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

[hallowmann]

Anyone get a confirmation email when they signed up for AACOMAS?

I didn't last year.

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[3bamboo]

My school doesn't post final grades until May 20th, so as soon as I see them posted online can I type them into the application and then click submit, and then request the official transcript from school?

Would that give me a leg up or will my application still be on hold until they finally get a hard copy of the transcript?

 

[hallowmann]

My school doesn't post final grades until May 20th, so as soon as I see them posted online can I type them into the application and then click submit, and then request the official transcript from school?

Would that give me a leg up or will my application still be on hold until they finally get a hard copy of the transcript?

You can't submit until June 1st. You can, however, make sure that the grades are in the courses section, and then submit the transcripts with their transcript request forms after May 20th, so it shows your new grades during verification, which will occur after you submit your application on June 1st.

Either way, the verification process won't start until they have all of your official transcripts (either electronically or a physical hard copy).

 

[maybemed2013]

So AACOMAS want a description of my job as a CNA.

Should I just say
I assisted clients in their home ( I only work inside clients private homes) with their daily needs which includes personal hygiene,meals, cleaning, medication and errands.

OR should I rephrase his summary I find online.
Certified Nursing Assistant Job Purpose: Helps patients by supporting personal hygiene and daily living needs; providing comfort, transportation, and vital sign monitoring.

Certified Nursing Assistant Job Duties:
Provides patients' personal hygiene by giving bedpans, urinals, baths, backrubs, shampoos, and shaves; assisting with travel to the bathroom; helping with showers and baths.
Provides for activities of daily living by assisting with serving meals, feeding patients as necessary; ambulating, turning, and positioning patients; providing fresh water and nourishment between meals.
Provides adjunct care by administering enemas, douches, nonsterile dressings, surgical preps, ice packs, heat treatments, sitz and therapeutic baths; applying restraints.
Maintains patient stability by checking vital signs and weight; testing urine; recording intake and output information.
Provides patient comfort by utilizing resources and materials; transporting patients; answering patients' call lights and requests; reporting observations of the patient to nursing supervisor.
Documents actions by completing forms, reports, logs, and records.
Maintains work operations by following policies and procedures.
Protects organization's value by keeping patient information confidential.
Serves and protects the hospital community by adhering to professional standards, hospital policies and procedures, federal, state, and local requirements, and jcaho standards.
Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; participating in professional organizations; maintaining licensure.
Enhances nursing department and hospital reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

 

[maybemed2013]

I my app I only place 3 major volunteer act. are my summaries to short?

1. Mentor
I am a mentor for a pre-teenage girl that come from a single parent household. I take my mentee to outings such as the nail salon, library, restaurants, and movies.
2. Mentor
I was a mentor for a teenage mother.I assisted my mentee with the struggles that occur with being a young mother and struggles that occurred in her everyday life. My mentee and I went on outings which included nature walks, library and restaurants.
3. Interpreter
I volunteered as an interpreter for Haitian Creole . I assisted patients with a language barrier communicate with the staff at Caridid Health Center.

 

[hv92]

So AACOMAS want a description of my job as a CNA.

Should I just say
I assisted clients in their home ( I only work inside clients private homes) with their daily needs which includes personal hygiene,meals, cleaning, medication and errands.

OR should I rephrase his summary I find online.
Certified Nursing Assistant Job Purpose: Helps patients by supporting personal hygiene and daily living needs; providing comfort, transportation, and vital sign monitoring.

Certified Nursing Assistant Job Duties:
Provides patients' personal hygiene by giving bedpans, urinals, baths, backrubs, shampoos, and shaves; assisting with travel to the bathroom; helping with showers and baths.
Provides for activities of daily living by assisting with serving meals, feeding patients as necessary; ambulating, turning, and positioning patients; providing fresh water and nourishment between meals.
Provides adjunct care by administering enemas, douches, nonsterile dressings, surgical preps, ice packs, heat treatments, sitz and therapeutic baths; applying restraints.
Maintains patient stability by checking vital signs and weight; testing urine; recording intake and output information.
Provides patient comfort by utilizing resources and materials; transporting patients; answering patients' call lights and requests; reporting observations of the patient to nursing supervisor.
Documents actions by completing forms, reports, logs, and records.
Maintains work operations by following policies and procedures.
Protects organization's value by keeping patient information confidential.
Serves and protects the hospital community by adhering to professional standards, hospital policies and procedures, federal, state, and local requirements, and jcaho standards.
Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; participating in professional organizations; maintaining licensure.
Enhances nursing department and hospital reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

You simply put down what YOU did during the time you were doing the job. No more, no less.

 

[hallowmann]

I my app I only place 3 major volunteer act. are my summaries to short?

1. Mentor
I am a mentor for a pre-teenage girl that come from a single parent household. I take my mentee to outings such as the nail salon, library, restaurants, and movies.
2. Mentor
I was a mentor for a teenage mother.I assisted my mentee with the struggles that occur with being a young mother and struggles that occurred in her everyday life. My mentee and I went on outings which included nature walks, library and restaurants.
3. Interpreter
I volunteered as an interpreter for Haitian Creole . I assisted patients with a language barrier communicate with the staff at Caridid Health Center.

I would add some more detail to them. It sounds really bland the way you describe it, and it doesn't feel like the experiences really meant a lot to you. If you can't think of anything to write, maybe talk about what it meant to you to have that effect on the lives of the patients/women you interacted with.

It doesn't have to be 750 characters, but at least be more specific in what you did.

 

[juca67]

I opened an account with AACOMAS last year and filled out some background information as well as got my transcript sent but DID NOT submit the app. I will be applying this year instead. When I signed into my account, they asked me if I would like to start a new app and copy the info from last year. Will schools see me as a reapplicant because I have to 2 apps under the same account or will they only see the new one?

 

[matt1989]

Hey guys,
Sorry if I'm repeating any concerns that were already answered.

Regarding course entering: Are you guys entering AP classes? In hs I took an AP and a few college courses through an arrangement that my school had with a nearby university though both only appear as P/F credits on my college transcript with no description of the course. I'm also assuming you are supposed to enter those "intro to your major" classes as well...and since when did AACOMAS count psychology as a science? I'm not complaining (as a psych major) though I'm pretty surprised that my sGPA includes "behavioral science" and as a result is now identical to my cGPA

Regarding EC/volunteering: Most of my clinical experience comes from an ER scribe job I had for a year with relatively little "volunteering/shadowing" experience. Considering my job entails working one-on-one with physicians (making minimum wage) do you think it would make sense noting that in the EC section too? Also I worked as a community advisor/RA which entailed event programming and a lot of other stuff though at the expense of my college ECs. If I had the choice I'd rather list that an EC than work experience - not to mention I didn't actually get "paid", just a break on my tuition.

 

[hallowmann]

I opened an account with AACOMAS last year and filled out some background information as well as got my transcript sent but DID NOT submit the app. I will be applying this year instead. When I signed into my account, they asked me if I would like to start a new app and copy the info from last year. Will schools see me as a reapplicant because I have to 2 apps under the same account or will they only see the new one?

No. You never applied, so you are not a reapplicant. They won't even see the 2 apps, they only see what's submitted to them.

 

[chanel68]

1. If I was nominated for an award that got a paper of mine published, could I mention that? However, on the primary application there is no room for a description.

2. if you were to put "President's List" for an award, would the organization be the institution?

3. what would certifications fall under? (CPR / First Aid / NSCA-CPT / Spinning) ?

any input would be helpful

 

[hallowmann]

1. If I was nominated for an award that got a paper of mine published, could I mention that? However, on the primary application there is no room for a description.

2. if you were to put "President's List" for an award, would the organization be the institution?

3. what would certifications fall under? (CPR / First Aid / NSCA-CPT / Spinning) ?

any input would be helpful

1. There is an awards section. If you have a published paper, you could also put it into ECs.

2. Yes.

3. I would put these under ECs, but others might do it differently.

 

[Shinobiz11]

So AACOMAS want a description of my job as a CNA.

Should I just say
I assisted clients in their home ( I only work inside clients private homes) with their daily needs which includes personal hygiene,meals, cleaning, medication and errands.

OR should I rephrase his summary I find online.
Certified Nursing Assistant Job Purpose: Helps patients by supporting personal hygiene and daily living needs; providing comfort, transportation, and vital sign monitoring.

Certified Nursing Assistant Job Duties:
Provides patients' personal hygiene by giving bedpans, urinals, baths, backrubs, shampoos, and shaves; assisting with travel to the bathroom; helping with showers and baths.
Provides for activities of daily living by assisting with serving meals, feeding patients as necessary; ambulating, turning, and positioning patients; providing fresh water and nourishment between meals.
Provides adjunct care by administering enemas, douches, nonsterile dressings, surgical preps, ice packs, heat treatments, sitz and therapeutic baths; applying restraints.
Maintains patient stability by checking vital signs and weight; testing urine; recording intake and output information.
Provides patient comfort by utilizing resources and materials; transporting patients; answering patients' call lights and requests; reporting observations of the patient to nursing supervisor.
Documents actions by completing forms, reports, logs, and records.
Maintains work operations by following policies and procedures.
Protects organization's value by keeping patient information confidential.
Serves and protects the hospital community by adhering to professional standards, hospital policies and procedures, federal, state, and local requirements, and jcaho standards.
Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; participating in professional organizations; maintaining licensure.
Enhances nursing department and hospital reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

Who is going to read all of that? I'm keeping it short and sweet for that purpose.

Sent from my LG-MS770 using SDN Mobile

 

[DocGodfather]

You can't submit until June 1st. You can, however, make sure that the grades are in the courses section, and then submit the transcripts with their transcript request forms after May 20th, so it shows your new grades during verification, which will occur after you submit your application on June 1st.

Either way, the verification process won't start until they have all of your official transcripts (either electronically or a physical hard copy).

I ordered a transcript to be sent to AACOMAS without the request form. Will the transcript just be turned away? Had no idea about the request forms until the other day.

 

[str8cashhomie]

So does AACOMAS not go through your transcripts and make sure your grades are entered in correctly and everything until AFTER you submit you whole application with money? I noticed the green check marked says received but grades/GPA aren't up to date.

 

[chemicalbull]

I have an MCAT exam (lowest score) that I took in August of 2011. Should I put this on AACOMAS? I know schools say the oldest in consideration is 3 years from matriculation. But since matriculation is not until fall of 2014, I am unsure if I even need to provide this score.

What are your thoughts?

 

[hallowmann]

I ordered a transcript to be sent to AACOMAS without the request form. Will the transcript just be turned away? Had no idea about the request forms until the other day.

They might get it with a slight delay, get it without any issues, or lose it on the way. You should ask them about a week after when they are supposed to get it.

If you're planning on taking a class at a community college the fall after you graduated, do you label that class as "senior" or "graduate"?

Its post-bac, not graduate, unless its a graduate level course.

So does AACOMAS not go through your transcripts and make sure your grades are entered in correctly and everything until AFTER you submit you whole application with money? I noticed the green check marked says received but grades/GPA aren't up to date.

Yeah, of course. They only look at it after you submit, because up until then, you can still change/correct the info, so why would they verify it until you actually submit it? The green check just means you labeled it as being complete, it has nothing to do with them or the verification process. Its just a guide for you.

If your GPAs aren't up to date, YOU need to correct that. You need to put in all the right info before they verify it. If you don't, it may delay their verification or even result in them sending the app back to you to be corrected.

I have an MCAT exam (lowest score) that I took in August of 2011. Should I put this on AACOMAS? I know schools say the oldest in consideration is 3 years from matriculation. But since matriculation is not until fall of 2014, I am unsure if I even need to provide this score.

What are your thoughts?

You have to put in ALL scores ever taken. I had a score from 2005, and it has to be there because when AACOMAS gets your AAMC MCAT report, it will have all scores on it. What you put on the app has to match up with what is in the MCAT score report. Don't worry about it though, if a school says they don't look at them older than a certain time, they won't.

 

[DocGodfather]

They might get it with a slight delay, get it without any issues, or lose it on the way. You should ask them about a week after when they are supposed to get it.

Oh ok. So I don't need to resend the transcript with the form, and just wait to see if they get it? Thursday was going to be my day to go to each school with the attachment form for both AMCAS and AACOMAS. I'll hold off on the one school I sent to AACOMAS for another week.

 

[hallowmann]

Even if it's not a post-bac program, I should still call it post-bac?

You could call it senior level, but really its a post-bac. Post-bac isn't just the name of a program, its the name of any undergraduate coursework done after your bachelors.

Oh ok. So I don't need to resend the transcript with the form, and just wait to see if they get it? Thursday was going to be my day to go to each school with the attachment form for both AMCAS and AACOMAS. I'll hold off on the one school I sent to AACOMAS for another week.

I would just wait, especially if it costs money to send it. If its free, you might as well send it again with the attachment form.

 

[DocGodfather]

It cost money so I'll wait it out. Thanks

 

[jaboud42]

Do all schools require LOR after you get secondaries?

 

[Snackish]

I took a 4 cr physics class which includes lab but the transcript doesn't refer to the lab. How do I report this on aacomas? Can I put after the course description "note: includes lab."? I don't want to get screened out for no physics lab

 

[Anicetus]

Do all schools require LOR after you get secondaries?

a LOR? You mean one from a DO physician or just LORs in general?

 

[theeleventhhour]

Hey did anyone get a confirmation email when they signed up for AACOMAS?

 

[heybigspender]

Does anyone know if "Travel Study" is the same thing as "Study Abroad"? For the purpose of applying, of course. There's a subtle difference but I don't know if it's really all that important:

Travel Study: Studying abroad with professors specifically from your college. Basically, the class is one giant field trip.
Study Abroad: Studying abroad at another institute in that country.

Help me -__-

 

[heybigspender]

I didn't..

 

[maybemed2013]

To heybigspender

Travel study and studying abroad seem like two different events to me base on the def. you provided.

 

[hallowmann]

Do all schools require LOR after you get secondaries?

All except for LECOM, which require them after they give you an ii.

I took a 4 cr physics class which includes lab but the transcript doesn't refer to the lab. How do I report this on aacomas? Can I put after the course description "note: includes lab."? I don't want to get screened out for no physics lab

You won't be screened out. Most places base their requirements off of the number of credits. You are not alone. You should not change the title of the course, because that can cause you an issue in verification.

Hey did anyone get a confirmation email when they signed up for AACOMAS?

No.

Does anyone know if "Travel Study" is the same thing as "Study Abroad"? For the purpose of applying, of course. There's a subtle difference but I don't know if it's really all that important:

Travel Study: Studying abroad with professors specifically from your college. Basically, the class is one giant field trip.
Study Abroad: Studying abroad at another institute in that country.

Help me -__-

They sound different to me.

 

[pepes1lv1a]

I have tried to find a straightforward answer to this question somewhere, but I've read varying responses, so I guess I'll just ask -- can I mark the A in a 7 credit EMT-B 111 course taken at a regionally accredited community college as "post-baccalaureate non-science"? I know there's an option for "professional certification", but really, my EMT certifications came from the ILDPH state test and then the National Registry exam. The class was a prerequisite, I suppose, but it wasn't the cert itself. It had some pretty intensive clinical hour and ride-time requirements, so it'd seem unfair to write off the entire thing as a certification, but life isn't fair, so here I am. I didn't volunteer; I had to enroll in the CC and pay for the class. It has a 7-credit A in EMT 111 on the transcript.

 

[BB8730]

I have tried to find a straightforward answer to this question somewhere, but I've read varying responses, so I guess I'll just ask -- can I mark the A in a 7 credit EMT-B 111 course taken at a regionally accredited community college as "post-baccalaureate non-science"? I know there's an option for "professional certification", but really, my EMT certifications came from the ILDPH state test and then the National Registry exam. The class was a prerequisite, I suppose, but it wasn't the cert itself. It had some pretty intensive clinical hour and ride-time requirements, so it'd seem unfair to write off the entire thing as a certification, but life isn't fair, so here I am. I didn't volunteer; I had to enroll in the CC and pay for the class. It has a 7-credit A in EMT 111 on the transcript.

I wouldn't call an EMT class a professional certification. A professional certification would be something like Six Sigma Black Belt. List it as a non-science class. The AACOMAS instructions specifically list EMT classes in the "other non-science" category.

 

[BB8730]

I have a question you might be able to answer. If you volunteer in something that requires continuing education and training hours (like an EMT for instance), can you count them towards total hours?

I would say yes. Physicians get paid for their CEUs because it's part of their job to keep them up, so us volunteer EMTs should get volunteer credit for our CEUs since it's a requirement for our volunteering that we keep them up! That's my logic. In all honesty, the schools probably won't care either way. You could throw in something like, "Total hours also include time spent maintaining CEUs." at the end of the EC description if you really want to be on the safe side.

 

[str8cashhomie]

Does anyone know if AP Psychology would fulfill part of the 6 credits towards the behavioral sciences that some of the DO schools requires you have? I think the LECOM's might be one of them

 

[TXKnight]

I am having trouble classifying a few classes here, what do you think of "Economic Botany" taught by the bio department?
I though this is a straightforward bio classification, but themore i think about it the less it seems to me, I mean you learn more plant bio in a freshman bio class. This upper division class is more about where crops grow (classification) economic output (dollars) per year of that particular crop and other things related to these crops but VERY little in terms of plant biology per se....I am thinking this is more of an "Economics of agriculture" class than economic botany.
Having said that is it "other non-science" or just other or is it "bio/zoology"what would you do?

 

[TwinsFan]

It is probably a non-science, since it was more about economics.

 

[pepes1lv1a]

Sorry I didn't include this in an earlier post, but I was a math minor and my sGPA is really hurting with AACOMAS's math-as-non-science policy. I had two semesters' worth of research listed on my transcript as "research: psychophysiology lab" in the department of clinical and social psychology. any chance I could squeak this by as a science? I was basically an EEG tech and worked partitioning and extracting data into a usable format, if that matters.

 

[TXKnight]

I am having trouble classifying a few classes here, what do you think of "Economic Botany" taught by the bio department?
I though this is a straightforward bio classification, but themore i think about it the less it seems to me, I mean you learn more plant bio in a freshman bio class. This upper division class is more about where crops grow (classification) economic output (dollars) per year of that particular crop and other things related to these crops but VERY little in terms of plant biology per se....I am thinking this is more of an "Economics of agriculture" class than economic botany.
Having said that is it "other non-science" or just other or is it "bio/zoology"what would you do?

It is probably a non-science, since it was more about economics.

Thank you Twins...yeah that's what I was thinking too

 

[hallowmann]

Sorry I didn't include this in an earlier post, but I was a math minor and my sGPA is really hurting with AACOMAS's math-as-non-science policy. I had two semesters' worth of research listed on my transcript as "research: psychophysiology lab" in the department of clinical and social psychology. any chance I could squeak this by as a science? I was basically an EEG tech and worked partitioning and extracting data into a usable format, if that matters.

That sounds like a behavioral science course, especially being offered by the psych department. You could always ask AACOMAS, but they don't always give clear answers on stuff like this. You could risk it, and just hope it doesn't delay verification and just means they'll change it on their end.

Thank you Twins...yeah that's what I was thinking too

Its a gray area man. I would call it botany (its in its name!), which would make it a bio, but it could also be similar to an agricultural science course (other-science). Honestly its up to you to label it what you think it is, and up to them to call it into question. The fact that its offered by the bio department, I would call it a bio course.

 

[BB8730]

Sorry I didn't include this in an earlier post, but I was a math minor and my sGPA is really hurting with AACOMAS's math-as-non-science policy. I had two semesters' worth of research listed on my transcript as "research: psychophysiology lab" in the department of clinical and social psychology. any chance I could squeak this by as a science? I was basically an EEG tech and worked partitioning and extracting data into a usable format, if that matters.

Did you get a letter grade for it? All research credits I've ever seen have been P/F, in which case that won't help your GPA regardless of the classification. If you did get a letter grade for it, it wouldn't hurt to try to list it as "other science" and see if AACOMAS allows it. I wouldn't bank on it happening, though.

 

[pepes1lv1a]

Did you get a letter grade for it?

Yes, 8 semesters' worth of A's, sorely needed on my otherwise dismal transcript

It wouldn't hurt to try to list it as "other science" and see if AACOMAS allows it

I actually just looked back over my transcript, and only the second semester says "research: psychophysiology lab". The first semester says "Social psychology research." Not sure why they did that but I'm assuming I have no choice but behavioral science for the social psych one. I'm wondering, is there any penalty for trying to list the second one as other science and having it changed by AACOMAS? Will it slow down my verification?

 

[hallowmann]

Yes, 8 semesters' worth of A's, sorely needed on my otherwise dismal transcript


I actually just looked back over my transcript, and only the second semester says "research: psychophysiology lab". The first semester says "Social psychology research." Not sure why they did that but I'm assuming I have no choice but behavioral science for the social psych one. I'm wondering, is there any penalty for trying to list the second one as other science and having it changed by AACOMAS? Will it slow down my verification?

If they change it, it wouldn't delay verification (they say it will, but I doubt it would even be noticeable). If they send the app back to you to correct it would delay things, but they'd most likely just change a single class that's mislabeled themselves.

 

[Roxas]

.

 

[Shinobiz11]

I ordered a transcript to be sent to AACOMAS without the request form. Will the transcript just be turned away? Had no idea about the request forms until the other day.

No, mine are verified and I just used my university's online request system.

 

[novafan3000]

The AACOMAS guide states that "it is important to list all courses that you are presently taking or plan to take and not just those courses that have been completed." However, it also states that "you must be enrolled in these courses and they must appear on your official transcript or you may be asked to remove them during verification."

If I'm not enrolled in a course, but I plan on taking it before matriculation, do I list it as a planned course (it's a prereq for some schools)?

so just to clarify if i say i am going to take a class and its not on my official transcript yet because its in the fall that can invalidate my app? thats a huge bummer

 

[hallowmann]

so just to clarify if i say i am going to take a class and its not on my official transcript yet because its in the fall that can invalidate my app? thats a huge bummer

It won't invalidate it, only if its a pre-req. If its not a pre-req and you aren't registered for the fall course now (most schools include courses you are registered for on official transcripts), then you probably shouldn't include it.

Contact AACOMAS to be sure if it something specific or talk to ewelling since they asked AACOMAS already.

 

[matt1989]

I have a weird question

I just noticed that my transcript lists a few high school classes as transfer credits because they counted as college courses through a unique arrangement that my hs had with NJIT and Farleigh Dickinson University. One of the courses I actually took on site at the college campus (FDU), and the other was a high school programming class that was processed as an NJIT course. I'm guessing I have to request transcripts from both of these schools, right? It doesn't help this happened Junior year of high school and I barely any recollection of it.

Does anybody else have experience with this sort of thing?

 

[maybemed2013]

It been about a week and my mcat score is not in and I am certain I typed in the correct ID.

 

[TwinsFan]

It been about a week and my mcat score is not in and I am certain I typed in the correct ID.

Same here...

 

[Anicetus]

It been about a week and my mcat score is not in and I am certain I typed in the correct ID.

Yeah you are definitely not alone.

 

[Mehd School]

I apologize if this has been answered before.

-How much is the initial AACOMAS cost and how much for each school after that?

I'm casting a wide net this year, and need to know how much it's going to hurt. I searched and couldn't find the document. I've seen it before.

 

[BB8730]

I apologize if this has been answered before.

-How much is the initial AACOMAS cost and how much for each school after that?

I'm casting a wide net this year, and need to know how much it's going to hurt. I searched and couldn't find the document. I've seen it before.

Page 4 of the AACOMAS instructions my man.