Do ADCOMs only read Most Meaningful Activity after personal statements?

[Gauss44]

EDIT: I have a follow up question at post #7.

I've been getting feedback that my 3 most meaningful activities are vastly more impressive than my personal statement. How likely is an ADCOM to read my most meaningful activities compared to my personal statement?

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[LizzyM]

There is no predicting how adcom members will approach your application. Everyone has their own way of doing it, even within one school.

 

[Lawpy]

There is no predicting how adcom members will approach your application. Everyone has their own way of doing it, even within one school.

Nor is there is any way to know which schools may split up the application so an evaluator who reads the EC/MM may not read the PS at all

But every evaluator at least reads the EC/MM or PS right? Or is there an evaluator who doesn't read the ECs/PS and just focuses on rest of the app/letters etc?

 

[LizzyM]

But every evaluator at least reads the EC/MM or PS right? Or is there an evaluator who doesn't read the ECs/PS and just focuses on rest of the app/letters etc?

The first cut could be an algorithm that looks at GPA, MCAT, State residence, etc Some people are going to get cut without eyeballs on the application. It doesn't mean you'll get a rejection right away (or ever) just in case there is some good reason to resurrect you (I hate to say it but maybe because someone in your family is a VIP).

 

[Gauss44]

By the logic that different people are likely to view the personal statement and the activities section, would it make sense to put one's most impressive moments in both by including one's most impressive moments in both the personal statement and again in the activities section?

I think I remember hearing that doing so was a bad idea and would make a person seem one-dimensional, but on the other hand, wouldn't you want to impress both people - the person viewing the personal statement, and the person viewing the activities section?

I feel like I'm missing something or am unintentionally being dense. What am I missing?

 

[Gauss44]

Please see follow up question above.

 

[Goro]

EDIT: I have a follow up question at post #7.

I've been getting feedback that my 3 most meaningful activities are vastly more impressive than my personal statement. How likely is an ADCOM to read my most meaningful activities compared to my personal statement?

I look at GPAs and MCAT scores first, then, in this order:

• where the applicant went to school
• what degree and major
• IA box and explanation, if any
• Transcripts
• Whether there are doctors in the family?
• LORs
• ECs
• PS
• secondary essays

If meaningful experiences prompts are in AACOMAS apps, they're not lighting up my radar.

 

[RYost234]

I look at GPAs and MCAT scores first, then, in this order:

• where the applicant went to school
• what degree and major
• IA box and explanation, if any
• Transcripts
• Whether there are doctors in the family?
• LORs
• ECs
• PS
• secondary essays

If meaningful experiences prompts are in AACOMAS apps, they're not lighting up my radar.

Why do you look if there are any doctors present or not in the family before checking the applicants LOR/ECs/PS? Whats the significance?

 

[Goro]

Why do you look if there are any doctors present or not in the family before checking the applicants LOR/ECs/PS? Whats the significance?

This might come as a surprise, but a lot of people apply to med school because their doctor parent(s) want, even demand that they go to med school.

So I have some interview questions to determine the depth of their sincerity.

No, I'm not sharing.

 

[tantacles]

By the logic that different people are likely to view the personal statement and the activities section, would it make sense to put one's most impressive moments in both by including one's most impressive moments in both the personal statement and again in the activities section?

I think I remember hearing that doing so was a bad idea and would make a person seem one-dimensional, but on the other hand, wouldn't you want to impress both people - the person viewing the personal statement, and the person viewing the activities section?

I feel like I'm missing something or am unintentionally being dense. What am I missing?

Your personal statement should elaborate on something new, either a new event or a new aspect of something in your activities.

What you're missing is that there's no way for us to predict, hypothetically, how an application will read to an admissions committee even if we have the application in front of us. This process is school-dependent, applicant-dependent, reviewer-dependent, and stat-dependent. Sometimes luck dependent.

 

[bioboy23]

This might come as a surprise, but a lot of people apply to med school because their doctor parent(s) want, even demand that they go to med school.

So I have some interview questions to determine the depth of their sincerity.

No, I'm not sharing.

Would you say it helps/hurts/doesn't matter if there are several doctors in the family?

On one hand, you could get a kid who is being pressured into it or wants to fit into the family. On the other hand, they know exactly what they are getting into (long hours, missing family, etc). Just wondering how the all knowing Goro interprets it.

 

[Goro]

It doesn't matter. Again, I probe to see if the candidate's motives are sincere.

Would you say it helps/hurts/doesn't matter if there are several doctors in the family?

On one hand, you could get a kid who is being pressured into it or wants to fit into the family. On the other hand, they know exactly what they are getting into (long hours, missing family, etc). Just wondering how the all knowing Goro interprets it.

 

[@Hazel-rah]

@Goro - how can you see if there are doctors in the family? Which section of the applications are you looking at? (I'm curious if it's the first section of amcas that we fill out with demographics, how we paid for college, what degrees our parents have, etc. because if so, you're not only seeing if someone has Physician parents, but also just generally what their family background is.... But I didn't realize this information was so easily visible to ad coms. It's the kind of private info I'd expect to be probed last rather than first, like how many dependents I have, how much my family made...)

I've always wondered what the amcas looks like to ad coms. Is it a big PDF file, or a web app with tabs, or on paper? I wish AAMC would actually show us how the information we put in is displayed on the he other side of things...

 

[NonTrad16]

@Goro - how can you see if there are doctors in the family? Which section of the applications are you looking at? (I'm curious if it's the first section of amcas that we fill out with demographics, how we paid for college, what degrees our parents have, etc. because if so, you're not only seeing if someone has Physician parents, but also just generally what their family background is.... But I didn't realize this information was so easily visible to ad coms. It's the kind of private info I'd expect to be probed last rather than first, like how many dependents I have, how much my family made...)

I've always wondered what the amcas looks like to ad coms. Is it a big PDF file, or a web app with tabs, or on paper? I wish AAMC would actually show us how the information we put in is displayed on the he other side of things...

I'm pretty sure schools have systems to reformat and rearrange information as they see fit. One format is as you will see in AMCAS, but if a school only wants to provide certain information to certain reviewers, they could. Alternatively, they could allow the whole file. Don't dismiss any section as meaningless, but don't get too caught up in mental gymnastics to scare yourself. (What your parents earned is less important than your grades, essays, activites, etc.)

As you go through the process, there will be a lot that you wish you could know about what's happening on the other side, but sadly it seems to vary so much and there's no real incentive for schools to provide that information. Get comfortable with the uncertainty...

By the logic that different people are likely to view the personal statement and the activities section, would it make sense to put one's most impressive moments in both by including one's most impressive moments in both the personal statement and again in the activities section?

I think I remember hearing that doing so was a bad idea and would make a person seem one-dimensional, but on the other hand, wouldn't you want to impress both people - the person viewing the personal statement, and the person viewing the activities section?

I feel like I'm missing something or am unintentionally being dense. What am I missing?

The parts of your app should stand well enough alone, but can complement eachother. Your PS should not require knowledge from your activities. Your activities should not require the PS to comprehend. If your PS is simply restating what's detailed in your most important activity, you are likely wasting space that could otherwise be used to add depth/breath to you app (and boring someone who actually does have to read it all). If a parent died and that played a part in your pursuit of medicine (and other activities), it could show up in both areas; if you're saying the same thing in both, it's redundant. If you published in Nature, that seems signficant, but unrelated to the 'why medicine' focus, and would better be left to the activities IMO. That said, I can't say I tried to impress anyone in my PS, so I don't know what you'd be trying to say that would need to be included in both...

 

[Goro]

AACOMAS forms ask about what your parents do, and their addresses are. Don't know about AMCAS forms

@Goro - how can you see if there are doctors in the family? Which section of the applications are you looking at? (I'm curious if it's the first section of amcas that we fill out with demographics, how we paid for college, what degrees our parents have, etc. because if so, you're not only seeing if someone has Physician parents, but also just generally what their family background is.... But I didn't realize this information was so easily visible to ad coms. It's the kind of private info I'd expect to be probed last rather than first, like how many dependents I have, how much my family made...)

I've always wondered what the amcas looks like to ad coms. Is it a big PDF file, or a web app with tabs, or on paper? I wish AAMC would actually show us how the information we put in is displayed on the he other side of things...