help on AMCAS post-sec experiences!!!

[calflowergirl]

Hey there pre-meds and meds,

I'm currently working on my primary application and I'd like some help on the post sec portion of the application. How do you start of writing about your experiences? is "I have worked in Dr. X 's laboratory for 2 years doing .... this experience has taught me patience, ...." the way to go about writing it?
Please help!
Examples of how to start of would be greatly appreciated. thank you so much!

cheers

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[Columbia22]

thats how i did it...."X taught me bla bla about the medical field, i was able to bla bla, etc" You're on the right track

 

[mikestuy]

i listed my post secondary experiences in a resume-like format.

 

[merovingian]

yeah i just briefly described what it was i did and maybe a little of what i learned from it....for example, i shadowed a plastic surgeon, so i mentioned that i did so during my senior year of college and that i was able to witness various procedures and talk to him about certain health care issues today....nothing too fancy, brief and to the point.....you dont have much room to write anyways if i remember correctly

 

[closertofine]

Yeah, I'm not sure if I did mine in the "right" way, if there is one... but I also just did a brief resume-type listing...most of them were nowhere near the limit in terms of characters. Maybe it's just me, but I think putting down things like "I learned patience from this experience" sounds too cliche and is unnecessary...I would say just to put down what you did and how you participated.

 

[deez4life]

Judy Levine (ex-adcom director of a top med school) recommends the "I have worked in Dr. X 's laboratory for 2 years doing .... this experience has taught me ...." method. That's the way I went about it. It's logical. Talking about personal influence from your experiences paints a better picture of you as an applicant, as opposed to listing in a robotic resume format.

good luck.

deez

 

[spumoni620]

I agree w/deez (or judy i guess) --that's how i went about listing it. but i also agree w/karen b/c you don't want to sound too cliched...so try to pick out 1 or 2 aspects of the experience that shaped an aspect of your personality or influenced your decision to become a doctor. you only have 510 characters (I think?) so using words wisely is key...

 

[deez4life]

yeah, I thought the "don't be cheesy" part was kind of implicit when doing your application.

deez

 

[merovingian]

I dont think it matters much if you just describe your activities in a resume-style manner, maybe incorporating a few things you have personally learned from the experience....i mean, once you get to your interviews, your interviewer will for sure ask you about some of the activities you did in more detail anyway, at least the ones that he/she wants to hear more about.... and if he does, you dont want to say the same exact thing that you wrote on your AMCAS (not that anyone would do that but you know what i mean! )

 

[Cydney Foote]

I prefer tight, concise essay style. Don't waste words, but don't neglect to talk about the skills/qualities that the experience provided -- emphasizing those that prepare you for medical school. For instance,

"As a science tutor, I honed my interpersonal skills as I taught science skills to junior school students. I learned to clearly communicate objectives and principles to the students."

One common mistake that I've seen on the postsecondary experiences is that applicants spent the majority of the space writing about what an organization does. While this may require a brief explanation if it's an unusual group (not the Red Cross, please), use the bulk of the answer to explain what you personally did.

Good luck!

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

What if you have been in an extracurricular activity where you developed no skills that are relevant to medicine? For example, I have been in several clubs at school that have nothing to do with science or medicine, and some of these clubs didn't even do much besides hold weekly meetings. Is it appropriate to list these on AMCAS just to show that I have done something besides school and homework, even if there's not much to say except what the purpose of the club is and that I was just a member? I would consider leaving these activities out, but I really wasn't involved in anything else but these clubs until last year when I started volunteering.

 

[Cydney Foote]

DoctorWannaBe, you absolutely should have interests outside science and medicine, and definitely include these in your postsec experiences ( if not in your AMCAS essay itself ). Medical schools want well-rounded students for at least three important reasons:

(1) Outside interests demonstrate other qualities they look for (leadership, maturity, initiative, etc.) that are as important as knowing the science.

(2) Multi-dimensional people bring new and valuable perspectives to the class.

(3) Hobbies and activities are a way to "let off steam" throughout med school and even your medical practice later -- if you eat, sleep, and breathe medicine, you're going to burn out quickly.

So DEFINITELY keep up your non-science activities and DEFINITELY include them in your application.

Good luck!