2008-2009 AMCAS Questions Thread

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ejay286 said:
Just resubmitting my question:

What exactly does it mean when your application is "verified" by AMCAS and what happens thereafter?

Once its verified does that means its automatically sent to your schools of choice? Reason I'm asking is because I hear you can have you app verified without your MCAT scores released yet, but I definitely want my schools to see my MCAT score when they first see my app.
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Verification means they match the courses and grades you entered at each school you listed with the transcripts from those schools to make sure you accurately listed them as seen on the transcript and also to make sure you put each course in the right category (BCPM, BESS, etc). Once it's verified, it gets transmitted to the schools you selected.
 
1. What should doctor shadowing be listed as for Experience Type? Other?

2. If an EC was done online, what should we put for the city/state? Or should we just leave it blank?

3. I am taking a summer school class at a university that I have never attended before. The class does not end until August. AMCAS will be expecting a transcript from the school, but it obviously won't be available until August. Will this delay my application? Or will AMCAS know to verify my application without this transcript?

4. Should the "Year in School" for AP credits be Freshman or High School? Should the "Academic Term" be Other Term?

5. For clarification with the LOE: if we have all our letters sent to a pre-med advisor who sends them as a packet, should we only list the packet on AMCAS? Or should we also list each individual letter as well? Or does it not matter. Thanks.
 
If, for example, you took a summer class in 2000...is that part of the 1999-2000 academic year or 2000-2001? Thanks
 
Hey all,

I just have some questions about entering grades:

1) In my school, organic chemistry lecture and lab are separated into TWO courses. Interesting, for lab, it is further divided into lab lecture and lab. On my transcript, there is Organic lecture listed followed by Organic lab. My question is: When I list organic lab, do I check on the bottom "Lecture and Lab" or just consider it as "Lab" despite there being a lecture.


2) Do I list the FULL NAME or the abbreviated name that is shown on the transcript?


3) Similar to the question above...how do I indicate that a course is composed of lecture and section/recitation or is that even necessary?


4) Regarding "Natural and Physical Sciences," how do I know when to use those categories? I'm pretty sure I can consider biology natural science, but there is at "Biology" category on its own.

Thanks!!
 
what category are you guys listing medical terminology courses on AMCAS?

Biology, Health Sciences, or Education?
 
fuzzywuz said:
Hey all,

I just have some questions about entering grades:

1) In my school, organic chemistry lecture and lab are separated into TWO courses. Interesting, for lab, it is further divided into lab lecture and lab. On my transcript, there is Organic lecture listed followed by Organic lab. My question is: When I list organic lab, do I check on the bottom "Lecture and Lab" or just consider it as "Lab" despite there being a lecture.


2) Do I list the FULL NAME or the abbreviated name that is shown on the transcript?


3) Similar to the question above...how do I indicate that a course is composed of lecture and section/recitation or is that even necessary?


4) Regarding "Natural and Physical Sciences," how do I know when to use those categories? I'm pretty sure I can consider biology natural science, but there is at "Biology" category on its own.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

1) Assuming you put it as "lecture + lab", the manual states

"If the lab credit is included with the
lecture course credit, append the phrase "and lab" to the exact course
title as it appears on the official transcript."

that you should write "and lab" at the end of the course name...So should we write ex: "General Chemistry Laboratory and lab"? Or should I read that as only labs that are added onto lectures, rather than lectures included with labs? Or does it not matter b/c it says "laboratory" in it already. PICKY?!

...
 
One other question:

How would you classify "Risk Management and Policy"? Would it be considered a poli sci class or businness or "others"?
 
Is it unethical to put an activity that won't happen until the future with revised dates so that it would be accepted for AMCAS? Like for example, you'll be doing intensive summer research for the month of July but since AMCAS doesn't allow the input of future activities, you put the dates as April-May 2008 instead. It's something that you feel would impact your application. (I would definitely explain what I did in the description box for the activity though)
 
TheElement said:
Is it unethical to put an activity that won't happen until the future with revised dates so that it would be accepted for AMCAS? Like for example, you'll be doing intensive summer research for the month of July but since AMCAS doesn't allow the input of future activities, you put the dates as April-May 2008 instead. It's something that you feel would impact your application. (I would definitely explain what I did in the description box for the activity though)
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It will be harder to explain something that hasn't happened yet. Just wait till July (the very first day of the program) to submit.

EDIT: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=509228&highlight=relevant
 
scarletgirl777 said:
It will be harder to explain something that hasn't happened yet. Just wait till July (the very first day of the program) to submit.

EDIT: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=509228&highlight=relevant
Click to expand...


Thanks for the tip. My main concern with that is that it delays me an entire month. I'm guessing that submitting earlier outweights the future benefits of including the activity?

Also I was thinking along the lines that if I get an interview, I'll be able to explain it by that time. =)
 
TheElement said:
Thanks for the tip. My main concern with that is that it delays me an entire month. I'm guessing that submitting earlier outweights the future benefits of including the activity?
Click to expand...

Well, it's only a month of research. I guess if you are applying to research heavy schools and that's your only research experience, it's worth waiting. It depends how important you think it is. If it's not that important and there's something about your application that thinks you need to get it in early, just send an update letter.

Keep in mind that if you send in your app June 4, last year they held off on sending the entire first batch till like late June. So I don't know how much you gain by sending it super early as opposed to the first week of July.
 
The instruction manual says to list AP credits taken during high school as "Freshman" classification because that is when I was awarded the credit. Do I still list the academic term and year as when I took the high school course? Or should I list Fall of 2005 (my freshman year) as the academic term? Thanks in advance!
 
I called them to ask about that. Put it on there as your first semester freshman year and check the AP box.
 
What if it was, for example, an engineering course, that consisted of 2 lectures and 1 lab each week....this would constitute a "combined lecture and lab" course correct? Do I therefore need to add "and lab" to the end if the work "lab" is already in the official course name?
 
Bretzel said:
The instruction manual says to list AP credits taken during high school as "Freshman" classification because that is when I was awarded the credit. Do I still list the academic term and year as when I took the high school course? Or should I list Fall of 2005 (my freshman year) as the academic term? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

All AP courses should be listed under Fall of your freshman year. You don't need to tell them the actual time you took the class (like spring my junior year of high school or something). Since you got credit in your first semester, that's the term you technically "took the class."
 
MiketheAnimal said:
What if it was, for example, an engineering course, that consisted of 2 lectures and 1 lab each week....this would constitute a "combined lecture and lab" course correct? Do I therefore need to add "and lab" to the end if the work "lab" is already in the official course name?
Click to expand...

You are correct on it being a combined lecture and lab
 
Hi
So I have my transcript from Loyola with me, and filling my classes on AMCAS but my transcript doesn't list AP classes and don't even mention anything about it. The only way one can tell I have AP credit is that the cum credit hrs. of my freshmen S1 is 32 although I only took 17 that semester. So I have two question (1) what course name do i put on AMCAS? AP Biology? AP American History? How about the grade? (2) and how would AMCAS verify my courses because I don't want my application to be delayed.
 
Should I put working at my parents' deli as an work activity? It was a legit job, and the only reason I would put it down is to show that I actually did something the summer before I went to college and the summer after my first year.
 
I think it'll be much more impressive to not have something on the primary and then kinda bring it up during the interview when they are not expecting it 😉
 
My transcript from UT does the exact same thing. I would just put the course letter and number that the university gave you for the credit, like BIO 211 for Intro to Bio. For the grade, if they gave you a grade then I think you can put it. Normally schools only give credit and you would put CR only or something like that. Dunno about your second question though.

LostLost said:
Hi
So I have my transcript from Loyola with me, and filling my classes on AMCAS but my transcript doesn't list AP classes and don't even mention anything about it. The only way one can tell I have AP credit is that the cum credit hrs. of my freshmen S1 is 32 although I only took 17 that semester. So I have two question (1) what course name do i put on AMCAS? AP Biology? AP American History? How about the grade? (2) and how would AMCAS verify my courses because I don't want my application to be delayed.
Click to expand...
 
UVAbme2009 said:
Should I put working at my parents' deli as an work activity? It was a legit job, and the only reason I would put it down is to show that I actually did something the summer before I went to college and the summer after my first year.
Click to expand...

I would do it to show you spent time doing something productive.
 
OMG!

Everytime I try to print out an Evaluation Letter Request Form for AMCAS, and when I click the link:

I get the error... Internet Explorer has performed an error blah blah... Don't Send.And all my windows close. This is absolutely ridiculous. Can anyone test it as let me know if they are having the same problems?


* Also, if my school is receives the rec. letters from profs and plans to mail all the letter of recommendations at once, do I really need like 5 separate letter request forms sent along with my 5 recs from the school?
 
bozz said:
OMG!

Everytime I try to print out an Evaluation Letter Request Form for AMCAS, and when I click the link:

I get the error... Internet Explorer has performed an error blah blah... Don't Send.And all my windows close. This is absolutely ridiculous. Can anyone test it as let me know if they are having the same problems?


* Also, if my school is receives the rec. letters from profs and plans to mail all the letter of recommendations at once, do I really need like 5 separate letter request forms sent along with my 5 recs from the school?
Click to expand...
I'm using firefox...and it worked just fine.
Yes, you need 5 separate requests. You can send it as a "letter packet" and use only 1 form...but then you're required to send all 5 letters to each school. It's probably better to send them as individuals.
 
Oh ok got it to work,

Are you guys actually getting your rec letters to write your AAMC number somewhere on top of the letter?

Or is the rec request form enough?

AAH.. I feel like dying... AAMC Letter ID # and AAMC ID# ...both have to somehow be attached to the letter??
 
nycbeatz said:
Wait what letter writers ID # are we talking about... So i had signed up for interfolio and It has the AAMC letter service as a destination..can't i just upload the pdf request as a cover letter and send them in.... someone clarify on the writers ID #
Click to expand...

I'm surprised no one has answered your question....

When you add a letter of recommendation into AMCAS you can print out a letter request form. On this form there is a letter ID number that is specific to the letter of recommendation you have requested. The AAMC must receive this ID number along with its respective letter (or packet) in order to attach it to your application.
 
I have a question regarding the AP units. The official transcript from my institution lists my AP credits according to the year that I took the test. There's no indication what credits I received, but it just shows for that year I received "x" amount of AP units. Here's what the AMCAS instruction manual has to say in regards to this:

Page 60
"If the transcript from the college awarding AP credit does not list actual course names, enter the subject area for which credit has been earned (e.g., AP Credit: English) as the Course Name."

So does that mean I'll just enter in AP Credit: English, Calc AB, BC, etc ... ? How do they verify that I actually received credits from said classes?
 
xlr8 said:
Isn't it 1999-2000? I thought the summer sessions were a part of the fall and spring semesters that preceded them.
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Straight off the AMCAS web site:

Courses taken in the summer should be entered with the next academic year, even if your institution considers them in the previous year. For example, if you took a course in the first summer session of 2001, you should enter it in 2001-2002 even if your school considers it in the 2000-2001 academic year.
Click to expand...
 
And we still keep the "Year in school" the same? For instance, if i took a class in summer 2006, which was the summer after my freshman year, the Year in school would be freshman and the Academic year would be 2006-2007?
 
UVAbme2009 said:
Should I put working at my parents' deli as an work activity? It was a legit job, and the only reason I would put it down is to show that I actually did something the summer before I went to college and the summer after my first year.
Click to expand...

Yes. You'd be surprised how many interviewers (and application readers) value work in the service industry. Many of us worked in our parents' small businesses as teens and we know the lessons learned behind the counter.
 
bozz said:
I think it'll be much more impressive to not have something on the primary and then kinda bring it up during the interview when they are not expecting it 😉
Click to expand...

It can backfire if you have nothing listed for two summers. You could be sitting there with no interviews as all.

What you won't have on the primary is anything you did between the time you submitted to AMCAS and the interview. This could be anywhere from 3-6 mos. Take up a crazy-fun new hobby after you submit the primary.
 
Should we only put EC's that were done since being enrolled in College?
 
Can somebody tell me if this is correct for my course work?

If the AP class is listed just as APMA111, with no title, do I put in APMA111 in the course name and nothing in the course number? Or do I put nothing in the course name and APMA111 as the course number?

Then for a class listed as CHEM 151 Intro Chemistry for Engineers, I would put Intro Chemistry for Engineers as the course name and CHEM 151 as the course number?
 
JDOC13 said:
Should we only put EC's that were done since being enrolled in College?
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Unless the activity continued in college or had some link to what you did in college. I think that's the general rule.
 
I am not sure if this question has been asked before but if i do an SMP during the application cycle year, how can i write that on my application.
 
Hey
Can caring for an ill family member be an activity in itself? I spent one of my summer doing that in Burma. And at the same time shadowed a doct in the hospital.... I talked about it in my PS but i am wondering if it is an acceptable activity or would it be repetitive.
 
dwc929 said:
1) Assuming you put it as "lecture + lab", the manual states

"If the lab credit is included with the
lecture course credit, append the phrase "and lab" to the exact course
title as it appears on the official transcript."

that you should write "and lab" at the end of the course name...So should we write ex: "General Chemistry Laboratory and lab"? Or should I read that as only labs that are added onto lectures, rather than lectures included with labs? Or does it not matter b/c it says "laboratory" in it already. PICKY?!

...
Click to expand...

AFAIK, just because a lab has a "lab lecture" associated with it does not mean its a "lab + lecture", its only a "lab"
 
LizzyM said:
Go for it and make up for it by turning around secondaries on a 48 hour deadline rather than taking your time. You can find the essay question prompts here on SDN and draft your essays before the supplementals reach you.
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So, if you turn in your primary early AND do the secondaries on a 48 hour deadline by drafting essays before the supplementals reach me. Then would I be at an even greater advantage?
 
BDNF said:
So, if you turn in your primary early AND do the secondaries on a 48 hour deadline by drafting essays before the supplementals reach me. Then would I be at an even greater advantage?
Click to expand...

The problem with writing the secondaries before the secondary comes out is that the questions may have changed from last year. You can either be the first to get the 2008 secondary or you can write them in advance before they reach you. It is difficult to do both.
 
Ok. I did extensive traveling and two study abroads. Would it be best to just include all of that under one thing and explain it all? If I do that then I can say some of the things that involved less time (like the premed club). I'm maxed out on spots without trying..which caught me off guard. It really is too easy. The osteopathic application had me up to 17 and the jobs were on a separate part!
 
To LizzyM,

What category does shadowing go under? Other? or Medically related volunteer work.

Also, the amcas instructions say that admissions look for quality not quantity. But does it look bad if you only have, say 7 items/15 items?

Also, if I got multiple merit scholarships from different organizations throughout my undergraduate career. Do I list them separately?

Thanks,
 
Hey SDNers,

In the EC's portion of the amcas, I've noticed that for each EC you can write a short essay explaining the activity. How much time have you spent on these essays? I'm assuming that some of them (like clinical experiences) deserve to be well thought out, but the lesser EC's such as intramurals don't need to be. For the clinical EC's, should I just write about what I did, or should I try to draw deeper conclusions (i.e. a quasi personal statement) from the experience?
 
BDNF said:
To LizzyM,

What category does shadowing go under? Other? or Medically related volunteer work.
Click to expand...

I've seen both but "other" seems more accurate if you didn't do things to help others.

Also, the amcas instructions say that admissions look for quality not quantity. But does it look bad if you only have, say 7 items/15 items?
Click to expand...

It depends how long you did each thing. If it is a month for each activity, then that seems a little light over 36 mos (minimum between HS grad & application), if most of the things are a year in length, then you might be OK.
Also, if I got multiple merit scholarships from different organizations throughout my undergraduate career. Do I list them separately?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Might be easier to lump them under scholarships and then list them in the free text section.
 
I received several awards for academic achievement, ie, graduated Suma Cum Laude, Dean's List, etc etc.

Can I simply put "Awards for Academic Achievement" as a single EC and just list my academic awards? In my opinion, I'm sure an adcom would roll their eyes if I simply used up an EC spot for each award.
 
...but what if your school uses their own career services center to field all "committee letter" packets? My understanding is my pre=health adviser writes my committee letter and sends it to career services where they then add my specified LOR to form one packet including my committee letter AND my LORS. Once this is done, it is then up to me to send this packet to every school I applied to. Is this correct? I'm getting the impression that in addition, i need to have them put my amcas ID on the committee letter somewere? Please help. Thanks.
 
disorder said:
I received several awards for academic achievement, ie, graduated Suma Cum Laude, Dean's List, etc etc.

Can I simply put "Awards for Academic Achievement" as a single EC and just list my academic awards? In my opinion, I'm sure an adcom would roll their eyes if I simply used up an EC spot for each award.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, definitely do not use an EC spot for each award unless you're absolutely desperate and have nothing else to put on your application (but if that was the case, this would be the least of your worries).

I would say at the very MOST lump them into one, but ideally don't list them at all since they're all things your GPA either overall or by each term wouldn't already indicate. It just seems like beating a dead horse and taking up valuable spots from other noteworthy achievements
 
I would actually disagree with many posters here. i think that the activity descriptions are not a place for bullett points. many applicants have similar activities, and medical schools don't really care which activities you have been a part of, but rather what these activities have meant to you. if you have very lofty accomplishments, that is fine, but shorter statements elucidating what you enjoyed from the activities and what you learned from them tells your future interviewers a lot more than jus thte simple fact that you volunteered in a hospital. heck, everyone has volunteered in a hospital. Make sure that you are honest in these, but at the same time, talk about the subjective part of the experience along with the objective
 
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