Not using enough characters for AMCAS activities?

[Lake_Front]

Hello,

I was finishing up my activities section to submit and for the three most meaningful activities, I found myself using only 550-600 characters for the first portion. The way I had it structured, I just did not want to sound too redundant or anything like that and ended up using fewer characters in the first portion as I went into much greater detail in the additional paragraph provided. I was wondering if this would be considered 'too little' or would stand out as potentially being harmful to my application. Thanks!

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[Lake_Front]

Also, what would be considered too few characters for the activities section in general (the other non-meaningful writeups that are limited to 700 characters)? I have a few that are ~600 chars as well.

 

[LunaOri]

The character count is meant to keep applicants from rambling on forever. It is absolutely fine not to use all the characters.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Hi there! You do not have to use all the characters, but you should definitely make sure that those characters you use, you use them wisely. Every description you write for your activities should be strong and really showcase your skills and those essential qualities that you posses and that will hopefully align with those valued by programs. So, be strategic and use as many characters as you can to give the admissions committee members what they want to know form you. To structure each standard Work and Activities description, we recommend using approximately one-third of the allotted characters to describe the setting and activity, ensuring that the most important accomplishment or result is highlighted (you should use meaningful action verbs like "led," "founded," "organized," "advocated," etc.) The remaining space in the entry should be used to demonstrate how the experience impacted you and helped you develop the qualities sought in future medical professionals. If you feel your description includes all this even with only 550-600 characters, then good job! But if you feel you can still make it stronger, then definitely consider using the additional characters you have left. Hope this helps! Best of luck to you!