AMCAS hour format could be bad

[ratman7]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Previously, AMCAS used the "hours/week" section for extra activities, but now I believe it's using the "total hours"

In some cases, this could be positive, but I really dislike the negative consequences that can diminish the impact of continuous service.

Ex:
Take someone who volunteers weekly 3-5 hours/week for 2 years and at application time, suppose they have 300 hours total, all from weekly distribution and weekly attendance

Take someone who volunteers only during breaks and summer, but does so 8-10 hours/day everyday (binge volunteering). They may also have 300 hours total, but would not be regular attendance.

The first person may put March 2015 - March 2017 as their time duration, but so may the second person as well if they volunteered in those two years on easter break, spring break, winter break, and summer.

I think that the person who goes weekly instead of binging the hours shows more dedication to their activity and that this new system of reporting "total hours" will remove that distinction from that during application review. Any thoughts?

Or can you just say in the description: "Weekly attendance" or some other phrasing indicating that you went weekly?

 

[Ismet]

Is this really that new? I'm pretty sure this has been going on for the last 2 cycles.

You put a time frame and total hours. Who really cares at what times during that time frame you got the hours? 300 hours is 300 hours whether you went once a week or once a month or every other month.

You can put whatever you want in the description.

 

[Goro]

Give us at least a little credit...we're sharp enough to figure out that people have lives and responsibilities, and not everyone can do ECs at standardized time intervals.

Previously, AMCAS used the "hours/week" section for extra activities, but now I believe it's using the "total hours"

In some cases, this could be positive, but I really dislike the negative consequences that can diminish the impact of continuous service.

Ex:
Take someone who volunteers weekly 3-5 hours/week for 2 years and at application time, suppose they have 300 hours total, all from weekly distribution and weekly attendance

Take someone who volunteers only during breaks and summer, but does so 8-10 hours/day everyday (binge volunteering). They may also have 300 hours total, but would not be regular attendance.

The first person may put March 2015 - March 2017 as their time duration, but so may the second person as well if they volunteered in those two years on easter break, spring break, winter break, and summer.

I think that the person who goes weekly instead of binging the hours shows more dedication to their activity and that this new system of reporting "total hours" will remove that distinction from that during application review. Any thoughts?

Or can you just say in the description: "Weekly attendance" or some other phrasing indicating that you went weekly?

 

[kill00]

.Del

 

[einsteinm]

Well, you do list duration. I had a similar concern, but you can elaborate in the description. I ended up volunteering around 300 hours over 4 years (~2 hr/week/semester). I did put this as one of my 3 most significant experiences, however.

 

[MrLogan13]

You know they can see the dates as well as the hours, so binge volunteering is still obvious, right?

 

[mehc012]

You know they can see the dates as well as the hours, so binge volunteering is still obvious, right?

85hrs in one week. Then 6mo later another 85hr binge. Then 6mo later 2hrs. Tada! You've done 172hrs over the course of a year!
...not that I think it matters, really, but yeah you can still binge. imo this makes this a better system, because some activities simply aren't weekly

 

[Promethean]

Is this really the level of detailed scrutiny that you expect your application will receive? When it is in a pile of thousands of similar apps? Do you really expect that any adcom is going to think deeply about the distribution of hours in each EC in every app that comes across their desk?

They only have time and attention to notice big trends. If you are reporting 10,000 hours of EC's in 2 years, you got some 'splaining to do, Lucy. Only 100 hours total during that time? Maybe you should go have some adventures and report back next cycle. If you fall somewhere in a reasonable patch in between, and the ECs are interesting and meaningful, then cool, you will have something to talk about at the interview. Please just don't waste that opportunity harping about your hour distribution and what that says about you.

 

[LizzyM]

I volunteer at least 4 hours per month and then I "binge" volunteer a few times per year as a group I belong to holds events that involve direct service to the poor. Today is one of those days. Adcoms know from experience how this works. List start & end dates and total number of hours and all will be well.

 

[kyamh]

85hrs in one week. Then 6mo later another 85hr binge. Then 6mo later 2hrs. Tada! You've done 172hrs over the course of a year!
...not that I think it matters, really, but yeah you can still binge. imo this makes this a better system, because some activities simply aren't weekly

Just because you are "binge" volunteering, doesn't make those hours any more or less valuable. People are busy, I don't think there is anything wrong with dedicating a full weekend or something a semester to an organization you care about rather than going in for a couple of hours every few weeks. In fact, people who "binge" are probably often more helpful than the rotating door of 1-3hr volunteers.

 

[PantherPride]

For my application, if an activity was a regular occurrence I would put in the description "I volunteered at X regularly for X hours/week." Or "I dedicated X hours weekly to this activity." Problem solved.

 

[mehc012]

Just because you are "binge" volunteering, doesn't make those hours any more or less valuable. People are busy, I don't think there is anything wrong with dedicating a full weekend or something a semester to an organization you care about rather than going in for a couple of hours every few weeks. In fact, people who "binge" are probably often more helpful than the rotating door of 1-3hr volunteers.

I didn't say anything against bingeing. In fact, I said that allowing for bingeing made this a better system, as some activities aren't well suited to a weekly schedule. All I pointed out was that it was still possible to binge hours without it being obvious (which could be good, given that some people do dislike the practice).