Hot off the presses from AMCAS

[md2be06]

Believe what you will.

Dear AMCAS Applicant,


The current question we're receiving most frequently is: what is AMCAS
sending to the medical schools? For an answer to that question, please
read below.


Best wishes in your medical school admissions process.


AMCAS

What is AMCAS sending out to schools?


Every medical school designated (and paid for) by the applicant
receives the following materials:


*Preliminary applicant data:
These data include only preferred name, mailing address, phone, e-mail
address and state of legal residence, and are intended to give schools
the opportunity to contact applicants interested in their program(s).
Preliminary applicant data are provided to medical schools via File
Transfer Protocol (FTP). While these data are also transmitted
electronically via the AMCAS 2002 Data Transmission Utility (DTU) to all
designated medical schools, some schools are not yet able to receive
electronic data in this way.


*Summary applications:
Application summaries include applicant contact information, limited
biographic information, colleges attended, MCAT scores, unverified GPAs,
and your responses to the questions posed in the Certification &
Transmission section of your AMCAS application. In addition, these
summaries provide medical schools with the date on which the application
was certified and submitted to AMCAS. These summaries are shipped to
medical schools via Federal Express.

*Interim applications:
Interim applications are the complete set of data an applicant has
submitted to AMCAS. We also add to the information entered by the
applicant released MCAT scores and send unverified AMCAS GPAs, which
applicants can view using their application's onscreen print option. The
specific course information entered by the applicant that will
eventually be validated by AMCAS has not yet been verified at this
point. Interim applications are shipped to medical schools via Federal
Express.


In addition to the paper interim applications shipped to all designated
schools, AMCAS also provides medical schools via FTP with abridged
application data. Some of the data included in this file transfer are
applicant biographic information, schools attended, course work,
unverified GPAs, MCAT scores and contact information. These data do not
include applicant essays or post-secondary experiences.


*Processed applications:
Processed applications represent the complete set of data an applicant
has submitted to AMCAS. All sections of processed applications have
completed AMCAS processing. All data in such applications are considered
final unless changes are later sent to the schools. These applications
are transmitted electronically via the AMCAS 2002 Data Transmission
Utility (DTU) to all designated medical schools.


In addition to the processed applications transmitted using the DTU,
AMCAS also provides medical schools via FTP with abridged application
data. Some of the data included in this file transfer are applicant
biographic information, schools attended, course work, verified GPAs,
MCAT scores and contact information. These data do not include
applicant essays or post-secondary experiences.

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[Amy B]

Ok, for those of us who are no longer in AMCAS's list of friends, can you tell me .....did you get this as an email? I haven't gotten an email from them for weeks. On Monday I have paid my lawyer to send a letter to the President. All avenues have failed in getting my application processed.

I won't be added to the interview schedule at one of my schools until they have my verified, processed application, which apparently is not going to happen. I will let everyone know what their response is from my lawyer's letter to Cohen. till then..........................

Amy

 

[12R34Y]

I don't get it. When do the schools get your essays and post sec experiences? what is the bit after the processed part mean? it says that it does NOT include essays and post-sec experiences. That is horrible. that's a huge part of my app.

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by 12R34Y:
•I don't get it. When do the schools get your essays and post sec experiences? what is the bit after the processed part mean? it says that it does NOT include essays and post-sec experiences. That is horrible. that's a huge part of my app.•

They will get essays and post-bac experiences only when AMCAs and the school are able to send and receive through their DTU system. I read on another thread somewhere that they expect that to happen by Christmas!

 

[Rhiana]

I got this e-mail too. I think AMCAS is starting to go into full COVER YOUR ASS mode. They know that were pissed that there do nothing president has decided to go on vacation during the middle of this crisis and they want to look like they have everything under control before he goes. I also believe that given the press coverage that SDN has been instrumental in getting there monitoring this site and are trying to strike first in terms of the letter writting campaign. I'm not paranoid or anything, any place that inept will never get the drop on me, but i do think that this is starting to turn into a PR problem. They'll use this letter to show how much there doing to "help" he candidates through this crisis. But this is all bull****-we paid them to send out processed applications, they keep failing to do that. I don't care what else there doing. Do the job we paid you to do.

 

[ewells]

SMW, I am under the impression that the "interim applications" are complete, verified apps, which would include essays and experiences. Does anyone know for sure?

 

[md2be06]

I'm sorry, I just crack up at the thought of an "AMCAS Specialist" using ftp to send data to medical schools. Ah, now whenever I need to laugh, I just picture a group of specialists crowded around a pc trying to figure out how to select files and transmit them. No wonder people are getting rejections from schools they've never even applied to!

 

[Amy B]

md2be06
.... I just picture a group of specialists
crowded around a pc trying to figure out how to select files and transmit them.

I don't mean to argue with you md2be06 but I think you have it all wrong. They can't get that far. They are all sitting around trying to figure out how to TURN ON their computer!!!!!!!!

 

[DesperatelySeekingMD]

Whatever happened to the full printed versions (including everyhing) AMCAS was sending out to every school? Is that just not going to be done...are they really going to try to rely on the DTU or FTP or any other electronic means to do this? Well if it ain't broke don't fix it!

 

[md2be06]

Actually, at AMCAS, their motto is, "If it's broke, we won't really fix it, I mean, we might try and all, but you'll have to check back in 6 to 8 weeks."

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by ewells:
•SMW, I am under the impression that the "interim applications" are complete, verified apps, which would include essays and experiences. Does anyone know for sure?•

ewells,
Well, re-reading the AMCAS missive above, I'd have to say that you're right, except that I think they can be either verified ( if you submitted before 8/10) or unverified (if you submitted after 8/10). But that's if we can trust what AMCAS says. Why in the world are they doing this FTP thing after they've sent the pre-liminary, summary and interim stuff? Sounds like they're just trying to make it sound like they're doing something to justify all the money we've sent them!

 

[Amy B]

Am I now reading this letter wrong. It does look like the schools do not get the essays until the final processed copy. In the letter it states from begining to end as to what they add to the sent things and essays are not mentioned until the processed part.

Leave it to AMCAS to write a letter that we all can interpret in a number of different way.

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by Amy Beth:
•Am I now reading this letter wrong. It does look like the schools do not get the essays until the final processed copy. In the letter it states from begining to end as to what they add to the sent things and essays are not mentioned until the processed part.

Leave it to AMCAS to write a letter that we all can interpret in a number of different way. •

Here's how the letter describes "interim" applications they send by FedEx:
Interim applications are the complete set of data an applicant has submitted to AMCAS.

I think that has to include essays and post secondary experiences even though they don't mention them. Hope so, anyway.

 

[racergirl]

I think it's clear that this message is intentionally vague. My feeling is that if the med schools actually saw your essays, AMCAS would say so explicitly. This isn't the case. AMCAS IS going into cover your ass mode, and they think we're too stupid to see it. the bottom line is that no one will ever see the essays and experiences we worked so hard on, at least not for a very, very, very, very long time. I'm soooo tired of being lied to and deceived. I just don't want to hear it any more.

One bright spot: AMCAS is single handedly creating a whole generation of doctors who will never forget what the AAMC did to them! thus, THEIR DAYS ARE NUMBERED.