2008-2009 AMCAS Questions Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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bozz said:
Srsly... dunno what happened. Mine were sent on the 19th. No idea what happened. But then again AMCAS (near the login) says that they are updating transcripts that were received on the 20th.. so who knows
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Its been 7 business days for me, the 15th I think.
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Can someone answer my question so I don't need to call AAMC? 😛

If I did the same internship program two years in a row, but it was in different labs and performing totally different research, should they be listed separately?
 
You don't have to keep checking the details, you get an email once they receive one from a school you have listed.
 
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SB100 said:
Can someone answer my question so I don't need to call AAMC? 😛

If I did the same internship program two years in a row, but it was in different labs and performing totally different research, should they be listed separately?
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If you can describe what you did during both years in the program in 1325 characters or less (max allowed), I would list them together. If not, list them separately so you have more characters to describe each year.

I'm not sure if that's the correct way, that's just my advice.
 
When we submit our information at the end of our junior year, will medical school only look at the 6 semesters which we already did or will our GPA have the 2 semesters during our last year? Thanks!! 😀
 
as the application cycle progresses, they will ask you to submit any info such as grades as it becomes available. If they make a decision on you in December, only your first 6 semesters will be used. If Feb-May, then either 6 or 7, if you are waitlisted, anywhere from 6 to 8 will be used in the decision. If your GPA goes up significantly, you can call in and verify that they have included your grades in your file. But even if you are accepted in early fall, Med schools can rescind your acceptance if you perform poorly in your senior year. Honestly a lot depends on how organized/lazy the school is.
 
Thanks! I asked because I ended with around a 2.9 GPA my first year. I was wondering if I should take summer classes to boost it up next year.
 
This might seems obvious, but d'yall think it's cool to write "i learned such-and-such about myself when volunteering/working at XYZ" or "i found that my leadership really shined during this activity" or " i never knew i could be so awesome at helping people until conducting this workshop", etc. on the activities section when typing in descriptions,

OR

should it be a very basic overview of what was done kind of thing….

i.e. could it perhaps be viewed as stealing part of a section to stick in something that isn't requested.

Thoughts'd be grande appreciando.
 
ChubbyChaser said:
Its been 7 business days for me, the 15th I think.
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I sent out my transcript request to my undergrad on the 10th; they received it on the 13th... 2-3 days processing plus 2-3 days for delivery.. and AMCAS sent me an email on the 23rd saying they got the transcript on the 21st and entered it into the system.

So to recap, that took 2 business days for my UG to get the request, 2-3 business days for them to process it and mail it out, and 2-3 business days for delivery. So that's maybe 2-3 business days that it was with AMCAS waiting for it to be processed. And that's with a fudged transcript request form (used 2008 application to generate a letter request, then modified the dates).

You guys should be getting emails very soon. I'm waiting on my post-bac's transcript (they sent it out on the 22nd) to get there and be processed.
 
Hi guys I'm new here and have a few questions regarding this upcoming app cycle. When I was 14, I quit high school because it was very slow paced. I began home schooling and taking courses at my community college. So from my high school years, I have about 60 credits, none of which are science. I was part time every semester taking only 2-3 courses and I got B's in most of them because I was completely undecided on my major, let alone my career. Would it be best to list these courses at high school or freshman? What will the adcoms think of those classes if I indicate HS vs freshman? Once I began full time at Arizona State University my asu grades and cc grades averaged out to be a 3.6 cum and 3.5 science GPA. I have explained my 3.0 gpa at my cc in my personal statement. Will my gpa be thought of as the 3.5 it is, or will they see the trend in my grades and accept that I became much more mature when I became a full time freshman?

Sorry for the long-windedness!

AZFDOC
 
You need to list all grades at accredited institutions as college grades.

Adcoms will take into account upward trends.

What is your cumulative GPA from ASU?
 
at ASU my cum is 3.7 and my science is 3.6. So once I transferred, my GPA shot right up. I know I need to send all the transcripts in and list the courses, I just wondered if there was anything I need to know about classifying courses as HS vs FM.

thx
 
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As I recall from a brief read through of the AMCAS pdf manual, you need to classify those as regular college courses. You might want to check it out on their website though. I could be wrong.
 
I cannot find that. From my understanding of p. 50 in the instructions, I think it says I should call them high school. Does this look any better or worse?
 
AZFutureDoc said:
I cannot find that. From my understanding of p. 50 in the instructions, I think it says I should call them high school. Does this look any better or worse?
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It looks better, of course. Some schools, like the University of Washington, explicitly weight college GPA towards your senior year. Others take a more holistic approach and "pay more attention" to grades earned as an actual college students. Others might not.

You can go ahead and list them as high school. If AMCAS disagrees, they'll change it or tell you to change it.
 
1) For a pass/fail class, should I enter PS for pass where the grade is supposed to be, or just leave it empty and check the pass/fail box?

2) I did undergraduate research, and it took my advisor and me longer than expected to finish analyzing the data and writing it up. And, this was my last semester. So, I was given a temporary incomplete while we finished up. I ended up with an A, but because of the delay, my degree was actually conferred in August, rather than May. So:
A) Do I need to mark incomplete for this course, since I had an incomplete for a short time? Will this look bad?
B) For the dates where you list when you started and ended school, should I list the May date since that is when I officially stopped taking classes, or should I list August since that is when I technically finished the work and was given my degree? (I wasn't officially signed up for any summer courses, etc).

3) For course name and number, do I just list CHEM and 011, respectively, or do you put the course description for the name, such as GEN DESCRIP CHEM I ? Is CHEM11 considered the course number and GEN DESCRIP CHEM I is considered the course name?

4) For the question, Does this course include a lab section, do you only mark Combined Lecture and Lab if the lab grade was included in the course grade? So, Chem 11 would be marked lecture only and chem 11L would be marked lab only (its own grade was given)? And for physics, it would be marked Combined Lecture an Lab since my lab grade was factored into my lecture grade and only one grade was assigned for both?

Thanks
 
it might be a good idea to get in all the extra credit you can get before application time. while schools will look at updates, your later coursework won't help you at all if you get screened out pre-interview.
 
bumping up my question 🙂

Hi, could someone please help me with the following?

1) On the AMCAS application, when it asks for the type of degree and declared major/minor - does that information have to match what is on the current transcript?

On my current transcript, it says I am a double major - but I am no longer interested in pursuing the double major.
The one major I am interested in pursuing, however, offers either a B.A. or a B.S. -- the B.S. stating that you have taken more classes within that major.
Currently, I am a declared B.A. with that major -- but want to "change" that to a B.S. in that major, aka, I want to take more classes within that major to get the B.S. Likewise, I plan to drop my double major.
So what do I put on the AMCAS?

2) Also, I want to pursue a Chemistry minor (one more class needed for this, which I am signed up for in the fall) but have not declared it officially with my school. Can I still state that I am taking this minor on the AMCAS?

3) As for course listings, during my freshman year I took a Standard Writing Practice "class" - it was essentially a one-on-one session with a composition professor that met like once a week for an hour. This "class" was not for a grade. The final grade that appears for the class is "REP." Attempted, Earned, GPA Hours, and Quality Point all say "0.00"
Even though this is listed on my transcript, do I have to put it on the AMCAS? I did read the help guide on AMCAS regarding courses and repeated courses, but this was not a "class" I took for credit, nor was it an actual "class" - it's just listed on my transcript. According to the college, however, this course is:

Individualized Writing Instruction/Preparation - Register for this zero-credit writing mini-course if help is needed with basic skills for a Writing Exam, long-term assistance with a research project, or general writing processes help.
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Thanks!
 
So I'm taking the Mcat July 18th and I just started studying and I need to get rolling on my application for aamc. When they ask u if you have ever been involved in disciplinary action at your school would that inform,ation show up on my transcripts. I have attended 4 colleges. This will be my last graduating next year 😀! But anyway some things have happened to me along my course in life to get where I am now. I have done some things where I was put on probation at the school, and was even expelled from one. Should I explain what happened and how I have grown into the mature young man I am now. What is an educated person's advice?
 
DrRichand1 -
It is my understanding that you MUST list all disciplinary action that has been taken against you. You are given a chance to explain what happened, and what you learned (which I would suggest doing). Schools may ask for a Dean's Letter from your undergraduate institutions, and to have them find out then about whatever you did (and that you lied on AMCAS) would be very bad. Also, given that you will have to submit transcripts from your undergrad institutions, I imagine that your expulsion will show up on your transcript. Things like probation might not appear (although you can get an official copy of your transcript to check), but again, you might get caught up if a school requires a Dean's Letter (which is to check whether you have been put on probation, suspended, expelled, etc.)
 
DrRichand1 said:
So I'm taking the Mcat July 18th and I just started studying and I need to get rolling on my application for aamc. When they ask u if you have ever been involved in disciplinary action at your school would that inform,ation show up on my transcripts. I have attended 4 colleges. This will be my last graduating next year 😀! But anyway some things have happened to me along my course in life to get where I am now. I have done some things where I was put on probation at the school, and was even expelled from one. Should I explain what happened and how I have grown into the mature young man I am now. What is an educated person's advice?
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You are not alone. At least three people have asked that question this past week.

You need to list it. Go ahead and explain & show how you've grown since. Don't shirk responsibility for your actions. If you don't list it and are caught, you can be denied admission, or even lose your seat in the school any time during your education.
 
AZFutureDoc said:
Hi guys I'm new here and have a few questions regarding this upcoming app cycle. When I was 14, I quit high school because it was very slow paced. I began home schooling and taking courses at my community college. So from my high school years, I have about 60 credits, none of which are science. I was part time every semester taking only 2-3 courses and I got B's in most of them because I was completely undecided on my major, let alone my career. Would it be best to list these courses at high school or freshman? What will the adcoms think of those classes if I indicate HS vs freshman? Once I began full time at Arizona State University my asu grades and cc grades averaged out to be a 3.6 cum and 3.5 science GPA. I have explained my 3.0 gpa at my cc in my personal statement. Will my gpa be thought of as the 3.5 it is, or will they see the trend in my grades and accept that I became much more mature when I became a full time freshman?

Sorry for the long-windedness!

AZFDOC
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Hey, AZ. I am another home educated student who took classes at the CC while in high school. Those classes will show up on the AMCAS breakdown as being taken before freshman year, as will classes for anyone who takes them the summer prior to the fall of the official freshman year. I will list them under "high school" because that's where AMCAS will place them, anyway. Those classes will be calculated in your final GPA just like any others. The only difference is that you will have an extra category year.

What will adcomms think? They realize that people mature and that classes taken during high school do not necessarily reflect your abilities today. They also notice upward trends - in a good way.
 
Hey,

Does anyone know how I list my transfer credits from a CC on the app? The instructions say to list all courses on the transcript and I have credit transfer from the CC course onto my undergrad transcript, but I did not receive a grade for the course. Should I just list the course twice since it appears on both transcripts? In addition, do I select Junior college as the option for the CC even though I only took 1 course there?

Thanks!
 
nikkiMD19 said:
I'm in the same position! I'm going on a mission trip at the end of june/early july and thus can't list it on the application. I think I'm going to mention it briefly in my personal statement so at least adcoms get the heads up... hopefully I'll then be able to mention it in the secondary apps.
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A friend of mine included the dates of her program in the description section although she couldn't put the actual dates.
 
Anyone have any help for me? Please, please, please see my questions a few posts up.

THANKS
 
talkalot24 said:
1) For a pass/fail class, should I enter PS for pass where the grade is supposed to be, or just leave it empty and check the pass/fail box?

2) I did undergraduate research, and it took my advisor and me longer than expected to finish analyzing the data and writing it up. And, this was my last semester. So, I was given a temporary incomplete while we finished up. I ended up with an A, but because of the delay, my degree was actually conferred in August, rather than May. So:
A) Do I need to mark incomplete for this course, since I had an incomplete for a short time? Will this look bad?
B) For the dates where you list when you started and ended school, should I list the May date since that is when I officially stopped taking classes, or should I list August since that is when I technically finished the work and was given my degree? (I wasn't officially signed up for any summer courses, etc).

3) For course name and number, do I just list CHEM and 011, respectively, or do you put the course description for the name, such as GEN DESCRIP CHEM I ? Is CHEM11 considered the course number and GEN DESCRIP CHEM I is considered the course name?

4) For the question, Does this course include a lab section, do you only mark Combined Lecture and Lab if the lab grade was included in the course grade? So, Chem 11 would be marked lecture only and chem 11L would be marked lab only (its own grade was given)? And for physics, it would be marked Combined Lecture an Lab since my lab grade was factored into my lecture grade and only one grade was assigned for both?

Thanks
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I can only help you a little bit.

#4 You have figured out correctly.

#2 List the grades however they are listed on your transcript. They've seen incompletes followed by an official grade before. Adcomms aren't going to stress out over that. I would just put May since you weren't officially enrolled after that.
 
I took a few AP tests in HS and received "Elective Credits" for them through my university. Should I still list the AP credits, even if it did not go directly towards lets say a BISC-101 or CHEM-101 class? If yes, what do I input for "Transcript Grade" and "Credit Hour" on the AMCAS? Thanks.
 
Thanks a lot humid. That's kind of what I expected they would do.

Later!
 
Hey guys, this is my first time posting. I go to a school on the quarter system and spring grades probably won't be made final until June 20. I was wondering if I should wait for my spring quarter grades before I submit my AMCAS or should I just submit ASAP? Also will I be able to update my grades on AMCAS later on? I think including my spring grades will really help my GPA. Thanks so much!
 
Ok guys a bit of a Dilemma.

I was a second author on an abstract that was presented at a conference and then published in the Mcgill Journal of medicine. However for some reason, there were 2 different posters from our lab, the other project was presented and appeared in the MJM online, but the project I was involved on was not, but this was by mistake that should have been corrected by the conference president. If I put this down as a pub and reference it, the abstract I was on wouldn't appear there.

However, the first author and presenter for the project I was involved, won the 3rd place prize which does appear - In more than one way I can verify that it was by mistake and that it should have been published.

Any ideas how to tackle this in terms of listing it as an activity?
 
jamesrick80 said:
A friend of mine included the dates of her program in the description section although she couldn't put the actual dates.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of doing the same thing, but then what about the description of the actual experience? Since I'll be submitting the application before I even go on the trip I won't be able to describe my experience.

Any advice on what I should in that case? Maybe just write about the program in general rather than my specific experiences? HELP!
 
sushichopstickz said:
I took a few AP tests in HS and received "Elective Credits" for them through my university. Should I still list the AP credits, even if it did not go directly towards lets say a BISC-101 or CHEM-101 class? If yes, what do I input for "Transcript Grade" and "Credit Hour" on the AMCAS? Thanks.
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If you took any college level courses, like AP courses, in high school and got college credit for them (i.e. they show up on your college transcript), you have to list them on the AMCAS. If you didn't get college credit for an AP course, then you don't have to list it.

In your case, I'm not sure how you would list them since the credits didn't go towards a specific class.
 
nikkiMD19 said:
I was thinking of doing the same thing, but then what about the description of the actual experience? Since I'll be submitting the application before I even go on the trip I won't be able to describe my experience.

Any advice on what I should in that case? Maybe just write about the program in general rather than my specific experiences? HELP!
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I've heard to keep the descriptions short and to the point. I am in the same boat for a program I'm doing in July and August. I mentioned it under the description of a similar activity. I described the activity I have already done. Then I said "In July 2008, I will also....[future activity]".

I hope that helps!
 
M3dhop3ful said:
Ok guys a bit of a Dilemma.

I was a second author on an abstract that was presented at a conference and then published in the Mcgill Journal of medicine. However for some reason, there were 2 different posters from our lab, the other project was presented and appeared in the MJM online, but the project I was involved on was not, but this was by mistake that should have been corrected by the conference president. If I put this down as a pub and reference it, the abstract I was on wouldn't appear there.

However, the first author and presenter for the project I was involved, won the 3rd place prize which does appear - In more than one way I can verify that it was by mistake and that it should have been published.

Any ideas how to tackle this in terms of listing it as an activity?
Click to expand...

I would definitely include this as an activity on AMCAS exactly the way you believe to be true and also BRIEFLY describe what you just said above. In order to prove the matter, do you have someone who can write a letter to simply say that you did what you accomplished, and to say that you actually have the partial authorship? ( my initial thought was to have the "first author" write this letter or your PI can also do this??) The truth of the matter, I THINK, is that Adcom really don't have time or that much energy to search things the way you did and prove who is not telling the truth or whatever. I do understand where the dillema would arise since it is always good to cover all the possible speculations that they might have toward you. If you can't get a proof letter from someone who is involved in the process, I wouldn't worry about it so much since truth will speak for itself. (such as- they might ask you some stuff about it in your interview to see how much you know about the research project. If you wrote the abstract, you will likely be able to answer all of their questions to prove that you "own" the project).

Good luck!
 
So here's the deal: I'm Mexican-American, and my skin tone is similar to that of Oscar De La Hoya...black hair, tanned skin, you can definitely tell I'm Latino. Definitely not white, and definitely not black.

So for ethnicity I put Mexican American (easy enough).

But for race, I'm a bit confused on what to put. My choices are:

-American Indian or Alaska Native
-Asian
-Black or African-American
-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
-White

If I don't answer the race question my AMCAS app will say "Declined to answer." I want to answer everything on the app but don't feel completely comfortable answering "white" when clearly I would never be considered a white person by appearance nor do I feel comfortable answering "black" for the same reason. So what am I supposed to put?
 
IceMan007 said:
So here's the deal: I'm Mexican-American, and my skin tone is similar to that of Oscar De La Hoya...black hair, tanned skin, you can definitely tell I'm Latino. Definitely not white, and definitely not black.

So for ethnicity I put Mexican American (easy enough).

But for race, I'm a bit confused on what to put. My choices are:

-American Indian or Alaska Native
-Asian
-Black or African-American
-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
-White

If I don't answer the race question my AMCAS app will say "Declined to answer." I want to answer everything on the app but don't feel completely comfortable answering "white" when clearly I would never be considered a white person by appearance nor do I feel comfortable answering "black" for the same reason. So what am I supposed to put?
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Yo,

I'm latino as well, although not mexican american, I checked other hispanic for ethnicity and for race I selected "declined to answer". My reasoning is, I'm am mostly white + some native south american, I'm a mix of both phenotypes, yellowish/brown skin, dark hair, blue eyes and curly hair, ect. I've never considered myself "white" and obviously I'm not black. Maybe if they had "mixed" or multiracial I would have selected that. Otherwise, I declined to answer. This NEVER came up at any of my interviews and I was accepted to several schools. Good luck.
 
Yo homie u should def stick with what u r and not lie. When they call u in for the interview they will see u r dark. If u put white I would advise staying out of the out dorrs as much as possible. Also study for the mcat. This is a very common mistake. oh...
 
Has anyone other than RoadRunner had AMCAS actually receive their transcripts?

if so when did you submit?
 
After I do the initial submit, can I keep adding schools as long as time permits and I am still not late for the deadlines for the individual schools?
 
EmDeeDream said:
I would definitely include this as an activity on AMCAS exactly the way you believe to be true and also BRIEFLY describe what you just said above. In order to prove the matter, do you have someone who can write a letter to simply say that you did what you accomplished, and to say that you actually have the partial authorship? ( my initial thought was to have the "first author" write this letter or your PI can also do this??) The truth of the matter, I THINK, is that Adcom really don't have time or that much energy to search things the way you did and prove who is not telling the truth or whatever. I do understand where the dillema would arise since it is always good to cover all the possible speculations that they might have toward you. If you can't get a proof letter from someone who is involved in the process, I wouldn't worry about it so much since truth will speak for itself. (such as- they might ask you some stuff about it in your interview to see how much you know about the research project. If you wrote the abstract, you will likely be able to answer all of their questions to prove that you "own" the project).

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the advice! I can definetely prove it, the first auther can write a letter, PI can, or the conference president can definetely testify to this mistake. Thanks again for the advice

Oh and, in the attempt to free up more space for items, is it ok to lump all our conferences/related abstracts together?

Also, is it frequent to falsify information on your app? In canada they request verifiers for all activities and do contact them randomly. Its a pain but in the end its appreciated by many. They don't seem to do that here but is the honor system well respected?
 
I'm getting worried about my transcript too. AMCAS should have received it before the 22nd but they still have not updated my status.
 
Deepa100 said:
After I do the initial submit, can I keep adding schools as long as time permits and I am still not late for the deadlines for the individual schools?
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Yes. Just have your credit card handy so you can pay the fee for each group of schools you add. Watch those deadlines carefully. If you add one by accident that has passed its deadline, you will not get a refund.
 
Hey guys, this is my first time posting. I go to a school on the quarter system and spring grades probably won't be made final until June 20. I was wondering if I should wait for my spring quarter grades before I submit my AMCAS or should I just submit ASAP? Also will I be able to update my grades on AMCAS later on? I think including my spring grades will really help my GPA. Thanks so much!
 
mrx2 said:
I'm getting worried about my transcript too. AMCAS should have received before the 22nd but they still did not update my status.
Click to expand...

Call your school and confirm it was actually sent out. Sometimes it takes longer if there is a lot of demand on that department (like, right at the end of a semester). Some reported a three week delay last year. Also, the AMCAS office is receiving a load of transcripts right now and their limited staff may have trouble keeping up with each day's mail.
 
I have posted several messages and even a topic about this. The general consensus seems to be that es, we quarter people do sort of get caught up in the lag period for AMCAS, but it wont adversely affect your application as long as you turn secondaries around rapidly (i.e. work on questions posted here, dont wait for them to actually arrive at your doorstep). Submitting without them apparently looks suspicious and gives your grades less traction than all the semester people, which is something you definitely do not want.
 
bozz said:
Has anyone other than RoadRunner had AMCAS actually receive their transcripts?

if so when did you submit?
Click to expand...

I submitted mine around the 16th and they were received around the 21st/22nd.
 
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