Great tips for entering your "Work/Activities" for AMCAS

[Catalystik]

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Can I include research projects (for which I received course credit) in my Work/Activties (i.e., honours thesis project, third year research project)?

yes, i'm in the same situation. all of the research i've ever done minus a few months was completed as research course credit. i'd like to know what is best for this situation.

For any research you do, whether for class credit, volunteer, or paid, it is appropriate to list it under Research. "Research" for AMCAS purposes means a scholarly investigation that adds to human knowledge.

 

[panther1119]

I was a coach for several different sports and was not paid. Would that be volunteer/non medical, leadership, or teaching?

I also volunteered as an ambassador at the Orange Bowl, where my responsibilities included leading other volunteers and assigning them different tasks in addition to me having my own responsibilities. Should I group this with my other volunteer work, or list it separately as a leadership activity. (it was for 2 weeks for a total of 24hrs)

 

[Catalystik]

1) I was a coach for several different sports and was not paid. Would that be volunteer/non medical, leadership, or teaching?

2) I also volunteered as an ambassador at the Orange Bowl, where my responsibilities included leading other volunteers and assigning them different tasks in addition to me having my own responsibilities. Should I group this with my other volunteer work, or list it separately as a leadership activity. (it was for 2 weeks for a total of 24hrs)

1) It could be either, depending on which category would balance your application best. Be sure that the name you give the activity makes clear that the other designation is also true, like, "Volunteer Soccer Coach."

2) I'd list it as Leadership, making it clear in the description that the position was voluntary.

 

[jam3rz]

I have another question about work/activities. Due to unfortunate family circumstances, every summer I had to go back home in order to find renters for our family's house. (The rent is the only source of income for my family.) Would this be appropriate to put under the work/activities section? I wanted to put this in order to explain how I have spent my summers.

 

[LebLlama]

Dern. According to this I should not put down my time from elementarythrough highschool in band. I quit before college. I also shouldn't put my participation in 4h throughout my youth, or my association with soccer as a youth.

I dont normally curse but....Dern.

I have other strong ECs, but those, I think, would be interesting. and fill more space lol.

 

[Catalystik]

I have another question about work/activities. Due to unfortunate family circumstances, every summer I had to go back home in order to find renters for our family's house. (The rent is the only source of income for my family.) Would this be appropriate to put under the work/activities section? I wanted to put this in order to explain how I have spent my summers.

You could list it under Other and name the activity International Summer Travel, but I'd hope you have more to say about what you did there besides acting as a rental agent, since the activity took up an entire summer. (Home repair and cleanup, visit relatives, visit other cities for tourism, local volunteering, or whatever?)

 

[Shnitz]

Could someone tell me if this is Ok?

In my work/activities section I am listing some things in grouped sections...

For example,. I have quite a few (around 10) major awards and so I titled the entry: Various awards at international, national and local levels.

Another example: I've served on two major hospital and university wide committees so I entered it: Involvement with hospital and university-wide committees

Obviously, I give short descriptions on each thing if needed to fill in the explanations part.

Also, for some entries that I figure are similar (working with inner city kids and working with homeless, under different organizations) I enter something like XXXXX/XXXXX. Is this Okay as well? I just beleive them both to be related to social justice, community involvement.

hellpp!

 

[Catalystik]

Could someone tell me if this is Ok?

In my work/activities section I am listing some things in grouped sections...

For example,. I have quite a few (around 10) major awards and so I titled the entry: Various awards at international, national and local levels.

Another example: I've served on two major hospital and university wide committees so I entered it: Involvement with hospital and university-wide committees

Obviously, I give short descriptions on each thing if needed to fill in the explanations part.

Also, for some entries that I figure are similar (working with inner city kids and working with homeless, under different organizations) I enter something like XXXXX/XXXXX. Is this Okay as well? I just beleive them both to be related to social justice, community involvement.

hellpp!

I agree with the way you plan to list the awards and the committees. I know that space must be an issue for you, but if at all possible, I'd list the two community service activities separately, assuming each has a good number of hours.

 

[Catalystik]

deleted.

I'm glad you took ou the PS example. This is not the place for it. There is a list of PS volunteer readers that might be asked for input. I would not publically post your PS anywhere.

 

[Shnitz]

the problem is that I just started one of them...so I can't really justify making it it's own entry. Plus, I really do not have room. Not sure if it was smart, but I've listed 3 publications seperately, becuase I would like to highlight the fact that I am research oriented. Not sure if this is smart or not.

I agree with the way you plan to list the awards and the committees. I know that space must be an issue for you, but if at all possible, I'd list the two community service activities separately, assuming each has a good number of hours.

 

[InfinitiPSI]

For my work and activies section, one of my boxes is Shadowing an ortho surg and a repro endocrinologist.

I have a separate box for the anesthesiologists/etc I shadowed.

For the ortho/repro, I only shadowed the repro for 1 four hour stint. Is it still appropriate to note this? I was gonna start out saying "in my brief stint", but I think thats a negative, but, I would like to say a line or two about this one experience.

 

[ochu]

Would something like this be acceptable to put under the research heading:
Work Study Student in Research Lab

I Worked as a work –study assistant during the Spring 2010 semester and will transition into a research assistant in Fall 2010.
I did mostly computer work, lab's finances, database records, etc
I did learn of the duties of a research assistant and of the research lab's goals

 

[gujuDoc]

For my work and activies section, one of my boxes is Shadowing an ortho surg and a repro endocrinologist.

I have a separate box for the anesthesiologists/etc I shadowed.

For the ortho/repro, I only shadowed the repro for 1 four hour stint. Is it still appropriate to note this? I was gonna start out saying "in my brief stint", but I think thats a negative, but, I would like to say a line or two about this one experience.

categorize all shadowing experiences together and you can list the more specific dates and/or contacts in the description section.

That is what I did. Don't use a spot for only 1 4 hour stint.

 

[Catalystik]

the problem is that I just started one of them...so I can't really justify making it it's own entry. Plus, I really do not have room. Not sure if it was smart, but I've listed 3 publications seperately, becuase I would like to highlight the fact that I am research oriented. Not sure if this is smart or not.

Since you had only just started that 2nd experience and there are few hours so far, I think it's fine to group it with the other clinical experience. I would probably put the header's information for the longer-term experience and then at the end of the narrative add in the info about the newer experience with dates, hours per week, description, and contact info, then total hours. At the end of the narrative, give the hour total for both experiences combined.

 

[InfinitiPSI]

Are we supposed to save room to list contact information?

One more question. I have, a mediocre lab experience thus far. But starting this summer(starting yesterday) each week I will be spending 6-8 hours in the lab. Would it be appropriate to include this information in my research activity box? I know its in the future, but, it will make my research go from.. "eh", to "thats decent"

 

[Catalystik]

Would something like this be acceptable to put under the research heading:
Work Study Student in Research Lab

I Worked as a work –study assistant during the Spring 2010 semester and will transition into a research assistant in Fall 2010.
I did mostly computer work, lab's finances, database records, etc
I did learn of the duties of a research assistant and of the research lab's goals

I think it would be misleading to list employment that happened to take place in a lab as Research, when it was not. I think it would be fine to note at the end of the experience (listed as Employment-Nonmilitary) that you have been hired/appointed to start as a research assistant starting XXX date in the same lab, and that you have already completed the training for that position. Once you have been actively engaged in research for awhile, you can advise schools of this fact in an update letter.

 

[Catalystik]

Are we supposed to save room to list contact information?

One more question. I have, a mediocre lab experience thus far. But starting this summer(starting yesterday) each week I will be spending 6-8 hours in the lab. Would it be appropriate to include this information in my research activity box? I know its in the future, but, it will make my research go from.. "eh", to "thats decent"

Yes, save room in the narrative for contact info if it is not included in the header for some reason.

As you have begun the less mediocre research hours (even though for only one day) at the end of the narrative, you can add that you have committed to spending 6-8 hours per week in the same lab from date XXX to date XXX.

 

[InfinitiPSI]

For research, do you need to go into great detail with specifics and 'in a nutshell' explain what types of experiments are going on in the lab?

Here is my research(rough draft). I do not like it at all, please make suggestions as fit.

.I met Dr. XXXX when I attended his Physics II course in which I excelled. Afterwards I contacted him for a position in his lab. I started my research by Dr Chen teaching me about the Sodium Potassium Pump, and other principles in which his researched is based. I also performed independent research and wrote a few research papers to be turned in for his review. I began attending his lab regularly, learning a lot in a short amount of time, and observing the ongoing experiments testing the activity of the Na/K pump under an applied electric field. Responsibilities included anesthetizing rats, general lab help and researching other publications in order to find alternate techniques to apply in our experiments. I am dedicating much of my time this summer to working 6-8 hours per week in his lab, and my senior year I plan on choosing him as my honors thesis mentor, which requires substantial lab work and experimentation. This will broaden my lab experience by expanding my understanding of biophysics, lab equipment and technique, problem-solving and teamwork. .

 

[Catalystik]

For research, do you need to go into great detail with specifics and 'in a nutshell' explain what types of experiments are going on in the lab?

please make suggestions as fit.

Don't include the back story. Use bullets and be succinct along these lines:

.**Experiments testing the activity of the Na/K pump under an applied electric field. .
.**Responsibilities included anesthetizing rats, general lab help and researching other publications in order to find alternate techniques to apply in our experiments. .
..
.I would not consider 8 hours per week to be worth saying "I am dedicating much of my time this summer to working 6-8 hours per week in his lab," when others spend 10+ hours per day in their lab..
..
.Do not include future unknown events like, "and my senior year I plan on choosing him as my honors thesis mentor, which requires substantial lab work and experimentation. This will broaden my lab experience by expanding my understanding of biophysics, lab equipment and technique, problem-solving and teamwork." .Save this for an update letter, after it happens.

 

[panther1119]

I wrote the description for my research similar to an abstract. Should I change it to bullet form and just outline the procedure and just hope I am asked about it on my interviews? I conduct the lab work by myself with occasional guidance from my professor, so I feel I should go in detail to let the ADCOM know that I am not "just washing dishes."

 

[LebLlama]

I used to tutor a co-worker (a pre-nursing student) in the fields of math, chemistry, and biology. I also helped her daughter out with her science homework. Can I put this down as an EC?

 

[gujuDoc]

I used to tutor a co-worker (a pre-nursing student) in the fields of math, chemistry, and biology. I also helped her daughter out with her science homework. Can I put this down as an EC?

yeah as teaching/tutoring.

 

[chickpea9]

Just thought of another couple questions as I was writing:
1) Last summer, I studied abroad in Kenya for a health and human rights program, which involved taking classes as well as a very substantial internship. While I could lump them together, I don't think it would do justice to the experience and I could easily separate them into two entries : international internship and study abroad program. Do you think I should do this or would it just look like I was trying to stretch out my entries?
2) One summer, I worked as a door-to-door fundraiser for a cause that I really care about: it was a very hard job that required a lot of persistence and endurance...but I only worked it for about two months before I had to quit because my grandpa fell ill and ultimately passed away. Although it was a truncated experience, I feel like I should include it...but how do I mention the circumstances that made me quit without sounding like a drama queen?

 

[ochu]

When putting in the dates for volunteering, would it be better to put the enddate as "until present" or whenever I last volunteered? Technically I haven't volunteered since last summer, but I can also come back anytime, so the activity never really ended.

 

[Catalystik]

I wrote the description for my research similar to an abstract. Should I change it to bullet form and just outline the procedure and just hope I am asked about it on my interviews? I conduct the lab work by myself with occasional guidance from my professor, so I feel I should go in detail to let the ADCOM know that I am not "just washing dishes."

I think it's reasonable to introduce your research in a way that a nonscience person can understand it (whether bullet or narrative) and then in a second paragraph go into detail in case a more knowlwedgeable person is reading it (like an abstract format).

 

[Catalystik]

1) Last summer, I studied abroad in Kenya for a health and human rights program, which involved taking classes as well as a very substantial internship. While I could lump them together, I don't think it would do justice to the experience and I could easily separate them into two entries : international internship and study abroad program. Do you think I should do this or would it just look like I was trying to stretch out my entries?
2) One summer, I worked as a door-to-door fundraiser for a cause that I really care about: it was a very hard job that required a lot of persistence and endurance...but I only worked it for about two months before I had to quit because my grandpa fell ill and ultimately passed away. Although it was a truncated experience, I feel like I should include it...but how do I mention the circumstances that made me quit without sounding like a drama queen?

1) Keep in mind that your transcript may make it evident that you studied abroad, so creating a separate entry soley for that purpose is redundant. But creating a separate entry under Other for the purpose of giving a broader perspective on what you did while living internationally is fine.

There's no problem with listing the internship on its own when it is a substantive experience.

2) Go ahead and include it without an explanation for discontinuing the activity. That it took place over the summer between schools terms is sufficient explanation for the degree of involvement.

 

[Catalystik]

When putting in the dates for volunteering, would it be better to put the enddate as "until present" or whenever I last volunteered? Technically I haven't volunteered since last summer, but I can also come back anytime, so the activity never really ended.

It would be better to put the last date you were involved and average out the hours per week until that date.

 

[LebLlama]

yeah as teaching/tutoring.

Would it seem like BS though since it wasn't "official" tutoring?

 

[gujuDoc]

Would it seem like BS though since it wasn't "official" tutoring?

Not if you put a significant amount of time into it which it sounds like you did.

 

[LebLlama]

Yeah, I did. Thanks for answering, I appreciate it. =)

 

[dbeast]

Any thoughts on including/omitting membership in a fraternity without significant leadership involvement? I'm afraid it could make you look like a party animal or something...

Edit: Just thought of another activity that could either go well or backfire... If you were involved in a religious-affiliated group, should you include it?

 

[xPersephone]

/

 

[Fallenonez]

Since my father is a physician, I really wanted to goto the continuing medical education conferences that he attends in both Primary Care and Emergency Care.

I went to three such conferences in the summer after my freshmen year. It really allowed me to gain a more insightful look into how the medical professionals keep up to date with all the latest discoveries and such. It also was very interesting to hearing lectures on subjects that also illustrate the profession's view on many of the current healthcare issues


Since I was not really invited to the medical conferences but still was able to buy a registration pass (and learning more about the field in the process), should i still list this in conferences attended?

 

[SNS]

This thread has been so helpful!
My question:
I did a biomedical research full time research internship last summer (40 hrs/week). This was the closest thing I've had to employment so I placed it in the Paid Employment category instead of Research. Is this okay? I do have another entry for Research that I've done in this lab prior to this internship.

 

[CardiacArrest]

A few questions:

I have been a Resident Advisor for my hall for 1.5 years. It is a job, however in my opinion I also consider it to be a leadership position. Should I list it twice in the app?

I run about 5x a week or so, and I've ran 4 5k marathons. Would this be considered an activity?

I volunteer at my church during the summers when I go home, as well as once a month when I go home by either helping out or often during the summer, I substitute as one of the Sunday school teachers. I know church activities isn't looked upon favorably, but would this be considered?

Thanks!!

 

[blizpix]

I know this has probably been asked before but I'm having trouble finding it by searching through the thread. If I have been in a leadership position in a club yet I am not in a position anymore how should I list the activity? Is it best to title it with the position I had in the club or the club name? How would this work when entering the dates of the activity (should I list the dates that I was in the position, or list the dates that I was part of the club)? I would appreciate any help with this. Thanks!

 

[calbears08]

Should I make a separate entry for my fellowship awards? Or should include them under the research? The reason I ask is because my awards are substantial ($25.5k and $8.3k), and I'm worried they'll get lost with the research entries.

 

[Sai7]

Is it absolutely necessary to list the names of the physicians I have shadowed? Since all of my shadowing experiences came from a volunteer program, I do not have the full list of the names of the physicians I have shadowed. Is it okay to just list the specialty and the number of hours for each specialty?

 

[gujuDoc]

Is it absolutely necessary to list the names of the physicians I have shadowed? Since all of my shadowing experiences came from a volunteer program, I do not have the full list of the names of the physicians I have shadowed. Is it okay to just list the specialty and the number of hours for each specialty?

I didn't list every doctor's name. Just say where and the program director's name of the volunteer program and what types of docs.

good luck.

 

[lostking243]

Hey so in the AMCAS guide it says in the PS section "address fluctuations in academics not addressed elsewhere". Does this mean if we talked about it in our EC's we don't have to do it in the PS? I put dean's list as one of my EC's and explained the poor GPA and how I've improved, what happened, etc. I don't have any of the GPA thing in my PS. Will this work?

 

[SNS]

Should I make a separate entry for my fellowship awards? Or should include them under the research? The reason I ask is because my awards are substantial ($25.5k and $8.3k), and I'm worried they'll get lost with the research entries.

That's a very large sum of money. You deserved to be recognized for the hard work you put in to obtain it. I would definitely create a separate entry to highlight it.

 

[Doodl3s]

soo.. umm... I could solve a rubix cube? where would i list that 🙂

(/just trolling, i just submitted yeyyy!)

 

[junzilla]

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2010/0...lication-more-than-just-a-personal-statement/

This is from the front page of sdn and it contradicts what everyone says about using short and to the point bullet points.
Discuss

 

[blizpix]

Greaattt...what are we supposed to do when different medical schools seem to be contradicting each other? At the beginning of this thread even LizzyM emphasized the opposite...

Anecdotes do not belong in the EC section. Put them in your PS or in a supplementary essay but don't clutter the EC. The adcom knows what volunteering at an ortho clinic involves. Use a few simple phrases such as, "Assisted physicians with casting" if you feel the need. Don't wear out your welcome by putting stories in the EC section. I don't need to know that you "made up gurneys, stocked shelves, ran errands for staff members, delivered lab samples, made coffee, blah, blah, blah."

 

[Doodledog]

Greaattt...what are we supposed to do when different medical schools seem to be contradicting each other? At the beginning of this thread even LizzyM emphasized the opposite...

I recommend using your own judgment on this. My personal opinion, as only one adcom serving on only one committee is that for most activities, short descriptions of 1-3 sentences are best (I'm not a bullet point fan, but that's style not substance). There is probably no harm and some benefit in expanding on a very few of the most important activities. Doing that for all of them would annoy even me, and I mostly don't care about these types of issues.

 

[blizpix]

I wasn't planning on doing bullet points anyways, but do you think the descriptions should be in proper sentences or more resume-like phrasing?

 

[Doodledog]

I wasn't planning on doing bullet points anyways, but do you think the descriptions be in proper sentences or more resume-like phrasing?

Personally, I prefer to read

"I built houses for habitat for humanity."

to

"Built houses for habitat"

but either is better than

"i wuz da' best @ buildin' homes. i < 3 habitat. u know i luv'd it."

 

[blizpix]

Personally, I prefer to read

"I built houses for habitat for humanity."

to

"Built houses for habitat"

but either is better than

"i wuz da' best @ buildin' homes. i < 3 habitat. u know i luv'd it."

Hahaha

Thanks, that definitely helps.



Tildy (or anyone else), I still had another question that nobody answered earlier: If I have been in a leadership position in a club yet I am not in a position anymore how should I list the activity? Is it best to title it with the position I had in the club or the club name? How would this work when entering the dates of the activity (should I list the dates that I was in the position, or list the dates that I was part of the club)?

 

[gujuDoc]

I wasn't planning on doing bullet points anyways, but do you think the descriptions be in proper sentences or more resume-like phrasing?

I say this at least once every other day since someone asks this question at least once every couple of days.

but that said,

Bullet format or writing what you did, why you did it, and what you learned in paragraph format.

Some schools like some top tiers don't want to read a lot of words. Other schools like the paragraph format. Schools like BU and USF recommend the paragraph format and schools like LizzyM's which we suspect is a top tier from her posts on here don't like too many words. you can see that with the top tiers from the fact that some of them have minimal essays. Whereas other schools want to know everything.

so ultimately what you have to answer for yourself is how do you think you will most effectively market yourself to others?

If bullet format is better then do so.

If the paragraph format works better then do so.

Think about how you are marketing yourself and please be concise regardless of the format you choose to use.

Even if you write it like an essay be concise and not overly wordy.

The same sentence that can be written in 10 words can sometimes be written in maybe 5 words.

Also the ones that might require slightly more description is research to explain how it is significant or something relevant.

 

[TFS]

.