Dumbest of mistakes made on AMCAS Activity Section

[natalie54y]

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I just submitted my AMCAS app today and I the dumbest mistake, I doubled my hours for one of my lab experiences (3700 instead of 1850), I'm also currently in another lab right now and working in over the next year so including future hours I have an additional 2280 hours. I'm so disappointed in myself because I worked so hard on every aspect of my application, and I had pretty good stats (518 and 3.95 gpa), to mess it all up with such a frustrating error is devastating. I have seen other posts on this issue and wanted to know people's thoughts on when I should notify schools.

Is it all over?

 

[deleted480308]

How do you accidentally double the hours?

 

[Moko]

Send the schools an email explaining this error. Time-wise, it would make the most sense for this email to be sent around when your secondary is submitted. Be honest and you'll be fine. Good work on your grades and MCAT.

How do you accidentally double the hours?

Technically closer to tripling, but that's a minor detail

 

[deleted962973]

I just submitted my AMCAS app today and I the dumbest mistake, I doubled my hours for one of my activities (3700 instead of 1395). I'm so disappointed in myself because I worked so hard on every aspect of my application, and I had pretty good stats (518 and 3.95 gpa), to mess it all up with such a frustrating error is devastating. I have seen other posts on this issue and wanted to know people's thoughts on when I should notify schools.

Is it all over?

If there isn’t a place to note this on secondaries, you should email schools once you receive your secondary apps.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

I just submitted my AMCAS app today and I the dumbest mistake, I doubled my hours for one of my activities (3700 instead of 1395). I'm so disappointed in myself because I worked so hard on every aspect of my application, and I had pretty good stats (518 and 3.95 gpa), to mess it all up with such a frustrating error is devastating. I have seen other posts on this issue and wanted to know people's thoughts on when I should notify schools.

Is it all over?

1) I'd recommend protecting your anonymity on the internet if that is actually you in your pic.
2) You can approach it 3 ways: a) they probably won't notice or care about the hour discrepancy unless you did 3700 hours in the span of a year... that could be suspicious. b) email the schools or write in the secondaries explaining the mistake. c) possibly call AMCAS to see if they can do anything during the verification process to change it for you (long shot but won't hurt to ask..)

 

[natalie54y]

1) I'd recommend protecting your anonymity on the internet if that is actually you in your pic.
2) You can approach it 3 ways: a) they probably won't notice or care about the hour discrepancy unless you did 3700 hours in the span of a year... that could be suspicious. b) email the schools or write in the secondaries explaining the mistake. c) possibly call AMCAS to see if they can do anything during the verification process to change it for you (long shot but won't hurt to ask..)

Thank you so much for your advice. It was over three years

 

[Peter Pan.]

Don’t worry you have the whole application cycle to get those hours in. 🙂

 

[natalie54y]

Send the schools an email explaining this error. Time-wise, it would make the most sense for this email to be sent around when your secondary is submitted. Be honest and you'll be fine. Good work on your grades and MCAT.


Technically closer to tripling, but that's a minor detail

Thank you. I have dsylexia so typing it over I messed up but I did mean I doubled them so I worked 1850 hours over 3 years

 

[natalie54y]

Don’t worry you have the whole application cycle to get those hours in. 🙂

Thank you

 

[golgi body]

Sorry to takeover the thread (i waited until OP got his/her answers and i don't want to make a whole new thread), but I made a minor mistake also. Instead of listing a reference as "Volunteer Coordinator," I just said "Volunteer." However, this same person is listed correctly as a reference elsewhere on my app. Should i also send an email with my secondaries to correct this? Thanks

 

[Peter Pan.]

Sorry to takeover the thread (i waited until OP got his/her answers and i don't want to make a whole new thread), but I made a minor mistake also. Instead of listing a reference as "Volunteer Coordinator," I just said "Volunteer." However, this same person is listed correctly as a reference elsewhere on my app. Should i also send an email with my secondaries to correct this? Thanks

Don’t worry about it.

 

[deleted480308]

Thank you. I have dsylexia so typing it over I messed up but I did mean I doubled them so I worked 1850 hours over 3 years

You typed it wrong again in the post about typing it wrong?

I’m not joking here when I say that if you are literally incapable of reliably typing the number you want to type that you will hurt people as a doctor. You need to get this under control

 

[natalie54y]

You typed it wrong again in the post about typing it wrong?

I’m not joking here when I say that if you are literally incapable of reliably typing the number you want to type that you will hurt people as a doctor. You need to get this under control

You are absolutely right. Most of the time I use a check system for myself. I've been able to control it enough to get through succeeding in wet labs, and my math and physics classes, but I ultimately failed to do so here and your right in medicine it could have been serious. I'm not blind to my failings, but my passion to become a doctor and my belief that I have something to contribute makes me continue trying

 

[Moko]

You typed it wrong again in the post about typing it wrong?

I’m not joking here when I say that if you are literally incapable of reliably typing the number you want to type that you will hurt people as a doctor. You need to get this under control

I cringed as well with the second error (though admittedly this is a forum).

OP, there are many folks in medicine with dyslexia, so that in itself is not an issue. However, you need to find ways to reliably compensate for these deficits. The difference in one number or letter may literally be the difference between your patients living or dying.

I still think that you will find much success this cycle, though you do need to better compensate for your dyslexia (both to protect yourself and also your future patients). Good luck

 

[natalie54y]

Lets clarify this issue:
1. I do not understand why the best and brightest students do not double check, triple check, print off application and read it outloud word by word including punctuation. All this should be done instead of the wild and neurotic rush to be so early. Do we really want doctors who arent detailed and careful?

2. You now have your very first professional medical document, a document you have attested to its accuracy and it is wrong! It doesnt matter accidental, intentional or whatever, it is wrong. If this was a patient chart, what would do to you while on the witness stand in the malpractice suit?

3. In this case you will do ONLY the following. Immediately after transmission, you will send a very short (1-3 sentences) to all schools saying

“Due to a simple arithmetic error and oversight on my part, my activity for XXX should have been XXX amount of hours. I regret this error and apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.”

You do not, do not, repeat the inflated mistake number in this letter lest in reinforce it as something other than mistake. Since this is on primary, you need to address it prior to evaluation. Else a school could feel you got to a point further in the process on false information and reconsider

Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it. Your completely right, and I will be more on top of things from here on out.

 

[golgi body]

NO

Lmao thankfully I was accepted off the waitlist so I don’t have to deal with this premed stuff anymore

 

[deleted987519]

Lmao thankfully I was accepted off the waitlist so I don’t have to deal with this premed stuff anymore

Congrats!