* * 2011-2012 Application Season * * Post AACOMAS Questions HERE!!!

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Iliketoytles said:
Not at all. The sooner you get these things done the better, because it gives you additional time to revise/make improvements to the wording and syntax of your application AND it's just a huge burden that's lifted off your shoulders.

Best thing you can do is actually have all your descriptions and things pre-typed in a word-document BEFORE the application even opens. That way, you can just copy/paste most of your application, and fill out the actual application in a single day. This way you can spend the rest of the time studying for your MCAT without worrying about your app. :)
Click to expand...

Oh ok. I just didn't want the school to get annoyed because they would have to wait like 3-4 months to get my MCAT score after they received my verified app lol.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Hi everyone. There's a place that I volunteer at that no longer will exist (budget problems). How do I list them? With the old phone number and e-mail that are (going to be) inactive? Also, do I address "I left this place because it closed down" in an app or just not mention that?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Am I screwed? I took organic chemistry lab at my old university and did bad, so I want to retake it. problem though, it's 3 credits. Now, anywhere I go, organic lab is not 3 credits, it's less (1 or 2 credits)...I can't take it at my old institution cause I have a job....advice?
 
TriagePreMed said:
Hi everyone. There's a place that I volunteer at that no longer will exist (budget problems). How do I list them? With the old phone number and e-mail that are (going to be) inactive? Also, do I address "I left this place because it closed down" in an app or just not mention that?
Click to expand...

I never included any contact information on my Primary Application. The only place that asked for contact information is ATSU-SOMA in their secondary. I would just put it down, and what you did there and that's it. If it ever comes up at an interview, which I highly doubt, just mention that budget concerns due to the economy closed the place down and you weren't able to volunteer anymore.

pritomd said:
Am I screwed? I took organic chemistry lab at my old university and did bad, so I want to retake it. problem though, it's 3 credits. Now, anywhere I go, organic lab is not 3 credits, it's less (1 or 2 credits)...I can't take it at my old institution cause I have a job....advice?
Click to expand...

Pretty much you are screwed. AACOMAS states that the replacement course must be equal or great in units to the old course. Now, you have to look at Semester Units vs Quarter Units. If your old Uni did quarter units, then you may be in luck and go get a replacement at a Semester Unit school. You could try emailing the support staff and asking them for help.
 
Drat! Nope, it was semester units...I haven't found a single university that has a 3-credit organic chem lab..it's all either 2 or 1...dang my college for being hard. That's really rough, I did very poorly...should I still retake it so adcoms will see that I did better in the subject matter (that is...organic lab #2), even though it won't count toward grade replacement since the new class would be 2 credits (or 1)?
 
pritomd said:
Drat! Nope, it was semester units...I haven't found a single university that has a 3-credit organic chem lab..it's all either 2 or 1...dang my college for being hard. That's really rough, I did very poorly...should I still retake it so adcoms will see that I did better in the subject matter (that is...organic lab #2), even though it won't count toward grade replacement since the new class would be 2 credits (or 1)?
Click to expand...

What did you get in the Lab? How much does it affect your GPA? If you're looking at a 3.4 vs a 3.5 GPA, then you should be fine not retaking it. Do you have multiple classes AFTER that class with improvement in grades? A's in upper division courses.
 
pritomd said:
Am I screwed? I took organic chemistry lab at my old university and did bad, so I want to retake it. problem though, it's 3 credits. Now, anywhere I go, organic lab is not 3 credits, it's less (1 or 2 credits)...I can't take it at my old institution cause I have a job....advice?
Click to expand...
If you take a combined lecture/lab class, you can avoid this problem.
 
I know that the AACOMAS is released to schools on Tuesdays (and that it can take a few days for the app to say that it was released to school X,Y,and Z), but if I was just verified today (a Tuesday), would the information have been released today, or would it not be released until next Tuesday?

Thanks! :)
 
Quick question: If I don't have an advisor/committee, most schools want two professors. I've only taken a couple of classes this year (I recently came back after graduating 4 years ago). I only have one real PhD professor, the other one was a lab instructor for 2 semesters in A&P who was a DC (chiropractor), but they both know me better than any of the ones back in undergrad 4-5 years ago. Would having a non-PhD LOR be a problem?
 
Hey ya'll. Anyone happen to be familiar with BYU's online science courses? I need to retake second semester physics (lecture portion) and was wondering if D.O. schools would count BYU's easy physics II course as a replacement. I'm planning on taking the lab at a local extension college so I'm all good there. Thankssssssss :)
 
Call the specific schools. Some may not want to see online courses.
 
Hey everyone,

I submitted my primary last week and I remembered seeing a calculated cGPA and sGPA through AACOMAS, but now I do not see it anywhere I look. In the coursework section, it has all my classes and grades listed, but no GPA values. Where would I find this information in my application, or is it something I now calculate manually? Thanks!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
After you submit, it is gone. Once you are verified you can open the pdf that all the schools get and it says it there. But until then, it has vanished.
 
I got my GED at 16 and started college early. How do I indicate that in the High School section of the app, since I didn't technically graduate?
 
chewy88 said:
Hey everyone,

I submitted my primary last week and I remembered seeing a calculated cGPA and sGPA through AACOMAS, but now I do not see it anywhere I look. In the coursework section, it has all my classes and grades listed, but no GPA values. Where would I find this information in my application, or is it something I now calculate manually? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yep, once you submit your app you can't see your gpa again until the schools have it. Keep in mind that once you are verified, it will still take a few days until the schools get it. When they do, a date link will show up next to the school that received it and you can open up a pdf to look at it.

On the bright side, my sGPA increased 1.6 points between the time I submitted it to the time it showed up in the pdf. Not sure what happened, but I'll take it.
 
I received notification from AACOMAS that there had been a problem with my transcripts / course work. I fixed the issue and re-submitted the application. Anybody have this happen to them? If so, am I basically starting over again and now have to wait another month for verification?
 
I find AACOMAS to be a pain. Wish it had similar format with AMCAS. I've had my app undelivered twice due to course semester hours grade classification & coursework not corresponding with the term/year. I had no issues with AMCAS. Will be re-entering my entire coursework again. Anyone had similar experience?
 
Man, I'm sorry to hear that, I can't even imagine the frustration you're going through. Did you have complicated semester/quarter hours through different schools or something that could be the culprit?
 
dannydickman said:
Man, I'm sorry to hear that, I can't even imagine the frustration you're going through. Did you have complicated semester/quarter hours through different schools or something that could be the culprit?
Click to expand...
I attended 2 colleges & had spring/fall semester. Fixing it not a big issues. Just the mere fact of re-entering/reformatting all the classes again.
 
I was a 4 year student-athlete that went to school solely based on cost because college is not cheap. Using sports, I paid for my first 4 years of school and now I am finishing undergrad at a carnegie-1 back home.

It doesn't look like AACOMAS has a section to write that I was a student-athlete. How else should I make it known that I played 4 years of intercollegiate athletics other than in my personal statement or listing each years scholarships?
 
maestrohuang said:
I was a 4 year student-athlete that went to school solely based on cost because college is not cheap. Using sports, I paid for my first 4 years of school and now I am finishing undergrad at a carnegie-1 back home.

It doesn't look like AACOMAS has a section to write that I was a student-athlete. How else should I make it known that I played 4 years of intercollegiate athletics other than in my personal statement or listing each years scholarships?
Click to expand...

There's a section for extracurriculars/hobbies. Put it there and really sell it.

I put snowboarding, motorcycling, etc in that section because I wanted to show AdComms that I do stuff other than study.
 
Similarly to the AMCAS application, there is only a small area for listing intercollegiate athletics. As a student that has transferred multiple times for financial purposes, I am assuming I will have to list each school's athletic programs that I joined...
 
The following information is from the AACOMAS:

"The Colleges and Coursework section of the application
includes the option to print transcript request forms.
While not required, submitting this form with each transcript
will expedite the processing of your application."

Why would someone submit a transcript request form if they already have the transcripts with them?
 
2 things:

-In the future, this kind of question is better suited for the pre-osteo forums. There are lots of other applicants there who can answer most of your questions.

-To answer your question, AACOMAS requires that transcripts are sent directly from your schools. The form is for you to send to your school when requesting a transcript, who will then send both your transcript and the form to AACOMAS. The form will have your AACOMAS number/information on it, which helps them link the transcript with your account. As they said, it isn't required but it can help make things move faster.
 
I just have a few questions about applying to DO schools.

1) What classes are included in sGPA and does the sGPA include classes that have been taken more than once?

2) If the ACCOMAS application opens in May when should I ask the faculty members and DO to write LORs for me?

Thank you so much!
 
1) See the document I attached for a breakdown of how to list your classes. If by "taken more than once" you mean classes that you have replaced, there will be a section on the application that allows you to enter the 1st attempt, 2nd attempt and so on. They only use the highest grade attempt. (This is also explained in the attached document.)

2) I'll let someone else provide this who probably has a better answer than me.
 

Attachments

  • AACOMAS Instructions - Course Guide.pdf
    90.8 KB · Views: 55
Thank you so much! You're document really helped! Enjoy the Holidays!
 
You should ask for LORs way ahead of time. Like 2-3 months ahead of time just to make sure you get them all. Make an interfolio account, and have them submit the letters to interfolio. That way they just have to do it once, and you can send the schools the letters through interfolio. It's really simple, and makes everyone's lives easier.
 
Hopefully that document helped with #1.

For #2... you submit your LORs with your secondaries. AACOMAS opens in May for you to fill out, but you actually can't submit it until June 1st. So assuming you submit on June 1st, your application will be verified around 3-4 weeks. Then secondaries will start flowing in your inbox (they are sent via email) about a week later. So if you want everything to be as finished as possible, you want your LORs to be uploaded to your Interfolio account by the last week of June/beginning of July. Which means you want to ask your letter writers for a letter by the end of May (so they have a courtesy month to write the letter).

Hope all that makes sense! :)
 
Like Toytles said, for DO schools your LOR's are due with your secondaries. For MD schools, they should be in with your AMCAS application before you submit on June 1st.

Personally, the most frustrating thing was waiting for my physician to write the LOR. It held me up for a good 2 weeks, and I lost a good amount of hair over it. Get it done, or at least start the process 2-3 months out (same with your PS). In the meantime, gain as much valuable experience and volunteering as you can to pad your app.
 
???
I'm pretty sure that my OP was posted in the Pre-Osteopathic forum...
 
There are certain aspects of your application that are outside of your control. You have no control over how long it takes your MCAT score to release (30 days). You have no control over how long it takes your AACOMAS application to be verified (7-30 days).

Much the same, you have no control over how long it takes to receive your letters of recommendation (1 day - never). One of my letter writers took about a week and the others took over a month with one taking three months.

There is absolutely no reason that you cannot go ahead and ask for them now. In fact, it's a wonderful idea, as you will be way ahead of the 12 other people who are likely to ask them for letters as well. Just let them know you intend to use them next cycle so they don't put anything particularly time sensitive into them.

If you use a service like Interfolio (which I highly recommend!) then you will have the single most "out of your hands" aspect of your application taken care of months in advance.

Trust us on this one!
 
To add to that, go ahead and start fleshing out your personal statement. It's not something you want to write even in the span of a week. Make an outline, write a rough draft, and don't look at it for a week or two. Come back and look at it again - you'll undoubtedly realize there's something you hate. Do this a few times over the course of a couple months and your PS will be much better than your peers.

That's what I did and I read through it again the other day after not having looked at it in three months. I wouldn't change a thing.
 
hoops90 said:
The following information is from the AACOMAS:

"The Colleges and Coursework section of the application
includes the option to print transcript request forms.
While not required, submitting this form with each transcript
will expedite the processing of your application."

Why would someone submit a transcript request form if they already have the transcripts with them?
Click to expand...

The application has a "print transcript request form" section that you are then going to hand to the registrar and ask them to include with your official transcripts when they mail them. Otherwise, they're going to send your transcripts in an envelope directly to AACOMAS, without any AACOMAS paperwork, and AACOMAS is going to have to manually find your application and associate it with them.

The transcript request form has a barcode on it so it makes me think when the transcript comes in the barcode is scanned and automatically associated with your AACOMAS application.

The last thing you want to do is make AACOMAS mad at you. Be sure the registrar includes the form in the envelope.

Why would someone submit a transcript request form if they already have the transcripts with them?
Click to expand...

You do realize you can't send these in yourself, right? Official transcripts from the college submitted by them. I suppose you could get the sealed envelopes and send them in yourself but why do that? It's only going to raise red flags.
 
Thank you so much for all of your help! I was very confused about the LORs and would have never known that I had to make my own Interfolio account. I also didn't know about the ACCOMAS Transcript form and will definitely use that! My brother went to Mizzou that has a Pre-Medical committee that helps students with a lot of this stuff. On the other hand my college doesn't and I have been feeling extremely lost!
 
Can you pay for it with check, money order, or by providing the account/routing number? I have a bank account but no debit or credit card that goes with it.
 
As I remember, the only way to pay was with card. You may be able to mail a check or money order, but I distinctly remember there being no place for routing/account numbers. Download the details that you're supposed to before filling it out. The payment info should be spelled out in that document. Hope that helps!
 
NastySpice said:
AACOMAS and Lab classes:

hey, i've been verified for a while, but I thought I'd ask this now:

the AACOMAS, unlike the AMCAS, does not ask you to signify which courses are lab courses.

my transcript lists some of my courses that were lab courses as lab courses, but some aren't, and the combined lecture/labs are not listed as such. will this be a problem at all? i have the required number of credit hours in each subject, so it's fairly clear that I have done my science prereqs, but is this something that I would discuss with individual schools if it comes up?
Click to expand...

If someone could answer this it would be much appreciated. I have the exact same problem -- none of my lecture+lab courses say "and lab" on the transcript. AMCAS directly addresses this common problem: you simply add "and Lab" to the end of the official name.

But I can't find a simple answer in the AACOMAS instructions, other than "contact your registrar and get them to send official information" -- yeaaaaaah, not gonna fly with my university. They don't take personal requests like that kindly (trust me, I've tried). The best I could do is scan copies of old Course Catalogs... but that seems ridiculous.
 
Just finished fall semester and need to update my coursework and grades. Do I just have to wait for my updated transcripts to get to AACOMAS and they will automatically send an update to my med schools? Anybody know how long they usually take to verify these new classes? I'm on hold at several schools and I'm hoping these grades will trigger some interest! :xf: Thanks.
 
Late Bloomer said:
Just finished fall semester and need to update my coursework and grades. Do I just have to wait for my updated transcripts to get to AACOMAS and they will automatically send an update to my med schools? Anybody know how long they usually take to verify these new classes? I'm on hold at several schools and I'm hoping these grades will trigger some interest! :xf: Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how long the process is, but I have talked with a few schools I applied to and they told me to send them an unofficial copy of my transcript while they waited for AACOMAS to be updated. I know this is probably not the case at all schools, but it might be worth calling and asking!
 
I've searched the threads but didn't find a specific answer to a grade replacement question. I also cannot find an answer on the AACOMAS website.

Does anyone have a specific experience with replacing a 4-credit science class (combined lecture/lab) with a 4-credit lecture/1-credit lab?

I see from previous responses that since the new course is equal to or greater in terms of credits, I should be fine. My uncertainty lies in the original course produced a single grade while the replacement course will produce two separate and possibly different grades, such as an "A" for lecture and an "A-" for lab.

Has anyone faced a similar situation in the past?

Thanks in advance!
 
Hey guys, another question for you.

As a Canadian applicant, will schools receive my current OMSAS GPA? Or do schools I apply to only receive the GPA as calculated and converted by AACOMAS? Or both?

Thank you
 
drgioiadds said:
AACOMAS only. How would they get your Omsas?
Click to expand...

Okay great. And to be honest I don't know. I guess if I asked myself that I would have answered my own question. I was just concerned as my AACOMAS GPA is much better than my OMSAS GPA.
 
I didn't follow through with OMSAS, but mine was .2 lower as well, simply because all A's aren't equal with OMSAS.
 
So a while ago I decided to retake both semesters of Organic Chemistry to bump up my GPA and give me a more realistic shot at getting admitted.

However, I already have my bachelor's degree, so the retake is at a local community college.

I earned an A in the first semester and am working on doing the same this semester.

Here's the odd part:
When I took it the first time around, lab and lecture were counted separately (2 units and 3 units, respectively).
But at the CC where I'm retaking it, each semester counts as a single 5-unit course.

Will this replace the old grade for just the lecture portion, or can I apply it to both the lecture and the lab?

Thanks for reading. If it weren't for the helpful folks here I would be very, very lost!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

N
AACOMAS Fee Waiver?
Replies
1
Views
206
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
PapaGuava
  • Sticky
*~*~Official AACOMAS Questions Thread 2023-2024~*~*
2 3
Replies
117
Views
10K
purkinjekitty
purkinjekitty
J
Application Advice Please (submission date)
Replies
4
Views
600
Goro
Goro
P
How long for AACOMAS application to be verified?
Replies
3
Views
516
officially_apostate
officially_apostate
Shahzadriel
Question on MCAT retake update to submitted/verified AACOMAS application?
Replies
7
Views
1K
wysdoc
wysdoc
Top