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

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LizzyM said:
Some adcom members make shadowing an unwritten requirement so it might be in your best interest to list it as averaging 2 hrs/wk for 1 month.
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Rather than entering hrs/wk x month I've just been leaving the hrs/wk field blank in my shadowing experiences and describing the time in the comments section. I also lumped multiple events under a single physician as one EC. Is this appropriate?

Thanks!
 
Hey volunteered in an Emergency department. I have managed some patients but a good percent of the time I would follow the doc's around as they did their business. Can I include this as shadowing and perhaps managing patients as a another entry, even though it was at the same place....the experiences are quite different
1) Saw what a doctor did.
2) Displayed leadership and team-work while trying to keep the place from falling apart.
 
Does the application automatically place the events in your EC's in chronological order or is there a way to order them 1-15?

Also, I'm not exactly sure what to put in the descriptions of the event. Here's what I have for one of them...Feel free to comment negatively or positively.

"Full time research internship under a 5th year M.D./Ph. D. student on the verge of publication. The research experience included basic lab techniques including SDS-PAGE, agarose gel electrophoresis, cell culturing, immunoflourescence microscopy, ELISA assays, and poster and oral presentations. The program consisted of a few weeks of shadowing the M.D./ Ph.D. student and learning the lab techniques and was followed by a nearly independent research portion of the program."

I think I should probably put what the research was on, but I'm not positive about that either.
 
To the above poster: yes, bullet points are fine.


MY question:
I want to say that I worked on a ___research project sponsored by (Food Production Company X). Does ANYONE have any feelings as to whether or not it is appropriate to include the name of the company sponsoring the research?
 
Repeat post since no one answered...


Does anyone have any thoughts on including a publication where you are 10th author? Does it even deserve a spot on the activities section or are they going to laugh it off since it will take them time to find my name?

Thank you!!
 
Adnama said:
Repeat post since no one answered...


Does anyone have any thoughts on including a publication where you are 10th author? Does it even deserve a spot on the activities section or are they going to laugh it off since it will take them time to find my name?

Thank you!!
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List it. In the cast of thousands lists of authors these days it isn't unusual, but it is still something for which you can be proud as a pre-med.
 
pianola said:
To the above poster: yes, bullet points are fine.


MY question:
I want to say that I worked on a ___research project sponsored by (Food Production Company X). Does ANYONE have any feelings as to whether or not it is appropriate to include the name of the company sponsoring the research?
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Why might it be inappropriate? Some people might suggest that a food company is buying results or trying to get good press for a food that might otherwise be considered "junk food" or less than wholesome (too much fat, sodium, sugar, etc) but the fact remains that many food companies fund studies that include the their food product (e.g. Campbell's soup funded studies of the effect of soup at lunch on weight loss, Quaker Oats funded studies of the effect of oat bran on serum cholesterol levels).

On the other hand, most people don't mention the funding agency whether it is NIH, American Heart Association, etc. when they discuss their research unless the grant was directly to the applicant (as with some small grants for summer research).
 
Can someone give me some feedback please? 🙂
 
tco said:
Does the application automatically place the events in your EC's in chronological order or is there a way to order them 1-15? The application automatically arranges them. Print a copy and you'll see what I mean.

Also, I'm not exactly sure what to put in the descriptions of the event. Here's what I have for one of them...Feel free to comment negatively or positively.

"Full time research internship under a 5th year M.D./Ph. D. student on the verge of publication. The research experience included basic lab techniques including SDS-PAGE, agarose gel electrophoresis, cell culturing, immunoflourescence microscopy, ELISA assays, and poster and oral presentations (specify where, maybe?). The program consisted of a few weeks of shadowing the M.D./ Ph.D. student and learning the lab techniques; it was followed by a nearly independent (?) research portion of the program."

I think I should probably put what the research was on, but I'm not positive about that either.
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Looks good except that I have no idea what 'nearly independent research' is and I'm guess adcoms might go 😕😕😕. And yeah, you really should specify the point of the research (at least briefly). Find out in the grant/thesis proposal/manuscript of the MD/PhD student. Should be a sentence or so in the abstract that will tell you what you're looking for.
 
tco said:
Does the application automatically place the events in your EC's in chronological order or is there a way to order them 1-15
Click to expand...

They are automatically placed in chronological order.

Also, I'm not exactly sure what to put in the descriptions of the event. Here's what I have for one of them...Feel free to comment negatively or positively.

"Full time research internship under a 5th year M.D./Ph. D. student on the verge of publication. The research experience included basic lab techniques including SDS-PAGE, agarose gel electrophoresis, cell culturing, immunoflourescence microscopy, ELISA assays, and poster and oral presentations. The program consisted of a few weeks of shadowing the M.D./ Ph.D. student and learning the lab techniques and was followed by a nearly independent research portion of the program."

I think I should probably put what the research was on, but I'm not positive about that either.
Click to expand...

Maybe LizzyM could verify this, but I doubt it's necessary to list all the techniques used (SDS-PAGE, etc.). I think it's more important to say what the general goal of the project was. But saying that you did the posters/presentations is probably good.
 
copingmethods said:
They are automatically placed in chronological order.



Maybe LizzyM could verify this, but I doubt it's necessary to list all the techniques used (SDS-PAGE, etc.). I think it's more important to say what the general goal of the project was. But saying that you did the posters/presentations is probably good.
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Actually, I think listing the techniques is not a bad idea if you have any plans to possibly pursue research as an elective or otherwise in med school. Or if you do an MD/PhD. But...LizzyM would know best. I mean, these techniques are standard, good-to-know types of techniques so *I* would think it could only help...
 
It might be in this thread, but I could not find it:


For conferences attended, what should I put in the description? The title already says what conference and the date and such... I am planning on listing two national conferences, should I lump them together and just bullet point the names?

Thanks.
 
copingmethods said:
They are automatically placed in chronological order.



Maybe LizzyM could verify this, but I doubt it's necessary to list all the techniques used (SDS-PAGE, etc.). I think it's more important to say what the general goal of the project was. But saying that you did the posters/presentations is probably good.
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Three sentences would be enough: Collaborated with ___ on a study designed to show that ___. Learned to use SDS-PAGE, etc.... Manuscript is being prepared and will be submitted for publication in ___.
 
For a non-trad with five full-time jobs to list, should they be lumped (with contacts, etc. in the description), or listed individually?
 
iduwanna said:
For a non-trad with five full-time jobs to list, should they be lumped (with contacts, etc. in the description), or listed individually?
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I'd suggest listing individually. They will show up in reverse chronological order on your application and that will be helpful to the adcom in seeing what you are doing now & what you've been doing since college graduation (or prior to that if you worked f/t before finishing college).
 
So it seems that LizzyM, you suggest pretty short descriptions. Most of mine are in the 300 character range... Would that be within the normal expectations?
 
question...

I started training in tae kwon do about two years ago. I began once or twice a week but soon was going 5-6 days a week. I have been a staff member at the same school for the past six months or so and I am now a paid employee of the school.

I want to make sure I give enough weight to this activity since I spend over thirty hours a week at this and it is something that is very important to me.

So my question is, does this all belong under one entry, or do I split it up... it could be extracurricular and then employment, or extracurricular, leadership, then employment, or all lumped together. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
oneandonlylo said:
question...

I started training in tae kwon do about two years ago. I began once or twice a week but soon was going 5-6 days a week. I have been a staff member at the same school for the past six months or so and I am now a paid employee of the school.

I want to make sure I give enough weight to this activity since I spend over thirty hours a week at this and it is something that is very important to me.

So my question is, does this all belong under one entry, or do I split it up... it could be extracurricular and then employment, or extracurricular, leadership, then employment, or all lumped together. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

One activity I would say. I would list it under leadership or employment. Use the description to note increased involvement. I've been doing martial arts since 91 (I'm 29) and used one entry to describe my competition, teaching, etc.
 
This may have been asked before, but I couldn't find the answer.

Should I write in 1st person or 3rd person for the activities section descriptions? 3 or 4 bullet points per activity are fine?

Thanks a lot for your help!
 
My advisor told me to write a summary about the publication that I just simply listed in the description section as a reference. I was wondering what I should include as part of the summary: 1) just a summary of the study i.e. results and/or 2) What I did that made me get published?

Thank you very much!
 
moto_za said:
My advisor told me to write a summary about the publication that I just simply listed in the description section as a reference. I was wondering what I should include as part of the summary: 1) just a summary of the study i.e. results and/or 2) What I did that made me get published?

Thank you very much!
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I'd go with #2. If you've cited it properly I can pull it up on my screen in the time it takes me to type the title and most adcom members have the library resources to do the same. We can read the abstract online, we can't find out your involvement in the project unless you tell us.
 
Kind of odd question: I was awarded a very generous scholarship (read $10,000+) and a tuition waiver at the master's program I'm currently in. Both were contingent on full-time research, which I did for one semester. Unfortunately, the lab sort of started to "fall apart" (i.e. both an employee and another student left the lab at the exact same time) and I became unconvinced that I would be able to graduate with the thesis degree in two years. I left the lab.

I'm still in the program as a non-thesis master's candidate for better or for worse. I've used the free time to bulk up on my volunteering and clinical experiences and it's actually turned out to be the best decision I ever made.

Here's my question, and I'd really appreciate it if LizzyM gets a chance to see this because it's pretty unusual.

Do you think it's a bad idea to mention (1) the scholarship (2) the dollar amount (3) the tuition waiver as part of the research I did?
 
If I am not 100% sure I'd get a job as an EMT-B, then should I not list even the possibility of it happening? Do you think it could look bad when interviewed and they ask me whether or not I got the job and I didn't? I just know that having that job would look nice, but again, I'm not 100% that I'd get it despite talking to the director.
 
hypnix said:
If I am not 100% sure I'd get a job as an EMT-B, then should I not list even the possibility of it happening? Do you think it could look bad when interviewed and they ask me whether or not I got the job and I didn't? I just know that having that job would look nice, but again, I'm not 100% that I'd get it despite talking to the director.
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Don't put possibilities on the activites, but follow up with realities.
 
I currently own and play my own instrument just for my own enjoyment and it helps keep my creativity sharp. I practice various pieces and also attempt to create my own music.

I plan to put this experience down, but I have two questions:

1. I actually have been playing since like the 4th grade, but should I just put the start date the month after I graduated high school? or should I actually put the date down of September 1997 (my 4th grade year)?

2. In the last month of high school, I was awarded by the US Marine Corps, The "Semper Fidelis" Award for Musical Excellence. Am I allowed to mention that?
 
Hey LizzyM,

I had a few questions, I apologize if they have been answered.

1.) For a publication, what do I put under the description besides the citation, if I've already described the research in a separate section under another activity.

2.) For scholarships, is it enough just to list the criteria under the description
ie. California resident with financial need , etc

3.) Can I list scholarships I received at the end of high school that were given for college.

4.) Finally, if the scholarship was given by my school, can I leave the contact info blank? or should I list the schools financial aid office or something?


Thank you very much for your help! 🙂
 
CardiacKid said:
I currently own and play my own instrument just for my own enjoyment and it helps keep my creativity sharp. I practice various pieces and also attempt to create my own music.

I plan to put this experience down, but I have two questions:

1. I actually have been playing since like the 4th grade, but should I just put the start date the month after I graduated high school? or should I actually put the date down of September 1997 (my 4th grade year)?

2. In the last month of high school, I was awarded by the US Marine Corps, The "Semper Fidelis" Award for Musical Excellence. Am I allowed to mention that?
Click to expand...

Use the 4th grade start date. It's ok because this is an activity that you continued in college. In the free text section, note that you received the ... award for ... in 2005 (or whenever) from the US Marine....
 
Franksta1118 said:
Hey LizzyM,

I had a few questions, I apologize if they have been answered.

1.) For a publication, what do I put under the description besides the citation, if I've already described the research in a separate section under another activity.

2.) For scholarships, is it enough just to list the criteria under the description
ie. California resident with financial need , etc

3.) Can I list scholarships I received at the end of high school that were given for college.

4.) Finally, if the scholarship was given by my school, can I leave the contact info blank? or should I list the schools financial aid office or something?


Thank you very much for your help! 🙂
Click to expand...

The citation is enough but you could add what your contribution was to the research, if you wish, or note that "this work was done in Dr. xx lab (see separate entry)."

Scholarships given for financial need aren't really anything to brag about. Merit scholarships might be worth mentioning. Generally there is a contact person at the organization awarding the funds. Enter scholarships awarded for HS work if they significant. I wouldn't bother entering $100 awarded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for winning the Memorial Day essay contest but that's just me.
 
pianola said:
Kind of odd question: I was awarded a very generous scholarship (read $10,000+) and a tuition waiver at the master's program I'm currently in. Both were contingent on full-time research, which I did for one semester. Unfortunately, the lab sort of started to "fall apart" (i.e. both an employee and another student left the lab at the exact same time) and I became unconvinced that I would be able to graduate with the thesis degree in two years. I left the lab.

I'm still in the program as a non-thesis master's candidate for better or for worse. I've used the free time to bulk up on my volunteering and clinical experiences and it's actually turned out to be the best decision I ever made.

Here's my question, and I'd really appreciate it if LizzyM gets a chance to see this because it's pretty unusual.

Do you think it's a bad idea to mention (1) the scholarship (2) the dollar amount (3) the tuition waiver as part of the research I did?
Click to expand...

What are you trying to communicate to the adcom? Did you give up the tuition waiver and scholarship when you left the lab? Do you think that this information will be helpful to the adcom when they try to make a decision as to whether you should be interviewed/admitted?
 
Hey folks,

I have quite a few questions about ECs, what to include etc. It is a very long post and I don't think I should inconvenience every body with a tome. Would somebody be willing to answer my questions and give me feeback if I PMed it to you?

Thank you
 
Quick question.

Ive been a member of a "college basketball student section" called the Izzone (at Michigan State University, some ppl may or may not have heard of this) for all four years of college. Im not involved in the organization as a leader or anything, just have attended all of the games the past four years (including a nightlong campout each year as well as some away games). Should I include this as a hobby/extracurricular or is this going a little too far.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
LizzyM said:
What are you trying to communicate to the adcom? Did you give up the tuition waiver and scholarship when you left the lab? Do you think that this information will be helpful to the adcom when they try to make a decision as to whether you should be interviewed/admitted?
Click to expand...

- In the entry, I primarily wish to communicate the nature of the research but also, I suppose, that I was an attractive candidate to the master's program. I mean, as far as I can tell, AMCAS seems to think that "awards" (including monetary?) might be of interest to an ADCOM, which is why I'm considering listing it in the first place.

- Yes I gave up both the tuition waiver and scholarship when I left. I didn't have to pay back any funds for the semester and I remain a 4.0 student (good standing). I'm also on good terms with the PI (who currently has no students and no research as we've all left). There are other non-thesis students in the department so my current position isn't exactly strange.

- I suppose the information could make me look like a quitter -- which I'm not. I accepted the scholarship with a certain understanding of how the project would be accomplished but it became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to finish the master's degree in the normal period of time (2 years).

The research I DID do will be included no question because I spent a very significant period of time in that lab and I did learn a number of new techniques. The scholarship is just part of the general picture of "what I did last fall."

Thanks for your help for the millionth time. I do very much appreciate your patience with all these questions.
 
pianola said:
- In the entry, I primarily wish to communicate the nature of the research but also, I suppose, that I was an attractive candidate to the master's program. I mean, as far as I can tell, AMCAS seems to think that "awards" (including monetary?) might be of interest to an ADCOM, which is why I'm considering listing it in the first place.

- Yes I gave up both the tuition waiver and scholarship when I left. I didn't have to pay back any funds for the semester and I remain a 4.0 student (good standing). I'm also on good terms with the PI (who currently has no students and no research as we've all left). There are other non-thesis students in the department so my current position isn't exactly strange.

- I suppose the information could make me look like a quitter -- which I'm not. I accepted the scholarship with a certain understanding of how the project would be accomplished but it became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to finish the master's degree in the normal period of time (2 years).

The research I DID do will be included no question because I spent a very significant period of time in that lab and I did learn a number of new techniques. The scholarship is just part of the general picture of "what I did last fall."
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I'd worry about.


and being an attractive student to a master's program doesn't impress an adcom.

I'd leave it out.
 
victory4msu said:
Quick question.

Ive been a member of a "college basketball student section" called the Izzone (at Michigan State University, some ppl may or may not have heard of this) for all four years of college. Im not involved in the organization as a leader or anything, just have attended all of the games the past four years (including a nightlong campout each year as well as some away games). Should I include this as a hobby/extracurricular or is this going a little too far.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...

Experience: Rabid MSU basketball fan

Adcom members might look at this and wish you'd spent some of that time preparing for the MCAT.
 
For scholarships, should monetary value be included?

I participated in the HHMI program last summer, which gave $2k for use in research, and have received a Goldwater research scholarship, which gives $7.5k/year.

Beneath each entry, I figured I could describe the projects for which these awards were used (as a supplement to the general "research" heading that I'm using as one of the 15). But is it wise to include the monetary value of these scholarships in the description as well?
 
LizzyM said:
That's exactly what I'd worry about.


and being an attractive student to a master's program doesn't impress an adcom.

I'd leave it out.
Click to expand...

Point taken. Thank you.
 
Hey guys.. if anybody can take a look at post 895 and tell me what you think it would be great.. Thanks!!
 
Fp02c said:
To anybody who might know...

instead of starting a new thread I;ll post my question here.

I started a little compter fixing project a few years back. Nothing big, fixed computers at goodwill for store credit, fixed a few computers at the free clinic where I volunteer and fixed personal computers mainly for students throughout the years for a little extra cash. Who would I put under Contact and organization name ( I didnt really give this endevor a marketable name.. i just put an ad in the student paper with my email and phone number.)
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Well, I'd put your name, personally. It comes off like you had a little business, so you'd be the contact.
 
I sincerely apologize if this has been asked already but I have not found it after a long search.

I am a research assistant in a hospital.. collecting data, patient follow-ups, clinical trials, etc. Can I put this under Research/Lab? Not sure if that means Research and/or Lab or Research IN A Lab.

Another question which will probably be answered by the first - I did a senior research project in college, investigating ADHD, conducting interviews and writing up a paper to be presented. Can this also go under the Research/Lab heading?

Thank you.
 
Fp02c said:
To anybody who might know...

instead of starting a new thread I;ll post my question here.

I started a little compter fixing project a few years back. Nothing big, fixed computers at goodwill for store credit, fixed a few computers at the free clinic where I volunteer and fixed personal computers mainly for students throughout the years for a little extra cash. Who would I put under Contact and organization name ( I didnt really give this endevor a marketable name.. i just put an ad in the student paper with my email and phone number.)


Also.. I wrote some papers as part of some research that are not published. They were required by my advisor mainly to supplement some of the work his graduate studnets were working on. Is it ok to put the papers and titles under the description of the activity even if they werent published? I only want to becuase the research was pretty cool and if anything it'll make for some good convesation during an interview
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My opinion: I would leave the contact blank - the adcoms are intelligent people and they will figure it out... putting your own name seems odd to me.

Of course you can include that stuff, but do not put it under the Publication heading and make it clear what the purpose of it was for. I think you need to explain it better.
 
schismal said:
For scholarships, should monetary value be included?

I participated in the HHMI program last summer, which gave $2k for use in research, and have received a Goldwater research scholarship, which gives $7.5k/year.

Beneath each entry, I figured I could describe the projects for which these awards were used (as a supplement to the general "research" heading that I'm using as one of the 15). But is it wise to include the monetary value of these scholarships in the description as well?
Click to expand...

Yes, the amounts are significant and could be included. It's nice but not essential to note the amount. You make the call.
 
Adnama said:
My opinion: I would leave the contact blank - the adcoms are intelligent people and they will figure it out... putting your own name seems odd to me.
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Good call. I reviewed my entry that was similar and I left the contact blank and under "Organization Name" I put: Self Employed.
 
This may have been asked already but after doing a quick search thread, I couldn't find it so I figured I'd ask again.

Does the order that we enter in our activities actually matter? I've been entering them in kind of randomly, but before I continued, I wanted to make sure it didn't matter, or if I should re-enter them in chronological order. Thanks.
 
W's

So, I have three W's.

1 x undergraduate humanities course; quit b/c it was totally boring.
1 x summer course in the humanities. I submitted a drop "2 days" after the class started, but for some reason they counted it as a withdrawal.
1 x 1 unit lab. I found out I didn't need it after I was part way through the semester and I wasn't going to keep driving 100 miles every Friday for a single unit course while gas is $4/gallon.

What level of detail do I need to explain this stuff in my PS? I'm having enough trouble fitting everything as it is.

Thanks!
 
tncekm said:
W's

So, I have three W's.

1 x undergraduate humanities course; quit b/c it was totally boring.
1 x summer course in the humanities. I submitted a drop "2 days" after the class started, but for some reason they counted it as a withdrawal.
1 x 1 unit lab. I found out I didn't need it after I was part way through the semester and I wasn't going to keep driving 100 miles every Friday for a single unit course while gas is $4/gallon.

What level of detail do I need to explain this stuff in my PS? I'm having enough trouble fitting everything as it is.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I feel like you should not bring attention to it. 3 W's is hardly worth concern over fours years of school - things happen and I would imagine not many people will ask about it. So why put a big arrow pointing towards it?
 
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