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

hurricane123 said:

I received an award at graduation and was considering putting it my academic honors section. Should I just list the name of the award or also put the description? I also received a monetary prize for the award. Should this be included or is that tacky?

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Unless the award is universally known, you will have to describe the reason for your selection. If the amount of money is impressive, say $3000+, then mention it, otherwise, just refer to 'a monetary award.'

For activities, is it better to go with an accurate title that may not give the reader details, or a more broad title that is not as specific?

For example, choosing between "Peer Health Exchange Facilitator" and "PHE Health Educator: STD and Drug Awareness"

Thank you!

soccrwon said:

For activities, is it better to go with an accurate title that may not give the reader details, or a more broad title that is not as specific?

For example, choosing between "Peer Health Exchange Facilitator" and "PHE Health Educator: STD and Drug Awareness"

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How abvout "Peer Health Educator: STD and Drug Awareness?"

I haven't seen this question come up in this thread, so here goes:

I am shadowing in a family practice clinic. However, each day that I go, I shadow a different doctor (a mix of DOs, MDs, and residents).

I can list the shadowing coordinator as the contact, so that's not a problem. My other shadowing entries (all grouped together in one space with this one, of course) state the doctor's name (since I only shadowed the one doctor), but the variable nature of this means that I shadow a bunch of different doctors for only 3 or 4 hours at a time.

Questions:
1) Do I have to list each doctor?
2) Do I state that it was a mix of MDs and DOs?
3) Do I state that it was a mix of attendings and residents?
4) Do I attempt to separate each of the above groups (MD, DO, attending, resident) into a number of hours?

sector9 said:

I am shadowing in a family practice clinic. However, each day that I go, I shadow a different doctor (a mix of DOs, MDs, and residents).

I can list the shadowing coordinator as the contact, so that's not a problem. My other shadowing entries (all grouped together in one space with this one, of course) state the doctor's name (since I only shadowed the one doctor), but the variable nature of this means that I shadow a bunch of different doctors for only 3 or 4 hours at a time.

Questions:
1) Do I have to list each doctor?
2) Do I state that it was a mix of MDs and DOs?
3) Do I state that it was a mix of attendings and residents?
4) Do I attempt to separate each of the above groups (MD, DO, attending, resident) into a number of hours?

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1) Since you have the coordinator to vouch for you, just give an overview of the program and incuded specialties.

2) Yes.

3) yes.

4) For MD applications: No need as they were all physicians. [If you're applying DO too, some might like to know the separated-out DO hours.] Just give the total hours for the program. It sounds like a great opportunity for a broad-based experience. If only other medical centers were so user-friendly as to have such an offering.

Thanks a lot Catalystik! That really helps!

I have one more question. I have had a few posters presented at campus and national conferences. Should I just provide the citation for each poster? I figured if I did, it would be implied that I had both posters and presentations.

Cat - YOU ARE THE BEST - THANKS

phnerd1105 said:

I have had a few posters presented at campus and national conferences. Should I just provide the citation for each poster? I figured if I did, it would be implied that I had both posters and presentations.

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A poster presented at a national conference is space-worthy. A campus poster could either be mentioned in the associated Research entry, or mentioned in the same space as the more prestigious conference if they are related in topic. Definitely give the citation. If it's a duplicate, just say "same poster previously presented at XXXXU Campus research Symposium Day, date, location.

If you published the same data in a regional or national journal, then you wouldn't use Posters/Presentations, as the pub is the more prestigious. In this case you'd mention the posters in the same space after the Publications citation.

Question about entering awards -

If you've received awards/honors from a few different organizations, should you enter them all under one activity? For instance, dean's list and scholarships at two different schools, maybe a large scholarship from a private organization, and a prestigious award from another totally separate organization.

Obviously the problem you run into here is you'd need 4 different contacts to enter. But if you enter each award as an individual activity, it would take up way too many activities.


Same thing for shadowing as well -

If someone has shadowed 6 different doctors, should that just be listed all under one activity? It only gives one contact option, and there would a different contact for each shadowing experience.

Thanks
Ryan

Catalystik said:

A poster presented at a national conference is space-worthy. A campus poster could either be mentioned in the associated Research entry, or mentioned in the same space as the more prestigious conference if they are related in topic. Definitely give the citation. If it's a duplicate, just say "same poster previously presented at XXXXU Campus research Symposium Day, date, location.

If you published the same data in a regional or national journal, then you wouldn't use Posters/Presentations, as the pub is the more prestigious. In this case you'd mention the posters in the same space after the Publications citation.

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We were just accepted to the national conference yesterday, and it's not until November. We presented the same poster at a state conference this past month though. Would it still be okay to give it its own category? I would really have much to say about it, but could discuss it in an update letter.

As of right now, I have both of the posters in the same category as I have no more space. We're writing up an article from the poster, but that won't be done for a few months now, so I can also include that in an update letter.

Also, in my PS I talked about this disease that I was diagnosed with. I wrote an article depicting my experience and submitted it to a national section newsletter which published it. I know that this isnt a publication, but do you think it would still be worth mentioning?


Sorry for all the questions Cat! You're awesome. I would send you cookies if I could!

Thanks Cat for all your help!

I grouped my awards together, but would only like to expound on one of them as my most meaningful activity.

Do you guys think it would be okay to group those awards together and then only explain one of them or should I separate the awards? I've already used up all 15 entries so I would have to get rid of an entry which I would prefer not to do.

Hey Catalystic,

So I'm almost done filling out this part of the app and wanted your opinion.

-I listed 14 activities, divided as: a)med student in foreign country b) pilot certificate c) research assistant (these 3 listed as most meaningful) d) clinical volunteering e)lab teaching assistant f)research internship g)independent study (same field in which i do research on but I wasn't an RA yet) h)other hobbies (traveling, guitar and skydiving) i)research grant (indicated why it was given and what it was used towards to) j)non-clinical volunteering k)miscellaneous recognitions (article in college magazine about research, dean's list and membership at honor societies), l)physician shadowing m)poster presentations during a special week at school n)and research symposium poster presentations.

-In some activities I go directly into briefly describing what I did (like the clinical volunteering) in bullet form, others which I think require a little background info (like the non-profit organization) I give a small intro paragraph and proceed to explain what i did in bullet format by indicating "Activities included:". Is that ok?

-For the listing that included several activities I put the date and contact info for most relevant one

-For the med student activity, I listed the university I studied at as a contact. I'm thinking of putting the number of the admissions office as the contact number. This is in a foreign spanish-speaking country, however, and don't know any specific person who might respond. I'm guessing of calling and asking for someone and writing down their name. Would that be sufficient?.

-My PS focuses on my three most meaningful experiences (what made them meaningful not what I did) and one more not listed, so I'm thinking of just briefly stating why those experiences were the most meaningful without repeating myself or getting into much detail. Is that ok? Would it be redundant?

-The presentations at the same research symposium were based on my independet study and research assistant findings. In the description of the activities, I indicated that the findings were presented , but I separately grouped both presentations under "research symposium" and indicated the title, date, authors and that it was based under those research experiences. Is that ok?

-I grouped the other presentations on a different group because they all happened during the same week and were less relevant than the research symposium ones. Is that ok?

Please take a look at my mdapps profile and let me know what you think about the grouping of my activities. Are they too many? Anything I'm missing?

Thanks so much!! sorry for the long post

quick question...

if i participated in a club freshman year, didn't participate the next, and then got back involved with it junior year... how would I list this on my activities?


i'm not applying this year -- next year, but i'm wondering if its worth getting back involved because i don't want it to look funny.


could i just list it as freshman - junior year, or would i have to list 2 separate intervals of involvement?
it wasn't an extreme-commitment-type club, you just show up whenever you want for the weekly meetings, but it kinda died off this past year (i still could have gone to meetings - they just really didn't do anything last year)....and its coming back for this upcoming year.

Jerk said:

1) If you've received awards/honors from a few different organizations, should you enter them all under one activity? For instance, dean's list and scholarships at two different schools, maybe a large scholarship from a private organization, and a prestigious award from another totally separate organization.

Obviously the problem you run into here is you'd need 4 different contacts to enter. But if you enter each award as an individual activity, it would take up way too many activities.


2) Same thing for shadowing as well -

If someone has shadowed 6 different doctors, should that just be listed all under one activity? It only gives one contact option, and there would a different contact for each shadowing experience.

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1) Grouping them together is fine. Put the most prestigious in the header with its contact information. In the narrative list the other Awards/Honors/merit scholarships. Your school registrar is a good contact, as most of them would be known to that office. If you are short on space, ditch the deans list as it's fairly universal and your grades are already evident.

2) List all shadowing together. Put the most substantive in the header with its contact info. List the others in the narrative with their contact info and separate date spans and total hours.

phnerd1105 said:

1) We were just accepted to the national conference yesterday, and it's not until November. We presented the same poster at a state conference this past month though. Would it still be okay to give it its own category? I would really have much to say about it, but could discuss it in an update letter.

As of right now, I have both of the posters in the same category as I have no more space. We're writing up an article from the poster, but that won't be done for a few months now, so I can also include that in an update letter.

2) Also, in my PS I talked about this disease that I was diagnosed with. I wrote an article depicting my experience and submitted it to a national section newsletter which published it. I know that this isnt a publication, but do you think it would still be worth mentioning?

3) I would send you cookies if I could!

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1) The poster was accepted, but not yet presented, and future dates can't be put into the Experiences section, so you can't give it its own space. I would mention the acceptance at the end of the State Conference Posters/Presentations listing, giving the name, dates, and location where you expect to show the poster in the future. So leaving them in one space is best anyway.

2) It is a Publication. You could mention it. But be aware that very, very few use the Publication designation for non-research purposes, and you have no space left anyway. Can you tack it on to the end of any other related space? Did you mention the "disease" (personally, I'd use the word "condition," BTW) anywhere else, like the PS?

3) e-cookie accepted!

excitedneuron said:

I grouped my awards together, but would only like to expound on one of them as my most meaningful activity.

Do you guys think it would be okay to group those awards together and then only explain one of them or should I separate the awards? I've already used up all 15 entries so I would have to get rid of an entry which I would prefer not to do.

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Provided that Award was used for the header information fo your Awards entry, I think that's fine. Alternatively, you could use the activity related to getting the award and already entered as the segue to a "Most Meaningful" narrative.

flakpilot said:

-I listed 14 activities, divided as: a)med student in foreign country b) pilot certificate c) research assistant (these 3 listed as most meaningful) d) clinical volunteering e)lab teaching assistant f)research internship g)independent study (same field in which i do research on but I wasn't an RA yet) h)other hobbies (traveling, guitar and skydiving) i)research grant (indicated why it was given and what it was used towards to) j)non-clinical volunteering k)miscellaneous recognitions (article in college magazine about research, dean's list and membership at honor societies), l)physician shadowing m)poster presentations during a special week at school n)and research symposium poster presentations.

1) -In some activities I go directly into briefly describing what I did (like the clinical volunteering) in bullet form, others which I think require a little background info (like the non-profit organization) I give a small intro paragraph and proceed to explain what i did in bullet format by indicating "Activities included:". Is that ok?

2) -For the listing that included several activities I put the date and contact info for most relevant one

3) -For the med student activity, I listed the university I studied at as a contact. I'm thinking of putting the number of the admissions office as the contact number. This is in a foreign spanish-speaking country, however, and don't know any specific person who might respond. I'm guessing of calling and asking for someone and writing down their name. Would that be sufficient?.

4) -My PS focuses on my three most meaningful experiences (what made them meaningful not what I did) and one more not listed, so I'm thinking of just briefly stating why those experiences were the most meaningful without repeating myself or getting into much detail. Is that ok? Would it be redundant?

5) -The presentations at the same research symposium were based on my independet study and research assistant findings. In the description of the activities, I indicated that the findings were presented , but I separately grouped both presentations under "research symposium" and indicated the title, date, authors and that it was based under those research experiences. Is that ok?

6) -I grouped the other presentations on a different group because they all happened during the same week and were less relevant than the research symposium ones. Is that ok?

7) Please take a look at my mdapps profile and let me know what you think about the grouping of my activities. Are they too many? Anything I'm missing?

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1) A variety of presentation formats is fine to use.

2) That's fine. If you have other contact info, you can add it to the narrative after each activity listed.

3) That works, and you might ask if they speak English. If they don't, note this in the activity listing.

4) Try hard not to repeat information. A bit of overlap is understandable.

5) Posters/Presentaions at a campus symposium are generally included in the associated Research listing. If they took place at a regional or national conference, it should go in its own space, in which case its fine to refer back to the research listing for explanation rather than repeating it. If you want to leave campus presentations in their own space, I would name the activty "Campus Research Symposium" to make it clear.

6) You can group them as you wish, maybe having the name reflect the lesser importance somehow. I'm not really clear on the difference in the two groups.

7) The research grant could have been mentioned with the associated Research. I'd put the TA under Teaching, unless you were in charge of other TAs.

Chelslen said:

if i participated in a club freshman year, didn't participate the next, and then got back involved with it junior year... how would I list this on my activities?


i'm not applying this year -- next year, but i'm wondering if its worth getting back involved because i don't want it to look funny.


could i just list it as freshman - junior year, or would i have to list 2 separate intervals of involvement?
it wasn't an extreme-commitment-type club, you just show up whenever you want for the weekly meetings, but it kinda died off this past year (i still could have gone to meetings - they just really didn't do anything last year)....and its coming back for this upcoming year.

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Clubs don't help you much unless they lead to leadership or community service opportunities. Ask yourself if listing this activity is going to make your application stronger in some way. If not, use the time in some other way.

I would list the activity under the most recent consistent date span, and then in the narrative mention the date span of a prior year's involvement.

Catalystik said:

1) The poster was accepted, but not yet presented, and future dates can't be put into the Experiences section, so you can't give it its own space. I would mention the acceptance at the end of the State Conference Posters/Presentations listing, giving the name, dates, and location where you expect to show the poster in the future. So leaving them in one space is best anyway.

2) It is a Publication. You could mention it. But be aware that very, very few use the Publication designation for non-research purposes, and you have no space left anyway. Can you tack it on to the end of any other related space? Did you mention the "disease" (personally, I'd use the word "condition," BTW) anywhere else, like the PS?

3) e-cookie accepted!

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1)Sounds great!

2) I can probably add it onto my research section, since it was one of my most meaningful activities and I have some space. My research advisor is a frequent contributor to the newsletter, so she was the one that encouraged me to submit it.

And yes haha, sometimes I interchange those words accidentally. Most of my PS was focusing on the condition and how it affected my life, which is the only reason that I felt including the newsletter would be worthwhile, as it shows how I have written about the condition in the past.

3) I'm so sorry for bombarding you again, but I will be participating in this unique experience this summer. As a part of my MPH program, I will be helping teach a Block I class for incoming M1's at my university. I would really like to put this down as an EC, but its a class that I would get credit for under independent study in the fall. Would it still be okay to list as an EC?

Hi!

2 questions:

1. I'm already listing 2 ECs as research. For my last EC slot, I could list a third 7 mth research experience or talk about some hobbies like sports (although I'm not very active in many anymore, just swimming regularly now..) and some traveling. Would it be better to include my third research experience or hobbies?

2. How should I list the hours for medical trips/alternative breaks? Do I just add up all the number of days on that trip and multiply by 24h? Or try to break down how many hours I was actually at the clinic/homeless shelter? Cos I don't recall all my hours.

Thanks for all your help and advice!!

Hey guys,

1)So regarding correct citation of publications, I put all my publications in one slot, so I'm having a little trouble fitting everything in, unless I take out the numbering? like instead of "1. author, author..." it will be "author, author...", will that be ok? Every other form of the citation will be correct besides italicizing.

2) Also I need to also list in abstracts/posters, but I want to put them all in one slot, but I can't fit them within 700 characters, so what have you guys been doing? Should I just list like 2 of the most recent abstracts/posters and mention in the description saying there's X more?

Thanks guys so much,

1. I am hovering around the 15 activities mark, and I was thinking about omitting some of my lesser activities, albeit clinically related. For example, I was a volunteer at a hospital for about 100 hours/3 mos, but it was not a particularly enjoyable experience, and I left prematurely (the coordinator was violent/abusive to volunteers, and I didn't want to be a part of that). Besides, I don't know what this person would say if ever contacted. I do have other significant clinical experiences, so I am considering leaving it out. Thoughts?

2. Also from a strategical perspective, what do you think of putting in hobbies that are without significant accomplishments? The point of a hobby of course is to have fun and do it simply because it's enjoyable, but I'm afraid listing hobbies where you have not shown any visceral achievements may look vain to admissions officers.

And I honestly don't think it shows "well-roundedness" as people proclaim that it does, at least not when the reader is looking through a paper application and deciding who is a good candidate for their school.

Catalystik said:

Clubs don't help you much unless they lead to leadership or community service opportunities. Ask yourself if listing this activity is going to make your application stronger in some way. If not, use the time in some other way.

I would list the activity under the most recent consistent date span, and then in the narrative mention the date span of a prior year's involvement.

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it is a community service related club.

and that makes sense. thanks!

phnerd1105 said:

I will be participating in this unique experience this summer. As a part of my MPH program, I will be helping teach a Block I class for incoming M1's at my university. I would really like to put this down as an EC, but its a class that I would get credit for under independent study in the fall. Would it still be okay to list as an EC?

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One can describe research in its own space, even if one gets class credit for it, so listing a teaching experience regardless is fine as well. But if you haven't begun the activty by the day you submit, it should not be included on the application.

txt1234 said:

1. I'm already listing 2 ECs as research. For my last EC slot, I could list a third 7 mth research experience or talk about some hobbies like sports (although I'm not very active in many anymore, just swimming regularly now..) and some traveling. Would it be better to include my third research experience or hobbies?

2. How should I list the hours for medical trips/alternative breaks? Do I just add up all the number of days on that trip and multiply by 24h? Or try to break down how many hours I was actually at the clinic/homeless shelter? Cos I don't recall all my hours.!

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1) If you have no other Hobbies entry, I would rather hear about what you do for leisuretime activities.

2) Only include the time you were activily engaged in service, not when you're sleeping, eating, or recreating with the group.

darkhope said:

1)So regarding correct citation of publications, I put all my publications in one slot, so I'm having a little trouble fitting everything in, unless I take out the numbering? like instead of "1. author, author..." it will be "author, author...", will that be ok? Every other form of the citation will be correct besides italicizing.

2) Also I need to also list in abstracts/posters, but I want to put them all in one slot, but I can't fit them within 700 characters, so what have you guys been doing? Should I just list like 2 of the most recent abstracts/posters and mention in the description saying there's X more?

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1) You could even just put the first author, and then et al, though mentioning your place in the lineup would be a good idea. If you want to take out the numbers instead, that's fine.

2) You could list only the one's you personally were present for, and the rest at the end of the Research listing. Or only those at the more prestigious national conferences (campus presentations should go in the Research space anyway). Or, only one poster per research topic/project, mentioning at the end that you presented X other posters as well at local or regional events, is fine.

brambles said:

1. I am hovering around the 15 activities mark, and I was thinking about omitting some of my lesser activities, albeit clinically related. For example, I was a volunteer at a hospital for about 100 hours/3 mos, but it was not a particularly enjoyable experience, and I left prematurely (the coordinator was violent/abusive to volunteers, and I didn't want to be a part of that). Besides, I don't know what this person would say if ever contacted. I do have other significant clinical experiences, so I am considering leaving it out. Thoughts?

2. Also from a strategical perspective, what do you think of putting in hobbies that are without significant accomplishments? The point of a hobby of course is to have fun and do it simply because it's enjoyable, but I'm afraid listing hobbies where you have not shown any visceral achievements may look vain to admissions officers.

And I honestly don't think it shows "well-roundedness" as people proclaim that it does, at least not when the reader is looking through a paper application and deciding who is a good candidate for their school.

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1. Fine. Or you could refer to it in the PS where a contact isn't obligatory.

2) IMO adcomms want to know that you have leisuretime activites and stress relievers. Staying mentally and physically healthy as a result IS an "accomplishment." I am one of those who feels that knowing someone's hobbies, sports, and Arts involvement makes them more interesting. It is your choice though; omit it if you wish.

Thanks alot catalystik,
Also another question, I'm not sure if this debate has been resolved but is it better to use bullet points or paragraph form in the descriptions?

Thanks Catalystik. I feel like you are the Prometheus to those of us still on this side of the fence.

Awesome link! Thanks!!

How do med schools treat non-science research? For example, this past semester I completed a 25-page history research paper. Perhaps not relevant by itself, but it's the foundation for my 100-page senior thesis (required for my major). Should this be mentioned under research in "Work and Activities?"

It seems tricky since the real legwork (the senior thesis) hasn't been done yet. I'm guessing that makes it inappropriate for the primary app. Should I mention it in secondaries? Or not at all?

Thanks.

if you worked for 1 year and then didnt work the next and then worked again the year (at a different company) after, how would you list it on the amcas app? as one entry, and do start date of first til present and just specify in the description or have 2 entries?

also if you have a publication, but did it thru research, did you put it under research and put it in the description or have one entry for research and one for publication.

and if i have 2 different research things, in 2 diff locations and 2 separate times, do i create 2 entries for that too?

darkhope said:

Also another question, I'm not sure if this debate has been resolved but is it better to use bullet points or paragraph form in the descriptions?

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Either is acceptable. Use whatever format works best for what you want to communicate. This can vary from entry to entry.

Tazriel said:

How do med schools treat non-science research? For example, this past semester I completed a 25-page history research paper. Perhaps not relevant by itself, but it's the foundation for my 100-page senior thesis (required for my major). Should this be mentioned under research in "Work and Activities?"

It seems tricky since the real legwork (the senior thesis) hasn't been done yet. I'm guessing that makes it inappropriate for the primary app. Should I mention it in secondaries? Or not at all?

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While research need not be in the sciences to be a benefit to a med school application, the type of research of interest would be that which adds to human knowledge after formulating a hypothesis, designing a study, gathering data, analyzing it, and coming to a conclusion.

Rather than listing it under "Research", consider referring to your senior thesis, for which this initial project is a first stage (and has been completed), under the "Other" category instead.

Melomare17 said:

1) if you worked for 1 year and then didnt work the next and then worked again the year (at a different company) after, how would you list it on the amcas app? as one entry, and do start date of first til present and just specify in the description or have 2 entries?

2) also if you have a publication, but did it thru research, did you put it under research and put it in the description or have one entry for research and one for publication.

3) and if i have 2 different research things, in 2 diff locations and 2 separate times, do i create 2 entries for that too?

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1) Two unrelated jobs should be listed in two separate Employment-nonmilitary spaces.

2) If the publication was in a national journal, it should be cited in a separate space under Publications. The research involved should be under Research. If the publication was in a campus journal, then mention it in the same space as the research.

3) Yes.

awesome, thanks!

Hey guys...i'm not sure if this is running in anyone's mind, but out of my 15 slots (side question: I ended up taking 2 slots to put all 6 of my abstracts/posters in, will that be ok?), I don't have a single slot dedicated to hobby? To be honest...I don't really think I have a healthy productive hobby like hiking or playing basketball...i guess I like listening to music and facebooking?...but yea...like is it considered important to have a slot addressing your hobbies/interests?

So, for my research I'm having problems classifying it as an experience type.

Project 1
Submitted for publication but has not been accepted; I did have a poster presentation so I will likely classify it under Posters/Presentations and mention where it has been submitted for publication

Project 2
Will eventually be submitted for publication but hasn't yet; I am attending a conference in October (abstract sent in, accepted) - however, this project has never been presented... so should I put Research/Lab or Conferences Attended... even though the conference hasn't been attended yet? Thanks!

Numba1Plumma said:

So, for my research I'm having problems classifying it as an experience type.

Project 1
Submitted for publication but has not been accepted; I did have a poster presentation so I will likely classify it under Posters/Presentations and mention where it has been submitted for publication

Project 2
Will eventually be submitted for publication but hasn't yet; I am attending a conference in October (abstract sent in, accepted) - however, this project has never been presented... so should I put Research/Lab or Conferences Attended... even though the conference hasn't been attended yet? Thanks!

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Were Project 1 and Project 2 both in the same research lab, or different labs?
Was the poster presentation from Project 1 at a campus symposium or at a regional/national conference?

Catalystik said:

1) A variety of presentation formats is fine to use.

2) That's fine. If you have other contact info, you can add it to the narrative after each activity listed.

3) That works, and you might ask if they speak English. If they don't, note this in the activity listing.

4) Try hard not to repeat information. A bit of overlap is understandable.

5) Posters/Presentaions at a campus symposium are generally included in the associated Research listing. If they took place at a regional or national conference, it should go in its own space, in which case its fine to refer back to the research listing for explanation rather than repeating it. If you want to leave campus presentations in their own space, I would name the activty "Campus Research Symposium" to make it clear.

6) You can group them as you wish, maybe having the name reflect the lesser importance somehow. I'm not really clear on the difference in the two groups.

7) The research grant could have been mentioned with the associated Research. I'd put the TA under Teaching, unless you were in charge of other TAs.

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Gotcha! Yeah I put the TA under teaching.

For the presentations, the less important ones (4) were all made during sort of special week at school during the semester. Mostly informational posters. Since the research symposium ones and these ones were on campus, and it's the same contact info for all of them, I think I'll list them all under the same category.

2) Is it a must to list the contact info if I have it or is it ok if I don't list it?

Thanks so much for your help Cat!!

.

The two projects are from different labs. Project 1 was conducted at a research symposium.

What's the difference between the Conferences Attended and Posters/Presentations experience type?

Numba1Plumma said:

The two projects are from different labs. Project 1 was conducted at a research symposium.

What's the difference between the Conferences Attended and Posters/Presentations experience type?

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It sounds like you have two quality "research" entries to me, and no entries for conferences, posters/presentations, or publications. The symposium poster would go in the description for Project 1, and the submitted paper isn't important until it's accepted (a good topic for a secondary/interview/update letter). The accepted abstract at a conference would likewise best be included in the description for Project 2.

Catalystik will correct me if I'm wrong

I don't think there's much point in having the Conferences Attended experience type IMHO. I can't see that being very important unless you presented at the conference (in which case you would use the Posters/presentation experience). Just sitting there and listening for a few days at a conference wouldn't be too meaningful. Perhaps Cat can shed some light on a "good" use of the conferences attended listing. I don't believe I've seen her recommend anyone use it in this thread. She did explain it here http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11062298&postcount=853

In my awards category, I previously wrote descriptions for all of my three major awards. A friend, who applied last year and received one of the same award previously, suggested I use the description from the association's website. The difference in length is perhaps 75 characters, but everything fits within the entire space just fine.

Do you think its better to use my own words, or the official description verbatim? The official one sounds a lot nicer. Right now I have changed it to:

[Award Name] - [Date] - [Amount] - Description from the [Associations] Website: "[Description]."

For my other two awards, I used my own description.

Thoughts? Thank you!

darkhope said:

Hey guys...i'm not sure if this is running in anyone's mind, but out of my 15 slots (side question: I ended up taking 2 slots to put all 6 of my abstracts/posters in, will that be ok?), I don't have a single slot dedicated to hobby? To be honest...I don't really think I have a healthy productive hobby like hiking or playing basketball...i guess I like listening to music and facebooking?...but yea...like is it considered important to have a slot addressing your hobbies/interests?

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See post #929 above. (2).

flakpilot said:

Is it a must to list the contact info if I have it or is it ok if I don't list it?

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The AMCAS application requires you to fill in the space in the header for Contact. If you are grouping activities and mentioning something after the primary info in the space, then you might get away without adding a contact for the second experience you mention in the same space.

linusp said:

In my awards category, I previously wrote descriptions for all of my three major awards. A friend, who applied last year and received one of the same award previously, suggested I use the description from the association's website. The difference in length is perhaps 75 characters, but everything fits within the entire space just fine.

Do you think its better to use my own words, or the official description verbatim? The official one sounds a lot nicer. Right now I have changed it to:

[Award Name] - [Date] - [Amount] - Description from the [Associations] Website: "[Description]."

For my other two awards, I used my own description.

Thoughts? Thank you!

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The AMCAS instructions make it clear that it's preferred for you to use your own words, unless the source is cited. This wasn't true last year.

Recall this statement from the Instruction Manual:

"I certify that all written passages, such as the personal statement, essays required from M.D./Ph.D. applicants, and descriptions of work/activities, are my own and have not been written, in part or in whole, by a third party. Quotations are permitted if the source is cited."

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Catalystik said:

The AMCAS instructions make it clear that it's preferred for you to use your own words, unless the source is cited. This wasn't true last year.

Recall this statement from the Instruction Manual:

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I'm assuming then that we'd need a full citation, not simply "From the Association's Website" or something like that? I suppose in that case I simply do not have enough characters to do that.

Would that "mini-citation" be appropriate, or should I just scrap that all together and use my own words?

if you have leadership positions in a few clubs/organizations, can you group them together and then in the meaningful one just expand on like one of them?

Right now I have 14 activities. I am debating whether to add another activity to make it 15. This activity will be about my leisure activities - e.g., watching and playing sports and travel. Do you think it is a good idea? Sports were just for fun (no university team or anything) and travel was for fun as well.

Thanks for answering!!