*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2015-2016*~*~*~*

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Okay I have an embarrassingly dumb question. I am filling out the letters of evaluation section and I am curious which prefix I use for individuals who have their doctorate and are professors. Should I use the prefix "Dr." or "Prof." for these individuals?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my stupid question.
 
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Question:
How do I classify economics classes?
Would they be "social and behavioral sciences," or "other?"

Thanks!
 
I how low math scores when I tested into college so I had to take a math class that was 4 units, however, I did not receive any credit for this course (it didn't count towards my GPA). I still have to include it in my Course Work section correct?
 
vantheman said:
I how low math scores when I tested into college so I had to take a math class that was 4 units, however, I did not receive any credit for this course (it didn't count towards my GPA). I still have to include it in my Course Work section correct?
Click to expand...

Is it on your transcript? Units? Grade? Name? Was it audited?
 
Cawolf said:
Is it on your transcript? Units? Grade? Name? Was it audited?
Click to expand...

Yes it on my transcript. Essentially it says:

Course Description Attempted Earned/Grade Points
Math 51 Entry level math 4.00 0.00 A 0.00
 
I was a CLS (clinical lab science) major and I'm debating how to classify some of my coursework. The topics were biology and chemistry, but with an allied health/lab diagnosis perspective. Any advice on how to classify these classes?
Hematology (leaning toward biology, since the Instruction Manual has histology under that category...)
Blood banking/transfusion medicine
Pathophysiology and clinical chemistry
Molecular diagnostics

I think arguments could easily be made for any of these for Allied Health or Biology. I would love a second opinion--thanks!
 
vantheman said:
Yes it on my transcript. Essentially it says:

Course Description Attempted Earned/Grade Points
Math 51 Entry level math 4.00 0.00 A 0.00
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That is really odd, I have not encountered a passing course with attempted units, but not earned units. I would call AMCAS.
 
If my schools sends the transcript electronically to AMCAS on May 26...how long would it take for them to mark as received?
 
For reference:

I ordered my transcript on 5/12 at 4:52 PM.

It was sent electronically by the school on 5/13 at 10:05 AM.

It was marked received by AMCAS on 5/13 at 10:11 AM.

So about 6 minutes, unless things have changed over the month.
 
Anyone have any experience with inputting 2 degrees from one institution to avoid unnecessarily sending 2 of the same transcript? I did my undergrad and am currently in a master's program at a single university, but I cannot list a 2nd degree after the undergrad one because the dates are limited to 2015.
 
@heebeejeebies

You need to list the institution twice in the colleges attended section. Once for your undergrad and once for your graduate degree.

"If you were enrolled in more than one program (e.g., undergraduate and graduate) at an institution, create a separate entry for each program. Please request separate transcripts for your undergraduate and graduate programs."

Source: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/182162/data/amcas_instruction_manual.pdf (page 20)

There is no way to avoid sending two transcripts AFAIK.
 
Cawolf said:
@heebeejeebies

You need to list the institution twice in the colleges attended section. Once for your undergrad and once for your graduate degree.

"If you were enrolled in more than one program (e.g., undergraduate and graduate) at an institution, create a separate entry for each program. Please request separate transcripts for your undergraduate and graduate programs."

Source: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/182162/data/amcas_instruction_manual.pdf (page 20)

There is no way to avoid sending two transcripts AFAIK.
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Ah crud, thanks! I've been told by past applicants they requested exemptions, but the guide is king here, looks like I'm forking over a buttload of money in double courier fees, geez.
 
@heebeejeebies

Courier fees? Are these international universities? I see where that could present a unique financial challenge. You could always call AMCAS when they open tomorrow and ask them. I just answered based on the "by the book" rule, but I am sure exceptions exist.
 
Cawolf said:
@heebeejeebies

Courier fees? Are these international universities? I see where that could present a unique financial challenge. You could always call AMCAS when they open tomorrow and ask them. I just answered based on the "by the book" rule, but I am sure exceptions exist.
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Canadian applicant, so I have to pay an out of province fee for the mailing. My university likes to gouge us with fees. But I'd rather play it safe.

Thanks!
 
Hey all, sorry if this is a reposted question but I tried searching and couldn't find an answer. My question is: I plan on submitting my application the first day it opens, or close to it, however, my college will not begin transmitting recommendation letters until July 13. Based on what AAMC wrote on their website, it can take up to 15 business days for the medical schools to receive my committee letter through AMCAS. Will med schools review my application only after they receive the recommendation letters? I am thoroughly confused and would appreciate any help. My pre-health advisor did not help me at all when I called her lol :/
 
When listing contact info for the Work/Activities section, can you use the phone number of the clinic/office where you did the activity, or do you have to use the personal/cell number of the actual person?
 
Soo we can submit at 8:30 am CST on June 2...correct? So I can hit the club up after my app goes up...

 
Yes, but no. :smack:

:banana::zip::banana:
 
PeterPan94 said:
Hey all, sorry if this is a reposted question but I tried searching and couldn't find an answer. My question is: I plan on submitting my application the first day it opens, or close to it, however, my college will not begin transmitting recommendation letters until July 13. Based on what AAMC wrote on their website, it can take up to 15 business days for the medical schools to receive my committee letter through AMCAS. Will med schools review my application only after they receive the recommendation letters? I am thoroughly confused and would appreciate any help. My pre-health advisor did not help me at all when I called her lol :/
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Say you submit your application, as planned on June 2nd.
It will take a variable amount of time for verification, probably only a few days if you're in that early.
NO medical schools will see your application until July 1.
After that date, they will receive your primary application, and either screen it or simply send you a secondary for applying. This may take a few days to weeks.
So you will get your secondary applications in early-mid July.
It is considered ideal to have those returned within 2wks, which means that you'd get them in late July.
At that point, some schools will want the LORs before further review, while others will choose interview invites based on secondary+primary and want the LORs a bit later.

So, even assuming that everything goes as quickly as possible, and you return your secondaries very quickly, your LORs will likely not be needed until late July. Your school's timeline is not wholly unreasonable (though if they start that late, I wonder when the last few letters go out from their office?)
 
I have 5 LORs total and there are 3 LORs that I absolutely want to include for each school. For schools that have a max number of 4, I am debating between two different letters. If anyone could give me advice, I would really appreciate it.

Below are the 2 LORs I am debating

-LOR from my Gen Chem professor. I was also her TA. Caveat here is that she is adjunct, not faculty.
-LOR from my biomedical ethics professor who is faculty.

The core 3 LORs that I am including are all science heavy (1 PI, 1 PI/professor, 1 professor). Do you believe it would be better to have some diversity and include a letter from my biomedical ethics professor, or include my Gen chem professor whom TAed for. The Gen Chem professor also knows me better than the biomedical ethics prof.


Thanks!
 
I have two questions, and thanks in advance for the help:

1. I took a dual-enrollment class at College X in high-school, "Class A with Lab" and my undergrad did not accept the lecture portion, but were willing to accept the lab portion (I know, 😕). I retook "Class A" lecture at College Y (my undergrad), without the lab (they were offered separately). This feels like a repeat, but I'm not sure if I should designate it as one. I'm worried that it will be confusing because the classes are at two different colleges, and one had a lab while the other did not. Would this be considered a repeat?

2. Would it be acceptable under any circumstances to use the description and meaningful experience essay boxes as one? Essentially, I'd like to use the 700 characters in the description box and then the 1325 characters in the ME box as rolling over from the first box. Do I have to write them as two stand-alone entities? I was hoping to have it flow naturally between them.
 
vantheman said:
I have 5 LORs total and there are 3 LORs that I absolutely want to include for each school. For schools that have a max number of 4, I am debating between two different letters. If anyone could give me advice, I would really appreciate it.

Below are the 2 LORs I am debating

-LOR from my Gen Chem professor. I was also her TA. Caveat here is that she is adjunct, not faculty.
-LOR from my biomedical ethics professor who is faculty.

The core 3 LORs that I am including are all science heavy (1 PI, 1 PI/professor, 1 professor). Do you believe it would be better to have some diversity and include a letter from my biomedical ethics professor, or include my Gen chem professor whom TAed for. The Gen Chem professor also knows me better than the biomedical ethics prof.


Thanks!
Click to expand...
Knows you better, and in more roles? Gen chem hands down.
 
I'm looking at this languages question and wondering if it would be better to put myself as basic fluency in Spanish or just leaving it out. I took 4 years of it in high school and can figure out my way around reading it and basically can remember verbal greetings. I'd pick some of it up rather quickly but if someone started talking to me in Spanish during an interview that wouldn't go over well haha. I do think the basic definition from AMCAS does describe my situation well, but is it even worth including?
 
TwitchBeGone said:
I'm getting a LOR from an employer who just so happens to also be an Ed.D.

Is it appropriate to list their prefix as Dr? I ask because I'm aware that Ed.Ds are sometimes looked down on from doctors of other fields.
Click to expand...


Asking this again, in case this was buried and no one saw it.
 
TwitchBeGone said:
Asking this again, in case this was buried and no one saw it.
Click to expand...
If they have a doctorate, of any variety, list them as Dr. That is their title. If people want to judge their profession, that is fine, but you should not do it for them by deviating from the technically correct salutation.
 
mehc012 said:
Say you submit your application, as planned on June 2nd.
It will take a variable amount of time for verification, probably only a few days if you're in that early.
NO medical schools will see your application until July 1.
After that date, they will receive your primary application, and either screen it or simply send you a secondary for applying. This may take a few days to weeks.
So you will get your secondary applications in early-mid July.
It is considered ideal to have those returned within 2wks, which means that you'd get them in late July.
At that point, some schools will want the LORs before further review, while others will choose interview invites based on secondary+primary and want the LORs a bit later.

So, even assuming that everything goes as quickly as possible, and you return your secondaries very quickly, your LORs will likely not be needed until late July. Your school's timeline is not wholly unreasonable (though if they start that late, I wonder when the last few letters go out from their office?)
Click to expand...
I see, it all makes sense now. Thank you!
 
Can you request a transcript without the AAMC form? I took dual enrollment classes in high school and I wont be able to go to the school to give them the form, Can I still submit my transcript without the form?
 
You could, but it would be safer to mail them a form to include.

At the least, have the registrar attach your AAMC ID in some form.
 
Welp. Still waiting on a transcript to arrive.

Looks like I'll have to get the school to next day it. Such a bummer. :-(
 
I know that most schools require 2 letters of recommendation from science professors who taught you. One of my letter writers is a science professor, but the course he taught was technically a "research" course (the course appears on the transcript under the , rather than a traditional science course like biology or chemistry. Would this be acceptable to admissions committees?
 
mehc012 said:
The only caveat being verification time, sorry...should have pointed that out earlier.
You should submit early with one school (one that will be on your list no matter how your MCAT turns out) to get the verification process started. Verification can eat up weeks of your timeline.

However, the rest can be added after you see your score.
Click to expand...

I will be taking the MCAT June 19, and submitting my primary June 2nd right when it opens. I plan to submit to one school like you said and will put off submitting to the rest of my list once I get my preliminary percentile ranges or even my actual MCAT score back (I don't foresee my list changing that much but just to be on the safer side). My question is regarding the one school I choose to submit early. In past application cycles, some people have said that they have gotten sent secondaries without even having a MCAT score on their application yet: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/secondaries-without-mcat-score.1089359/

Would it be smart for me to submit early to one school that DOES screen for secondaries so that I can guarantee that they'll wait for my MCAT score? I am at least trying to avoid getting any secondaries until my MCAT is over with (June 19) so that I can really give those my full attention and minimize my turn-around time. I plan to start pre-writing all my secondaries once my MCAT is over! Any advice or things I should be doing differently? Thanks!!
 
This is a general AMCAS Q about dependents my friends and I were discussing today if anyone can provide proper insight:

If you have two dependents normally on your taxes, and you are married (file jointly) but spouse is the one who makes more money. Do you answer 2 or 3 for the dependents question :shrug:
 
A spouse is not a dependent.

There is a possibility if they file separately, and one person makes less than $3,950, that the working member could claim their spouse as a dependent. Really though, you get the same exemption for filing jointly, so there is no point.
 
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linsanity17 said:
I will be taking the MCAT June 19, and submitting my primary June 2nd right when it opens. I plan to submit to one school like you said and will put off submitting to the rest of my list once I get my preliminary percentile ranges or even my actual MCAT score back (I don't foresee my list changing that much but just to be on the safer side). My question is regarding the one school I choose to submit early. In past application cycles, some people have said that they have gotten sent secondaries without even having a MCAT score on their application yet: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/secondaries-without-mcat-score.1089359/

Would it be smart for me to submit early to one school that DOES screen for secondaries so that I can guarantee that they'll wait for my MCAT score? I am at least trying to avoid getting any secondaries until my MCAT is over with (June 19) so that I can really give those my full attention and minimize my turn-around time. I plan to start pre-writing all my secondaries once my MCAT is over! Any advice or things I should be doing differently? Thanks!!
Click to expand...
No school will see your application until July 1. You will not receive any secondaries until at least then, so you will not get any secondaries until after your MCAT.
 
Can anyone clarify a couple points for me?

1. Is it advantageous to submit my application on June 1st? I will not have LORs in until June 18th, but everything else is ready to go.

2. In the Work/Extracurricular Section, AMCAS says we are allowed to put all anticipated hours in the "Hours" field. I started a new job a month ago. Is it fair for me to put the 2,000 hours I expect to work between now and matriculation? AMCAS seems to imply that this is fine, without even noting it in the description field below.
 
Mikezrs said:
Can anyone clarify a couple points for me?

1. Is it advantageous to submit my application on June 1st? I will not have LORs in until June 18th, but everything else is ready to go.

2. In the Work/Extracurricular Section, AMCAS says we are allowed to put all anticipated hours in the "Hours" field. I started a new job a month ago. Is it fair for me to put the 2,000 hours I expect to work between now and matriculation? AMCAS seems to imply that this is fine, without even noting it in the description field below.
Click to expand...

1. Yes, you will be verified sooner and LORs are not needed for verification.

2. I would note it to be as transparent as possible.
 
Mikezrs said:
Can anyone clarify a couple points for me?

1. Is it advantageous to submit my application on June 1st? I will not have LORs in until June 18th, but everything else is ready to go.

2. In the Work/Extracurricular Section, AMCAS says we are allowed to put all anticipated hours in the "Hours" field. I started a new job a month ago. Is it fair for me to put the 2,000 hours I expect to work between now and matriculation? AMCAS seems to imply that this is fine, without even noting it in the description field below.
Click to expand...

So for 1. June 2nd, and the marginal loss in submitting a day or three later is minimal because a) schools don't see your primary application until July 1st at the earliest and b) you'll likely be verified by then even with a June 5th+ submission. And the earliest you can expect secondaries is a week after that, and LORs are only of importance when secondaries are submitted. So aim for LORs by July 1st.
 
atrain2080 said:
Not sure if this is the correct thread, but would it be ok to abbreviate Advanced Placement (AP) and English as a Second Language (ESL) in my disadvantaged essay? Seems like a waste of useful characters since everyone knows what this means, but is it too informal to just use abbreviations?
Click to expand...

Generally, you should introduce the full-term before using abbreviations.

As you did above, Alpha Beta Zeta (ABZ) and then ABZ for the rest of the essay.

Though it may be commonplace, AP could be Advanced Placement, Associated Press, Associate Professor, etc.
 
I attended undergrad and grad at the same university and my transcript has both undergrad and grad grades on there. I know that I need to enter my school separately for undergrad and grad but I was under the assumption that for grad I could use a transcript exception request because of "Consortium/cross-registration program, if no separate transcript is available from the school where coursework was attempted. Only one transcript is required for schools which you attended multiple times, as long all coursework appears on the same official transcript" on p. 25 of the manual. However, this conflicts with what someone said earlier about "If you were enrolled in more than one program (e.g., undergraduate and graduate) at an institution, create a separate entry for each program. Please request separate transcripts for your undergraduate and graduate programs." from p. 20 of the manual.

Which one should I go by? Should I send in one or two transcripts? If I send in two transcripts, it would be the same exact transcript.
 
Also one more question, has anyone had success submitted transcripts without sending the transcript request form to be sent along with the transcript? my school is very slow in processing paperwork and i am thinking of sending a transcript without asking them to attach the transcript request form to speed up the process
 
Nontrad8 said:
Also one more question, has anyone had success submitted transcripts without sending the transcript request form to be sent along with the transcript? my school is very slow in processing paperwork and i am thinking of sending a transcript without asking them to attach the transcript request form to speed up the process
Click to expand...
Placing 1 extra sheet in the stack is likely not what causes slow processing.
You do you; do everything right that you can to make it easier for your school's office.
If they're slow after that, well, that's just something you can't control. Imagine how much longer it will take if your transcript does not get processed by AMCAS due to the missing form, and then you have to wait for your school's slow office TWICE in a row.

Just do it right the first time.
 
Nontrad8 said:
I attended undergrad and grad at the same university and my transcript has both undergrad and grad grades on there. I know that I need to enter my school separately for undergrad and grad but I was under the assumption that for grad I could use a transcript exception request because of "Consortium/cross-registration program, if no separate transcript is available from the school where coursework was attempted. Only one transcript is required for schools which you attended multiple times, as long all coursework appears on the same official transcript" on p. 25 of the manual. However, this conflicts with what someone said earlier about "If you were enrolled in more than one program (e.g., undergraduate and graduate) at an institution, create a separate entry for each program. Please request separate transcripts for your undergraduate and graduate programs." from p. 20 of the manual.

Which one should I go by? Should I send in one or two transcripts? If I send in two transcripts, it would be the same exact transcript.
Click to expand...

I called AMCAS today and was told only 1 transcript is needed for schools that combine undergraduate and graduate marks in on transcript. I marked my grad transcript as a "Consortium/cross-registration program" exception and sent off my transcript with the request form for my undergrad marks.

The p.20 of the manual refers to schools that offer separate transcripts for separate degrees. If yours are combined like mine, there's likely no way to send them separately and an exception should be used to avoid double sending.
 
So my school has a committee letter (just a letter, not a packet) so I get my own individual letters from professors. Unfortunately, their deadline for getting the letter back to us isn't until mid-late August. What should I do in this situation?

I'm worried that if i submit my primary in June and have secondaries done asap, my application still won't get looked at until everything's in there by late August
 
Lancer said:
So my school has a committee letter (just a letter, not a packet) so I get my own individual letters from professors. Unfortunately, their deadline for getting the letter back to us isn't until mid-late August. What should I do in this situation?

I'm worried that if i submit my primary in June and have secondaries done asap, my application still won't get looked at until everything's in there by late August
Click to expand...
The earliest anyone is going to be complete is mid-late July, so mid-August is pretty on track. Late August is still not an issue, in all likelihood. At any rate, you can't control your school's office, so do what you can and make sure they know you're all set, with them being the only limiting factor.
 
Dumb question but...How do you enter in roman numerals?
Gen chem II ? Gen chem ll ?
 
.
 
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I'm doing a grad program during the 2015-2016 school year so I do not have a transcript to submit yet. On the app it says "not received" instead of "not required." How do I go about fixing this?
 
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