2008-2009 AMCAS Questions Thread

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unsung said:
I have the same Q here. I attended college in Illinois, and also got a Master's degree from that same institution. I have also taken classes at my state university during one summer when I was home (from attending college in IL), and for the past yr, I've been taking some pre-med classes there.

So on AMCAS I've got 4 different institutions listed: one for undergrad time period, one for the summer classes, one for the grad degree, and one for this past yr of taking classes. Is this how I'm supposed to do it??

Also, 2 more Qs:

1. I took a sewing class and an Arabic class for fun at a community college a looong time ago (I can't even remember where). Do I really need to get a transcript for that ???

2. I studied Arabic in Yemen at the Yemen Language Institute for fun last summer. It's not an accredited US institution, I didn't try to transfer any credits, I wasn't allowed to defer my loans while I attended (didn't count as a "student" since it wasn't accredited US institution). BUT, now the language institute has become a full-fledged university (wasn't when I was attending)... so do I need to get any kind of transcript from them?

Thanks in advance.
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Also, one last Q (for now):

As an undergrad in IL, I took 2 quarters of physics. Graduated early so I didn't finish the sequence (would have been 3 quarters, since my alma mater has a quarter system). This past yr, I retook physics fr the beginning at my state univ. I just finished a yr of it (2 semesters).

Do I check "repeat" when I list the physics course I took at my state univ? Or does "repeat" only refer to the exact same course (at the same institution) taken twice?

Also, if it does count as a repeat, technically, only the 1st "2 quarters worth" of material I retook would have been a repeat. Some of it would be new. So... how would I list that?

PLEASE advice. Thanks!! :luck:
 
1. I founded a non-profit tutoring program for 6-12 graders. Can I leave the contact information blank? I have people who serve as tutors, but I am the one who oversees it.
 
work/activities question:
Should I list that I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2006? To me it was a big achievement, but I'm not sure if it is something I should list. I love running, but it is more of a hobby because I don't do it competitively. I could also list a couple of smaller events I have participated in.

thanks
 
What is the difference between the "summer session" and "summer quarter" classification under coursework on the AMCAS? If my school is on a quarter system and I attended summer school there, should I pick "summer quarter" as the correct Academic Term?
 
scarletgirl777 said:
Um, unless this was a sleep study where you literally lived in the laboratory for a month or more, I think it would be weird to be able to list this as work experience lol. I mean, most college students have participated in psych studies of some kind....
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I'll consider your points. These were extensive pharmaceutical studies that both spanned several weeks, and I also took a course on human clinical investigation around the same time. They were for actual drug trials not just someone's research project, and I would have done them for free (I volunteered because I think human clinical investigation is important, not because I wanted pizza money). I'll probably just mention the course & the studies together in my PS.
 
CyanideDN said:
What is the difference between the "summer session" and "summer quarter" classification under coursework on the AMCAS? If my school is on a quarter system and I attended summer school there, should I pick "summer quarter" as the correct Academic Term?
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I'm pretty sure you're right. I choose summer session and I'm on a semester schedule.
 
I have a question about letters of recommendation:

Since I am applying to a number of different schools, I would hate to have to ask my writers to send them to all those schools. Is this what interfolio is for? Can I just have them send them to interfolio, and then interfolio will take care of the rest? I'm just a bit confused on this.

Thanks guys! Good luck!👍
 
I recently got back my score from my MCAT, 30, and wasn't too happy with it because I had been scoring much higher in practice tests. So, I was thinking about applying to schools with averages around there and when I retake the test waiting to see what I get before I send my primary applications to those schools. Can I send out my primary in waves like that? Or...do I have to apply all at once and hope that schools with higher averages don't reject me before they see my second score?

Thanks a lot
 
jmrthekid said:
I recently got back my score from my MCAT, 30, and wasn't too happy with it because I had been scoring much higher in practice tests. So, I was thinking about applying to schools with averages around there and when I retake the test waiting to see what I get before I send my primary applications to those schools. Can I send out my primary in waves like that? Or...do I have to apply all at once and hope that schools with higher averages don't reject me before they see my second score?

Thanks a lot
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You can send them in waves - just remember that the later you apply to schools with rolling admissions, the less of a chance you will have of getting in (theoretically).
 
Hey guys, how do I deal with AP courses that retook in college? I'm not exactly sure how to go about this. Do I enter the course regularly and check AP or what?

Secondly, what classification should I put for a class of medical terminology? It's listed as Classics.
 
Greetings all. I'm trying to enter in my course work, and I have several graduate classes that are being applied to both my undergrad and grad dual degree program. Based on what the AMCAS Manual says, there should be a way to assign Graduate (GR) status to the appropriate grad classes, but I do not see how and where. There is no "GR" option in the "Year in School" field, or in the "Special Course Types". Is there anyone that can please lend assistance?
 
correcaminos said:
work/activities question:
Should I list that I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2006? To me it was a big achievement, but I'm not sure if it is something I should list. I love running, but it is more of a hobby because I don't do it competitively. I could also list a couple of smaller events I have participated in.

thanks
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I would absolutely list it.
 
l7anxtl7lvln2n said:
Hey guys, how do I deal with AP courses that retook in college? I'm not exactly sure how to go about this. Do I enter the course regularly and check AP or what?

Secondly, what classification should I put for a class of medical terminology? It's listed as Classics.
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Retook AP courses in college? Do you mean you opted not to let your AP courses pass out of lower division classes?

If so, still list your AP courses as Fall of your freshman year. List them as AP at the bottom, and follow your transcript to fill out the rest.




As for medical terminology, I would think it would go under English Language and Literature, or POSSIBLY Foreign Language and Literature (since the primary emphasis would be Latin, no?). However, I was told by my pre-med advisor to not worry too much over the course classification.
 
When listing misc. shadowing experiences on the activities section, is it best to write the physicians name and specialty and hours, or just the specialty and hours? A premed adviser told me not to name-drop, because that looks bad. However, two of those people are also writing me a LOR (because I worked with them in other contexts, too) so it seems to make sense to list their names so that it's easier to tell that I shadowed the same person who's writing the letter.

I wrote the name of the 1st physician as my contact person since I spent the most time with him.

There are 6 people total, all from one university affiliated hospital, and all surgeons in different sub-specialties.
Surg onc (290 hrs), transplant surg (40 hrs), vasc surg (50 hrs), cardiac surg (40 hours), otolaryngology (20 hrs), plastic surg (15 hrs)
 
Hi - does someone know how to list something like this?
I'm actually wondering about the same thing.

Thanks!

correcaminos said:
work/activities question:
Should I list that I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2006? To me it was a big achievement, but I'm not sure if it is something I should list. I love running, but it is more of a hobby because I don't do it competitively. I could also list a couple of smaller events I have participated in.

thanks
Click to expand...
 
ssh18 said:
Hi - does someone know how to list something like this?
I'm actually wondering about the same thing.

Thanks!
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Definitely list it, especially if you have other marathons under your belt or are registered to run one this year. I listed it as a Hobbies/Extracurricular. You train for these things which takes up a decent amount of time.
 
Hey all,

I've been getting some conflicting information regarding this...

How do you enter the name of the course in the coursework section?

For example:

On my transcript: "Intro to Organic Chem"

Should I enter it like that verbatim or should I enter "Introduction to Organic Chemistry."

According the guy I spoke to on the phone, he said I should do it verbatim from the transcript. The instruction manual says to list out the "FULL" name. Not too sure how to interpret their meaning of "full."

Thanks~
 
I took a two courses at two separate junior colleges/community colleges.

So, for "Schools Attended", does that make the Program Type "Junior College" from the drop down menu? I didn't attend these colleges as JC to transfer....

I called AMCAS and they said to place these as "Undergraduate", somehow I don't believe them.
 
disorder said:
Nope. I rushed my transcripts from each of the schools I attended on 5/15, 5/16, and 5/20.
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Yeah I sent mine last thursday and they dont have them yet, but that makes me feel good that they probably didnt lose them.
 
Anyone know how long transcripts should take? My school should have gotten my request Monday.

Oh, and with course classification, if you're a full-time student, you just set all classes as FR first year, SO second year, etc. right? I saw that set number of hours for each classification, but it seems like that's just for part-time students.
 
I went to do my transcript request today and my degree won't be posted until the 27th so it won't be sent out until then (bummer!) Does AMCAS process transcripts in the order they're received or by when the primary app is submitted?
 
jamesrick80 said:
Well, AMCAS just emailed me saying they received my transcripts and I didn't even use the AMCAS request form.
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Is it a standard policy or you have to inquire to have AMCAS send you a confirmation email after a transcript is received?
 
You must have sent yours before the app opened then? I think they email everyone.
 
I requested them to be sent last Wednesday, and they received them today. I did not use the form, just gave my AAMC ID when possible.
 
l7anxtl7lvln2n said:
Hey guys, how do I deal with AP courses that retook in college? I'm not exactly sure how to go about this. Do I enter the course regularly and check AP or what?

Secondly, what classification should I put for a class of medical terminology? It's listed as Classics.
Click to expand...

I took Medical Terminology also and at my school it was considered a health & life sciences course... I classified it under health sciences on the AMCAS.
 
Hello again,

I just wanted to here an opinion on whether I should include the following experience.

I understand the general rule that stuff from highschool is not the best, however I'm not sure if this is an exception or not:

In highschool I did my co-op in a dental practice. I was in fact the assistant (or "Jr". assistant) to the dentist in question, I used the suction, helped him with various procedures (root canal etc), set up his instruments etc. The only thing I could not do is inject the freezing and things of that nature. (The funny thing is that most folks thought I was a dental school student, because I was introduced as a "student").

Some of you are probably thinking why I worked in a dental clinic if I wanted to be a medical doctor. Well, thats because I was warned right away by my advisor that the only thing I would be doing in a family medical practice is paperwork. Plus I thought it would be a great experience to see how I react to "unpleasent" experiences in the working sense ( people's mouths can be a treacherous place). Sure it wasn't much, but it was the best thing for me at the time, and I learned a lot.

So now comes the question, do I include this among my 15?
 
Mcatguy said:
Hello again,

I just wanted to here an opinion on whether I should include the following experience.

I understand the general rule that stuff from highschool is not the best, however I'm not sure if this is an exception or not:

In highschool I did my co-op in a dental practice. I was in fact the assistant (or "Jr". assistant) to the dentist in question, I used the suction, helped him with various procedures (root canal etc), set up his instruments etc. The only thing I could not do is inject the freezing and things of that nature. (The funny thing is that most folks thought I was a dental school student, because I was introduced as a "student").

Some of you are probably thinking why I worked in a dental clinic if I wanted to be a medical doctor. Well, thats because I was warned right away by my advisor that the only thing I would be doing in a family medical practice is paperwork. Plus I thought it would be a great experience to see how I react to "unpleasent" experiences in the working sense ( people's mouths can be a treacherous place). Sure it wasn't much, but it was the best thing for me at the time, and I learned a lot.

So now comes the question, do I include this among my 15?
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Nope, but you can put it in the personal statement. There are lots of people who had very relevant experience in high school (even more relevant than this), and you still can't put it on there. But you can mention it in the PS.
 
Do these just get entered in the work/activities section since it seems there's not where else to put them?

This question has probably already been answered but I couldn't find it so would appreciate it being answered again.... 🙂
 
Yea. Though I had AP classes in the basic science courses, I decided to retake them to refresh my material. I'm not sure how to go about it. It shows up on my transcript as a duplicate.
 
Yes. I lumped all of mine together into a category called "Honors & Awards."

I included academic achievements (scholarships, dean's list, etc.) as well as work-related and volunteer-related awards.
 
So English is my 2nd language. Should I list it as such on the AMCAS and list my native language as my primary language?? I kinda hope that in doing so I could somewhat explain my average verbal score. What do you guys think? I started to speak English when I was 17 years old.
 
Hmmm...I think its reasonable to put English as a 2nd language.
 
Gpan said:
So English is my 2nd language. Should I list it as such on the AMCAS and list my native language as my primary language?? I kinda hope that in doing so I could somewhat explain my average verbal score. What do you guys think? I started to speak English when I was 17 years old.
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I would list your native language as your primary language and English as your second. Just make sure you don't list any languages unless you're fluent in them. You don't want any surprises during interviews!
 
i haven't officially started it, but i have been into photography for a couple years now and i want to start a side-business going. i am working on getting a portfolio together and have shot two engagement sessions so far....

is that noteworthy?
 
hey guys,

I just have a couple of questions with the application. Im sorry if its been mentioned elsewhere but i didnt find anything:

-So i tutor for different groups.. one is paid through the school, another is volunteering in a highschool and another is volunteering for college for being part of an honors club. I wanted to put the paid one as a paid job and the other ones either as volunteer or tutor. I dont have any other paid jobs and i wanted to add diversity. is it ok to put tutoring as a paid job.

-what type of extra curric should i put premed summer programs which were primarily shadowing? I already have a volunteer in a hospital so i thought it would go to other.

-I also was a coordinator for the above premed internship. Is it ok to put that in leadership other?

-finally how exactly should i split up research and honors. ie i did research and presented 3 times, one was a conference. do i use 3 separate groups-research, conference, and poster? and for the honors should i group em all into one or spread em out (ie full scholarship to school and phi beta kappa)
 
Hi, I am currently in a graduate program and my transcript will not reflect my spring semester grades until probably July even though I will find out my official grades this friday. I have placed my spring semester grades in my app and checked the Special Course Type Box called "Current/Future." My question is: can I put in the official grades in the transcript grade part of my spring semester courses even though it will not be on my transcript. The AMCAS help says that "Current/Future" grades are not calculated but would it be ok if I put them in anyway because it looks good or should I just leave it blank.

Also, I know the answer to this question is probably yes but just to make sure: can I put in all my future courses that I predict for the rest of my master's degree as long as I check current/future and don't put in a transcript grade?

Sorry for the long winded question, I would really appreciate any help! Thanks 🙂
 
Does it matter whether or not you indicate your race and ethnicity in the personal info section of the application? It says optional, but it don't know if it will look odd if I leave it blank. I'm Caucasian so I can't claim any sort of minority status that might help me. Any thoughts?
 
What course classification did you guys use for research individual topics?
 
raydar510 said:
Does it matter whether or not you indicate your race and ethnicity in the personal info section of the application? It says optional, but it don't know if it will look odd if I leave it blank. I'm Caucasian so I can't claim any sort of minority status that might help me. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Wondered the same thing.. I'm thinking that it can't hurt at all to decline. I can't imagine that it could make any difference to decline, since if you were an URM, I would assume you would be inclined to self-identify.

But then again, you could suggest that they would be like.. well, he didn't bother to answer... so we'll just give more consideration to those who actually did... but who the hell knows what goes on behind closed doors there?
 
  1. I took AP Spanish in high school and received 6 college credits for it at my university. On my college transcript, the credit shows up in the Fall 2006 semester with a grade of TR (for transfer, I think). How do I list this on the AMCAS? Do I have to submit my high school transcripts or AP scores to AMCAS?
  2. In late June/early July I am going to be in Costa Rica volunteering at a clinic that provides health care to the uninsured... I really want to list this on my work/activity list, but it doesn't let you list things that you haven't done yet, and I plan to submit the AMCAS early June. How should I go about listing it? Are you allowed to make changes to this section after the AMCAS is submitted? Or should I just put June 2008 as the date and then explain/clarify the specific dates in the description?
  3. I was part of an executive internship program in a hospital my senior year of high school... can I list that on the work/activity section??
Thanks, everyone!
 
dmbicesk8r said:
I did an ethnographic research project on communication between doctors and patients for a class this semester and I presented it at a conference. Should I only list the presentation since the research was part of the class or should I list the research and the presentation as separate activities?

Thanks everyone for your help
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Anyone have an answer to this question?
 
My school is putting together a committee letter which will not be completed until early July.

I can still submit my AMCAS application with everything else and then add the committee packet later correct?

Medical schools will not review my application until it is listed as "complete", correct? Because I'm also waiting on MCAT scores which will be out early July (May 31st test date, yay).

Thanks
 
disorder said:
I took a two courses at two separate junior colleges/community colleges.

So, for "Schools Attended", does that make the Program Type "Junior College" from the drop down menu? I didn't attend these colleges as JC to transfer....

I called AMCAS and they said to place these as "Undergraduate", somehow I don't believe them.
Click to expand...


Anyone?
 
quick question:

when i describe my extra curriculars.. is it ok to be subjective? for example i got to do a summer shadowing program. After saying what i got to do, can I say something like- what made the program so valuable was the fact that I was able to ask the doctors questions and learn what the life of a resident was really like..

Or is it safer to just say what i did?

thanks
 
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