Big AMCAS 2003 news

[UCMonkey]

Here it is, direct from my pre-med advisor. Remember, you heard it here first!

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Changes in the 2003 AMCAS application

For those of you who are familiar with the 2002 web-based AMCAS application--read on!? For the rest of you, these changes probably won't mean very much and they will all be incorporated into the application you access on the web in May.

"AMCAS has now finalized all changes [to the AMCAS application] for the 2003 entering class, and the application has entered the testing phase.? This phase is aimed at examining thoroughly all aspects of the application and will extend from now until May, when the new application will be launched.? [Stay tuned to the list for more information.]

Biographic Information:
-Applicants are required to include either a Social Security Number or Canadian Social Insurance Number.? Applicants who have neither are requested to contact AMCAS.
-Applicants can now include alphabetic characters in their Alternate IDs.

Post-Secondary Experiences:
-Applicants can enter a maximum of fifteen (15) experiences.
-Contact Daytime Telephone Number and E-Mail Address fields have been removed.

Essays:
-The Practice Vision essay has been eliminated.

Course Work:
-Applicants can no longer override automatic AMCAS grade and Semester/Supplemental Hour conversions.? Applicants who believe that these fields have been converted incorrectly can request that AMCAS make a change.

Payment:
-Applicants can now pay their application fees using Telecheck, an electronic check service [in addition to other ways].

Post-Submission Changes:
-After the initial submission of an application, the applicant may only make changes to the following questions:
?? 1.? Required and Alternate IDs
?? 2.? Name, including Full Legal Name, Preferred Name and Alternate Names.
?? 3.? Contact Information, including Permanent and Preferred Mailing Addresses, and Alternate Contact Information."

AMCAS

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[DAL]

Whoa...I like the fact they eliminated an essay but eliminating the ability to override the automatic AMCAS grade conversions and limiting the post-submission changes seems like it's going to create some unhappy campers. I may be one of them unfortunately <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

 

[Jamier2]

I guess that makes the 2002 application cycle the "Year Of The Practice Vision"

I actually liked that essay, once I was finished with it.

You lucky young'uns.

 

[trout]

Don't plan on making late address changes....even though amcas said you could do it this year for some reason none of the schools have received it....

 

[jmejia1]

Why do you guys think they did away with the EC contact email and phone numbers? I understand why they changed it to a max of 15 EC since I've heard of one applicant that included 40 ECs! About the contact numbers, could it be that they prefer to guage the validity of them during the interview?

 

[Doctora Foxy]

I liked the practice vision. It was like a mini personal statement and a sneaky way to talk in depth about another internship that influenced my specialty in mind.

It makes sense to get rid of the contact numbers. I'm in a lot of student organizations and I thought it was weird to list the club presidents and their home phone numbers! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[trout]

I had over 40...because of papers and abstracts + undergra+graduate school...many of my extra curr received phone calls...many emailed me to tell me and one I answered the phone when they were calling to check (it was 2 individual schools that were checking not amcas)

 

[El Jefe]

AMCAS probably got sick of applicants calling because they don't know the email address of the restaurant they bussed at their freshman year of college and wanted to make sure that this wouldn't result in an automatic rejection. I doubt that most schools really bother with the contacts (at least none of mine were called), so it would just save some hassle to get rid of the contact info. Maybe when you have 40+ schools check up just because having so many might sound a little fishy.

 

[edogg]

i feel like i was cheated! i would much rather put my 15 favorite post secondaries instead of wasting my time putting everything on there. And I wouldnt have to have wasted the 5 hours it took to write that vision statement. Oh well, I hope that these changes in the system dont cause new problems for this years applicants.

 

[brandonite]

Ugh. I hated the practice vision statement. I had no idea what to put, probably because I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a lot of research or not, wasn't sure if I wanted to work in a rural area or not, wasn't sure if I was interested in academic medicine or not, and gave them a list of half a dozen specialties I was thinking about. It was the single most vague piece of writing mankind has ever created...

Lucky people...

 

[mpp]

Mine was no different brandonite...

 

[EpiII]

I actually liked the Practice Vision better than the Personal Statement. The two went hand in hand for me. I did not talk too much about what I wanted to do with my medical education in the personal statement because it was in the vision statement. That gave me more space to write about my other life experiences.

Only 15 ECs! Since I am 30 and have been working in Public Health for 5 years and went to grad school, I had many more than 40 ECs. Maybe I am the reason they are limitting it. Anyway, most of the schools I interviewed at (the UCs) did not even get or look at the AMCAS application anyway, they just used the UC application where you could only list 6 or so ECs.

 

[none]

They got rid of the practice vision because most schools didn't seem able to use it. Also, it really eliminated the major interview question if it was used. I'm totally for limiting it to 15 experiences.

 

[Vasiley Zaitsev]

I'm mad that they give us the option of telecheck..wtf is that! GIVE THE PEOPLE PAYPAL! Telecheck totally sucks..guess it shows how AMCAS sucks.

owcc16

 

[brandonite]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by mpp:
•Mine was no different brandonite...•••••We can be vague together...

I really didn't understand what they were looking for with that thing...

 

[ItsGavinC]

Wow, sounds like AMCAS is getting better. Maybe in a couple of years it will work as smoothly as AADSAS :wink:

Nahh, probably not. AADSAS is upgrading their online application next year to include a *single* web page which allows registered users to view the status of their application at each individual school. One page tells you the status of your app at each school you've applied to. Won't those guys be lucky!

 

[Dr.Su]

Hi Everyone, I was just wondering how to start the appl process. i am taking the AUG MCAT, but wanted to start filling things out in JUNE. how do i get started. also, do you pay the money up front, or later. where do your letters of rec ggo? thanx

 

[brandonite]

Dr. Su -

Welcome to SDN!

I wrote the August MCAT. You'll be a bit behind in the cycle, but nothing you can't catch up from. There's not really any sense in submitting your AMCAS in June - schools probably won't even look at it until your MCATs get in. So, I'd advise submitting in August or so. But you can certainly start it in June.

You pay the $$ when you submit. Also, you send your letters to individual schools when you complete your secondary applications.

BTW, in case you don't know what secondary applications are... You select all the med schools on your AMCAS app that you wish to apply to, and AMCAS (in theory ) sends out your info to all of those schools. Then, those schools contact you with another application form for you to fill out, and more $$. At that point in time, you have your references send in their letters. You can't send the letters yourself - you can't actually have anything to do with those letters....

Make sense?

 

[rxfudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by brandonite:
•
I wrote the August MCAT•••••Not to get totally off topic here, but I have noticed that Canadians wrote the MCAT and that Americans took the MCAT. Why is this???

 

[sar520]

heh heh,

about the practice vision: i never wrote one for my amcas 2002 ap! my premed advisor told us not to for some reason. at a bunch of schools, i was asked, "Hey, what happened to your practice vision? computer glitch?" and i had to say, "uh i was told not to do it."

i definitely think it was sort of a silly idea; most of us haven't had enough exposure to different medical careers/fields to make a judgment like that. even if we've volunteered or shadowed, chances are we've done it in one or two fields, not all of them. . .

just my opinion

-s

 

[brandonite]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by rxfudd:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by brandonite:
•
I wrote the August MCAT•••••Not to get totally off topic here, but I have noticed that Canadians wrote the MCAT and that Americans took the MCAT. Why is this???•••••It's our British roots showing through, eh? :wink:

You write a test, because you write down the answers to the questions, I suppose. We also get marks, not grades. :wink:

 

[Ibis]

The way I see it, if WE had to do it......YOU should have to do it (regarding that goofy practice vision essay)!! Lame for us 2002 applicants, but good for the newbees.

 

[vixen]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by ItsGavinC:
•Wow, sounds like AMCAS is getting better. Maybe in a couple of years it will work as smoothly as AADSAS :wink:

Nahh, probably not. AADSAS is upgrading their online application next year to include a *single* web page which allows registered users to view the status of their application at each individual school. One page tells you the status of your app at each school you've applied to. Won't those guys be lucky!•••••yeah I think we're lucky. When we take our DAT, (on the computer, which we can schedule for ANY DAY!), our scores pop up right on the screen...no waiting around for 6 weeks. I def. think AMCAS will eventually be like AADSAS and somewhere down the line, the MCAT will also probably be on the computer. I def. think they have made attempts to smooth over our process of applying to dental schools...thank god, after hearing you peoples' stories, I wouldn't want to go through that!

 

[wolferman]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by jmejia1:
•Why do you guys think they did away with the EC contact email and phone numbers? I understand why they changed it to a max of 15 EC since I've heard of one applicant that included 40 ECs! •••••40 is nothing. One time when I went to print my app, someone else's app popped up on my screen. (From a post I made on SDN, I'm not the only one this happened to.) Anyway, I counted the experiences because they seemed endless. Ready for the number?....119! No joking. This guy put 119 experiences down on his AMCAS application!!

 

[Doctora Foxy]

I had under 10. I didn't add little things like deans list or premed club, etc.

was this a bad move?