*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2014-2015*~*~*~*

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Karasu said:
My friend said: "They know what they're doing, of course they used a letterhead and signed it."

It gave me little comfort, but she has a point though. lol
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I don't think that's necessary- because if your letter writer is no longer in a professional capacity (aka is a retired mentor, etc.) they won't have a letterhead that they can claim.
 
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TheBoneDoctah said:
And what does a doctor that I shadowed put it on? A prescription pad?
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Exactly. Maybe a hospital physician can swing something as a part of his institution...but think about small time private practice physicians. They're independent shops without organizational nuances such as letter heads! So either way, I think it'll be fine. Plus, why worry about something we can't verify anyways 😉
 
investmentdoc said:
Exactly. Maybe a hospital physician can swing something as a part of his institution...but think about small time private practice physicians. They're independent shops without organizational nuances such as letter heads! So either way, I think it'll be fine. Plus, why worry about something we can't verify anyways 😉
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But my problem lies in the fact that I know one of my letters is on letterhead, but it isn't as good as the one that I don't know is on letterhead. I don't know which to send.
 
What do you guys think about not having a letter assigned to an institution? I forgot to click "Yes, this letter writer is associated with an institution." Since my AMCAS is submitted, I can't delete it and recreate a new entry like before.
 
Karasu said:
What do you guys think about not having a letter assigned to an institution? I forgot to click "Yes, this letter writer is associated with an institution." Since my AMCAS is submitted, I can't delete it and recreate a new entry like before.
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I would say it depends on how many courses you have from the institution. If you did your undergraduate there and you don't have a letter, that could be a red flag. I will have two schools that have 2 and 4 courses, respectively, and I won't be including a letter. One is a community college where I took gen eds and the other is from coursework that I got awarded college credit for during high school (not AP)
 
I posted this question on the LOR thread but didn't get a reply.

Would you just ask your referees to address letters: "To the admissions committee"?

I'm a little confused since these are all general letters.
 
baxt1412 said:
I would say it depends on how many courses you have from the institution. If you did your undergraduate there and you don't have a letter, that could be a red flag. I will have two schools that have 2 and 4 courses, respectively, and I won't be including a letter. One is a community college where I took gen eds and the other is from coursework that I got awarded college credit for during high school (not AP)
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So we shouldn't assume that they will view the letter, see the letterhead, and the position held by the letter writer?

If so, this whole AMCAS process is a bit archaic. I'll have to create a second letter request and assign her to my UG institution.
 
Oh I"m sorry, I misunderstood your question.


Have you contacted AMCAS to see if they could add that connection? Otherwise, they will probably figure it out on their own or the schools will figure it out as well. Depends on what you titled the letter too.
 
Not sure if this is the right place, but I didn't think it merited its own thread. I'm thinking of writing my "personal challenge" secondary essay about being the worst person on my college varsity athletic team and learning that my place was instead to do my best and encourage others to succeed (contribute to the team in ways other than points scored). I wrote about the team for a most meaningful experience, but I don't allude to any particular prowess. My question is- will this be an appropriate topic? Will admitting that I was the worst person on the team diminish the fact that I was a varsity athlete in the eyes of an adcom?
 
is there a way to view amcas gpa once it's verified (i assume that verified means it will say "amcas processing is complete")
 
Quick Question! ..

So I was enrolled for 3 courses (non degree program) during my last two years in High School in the same college I eventually ended up at. When listing this institution on AMCAS am I suppose to put the start date of my undergraduate college after I graduated High School or when I started those courses during High School?

The courses show up on my college transcript.

Thanks!
 
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I'm verified with no LORs in yet. If my MCAT re-write (have one score already) results aren't released until July 21st, will schools that are able to see my application info on June 27th even look at my application?
 
Hey ya'll, I'm in a bit of a predicament now.

I just got my AMCAS application verified and processed, and everything is correct...except all of my Freshman courses are titled "Biology II and Lab" !! I took one course titled as such, but all my other calculus, chemistry, and psych courses have all been renamed "Biology II and Lab". The grades and even course classifications are fine, but med schools may look and the titles and think that I didn't take any chem, calculus, etc.

I sent an Academic Change Request just now, but reading their guild lines they specify that they can't change course titles!

Should I be worried, or will they notice they made a mistake and change them back for me?

More importantly, can this hinder my chances in the med school application process (I am a Canadian, and it is pertinent I submit early)?

Thank you all so much for any advice.

EDIT: Nevermind, they have fixed it 😀
 
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SPionic said:
It is good to hear that this was fixed for you. I have a similar problem in which interdisciplinary courses were 'broken up' into separate courses by AMCAS, so there are courses I did not list added to my coursework listing, just naming the subject matter of the secondary course topic and # of credits. This is mostly an annoyance, since it makes it appear that I took Physics or Astronomy multiple times as random 2-credit classes, when in reality I took 4-credit courses in the history of math and science. My school lists 'breakdowns' alongside the course names to elucidate that we did in fact do X amount of physics, Y amount of math, and Z amount of biology in a particular course. I was very careful to choose the course category that best fit the overall scope of each class. Should I call AMCAS about this? I don't even know how to start phrasing my academic change request for this, or if it is even worth it. It doesn't change my BCPM GPA at all.

They also changed the number of semester hours (but not the transcript hours) for a few courses that are listed as 'winter session' work, although they were actually HS dual-enrollment. Does anyone know why they might have done this? I am definitely submitting an academic change request just for that, as it nudges my non-science GPA just under the 3.7 threshold, but I'd like to know what to say other than 'my transcript says that these were 4-credit courses.'

Also, my calculated sGPA and cGPA are both about .03 points lower than I calculated by myself, but I can't find any discrepancy in credit hours/grades on any of my BCPM courses. Does AMCAS still count B+ as 3.5 and A- as 3.7?

Thanks!
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Yeah, it was a pretty stressful situation, but luckily I submitted the Academic Change Request quickly and everything was changed the following morning.

If your problem doesn't change your GPA, and as long as prerequisite courses are still listed, then I don't think I would do anything about it. But then again, I'm not truly understanding your problem, so I may be wrong.

My GPA was actually boosted by 0.03, because I thought B+s were 3.3s - instead they gave me 3.5 for each. My institution doesn't award A-s, so I don't know the definitive scale for that.

Hopefully I helped a bit. Good luck with apps!
 
Hey guys, I am very confused as to how the transcript verification occurs.

I sent my transcript out to AMCAS around early May and the received it around May 12th-ish.
Then I got lazy and didn't start working on my application so I entered in my coursework around June 12th-ish.

Will they start verifying my coursework only AFTER I submit my entire primary or have they already started verifying my transcript?
 
thenykway said:
Hey guys, I am very confused as to how the transcript verification occurs.

I sent my transcript out to AMCAS around early May and the received it around May 12th-ish.
Then I got lazy and didn't start working on my application so I entered in my coursework around June 12th-ish.

Will they start verifying my coursework only AFTER I submit my entire primary or have they already started verifying my transcript?
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They will verify coursework after the AMCAS primary has been submitted. Submit ASAP.
 
I searched around, but didn't find an answer for this yet.

What counts as a substantial scholarship worthy of inclusion in my AMCAS?
I received a $4,500 scholarship from a Canadian organization (which has since run out of funding and discontinued the scholarship) in 2009 based on excellence in academics, leadership, and community service which was applicable at any Canadian university. I also received a $500 scholarship from the local division of the police with which I served to lead the Empowered Student Partnerships (ESP) Program at my high school.

Since then I haven't received much in scholarships during university, especially since I transferred to an American university. I have only received a $600 Scholars Award in 2013 from my school based on financial need and merit.

Are any of these worth including?
 
I submitted my primary and didn't assign any of my letters of recommendation to schools... do people generally assign them as they send in secondaries, now before secondaries come out, or just whenever?
 
csiew said:
I searched around, but didn't find an answer for this yet.
What counts as a substantial scholarship worthy of inclusion in my AMCAS?
I received a $4,500 scholarship from a Canadian organization (which has since run out of funding and discontinued the scholarship) in 2009 based on excellence in academics, leadership, and community service which was applicable at any Canadian university. I also received a $500 scholarship from the local division of the police with which I served to lead the Empowered Student Partnerships (ESP) Program at my high school.

Since then I haven't received much in scholarships during university, especially since I transferred to an American university. I have only received a $600 Scholars Award in 2013 from my school based on financial need and merit.

Are any of these worth including?
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The $4500 scholarship is worth mentioning if it was based on activities during the college years.
 
Would FEMA qualify as a federal assistance program as per the primary application? Part of my parent's home was destroyed by a natural disaster and we didn't have the means to repair the house ourselves. Luckily we qualified for FEMA assistance and the program helped pay to rebuild part of it. The question is asked in the childhood information section, which makes me think this type of question is more geared towards food stamps or welfare, but I think FEMA would qualify as well?
 
So, quick question, I'm pushing my MCAT back to july 12 mostly because of irreconcilable transportation and scheduling issues which I'm fine with because more time to study is always good. However that date is also looking very iffy. (There's no testing in my town and I don't have a car up at school so I'm very reliant on the schedules of others.) Would july 24th be way too late or still acceptable as far as having a decent chance at most schools? If it's going to be the difference between much more consideration and less consideration I'll start asking people I normally wouldn't for help, but I'd like to ask you guys first to see where I should go from here.
 
EyesOfTheWorld said:
So, quick question, I'm pushing my MCAT back to july 12 mostly because of irreconcilable transportation and scheduling issues which I'm fine with because more time to study is always good. However that date is also looking very iffy. (There's no testing in my town and I don't have a car up at school so I'm very reliant on the schedules of others.) Would july 24th be way too late or still acceptable as far as having a decent chance at most schools? If it's going to be the difference between much more consideration and less consideration I'll start asking people I normally wouldn't for help, but I'd like to ask you guys first to see where I should go from here.
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Late July MCAT would mean being complete AT BEST in late August/early September, which is plenty late, depending on which schools you're applying to (e.g., IS-friendly state schools would be kinder). Start asking around and look into car rentals.
 
jla9213 said:
So I am reapplicant applying with 30 MCAT (weak point was PS 8) 3.75 overall GPA, 3.85 sGPA, clinical experience as EMT, ED technician, three publications, 4th pending, major poster presentation coming up at an american academy of X medicine, leadership and volunteer experience.

My question is, I want to retake the MCAT. I am signed up to take it 8/21 (super late) but I have already submitted my app for verification just adding 1 school I've never applied to. I did not disclose that I am taking the 8/21 mcat on my app... If I do not get off any of my wait lists and have to fully reapply... Am I obligated to disclose my new MCAT date or can I keep it off the app so that the new schools I apply to look at my app immediately, but then I can write a letter of update to the old schools (well and the new schools) I previously applied to with new score? Or are they going to know I'm signed up regardless?


EDIT: new schools are lower tier that would be okay with the 30
EDIT 2: also do not want to disclose taking the MCAT, in case I void the score if I am not prepared, which might be likely considering how difficult it is studying again after you thought you were done with this forever last may 🙁
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If you did not disclose, they will not wait to review. It is a gamble as to whether you have been reviewed already or not should you send an update with a new score later. Chances are that the new score will still get some consideration if schools have long queues/backlogs, but it is a gamble.
 
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does adding schools and letters of evaluation (while you are waiting to be verified) put your app back at the bottom of the pile?
 
TheBoneDoctah said:
I wonder if they will turn down
A lor if it's not on letterhead. How am I supposed to know if my letter writer wrote it on letterhead or
Not. It's confidential.
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AMCAS doesn't look at LORs and won't care.

Schools, however, tend to care and will ask you to re-submit a LOR if its in their policies. Almost all LOR writers should have access to a letterhead. Those who work at schools especially.. even doctors (hospital/practice letterhead). It shouldn't be a problem to get them to use a letterhead.

lawlzi said:
does adding schools and letters of evaluation (while you are waiting to be verified) put your app back at the bottom of the pile?
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no. nothing puts you at the bottom of the pile once you submit other than AMCAS not having your transcripts.
 
Question (I've searched and read the official guidebook but can't figure this out, folks):

I took an undergrad class during high school at a university in 2006 (yes, I'm a non-trad), and then took Ochem1+2 over the summer at the SAME university in 2013.

I put it as one school entry 2006-2013 and sent one transcript, which had both classes. Is this a problem? Should I re-enter it for two separate times? If I do that - will they be confused by my single transcript (already received) ?? Any suggestions?

thanks!!! I'm trying to submit tomorrow, but just realized there are all these minor details I didn't think about....
 
My AMCAS application just got verified. One of the courses that I thought I designated at a math course was listed on my verified transcript as "NPSC" thus it was not calculated in my BCPM GPA. This was a biostatistics course but it was located within the school of public health, but based on the course description it will most likely by considered as a math class. So, if I submit an academic change request will my application be held from the school that I applied to until it is "reverified"
 
Hi guys,

I am a Canadian student in need of advice. I have a 3.75 GPA and 30 MCAT (PS11,VR7, BS12)...i retook the MCAT last year to improve my VR score but unfortunately scored lower 28. I taking it for the last time early Aug this year. Need some advice, i know its a stretch for US apps since i'll get my mark in by sept. Do you think I should just apply with my original marks....or tell them that I have a pending MCAT exam which might delay somethings? Do some schools screen based on MCAT marks, and will they not look at my app if they see i haven't gotten the mark in yet?? I have good EC, one publication and another pending, 4 years of research experience, plenty of hospital volunteering, artistic endeavors, scholarships and international volunteering. Thanks! 🙂
 
What happens in the case that you send a school an extra letter (i.e. they want a committee letter but you end up sending them both a committee letter AND a personal recommendation). Though this wasn't necessarily done intentionally...will they look down on it?

-EDIT- I realized I sent some of my schools an extra letter but can't take them back now since they have been transmitted....thoughts?
 
chromealt said:
I would also like to know this. I have not assigned my letters to schools yet. Seeing as applications are being released to schools today, do we need to assign letters to start receiving secondaries?
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most schools dont typically require letters of rec o send out secondaries. However, they may take some time to transmit, get into your file, and have you conform they are at the school. So I suggest take care if it now
 
investmentdoc said:
What happens in the case that you send a school an extra letter (i.e. they want a committee letter but you end up sending them both a committee letter AND a personal recommendation). Though this wasn't necessarily done intentionally...will they look down on it?

-EDIT- I realized I sent some of my schools an extra letter but can't take them back now since they have been transmitted....thoughts?
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Rule 1: take a breath

you cant do anything about it now so it does not matter to worry and I doubt the schools will really care .
 
investmentdoc said:
What happens in the case that you send a school an extra letter (i.e. they want a committee letter but you end up sending them both a committee letter AND a personal recommendation). Though this wasn't necessarily done intentionally...will they look down on it?

-EDIT- I realized I sent some of my schools an extra letter but can't take them back now since they have been transmitted....thoughts?
Click to expand...

I did something similar and emailed in about it, and the response from that school at least was they weren't going to process extra letters not designated on your secondary 🙂 so never fear!

Just in case, there's no harm emailing or calling about it. I'll bet you're not the only one and I think they understand these things happen.
 
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orderofthescar said:
I did something similar and emailed in about it, and the response from that school at least was they weren't going to process extra letters not designated on your secondary 🙂 so never fear!

Just in case, there's no harm emailing or calling about it. I'll bet you're not the only one and I think they understand these things happen.
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Thank you!
 
@gonnif, I see AMCAS made some changes to some of my grades from a B+ to a B, and yet they allowed other as A- or B+ grades. This negatively affects my overall gpa of course, but most notably my science gpa. I was verified only yesterday. Will med schools get revised/corrected gpas or do I have to pass that along?
 
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ThisCouldBeYou said:
@gonnif, I see AMCAS made some changes to some of my grades from a B+ to a B, and yet they allowed other as A- or B+ grades. This negatively my overall gpa of course, but most notably my science gpa. I was verified only yesterday. Will med schools get revised/corrected gpas or do I have to pass that along?
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Be careful in sending revision requests- they are pretty careful in what they change. It might just be bc the school transcript has specific instructions on the back. Also, I believe that the schools would already get your old grades. Might need to confirm this by calling AMCAS
 
Dumb question but how do you know that secondaries come? I've submitted my AMCAS for review already.
 
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