***2007-2008 Application Season*** Post all application questions here! Part I

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jonb12997 said:
oh man, I've done interviews at my school before, and there's NO way that I'd recommend an acceptance to anyone who even associates with an MD let alone shadows one. We had one guy who didn't mention it in his original application, but it came out during the interview that his father was an MD, we chased him out of there with our torches and pitchforks! the guy's lucky he made it out of the state before all us DO students got really organized!

haha... I just finished Step I yesterday, so I'm really punchy still... In all seriousness, it's totally fine to list it, in fact I'd bet the admissions department will like to see that you've been out shadowing no matter what the situation (MD/DO/PA/RN/PT/OT/EMT/Medic/Etc)...
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:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
Damn! I forgot that math is not included in the Science GPA for AACOMAS. Also, I wish they showed the GPA trend for graduate school years...man o man, I am one nervous wreck right now!!!!
 
can someone please help me with this:
WHere does doctor shadowing and research go in AACOMAS?
 
I E-Submitted my application last week and the status of my application is listed as "not mailed". Does this mean that they are still in the process of verifying my application? I sent my transcript and MCAT scores a while back and they have been received. Basically, when should I expect to receive my secondaries? Thanks!:scared:
 
IknowWonderful said:
I E-Submitted my application last week and the status of my application is listed as "not mailed". Does this mean that they are still in the process of verifying my application? I sent my transcript and MCAT scores a while back and they have been received. Basically, when should I expect to receive my secondaries? Thanks!:scared:
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they mail the applications weekly...so if you submitted it after their last week's mail out you will probobly have it mailed out this week (i think they do it sundays but i am not 100% possitive).
as always when in doubt email AACOMAS. They are really nice and respond even the same business day if you email them in the morning.
 
IknowWonderful said:
I E-Submitted my application last week and the status of my application is listed as "not mailed". Does this mean that they are still in the process of verifying my application? I sent my transcript and MCAT scores a while back and they have been received. Basically, when should I expect to receive my secondaries? Thanks!:scared:
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The "not mailed" message you are receiving is fairly normal at this stage in the process. If you've just submitted your application last week, they are likely still in the process of verifying your entered coursework against your submitted transcripts and calculating your GPAs. Not long after your verification is complete, your application should be mailed out to the schools. I believe the whole process takes anywhere between 3-6 weeks. If after that time you have not been processed, I'd contact AACOM to inquire about it.

In terms of your transcipts; they should have received them by now. You might wish to follow up on that. It's vital since verification can't be completed without your official transcripts. Contact them.

Keep checking your online status. It should be informative.
 
Hi-
I am just about ready to submit my application to AACOMAS, but am unsure how to proceed with one aspect. Two years ago, I took a three credit Nursing Assistant course at a technical college, which is the only class that I took there. My problem is: AACOMAS states to list all education institutions, including non-degree granting institutions. However, this course really has no bearing at all on my undergraduate degree, and I don't think that I could come up with a transcript of any sort. It was basically just a one month class I took over the summer. If I list it alongside my undergraduate institutions, I'm afraid AACOMAS will want to include it with the rest of my GPA, which wouldn't seem appropriate really.

Do I need to include this class, since I obviously must have taken it based on all my work as a CNA listed under 'jobs'? I am just hoping someone else may have been in this situation and knows what to do. I know that I can just contact AACOMAS directly, and I will if no one knows the answer. This is just the last little detail left for me and I will be ready to submit, so I want to get it done ASAP. Thanks for any advice!
 
Do my work experience time periods have to be accurate? I am using my best knowledge to put down the start and end times for some of my employement experiences? Can medical schools check for accuracy? Will they even have time?
 
also, i just saw that there is a separate thread for AACOMAS questions, so if this needs to be moved by a mod, please do so. sorry for the mistake
 
ok, I guess in theory this new huge thread thing was a good idea, but I REALLY don't like it... it's a lot easier for me to read through thread titles and answer questions that way.
 
woodhorse22 said:
Do my work experience time periods have to be accurate? I am using my best knowledge to put down the start and end times for some of my employement experiences? Can medical schools check for accuracy? Will they even have time?
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I think you should be as accurate as you can reasonably be. Using the best of your knowledge is probably okay. I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Medical schools will probably not check for accuracy, unless you give them reason to do so. For example, they may follow up if something is seems fishy, or inconsistant with your application. I think as long as you try your best to be accurate and authentic, you should be fine.
 
avandreel said:
Hi-
I am just about ready to submit my application to AACOMAS, but am unsure how to proceed with one aspect. Two years ago, I took a three credit Nursing Assistant course at a technical college, which is the only class that I took there. My problem is: AACOMAS states to list all education institutions, including non-degree granting institutions. However, this course really has no bearing at all on my undergraduate degree, and I don't think that I could come up with a transcript of any sort. It was basically just a one month class I took over the summer. If I list it alongside my undergraduate institutions, I'm afraid AACOMAS will want to include it with the rest of my GPA, which wouldn't seem appropriate really.

Do I need to include this class, since I obviously must have taken it based on all my work as a CNA listed under 'jobs'? I am just hoping someone else may have been in this situation and knows what to do. I know that I can just contact AACOMAS directly, and I will if no one knows the answer. This is just the last little detail left for me and I will be ready to submit, so I want to get it done ASAP. Thanks for any advice!
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I'm not sure what to tell you here, since I never had that situation. However, it seems to me that all post-secondary institutions attended and all post-secondary classes must be listed on the AACOMAS. Furthermore, you must have an official transcript for all post-secondary institutions attended. That's what I remember anyway. If those classes were taken post-secondary, then it seems like you would have to list it and request a transcript. If you received credit and a grade for that class, then it may be included in an appropriate GPA calculation. I'm not certain about the details. Contact AACOM for how to proceed and whatnot. It's the only sure way to know.

If anyone else had a similar situation, I invite you to chime in on this.
 
spicedmanna said:
I'm not sure what to tell you here, since I never had that situation. However, it seems to me that all post-secondary institutions attended and all post-secondary classes must be listed on the AACOMAS. Furthermore, you must have an official transcript for all post-secondary institutions attended. That's what I remember anyway. If those classes were taken post-secondary, then it seems like you would have to list it and request a transcript. If you received credit and a grade for that class, then it may be included in an appropriate GPA calculation. I'm not certain about the details. Contact AACOM for how to proceed and whatnot. It's the only sure way to know.

If anyone else had a similar situation, I invite you to chime in on this.
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I would e-mail AACOMAS.
 
just in case anyone was curious what the answer officially is for my question, i e-mailed AACOMAS. they just said to list the tech school, and put it as 'no major'. then, i just had to make sure to label the course as "professional" somewhere in the course description. that is what their reply e-mail told me to do, so hopefully that will solve the problem. either way, i just submitted, so i hope that works.

thanks for your replies
 
avandreel said:
just in case anyone was curious what the answer officially is for my question, i e-mailed AACOMAS. they just said to list the tech school, and put it as 'no major'. then, i just had to make sure to label the course as "professional" somewhere in the course description. that is what their reply e-mail told me to do, so hopefully that will solve the problem. either way, i just submitted, so i hope that works.

thanks for your replies
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Thanks for the follow up. I'm curious: did they require you to submit a transcript?
 
Has anyone had experiences if you forget the course numbers? I don't have the course numbers for 4 classes that are apparently on my transcripts. All 4 classes were my freshman year and were pass/fail health/gym classes. Like I was on their DIII field hockey team (apparently I got credit for that 😕 ) and took a few other classes. Some of the schools I transferred too later listed this classes (only some did, other I guess didn't transfer them into my unofficial transcript). I put down the name of the class and the code and the semester but I don't know the course number. Because its P/F I'm hoping they won't give me crap. I don't know if I should order my transcript from the school which will probably take a week or two. The ONLY school that doesn't offer online transcript stuff (they didn't have it when I went there so I don't have a log on!)

I've got two calls into AACOMAS since apparently they are no longer answering phones 🙄

I also was wondering has anyone had a repeat of a class they withdrew from and had to withdrawl from the repeat? 😳 More I guess for non-trad students ...
 
spicedmanna said:
Thanks for the follow up. I'm curious: did they require you to submit a transcript?
Click to expand...

no, i don't think they will require me to submit a transcript. they guy who e-mailed me said to just list the course name as it appears on my certificate (eg- "Nursing Assistant"), since I don't have a transcript readily available. It seemed like the implication was that since it didn't count for college credit, i should still list it for completeness sake, but they didn't need much besides that. hopefully i am inferring correctly, otherwise they will hopefully let me know...
 
is it CRUCIAL that I provide the "Total Number of Hours Over Span of Experience?"
 
desam said:
is it CRUCIAL that I provide the "Total Number of Hours Over Span of Experience?"
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I entered weekly hours, total hours, or average hours under the appropriate heading for my work experiences and activities listings where it was appropriate for me to do so. I did my best to estimate them and everything was to the best of my knowledge. I think that's all medical schools can expect. They just want to get an idea about what kind of commitment you had toward that activity.

I can't comment about the importance of entering the hours, I'll leave that up to your judgment.
 
thanks.. what if it is an ongoing activity? should I still write out the # of hours?
 
desam said:
thanks.. what if it is an ongoing activity? should I still write out the # of hours?
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I don't think you need to worry about the total hours for ongoing activities. Total hours seems appropriate for an activity you've completed.

That's just my opinion, however.
 
mshheaddoc said:
Has anyone had experiences if you forget the course numbers? I don't have the course numbers for 4 classes that are apparently on my transcripts. All 4 classes were my freshman year and were pass/fail health/gym classes. Like I was on their DIII field hockey team (apparently I got credit for that 😕 ) and took a few other classes. Some of the schools I transferred too later listed this classes (only some did, other I guess didn't transfer them into my unofficial transcript). I put down the name of the class and the code and the semester but I don't know the course number. Because its P/F I'm hoping they won't give me crap. I don't know if I should order my transcript from the school which will probably take a week or two. The ONLY school that doesn't offer online transcript stuff (they didn't have it when I went there so I don't have a log on!)

I've got two calls into AACOMAS since apparently they are no longer answering phones 🙄
Click to expand...

Mushy, you may have already thought of this, but you can also email AACOM, if you don't hear back from them shortly; it may be a more efficient way to contact them. I don't know what to tell you here. I didn't have that situation, so I can't comment on how to report those classes, or if it will be okay for you to leave out the course numbers. It sucks that the school in questions doesn't have an online transcript system. Maybe you can call, or email the school and see if they will be able to give the full designations, including the course numbers, for those classes while you are waiting for the AACOM to get back to you on the issue. Since these classes don't count toward your GPA, it may not end being a big deal, but definitely get the official word from AACOM if you can't get the course numbers.

I also was wondering has anyone had a repeat of a class they withdrew from and had to withdrawl from the repeat? 😳 More I guess for non-trad students ...
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I had quite a few W's on my transcript (not in any retakes, though); no school I interviewed at gave me grief about it. If you happened to get asked about it, just be able to address it. I don't think W's count as an official repeat with respect to AACOMAS. If I remember correctly, the correct classification for classes withdrawn with a "W" is "Withdrawn." Again, I'm not sure how to interpret your particular case. You might want to get the official AACOM word, as painful as it might be, but the above is my guess.
 
do you think the orders in which you list your activities matter?
 
BrutusBuckeyeMD said:
do you think the orders in which you list your activities matter?
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Well, I don't think it's anything to concern yourself over, but I imagine it is good to list things in such a way that would be easy to follow. I listed mine in date order, oldest to most recent. That order seemed to make sense to me.
 
spicedmanna said:
Well, I don't think it's anything to concern yourself over, but I imagine it is good to list things in such a way that would be easy to follow. I listed mine in date order, oldest to most recent. That order seemed to make sense to me.
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I did the same. Unfortunately, I noticed that AACOMAS doesn't auto-order the activites until I was editting my app so I had to re-order everything manually...

My AACOMAS overall GPA went up, but my science went down....they need to start including math 😳
 
Hey guys,
So my AACOMAS app was recently verified, and THEN I realize that there are a number of classes that I should have listed as BIO/CHEM/etc. I sent AACOM an e-mail today explaining the situation and details of classes who's classification I wanted changed and to update my BCPM. My question is, since the app is verified and "made available to designated schools", should they change the courses and update the GPA, how will the schools know about the updated BCPM (which should be fairly significant)? Will I have to contact each school directly (17 schools) to let them know of the change or is it early enough in the app process that they won't even know it happened? Thanks for any insight in the issue. Good luck with the apps!
 
Vokamis said:
Hey guys,
So my AACOMAS app was recently verified, and THEN I realize that there are a number of classes that I should have listed as BIO/CHEM/etc. I sent AACOM an e-mail today explaining the situation and details of classes who's classification I wanted changed and to update my BCPM. My question is, since the app is verified and "made available to designated schools", should they change the courses and update the GPA, how will the schools know about the updated BCPM (which should be fairly significant)? Will I have to contact each school directly (17 schools) to let them know of the change or is it early enough in the app process that they won't even know it happened? Thanks for any insight in the issue. Good luck with the apps!
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Which classes didn't you include?
 
They were a a few classes that had been titled with a "PSYC" prefix, but in fact were biopsychology, psychopharmacology, and three neuroscience lab/classes that were nothing but biochem and physiology topics, no study of behavioral sciences per se. Also, I had two general science courses that were chem/physics and physics of electricity that I had originally designated as natural sciences for some reason.
 
Vokamis said:
Hey guys,
So my AACOMAS app was recently verified, and THEN I realize that there are a number of classes that I should have listed as BIO/CHEM/etc. I sent AACOM an e-mail today explaining the situation and details of classes who's classification I wanted changed and to update my BCPM. My question is, since the app is verified and "made available to designated schools", should they change the courses and update the GPA, how will the schools know about the updated BCPM (which should be fairly significant)? Will I have to contact each school directly (17 schools) to let them know of the change or is it early enough in the app process that they won't even know it happened? Thanks for any insight in the issue. Good luck with the apps!
Click to expand...

Well, my guess is that if AACOM decides to modify or update anything in your application, including your science GPA, they will send an update to the schools that you designated. I'm not entirely sure, of course, but it seems likely. I recommend contacting AACOM to verify if they are going to send an update to the designated schools, should they change anything.
 
what is a 4 week summer class considered? a semester? a unit?

Also, do you really have to count the credits to make sure you are a freshmen/soph ect. I just wrote what I considered myself.
 
Regarding a class that you withdrew from that was a repeat, I e-mailed AACOMAS and they said to mark it as a repeat01 (or whatever number), not as withdrawn. Mine were WF, so it made a difference in my GPA, but I'd imagine that it'd be the same. If you didn't later repeat the class, then they'd stay as withdrawn.

My question: Is there a GPA calculation Excel spreadsheet thingamabobber like there is for AMCAS? I did it on my own, but I'd rather check it against a spreadsheet.
 
Do the COMs applied to see the other schools you applied to? I applied broadly, will they see this and will it 'look' bad?
 
dIvErDoC said:
Do the COMs applied to see the other schools you applied to? I applied broadly, will they see this and will it 'look' bad?
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This is a common question. Since I'm not an adcom member, I can't say for certain. However, it is my understanding that AACOM does not make where you applied available to other COM's that you applied to. I believe you can rest assured that your designated schools won't be aware of which schools you applied to, unless you tell them.

Here is what your profile includes (from the General Instructions):

AACOM said:
Your Applicant Profile

After all application information is processed, the AACOMAS computer system constructs an Applicant Profile for the schools you designated, which serves as one of the central elements in the consideration of your application materials at the medical schools. This Profile includes the following items:

Colleges You Designated (Applicant copy only)
Name and Social Security Number
Sex and Date of Birth
Preferred Mailing Address
Permanent and/or Legal Residence (County/State)
Citizenship and (if applicable) Visa Type (blank if U.S.)
Disadvantaged Response
Self-Description
Year of Most Recent Application to a D.O. Institution (Year of Most Recent Application to this College is individual college specified)
Misdemeanor or Felony Conviction
Family Member a D.O. or M.D.
Advisor Release Statement
How you first learned of osteopathic medicine
Degree, Date, Major, and Institution
GPA and Hours by Year (Academic Status)
Course Record GPA and Hours by Subject
Deficiencies in required course hours based on the specific requirements of each college
Hours less than a grade of 2.0 or C
Date to take or retake the MCAT
Number of times the MCAT was taken
MCAT scores (up to three sets)
Quality Points: Science, Non Science, and Total
Date Applicant Profile was printed

When you view your applicant information online, check the information carefully for any discrepancies and report any discrepancies to AACOMAS. Once your materials complete processing, any inquiries about the status of your application should be made directly to your designated colleges.
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Note the line that I bolded in the quoted statement above. It suggests, to me, that the list of designated schools is available to the applicant, but is not sent to the designated schools.
 
ok I have another question and since everyone seems to love to post answers in this thread (read: spicedmama :meanie: ) here it goes ...

Medical Terminology - is an ENGLISH? Just curious because 2007 instructions state its so and since the 2008 instructions apparently do not exist in such detail (that I can find them) so if anyone wants to help a girl out ... 😀 I can't believe they don't have details like with last year 🙁
 
dogfoot75 said:
Regarding a class that you withdrew from that was a repeat, I e-mailed AACOMAS and they said to mark it as a repeat01 (or whatever number), not as withdrawn. Mine were WF, so it made a difference in my GPA, but I'd imagine that it'd be the same. If you didn't later repeat the class, then they'd stay as withdrawn.

My question: Is there a GPA calculation Excel spreadsheet thingamabobber like there is for AMCAS? I did it on my own, but I'd rather check it against a spreadsheet.
Click to expand...
Nice! Thanks!! That's how I had it but wasn't sure.
 
mshheaddoc said:
ok I have another question and since everyone seems to love to post answers in this thread (read: spicedmama :meanie: ) here it goes ...

Medical Terminology - is an ENGLISH? Just curious because 2007 instructions state its so and since the 2008 instructions apparently do not exist in such detail (that I can find them) so if anyone wants to help a girl out ... 😀 I can't believe they don't have details like with last year 🙁
Click to expand...
AACOMAS called me back and verified that it is an english.
 
DUDE!! What is up with this, I can't save!!!

The Personal Statement must be between 100 and 4500 characters in length, including spaces.

Character Count: 4496

😕 🙁

😡 😡 😡
 
mshheaddoc said:
DUDE!! What is up with this, I can't save!!!

The Personal Statement must be between 100 and 4500 characters in length, including spaces.

Character Count: 4496

😕 🙁

😡 😡 😡
Click to expand...

Someone posted something about this a while back. People have been having similar issues. I think it has something to do with blank lines at the end of the statement, or something. Not sure. I'll have to go look for the thread that has this answer. Maybe someone who answered that question before will remember.
 
Depakote said:
for some reason, I think that happened to me last year...

I took off another 5-10 characters and was fine.

It was some difference between the way Word and AACOMAS counted the characters.

EDIT: this is IIRC.
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Here are a couple of posts that relate to this:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5311047&postcount=452

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5311130&postcount=453

There was another thread about this subject, but I'm still looking for it.
 
I've sent my transcripts to AACOMAS TWICE in the past month... and they haven't gotten them still 🙁. I keep emailing to ask and all they tell me is "oh well they're not here."

Any ideas/suggestions? I'm getting really nervous because it's already July and I wanted to get my stuff submitted as soon as possible - my stats aren't exactly top notch.

Thanks!
 
mshheaddoc said:
Have you contacted your school about sending them? You might want to check to make sure they're receiving your requests.
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Yup... I get email confirmations whenever they sent them out.
 
I'd just check with them because its either an address issue or AACOMAS just really lost them. I had 8 transcripts sent there and they were all received within like 2 weeks.

I hope things work out!
 
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