Advisor Information System: CONFIDENTIALITY?

[spotdiagnostics]

Can someone tell me what this is?


Advisor Information System


The AAMC Advisor Information System (AIS) assists health professions advisors by providing them with confidential information about medical school applicants. Personally identifiable information pertaining to applicants and to medical schools is considered confidential. Release to unauthorized third parties is strictly prohibited.



http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/advisors/start.htm



The AAMC recognizes its responsibility to treat with care the information it collects about individuals involved in medical education, and to respect their privacy relative to sensitive data concerning them. To meet this obligation, the Association has developed policies to prevent the exposure of truly confidential personal data without the permission of the individual involved, to limit the distribution of sensitive data to those situations which require it, and to permit distribution of non-sensitive, directory information wherever a useful purpose can be served.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[LizzyM]

If you sign a consent, the AAMC will give your premed advisor access to the information on your AMCAS application

"This report provides biographic, academic, and admission information for individual AMCAS applicants who authorized release of information to their advisor(s) on their AMCAS Application."

This will make it possible, I think, for a pre-med advisor to see which students have received offers from which schools. I suspect that they already have the biographic & academic information but this puts it altogether in a format they can use in making advising decisions.

 

[spotdiagnostics]

If you sign a consent, the AAMC will give your premed advisor access to the information on your AMCAS application

"This report provides biographic, academic, and admission information for individual AMCAS applicants who authorized release of information to their advisor(s) on their AMCAS Application."

This will make it possible, I think, for a pre-med advisor to see which students have received offers from which schools. I suspect that they already have the biographic & academic information but this puts it altogether in a format they can use in making advising decisions.

i marked my MCATS for private, ie did not authorize release. funny how i got unsolicited mail from med schools soon afterwards

Has anyone else witnessed a breach in confidentiality? I find this troubling as I highly value privacy

 

[LizzyM]

First: AMCAS applications are not the same as MCAT exams. The Advisor Information System relates to applications, not scores. I suppose you could apply to med school without your pre-med advisor knowing about it. I suppose you could tell your pre-med advisor that you would not divulge your MCAT scores to the pre-med advisor. Is that wise? How do you expect to be advised if you will not give your advisor the information necessary to give you advice. Part of the advice you get from an advisor is based on how students from your institution have fared in the past. The data from AAMC is what an advisor depends on to tell you that given your grades & MCAT and given that you are graduating from X University you have a xx% chance of getting into Y Med School.

Are you sure that the medical schools got your address from the MCAT?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of l974 permits schools to release "directory information" about students. This includes student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, class schedule, awards and degrees received, most recent previous educational agency attended, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams." You have to actually "opt-out" of the release of this information. So medical schools can get this information from undergrad institutions. It may just be coincidence that it coincided with the date of the MCAT.

 

[Bin Rushd]

@LizzyM @Catalystik

1.) Do you recommend checking yes for the "Advisor Release" question on AMCAS?

2.) Is the purpose only to provide my advisor with additional info about me so that he can guide me further?

3.) He already knows me well and is writing me a letter of rec, and I don't know if this EXPECTED of me to release my whole application??

4.) Also, do you med schools see whether I released it to my advisor or not? If so, how do they view this?

Sorry for specific questions. Looking forward to your response.

 

[LizzyM]

@LizzyM @Catalystik

1.) Do you recommend checking yes for the "Advisor Release" question on AMCAS?

2.) Is the purpose only to provide my advisor with additional info about me so that he can guide me further?

3.) He already knows me well and is writing me a letter of rec, and I don't know if this EXPECTED of me to release my whole application??

4.) Also, do you med schools see whether I released it to my advisor or not? If so, how do they view this?

Sorry for specific questions. Looking forward to your response.

The only question I can answer is #4. I can't see whether an applicant released the application to the advisor.

 

[Bin Rushd]

Ok, thanks for your reply!

Can anyone else answer question #2?

Just curious of the purpose. My advisor will be uploading all my letters to AMCAS, and I don't if this release is required for him to do so.