*~*~* Official AACOMAS Questions Thread 2013-2014 *~*~*

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Is there a spot to explain why my grades sucked for one semester? Thanks!
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hsalfeht said:
Is there a spot to explain why my grades sucked for one semester? Thanks!
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Yeah I believe your ps is the best place to explain anything, including grades. Schools love to see a student who stumbled at the start but finished strong. Also, if the grades aren't too bad, try not to dwell on it too much you dont want to scare the schools away
 
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ph7 said:
Yeah I believe your ps is the best place to explain anything, including grades. Schools love to see a student who stumbled at the start but finished strong. Also, if the grades aren't too bad, try not to dwell on it too much you dont want to scare the schools away
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Thanks! Any place other than the personal statement though? I don't really see a good way to add it in mine :(
 
1. For Total Hours for an activity, should I list hours done so far or include planned hours.
2. For the end date of activity I'm doing now , What should be the end date.
3. As there is no description box in the awards section, how do i put multiple semesters of the deans list.
 
hsalfeht said:
Thanks! Any place other than the personal statement though? I don't really see a good way to add it in mine :(
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Idk maybe on your secondaries but I think your best bet is the PS. You could try adding it to a EC description like "this pre-med club helped me when I had this bad semester.."
 
JohnMackenzie said:
1. For Total Hours for an activity, should I list hours done so far or include planned hours.
2. For the end date of activity I'm doing now , What should be the end date.
3. As there is no description box in the awards section, how do i put multiple semesters of the deans list.
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1.I just put hours done as to this date
2. Leave it blank
3. You can write "Deans list: 2011-2013"
 
Should I include someplace in the application Why I'm applying DO, in the Personal statement or activities. Or is this not necessary.
 
wannabeadoc2 said:
Mine is coming up on three weeks for both AACOMAS and AMCAS...



Personal Statement.
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Did you have to wait on transcripts during any of that time? That's seems very long? I already had all my transcripts in and was applying EDP for AMCAS - as for AACOMAS I also already had transcripts sent in and received but just submitted the actual app- hopefully things start moving along!
 
Just to be sure, if you fill out the AACOMAS but do not submit it will crossover into the next cycle correct? Everything will be saved, awards, PS, ECs, classes that were put in etc correct? Also can you still submit it but not apply until next cycle? I saw something like that on the NYCOM form for 2013 - 2014 where someone said they submitted their app and will be applying next cycle.
 
1) Does aacomas also verify jobs, etc. or only grades? Can I update still after they get my transcript?
2) How do schools see my grades? Do they see my actual transcript? Term by term or year by year or something? Thanks!
 
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My application's been verified and as I was checking the grades section, I noticed that a 4 hour class that I had originally gotten a D in had an R01 but the 4 hour class that I took to replace it had R01 instead of L01. Does that mean AACOMAS rejected the equivalency of the class I took to replace my original class?
 
What changes can be made to the application after submission. Can I add activities, can i edit activities, can i edit the personal statement?
 
I took courses at a community college while I was in high school. I was wondering what my academic status would be for those courses. Also, I asked one of the AACOMAS workers how I should input those courses, he said to classify them as AP, but I'm afraid I may have worded the question incorrectly.
 
I have a question about planned coursework: my school does not allow me to register for the Fall until July 3rd. However, I am deficient in 1/2 a physics and organic II (which I will be taking next year obviously). My transcripts have already been sent in. Will schools delay sending me secondaries because planned coursework is not listed on my transcript? I am thinking I will just send in the updated transcripts when I have successfully registered but begin the verification process before that (I am hoping to submit the primary today actually)
 
Elevencents said:
Prior to being verified I could see my cGPA and sGPA under the coursework tab. Now that I'm verified, there is no longer a cGPA or sGPA, just individual grades for each course. Is there any way to see what my GPA ended up being after verification?
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Would like to know this
 
Hey Everybody,

Regarding the GPA question: yes, it is on the application that is sent to schools. Should be on the first page on the left hand side.

Hope that helps!

-Bill R.
 
Last edited:
After your application has been verified and released. There is a PDF file that you can open to see your application - is there anywhere on the application that shows your sGPA?
 
The 750 character description of your activities does not show when you submit your application does it? I looked after I submitted and could not see any of my activity descriptions.
 
I submitted my DO application but it has not been verified yet. I signed on and it let me make a few corrections/add things - like a MCAT retake date and more stuff for a few activities. Will this be reflected since I did it before actual verification?

Also when I click view application the descriptions do not appear at all - like they do when you fill out the application. Is this right?
 
Hello,

I am sure this question can help others as well and I couldn't find it in any of the threads. Anyways, when you retake courses and send the final transcripts to AACOMAS, how does this work at the institution level? Will the D.O. schools you apply to also receive your transcripts and/or see specific grades or will they just get the overall GPA that AACOMAS calculates and verifies? Also, does anybody know if the institution will see how many classes are retaken?


The reason why I ask is because at the very beginning during my community college career, I didn't know anything about drops. When I stopped going to classes, I didn't realize that I was getting F's. So while it may show that I have 8 retakes, I wanted to know how to prepare for any questions that may arise about this in the process.



* SORRY IF THERE IS A THREAD ABOUT THIS! BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! *
 
We see ALL of your coursework and grades, but the GPAs are done via AACOMAS' calculations. So, yes, we see every course you ever took, and the repeats.

Multiple repeats are OK. We understand that people are fallible and make lots of mistakes at ages-18-21. Just do well in the repeats, that's all we ask.

DoctorSwoleMD said:
Hello,

I am sure this question can help others as well and I couldn't find it in any of the threads. Anyways, when you retake courses and send the final transcripts to AACOMAS, how does this work at the institution level? Will the D.O. schools you apply to also receive your transcripts and/or see specific grades or will they just get the overall GPA that AACOMAS calculates and verifies? Also, does anybody know if the institution will see how many classes are retaken?


The reason why I ask is because at the very beginning during my community college career, I didn't know anything about drops. When I stopped going to classes, I didn't realize that I was getting F's. So while it may show that I have 8 retakes, I wanted to know how to prepare for any questions that may arise about this in the process.



* SORRY IF THERE IS A THREAD ABOUT THIS! BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! *
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How much does the AACOMAS app cost initially and then for each additional school? I cannot find this information anywhere :( Thanks
 
Hello everyone,

In the extracurricular activities section of my AACOMAS application, I have some leadership experiences for student-run clubs that didn't quite have recorded, clock-in and clock-out weekly hours like typical volunteer experiences (except for weekly meetings and such), but I most definitely have put tons of time into these commitments! I was thinking of leaving these spaces blank, but then again I'd really like schools to take the time I put into these commitments into consideration (especially schools that look very highly upon volunteer hours, like MSU).

I'm a little confused about what to do from here. Has anyone else had similar leadership experiences (or any other experiences) that didn't really have a recorded weekly time, and what did you do in that case? Did you estimate your hours and put it in, or leave it blank?

Thank you!
 
Goro said:
We see ALL of your coursework and grades, but the GPAs are done via AACOMAS' calculations. So, yes, we see every course you ever took, and the repeats.

Multiple repeats are OK. We understand that people are fallible and make lots of mistakes at ages-18-21. Just do well in the repeats, that's all we ask.
Click to expand...


Thank you for your response! So maybe you would be a great candidate to answer my next question. If D.O. admissions are able to see all previous course work and grades, what is the benefit of having the GPA calculated differently than MD schools with retakes?


For example (making numbers up), if a student applies to an MD school and retakes are averaged for a 3.2 GPA, and the DO school counts only the retake for a 3.7 GPA, what is the benefit for the D.O. applicant if there are any?
 
Hi all. I just recently found out about this site (I know where have I been??). But I have a quick question. I am submitting my application this week but I just wanted to make sure of something before I did. Under course work, I can not fit the whole name for some of my classes under course name. Is that ok? I just had to shorten some of the words but I know that accomas and amcas are picky about how everything is entered and I do not want my application process to be slowed down since I am just now submitting it.

I have already taken my MCAT but am not very pleased with my score. PS 9 BIO 11 VR 6. verbal is so hard for me and I clearly sucked it up so I am retaking it July 26th to try and get verbal up a point or 2. I have a 3.99 GPA and lots of EC/Vol/Shadowing so I am not horribly worried for DO but I don't want it to hold me back. If I decide to apply to more schools once I get my MCAT score from July, can I do that? Or can I not add schools once I submit? (this is in regards to both MD and DO apps) Thank you in advance! and if these were already answered sorry!
 
DoctorSwoleMD said:
Thank you for your response! So maybe you would be a great candidate to answer my next question. If D.O. admissions are able to see all previous course work and grades, what is the benefit of having the GPA calculated differently than MD schools with retakes?


For example (making numbers up), if a student applies to an MD school and retakes are averaged for a 3.2 GPA, and the DO school counts only the retake for a 3.7 GPA, what is the benefit for the D.O. applicant if there are any?
Click to expand...

This is obviously beneficial for individuals who did poorly early on in college or who had some issue that prevented them from doing well. As opposed to punishing the people who do a whole degree, and turn things around by counting a grade from 5 years ago as having the same weight as one from last semester, DO schools essentially give people in those situations a second chance. So basically that 3.7 without retakes and that 3.7 non-trad with retakes are on at least close footing, whereas a 3.2 might not even be considered.

I hope that answers your question. By the way, Goro is a member of an adcom at a DO school.

Highjump4life said:
Hi all. I just recently found out about this site (I know where have I been??). But I have a quick question. I am submitting my application this week but I just wanted to make sure of something before I did. Under course work, I can not fit the whole name for some of my classes under course name. Is that ok? I just had to shorten some of the words but I know that accomas and amcas are picky about how everything is entered and I do not want my application process to be slowed down since I am just now submitting it.

I have already taken my MCAT but am not very pleased with my score. PS 9 BIO 11 VR 6. verbal is so hard for me and I clearly sucked it up so I am retaking it July 26th to try and get verbal up a point or 2. I have a 3.99 GPA and lots of EC/Vol/Shadowing so I am not horribly worried for DO but I don't want it to hold me back. If I decide to apply to more schools once I get my MCAT score from July, can I do that? Or can I not add schools once I submit? (this is in regards to both MD and DO apps) Thank you in advance! and if these were already answered sorry!
Click to expand...

Check and see how it is labeled on your official transcripts. They are what each school is going to use during verification, so as long as its as close to your transcripts as you can make it, you shouldn't have a problem.

As far as adding schools goes, you can add schools anytime up until their application deadlines. For AMCAS, you will be charged $34 for each additional school you add after the first one. For AACOMAS, each time you add a batch of schools after the first one, the first one in the batch will cost $50 and the rest will cost $35 each. This means that its in your best interest to add all the schools you want to apply to on AACOMAS at the same time, but it might be worth it for you to add some the first time, and then add one batch with all the rest after you get your MCAT retake score.
 
Hey guys,
I'm trying to choose my courses for next year but I am wondering if these courses will be classified under "other science" even though they are from the Kin and Earth Sci department. This is because the name of the course is kinda sketchy (for example, the earth sci course is called "Earth Rocks". Is there anyway for me to verify with AACOMAS even though I am not applying this year?
 
Intronic said:
Hey guys,
I'm trying to choose my courses for next year but I am wondering if these courses will be classified under "other science" even though they are from the Kin and Earth Sci department. This is because the name of the course is kinda sketchy (for example, the earth sci course is called "Earth Rocks". Is there anyway for me to verify with AACOMAS even though I am not applying this year?
Click to expand...

Sounds like an "other science" course to me. "Earth Rocks!!" (great name by the way :laugh:) sounds like a geology course to me, so it should be classified under "other science." I wouldn't be too worried considering kinesiology, geology, and other Earth sciences are classified under "other science."
 
Check and see how it is labeled on your official transcripts. They are what each school is going to use during verification, so as long as its as close to your transcripts as you can make it, you shouldn't have a problem.

As far as adding schools goes, you can add schools anytime up until their application deadlines. For AMCAS, you will be charged $34 for each additional school you add after the first one. For AACOMAS, each time you add a batch of schools after the first one, the first one in the batch will cost $50 and the rest will cost $35 each. This means that its in your best interest to add all the schools you want to apply to on AACOMAS at the same time, but it might be worth it for you to add some the first time, and then add one batch with all the rest after you get your MCAT retake score.[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much! I am happy you told me about all that extra money involved with AACOMAS so I think I will just apply to all the DO schools I am interested in but not all the MDs because I feel like I will get rejected quickly when MD schools see my stupid verbal score without a retake haha.
 
If so, did you receive any notification that AACOMAS released your updated one or that it was received by schools?

Thanks
 
CFused said:
After your application has been verified and released. There is a PDF file that you can open to see your application - is there anywhere on the application that shows your sGPA?
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Yes, in the section that says "GPA and Hours By Year" has three columns.

The first column that is labelled "SCI" is science. I'm assuming "NSI" means non-science. and the last column is just "TOT" (presumably for total).
 
I can't find this answer anywhere, although I know I am probably just missing it...

I have submitted, been verified, and already had my application sent.
I just added another school today.. how long do I need to wait to have that sent too? Will it take a few weeks like the original verification or does it get sent over pretty soon? Thanks!
 
I am entering my coursework and my question is, how close to the transcript should the "prefix and number" section be? I have a course marked on my transcript called UNIVRSTY 197 PHIL, and there is not enough space to put that in. It was a philosophy course, so would PHIL 197 or 197 PHIL be ok? and is it ok to shorten things like ENGLWRIT 112 to just ENG 112 or BIOLOGY 100 to BIO 100? because things wont fit
 
hope11 said:
I am entering my coursework and my question is, how close to the transcript should the "prefix and number" section be? I have a course marked on my transcript called UNIVRSTY 197 PHIL, and there is not enough space to put that in. It was a philosophy course, so would PHIL 197 or 197 PHIL be ok? and is it ok to shorten things like ENGLWRIT 112 to just ENG 112 or BIOLOGY 100 to BIO 100? because things wont fit
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I would just ask AACOMAS because deviations from your original transcript can cause delays on your verification. I'm sure it's okay to abbreviate, just be sure that you can distinguish the abbreviation very easily when comparing it to transcript
 
m1021 said:
I can't find this answer anywhere, although I know I am probably just missing it...

I have submitted, been verified, and already had my application sent.
I just added another school today.. how long do I need to wait to have that sent too? Will it take a few weeks like the original verification or does it get sent over pretty soon? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it's fast (a few days?) The verification process is to make sure your transcripts are correct (manual labor) everything else is pretty much automated.
 
Hey Everybody,

Quick question:

My AACOMAS application was verified a week or so ago and was sent out to schools. MCAT scores just came in and are now linked to my AACOMAS account.

Do I need to send the scores to each school individually, or will AACOMAS forward them for me?

Thanks!

-Bill R.
 
Columbia09 said:
It;s to my understanding that if you start filling in the information for AACOMAS it will be saved for the next cycle correct? And this means everything? Personal Statements, EC descriptions, classes etc. Im applying 2014 - 2015 so it wouldn't hurt to start early. Did anyone else do the same ? Also does anyone know if the same applies to the allopathic and podiatry ones? Are these applications roughly all the same meaning they ask for the same info?
Click to expand...

can someone answer this ?
 
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