2004 AMCAS Help Thread

Med School Insiders
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
S

soonerpillow

Dime-a-dozen schmuck
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
3,669
Reaction score
0
Members don't see this ad.
I thought those of us applying for 2004 could use a thread for questions (and hopefully answers) concerning the AMCAS application. I might have searched for a similar thread, but the search function is currently disabled. In case you didn't know, AMCAS 2004 is available on the AAMC website now.

My questions:

1)Schools Attended: I am currently an undergrad and will be for another year. When they ask for "Dates of Attendance" should I put Aug 1999 through present (May 2003) or through date of graduation (May 2004)?

2)On the Transcript Request Form, next to the signature and date lines is a line for "Amount Enclosed." Are we supposed to enclose money or something? If so, how much and what is it for? Bribing the registrar?🙂

3)Should I wait until this semester's grades are out to send my transcript? (They should all be good)

4)Okay, I took the MCAT last August, and in April. My August scores are good, but my April scores will (hopefully) be better. If I submit my app on June 1 (before April scores are out) how will that work? Will the new scores automatically be sent to my schools?

That's all for now. Thanks.
 
I am looking at the help page for last years which I had downloaded - I assume there is something similar for this years?

1. Through projected attendance

2. Only relevant if your school requires payment for this. Some of mine did, some were free.

3. When do they come out? Personally I would send stuff in now if they'll be more than a couple of weeks. You can always send updates to all your schools if the grades are good!

4. Yes, new scores will automatically be sent as long as you indicate you took the April MCAT.
 
1. Yes..include projected classes too...I don't think it's ok to include projected EC's though, unless you are starting them now or they are already scheduled..

2. This is a transcript fee...many colleges require a fee to send an official transcript.

3. Send everything in now, update later...it will take them ~1-2 mo to process your transcript!

4. They are automatically reported to AMCAS schools, and the additional Non-AMCAS schools indicated by you on MCAT day....schools vary as far as how they view 2 mcats...some take the most recent, some average, etc.

Also: send your transcripts now, get your LOR's now, have your PS read by many people.
 
Thanks.
Yeah, there is a help section, but it didn't help much.
 
1. be prepared for them not to let you submit till mid June. For some reason the submission deadline always seems to slip a little.

2. but given that, if you took the April MCAT and have all your transcripts already submitted, it should only take 3 weeks or so for verification and another 3 weeks or so for the very earliest secondaries to arrive - which will depend on the school. Some schools will not start reviewing apps till later.
 
Any other thoughts on when to send transcripts into AMCAS? I've heard that if the grades are expected to be good, to wait until the spring grades come out. I'm pretty sure my grades will be good, but they won't come out till May 30th. Is it really better to send my grades now rather than later? Thanks
 
Originally posted by Steinway
Any other thoughts on when to send transcripts into AMCAS? I've heard that if the grades are expected to be good, to wait until the spring grades come out. I'm pretty sure my grades will be good, but they won't come out till May 30th. Is it really better to send my grades now rather than later? Thanks
Click to expand...

Well, are the spring grades going to significantly alter your overall or science GPA? Are they going to be straight As after a while of more mediocre performance? If so, maybe it is worth waiting. In 90% of cases I would suspect it's not worth waiting for the spring grades but obviously there are exceptions.
 
Hey soonerpillow,
this is a VERY useful thread. thanks so much for starting it. I will definitely be drawing upon this in the next month. maybe we should start one for the tmdsas as well??

So I looked at the 62-page instruction booklet for the AMCAS app today, and it explicitly says that med schools prefer to receive apps AFTER the MCAT scores come in. The question is: is it then better to wait till mid-june to submit, or should i go ahead and submit now w/o the scores??

and in general, are you at a significant disadvantage if you apply, say, in late-june/july as opposed to june 1?

thanks to all you med school veterans for helping out newbies like me. Good luck, everyone! :clap:
 
guys,

i want to get my transcripts in as early as possible but i got an indication that i would need to print out the request forms and send them with the transcript request fee in order to avoid any processing issues. my question is, should i go ahead and have my transcripts sent without the form or get to that part of the application in order to make the request. thanks

hiram abiff
 
You don't have to have the transcript request form but supposedly it helps them keep better track. In reality you don't need to complete the entire form before printing the transcript requests. I believe all you need to do is fill in your name and the schools which you attended at which point you can print the request forms.
 
Boy Wonder,
Yeah, I somehow pulled straight A's this semester - I'm leaning toward waiting. Approx. how long does it take them to verify the grades? The transcripts won't be sent until June 1st.

Would it be possible to send my grades to AMCAS now and update amcas after my spring grades come out? Or would I have to update each school individually?
 
For those of us applying to Texas schools:

you must wait until Spring 2003 grades come out to send in your official transcript. If you took Spring classes, and you send in your transript w/o them on it, then it is NOT an official transcript. This is directly from their website.

also, I didn't know this until now, but your premed committee must send the evaluation to TMDSAS on an official form. I'm not sure what you do if you have additional LORs from professors. I sent them an e-mail asking that.
 
Just wondering if anyone else is having trouble logging into the system. I enter my username and password, and I am transferred to this screen that says I have to change my password for whatever reason, so I do, and then I get an error screen. 🙁
 
So, I'm trying to put in the undergrad courses I've taken and I can't decide which option to choose for the term code (tells how school divides up terms) on the AMCAS application. My school functions on the basic fall, winter, and spring/summer semesters. Does anybody know which I should select? I've only taken classes in the fall and winter semesters during my undergrad. Thank you.
 
Ubu


did you change the password. It has to be different. You can not re-enter the same password
 
Hi maoeris

thanks for your help. Yes, I did choose a different password. Actually, I had forgotten my original password, so I fill out the form that they ask for when you forget your password, and they emailed me a new temporary password. I log in with this new password, and it brings me to this screen that basically says that since it is a temporary password, I have to change it. So I do, and then I get an error message. And here I am, at a dead end. I emailed amcas, but no response. Any suggestions?
 
Originally posted by hudsontc
So, I'm trying to put in the undergrad courses I've taken and I can't decide which option to choose for the term code (tells how school divides up terms) on the AMCAS application. My school functions on the basic fall, winter, and spring/summer semesters. Does anybody know which I should select? I've only taken classes in the fall and winter semesters during my undergrad. Thank you.
Click to expand...

I think you might be on the trimester system. I could be wrong though...
 
Hi,
I was planning on sending in everything sometime in june. Although now that i see that it takes them so long to process i think i'll send in my transcript requests earlier. My question is, if you haven't completeted the rest of the amcas app is it alright to do the transcript request part now anyway. I haven't looked at the aamc site for the amcas application yet.
 
raiders,

AMCAS accepts transcripts starting "about May 5th" which is way before the start date for AMCAS submission. So if you print out the transcript request form, you can submit that form to your registrar to have them forward your transcript on to AMCAS.

When I applied, I printed this form at the beginning of May and turned it in to my registrar. At my school, you can check an option to have your transcript held until the spring grades are in, and then have them sent out straight away. I chose this option because I was not going to be anywhere near campus after I left for summer.

You will probably have to register an ID and password on the AAMC site first before you can get the transcript request form though. You should have this form to be sent with your transcript so AMCAS doesn't mix it up (not necessary, but much recommended). You don't have to finish the rest of the app in order to get this form and start making arrangements to send your transcript.

Early early early is key. Just so you get a head start, and don't caught up with the rest of the apps that will come flooding in soon.

Good luck!
 
I am just starting to fill out the AMCAS app. I enter my major as "Other Major" and then typed the name in Modified Major box. When view using the Print Your Application link, my major is showing up as "Other Major" and not what I typed in. Anyone know if this is just a Print Preview glitch, and is the schools will see the real major I typed instead of "Other Major?" Thanks!
 
bumb!
 
Question:

i am having trouble getting the transcript request forms(they are not highlighted so i can' click on it). i just wanted to go directly to the transcripts request forms so that i can send in my transcripts before filling out the rest of aamcas. will i have to fill out the preceding information to access the transcript stuff?

any input will be appreciated.
thanks
 
Ashkan,

I know you have to fill out the one right before it, Schools or Colleges Attended. You might have to fill out Biographical too. But you don't have to fill out Essays or anything else.
 
Originally posted by soonerpillow
Ashkan,

I know you have to fill out the one right before it, Schools or Colleges Attended. You might have to fill out Biographical too. But you don't have to fill out Essays or anything else.
Click to expand...

thanks sonnerpillow, i'll try that right now.
 
Quick question, how much depth are you guys going into for the post-secondary experiences? 510 characters is pretty limiting. As a example for a publication, after typing in the title and the authors you aren't left with much space. Do I leave it at that with no description? many thanks
 
Originally posted by surfsup
Quick question, how much depth are you guys going into for the post-secondary experiences? 510 characters is pretty limiting. As a example for a publication, after typing in the title and the authors you aren't left with much space. Do I leave it at that with no description? many thanks
Click to expand...

I think it's a good idea to tell them what you learned from each experience in the "description" area. Did you learn any life lessons from the publication process?

However, I didn't have a publication to contend with when I did my AMCAS so take my experience however you'd like.
 
Originally posted by surfsup
Quick question, how much depth are you guys going into for the post-secondary experiences? 510 characters is pretty limiting. As a example for a publication, after typing in the title and the authors you aren't left with much space. Do I leave it at that with no description? many thanks
Click to expand...

I did this last year and rather than putting title + authors I just gave the reference eg Nature, v203, p640 (1969). so that I had room to talk about it. (obviously the above is not my paper though!)
 
Originally posted by surfsup
Quick question, how much depth are you guys going into for the post-secondary experiences? 510 characters is pretty limiting. As a example for a publication, after typing in the title and the authors you aren't left with much space. Do I leave it at that with no description? many thanks
Click to expand...

i was wondering the same thing. its seems like the right thing to do would be to do what "ironey" said, but i feel like i'm just restating my personal statement. does it make a difference?

oh ya, soonerpillow, just doing the bio and schools attended granted me access to the transcript section...thanks.
 
great thread. I just started filling out my demographic data and got bored (hence, I'm here writing this). ADD sucks.

I did have one question - which is kinda dumb, but it's really bugging me. If AMCAS can be submitted probably by mid/early-June, when are LORs sent? I'm fairly sure they're sent in with secondaries - which means sometime in late summer/early fall?

I'm just concerned cause I haven't collected my LORs yet. I've asked most of the people I need them from, but haven't given
them "need-by" dates. When's the latest "safe" date I should have all my LORs collected? I'm a non-trad, so chasing down profs is gonna be hell. And, my undergrad does not write a committee letter.

gracias.
 
I also have a bit of a dilemma with submitting my transcripts. Here's a couple of questions regarding that, and I was wondering if anybody who knew the answers can help me out or give me some advice.

1. I don't know exactly how this transcript thing works. Until now, I thought that you just had to fill out all courses and grades on AMCAS. Apparently, you do have to send them in, the sooner the better right?

2. I really want to send in transcripts after this quarter ends (mid june), because I feel my grades will at least somewhat help me out. Here's how: last quarter, I got a C and a C+ due to serious family illness. I'm also retaking a physics course (this quarter) that I got a D in 2 quarters ago and would like them to see that I retook the course and did well. There is a noticeable downward trend and I don't want them to think that I cannot handle med school b/c of my trend. I feel like if I don't wait until Spring quarter grades come out, my chances will be ruined b/c of the grades. What should I do?

Please help...by the way, REALLY great thread 👍
 
Originally posted by coredump

I did have one question - which is kinda dumb, but it's really bugging me. If AMCAS can be submitted probably by mid/early-June, when are LORs sent? I'm fairly sure they're sent in with secondaries - which means sometime in late summer/early fall?
Click to expand...

Yup, you're right that they're sent when you get your secondaries. However, secondaries can start coming in mid-summer around July if you submit early. When you receive a secondary from a school, it'll specify what kind of letters they want and the min/max number you can send in (if they have one). to be safe, you need at least 2 science profs who have taught you in a class setting (not a PI), 1 humanities prof, and 1 or 2 misc people (eg. a PI or a supervisor for some EC you did). Oh yea...a PI for sure if you're applying MSTP.

If you plan on submitting early in June, a good time to get them all by would be mid July. But you might want to tell your recommenders earlier cuz they always tend to lag (at least from my experience...I asked one person in mid June but never got it until early September) Don't worry too much if you don't get all your letters in by July though...even Aug/Sept. is really early in the process.

alright...best of luck!
 
Originally posted by bosco
I am just starting to fill out the AMCAS app. I enter my major as "Other Major" and then typed the name in Modified Major box. When view using the Print Your Application link, my major is showing up as "Other Major" and not what I typed in. Anyone know if this is just a Print Preview glitch, and is the schools will see the real major I typed instead of "Other Major?" Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hey, I just had the same problem. I figure don't worry about it unless someone around here comes up with something that we are doing wrong. I'm sure the schools will see that info.
 
Originally posted by dreaminOfMD>.<
I also have a bit of a dilemma with submitting my transcripts. Here's a couple of questions regarding that, and I was wondering if anybody who knew the answers can help me out or give me some advice.

1. I don't know exactly how this transcript thing works. Until now, I thought that you just had to fill out all courses and grades on AMCAS. Apparently, you do have to send them in, the sooner the better right?

2. I really want to send in transcripts after this quarter ends (mid june), because I feel my grades will at least somewhat help me out. Here's how: last quarter, I got a C and a C+ due to serious family illness. I'm also retaking a physics course (this quarter) that I got a D in 2 quarters ago and would like them to see that I retook the course and did well. There is a noticeable downward trend and I don't want them to think that I cannot handle med school b/c of my trend. I feel like if I don't wait until Spring quarter grades come out, my chances will be ruined b/c of the grades. What should I do?

Please help...by the way, REALLY great thread 👍
Click to expand...

1) yes, one of the central uses of amcas is transcript verification for schools. i forget how long they take to verify your grades once they recieve them (anybody? probably 1-2 weeks), but amcas won't send anything till your grades are verified by them.

2) I too have to send my transcript in about that time (because most of my courses this year are yearlong and have no midyear grades... it'd be funny to turn in only 9 credits w/ grades for the year) and, as much as people really try to hit send on that first or second day, people are sending their apps in all summer (and taking august mcats etc). request a transcript now from your school but state that you only want it sent once grades are finalized (if you ask now they are more likely to be nice and quick about it), then finalize your app as soon as they are in. if they're in by mid-july i cannot see you being at a significant disadvantage, at least for most schools.
 
I have 3 questions..

1) I took the MCAT in Aug 2002. How do I get my MCAT scores to show up on the actual application screen? I only see them when I print them out.

2) What are Econ classes classified as? I can't seem to find that packet that lists the classifications.

3) Is it okay if you change the course names a bit.... "Principles of Biological Chemistry" doesn't fit on the line, but Principles of Biochemistry does... I know it's probably an assinine question but hey better safe than sorry 😉
 
Originally posted by mellantro
I have 2 questions..

1) I took the MCAT in Aug 2002. How do I get my MCAT scores to show up on the actual application screen? I only see them when I print them out.

2) What are Econ classes classified as? I can't seem to find that packet that lists the classifications.

3) Is it okay if you change the course names a bit.... "Principles of Biological Chemistry" doesn't fit on the line, but Principles of Biochemistry does... I know it's probably an assinine question but hey better safe than sorry 😉
Click to expand...

1. don't worry about it, they also show up on what is sent to schools

2. don't remember but isn't it just 'other'...?

3. i shortened some of mine. AMCAS suggested to me to make it clear it was a shortening rather than a renaming though as all they have to do is match courses to the transcript. Thus "Prin. of Bio. Chem." would prolly be more obvious...
 
Originally posted by mellantro

2) What are Econ classes classified as? I can't seem to find that packet that lists the classifications.

3) Is it okay if you change the course names a bit.... "Principles of Biological Chemistry" doesn't fit on the line, but Principles of Biochemistry does... I know it's probably an assinine question but hey better safe than sorry 😉
Click to expand...

Econ classes were BESS (behavioral and social science) last year.

I usually abbreviated words, eg, Prin. of Biol. Chemistry. I don't think it will matter, though, as long as the titles are close.
 
Thanks boy wonder and VW!

Also... I have AP credit for Chemistry... I just randomly stuck that under Freshman Semester Spring, and Sophomore Semester Fall (101, 102). I selected AP credit for those two classes, but on the "print app" screen it comes up as "other hours" not AP hours...?

Also, I assume waivers would go under exempt? I had a waiver for Chem lab from high school

Should I send my MCAT scores to NYU and Columbia now, or do they prefer if you wait till they want your apps , like mid August...?
 
don't worry about the 'other credit' versus 'ap credit'

i don't remember about waivers! (didn't have any myself 🙂 )

you can select on the MCAT page to have your MCAT scores sent to Columbia and NYU now, rather than waiting.
 
Originally posted by IrishOarsman
Hey, I just had the same problem. I figure don't worry about it unless someone around here comes up with something that we are doing wrong. I'm sure the schools will see that info.
Click to expand...

My major always appeared as "Other." It's not a problem, it just means that your choice of major was so interesting that isn't easily defined by their narrow categories!

Seriously, I think that the printed form that you get online is less specific than the variation that is sent to the med schools. At each interview, they knew what I had studied without asking.
 
Does anyone know if we are to enter the names of courses exactly as they appear on the transcripts (e.g. Fresh Comp) or as much as the real names as we can fit (e.g. Freshman Composition)? Thanks!
 
Another question about transcripts....
according to my school's website, transcripts updated with the most recent quarter/semester are not sent out until 6-8 weeks after the quarter/semester has ended. Since this will not be until middle of June...that means AMCAS won't receive my transcripts from this school until August!! Will this be a problem? Should I just send the transcripts as it is right now, and then send them another copy in August?
 
for publications: I would guess the most important info is title, authors, journal info and year. They want to know what you did, who you worked with, how important your contribution was among the co-authors, how the journal ranks in the field, and when you did it. All that info comes from the full citation. I did not include a synopsis or description since I needed the space for other stuff, and it was clear from the title.

If you are first author, you can do M. Mix et al to save space. If you are 10th author, it kind of sucks because you get lost in the et al; and sometimes you want to make it clear that you worked with Jane Famous, so you need to include her name in the author list. You can always save characters by leaving out periods and spaces.
 
I attended one school twice..once as a post-bacc student, and another time as a grad student. Do I indicate having attended this school twice, or one time? Also, how do I handle transripts? do I send in only one transcript, or 2?
 
does anybody know what that "narrative evaluation" thing is on the transcript verification section?
 
Originally posted by ashkan33
does anybody know what that "narrative evaluation" thing is on the transcript verification section?
Click to expand...

some schools have narrative evaluations ie the professor writes a short letter saying "Student X was the smartest in the class, good at interaction, but lacked on getting assignments in on time. I would rank him in the top 10%" (or whatever). rather than, or in addition to, grades like A,B,C
 
I have a question about entering my major. My major is finance, which is in the business college. Should I enter business as my major and type finance as the modified major or should I select Other major?
 
Another question: My degree will be a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Should I choose Bachelor of Science or Other Bachelor as my degree?
 
Doctorwannabe - the business major modified to finance seems to make most sense. if your degree is a bachelor of science degree then list it as such.

Bosco - don't worry too much about the nitpicky detail. the school will still get your transcript and verify all your courses. just make sure you enter coursework in the same order as it appears on your transcript, which is why they tell you to have a copy of the transcript for yourself. I entered stuff in as abbreviated if the whole name didn't fit.

ubu - the school you attended twice, does it show all your grades from post-bac and grad on the same transcript? if it doesn't, then you obviously have to list it twice, and get the two transcripts. i only ask because sometimes a school will issue separate transcripts for separate degrees/schools with the college (e.g. undergrad and grad are separate schools, with separate transcripts).
 
When you guys are entering the course numbers for the course information, are you putting "Chem 20A" and "Engl 80" or just 20A and 80? My transcripts have abbreviated words in front of the course numbers. Without the abbreviations some of my course numbers will be the same. Thanks.
 
jtak - for my course numbers i put in the whole thing, i.e. BIOL110 or CHEM323. Some schools however use numbers to identify their courses e.g. 012357397.11 or something like that. Seemed to work fine for me 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

chilly_md
  • Sticky
*~*~*~* Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*
2
Replies
86
Views
11K
chilly_md
chilly_md
chilly_md
*~*~*~* Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2024-2025 *~*~*~*
Replies
24
Views
9K
diltiazemm
diltiazemm
S
AMCAS Transcript Error
Replies
6
Views
368
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
H
Mistake on AMCAS
Replies
6
Views
751
holajola
H
A
Help with significant AMCAS error
Replies
5
Views
982
alhazenmanawi
A
Top