2004 AMCAS Help Thread

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Originally posted by Ubu
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?
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I attended the same college in high school and then as a post-bac while finishing my pre-med.

I put those down as two different occurances because I didn't want them to think I'd gone to the same school 1992-2000 (hah!). When you enter a new school on the AMCAS, you get asked the dates of attendence, right?? In order to be honest and thorough, I entered that college twice with the first dates of 1992-1995; then again from 2000-2001. I entered my undergrad as 1995-1999. I sent only one transcript from each school.

They figure it all out! 😀
 
i'm a member of five honor societies. i'm wondering if i can put them all in one "honors/awards" category in the post-secondary experience. any ideas?
 
if you have a lot of other activities that you want to use the other spaces for, go ahead and put them in one category. just use the space to name the five that you are in, as well as any leadership positions you might hold in them, or any special activities you took part in that you want to mention. I would also list the ones that you are most involved in first.
 
Is running a marathon something worth putting in the post-secondary experiences section? Does anyone have any experience with this particular issue? Thanks!
 
Originally posted by bosco
Is running a marathon something worth putting in the post-secondary experiences section?
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YES!

I don't have any experience with that (I wish I did, but my longest runs are about 5 miles 🙄 ), but I think that's an amazing and noteworthy accomplishment. :clap:
 
Originally posted by mellantro
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...?
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I don't think these should be randomly stuck anywhere. When did your school assign you credit for them? They have to appear on your transcript somewhere for them to count. If they weren't assigned to a particular semester, I think last year AMCAS wanted them assigned to fall semester freshman year. (So I wound up with an assload of classes that semester.)
 
Hi everyone, I'm new. My problem is: I'm still stuck at the registration phase. I wasn't born in the US or any of its territories so there doesn't seem to be an option for me to select in the field "Birth State". But it's a required field and I can't submit the form without picking something. Does anyone have any ideas on what to do?
 
Originally posted by ridgemit
Hi everyone, I'm new. My problem is: I'm still stuck at the registration phase. I wasn't born in the US or any of its territories so there doesn't seem to be an option for me to select in the field "Birth State". But it's a required field and I can't submit the form without picking something. Does anyone have any ideas on what to do?
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that's strange. there should be three options: US, Canada, and Other. When you bubble in "Other", the page will refresh and you will get a list of "Countries". At least that worked for me since I too wasn't born in the states. I'm not sure why it's not working for you unless you were born in some remote area of the world. good luck...
 
I have 25 units of AP and CLEP credit. On my transcript it just lists "Advanced Placement: 9 credits" but doesn't list the specific tests I got credit for. Is this going to be a problem when I list my coursework, because how will AMCAS know that I'm not making it up?
 
I have a question:
I took a statistics class through the psych department. Does the stats class count as math or behavioral

Thanks!
 
I have a question:
I took a statistics class through the psych department. Does the stats class count as math or behavioral
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I'm classifyng mine as math. In the instructions it says that you should classify your courses based on the content, so I think that regardless of what department they're in, classes like "Statistical analysis of data" and "Statistical theory" (2 classes I took in the psych department) are definitely considered math.
 
For those of you from UCLA does the LS 1-4 series count as a combined lecture/lab class? Thanks.
 
Originally posted by Jtak
For those of you from UCLA does the LS 1-4 series count as a combined lecture/lab class? Thanks.
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only LS2/3 had "labs," while 1/4 just had discussion sections.

since LS2/3 are 5 unit courses, you will meet the pre-med requirements. if you have taken upper div. bio classes w/ labs, then you will exceed the requirement.
 
Originally posted by maoeris
I have a question:
I took a statistics class through the psych department. Does the stats class count as math or behavioral

Thanks!
Click to expand...

i classified mine as math and amcas did not change it.
 
Hey sorry if this has been asked before, but I've been playing around with pasting my PS in the essay section just to see how it looks. When I go to print the app, the paragraph indentations get lost..... I know people had this problem last year, what was done about it?
 
I'm thinking about reapplying although I hold an accptance somewhere. I'm going to know for certain on June 11th, but I still would like to get started just in case. Can I start the 2004 AMCAS process, specifically sending transcripts and updating activities, without the school I was accepted to finding out?
 
Originally posted by ironey
I attended the same college in high school and then as a post-bac while finishing my pre-med.

I put those down as two different occurances because I didn't want them to think I'd gone to the same school 1992-2000 (hah!). When you enter a new school on the AMCAS, you get asked the dates of attendence, right?? In order to be honest and thorough, I entered that college twice with the first dates of 1992-1995; then again from 2000-2001. I entered my undergrad as 1995-1999. I sent only one transcript from each school.

They figure it all out! 😀
Click to expand...


I faced the same problem, but I decided to put it in one category - ie 1997-2003. I based it on the fact that my school puts everything on one transcript. So I didn't want to have to have no transcript for my "second school" - esp considering the fact that I had only one post-bac class that won't even show up with a grade since I took it this spring. I think if your school has separate transcripts for post bac and undergrad, you should have different categories. But if it's one transcript, I guess it could go either way. Esp. since a lot of students skip a year or more during their undergrad education.
 
Originally posted by VienneseWaltz
I don't think these should be randomly stuck anywhere. When did your school assign you credit for them? They have to appear on your transcript somewhere for them to count. If they weren't assigned to a particular semester, I think last year AMCAS wanted them assigned to fall semester freshman year. (So I wound up with an assload of classes that semester.)
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Hey VW, my school didn't assign my AP credits to any particular semester. I just put them there b/c I held off taking Ochem till soph year second semester b/c I was double majoring. So I guess all AP credit should go under fall semester freshman year... with high school status?

Ok, I figured out why my formatting was off... I shoulda read the help menu, duhhh, you have to edit the PS in Notepad and then paste.

What do you guys think about using acronyms in the PS? Like HUP for Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I mean I'm sure adcoms know what those acronyms stand for right? But does it look less professional... I'm like 100 characters over the limit, so I'm trying to cut my PS down in any way... and right now I have the hospital names written full out.

One more thing to add.... both of my clinical and lab research jobs have been paid. I have them listed under lab/research right now. I assume that serves to explain it more than paid employment- not military, right?
 
Originally posted by mellantro
Hey VW, my school didn't assign my AP credits to any particular semester. I just put them there b/c I held off taking Ochem till soph year second semester b/c I was double majoring. So I guess all AP credit should go under fall semester freshman year... with high school status?

Ok, I figured out why my formatting was off... I shoulda read the help menu, duhhh, you have to edit the PS in Notepad and then paste.

What do you guys think about using acronyms in the PS? Like HUP for Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I mean I'm sure adcoms know what those acronyms stand for right? But does it look less professional... I'm like 100 characters over the limit, so I'm trying to cut my PS down in any way... and right now I have the hospital names written full out.

One more thing to add.... both of my clinical and lab research jobs have been paid. I have them listed under lab/research right now. I assume that serves to explain it more than paid employment- not military, right?
Click to expand...

I would stay away from using the acronyms. I think it might add unnecessary confusion. Are you using two spaces after each sentence? That might provide a way to cut it down a little.

I think listing the paid research position as just research is totally appropriate.
 
Originally posted by mellantro

What do you guys think about using acronyms in the PS? Like HUP for Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I mean I'm sure adcoms know what those acronyms stand for right? But does it look less professional... I'm like 100 characters over the limit, so I'm trying to cut my PS down in any way... and right now I have the hospital names written full out.
Click to expand...

Do you use the full names multiple times? It would definitely be ok to use the full name the first time, put the acronym parenthesis, and use the acronym there-after. You would think most docs would know what CHOP is, but you can be surprised - last year on the interview trail I had interviewers who had all sorts of gaps in their knowledge even of their own schools.
 
"Assign Freshman (FR) status to Advanced Placement, Exempt, or CLEP credit awarded when you first
entered college." page 27

In the Manual for the amcas it says the above. I just thought others would like to know. I also am not sure of the question was answered
 
I have 2 more questions:

1. I spent 2 hours the other day entering all my coursework and just realized I classified my courses as 4-1-4/4-4-1 instead of semester clases. Is there a way to change the term I took the classes without deleting them all?

2. Is it correct to change your academic status mid-semester? For example, in my freshman first semester I already had 25 AP credits so I entered 6 units as freshman and the remaining 6 from the same semester as sophomore.

Thanks!
 
From what the booklet says, no keep all the semester with the same class standing. This is what is says:

"Do not assign more than one status to a term.
Once your undergraduate Academic Status (FR, SO, JR, SR) has advanced (e.g., FR to SO), do not
assign the previous status (e.g., FR) to subsequently completed course work." Page 27

I'm not sure about how to change a term without erasing it. If I find an answer I will post it
 
If you are holding a job or a volunteer position how do you enter that...it seems to me that the app requires you to put an END date? any ideas
 
Toxin,

I'm having the same problem, I put the current date, but if you find out how to fix that please post.
 
Thanks Maoeris, I didn't see that line about not changing your status. Hopefully I can find a way to change the term because I don't want to reenter all my classes for the past 4 years!
 
anybody know if you are suppose to enter the classes you are currently taking? if so, which one of those boxes do you fill out? thanks.
 
Originally posted by ashkan33
anybody know if you are suppose to enter the classes you are currently taking? if so, which one of those boxes do you fill out? thanks.
Click to expand...

There is a button that you can select that says something like "Future Coursework" for the classes you have yet to take.
 
gosh, i'm an idiot. i didn't even see that. thanks for pointing that out bosco
 
Hi guys,

Here's another question about the transcript...sorry if I'm beating a dead horse. I'd really appreciate any answers!

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
Click to expand...
I posted this earlier on in the thread. Is it a good idea to send in my transcripts now for the sake of having everything ready to go early June, or should I wait to submit my transcript to AMCAS once this quarter is over and grades are in (mid June)? If I submit the transcripts now, do I have to send them in again once this quarter is done with? To Amcas or directly to med schools? I kinda don't understand this portion of the process...please advise...thanks.
 
Originally posted by maoeris
I have a question:
I took a statistics class through the psych department. Does the stats class count as math or behavioral

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Math. I counted econometrics as math, and AMCAS did not change it.
 
Originally posted by DoctorWannaBe
I have 25 units of AP and CLEP credit. On my transcript it just lists "Advanced Placement: 9 credits" but doesn't list the specific tests I got credit for. Is this going to be a problem when I list my coursework, because how will AMCAS know that I'm not making it up?
Click to expand...

Call AMCAS. They might take your word for it. I got 32 hours' credit for courses I took abroad, but the specific courses did not appear on my undergrad transcript. They did not require a transcript from the foreign school and just took my word as to what the courses were.

You could have an issue later, though, if any of those AP credits are for pre-reqs and you didn't take advanced courses in those subjects. The schools that accept AP credit for pre-reqs usually stipulate that the credit must appear on your transcript. For example, if you have AP credit for calculus but didn't take any advanced calculus (which DOES appear on your transcript), you might have a problem. I'm not trying to scare anyone--it could easily be fixed before matriculation--but it's better to know about it ahead of time.
 
I took some AP exams in high school, and I was given credit for these exams at my undergrad institution. My questions are:
1) How do I list this on my application? I know that I should list it under the school that gave me credit, but do I list it under my first semester there and put "high school" status?
2) according to my transcript, I was given XX credits for these AP exams, but I have no idea how much credit I got for each individual exam. How do I note this on the application?

Thanks!
 
Originally posted by Ubu
I took some AP exams in high school, and I was given credit for these exams at my undergrad institution. My questions are:
1) How do I list this on my application? I know that I should list it under the school that gave me credit, but do I list it under my first semester there and put "high school" status?
2) according to my transcript, I was given XX credits for these AP exams, but I have no idea how much credit I got for each individual exam. How do I note this on the application?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


(1)
The university I went to gave me credit for my AP classes and labeled them on my transcript as "exam credit" so that's how I put it on the AMCAS. I tried to put each class onto the AMCAS exactly as it showed on my college transcripts (after all, you can't send them your high school transcripts, right?).

Ex: For my high school AP history exam my university gave me the following credit:

Fresh History Am Civ to 1877 5cred EM
Fresh History Am Civ 1877 to pres 5cred EM

so that's how I stated the credits on the AMCAS.

(2)
I have no idea what to say here. Didn't your college/university review the exams and then input the correct courses on your transcript? Or did you take more than one exam in a certain subject?
 
ubu here is the answer:
"Assign Freshman (FR) status to Advanced Placement, Exempt, or CLEP credit awarded when you first
entered college." page 27
 
Maoeris, ironey...thanks for the quick response!!!🙂
 
I just put in my AP CREDIT in the "coursework" section. From reading the above replies, my understanding is that we put the AP credit in "FALL SEMESTER 1" of Freshm. year. For the OT grade, I obviously didn't receive one, so we just leave this blank, right?

Thanks so much guys! What a great thread.
 
I put "S" and it changed it to "P". I think that most transcripts say "S" on them for AP credit.

I also have a question:

Let's say that you're in an organization, and you're the president, but you've also served as vice-president in the past. How do you put that you're a member/vp/pres? In the experience name/title? Or in the experience description? In other words, should I put Member/VicePresident/President of ABC or just Member of ABC and the other stuff in the description?

Thanks.
 
AP credit need to have the grade of "G" assigned to it. I will send the page where it says that once I get home from work, I'm on my luch break😉
 
specialk,

i would put president in the name/title - best achievement first for attention grabbing. then in the description i'd put that you were also a member and a vp (and the years that you were each)
 
Did anyone catch the note on page 17 of the instruction manual that says, in the Colleges Attended section "If you were awarded, or expect to be awarded, multiple degrees at an institution make a separate college entry for each degree"?

I got a B.S. and a B.A from the same school, XYZ University. Does this mean I have to list this on the form as 2 separate entries for XYZ University? That is, INSTEAD of just listing the 2 degrees in ONE "XYZ University entry"?? And then if I have 2 separate entries for XYZ University, do I have to request a transcript for each one, even though they're the SAME?? Does anyone understand what I'm talking about??

And then in the "modified name" section...for study abroad people...the name of the institution you studied abroad at doesn't appear automatically. Is it okay if I change it to say something like, "XYZ University: Blah College in England"?


I am so confused. 😡
 
spumoni,

I had the same question so I called aamc. They said that if you have 2 degrees from one school, you should list the school TWICE...one time for degree A, another time for degree B. In your case, you would list School X, degree A, and then you would input another entry for School X, degree B. You will only have to send in ONE transcript for this, but remember to include TWO transcript request forms, one for each degree that you received from that school. Does that make sense?
 
Thank you, ubu...that really helps...better go fix my app. Thank you thank you!!

🙂
 
Originally posted by Kownell
I just put in my AP CREDIT in the "coursework" section. From reading the above replies, my understanding is that we put the AP credit in "FALL SEMESTER 1" of Freshm. year. For the OT grade, I obviously didn't receive one, so we just leave this blank, right?

Thanks so much guys! What a great thread.
Click to expand...

I e-mailed AMCAS with this same question. They said if no grade is listed on the transcrpit, then we should not enter a grade in the online application.
 
hey everyone, i guess i need some help with this thing too. i'm putting in my credits semester by semester, but i'm not getting quality semester hours, its going straight to supplemental. this means that my gpa is 0.00 cause the supplelemental aren't included in that. anybody have the same thing going on? also, it didnt ask for the grading system every semester... at least i dont think it did. this coursework thing is bothering me.
thx
 
hey everyone, i guess i need some help with this thing too. i'm putting in my credits semester by semester, but i'm not getting quality semester hours, its going straight to supplemental. this means that my gpa is 0.00 cause the supplelemental aren't included in that. anybody have the same thing going on? also, it didnt ask for the grading system every semester... at least i dont think it did. this coursework thing is bothering me.
thx
 
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