Does AMCAS receive a photo with our apps?

[Espressso]

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Title says it all.

When we submit via AMCAS (or even AACOMAS for that matter), is there an attached photo with our apps that gets sent to schools?

*so random, I know, but I had a dream about this last night*

Do schools actually see the applicants? Or do adcoms only go through these thousands of individual files with applicant numbers and names?

 

[LizzyM]

The photo is attached to your application. At my school, the readers of the application, who recommend you for interview, do not have access to the photo. The photo is provided to the interviewers. The adcom members who review the interviews reports and application files after interview to weigh in on admission decisions do not have access to the picture although the Dean can make the photo available. That happens less than once in 500 and mostly to interviewer comments that the applicant was stern and humorless. If the photo shows someone who was stern and humorless, the interviewer comment is given more weight than if the picture shows someone who has a friendly smile.

 

[Espressso]

The photo is attached to your application. At my school, the readers of the application, who recommend you for interview, do not have access to the photo. The photo is provided to the interviewers. The adcom members who review the interviews reports and application files after interview to weigh in on admission decisions do not have access to the picture although the Dean can make the photo available. That happens less than once in 500 and mostly to interviewer comments that the applicant was stern and humorless. If the photo shows someone who was stern and humorless, the interviewer comment is given more weight than if the picture shows someone who has a friendly smile.

Okay so the picture should definitely include a smile, got it!

 

[femmegoblue]

I believe those are attached to secondaries, not to AMCAS or AACOMAS themselves.

 

[LizzyM]

I believe those are attached to secondaries, not to AMCAS or AACOMAS themselves.

You could be right. I see them but I have no idea how they get there. 😉

 

[Bermie]

Some schools ask for photos in secondaries. Other schools only asked once an interview was offered and other schools never asked for a photo.


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[SuperGrover44]

Delete

 

[gyngyn]

AMCAS and AACOMAS don't ask for (or accept) photos. That is school-specific and part of the secondary process, but in my experience, it's usually not a factor until you're invited for an interview.

You might be surprised.

 

[Cookiess]

A good number of schools ask for you to upload your photo onto the secondary portal as part of your secondary applications. Other schools that didn't require the photo for the secondary asked applicants to upload photos as part of the interview invitation.

I'm not sure if schools that don't request the photo at some point have access to your photo. The schools I interviewed at all either requested photos during the secondary or during the interview invite.

 

[Crayola227]

Ostensibly they want your pic to see if you're lying about what you checked for race, and to make sure you don't do some weird swap on who interviews for you vs. who shows up to orientation day 1.

Weirder things have happened.

 

[bananafish94]

You might be surprised.

Expand on that

 

[jih]

Expand on that

I would assume people sending pictures inappropriate for medical school applications.

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[Crayola227]

I can't remember but there was a thread where the residents are involved in the resident selection process and they were saying the hot factor in pics were definitely taken into consideration

the hawt factor is always a factor