Does the course name you enter on AMCAS have to match the course name on your transcript exactly?

[radioactive15]

• On my transcript, my first year biology course names show up as: "Intro Biology" on both fall and spring semesters. (But the course numbers are 101 (fall) amd 102 (spring))

When entering the course names on AMCAS, do I type in "Intro Biology" for both spring and fall, or should I put "Intro Biology 1" for fall and "Intro Biology 2" for spring ?

The course numbers are different for both (101 vs 102), but the course names are identical on my transcript so I was unclear what to do.

• Do I have to keep the course name on AMCAS abbreviated if it is abbreviated on my transcript, or should I expand properly?

EX: Transcript says "Intro Chem" and "Bio lab". Do I leave these the same or should I write "Introductory Chemistry" and "Biology Lab"


I don't want these to be the cause of delay upon processing


EDITED: (Additional questions)

1) If my transcript lists my courses in all CAPS (i.e. INTRO BIOLOGY), do I list my course name on AMCAS in all CAPS or can I lowercase them appropriately into "Intro Biology"?

2) For course number, do I enter the department number as well, followed by a colon and course number, or just the course number?
(ex: My transcript has 2 sections, department and course) Do I write 300:101 or just 101 under course number on AMCAS? (300 corresponds to biology department while 101 is the course number )

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[thecook]

AMCAS instructions say to enter the name that appears on the transcript. The only exceptions are for courses that have combined lecture and lab (enter the course name but include "and lab") and if the course name doesn't fit in the space allowed (enter a logical abbreviation).

My transcripts had prereqs with the same name but different numbers as well. I entered them as they appeared and had no problems. AMCAS reviewers and schools will know they're different by the course number.

 

[thecook]

Is this required, or optional?

I would assume it's optional, but since labs are required for many prereqs, it's probably best to include the "and lab" if it was combined lecture/lab and the lab portion isn't specified in the name.

The other suggestion is probably meant to make the course name as clear as possible.

 

[Espressso]

If I'm not mistaken, for each class you enter, you have the option of checking off *lecture only*, *lab only*, or *lecture and lab*. So for Gen Chem 1 and 2, which both included an associated lab WITH the class, check off *lecture and lab*

EDIT: and names of your classes should be exactly how they appear on your transcript.

 

[thecook]

Yeah, so we don't include "with Lab" we just select Lecture and lab correct?

The AMCAS instruction guide says to do both.

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...278-2edb3998a216/amcas_instruction_manual.pdf
See page 38.

 

[Espressso]

Oh there ya go! I didn't do it originally, but I'll have to go back and add "with lab" now.

 

[radioactive15]

AMCAS instructions say to enter the name that appears on the transcript. The only exceptions are for courses that have combined lecture and lab (enter the course name but include "and lab") and if the course name doesn't fit in the space allowed (enter a logical abbreviation).

My transcripts had prereqs with the same name but different numbers as well. I entered them as they appeared and had no problems. AMCAS reviewers and schools will know they're different by the course number.

Thanks. I have a couple more questions:

1) If my transcript lists my courses in all CAPS (i.e. INTRO BIOLOGY), do I list my course name on AMCAS in all CAPS or can I lowercase them appropriately into "Intro Biology"?

2) For course number, do I enter the department as well, followed by a colon, or just the course number?
(ex: My transcript has 2 sections, department and course) Do I write 300:101 or just 101 under course number on AMCAS? (300 corresponds to biology department while 101 is the course number )

 

[radioactive15]

Enter the exact course name in English and the exact course number as they appear on the official transcript in the designated fields. If the exact course name does not fit, enter a logical abbreviation. This information is critical for AMCAS to verify each course on the official transcript and for the medical school(s) to evaluate your application.

Course numbers should include all letters and numbers associated with the course, i.e., BIO 101. If a course number does not fit in the space provided, include the last eight digits. Decimal points, if part of the course number on your official transcript, should be included when entering the course number.

Enter designations for all of your lab coursework exactly as they appear on the official transcript. If the lab credit is included with the lecture course credit, append the phrase "and Lab" to the exact course title as it appears on the official transcript. For example, if "General Chemistry II" appears on the official transcript and lab credit is included with the lecture course credit, enter "General Chemistry II and Lab" and select "Combined Lecture and Lab" in response to the question, "Did this course include a lab section?"

Yes, I've seen this on the AMCAS form but need help deciphering it.

My primary question concerns whether department number is necessary under course number. My transcript lists both department numbers and course numbers in different categories next to my course name.

If I list only the course number, they may overlap with other courses.

For example, both Intro Psychology and Intro Biology have "101" as course numbers, but have different department numbers to distinguish them (300 for biology , and 270 for psychology) Do I list the biology course number as "300:101" and psychology as "270:101", or do I list both course numbers as "101"?

 

[radioactive15]

Yes enter the department numbers. The purpose of this step is to ensure that what you enter in AMCAS is verified as the being the same as the transcript. Making this as easy as possible for the AMCAS staff to verify will help ensure your primary gets promptly verified. I tell this again and again to applicants: enter it exactly, whether upper/lower case, whether odd abbreviations, whether departmental codes, enter it exactly which is what AMCAS says
.

Thank you for the info. However, the department number is not exactly combined with the course number on my transcript; they are in two separate categories and columns. Should I combine them on the AMCAS and write dpt#:course# ? (Should I use a colon or dash, if yes)

 

[radioactive15]

You have to have both, so write both with either dash or colon but be consistent

I haven't seen where exactly on amcas it says to have both department and course # because it asks for its own amcas classification, so would that take the place of department?

 

[thecook]

I haven't seen where exactly on amcas it says to have both department and course # because it asks for its own amcas classification, so would that take the place of department?

You list the department and course number together when you enter your courses in AMCAS. The AMCAS classification is separate, and it is up to you to classify the course based on the content of the course not necessarily the department.

From AMCAS,
Course numbers should include all letters and numbers associated with the course, i.e., BIO 101. If a course number does not fit in the space provided, include the last eight digits. Decimal points, if part of the course number on your official transcript, should be included when entering the course number

Each course must be assigned a course classification based strictly on the primary content of the course. The course classifications listed on the Course Classification Guide are bolded and are titled as they appear in the course classification drop-down list. The items beneath each bolded heading are examples of courses for which you should select that bolded course classification. You are responsible for selecting the correct course classification, but AMCAS reserves the right to change classifications if the assigned classification clearly does not apply. If you disagree with a change AMCAS has made to a courses classification you may submit an Academic Change Request.

 

[radioactive15]

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...278-2edb3998a216/amcas_instruction_manual.pdf
(p38)Course numbers should include all letters and numbers associated with the course, i.e., BIO 101. If a course number does not fit in the space provided, include the last eight digits. Decimal points, if part of the course number on your official transcript, should be included when entering the course number

Alrighty then.

If I may ask you another question, do you know whether I have to include "AP Credit: " before the course name for those with AP classes as the guide video does?

My transcript lists all my AP classes as its own category, and does not explicitly have "AP Credit: English Literature" on the transcript. Instead my transcript just says "English Literature" as course name.

On AMCAS, do I write "AP Credit: English Literature" or "English Literature" under course name? (I will be checking the Advanced Placement box on the bottom of the form either way)

 

[radioactive15]

Just add "AP Credit: English" For ease of verification I would actually write "English (AP Credit)"

So I should add (AP Credit) in the course name box for verification ease, even if it doesn't explicitly say AP Credit next to each course name on my transcript?

And all of my course on my transcript are capitalized, and you told me yesterday to keep them capitalized on AMCAS. If the answer to the above question is yes, should I capitalize (AP CREDIT: ENGLISH / ENGLISH (AP CREDIT)) or (AP Credit: ENGLISH / ENGLISH (AP Credit))