Just realized a course mistake on AMCAS...

[musicalfeet]

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So I did what people keep saying you shouldn't do after submitting (re-reading it) and getting it verified. I had it verified more than 10 days ago too, so I'm not sure if I can still change anything at all. I realized I had failed to put "with Lab" on the title for my pre-reqs, but checked the "yes with lab" for all of my pre-reqs EXCEPT Physics II (2nd sem). I don't know how I didn't check that box...but anyway now I'm freaking out because I'm scared schools will think I didn't take that course with lab.

Although when I look at the "printed app", none of my courses say with lab (or indicated as such) that have labs on them. The only possible saving grace is that my school puts an L next to the course number to indicate that it is taken with lab. (For example, genetics without lab is Bio143, whereas Organic chemistry with lab is listed as Chem117L, physics w/lab is listed as PHYS30L, etc).

What should I do? At this point should I try to submit an academic change request? Would schools possibly figure it out on their own?

 

[gothamoracle]

I wouldn't freak out too much, honestly. AMCAS will usually fix minor inconsistencies but you should call AMCAS and see if they can fix it or if you need to update schools about the mishap. As for the physics lab, you don't need to have all the classes completed in order to be admitted, so don't worry. Tons of applicants are admitted with classes in progress or scheduled for the future. Even if the lab was perceived by schools to be incomplete, it would never be a make or break scenario.

 

[musicalfeet]

I wouldn't freak out too much, honestly. AMCAS will usually fix minor inconsistencies but you should call AMCAS and see if they can fix it or if you need to update schools about the mishap. As for the physics lab, you don't need to have all the classes completed in order to be admitted, so don't worry. Tons of applicants are admitted with classes in progress or scheduled for the future. Even if the lab was perceived by schools to be incomplete, it would never be a make or break scenario.

I called AMCAS and they said it was my mistake and there's nothing they're going to do about it and that med schools might think that I didn't do the lab portions of my courses. Should I just wait until later in the cycle to tell them that courses with the L on the end (like Chem117L, Bio43L) are ones that have built in lab courses and those without are lecture only?? Do you think med schools will just know..?

 

[deleted158872]

weird.
usually AMCAS fixes coursework errors and adds missing courses up to 10 courses as part of verification

 

[preemed2015]

If your school typically has a lot of students applying to medical school, then there's a good chance they would just know since they've already seen a lot of applicants who have (most likely) taken the same pre-req courses as you. I also made a minor mistake on the courses section of AMCAS when I was applying last cycle and I ended up just constructing an email clarifying the mistake and sending it out to the admissions offices of all the schools I had applied to. Of course, there's not guarantee admissions will actually see/respond to your email but in my case, most were pretty receptive and said that they would add it to my file. But definitely don't stress too much about it; the mistake you made seems like a fairly minor one and shouldn't hurt you in the long run! Good luck!

 

[musicalfeet]

If your school typically has a lot of students applying to medical school, then there's a good chance they would just know since they've already seen a lot of applicants who have (most likely) taken the same pre-req courses as you. I also made a minor mistake on the courses section of AMCAS when I was applying last cycle and I ended up just constructing an email clarifying the mistake and sending it out to the admissions offices of all the schools I had applied to. Of course, there's not guarantee admissions will actually see/respond to your email but in my case, most were pretty receptive and said that they would add it to my file. But definitely don't stress too much about it; the mistake you made seems like a fairly minor one and shouldn't hurt you in the long run! Good luck!

Did you send one email and address it to all the schools, or did you send each school an individual email? Also, when did you do that? I wasn't sure when I should do that (as AMCAS hasn't even sent out the primaries yet). My post-bac program is relatively well known, and the undergrad institution it is affiliated with has quite a number of premeds that apply (but nowhere near as big as the big universities)

 

[preemed2015]

Did you send one email and address it to all the schools, or did you send each school an individual email? Also, when did you do that? I wasn't sure when I should do that (as AMCAS hasn't even sent out the primaries yet). My post-bac program is relatively well known, and the undergrad institution it is affiliated with has quite a number of premeds that apply (but nowhere near as big as the big universities)

I send each school a separate email- basically just used the same template for every email though. I sent the emails pretty much right after I submitted the secondaries- I don't think it's necessary to do it any earlier because schools won't be carefully reviewing your app/extending interview invites until after they receive your secondary. Also, some schools have secondaries that give you space to explain special circumstances/anything else you feel would contribute to your app so I just clarified my situation there and it spared me from having to send an extra email. In your case, I would send the emails if you want to be absolutely safe but I think that you will be okay either way, especially since you mentioned that your post-bac is fairly well known. Plus, there's a good chance med school admissions can infer that an "L" means lab included and if there's any confusion, they can always google it.

As I mentioned before, your mistake is pretty minor so don't dwell on it- just focus on secondaries and interview prep now! 🙂