*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2012-2013*~*~*~*

[Strayaxx]

I completed pre-med and biochemistry concentrations- they weren't minors, but the biochemistry concentration in particular was pretty demanding on top of my biology degree. Is there a place on the application to mention these concentrations? They appear on my transcripts, but I would like them to be on my app.

Has anyone else had this issue?

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[gettheleadout]

You know how everyone says to submit AMCAS early. Does that mean to submit it on June 1st, when it opens, or for example June 28th, the date of transmission.

June 28th is the day when all VERIFIED amcas primaries will be submit to the schools designated on them. verification can take up to 6 weeks. ie if you submit your primary june 28th it will NOT be ready to go to schools by the next day.

i think the dates changed slightly this year. june 5th (tuesday) is the earliest to submit. med schools get to see your stuff on june 29th ^.^

Ohhhhhh ok. Thanks for your help =]

Merging with Official AMCAS thread.

 

[deleted444768]

Should I include the classes I am going to take this fall? It is on my transcript with brackets, but I have not received credit for it (since, I don't start those until September)

 

[amonymous]

Does anyone know exactly what AMCAS sends to medical schools regarding coursework? I read above that the medical schools don't see our transcript until we're admitted, but does AMCAS send the list of course numbers, course titles, credit hours, and grades as you report them, along with the GPAs they calculate? Or do they send some abbreviated version of this information? (Just curious...)

 

[vacationer123]

Do you know if you can cancel an transcript that is in the process of being sent to AMCAS?

 

[lcmm01]

A friend of mine is applying this cycle, and when she started working on her application in May, I guess she started working on AMCAS 2012 instead of 2013. She sent in her transcripts to 2012 using the links they provided.

What do you think the chances are that they would let her transfer these transcripts to 2013?

Seems silly to me to allow people to fill out anything past Oct. 15. Special circumstances should be considered, but this can't be the first time this has happened. She is close to tears.

 

[TriagePreMed]

You should be able to use Interfolio to send letters to medical schools directly, if you have more money than sense. It's much cheaper to send them all to AMCAS, who will then distribute them to each school for free.

I'm sorry, my wording was poor. I meant to say interfolio to amcas instead of writer to amcas directly.

 

[soccerkid9]

If you're definitely going to enter the SMP, I'd list it in the "Schools Attended" section. It can't hurt you in the eyes of medical school adcoms, but it can help you. You can put future dates of attendance for the school.

For the coursework, you must be able to figure out some of your classes - check out their website, call the school, talk to past students, etc. List those as future coursework. Alternatively, if you really don't know, don't enter in any coursework.

What would you do if you are unsure if you are going to do an SMP program?

 

[stoutt]

Quick question about my transcripts as it's kind of confusing. Pretty sure I figured it out but just making sure.

-Attended University X, AMCAS has received my transcript from there.

-1 semester I attended Sea Education Association (SEA). This is a semester long program run through Boston University, but not through their study abroad office. BU has my the transcript from SEA (as does AMCAS) and the BU transcript says: "Cross registered through SEA". On the AMCAS "School's Attended" section both BU and SEA are optional colleges.

-This is what I've done: For "Colleges Attended" I've put both BU and SEA . For transcripts, I've requested a transcript from BU, but not SEA.Under the reason from transcript exemption from SEA I checked the "cross-registration program with no separate transcripts available". I then checked the boxes denoting that the credit for SEA was transferred to BU. I also checked "no" for foreign coursework. For "Coursework", I put the courses under SEA, not BU. Is this correct? I've tried to confirm this w/ AMCAS a few times but I don't really trust the people over the phone. Thanks so much!

 

[Taranis]

If AMCAS doesn't release information to schools until June 29th, is there any point submitting right on June 5th? Would it lead to any delay at all if I submitted a week later? My primary is pretty much done, but I feel like sitting on my PS a bit longer and having a few more people read it might by beneficial.

 

[Redwood]

If AMCAS doesn't release information to schools until June 29th, is there any point submitting right on June 5th? Would it lead to any delay at all if I submitted a week later? My primary is pretty much done, but I feel like sitting on my PS a bit longer and having a few more people read it might by beneficial.

I would also like ot know this

 

[cgator15]

If I studied abroad and received a grade, but I didn't apply it to my GPA although it shows up on my transcript, do I need to provide a transcript from the international school?

 

[sector9]

Okay, this is going to be a stupid question, but am I getting it right that letters must be submitted through AAMC and I cannot just use interfolio directly?

You're right. All med schools that use AMCAS's LOR service have some sort of exclusivity agreement with AMCAS that prevent them from accepting LORs from any other source. Of course, sending your letters from Interfolio to AMCAS who will then distribute them on to schools is allowed

 

[stolen_biscuit]

Quick question about my transcripts as it's kind of confusing. Pretty sure I figured it out but just making sure.

-Attended University X, AMCAS has received my transcript from there.

-1 semester I attended Sea Education Association (SEA). This is a semester long program run through Boston University, but not through their study abroad office. BU has my the transcript from SEA (as does AMCAS) and the BU transcript says: "Cross registered through SEA". On the AMCAS "School's Attended" section both BU and SEA are optional colleges.

-This is what I've done: For "Colleges Attended" I've put both BU and SEA . For transcripts, I've requested a transcript from BU, but not SEA.Under the reason from transcript exemption from SEA I checked the "cross-registration program with no separate transcripts available". I then checked the boxes denoting that the credit for SEA was transferred to BU. I also checked "no" for foreign coursework. For "Coursework", I put the courses under SEA, not BU. Is this correct? I've tried to confirm this w/ AMCAS a few times but I don't really trust the people over the phone. Thanks so much!

I had the same situation, but with a different program name. AMCAS told me to do exactly what you did UNLESS SEA has a transcript for you. If it does, you are required to submit it. AMCAS told me to call the other school to find out whether or not there are grades on record there. (In my case, the other school did have a transcript, so I requested from them also. I was surprised because it was all run through my home university.) Everything else they said is exactly what you did...so I think you are good to go if you've checked with SEA to make sure they have no record of you.

 

[dreamer67]

still wondering about this if anyone has an answer

So if I, along with my siblings, received reduced lunch before age 18, that should or should count as using federal/state assistance programs?

 

[theclem]

Could I potentially submit AMCAS on June 5th, then after it's verified (say in a few days), edit it to add more activities before it's send out to schools on June 28th? I'm currently in the process of interviewing for jobs/setting up physician shadowing and would like to add this in after plans are finalized (which will unfortunately probably be after June 5).

 

[sector9]

Could I potentially submit AMCAS on June 5th, then after it's verified (say in a few days), edit it to add more activities before it's send out to schools on June 28th? I'm currently in the process of interviewing for jobs/setting up physician shadowing and would like to add this in after plans are finalized (which will unfortunately probably be after June 5).

No. There are only a few sections you can change after you hit submit and your work/activities section isn't one of them. Check out AMCAS's FAQ for more information.

 

[sector9]

still wondering about this if anyone has an answer

That was the only thing you guys received? It seems like a stretch to me but may technically count

 

[TriagePreMed]

I think it was in the AMCAS Guide with even more detail, but this is what I found on a quick search:

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/faqs/147760/amcas_2010_faqs-17.9.html

http://www.interfolio.com/blog/post...rs-of-recommendation-from-interfolio-to-amcas

Haven't tried it yet as exactly NONE of my letters writes have sent one in yet!

I just noticed you had answered. Thank you.

 

[dreamer67]

Yup, that was the only thing we received. I am not listing myself as economically disadvantaged. Just wondering if I should check off "yes" for the federal or government assistance program question?

That was the only thing you guys received? It seems like a stretch to me but may technically count

 

[Lafakads]

Can I delete LOR requests after I submit. Let's say i have a prof that's going to write one then goes MIA... Would it still say LOR not in or could I delete it?

If not then it would be best only to add letters when I actually receive them right?

 

[stoutt]

I had the same situation, but with a different program name. AMCAS told me to do exactly what you did UNLESS SEA has a transcript for you. If it does, you are required to submit it. AMCAS told me to call the other school to find out whether or not there are grades on record there. (In my case, the other school did have a transcript, so I requested from them also. I was surprised because it was all run through my home university.) Everything else they said is exactly what you did...so I think you are good to go if you've checked with SEA to make sure they have no record of you.

Crafty - thanks a lot. I called SEA and they do have a record of me w/ my grades but its just a little excel document, no official transcript w/ a seal or watermarking on it. They said all the transcripts are handled through BU. Heres the link for that on their website: http://www.sea.edu/alumni_parents/transcripts So do you think I'm good? Or should I try to have them send what they have and have AMCAS sort it out.

 

[CrawlWalkRun]

I would like to submit my app on or soon after June 5 however I am retaking my MCAT on July 26 and am wondering if I will still be considered an early applicant despite receiving the 2nd Mcat score in Late Aug? Also, if I decide to include all the schools when I submit will I start receiving secondaries even though the second Mcat will not be available? Is a July 26 retake dangerously late or is it still am okay time to retake? I had no choice but to sign up for that date because it was the first date coming up that the test is still available in my state.

 

[sector9]

Yup, that was the only thing we received. I am not listing myself as economically disadvantaged. Just wondering if I should check off "yes" for the federal or government assistance program question?

I see. Does the AMCAS help clarify the question at all?

 

[sector9]

Can I delete LOR requests after I submit. Let's say i have a prof that's going to write one then goes MIA... Would it still say LOR not in or could I delete it?

If not then it would be best only to add letters when I actually receive them right?

There's a process for telling AMCAS not to expect a letter. I believe it's on AMCAS's FAQ

 

[Lots of Snow]

Question about adding CLEP credits:

I took a couple of CLEP tests. Then I went to a community college. The CLEP credits were accepted there, and show up on my community college transcript. Then I transferred to a four year school. The community college credits, as well as the CLEP credits transferred there. The CLEP credits show up on both transcripts. When I'm adding my coursework, which college should I put it under? Do I need to request a transcript from CLEP to send to AMCAS? What do I put down as my course grade for a CLEP course?

 

[BigBlueBear]

Coursework Question:

I took both Calculus AB and Calculus BC advanced placement courses in high school, and my university granted me credit for both classes. However, since the BC test has an AB subset, the AB Calculus appears on my transcript twice. However, when I try to enter the 2nd entry into my AMCAS, it won't let me check the "Advanced Placement" box at the bottom. I'm guessing it's because I already entered the exact same class already. What should I do here?

I emailed AMCAS about this and they just said "add it exactly as it appears on your transcript." So that was unhelpful. Can anyone else provide a better answer?

Thanks!

 

[haleyyao89]

I have everything filled out on my application and am just waiting to submit. It says my transcripts have been marked "received" as well. However, my committee packet/letters hasn't been received. Do I have to wait to submit until the letters are received or can I submit anyways like those waiting on MCAT scores?

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I have everything filled out on my application and am just waiting to submit. It says my transcripts have been marked "received" as well. However, my committee packet/letters hasn't been received. Do I have to wait to submit until the letters are received or can I submit anyways like those waiting on MCAT scores?

You can submit your primary app without AMCAS having recieved your letters. They are part of the secondary anyway.

 

[haleyyao89]

Thanks so much!

 

[stolen_biscuit]

Crafty - thanks a lot. I called SEA and they do have a record of me w/ my grades but its just a little excel document, no official transcript w/ a seal or watermarking on it. They said all the transcripts are handled through BU. Heres the link for that on their website: http://www.sea.edu/alumni_parents/transcripts So do you think I'm good? Or should I try to have them send what they have and have AMCAS sort it out.

Looking at the website, I would say you are okay with the BU transcript. I know AMCAS doesn't take unofficial transcript, which it seems is the only thing SEA offers directly.

The anal part of me says maybe call AMCAS tomorrow with your new info just to double check...but I imagine you've done it perfectly.

 

[IRASNA]

Should I list the future courses I'm taking this fall? One of the classes I'm taking in the fall is a bio lab course that is a requirement for some schools I'm applying to. If I did this, would I have to list the courses I'd take in the spring? I'm not sure exactly what I'll be taking aside from 2 classes so I'm not sure how I'd go about doing that...


I've done a search and I can't find a definitive answer. Some say you should not put future courses down since you can't get a transcript for them. Some say you should put all courses down especially if they are pre reqs.

Thanks

bump

 

[TheNewDocToBe]

List all future courses you know you'll be taking. If you're sure you'll be taking those two classes, list them both. You don't need to list EVERY course you will be taking in the fall or spring semester.

Whoever stated that you shouldn't put future courses down because of a lack of proof is ignorant. There's a reason AMCAS has a "Current/Future" option for coursework. In addition, AMCAS doesn't look at coursework in this category.

Is it okay not to take the course that was written to be taken, or to take another course that wasn't written to be taken in AMCAS? Do we have to inform the schools each term until hopefully matriculated?

 

[bigdogrob4284]

My spring grades are available tomorrow, but obviously my transcript won't make it to amcas for another week or so. Can I still submit my completed application on Tuesday even though one of my transcripts isn't received yet?

Thanks!

 

[bigdogrob4284]

Yes. Be aware that they won't begin looking at it until the final transcript arrives.

But that would still be better than waiting to submit until after the transcript is received right?

 

[Darthvinder]

I read here that you cannot send electronic transcripts? Is that really the case? I am able to attach my Transcript Request Form to my school's transcript orders when I do it electronically. I am also told to indicate an email to send them to. Which email does AMCAS use for electronic transcripts? I can't seem to find it anywhere online or in the instruction manual.

 

[dmf2682]

Nvm

 

[Darthvinder]

You answered your own question - see the bolded statements. It's not that your school isn't able to send the transcript electronically - it's just not possible for AMCAS to receive electronic transcripts.

EDIT: Sorry for the tone of the post. I hope I haven't offended you.

None taken, but I suppose I expected them to have addressed something so fundamental to sending transcripts more explicitly. This is especially important due to the fact that they used to accept electronic transcripts in 2006 (check the 06 AMCAS instruction manual).

 

[jansOri23]

Hey guys,

I took lab courses in college which were primarily spent in the laboratory but included weekly one-hour lectures on lab theory. Are these courses considered "Lab Only" courses or "Combined Lec and Lab"?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jansOri23]

I called AMCAS with the same question, and they vaguely stated that if it had both a lecture and a lab, it would be considered "combined." Personally, I don't think the person I talked to knew very much outside of the instruction manual.

If it's primarily a laboratory, and it's worth 1-2 credits, I'd consider it only a lab. At my school, every lab class I enrolled in had a separate lecture component dealing with lab theory. I had a few courses that were primarily lectures but also had several hours of laboratory work every week - I think this is what AMCAS and medical schools are really after for "Combined Lec and Lab."

That helps. Thanks a lot

 

[jansOri23]

Oh and one more thing..

Do I check "Pass/Fail" for classes that offered ONLY pass/fail grades? What about classes that give letter grades but I chose instead to take pass/fail?

Thanks in advance.

 

[frisbeeguy]

Hi all,

My study abroad experience has me utterly confused as to how I should correctly enter it into AMCAS. I studied abroad at Trinity College Dublin through Arcadia. Arcadia gave me letter grades for those classes. My school, College X, transferred those credits in as ungraded (not P/F) credits. How do I list these courses on AMCAS?

Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[ReptarBar]

how long does it take to process transcripts or to have them let me know they received mine? i sent mine out this past tuesday, and i have yet to receive any type of notification.

what is supposed to happen?

 

[AtlasCarraway]

how long does it take to process transcripts or to have them let me know they received mine? i sent mine out this past tuesday, and i have yet to receive any type of notification.

what is supposed to happen?

Check the blurb in red when you go to sign into AMCAS. They're mostly caught up, but probably running at least a day or two behind. They'll sen you an email with confirmation that they got your transcript:

"AMCAS has received a transcript in support of your application to the 2013 entering class."

It'll say the name of your school and which date they received it.

 

[stolen_biscuit]

how long does it take to process transcripts or to have them let me know they received mine? i sent mine out this past tuesday, and i have yet to receive any type of notification.

My last transcript was sent 5/24 but didn't get posted as received until 6/1.

 

[MrMagic]

Does anyone know in general, what time the amcas application opens? I know the date is June 5, but I dont know whether that means that I am able to submit it after 12:00 midnight today or later in the day.

 

[MrMagic]

Thank you!

 

[MedPR]

it will begin about 9:30 am on june 5:

https://twitter.com/#!/amcasinfo

est?

 

[Strayaxx]

Are these "concentrations" your major or minor? The reason I ask is that at my school, concentrations are synonymous with majors. If so, then yes, you'd put the majors and minors in the Schools Attended section.

If not, you could list them in your Work and Activities section, with a brief description of what each concentration meant. It could be added to an "Honors and Awards" section, for example.

They are not synonymous with majors- they are additional courses of study that have their own requirements. A lot of the requirements overlapped with my major (biology) but I had to apply to get into the concentrations, and I had to complete particular courses and a thesis for the biochem concentration. They aren't technically minors though, which makes me think that you are right that I should list them in the Work and Activities section.

Thank you!

 

[Strayaxx]

Are these "concentrations" your major or minor? The reason I ask is that at my school, concentrations are synonymous with majors. If so, then yes, you'd put the majors and minors in the Schools Attended section.

If not, you could list them in your Work and Activities section, with a brief description of what each concentration meant. It could be added to an "Honors and Awards" section, for example.

They are not synonymous with majors- they are additional courses of study that have their own requirements. A lot of the requirements overlapped with my major (biology) but I had to apply to get into the concentrations, and I had to complete particular courses and a thesis for the biochem concentration. They aren't technically minors though, which makes me think that you are right that I should list them in the Work and Activities section.

Thank you!

So you would categorize it as "Honors and Awards" and call it something like Undergraduate Academic Recognition?