*~*~* Official AACOMAS Questions Thread 2019-2020 *~*~*

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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arjusmc said:
My application was verified yesterday, where do I find my calculated GPA? I want to make sure it matches with what I have.
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Under the Submit Application portion you can find the pdf that should show your calculated GPAs. They may have added another option since last cycle though!

aburke94 said:
I have the same question but specifically for repeats of classes.... I did a post-bacc where I retook some classes from undergrad. Do I need to include all of the grades I got for that class (undergrad and post-bacc), or can I just include the better grades that fulfill the requirement?

I was also wondering about submitting my application before my MCAT score is in. I've already taken it once last year but I just retook it at the end of May, and I don't necessarily want schools to see just my old score when deciding to send secondaries but I don't want to wait too long to submit my application...
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I believe you would have to include all attempts if you're entering grades from your transcript because AACOMAS will no longer drop initial course attempts. This may help - Notice of Repeat Coursework Policy Change. However, if you meant the portion where you select prerequisites for a specific school's requirements, then I would just pick the better grades to fulfill the requirement.

Also, @The Hound

medschoolwoo said:
Can you list future experiences on AACOMAS? For ex, I am starting an internship first week of July. Should I submit then add it once I start?
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I would wait until you begin the activity before listing it on your application just in case something were to fall through because if you add it, you can't remove it.
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mwsapphire said:
Hi everyone-
I have two major questions.
So, I know for AMCAS, a "W" does not count in the GPA, is this also the case for ACOMAS since they got rid of grade replacement?( Not a "WF", just a "W").I would think a W does not count in the GPA, but I just want to be sure.

Also, I've been volunteering at a nursing home since Aug 2017, and have gotten about 170 hours. I plan on doing around 50 more hours this summer ( 2X week for 3 hrs, until the fall semester starts in Sept, So doing it June/July/Aug). I plan on entering, under complete activities
Nursing Home Volunteer Aug 2017-Aug 2019, 220 hours

The issue is, I'm hopefully submitting my primary by July/first week of July, so those July/Aug hours won't be done. But it doesn't make sense to put them under perspective, they are just a continuation of what I've already done. The AMCAS guide says I can put them under complete, but there is no such, comprehensive, ACOMAS guide. ( there is the website, but it's still not as thorough as the AMCAS guide.)
Thanks
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W's do not count towards the GPA calculation. Yeah that would be fine to enter those hours because you will be completing them in time.


medschoolwoo said:
When listing shadowing experience, should we group it all into one or split it up? Or split it up into DO and MD shadowing? Further, if we have volunteered at one hospital, but in many different departments over the years, is it best to keep it as one experience or split it up?
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I would split the shadowing experiences up for a DO and MD. I would separate the specific positions if you were there for an extended amount of time as well as if you held different responsibilities.
 
PapaGuava said:
Under the Submit Application portion you can find the pdf that should show your calculated GPAs. They may have added another option since last cycle though!
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Would that be under the individual school's application? As in the download the application?
 
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PapaGuava said:
Yes exactly, you can click on any of them to download it. It shows once your grades and all that have been verified.
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says I'm verified but I do not have a GPA calculation anywhere
 
How much of a setback will it be applying in October; I know the DO cycles runs a little after the MD but how much so will this affect me?
 
Who should I put down as supervisor for campus organizations that were run by students?
 
Has anyone else taken a winter 2019 class? It doesn't show as an option for semesters.

Edit: stupid of me-- if you do post-bac classes at a University, you have to indicate that you still attend the school even though you graduated. Just in case anyone else has this problem.
 
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Grovometer said:
How much of a setback will it be applying in October; I know the DO cycles runs a little after the MD but how much so will this affect me?
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It would still be considered early, but it depends on your stats. I would always suggest applying as early as possible. However, most people have the consensus that applications before Thanksgiving would still be reasonable.

rrj11 said:
Who should I put down as supervisor for campus organizations that were run by students?
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Usually there would be chapter advisor? I would ask someone in your organization if they know of the staff member that is listed with the organization.
 
Sorry if this has been already asked, but what is the consensus on projecting hours for AACOMAS?
 
PapaGuava said:
All the GPAs should show once you download the PDF from a school you submitted an application to already. You can scroll through it. @arjusmc
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I still have nothing, I'll give it the rest of the day and give them a call. I have four transcripts, undergraduate and 80 hours of postbacc work/paramedic school. Maybe that's slowing it down.
 
What kind of things do people list in the experiences section for receiving academic credit? For my major (medical lab science) we were required to complete clinical laboratory rotations in order to graduate and be eligible for certification and state licensure. The courses were pass/fail, so I'm not sure if that would even count for credit, nonetheless if it would be something to list in the experiences section. Appreciate any input!
 
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Hi everyone!
I was wondering if schools really want you to mention an interest in primary care or internal medicine? I'm really interested in musculoskeletal medicine (shadowed a sports med DO) and have also been doing neurology research for the past 2 years so that's a lot of what is on my activities list and in my personal statement... of course I prefer the holistic DO approach to medicine which is why I'm applying to a lot of DO schools, but I'm nervous that schools won't like that my main interests aren't primary care/peds/IM...
 
aburke94 said:
Hi everyone!
I was wondering if schools really want you to mention an interest in primary care or internal medicine? I'm really interested in musculoskeletal medicine (shadowed a sports med DO) and have also been doing neurology research for the past 2 years so that's a lot of what is on my activities list and in my personal statement... of course I prefer the holistic DO approach to medicine which is why I'm applying to a lot of DO schools, but I'm nervous that schools won't like that my main interests aren't primary care/peds/IM...
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It's always best to be honest. If you don't want to do primary care, then don't say you want to! Your passion will shine through for musculoskeletal medicine, and that's a good thing.
 
For AACOMAS, do you think it would be a good idea to combine some random jobs I worked for a year off during undergrad. I just want to show that I was doing something, but I don't want to talk in depth about those jobs and detract from the rest of my application.
 
purekirk said:
For AACOMAS, do you think it would be a good idea to combine some random jobs I worked for a year off during undergrad. I just want to show that I was doing something, but I don't want to talk in depth about those jobs and detract from the rest of my application.
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It would be fine to mention some of the things you had done long term. No problem
 
Another quick question, can I keep adding activities after I send my application out for verification? Or will that affect my rank in the verification process?
 
arjusmc said:
My application was verified yesterday, where do I find my calculated GPA? I want to make sure it matches with what I have.
Click to expand...
If you go into your application portal and click on the "Submit Application" tab, and there will be a download button next to the school name of the application you sent to be verified. The download button will download your entire application and you will find a page full of your calculated GPAs ( I think page 7 or 8).
 
I have a few questions about the coursework entry.

1. If a class on my transcript is listed as Bio 101, but is titled Ecology and Evolution, would that be a Bio or Ecology class? I would think Bio, since it is the first Bio class
2. If the title of a class is an abbreviation (ex: Fund of Neurosci) should I list that exact title, or list Fundamentals of Neuroscience?
3. A stupid question but I want to double check. If I took a class in Spring of 2017 in the 2016-2017 academic year, should I list that as year 2016 or 2017?


Thanks for the help!
 
anxiouslywaiting4lyfe said:
If you go into your application portal and click on the "Submit Application" tab, and there will be a download button next to the school name of the application you sent to be verified. The download button will download your entire application and you will find a page full of your calculated GPAs ( I think page 7 or 8).
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When I do that I get the application, all my classes listed(and verified), The mcat is listed, but no gpa.
 
mgmd3733 said:
I have a few questions about the coursework entry.

1. If a class on my transcript is listed as Bio 101, but is titled Ecology and Evolution, would that be a Bio or Ecology class? I would think Bio, since it is the first Bio class
2. If the title of a class is an abbreviation (ex: Fund of Neurosci) should I list that exact title, or list Fundamentals of Neuroscience?
3. A stupid question but I want to double check. If I took a class in Spring of 2017 in the 2016-2017 academic year, should I list that as year 2016 or 2017?


Thanks for the help!
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Here is a link to the AACOMAS course designations which may be helpful - AACOMAS Course Designations

2. You could do either one but if you’re more comfortable putting the abbreviations, that is fine as well.

3. I would list it as 2017, isn’t there a Spring 2017 option?
 
How should I list a shadowing experience that spanned 3 months but I didn't get to go every week? It was between November and the end of Jan so there were a lot of holidays in between as well as extra time the doctor took off... I hate how the app makes you specify how many hours a week... should I just average the total time to equal what I shadowed? Hopefully adcom doesn't see it and think I only did like 1 or 2 hours a week if I need to do that...
 
I am using a letter service from my college career center. Does AACOMAS have an option to send letters through that service? If I go through with the evaluation request, will my professors be contacted through AACOMAS interfolio or will I have an option to send the letter through my letter service?
 
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jhg13 said:
How should I list a shadowing experience that spanned 3 months but I didn't get to go every week? It was between November and the end of Jan so there were a lot of holidays in between as well as extra time the doctor took off... I hate how the app makes you specify how many hours a week... should I just average the total time to equal what I shadowed? Hopefully adcom doesn't see it and think I only did like 1 or 2 hours a week if I need to do that...
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I would just put the hours you spent total and divide them up best you can, it won’t be a huge deal. You could even just put the hours you would average in a normal week. It wouldn’t boost it by a ton. I would just be reasonable.

ipressurexd said:
I am using a letter service from my college career center. Does AACOMAS have an option to send letters through that service? If I go through with the evaluation request, will my professors be contacted through AACOMAS interfolio or will I have an option to send the letter through my letter service?
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If it works similar to Interfolio, or services like that then it should be fine. However, I’m not sure what system it is so we can’t advise you on it. I’d recommend calling AACOMAS to speak with them about sending letters from your school’s system to AACOMAS. Otherwise, I’d suggest using the system request system on AACOMAS, or if you have letters stored on Interfolio.
idkwhattocallmyself0000 said:
Just to clarify, we only have to select one program/school for submission. We can add more schools later on correct??
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Yes you are correct. You can submit to as many schools as you like throughout the cycle.
 
I have almost 10 years of re-certifications for my professional certifications, I do not have a composite document with all of the CEUs up there because half of them are paper and the rest are electronic. I tried going to my licensing site to see if they had a composite list, but alas they do not. It has been archived somewhere in la-la land because they did a website reboot and I cannot seem to access it. So my question is should I list all of the CEU credit i did? What is the purpose of it in the first place? Lastly, is there a "jist" of it I could give instead. I mean the list would be minimally 12 CEUs per year with various titles, locations, and contact hours. This just seems like overkill and madness, but if its what the adcoms want -_- i will do it (I honestly feel like they could give a crap about the exhaustive list of CEUs attained). Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you. @Goro @PapaGuava
 
Chimichica said:
I have almost 10 years of re-certifications for my professional certifications, I do not have a composite document with all of the CEUs up there because half of them are paper and the rest are electronic. I tried going to my licensing site to see if they had a composite list, but alas they do not. It has been archived somewhere in la-la land because they did a website reboot and I cannot seem to access it. So my question is should I list all of the CEU credit i did? What is the purpose of it in the first place? Lastly, is there a "jist" of it I could give instead. I mean the list would be minimally 12 CEUs per year with various titles, locations, and contact hours. This just seems like overkill and madness, but if its what the adcoms want -_- i will do it (I honestly feel like they could give a crap about the exhaustive list of CEUs attained). Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you. @Goro @PapaGuava
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This level of granularity is not my expertise
 
PapaGuava said:
It would still be considered early, but it depends on your stats. I would always suggest applying as early as possible. However, most people have the consensus that applications before Thanksgiving would still be reasonable.
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I feel like I’m missing some big secret everyone but me knows... why do people wait so long to send in their DO app? Is it to save the money in case they don’t need to apply because they were already accepted MD? I’m a Texas resident and prematch offers don’t even come out until Nov 15 so what’s the advantage in not submitting now?
 
AACOMAS changed the course type for three of my biology courses (general bio pre-reqs) from 'Lab and Lecture Combined' to 'Lecture Only'. Is this something that schools will care about or is it not necessary to contact AACOMAS for a correction?

I know the course type for these courses was changed by AACOMAS staff because I have the physical printout of my AACOMAS from minutes before I submitted for verification, and it shows that I had listed the courses listed properly.
 
StarSpangled said:
I feel like I’m missing some big secret everyone but me knows... why do people wait so long to send in their DO app? Is it to save the money in case they don’t need to apply because they were already accepted MD? I’m a Texas resident and prematch offers don’t even come out until Nov 15 so what’s the advantage in not submitting now?
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If you want to submit now, submit now. It’s not an advantage to submit later. Granted, if you have a strong application it should be no issue getting interview invites later in the cycle, but why wait if you really want to apply DO? Whether you’re applying both MD and DO, or just DO, I’d suggest to just jump in the cycle early rather than later (if it’s okay financially). Also, yes you’re right in saying some people may start to question their chances for just MD schools and decide to throw an app in later down the cycle.
 
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Is it worth it to list a presentation as an achievement if it was only for a school research symposium (required to do it for credit)? And is there any way to upload a pdf of the poster itself into the application or do we just have to describe what the presentation was about when listing it?
If I decide to add it after submitting for verification am I able to do that?
 
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Should I enter every shadowing experience separately or lump all MD together and DO together and then list what specialty I shadowed in the explanation or is this not important at all?
 
Jarra Oh said:
Is it worth it to list a presentation as an achievement if it was only for a school research symposium (required to do it for credit)? And is there any way to upload a pdf of the poster itself into the application or do we just have to describe what the presentation was about when listing it?
If I decide to add it after submitting for verification am I able to do that?
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I wouldn't if you were required to do it for credit.

rrj11 said:
Should I enter every shadowing experience separately or lump all MD together and DO together and then list what specialty I shadowed in the explanation or is this not important at all?
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I just wrote shadowing as the activity then lumped everything together and listed the physician name, credentials, specialty their practice/hospital/affiliation and the number of hours.
 
arjusmc said:
My application was verified yesterday, where do I find my calculated GPA? I want to make sure it matches with what I have.
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how long did it take you to be verified?
 
I have summer research listed on my transcript, with 0 credits and no grade. Should I list this and put 0 credits and an "S"? Even though there is no S on the transcript?
 
Right at the start of the application- where it says that you wrote your personal statement yourself and have acknowledged anybody who helped you write it?

What does that mean? I got feedback from my advisors and some SDN readers, so I have to indicate that somehow? What the heck?
 
Anyone know when apps get sent to schools? I was verified on May 7…just getting a bit antsy waiting for those sweet and sour secondaries
 
Should I be explicit in the Experiences section about my DO experience? It’s through scribing for DOs (from whom I have a LOR) which seems awkward to break up from the scribe work itself. Can I just talk about it in the secondaries? Is the LOR sufficient for the primary?
 
Developer said:
AACOMAS changed the course type for three of my biology courses (general bio pre-reqs) from 'Lab and Lecture Combined' to 'Lecture Only'. Is this something that schools will care about or is it not necessary to contact AACOMAS for a correction?

I know the course type for these courses was changed by AACOMAS staff because I have the physical printout of my AACOMAS from minutes before I submitted for verification, and it shows that I had listed the courses listed properly.
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It must of been something they changed for their formatting but it shouldn't be an issue.

mgmd3733 said:
I have summer research listed on my transcript, with 0 credits and no grade. Should I list this and put 0 credits and an "S"? Even though there is no S on the transcript?
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If it is on your transcript go ahead and input it because it has to match your physical copy.

SteenkerBottom said:
Anyone know when apps get sent to schools? I was verified on May 7…just getting a bit antsy waiting for those sweet and sour secondaries
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June 14 is when schools can begin processing applications. It is at this point that those sweet and savory secondaries will begin to be sent out throughout the cycle :hungry: . However, keep in mind that some schools don’t all process them at the same time and you ll hear back from schools later in the month, or even next month.
 
@kp98 I'm not 100% it's verified. It states verified, however, I don't have verified hours or grades.
267027
 
kp98 said:
I did the help and then chat feature today and it was pretty fast if you wanted to ask them about it!
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I’ll probably do that tomorrow during business hours, Thanks.
 
Are we supposed to separate our shadowing experience in our activities section?

I just lumped them with my volunteer experiences at various clinics because I would have various shadow days depending on the schedule. I said in the description that I shadowed various DOs from family to psych to internal med.

Is it important to separate it out by itself so adcoms can see specific shadowing?
 
kp98 said:
how long did it take you to be verified?
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I was wondering this too until I got verified yesterday. They marked my final transcript as received 6/10 and then verified me 6/12. So 2 day turn-around right now!
 
Are letters of recommendation assigned to schools like in amcas or do the schools see everything you submit?
 
WoundupKnight said:
I wouldn't if you were required to do it for credit.


I just wrote shadowing as the activity then lumped everything together and listed the physician name, credentials, specialty their practice/hospital/affiliation and the number of hours.
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Did you put one of the physicians as the "supervisor" or did you just leave this blank?
 
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