2008-2009 AMCAS Questions Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members do not see this ad.
ar2388 said:
thank you! one more question.. what do i enter for academic year and semester and whatnot when i enter AP classes? also, should i enter the grade i got on the exam even though the grade isnt listed on my transcript?
Click to expand...

Enter them with the first semester of your freshman year. Do not enter anything into the "Grade" box.
 
Questions.....

1) I'm in author in a paper that has been accepted by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, however the issue hasn't been published yet, and I don't know what the publication date will be. How do I list this under publications-since I don't know the dates?

2) My MCAT scores come out on July 1st, and I have no idea how well I did or did not do. My transcripts were sent to on 6/4 and have not yet been marked as received. Should I submit my application as soon as my transcripts are marked as received, or as soon as possible? Should I even submit before my scores are in if I don't know how I did?

THANKS!
 
Hey all,

I took a course a couple of years back and I'm not completely sure of the AMCAS classification.

The course title was Medical Terminology and it was offered through the Classics department and thus has a CLAS heading on the course number. Right now I have it labelled as "other" but maybe the health sciences "heal" would be appropriate?

What do you think?
 
Scean said:
Hey all,

I took a course a couple of years back and I'm not completely sure of the AMCAS classification.

The course title was Medical Terminology and it was offered through the Classics department and thus has a CLAS heading on the course number. Right now I have it labelled as "other" but maybe the health sciences "heal" would be appropriate?

What do you think?
Click to expand...

The answer lies in the course description, not the course title. Put the course description down and you'll probably get more useful feedback. Right now its pretty out of context for anyone to give a really meaningful response.
 
Hey SDNers

I am wondering if anybody knows why the order I entered the activities is not the same order that appears on the printed application? And, does anyone know how to deal with this issue? I want to put my most important stuff at the front 😀

Thanks!
 
Hi guys, I have a dumb question regarding credit hours. I apologize if this question has already been answered. I read through the thread and couldn't find it.

On my transcript (unofficial), the equated credit and hours are different for some classes. For example, Biochemistry Lab worths 2 credits. But the hour is listed as 5. Organic chem + lab is a 5 credit course. But the hour is listed as 8. So when entering course work for these classes which number do I enter under Credit Hours?

THANKS!
 
fhowie88 said:
Hey SDNers

I am wondering if anybody knows why the order I entered the activities is not the same order that appears on the printed application? And, does anyone know how to deal with this issue? I want to put my most important stuff at the front 😀

Thanks!
Click to expand...

They appear in chronological order with I believe the most recent first, no way to change it.
 
Hey all- I just graduated a couple of weeks ago. According to my school's website, "Degrees will be posted after graduation and diplomas will be mailed 12-16 weeks after graduation." Does this mean that my transcript won't say that I have graduated until 3 months from now? I don't want to wait that long to send my transcripts in, obviously. As of now, my online transcript has spring grades posted, but no degree. Should I just have them sent now anyways? Thanks!
 
description:

Medical terminology derived from Greek and Latin, concentrating on the meanings of the components of medical terms and the principles that govern their arrangement, with some attention to the history of ancient medicine.
 
Scean said:
description:

Medical terminology derived from Greek and Latin, concentrating on the meanings of the components of medical terms and the principles that govern their arrangement, with some attention to the history of ancient medicine.
Click to expand...

That is pretty darn far from BCPM (was that your question?). Just because it is "medical" doesn't mean it has anything to do with science...
 
Scean said:
Hey all,

I took a course a couple of years back and I'm not completely sure of the AMCAS classification.

The course title was Medical Terminology and it was offered through the Classics department and thus has a CLAS heading on the course number. Right now I have it labelled as "other" but maybe the health sciences "heal" would be appropriate?

What do you think?
Click to expand...



Just looking to avoid any verification delays by having proper classifications for all of my courses.
 
Once AMCAS says "Transcripts Received" will they not process and verify your transcripts until you've submitted your AMCAS app? Or will they verify your transcripts while you finish up your application?

I guess I don't truly understand what 'verify' means. If it means they look to match up what you entered as grades and what your transcripts says, then the answer is obvious, but I wasn't sure.

Thanks.
 
TupacalipseT96 said:
Once AMCAS says "Transcripts Received" will they not process and verify your transcripts until you've submitted your AMCAS app? Or will they verify your transcripts while you finish up your application?

I guess I don't truly understand what 'verify' means. If it means they look to match up what you entered as grades and what your transcripts says, then the answer is obvious, but I wasn't sure.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

That is correct. "Verify" basically means they just verify that the coursework you have input matches what's on your official transcript. You have to submit the application before it can be verified.
 
yea, gotta submit it first because they never know when your done messing with your coursework till then
 
So on the AMCAS form it says to include all transcripts from every institution you have ever taken a class at. Here is my dilemma. I started to take Organic Chem over the summer a few summers ago and then decided that I would rather do it during the year with a professor that I liked better and was familiar with...so long story short, I dropped the class. It is the only class I have ever taken at this institution and I was only in it for a couple of weeks. Do I still need a transcript from this institution sent to AMCAS? It seems like such a waste of time/effort/space, not to mention I'll have to explain at some point why I dropped the course...
 
kinsley12 said:
So on the AMCAS form it says to include all transcripts from every institution you have ever taken a class at. Here is my dilemma. I started to take Organic Chem over the summer a few summers ago and then decided that I would rather do it during the year with a professor that I liked better and was familiar with...so long story short, I dropped the class. It is the only class I have ever taken at this institution and I was only in it for a couple of weeks. Do I still need a transcript from this institution sent to AMCAS? It seems like such a waste of time/effort/space, not to mention I'll have to explain at some point why I dropped the course...
Click to expand...

Assuming you dropped the class in time before any deadlines and never received any kind of mark for the class, I would think that you don't need to get a transcript.
 
Hey, I was just wondering....for the personal statement, does the 5300 character max include spaces??
thanks!!!
 
HaveHope said:
Hey, I was just wondering....for the personal statement, does the 5300 character max include spaces??
thanks!!!
Click to expand...

yes... anytime you hit a key on the keyboard it's considered a "character."
 
Scean said:
Hey all,

I took a course a couple of years back and I'm not completely sure of the AMCAS classification.

The course title was Medical Terminology and it was offered through the Classics department and thus has a CLAS heading on the course number. Right now I have it labelled as "other" but maybe the health sciences "heal" would be appropriate?

What do you think?
Click to expand...

I also took medical terminology and classified it as health science (HEAL). My AMCAS was verified yesterday and they did not make any changes to the classification, so I would advise you classify the course as HEAL.
 
Questions.....

1) I'm in author in a paper that has been accepted by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, however the issue hasn't been published yet, and I don't know what the publication date will be. How do I list this under publications-since I don't know the dates?

2) My MCAT scores come out on July 1st, and I have no idea how well I did or did not do. My transcripts were sent to on 6/4 and have not yet been marked as received. Should I submit my application as soon as my transcripts are marked as received, or as soon as possible? Should I even submit before my scores are in if I don't know how I did?

thankssss..
 
If you dropped the class during the add/drop period (usually within the first week or two of the course), then no. If you dropped the course and received a "W" for the class, then yes, you have to submit the transcript.
 
chad5871 said:
Also, hard returns (the "enter" button) count as two characters.
Click to expand...

Noooooooooooooooo!

I haven't pasted mine in yet, so this is definitely useful to know in advance. Those tricky AMCASers. I think I have enough extra spaces. Otherwise, it's back to the thesaurus to find shorter words...
 
Hello!

Is there a place in AMCAS to explain a withdrawal? I withdrew from a class because of registration errors, not because I was failing. I don't want them to think I was failing a class. There are other things I would like to explain about my classes: took a Korean class as CR/NC because it was the only grading option available and why I took the same French class again the next semester (audited, only French class that fit in my schedule and I wanted to keep practicing).

Thanks in advance!
 
I have saved the AMCAS application and was wondering if anyone knows how I can save certain pages only? For example, make another pdf with pages 1-3 and 7-10 only. I have been trying and searching google for the last hour and have not been successful! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
you need adobe acrobat professional goto a school library pc
 
I have 2 questions:

1) As an undergrad, I did an independent study, which I got academic credit from (researched in autism lab). Can I include this in my work/experiences section on the AMCAS?

2) I am currently going for my Masters, which requires a field study (I also get credit, it's an off-campus, internship-sort of work). Can I also include this as my work/experiences?

Thank you!
 
I was just wondering how long it takes until amcas says that they received your transcripts. Mine should have been in thursday or friday of last week but they havent acknowledged having received them yet. I know people were complaining about it before but how long does it normally take before i look into it/resend?

Also, I sent my transcripts before submitting the amcas but i finished filling out the grades. is that ok? or do they not look at the transcripts until the app is submitted?

Thanks
 
moto_za said:
any other way i can do this?
Click to expand...

Just search around the internet for free PDF editors. Check out Foxit PDF Editor and PrimoPDF.

orangepiggy said:
I have 2 questions:

1) As an undergrad, I did an independent study, which I got academic credit from (researched in autism lab). Can I include this in my work/experiences section on the AMCAS?

2) I am currently going for my Masters, which requires a field study (I also get credit, it's an off-campus, internship-sort of work). Can I also include this as my work/experiences?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Yes, you can include them in the EC section.

AbujaMan said:
I was just wondering how long it takes until amcas says that they received your transcripts. Mine should have been in thursday or friday of last week but they havent acknowledged having received them yet. I know people were complaining about it before but how long does it normally take before i look into it/resend?

Also, I sent my transcripts before submitting the amcas but i finished filling out the grades. is that ok? or do they not look at the transcripts until the app is submitted?

Thanks
Click to expand...

It seems to take at least a week after receiving before they're marked as received. They should be in by the end of next week.
 
Hi!

I was wondering when to classify a course under Natural/Physical sciences vs. biology or chemistry? In particular, I took a geochemistry course that was very heavily chemistry, and I did well in it so I want it to count toward my BCPM GPA but since its listed under "GEO" would med schools question my classification? In addition, would an ecology or a conservation course count under "Biology"? They're really more heavy in population dynamics rather than systems biology. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks so much!
 
I cannot find the place on the AMCAS that has space for you to discuss academic difficulties or hardships. Did they remove this section?
 
So, I submitted to amcas thinking it'd take 4-6 weeks. It took them 6 days!

I am already verified. I submitted to osteopathic schools more than 2 weeks ago and have heard nothing. I am really quite surprised they verified so quickly. Anyway, if any of you have questions regarding the basic verification stuff just pm me. I had 3 different universities with 2 study abroad programs and all sorts of other stuff, so I can kind of guide through the tricky areas. I will probably not check here very often.
 
My question is in regarding the PS. I have already made it clear that I work as a GI technician that helps perform colonoscopies and endoscopies in an earlier paragraph. In order to keep my character count within the limit, is it okay if I use "scopes" rather than "colonoscopes and endoscopes"? Thanks a bunch!
 
orangepiggy said:
My question is in regarding the PS. I have already made it clear that I work as a GI technician that helps perform colonoscopies and endoscopies in an earlier paragraph. In order to keep my character count within the limit, is it okay if I use "scopes" rather than "colonoscopes and endoscopes"? Thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...


I would say that it is probably fine, but depends on the general flow of the PS. Your best bet is probably to have someone that is somewhat knowledgeable but not an expert (like maybe a non-GI doctor or a med student or maybe your premed advisor) read it and make sure that they are not confused by it.
 
I have Mac laptop and I don't have an easy way to count the number of lines in my personal statements. Any ideas?
 
Deepa100 said:
I have Mac laptop and I don't have an easy way to count the number of lines in my personal statements. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

On my MacBook I used MS Word for Mac to write my PS, then I highlighted the whole thing and selected Tools>Wordcount. That will give you the exact number of characters, including spaces. Sometimes it was a few off from the AMCAS count, but it's pretty darn close.

Also, I copied and pasted it into TextEdit and converted it to plain text, just in case the Word formatting caused any problems in the AMCAS field.

Good luck! :luck:
 
If it's just the red letters at the top that say something about the fact that you haven't entered grades for some courses then you can just ignore it.
 
Hey all,

I'm new to this thread and I've tried reading through to find my questions (got to page 12 and got tired), but was empty handed. I'll keep them short and sweet.

1. First, I have had 3 research positions. Two were in the psychology department under two different professors. The other is a full time job that involves research in developing biomedical diagnostic equipment. Should I consolidate these or keep them as 3 separate entries and describe each in greater detail?

2. During my undergrad, I held a retail job for about 8 months. Is it worth putting down? I'd say no because it's not relevant, but yes because I was managing school, volunteering, organizations, etc all at the same time. Suggestions?

3. My freshman year I was part of a ethnic organization that focused in practicing and presenting ethnic dances to organizational events and demonstrations. Is this relevant?

4. I spent a month traveling in Europe. I learned a lot from everything from history, art, and culture. Seemed good for a couple minutes to put down ,but I'm having second thoughts because it only sounds like a vacation. Suggestions?

Any help would be most appreciated. This thread rocks!😀
 
i'm a rising senior...do you people advise listing all courses i plan on taking for next two semesters....i want admissions committee to know about the difficult biomedical engineering courses im undertaking as well we honors work for credit.
however, i cant put down a grade, only can check off that box "current/future", but its giving me a warning saying amcas might run into troubles without grades....how do i go about resolving this? i want to put down future classes but obviously no grades yet, so is it okay to put down next 2 semesters of coursework?

second question: is there a list of schools that people have generated/compiled for 2008 that screen out presecondary? Also, once secondaries are sent to the school, will they NOT look at the app until second mcat scores are in or will they start reviewing anyways?
 
PRodulous said:
Hey all,

I'm new to this thread and I've tried reading through to find my questions (got to page 12 and got tired), but was empty handed. I'll keep them short and sweet.

1. First, I have had 3 research positions. Two were in the psychology department under two different professors. The other is a full time job that involves research in developing biomedical diagnostic equipment. Should I consolidate these or keep them as 3 separate entries and describe each in greater detail?

2. During my undergrad, I held a retail job for about 8 months. Is it worth putting down? I'd say no because it's not relevant, but yes because I was managing school, volunteering, organizations, etc all at the same time. Suggestions?

3. My freshman year I was part of a ethnic organization that focused in practicing and presenting ethnic dances to organizational events and demonstrations. Is this relevant?

4. I spent a month traveling in Europe. I learned a lot from everything from history, art, and culture. Seemed good for a couple minutes to put down ,but I'm having second thoughts because it only sounds like a vacation. Suggestions?

Any help would be most appreciated. This thread rocks!😀
Click to expand...


1. I was in a similar situation and ended up separating them because I had room, but it might make sense for you to put the first two together and separate out the last one. I don't think I would put biomed research as a full time job in the same category as undergrad psych research just to make sure that it doesn't get ignored.

2. Did you have other jobs you could group it with?, I think the answer is if you have space then you should probably do it and if not it's probably not a big deal.

3. If you don't mind chatting about it in interviews, it can't really hurt. It's not a very longterm commitment so if you were trying to make your list smaller then you could leave it off. (I would definitely give full time biomed research it's own slot before putting it in)

4. Same as 3 roughly. Did you stay in hotels or hostels? Were you by yourself (or with a couple of friends) or with some organized group? I feel like if you kinda took yourself to Europe to see the world that reveals a lot about yourself that you would probably wan the adcom to know. If your parents paid for you to spend a month seeing the sights with some tour group that took you everywhere, then I might be less inclined to see it that way. But even if it is closer to the second you could probably make it sound like the first.

Also you might get more insight from this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=202513
 
When including Current/Future courses for next spring (Spring 2010) - what happens if those classes don't work out because of time conflicts (the schedule for next Spring isn't out yet, obviously). Do I have to update medical schools again with the classes I will be taking?

Do you even have to include Future courses? I want to, because I want to show them what I plan on taking my last semester Senior year.

Thanks everyone for all their great suggestions! You guys are a great help! 👍😍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

chilly_md
  • Sticky
*~*~*~* Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*
2
Replies
90
Views
13K
chilly_md
chilly_md
chilly_md
*~*~*~* Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2024-2025 *~*~*~*
Replies
24
Views
10K
diltiazemm
diltiazemm
wysdoc
  • Sticky
*~*~*~* Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*~*
2 3 4 5
Replies
226
Views
19K
wysdoc
wysdoc
C
Question regarding verification for AMCAS timeline
Replies
10
Views
1K
chillstill
C
chilly_md
~*~*~*~*~* Official Letters of Evaluation Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*~*~
2
Replies
70
Views
5K
chilly_md
chilly_md
Top