I just wanted to get a little clarification. From what I read here, one comment was if you can get a "whiff" of patients, it's medical/clinical.

So I'm assuming stuff that had to do with development work would be not medical / clinical?

Example: I had an internship at an organization that was a trade association, but I specifically interned with there HIV/AIDS Initiative. Dealt more with getting private sector involved; was more in the international development field.

not medical / clinical?

nebratu said:

I just wanted to get a little clarification. From what I read here, one comment was if you can get a "whiff" of patients, it's medical/clinical.

So I'm assuming stuff that had to do with development work would be not medical / clinical?

Example: I had an internship at an organization that was a trade association, but I specifically interned with there HIV/AIDS Initiative. Dealt more with getting private sector involved; was more in the international development field.

not medical / clinical?

Click to expand...

Following the popular ideal of this community, if you could smell the HIV/AIDS then it was clinical.

Catburr said:

I figured in my 1300 characters about this job, I can say something like, besides the inspirational xxxxx project, this job was meaningful to me because...

Or, perhaps tell another short story about another meaningful moment during my time there, without addressing how the most inspirational things are already in the PS?

Click to expand...

mauberley said:

I'd go with your first idea, if only because it would be redundant to recap your PS. You have precious little space in your primary application; use it wisely and effectively.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. The second idea wouldn't be redundant though, it would be another DIFFERENT meaningful moment, is what I was getting at. It would neither acknowledge that other experiences from that job are in the PS, nor would it copy what I already put in the PS.

Catburr said:

Thanks for the input. The second idea wouldn't be redundant though, it would be another DIFFERENT meaningful moment, is what I was getting at. It would neither acknowledge that other experiences from that job are in the PS, nor would it copy what I already put in the PS.

Click to expand...

I should clarify what I was thinking: the prompt is to explain why the activity is among your most meaningful. You don't want to make it seem that there are competing reasons by not acknowledging its inclusion into your personal statement, but at the same time you don't want to repeat yourself.

i spent a year doing an independent study in which i researched issues in psychopharmacology and completed two literature reviews. is this considered research or should i mark it as other? i don't have other research experience.

What do we put if we don't have a contact name for honors/awards category in the works activity?

For example: Phi beta kappa, research scholarship granted by the university, dean's list.

what about contact name for poster presentation at a university research symposia?

thanks for the help

hurricane123 said:

i spent a year doing an independent study in which i researched issues in psychopharmacology and completed two literature reviews. is this considered research or should i mark it as other? i don't have other research experience.

Click to expand...

Did you start with a hypothesis, design a study protocol, collect data, come to a conclusion which added to human knowledge, and create a potentially publishable article? That would be Research for AMCAS purposes. Otherwise, it would be fine to list it under Other as a Special Project, just as one might for a thesis project or engineering design team project.

mauberley said:

I should clarify what I was thinking: the prompt is to explain why the activity is among your most meaningful. You don't want to make it seem that there are competing reasons by not acknowledging its inclusion into your personal statement, but at the same time you don't want to repeat yourself.

Click to expand...

That makes sense, thanks a lot. Think I'll go that route.

egarcia said:

1) What do we put if we don't have a contact name for honors/awards category in the works activity?

For example: Phi beta kappa, research scholarship granted by the university, dean's list.

2) what about contact name for poster presentation at a university research symposia?

Click to expand...

1) There is an office on campus that is aware of most of your awards and honors, whether it be the registrar, academic affairs, deans office, honors program, or whatever it might be named. Find out which it is and use it as the contact, as they can vouch for you.

2) Your research advisor/PI would be the one to list.

I posted this in a different thread, but I guess it was the incorrect place for it..

I was wondering if volunteering in the aquatic rehabilitation of mentally handicapped clients should be listed as clinical or non-clinical on AMCAS. Each week, I would be in the water working hands-on with my clients (who all suffered from genetic disorders).
It doesn't matter to me either way which it is listed as (although I have more clinical than non-clinical volunteering), but I just wanted to categorize the experience appropriately.

Thanks!

Catalystik said:

You don't have to mention school breaks, but you do have to fill out the average hours-per-week blank. So you would take the total hours and divide them by the full number of weeks in the span. This will dilute the true hours per week somewhat, but that's OK.

Click to expand...

If I volunteered for a total of 80 hours over a period of 1.5 years that gives me 1.1 hrs/week. If I subtract summer vacation it was 1.3 hours/week. Each time I went, it was 4 hours. Can I list the start-end date as 1.5 years, weekly hours as 4 and state in the description that I went for twenty 4-hour visits, for a total of 80 hours? It just looks silly to say I volunteered for 1 hour per week...

Catalystik said:

If the shadowing was a hodgepodge of docs, then I'd list the one with the greatest number of hours first, using that contact info, and list individual name, specialty, date span, total hours, contact info for each of the others in the narrative.

Click to expand...

I shadowed 3 doctors once each. I have a contact for one of them, but the other two have left my hospital. Do I need to track them down and ask if I can reference them both?

Catalystik said:

Did you start with a hypothesis, design a study protocol, collect data, come to a conclusion which added to human knowledge, and create a potentially publishable article? That would be Research for AMCAS purposes. Otherwise, it would be fine to list it under Other as a Special Project, just as one might for a thesis project or engineering design team project.

Click to expand...

What if you worked in a bio lab for a year, learning lab techniques (not helping a post-doc, but practicing on your own) and designed a project but did not actually carry it out? I quit after a year because I felt I was getting more out of my clinical and teaching jobs and couldn't devote myself to three part-time jobs at once during school... I describe all this in the description, but "Research/Lab" is still the right designation, right?

----

Also, for what it's worth, required fields on AMCAS this year:
Experience Type
Experience Name
Start Date
End Date
Contact's First/Last Name and Title
Phone number OR email

Average hours per week does NOT have a red asterisk next to it...

------

And some more questions!

Under honors/awards/recognitions, aside from stuff like Dean's List, could I list language proficiences in the form of certificates for courses completed? Not courses in university, but my job offers correspondence courses for certification in the language.

I participate in an organization that would probably be considered most similar to social chair in a dorm or fraternity - i.e. I organize social events for the area. Would this go under "Leadership"? Or volunteering (non-clinical obviously)? Or "other"?