*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2012-2013*~*~*~*

[Catalystik]

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1. I have an abstract that was published in the Supplement of a major journal that has an impact factor of over 18, but it is not PubMed-searchable. Can I still list it as a publication? I already have another paper that has been published in a journal with an impact factor of over 4, so should I just list only that paper under the Publications category, or can I group that paper with the abstract in the same entry? And if I should group them, since the abstract P.I. is different than the manuscript P.I., who should I list as my contact person?

2. I presented a poster of my lab research findings at my school's research symposium and won an award there. Should I list that separately as its own entry under Awards, or should I just mention it in my lab research entry?

1) I like the idea of grouping them as you describe. In the header put the contact for the published article, and in the narrative put all the same info, with the other contact, for the published abstract. If there is some other database which will link to the abstract, mention it. Alternatively, if the published abstract is from a poster/presentation with the same data, you could list the Poster/Presentation and then mention the published abstract in the same space as that.

2) A campus poster presentation best belongs in the same space as the associated Research. The Award can go there too, if you have the space, otherwise, why not include it with other Awards, Honors, and Recognitions, rather than giving it its own space (unless you won out over fierce and numerous competitors and/or the prize was impressive).

 

[Catalystik]

I decided I'm going to list my design project, but I'm not sure what organization name to use. The university that I attended or the medical school that the project was done for?

What about using the Department (Engineering?) that the project was completed for, as they are more likely to be able to confirm your involvement? Second choice: the med school. If you can find a contact to use there.

 

[Catalystik]

Is it better to list the works and activities in chronological order or list them according experience type (similar type put back to back)? Or just combine these two methods?

They will be reordered by med schools regardless of the order in which you enter them. Most schools will choose to see them chronologically or in reverse chronology, but they can be reordered by other fields as well. So enter them any way that's convenient.

 

[MedPR]

Would being in a leadership role during non-clinical volunteering count as leadership or as "community service non-medical"?

I volunteered on a couple of projects where I was a group leader because of outside knowledge (construction/carpentry). I didn't realize there was a "leadership" option and currently have it listed as community service.

 

[Catalystik]

When I'm writing activity hrs/week in the description because my time commitment varied as I took higher leadership roles through the years, does it suffice to say something like "Commitment: 0 to 10 hours/week"? Or should I specify that it varied by position and year?

0-10 seems really varied and when I saw, it lessened my view of your commitment. But that's just my bias. So maybe you're better of narrowing the range?

I agree with SaintJude. I suggest you average out the hours per week over each year as it related to the Leadership role. It isn't uncommon to see 1 hour per week listed.

 

[Catalystik]

If the organization I am in has an acronym that it goes by, and I list that acronym in parenthesis in the organization name box, do I need to spell out the organization again in the description, or can I just use the abbreviation?

So long as you used the full organization name, followed by the acronym in parenthesis, you can use the abbreviation thereafter.

 

[MedPR]

I agree with SaintJude. I suggest you average out the hours per week over each year as it related to the Leadership role. It isn't uncommon to see 1 hour per week listed.

I did 5 hour shifts once every other week for a while in undergrad. I just put 2 hours/week. Good?

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

What about using the Department (Engineering?) that the project was completed for, as they are more likely to be able to confirm your involvement? Second choice: the med school. If you can find a contact to use there.

Thanks Cat. Actually, I just realized that my project advisor, who will be my contact, works for both the engineering department at my UG and the medical school that the project was done at. The only reason I wanted to list the medical school is because it is my #1 school choice and thought it might resonate more with the adcom there.

 

[Catalystik]

I did 5 hour shifts once every other week for a while in undergrad. I just put 2 hours/week. Good?

Fine. But you could say 3, since 2.5 rounds up. Or, alternatively (since meticulous attention to detail is a good habit to have), don't fill in the hours per week in the header, and just explain more accurately in the description.

 

[MedPR]

Fine. But you could say 3, since 2.5 rounds up. Or, alternatively (since meticulous attention to detail is a good habit to have), don't fill in the hours per week in the header, and just explain more accurately in the description.

Ah ok. I figured it was better to round down than to appear like I was overrepresenting myself/trying to make it seem like I was there more than I really was.

Can you weigh in on my question about leadership activities (post #861)? Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Would being in a leadership role during non-clinical volunteering count as leadership or as "community service non-medical"?

I volunteered on a couple of projects where I was a group leader because of outside knowledge (construction/carpentry). I didn't realize there was a "leadership" option and currently have it listed as community service.

When an activity fits into two categories, you have the choice of picking the one that would best balance your application. If you have something else already for community service, nonmedical, then pick Leadership.

 

[MedPR]

When an activity fits into two categories, you have the choice of picking the one that would best balance your application. If you have something else already for community service, nonmedical, then pick Leadership.

Ok great, thank you. I'll reorganize a few of my activities to make it more balanced.

 

[kryptonian]

I have a question regarding Conferences attended. I used to work for a clinical trial site. Before a new study took place, I had to attend a meeting in which the sponsoring company introduced/explained the study protocol and their experimental product so that the clinical sites knew what to do. The presenters were board officials of the sponsoring company, and the audience were PI, sub-PI, and study coordinators of the clinical sites that accepted the study. The information presented was protocol-related, such as background of the experimental product, inclusion, exclusion criteria, conditions, procedures, data capturing, etc. Is this type of meeting considered a conference and can it be listed under "Conferences attended" category ?

 

[von Matterhorn]

So, I have two quick questions while I'm submitting work/activities stuff.

Situation 1 - I have 7 work/research/volunteer things to put on my application so far. I also put on two hobbies (cooking and fitness/exercise) since they're both meaningful to me and they're easily spun into being medically related. My question is, how many hobbies are too many? I'm also a big fan of cars and motorcycles and enjoy working on them, but I know it doesn't pertain in any way to medicine, and I don't know if medical schools really give two craps about this extraneous stuff on my app.

Situation 2 - I'm a co-creator and founder of an online company I'm starting with a few other guys. It's actually growing quite big and we've accumulated over 80 grand in private funding so far (we've only just started raising money, too). I spend a lot of time working on this, and I feel like it should be in my application. However.. I've signed an NDA, so what I can say is really quite limited. Any advice on how to approach that?

Thanks for the help!

 

[sector9]

So, I have two quick questions while I'm submitting work/activities stuff.

Situation 1 - I have 7 work/research/volunteer things to put on my application so far. I also put on two hobbies (cooking and fitness/exercise) since they're both meaningful to me and they're easily spun into being medically related. My question is, how many hobbies are too many? I'm also a big fan of cars and motorcycles and enjoy working on them, but I know it doesn't pertain in any way to medicine, and I don't know if medical schools really give two craps about this extraneous stuff on my app.

Situation 2 - I'm a co-creator and founder of an online company I'm starting with a few other guys. It's actually growing quite big and we've accumulated over 80 grand in private funding so far (we've only just started raising money, too). I spend a lot of time working on this, and I feel like it should be in my application. However.. I've signed an NDA, so what I can say is really quite limited. Any advice on how to approach that?

Thanks for the help!

Merging.

 

[Frazier]

Situation 2 - I'm a co-creator and founder of an online company I'm starting with a few other guys. It's actually growing quite big and we've accumulated over 80 grand in private funding so far (we've only just started raising money, too). I spend a lot of time working on this, and I feel like it should be in my application. However.. I've signed an NDA, so what I can say is really quite limited. Any advice on how to approach that?

Thanks for the help!

Yea, if you signed an NDA and you can't talk about it at length...then there prob isn't much to say on your app.

This is like that other guy that wanted to say he had a "publication" even though the "paper" was "top secret" with the government and ergo he wouldn't be able to say anything about it beyond "I have a top secret paper."

Adcom response: "hmm, ok, great...and unverifiable."

What are you going to say about your gig?

 

[californiamed]

if I'm set to shadow a doctor 2-3 weeks before my app (unfortunately, that's how it worked out because of scheduling issues, in all, will have ~15 hrs?) can I include it on AMCAS?

 

[hopeful22213]

I was an elementary school teacher and during my time teaching was elected to leadership positions like building rep. (for the union) and chairperson of the personnel committee (responsible for hiring and firing.) I'd like to include one or both of these as leadership positions, but is that problematic given that they stem from employment I will already have listed? Would it be better to group them together?

 

[von Matterhorn]

Yea, if you signed an NDA and you can't talk about it at length...then there prob isn't much to say on your app.

This is like that other guy that wanted to say he had a "publication" even though the "paper" was "top secret" with the government and ergo he wouldn't be able to say anything about it beyond "I have a top secret paper."

Adcom response: "hmm, ok, great...and unverifiable."

What are you going to say about your gig?

Well, I guess what I'm wondering is if it'd be enough to talk about what I did while working on this project and whatnot, but without delving into the specifics of what it is specifically?

 

[pfaction]

That works. Alternatively, another opinion is that you could enter it like this:

Author A, pfaction, Author C, et al. Title of Publication. Accepted for Publication Journal Name, in press August 2012. The e-pub version will be available after August 2012.

I'm sure there are other acceptable ways of doing it, as well. You might poke about in Pub Med and see if you find something you like better.

Just wanted to say thanks!

 

[dmf2682]

Ex-military often break their Experience down into multiple listings, including Leadership, Teaching, Community Service/Volunteer, and Employment-Military.

I know you've said this is a bad idea for non military employment, but why can't I do something similar for my job? It's 8 years of full time 8-5 employment. I can think of parts where I've engaged in research, teaching, leadership, cultural experiences, and publications during my time there. I guess I could try and jam it all into a single most significant experiences section, but what's the harm in spreading it amongst two or three experiences?

 

[Catalystik]

I have a question regarding Conferences attended. I used to work for a clinical trial site. Before a new study took place, I had to attend a meeting in which the sponsoring company introduced/explained the study protocol and their experimental product so that the clinical sites knew what to do. The presenters were board officials of the sponsoring company, and the audience were PI, sub-PI, and study coordinators of the clinical sites that accepted the study. The information presented was protocol-related, such as background of the experimental product, inclusion, exclusion criteria, conditions, procedures, data capturing, etc. Is this type of meeting considered a conference and can it be listed under "Conferences attended" category ?

It sounds similar in purpose to an orientation meeting before one volunteers in a hospital or starts a job (which I've never seen mentioned, let alone listed on its own). I would try to mention it in the associated Research or Employment listing, if at all. But you are free to use a Conferences Attended space if you feel this brief program is going to enhance your application somehow.

 

[Catalystik]

Situation 1 - I have 7 work/research/volunteer things to put on my application so far. I also put on two hobbies (cooking and fitness/exercise) since they're both meaningful to me and they're easily spun into being medically related. My question is, how many hobbies are too many? I'm also a big fan of cars and motorcycles and enjoy working on them, but I know it doesn't pertain in any way to medicine, and I don't know if medical schools really give two craps about this extraneous stuff on my app.

Situation 2 - I'm a co-creator and founder of an online company I'm starting with a few other guys. It's actually growing quite big and we've accumulated over 80 grand in private funding so far (we've only just started raising money, too). I spend a lot of time working on this, and I feel like it should be in my application. However.. I've signed an NDA, so what I can say is really quite limited. Any advice on how to approach that?

Thanks for the help!

2) Yea, if you signed an NDA and you can't talk about it at length...then there prob isn't much to say on your app.

This is like that other guy that wanted to say he had a "publication" even though the "paper" was "top secret" with the government and ergo he wouldn't be able to say anything about it beyond "I have a top secret paper."

Adcom response: "hmm, ok, great...and unverifiable."

What are you going to say about your gig?

2) Well, I guess what I'm wondering is if it'd be enough to talk about what I did while working on this project and whatnot, but without delving into the specifics of what it is specifically?

1) Most applicants group all their hobbies together, unless they have a lot to say about 1 or 2 of them. Leisuretime activities, aka stress-relievers, are important to list. They make you look well-rounded and more interesting/memorable among a sea of look-alike applicants.

2) I think you should be able to discuss aspects of setting up a company, the required teamwork, and any leadership role you undertook. Maybe you could discuss with your cofounders the extent to which you can discuss generic aspects of the company's purpose.

 

[Catalystik]

if I'm set to shadow a doctor 2-3 weeks before my app (unfortunately, that's how it worked out because of scheduling issues, in all, will have ~15 hrs?) can I include it on AMCAS?

Yes. It's better than having none. I hope you'll do more for the sake of future update letters and interview conversations. Maybe you could set up a second opportunity to beef up the hours before you submit.

 

[Catalystik]

I know you've said this is a bad idea for non military employment, but why can't I do something similar for my job? It's 8 years of full time 8-5 employment. I can think of parts where I've engaged in research, teaching, leadership, cultural experiences, and publications during my time there. I guess I could try and jam it all into a single most significant experiences section, but what's the harm in spreading it amongst two or three experiences?

On the contrary, I have recommended the same type of compartmentalization occasionally for other substantive multifacited experiences. It's only a bad idea if you have little to say about the separate components and the individual hours are so sparse/so spread out as to look weak and "fluffy". One also has the option of splitting out just one of the more substantial subcomponents and leaving all the rest together.

My experience with exmilitary is that all the subcomponents can easily stand on their own. My judgement of other types of employment is based on what is presented in summary here on the forum and might vary depending on how much detail was given.

 

[Xcited392]

Hi, I am filling out my application and would like to know how to categorize/group things in my activities section. I'm hoping an ADCOM here (i.e. catalystik) can comment.

I shall list them by institution:

Institution 1: hospital - patient wheelchair escort (120 hrs over the course of one school year)

Institution 2: a different hospital - I've been here consistently for two straight years.

250 hrs in the flower department where I literally hand-arranged floral arrangements for over 50 patients a day, including a hand-written name card. Afterwards, I would deliver them to all the patients in their rooms.​

50 hrs working as a patient interviewer; basically, I conducted official/confidential interviews with inpatients regarding their stay. It was a patient advocate position where the interview was a way to ensure that their stay was going fine (making sure the clinical staff was doing a good job, taking complaints about all aspects of their stay, etc.). The interviews were documented and submitted to the clinical directors of each floor.​

Institution 3: free clinic - Just started since late February and have accumulated 90 hrs. Basically triaged patients (taking vitals, assessing complaints), obtained medical histories, checking labs were up to date, obtaining medication lists. Occasionally ran simple lab tests, organized files, etc. Also got to shadow volunteer physicians for about an hour.

Questions:

1) How should I group these activities? I've been told in a past thread that my volunteering in the flower room is not clinical. So should I put flowers as "Community Service/Volunteer - Not Medical/Clinical"? Then should I lump Institution 1 and the 50 hrs at Institution 2 together? I'm thinking Institution 3 can stand by itself... Note that I do not have non-clinical volunteering elsewhere on my activities section.

2) Regarding Institution 3, should I just mention the shadowing I did under the description, or can I include it my main shadowing category (indicated as "Other")? Maybe I should split the hours? For example, I spent 3 hours at the free clinic daily (2 hrs clinical volunteering + 1 hr shadowing)--maybe I could subtract the shadowing hours from the total and add it to my shadowing section? That would really cushion my shadowing hours.

3) Also, I want to indicate that the free clinic as a meaningful experience, even though I just started it in the middle of the spring semester and have only been there for a couple of months. Would that look bad, since it's a recent activity and the hours aren't as dense as my other activities? I honestly have learned the most from the free clinic.

Thank you!

 

[Grimes]

Last year I had an ethnography published in a book (collection of anthropological works). I understand the publication section is mostly meant for scientific research publications, so I was wondering if I should avoid listing it in the publications section.

I was originally going to list it in the other section, and I only ask because anthropology is considered a (social) science and I utilized numerical data in my research

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, I am filling out my application and would like to know how to categorize/group things in my activities section. I'm hoping an ADCOM here (i.e. catalystik) can comment.

I shall list them by institution:

Institution 1: hospital - patient wheelchair escort (120 hrs over the course of one school year)

Institution 2: a different hospital - I've been here consistently for two straight years.

250 hrs in the flower department where I literally hand-arranged floral arrangements for over 50 patients a day, including a hand-written name card. Afterwards, I would deliver them to all the patients in their rooms.
​

50 hrs working as a patient interviewer; basically, I conducted official/confidential interviews with inpatients regarding their stay. It was a patient advocate position where the interview was a way to ensure that their stay was going fine (making sure the clinical staff was doing a good job, taking complaints about all aspects of their stay, etc.). The interviews were documented and submitted to the clinical directors of each floor.
​

Institution 3: free clinic - Just started since late February and have accumulated 90 hrs. Basically triaged patients (taking vitals, assessing complaints), obtained medical histories, checking labs were up to date, obtaining medication lists. Occasionally ran simple lab tests, organized files, etc. Also got to shadow volunteer physicians for about an hour.

Questions:

1) How should I group these activities? I've been told in a past thread that my volunteering in the flower room is not clinical. a) So should I put flowers as "Community Service/Volunteer - Not Medical/Clinical"? b) Then should I lump Institution 1 and the 50 hrs at Institution 2 together? I'm thinking Institution 3 can stand by itself... Note that I do not have non-clinical volunteering elsewhere on my activities section.

2) Regarding Institution 3, should I just mention the shadowing I did under the description, or can I include it my main shadowing category (indicated as "Other")? Maybe I should split the hours? For example, I spent 3 hours at the free clinic daily (2 hrs clinical volunteering + 1 hr shadowing)--maybe I could subtract the shadowing hours from the total and add it to my shadowing section? That would really cushion my shadowing hours.

3) Also, I want to indicate that the free clinic as a meaningful experience, even though I just started it in the middle of the spring semester and have only been there for a couple of months. Would that look bad, since it's a recent activity and the hours aren't as dense as my other activities? I honestly have learned the most from the free clinic.

Thank you!

1a) Yes. 1b) Yes, if you don't have enough spaces to put the 50 hours in its own spot.

2) I'm concerned splitting out the shadowing time would result in seriously low clinical experience hours, so I would not split out the shadowing hours and list them together with your other shadowing. Instead, I would state in the narrative that 33% of the time, you were in the presence of a physician, adding XX shadowing hours. If you were doing anything to be helpful during that time, mention it.

3) No. It won't look bad.

 

[Catalystik]

Last year I had an ethnography published in a book (collection of anthropological works). I understand the publication section is mostly meant for scientific research publications, so I was wondering if I should avoid listing it in the publications section.

I was originally going to list it in the other section, and I only ask because anthropology is considered a (social) science and I utilized numerical data in my research

Research (for AMCAS purposes) need not be in the sciences, but it should be hypothesis-driven, have a study design, collect data which is analyzed, and draw conclusions that add to generalizable human knowledge. You can decide if it was "Research" or not. If it was, then using Publications is fine (but a Research section would be expected, too). Otherwise, the Other category works, but so might Artistic Endeavors (writing).

 

[daisys]

If you did private tutoring and were paid 'under the table,' who would you list as a contact person?

 

[TheShaker]

I think I've posted this somewhere before but I can't find the thread so sorry if this sounds familiar. 😳

So I work in a lab and every summer the PI gets a grant that allows the students to be payed by an hourly wage. The organization that does the payment is kind of a company that handles the payment of other wage-based employees in our school as well (bookstore, food shops, etc.). Should I be list this period of time under employment even though I'm also listing the time under regular research (when I don't get paid). I don't think it's a huge deal but I don't want to seem like I'm inflating my time even though I'm not putting down hours for research anyway (just hrs/week).

 

[Spikedsoymilk]

Research (for AMCAS purposes) need not be in the sciences, but it should be hypothesis-driven, have a study design, collect data which is analyzed, and draw conclusions that add to generalizable human knowledge. You can decide if it was "Research" or not. If it was, then using Publications is fine (but a Research section would be expected, too). Otherwise, the Other category works, but so might Artistic Endeavors (writing).

👍

I don't know if I am allowed to post a response here as I am only a current applicant (and definitely not an AMCAS expert). But for what it's worth, I believe that ethnographies are legitimate technical methods frequently used in medical anthropology research. It seems safe to me to include it as a research publication. We would list contributions to book chapters on our CV as well, anyway...

 

[premedicine555]

That will be fine.

Might be fine, but do you think I should do it? Or should I just add another one. I have: research and work (tutoring 2 many yrs) so far. But do you think I can just say my most meaningful experience is "volunteering" as one category that includes hospital (from 07-09) and this alzheimer's center (combo of patients/day care) I volunteer at?

 

[Spikedsoymilk]

Accidental duplicate post.

 

[Catalystik]

Sorry if this has been asked, but i really need input: for "most meaningful" how recent are we talking here? I want to put one of my volunteering experiences that made me want to be a doctor, but it's from 2009 (started in '07.. so from 2 years and like 5 months ago). Is that okay, or should I put something more recent?

That will be fine.

Might be fine, but do you think I should do it? Or should I just add another one. I have: research and work (tutoring 2 many yrs) so far. But do you think I can just say my most meaningful experience is "volunteering" as one category that includes hospital (from 07-09) and this alzheimer's center (combo of patients/day care) I volunteer at?

Sorry about the unclear response. (A little more context is helpful when you're asking about a long ago comment.)

Yes, I think it's understandable and acceptable to use an older experience as "Most Meaningful", as 2.5 years isn't going to take away from the significant impact of an experience. If you found the more recent experience to be a tie in terms of meaningfulness, it's up to you which to designate. Since I don't know what the older activity was (there are many locations for volunteering in a hospital), I can't comment on whether they can be combined into one space.

 

[Catalystik]

If you did private tutoring and were paid 'under the table,' who would you list as a contact person?

A tutee (if adult) or their parent would work. A friend who knows about it. As a last resort, you can use yourself.

 

[Catalystik]

I think I've posted this somewhere before but I can't find the thread so sorry if this sounds familiar. 😳

So I work in a lab and every summer the PI gets a grant that allows the students to be payed by an hourly wage. The organization that does the payment is kind of a company that handles the payment of other wage-based employees in our school as well (bookstore, food shops, etc.). Should I be list this period of time under employment even though I'm also listing the time under regular research (when I don't get paid). I don't think it's a huge deal but I don't want to seem like I'm inflating my time even though I'm not putting down hours for research anyway (just hrs/week).

Here you go:

Posts #337&338

So I have been working in a research lab for a while and during the summer/winter breaks, the PI usually gets a grant to pay students an hourly wage for the time period. My question is: should this go down on the work activities or should I just note it on the description for my research lab?

I would classify it under research and note it in the description that it was paid. Unless you have a ton of research activities and no employment and want something in that category as well.

 

[emirell]

I want to list all of my awards together under a blanket "Undergraduate Honors and Awards" entry. ie. I have Phi Beta Kappa, Dean's List, several subject-specific awards.

I am not sure what to list as 1) the Award date and 2) the Contact info.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Catalystik]

I want to list all of my awards together under a blanket "Undergraduate Honors and Awards" entry. ie. I have Phi Beta Kappa, Dean's List, several subject-specific awards.

I am not sure what to list as 1) the Award date and 2) the Contact info.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Use the Registrar as your contact, as that office will have a record or all those things. For the header, use the date of the most prestigious or the most recent award, whichever you'll list first.

 

[Dmr6186]

I volunteered in a hospital transporting patients to tests for several months and was eventually hired as an employee by the supervisor of that department to perform the same duties. The only difference between a volunteer and an employee is that volunteers follow around the employee and help them out.

My question is: How do you go about listing these two activities, one volunteer/clinical based and the other as work experience (both of which involved doing essentially the same thing), without sounding redundant? The only things I can think of is that I was able to gain recognition type awards as an employee, and tweak them both to sound a little different from one another.

 

[Camy99]

Which reminds me: It would be nice if someone could link to a newbie guide to citing articles that's easier to dig through than the Harvard Method of Referencing.

easybib.com? Can cite just about anything.

My question:
For a quarter 2nd year, I worked for Notehall. You may or may not know, it's an online company where you write notes/studyguides and sell them to fellow students. Someone asked about this on SDN you can search, it's not a scam.

BUT I was googling it and there's an article that came out about it possibly being illegal? I guess it's something some people are ok with and other aren't... It was my first job, and I didn't know there was any bad media behind it at the time. Should I not include it on my app now? :/ I liked it 'cause it was almost like tutoring, I guess minus the interaction.

 

[stolen_biscuit]

If we group them all together, do we put the start date of the very first time we shadowed and the end date of the very last doctor we shadowed?

Who do we put as a contact person since we are putting several physicians in one activity? If shadowed in two different states. Should I make separate entries or just leave the city/state blank?

Also, I'm not sure of how to format the description. Is this acceptable, for example?

Yes to the first question.

As for contact, I read either on here or in the AMCAS instructions to put just one doc down.

Description is fine. I added a little about each experience, just a couple of phrases.

I used CV language but modified a bit.

+1
I am trying to minimize what they have to read. I can't imagine having to sift through hundreds of these!

 

[stolen_biscuit]

If I am grouping activities, should I take my most meaningful ones out of the groups and put them under separate entries? Or should I still group them, but only talk about the one activity in my extra 1325?

On a similar note, thanks for all the tips! As a non-trad who has way too many activities over the many many years since graduating high school, my first attempt at work/activities didn't even begin to catch everything. I am much more satisfied with my new plan to make groups such as "CS-medical, college," "CS-medical, post-graduation," "Various paid employment," etc. Are these appropriate activity names, or should I put the actual name of the most recent, and just list the rest in descriptions? I'm not sure how the app is viewed, and therefore if these are too generic.

 

[von Matterhorn]

Last question for you guys, I swear.

I've been working at a job since I graduated college that I've put down on my work/activities. I do a lot at this job, so it was a bit difficult squeezing it into 700 characters, but I managed.

It just occurred to me that my first month on the job, I was given an award as the employee out of my district (spanning 5 states, as well as the youngest on the team) for tenacity, out of the box thinking, and strong decision making skills.

It was a pretty solid honor to get, especially my first month on the job out of 5 states' worth of employees. Would it be in poor taste to create a second activity just for this honor since I already have an activity dedicated to the job itself? I just don't think I can fit this award into the job activity since I already skimped a lot on that description.

 

[Catalystik]

I volunteered in a hospital transporting patients to tests for several months and was eventually hired as an employee by the supervisor of that department to perform the same duties. The only difference between a volunteer and an employee is that volunteers follow around the employee and help them out.

My question is: How do you go about listing these two activities, one volunteer/clinical based and the other as work experience (both of which involved doing essentially the same thing), without sounding redundant? The only things I can think of is that I was able to gain recognition type awards as an employee, and tweak them both to sound a little different from one another.

You could list each in its own space, tweaking for variety as you suggest, or pick one designation for the combined activity (choosing either Employment or Volunteer, depending on what you need more to balance your application, or if one lasted far longer than the other). Then in the narrative explain the actual breakdown, dates-wise, for each component, describing the transition from one to the other..

 

[Catalystik]

easybib.com? Can cite just about anything.

Thanks for making a suggestion.

My question:
For a quarter 2nd year, I worked for Notehall. You may or may not know, it's an online company where you write notes/studyguides and sell them to fellow students. Someone asked about this on SDN you can search, it's not a scam.

BUT I was googling it and there's an article that came out about it possibly being illegal? I guess it's something some people are ok with and other aren't... It was my first job, and I didn't know there was any bad media behind it at the time. Should I not include it on my app now? :/ I liked it 'cause it was almost like tutoring, I guess minus the interaction.

Those reviewing your application and interviewing you, being academic types, may tend to be on the "not OK with it" side. My opinion is to leave it off.

 

[Catalystik]

1) If I am grouping activities, should I take my most meaningful ones out of the groups and put them under separate entries? Or should I still group them, but only talk about the one activity in my extra 1325?

On a similar note, thanks for all the tips! As a non-trad who has way too many activities over the many many years since graduating high school, my first attempt at work/activities didn't even begin to catch everything. I am much more satisfied with my new plan to make groups such as "CS-medical, college," "CS-medical, post-graduation," "Various paid employment," etc.
2) Are these appropriate activity names, or should I put the actual name of the most recent, and just list the rest in descriptions? I'm not sure how the app is viewed, and therefore if these are too generic.

1) I think it would be better to list the actual "Most meaningful" activity in its own space.

2) The title you give the space should include everything in it. If you've already picked to designate a space as Community Service/Volunteer-medical/clinical, then name the space something like, "College Volunteering in Medical Facilities." Meaning, use slightly different words from the choice in the pull-down menu.

 

[Catalystik]

Last question for you guys, I swear.

I've been working at a job since I graduated college that I've put down on my work/activities. I do a lot at this job, so it was a bit difficult squeezing it into 700 characters, but I managed.

It just occurred to me that my first month on the job, I was given an award as the employee out of my district (spanning 5 states, as well as the youngest on the team) for tenacity, out of the box thinking, and strong decision making skills.

It was a pretty solid honor to get, especially my first month on the job out of 5 states' worth of employees. Would it be in poor taste to create a second activity just for this honor since I already have an activity dedicated to the job itself? I just don't think I can fit this award into the job activity since I already skimped a lot on that description.

Maybe put it with your other Awards and Honors?

 

[kryptonian]

It sounds similar in purpose to an orientation meeting before one volunteers in a hospital or starts a job (which I've never seen mentioned, let alone listed on its own). I would try to mention it in the associated Research or Employment listing, if at all. But you are free to use a Conferences Attended space if you feel this brief program is going to enhance your application somehow.

Thank you Catalystik !

 

[kryptonian]

Catalystik, I am sorry to bother you once more time. I have one more question. Drawing has been my hobby since high school until now. I had one drawing work during high school that ended up in a small public exhibit that was part of a artistic competition among high schoolers. Even though the work was not chosen to continue to the final round, I still got the recognition certificate and my work was still exhibited at that public place for several days. Should I list this activity under Artistic Endeavors or should I simply include it in my drawing hobby ?