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

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Catalystik/Sector9, I received an answer on this thread, but wanted to get your expert opinion. Someone has suggested putting what I have below in either "Research" OR in "Presentations", but I just wanted to make sure that this was standard practice.

I have done 2 grand rounds presentations. In the first one, I set out to anaylze the use of a drug in a group of patients, more specifically why patients seems to feel much better than the trials would indicate. I analyzed multiple clinical trials (statistical analysis, strenghths/weaknessnes, clinical significance, etc) and have even included some of my own observational data from the chart reviews at the VA. In the second one, I analyzed a landmark trial much in the same way and why there was a controversy surrounding treatment in the elderly population. Can I put this in the "Research" section, or does it have to go in "Presentations"?

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Catalystik/Sector9, I received an answer on this thread, but wanted to get your expert opinion. Someone has suggested putting what I have below in either "Research" OR in "Presentations", but I just wanted to make sure that this was standard practice.

I have done 2 grand rounds presentations. In the first one, I set out to anaylze the use of a drug in a group of patients, more specifically why patients seems to feel much better than the trials would indicate. I analyzed multiple clinical trials (statistical analysis, strenghths/weaknessnes, clinical significance, etc) and have even included some of my own observational data from the chart reviews at the VA.

In the second one, I analyzed a landmark trial much in the same way and why there was a controversy surrounding treatment in the elderly population. Can I put this in the "Research" section, or does it have to go in "Presentations"?
With the understanding that I may not appreciate all the nuances here: Even were I convinced this was original, hypothesis-based, potentially publishable research, when a Presentation occurs on one's home campus, I encourage applicants to mention it in the same space as the associated Research. Presentations at regional or national meetings, which first go through a review process, go in their own space.

This doesn't sound to me like the type of research I allude to above, but more like a special project. I read into your description that you did a meta-analysis from which you may have drawn some conclusions that are yet to be tested, and a critique, maybe similar to a journal club. Both presentations were meant to be educational/informative.

My suggestion would be to consider listing these activities under Teaching. See posts #11-16 for a previous similar discussion. "Other" is another category you could consider if you'd want to include the "project" aspects of the experience. Certainly some would place it in the Presentations category, but that would not be my first choice for the reason stated. JMO.
 
In addition to pending publications, I have been acknowledged in a publication recently (for manuscript preparation, I came into the job while the paper was being finalized). Should I mention this with my pending publications/poster presentations? Thanks in advance!
 
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In addition to pending publications, I have been acknowledged in a publication recently (for manuscript preparation, I came into the job while the paper was being finalized). Should I mention this with my pending publications/poster presentations?
I wouldn't bother. This doesn't benefit your application.
 
Hey fam,

Question regarding the "most meaningful experiences" we get to write about in the work/activities section.
How important is it to pre-write those 3 experiences? I know we get something like 1400 characters with spaces, (if someone can verify the correct amount please), but really how much time should we be spending pre-writing those compared to our personal statement.

Obviously focus on the PS. But is it critical to pre-write those experiences months in advance as well? or are those experiences not so heavily weighted compared to the PS and other things on the application?
if anyone can offer some insight on this thanks so much!
 
How many characters do we have to describe? I googled and found 700 charcters for the boxes to describe the activity and 1325 for the meaningful description. Can anybody confirm this?
 
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Hey fam,

Question regarding the "most meaningful experiences" we get to write about in the work/activities section.
1) I know we get something like 1400 characters with spaces, (if someone can verify the correct amount please)
2) How important is it to pre-write those 3 experiences? . . . but really how much time should we be spending pre-writing those compared to our personal statement.

Obviously focus on the PS. But is it critical to pre-write those experiences months in advance as well? or are those experiences not so heavily weighted compared to the PS and other things on the application?
if anyone can offer some insight on this thanks so much!
1) See my post above about character limitations.

2) There is no question that the PS is the most important. It can make or break your application. So writing, revising, going back to it after receiving outside input, and revising over and over is the more important by far.

You are only obliged to choose one experience as "most meaningful." This section is a direct extension of your standard narrative, divided from it by a space, and with a label as to its purpose in the margin. It is important as it helps the adcomm flesh out an impression of you, but not nearly so much as the PS. How much time to spend on it depends on how long it takes to reflect on AMCAS' instructions:
When writing your response, you might want to consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the activity, and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation.
One's flow of ideas varies by topic and by the moment. I doubt you need to prewrite this essay a few months ahead of time, but it probably will benefit by going back to it a few times to see if more ideas pop into your head that make it smoother, more succinct, more complete, etc.


It is not necessary to fill the space, BTW. Express the ideas that need to be said, and then let it be. You do not want to bore the intended audience.
 
1) See my post above about character limitations.

2) There is no question that the PS is the most important. It can make or break your application. So writing, revising, going back to it after receiving outside input, and revising over and over is the more important by far.

You are only obliged to choose one experience as "most meaningful." This section is a direct extension of your standard narrative, divided from it by a space, and with a label as to its purpose in the margin. It is important as it helps the adcomm flesh out an impression of you, but not nearly so much as the PS. How much time to spend on it depends on how long it takes to reflect on AMCAS' instructions: One's flow of ideas varies by topic and by the moment. I doubt you need to prewrite this essay a few months ahead of time, but it probably will benefit by going back to it a few times to see if more ideas pop into your head that make it smoother, more succinct, more complete, etc.

It is not necessary to fill the space, BTW. Express the ideas that need to be said, and then let it be. You do not want to bore the intended audience.

Is there any benefit to choosing 3 meaningful experiences versus just 1?
 
1) See my post above about character limitations.

2) There is no question that the PS is the most important. It can make or break your application. So writing, revising, going back to it after receiving outside input, and revising over and over is the more important by far.

You are only obliged to choose one experience as "most meaningful." This section is a direct extension of your standard narrative, divided from it by a space, and with a label as to its purpose in the margin. It is important as it helps the adcomm flesh out an impression of you, but not nearly so much as the PS. How much time to spend on it depends on how long it takes to reflect on AMCAS' instructions: One's flow of ideas varies by topic and by the moment. I doubt you need to prewrite this essay a few months ahead of time, but it probably will benefit by going back to it a few times to see if more ideas pop into your head that make it smoother, more succinct, more complete, etc.

It is not necessary to fill the space, BTW. Express the ideas that need to be said, and then let it be. You do not want to bore the intended audience.

Thanks that was exactly what i needed to hear!!
Can you answer estradiol9's recent question as well about the benefits of writing 3 vs 1. Im also concerned about that.
 
Is there any benefit to choosing 3 meaningful experiences versus just 1?
Opinions vary:

1) No. Not if the first 700 characters say what needs to be said. Taking advantage of the extra characters rarely strengthens the activity description. If they are used, they should matter.

2) Yes. Even when the extra space isn't used much, knowing what is "Most Meaningful" makes it easy to appreciate what the applicant thinks is important.

3) Definitely, yes: Particularly when they involve an in-depth story that led to improved self-awareness. But when the extra space is used, every sentence should express something of significance.

************
So as you can see, you can choose any approach you like and someone will be happy with it.
 
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Is it a bad idea to save 'most meaningful' experiences for that part in the app, and not discuss them in the PS? I was considering using my PS to highlight things I wouldn't be writing about later on in the activities essays (e.g., research is my most important activity, so I didn't mention it in my PS at all)
 
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Is it a bad idea to save 'most meaningful' experiences for that part in the app, and not discuss them in the PS? I was considering using my PS to highlight things I wouldn't be writing about later on in the activities essays (e.g., research is my most important activity, so I didn't mention it in my PS at all)
You could refer to some activities in the PS (if they are part of your journey to medicine) and then expand on them fully in the Experiences section. Just try not to duplicate information much, if at all.
 
1) I've done NaNoWriMo (competitive novel writing) for two years and will be doing it again this year. None of them have been/will be published, though I have written two full-length novels at this point. It is a very dense amount of writing: 50,000 words in 30 days. Artistic endeavor?

2) Helping run the MIT Mystery Hunt, which involves a lot of planning etc. Count it as leadership or just extracurricular or not mention it at all?

3) I had a shorter (~100 hours) clinical volunteering experience that I left on bad terms, even though I learned a lot. Omit it and find other clinical experience?

4) I've done a number of invited presentations, where I go and speak at a college or event about my dissertation topic. Lump them all together?
Thank you for numbering your questions:
1) It would be an Artistic Endeavor if you share your writing publically. Otherwise, I'd use Hobbies/Avocations.

2) If you are the one doing the planning, organizing others, taking responsibility for the overall project, then it's Leadership. Otherwise, maybe use Volunteer. If it wasn't much of a time commitment, maybe group it with other Short-Term Volunteerism. I'd include it because it's a little different from what's usually seen.

3) Why omit it? The contact you give is not meant to provide a reference, just to confirm the time of involvement. If you want to give more detail so that a more informed response can be given, that would be fine.

4) You might include this (lumped together) with the same activity that describes the dissertation, or list them separately under Teaching, or if they're based on hyopothesis-driven research, list them under Presentations if the data wasn't published or presented in any other way, since they took place off campus.
 
Forgive me if this has been discussed or if I'm splitting hairs here, but I have a quick question.

When adding up the total hours of physician shadowing, do you omit lunch breaks? For the most part, I've shadowed doctors for a complete 8 hour work day. However, one of my doctors takes a very long lunch break (usually 90min to 2 hours). Should these be subtracted? Sometimes, I would just converse with the doctor. Other times, I would go out for lunch and run some errands.

Sorry for a silly question. I just want to be honest with my app. Thanks.
 
When adding up the total hours of physician shadowing, do you omit lunch breaks? For the most part, I've shadowed doctors for a complete 8 hour work day. However, one of my doctors takes a very long lunch break (usually 90min to 2 hours). Should these be subtracted? Sometimes, I would just converse with the doctor. Other times, I would go out for lunch and run some errands.
If you spent the lunch hours with the doc, then include them. If you were not with the physician for that time, then don't include it.
 
Can I list intramural flag football on my app? Played it 2 times(both autumns it was offered)


And how about a city league?(I plan on joining)
 
I have two E.C.s that I'm a bit back and forth on. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

The first one is that I'm a caretaker for my grandfather. My friend (fellow applicant) is telling me that simply taking care of a family member is not application-worthy. Typically, I'd agree, and it's very likely that I'm jaded because this is my own personal case, but I think my situation is a little bit different.

My grandfather is 98 years old and suffered from a stroke about 6 years ago. He has lived with my family ever since. Due to his stroke, as I'm sure others have experienced and dealt with, it's like taking care of a 2 year old. My mom took care of him while I was away at college, but now that I'm back at home, I take care of him after work until he goes to bed (about 5 hours a day), as well as giving my parents time off on the weekends. This involves medicating him, catheterizing him, helping him go to the bathroom, helping him shower, etc. He needs a LOT of help, and it's actually very involving and takes up most of my free time. Being that it's such a significant amount of work (perhaps 25-30 hours a week on top of my 40 hour work week), and that I actually do things that go beyond simply watching someone (doing caths on him, for example), is that actually something worthwhile to mention? My friend is telling me that it seems a bit of a reach to list caring for family members on your app, and I can see where he's coming from.

The second E.C. is more of a hobby, which is cooking. I cook for my family every night (almost), as well as cook for friends and prepare meals and whatnot just for hobby. It's probably one of my more enjoyable things to do in my spare time, and I'm pretty good at it. Again, something worth mentioning, or not? I've been told hobbies are A+ to mention, but I never knew if it was simply any hobby you enjoyed, or something that was somehow relevant to medicine (not really sure how many hobbies would really fall under that categorization).

Thanks guys/gals
 
Can I list intramural flag football on my app? Played it 2 times(both autumns it was offered)


And how about a city league?(I plan on joining)

Yes. If possible, try to become the captain/coach. If not, you can still list yourself as a member of the team.
 
1) the first one is that i'm a caretaker for my grandfather. My friend (fellow applicant) is telling me that simply taking care of a family member is not application-worthy. Typically, i'd agree, and it's very likely that i'm jaded because this is my own personal case, but i think my situation is a little bit different.

My grandfather is 98 years old and suffered from a stroke about 6 years ago. He has lived with my family ever since. Due to his stroke, as i'm sure others have experienced and dealt with, it's like taking care of a 2 year old. My mom took care of him while i was away at college, but now that i'm back at home, i take care of him after work until he goes to bed (about 5 hours a day), as well as giving my parents time off on the weekends. This involves medicating him, catheterizing him, helping him go to the bathroom, helping him shower, etc. He needs a lot of help, and it's actually very involving and takes up most of my free time. Being that it's such a significant amount of work (perhaps 25-30 hours a week on top of my 40 hour work week), and that i actually do things that go beyond simply watching someone (doing caths on him, for example), is that actually something worthwhile to mention? My friend is telling me that it seems a bit of a reach to list caring for family members on your app, and i can see where he's coming from.

2) The second e.c. Is more of a hobby, which is cooking. I cook for my family every night (almost), as well as cook for friends and prepare meals and whatnot just for hobby. It's probably one of my more enjoyable things to do in my spare time, and i'm pretty good at it. Again, something worth mentioning, or not? I've been told hobbies are a+ to mention, but i never knew if it was simply any hobby you enjoyed, or something that was somehow relevant to medicine (not really sure how many hobbies would really fall under that categorization).
1) Due to the fact that you are caring for the medical needs of your family member, because it is time-consuming, and because this has undoubtedly had an impact on how you view medicine as a career, you can include it on your application. But this would not be considered a volunteer position (since it is family) so list it under "Other," emphasizing those duties that a nurse might generally attend to.

2) Absolutely mention this. It helps you stand out. You might particularly pick your most famous dish and expand on it. It is relevant to medicine that you have leisuretime activities that are stress-relieving and that you enjoy. We like to see some passion for an activity expressed, and you've communicated that without hardly trying.
 
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I have two E.C.s that I'm a bit back and forth on. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

The first one is that I'm a caretaker for my grandfather. My friend (fellow applicant) is telling me that simply taking care of a family member is not application-worthy. Typically, I'd agree, and it's very likely that I'm jaded because this is my own personal case, but I think my situation is a little bit different.

My grandfather is 98 years old and suffered from a stroke about 6 years ago. He has lived with my family ever since. Due to his stroke, as I'm sure others have experienced and dealt with, it's like taking care of a 2 year old. My mom took care of him while I was away at college, but now that I'm back at home, I take care of him after work until he goes to bed (about 5 hours a day), as well as giving my parents time off on the weekends. This involves medicating him, catheterizing him, helping him go to the bathroom, helping him shower, etc. He needs a LOT of help, and it's actually very involving and takes up most of my free time. Being that it's such a significant amount of work (perhaps 25-30 hours a week on top of my 40 hour work week), and that I actually do things that go beyond simply watching someone (doing caths on him, for example), is that actually something worthwhile to mention? My friend is telling me that it seems a bit of a reach to list caring for family members on your app, and I can see where he's coming from.

The second E.C. is more of a hobby, which is cooking. I cook for my family every night (almost), as well as cook for friends and prepare meals and whatnot just for hobby. It's probably one of my more enjoyable things to do in my spare time, and I'm pretty good at it. Again, something worth mentioning, or not? I've been told hobbies are A+ to mention, but I never knew if it was simply any hobby you enjoyed, or something that was somehow relevant to medicine (not really sure how many hobbies would really fall under that categorization).

Thanks guys/gals
Merging (I think I screwed Cat up with the merge! Sorry :oops:)

Taking care of a family member might be listed under the "Other" category if it was a significant time commitment during undergrad.

Cooking is a great hobby to mention. There's no need for them to be relevant to medicine
 
I will be applying this upcoming cycle and know that activities completed in high school typically should not be included in one's application, but I was curious about 2 of my high school activities. Firstly, I'm an Eagle Scout and I've heard I should include this award on everything I do in the future so I was wondering if it would be an issue to include it considering I received it when I was 15. Also, considering this is one my biggest accomplishments, I wanted to use it for one of the 3 activities that I explain in further detail. The second activity is hospital volunteering. I was a nurses' aide in a hospital during my senior year of high school until I graduated from high school. I had a lot of close patient contact and this experience definitely was one of the factors that made me want to become a physician along with shadowing during my college years. So what do you think about including these activities on my application?
 
There is no rule against it. In general, some adcom members/administrators expect you to have 15 recent items that make HS items "old news". On the other hand, many applicants list Eagle Scout and many interviewers consider asking about your Eagle project to be a softball interview question that can bring an interesting response as every project is different. If your sole experience in a health care setting was in HS, some adcoms might wonder why you have avoided such settings since then ... if you've had other experiences, be sure to include them, too.
 
If you stayed active in the scouts def include it. If not then it certainly wasn't that important to you, I might still put it on but it wouldn't be one of my 'important' activities . Include your time as a NA, it's relevant.
 
I chuckled as I pictured Lil Wayne part of the scouts.
 
There is no rule against it. In general, some adcom members/administrators expect you to have 15 recent items that make HS items "old news". On the other hand, many applicants list Eagle Scout and many interviewers consider asking about your Eagle project to be a softball interview question that can bring an interesting response as every project is different. If your sole experience in a health care setting was in HS, some adcoms might wonder why you have avoided such settings since then ... if you've had other experiences, be sure to include them, too.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I have had quite a few activities in a health care setting since then and will definitely be including them as well.
 
If you stayed active in the scouts def include it. If not then it certainly wasn't that important to you, I might still put it on but it wouldn't be one of my 'important' activities . Include your time as a NA, it's relevant.

I definitely wasn't involved after I received my Eagle Scout Award due to a lot of other activities in high school, but I would not say it was unimportant to me. It taught me a lot of skills and values that I find helpful even today and that was a very significant event in my life, so that's why I would like to include it on my application. Of the numerous people who became Eagle Scouts that I know, none of them were involved after receiving the award because you can't really do much but be an adult officer and at the age of 15 that was not a role I could fulfill.
 
Can I list my hospital volunteering. I volunteered for a year straight through my senior year(HS), and then a few times during freshman year of college, and then quit, found something I liked more.
 
I will be applying this upcoming cycle and know that activities completed in high school typically should not be included in one's application, but I was curious about 2 of my high school activities. Firstly, I'm an Eagle Scout and I've heard I should include this award on everything I do in the future so I was wondering if it would be an issue to include it considering I received it when I was 15. Also, considering this is one my biggest accomplishments, I wanted to use it for one of the 3 activities that I explain in further detail. The second activity is hospital volunteering. I was a nurses' aide in a hospital during my senior year of high school until I graduated from high school. I had a lot of close patient contact and this experience definitely was one of the factors that made me want to become a physician along with shadowing during my college years. So what do you think about including these activities on my application?

There is no rule against it. In general, some adcom members/administrators expect you to have 15 recent items that make HS items "old news". On the other hand, many applicants list Eagle Scout and many interviewers consider asking about your Eagle project to be a softball interview question that can bring an interesting response as every project is different. If your sole experience in a health care setting was in HS, some adcoms might wonder why you have avoided such settings since then ... if you've had other experiences, be sure to include them, too.

If you stayed active in the scouts def include it. If not then it certainly wasn't that important to you, I might still put it on but it wouldn't be one of my 'important' activities . Include your time as a NA, it's relevant.

I chuckled as I pictured Lil Wayne part of the scouts.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I have had quite a few activities in a health care setting since then and will definitely be including them as well.

I definitely wasn't involved after I received my Eagle Scout Award due to a lot of other activities in high school, but I would not say it was unimportant to me. It taught me a lot of skills and values that I find helpful even today and that was a very significant event in my life, so that's why I would like to include it on my application. Of the numerous people who became Eagle Scouts that I know, none of them were involved after receiving the award because you can't really do much but be an adult officer and at the age of 15 that was not a role I could fulfill.
Merging
 
Can I list my hospital volunteering. I volunteered for a year straight through my senior year(HS), and then a few times during freshman year of college, and then quit, found something I liked more.
Define "a few times"? Yes you may list it since it continued into college but hopefully you have some more recent clinical exposure to show a continued interest in medicine. If you barely did it at all in college then I would consider it a stretch to include and I'd say that you might be better off leaving it off. You risk it being considered an outdated EC. Your personal statement might be the more appropriate place to mention it as a formative period in your consideration of a medical career
 
Yo fam can someone or some of you help me out please,

Im applying this next cycle, but i had a question about EC's. I met with my health professions adviser last week, and she said i look competitive with my grades and MCAT, but lacking somewhat in my EC's. Particulary clinical. Luckily i was awarded an internship position the week beofre i met with her as a clinical care extender at the hospital (basically a volunteer CNA) and i also signed up for a ministry that goes and does TB tests and std screenings and provides different healthcare in different urban areas. So i will be starting that soon also. Im excited for these opportunites because i need more clinical, but the only thing is im basically trying to just shove a bunch of hours in before i apply. Since ill be graduating in 2 months, all of june and july i will just be volunteering in these programs. I know this does not look good since ad comms want to see long term commitment. But by the time i submit after spring grades come in (mid-july) i should have about 100-120 hrs clinical at the hospital and 60-80 hrs clinical with this health in motion ministry.

Can i list these on my app as hours and avoid saying i only did them for 3 months? I feel it looks bad if i say i only did them for 3 months... i definitely will continue them however long after i submit, both programs take about a year and a half to complete.

Thanks guys! if anyone has trouble understanding what i mean i can clear it up more.

Also i DID want to list other activities i did in terms of hours and time span (months) because i did them for longer, like shadowing 9 months, and volunteering at my high school 4 years.
Would it look weird to list some things as only hours, and others as hours and time span?
thanks guys!
 
Yo fam can someone or some of you help me out please,

Im applying this next cycle, but i had a question about EC's. I met with my health professions adviser last week, and she said i look competitive with my grades and MCAT, but lacking somewhat in my EC's. Particulary clinical. Luckily i was awarded an internship position the week beofre i met with her as a clinical care extender at the hospital (basically a volunteer CNA) and i also signed up for a ministry that goes and does TB tests and std screenings and provides different healthcare in different urban areas. So i will be starting that soon also. Im excited for these opportunites because i need more clinical, but the only thing is im basically trying to just shove a bunch of hours in before i apply. Since ill be graduating in 2 months, all of june and july i will just be volunteering in these programs. I know this does not look good since ad comms want to see long term commitment. But by the time i submit after spring grades come in (mid-july) i should have about 100-120 hrs clinical at the hospital and 60-80 hrs clinical with this health in motion ministry.

Can i list these on my app as hours and avoid saying i only did them for 3 months? I feel it looks bad if i say i only did them for 3 months... i definitely will continue them however long after i submit, both programs take about a year and a half to complete.

Thanks guys! if anyone has trouble understanding what i mean i can clear it up more.

Also i DID want to list other activities i did in terms of hours and time span (months) because i did them for longer, like shadowing 9 months, and volunteering at my high school 4 years.
Would it look weird to list some things as only hours, and others as hours and time span?
thanks guys!

You have no choice in the matter, as AMCAS requires beginning and end dates to be inputted (end date can be listed as current). You can however make it clear how many hours you have in the description of the activity (I personally did this for clinically related activities).
 
If my name is on a poster that I don't present, would it still be worth listing it as part of research in the amcas?

And say I present a poster in a conference. How would I list that? Would I list it as a poster presentation and "authorship i guess?" of the poster? Or just simply stating that it was presented was enough and it implies that my name was on it?

For a symposium I may be going to to present a poster, an abstract of the poster/research was submitted to the symposium heads. Do I mention it as well, or is simply saying I presented enough? I'm unsure of how I would classify these things and what are worth listing. Thanks and sorry if these are dumb questions.
 
If you were listed on a poster I would include it. Just make sure you designate it as a poster as some readers might think you're listing a publication.

As far as presenting a poster, I would include the title, where you presented it, and when you presented it. As far as the abstract, did you submit that in order to get the chance to present a poster? If so, I wouldn't list it. Really I wouldn't list that part at all since it seems a little meaningless.
 
If my name is on a poster that I don't present, would it still be worth listing it as part of research in the amcas?
Assuming this poster will be presented at a regional or national meeting, you can list it under Posters/Presentations, citing the poster properly, but make it clear who was physically present at the conference and give proper attribution.

And say I present a poster in a conference. How would I list that? Would I list it as a poster presentation and "authorship i guess?" of the poster? Or just simply stating that it was presented was enough and it implies that my name was on it?
Again, assuming it was presented at a regional or national conference, and not a campus event, list it under Posters/Presentations, citing the title and author list with your name in the correct position. Location, organization, and dates are in the header.

For a symposium I may be going to to present a poster, an abstract of the poster/research was submitted to the symposium heads. Do I mention it as well, or is simply saying I presented enough? I'm unsure of how I would classify these things and what are worth listing.
IMO, if the poster goes through an off-campus review process before being approved, that adds to its luster. This is always the case for bigger meetings, but if this is a smaller conference, I think it's worth mentioning, as it might not be assumed.

If this presentation represents the same data as what you refer to above, you would only use one poster/presentation space, generally for the most prestigious location/conference, and mention the other presentations of the same data in that same space (in the narrative), rather than listing it 2-3 times. If you are physically present, make it clear in the description.
 
You have no choice in the matter, as AMCAS requires beginning and end dates to be inputted (end date can be listed as current). You can however make it clear how many hours you have in the description of the activity (I personally did this for clinically related activities).
Gotcha. Ok thanks !
 
Hey guys,

I posted above about how I'm lacking a little in clinical experience. When I've spoken to my health adviser she said i need to emphasize how being a minority and because of my low income family ive always had to work to support myself through college. I basically was the hispanic kid who studied hard during the days and went to wash dishes and mop floors in my restaurant job at nights to support myself. With the time I have had I did manage to do these things:

-volunteer 4 years at my old highschool (helping coaches on the field, study hall, in classrooms etc)(300 hrs maybe total)
-shadowing an MD for 9 months, about 100 hours
-tutor (occupation) for a tutoring company (1 year) 120 hrs
-Stem Cell Research 2 years (a lot of hours!)
-Student org president (about 30 or so active members) a christian club( heavy commitment in running this)
-church volunteering for the last 4 years (helping at the church set up, take down, volunteer in just various ways)
-leader in my church, oversee a group of about 6 guys, and perform various leadership tasks delegated by the church- mentor guys take them out fishing.

-Work at a restaurant nights (18 hrs/week since december 2011)
-worked at applebees as a bus boy (2007-2010)
- Play guitar
-active member of union salvadorenos de estudiantes unidos club.

(will have 100 hrs as a clinical patient care extender in hospital by the time i apply and i will have 100 or so hrs volunteering with a "health in motion" ministry that goes out and does tb tests and basic healthcare (its a group of physicians / PA's / medical assistants)) but these are over the course of the next 3 months only.

this is all i can come up with off the top of my head. im not listing my awards ect, just my EC's

But again I will only have a few months of clinical patient care when I submit my AMCAS app.

I really wat to convey in my app basically how even though I don't have long term volunteering clinicalexperience, I still spent time with patients... and i didnt have the time like many privileged peers of mine did.

Any advice on how I can do this.? I know my personal statement is the place to do it.. But I've revised it now a few times.. I really feel that if I try to validate all this in my PS I'm really taking away from "why medicine" and "why I want to be a doctor". My adviser and letter of Rec writers all told me how med schools don't care so much about the "cookie cutter" clinicals, but they want to see your willingness.. I dont want to take up room in my PS trying to validate why i lack clinical.. if that makes sense?
Thanks I know this is a lot but any minimal advice is appreciated. hope everyone is having a great day!
 
If my name is on a poster that I don't present, would it still be worth listing it as part of research in the amcas?

And say I present a poster in a conference. How would I list that? Would I list it as a poster presentation and "authorship i guess?" of the poster? Or just simply stating that it was presented was enough and it implies that my name was on it?

For a symposium I may be going to to present a poster, an abstract of the poster/research was submitted to the symposium heads. Do I mention it as well, or is simply saying I presented enough? I'm unsure of how I would classify these things and what are worth listing. Thanks and sorry if these are dumb questions.

If you were listed on a poster I would include it. Just make sure you designate it as a poster as some readers might think you're listing a publication.

As far as presenting a poster, I would include the title, where you presented it, and when you presented it. As far as the abstract, did you submit that in order to get the chance to present a poster? If so, I wouldn't list it. Really I wouldn't list that part at all since it seems a little meaningless.

Assuming this poster will be presented at a regional or national meeting, you can list it under Posters/Presentations, citing the poster properly, but make it clear who was physically present at the conference and give proper attribution.

Again, assuming it was presented at a regional or national conference, and not a campus event, list it under Posters/Presentations, citing the title and author list with your name in the correct position. Location, organization, and dates are in the header.

IMO, if the poster goes through an off-campus review process before being approved, that adds to its luster. This is always the case for bigger meetings, but if this is a smaller conference, I think it's worth mentioning, as it might not be assumed.

If this presentation represents the same data as what you refer to above, you would only use one poster/presentation space, generally for the most prestigious location/conference, and mention the other presentations of the same data in that same space (in the narrative), rather than listing it 2-3 times. If you are physically present, make it clear in the description.

Merging related threads
 
Hey all,

So I have a leadership position in a campus organization. However, the leading of this organization is rather different than the membership -- there are very different duties, responsibilities, and involvements with each. Should these then be listed as separate activities on my application?

I know that this will be hard to do without specifics, so I'll clarify: I am a leader of a medical response service. Being a part of this service entails responding to calls and providing clinical care as an EMT. Being a leader involves coordination, event planning, education, etc. I don't want to short-change either activity, but I don't want to unnecessarily take up two slots.

Experience or thoughts would be great! Thanks! :)
 
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Hey all,

So I have a leadership position in a campus organization. However, the leading of this organization is rather different than the membership -- there are very different duties, responsibilities, and involvements with each. Should these then be listed as separate activities on my application?

I know that this will be hard to do without specifics, so I'll clarify: I am a leader of a medical response service. Being a part of this service entails responding to calls and providing clinical care as an EMT. Being a leader involves coordination, event planning, education, etc. I don't want to short-change either activity, but I don't want to unnecessarily take up two slots.

Experience or thoughts would be great! Thanks! :)
I would list it as a single activity, mark it as "leadership" and describe all your activities/duties in the group. Use the description space to describe when you were NOT a leader, and what you did then, as well as describe the leadership aspect. You can mark the activity as "most meaningful" and expound on the EC if you need the space and the activity is one of your three most meaningful activities.

eta: it could seem like trying to fill your app with "fluff" if you split the membership from the leadership of this activity, so to avoid this perception, it would be best to avoid using two slots to talk about a single organization, even if you had multiple roles in the organization, imo.
 
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I would list it as a single activity, mark it as "leadership" and describe all your activities/duties in the group. Use the description space to describe when you were NOT a leader, and what you did then, as well as describe the leadership aspect. You can mark the activity as "most meaningful" and expound on the EC if you need the space and the activity is one of your three most meaningful activities.

eta: it could seem like trying to fill your app with "fluff" if you split the membership from the leadership of this activity, so to avoid this perception, it would be best to avoid using two slots to talk about a single organization, even if you had multiple roles in the organization, imo.

+1. I held 3 different leadership positions in the same organization over 3 years, so I entered it as "leadership" with the name of the club as the title, and it was one of my most meaningful activities so I had a lot of room to describe what my duties were, focusing more on the most recent position.
 
I posted above about how I'm lacking a little in clinical experience. When I've spoken to my health adviser she said i need to emphasize how being a minority and because of my low income family ive always had to work to support myself through college. I basically was the hispanic kid who studied hard during the days and went to wash dishes and mop floors in my restaurant job at nights to support myself. With the time I have had I did manage to do these things:

-volunteer 4 years at my old highschool (helping coaches on the field, study hall, in classrooms etc)(300 hrs maybe total)
-shadowing an MD for 9 months, about 100 hours
-tutor (occupation) for a tutoring company (1 year) 120 hrs
-Stem Cell Research 2 years (a lot of hours!)
-Student org president (about 30 or so active members) a christian club( heavy commitment in running this)
-church volunteering for the last 4 years (helping at the church set up, take down, volunteer in just various ways)
-leader in my church, oversee a group of about 6 guys, and perform various leadership tasks delegated by the church- mentor guys take them out fishing.

-Work at a restaurant nights (18 hrs/week since december 2011)
-worked at applebees as a bus boy (2007-2010)
- Play guitar
-active member of union salvadorenos de estudiantes unidos club.

(will have 100 hrs as a clinical patient care extender in hospital by the time i apply and i will have 100 or so hrs volunteering with a "health in motion" ministry that goes out and does tb tests and basic healthcare (its a group of physicians / PA's / medical assistants)) but these are over the course of the next 3 months only.

this is all i can come up with off the top of my head. im not listing my awards ect, just my EC's

But again I will only have a few months of clinical patient care when I submit my AMCAS app.

I really wat to convey in my app basically how even though I don't have long term volunteering clinicalexperience, I still spent time with patients... and i didnt have the time like many privileged peers of mine did.

1) Any advice on how I can do this.? I know my personal statement is the place to do it.. But I've revised it now a few times.. I really feel that if I try to validate all this in my PS I'm really taking away from "why medicine" and "why I want to be a doctor".
2) My adviser and letter of Rec writers all told me how med schools don't care so much about the "cookie cutter" clinicals, but they want to see your willingness.. I dont want to take up room in my PS trying to validate why i lack clinical.. if that makes sense?
Thanks I know this is a lot but any minimal advice is appreciated.
1) Your PS is not the place to make excuses, IMO. Your racial self-description will be evident on the first page of the application. If you were disadvantaged before the age of 18, you can explain in an extra essay. There is a place to fill out how you paid for college. The nature and hours of your Employment will be noted among your activities. The place to discuss The challenge, the Stress, or the Impact on your GPA (if pertinent), would be in a Secondary essay. Most schools will have one that is suitable for this purpose.

2) Med schools will be looking to see if you have personality traits that translate into the type of physician they aim to train, sufficient background experience to know what you're getting yourself into by going into medicine, and that you understand the issues that medical providers face. If you were working 40 hours a week, some adcomms will give you a break. If it was 20, this will be less likely. Maybe some won't regardless, thinking you should have waited to apply until you had a solid experiential grounding.

Experienced adcomms may feel that XXX hours of experience over YY amount of time is more likely to translate into gaining important self-knowledge and insightful answers at interview time. It will be up to you to demonstrate through your written (Primary & Secondary essays, and update letters) and spoken words that you've gotten out of your briefer experience what they feel you need to know.

If worse comes to worst, you'll be in a very strong position a year from now if you need to reapply. Certainly, some can do it in a shorter time. I've seen some who "didn't get it" after two years of experience. As you have already demonstrated that you are a giving person, you may well have alredy taken a giant leap forward in the process.

Note that I am only one voice, and this represents my opinion. Your advisor's is another. It will be up to you to distill multiple opinions into the approach you decide to take.

You might prewrite some essays and have them previewed by your advisor, an English teacher, and others you trust, to be sure they set the tone you're striving for.

Summary most Secondary essays from 2010 cycle (about 5% change from year to year): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10763720
 
So I have a leadership position in a campus organization. However, the leading of this organization is rather different than the membership -- there are very different duties, responsibilities, and involvements with each. Should these then be listed as separate activities on my application?

I know that this will be hard to do without specifics, so I'll clarify: I am a leader of a medical response service. Being a part of this service entails responding to calls and providing clinical care as an EMT. Being a leader involves coordination, event planning, education, etc. I don't want to short-change either activity, but I don't want to unnecessarily take up two slots.
If both roles were substantive, it would be legitimate to divide them out, listing each one's hours and date spans separately. This would be a good strategy especially, if you have no other activity to put in that category and want to create a balanced application.

If you are short on space, it's also fine to leave them together.

There's no one correct way to list things, so use your judgement as to what will serve as the best strategy.
 
Merging with the work/activities thread.

Hey all,

So I have a leadership position in a campus organization. However, the leading of this organization is rather different than the membership -- there are very different duties, responsibilities, and involvements with each. Should these then be listed as separate activities on my application?

I know that this will be hard to do without specifics, so I'll clarify: I am a leader of a medical response service. Being a part of this service entails responding to calls and providing clinical care as an EMT. Being a leader involves coordination, event planning, education, etc. I don't want to short-change either activity, but I don't want to unnecessarily take up two slots.

Experience or thoughts would be great! Thanks! :)

I would list it as a single activity, mark it as "leadership" and describe all your activities/duties in the group. Use the description space to describe when you were NOT a leader, and what you did then, as well as describe the leadership aspect. You can mark the activity as "most meaningful" and expound on the EC if you need the space and the activity is one of your three most meaningful activities.

eta: it could seem like trying to fill your app with "fluff" if you split the membership from the leadership of this activity, so to avoid this perception, it would be best to avoid using two slots to talk about a single organization, even if you had multiple roles in the organization, imo.

+1. I held 3 different leadership positions in the same organization over 3 years, so I entered it as "leadership" with the name of the club as the title, and it was one of my most meaningful activities so I had a lot of room to describe what my duties were, focusing more on the most recent position.

If both roles were substantive, it would be legitimate to divide them out, listing each one's hours and date spans separately. This would be a good strategy especially, if you have no other activity to put in that category and want to create a balanced application.

If you are short on space, it's also fine to leave them together.

There's no one correct way to list things, so use your judgement as to what will serve as the best strategy.
 
1) Your PS is not the place to make excuses, IMO. Your racial self-description will be evident on the first page of the application. If you were disadvantaged before the age of 18, you can explain in an extra essay. There is a place to fill out how you paid for college. The nature and hours of your Employment will be noted among your activities. The place to discuss The challenge, the Stress, or the Impact on your GPA (if pertinent), would be in a Secondary essay. Most schools will have one that is suitable for this purpose.

2) Med schools will be looking to see if you have personality traits that translate into the type of physician they aim to train, sufficient background experience to know what you're getting yourself into by going into medicine, and that you understand the issues that medical providers face. If you were working 40 hours a week, some adcomms will give you a break. If it was 20, this will be less likely. Maybe some won't regardless, thinking you should have waited to apply until you had a solid experiential grounding.

Experienced adcomms may feel that XXX hours of experience over YY amount of time is more likely to translate into gaining important self-knowledge and insightful answers at interview time. It will be up to you to demonstrate through your written (Primary & Secondary essays, and update letters) and spoken words that you've gotten out of your briefer experience what they feel you need to know.

If worse comes to worst, you'll be in a very strong position a year from now if you need to reapply. Certainly, some can do it in a shorter time. I've seen some who "didn't get it" after two years of experience. As you have already demonstrated that you are a giving person, you may well have alredy taken a giant leap forward in the process.

Note that I am only one voice, and this represents my opinion. Your advisor's is another. It will be up to you to distill multiple opinions into the approach you decide to take.

You might prewrite some essays and have them previewed by your advisor, an English teacher, and others you trust, to be sure they set the tone you're striving for.

Summary most Secondary essays from 2010 cycle (about 5% change from year to year): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10763720
Catalystic,

Thanks so much, i didnt realize that secondary essays would be the place to do that. That makes a lot of sense. Ok Ill try my best. Your advice is basically what i was leaning toward and wanted to just make sure.
Thanks hope school is going great for ya.!
 
If both roles were substantive, it would be legitimate to divide them out, listing each one's hours and date spans separately. This would be a good strategy especially, if you have no other activity to put in that category and want to create a balanced application.

If you are short on space, it's also fine to leave them together.

There's no one correct way to list things, so use your judgement as to what will serve as the best strategy.

All right, that makes sense. My biggest concern is that if I put them together and mark it as leadership, I'd have one less clinical experience activity listed. But, as people mentioned earlier, I don't want it to seem like I'm filling it with fluff. How much of a time commitment would both activities have to be so that adcoms wouldn't see the double listing as filler?
 
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