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

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Firstly, this thread has been of tremendous help to me, so i just wanted to say thank you for all the advice and support.
Secondly, I apologize if my following question was addressed, it was difficult to find it using the search feature.

I was originally planning on having three "Most Meaningful entries", but I was apprehensive regarding my clinical one, which I talked about in detail in my PS (albeit I discussed particular examples). I was wondering if perhaps since it was already included in my PS, I should not list it as most meaningful, and only have 2 most meaningful entries. Would this work against me? If this is the best route, would it be a good idea to mention in the description that the experience was significant, however already discussed in PS? Thanks.
This question is actually touched on in the FAQ #8. I worked up an answer based on some private communications from several admissions committee members as well as public posts by adcom members.

Personally, I would advise you to list the clinical experience as most meaningful and emphasize different aspects that weren't part of your PS. Don't ramble to fill space though (no need to use all the characters)

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So just to clarify, am I on the right track here with these work experience descriptions? Do I need to further explain what I learned from the experiences and how they could benefit me in medical school, or no? I really want my work/activities to be a strong aspect of my application. Here are a few descriptions that I listed:

I appreciate it, thank you so much.
We generally haven't been commenting on specific descriptions. They look fine to me
 
Also:

1. I tutored my friends, family, and had a few instances where I met friends (girls :laugh:) on facebook and tutored them in math (usually for free, if not they bought me lunch or something). Is this something I could list as an activity?

2. I have a few rewards such as deans list, research scholarship winner, I am a tennis state champion from high school and I carried over tennis into intramural college sports, and I also was had an expert ranking in Chess since I was a kid. Can I group these into one activity? Should I emit any of them? Or should I just leave all of it out? I have 12 activities filled out, out of the 15. Thank you
1. Yes
2. The dean's list can be omitted (personal preference really), the research scholarship is worth mentioning either in the research description or grouped with other awards, the tennis I would mention but I wouldn't mention the high school part, and if you're still ranked in chess in college then sure but not if you lost your ranking before college

Just my 2 cents
 
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1.Who do I put down as contact for freelance/self employed jobs? Is it weird to list myself as a contact?

2.Should I put down a scholarship? Deans list? Honor society membership? The scholarship isn't that amazing (like 2.5k a year), everyone has dean's list, and I didn't even pay the fee or agree to be inducted into the honor society. I ignored all their invitations and they stuck me in anyway and it''s on my transcript now.

3.Is it bad to only have 1 most meaningful? Right now I have only 4 activities not including stuff from paragraph 2 ^
1. Generally you would avoid putting yourself as a contact if at all possible. Do you have a roommate or close friend who can vouch for it?

2. You could group all of them together. None of them are astounding but since you only have 4 other activities, you might as well put them

3. Did you list hobbies and/or artistic endeavors? Do you have a separate slot for shadowing under "Other"? I am assuming you have very detailed commitments for the other activities. Also, see FAQ #8. 1 most meaningful is fine if that was the only one that was meaningful to you
 
Looking for opinions on how I should group clinical volunteerwork I have been involved in. I have been involved at two different hospitals for the past 4 years. In each hospital I have worked in 4 different departments and in various capacities. In some departments I did just straight clerical volunteer work and in others I shadowed + helped around.

I am confused as if I should list what I did with each department separately (probably not...), clump it by hospital (so two sections), or organize it by strictly volunteer work v. shadowing.

Thanks!
I would separate by hospital. It sounds like you've got quite the time commitment to each one so that will be fine

If you have no other shadowing, then I would separate it out as well. Be sure not to double count hours (i.e. if you separate out shadowing, then those hours no longer would be listed under clinical volunteering)
 
Tried to search through the thread for answers to these questions and couldn't find them, hopefully they haven't all been addressed.

1. I was awarded employee of the quarter last winter- would it be appropriate to place this just at the bottom of my work description, or would there be risk that it could get skimmed over?

2. Also, I won a $4,500 scholarship during my junior year as an outstanding premed scholar in my university's College of LIberal Arts, and I am wondering if the amount is substantial enough to include in my description, or should I leave it out?

Thanks a lot for all your help!
1. I'd group it with your work description
2. I would include the scholarship and the selection criteria but I wouldn't include the amount
 
Decided to not apply this year but had a question anyway.

I've been involved in tutoring since high school, but it's been off and on- I did it from senior year of hs through all four years of undergrad, both as a volunteer and for pay. Then, after undergrad it became a lot more sporadic, as I'd volunteer maybe once or twice a month, with big gaps in there too when I didn't have time. Recently it's been picking up again, on the order of once a week.

I don't have any idea of a total number of hours, since I'm a nontrad and I didn't even think about going to medical school until recently. How would I go about documenting this without being dishonest about my involvement? Obviously I'd like to put it down because it's my longest, most longitudinal activity (13 years) and I mention it in my PS but I don't want to overstate anything.

Thanks!
This is a trickier one. The normal header boxes really aren't going to help you too much here. I'd put the time span as the full 13 years or whatever (I think it's safe to leave off the HS part at this point but from college on) and put the hours/week at 1 then come up with a succinct but accurate description of your involvement to include in the main description box
 
I've been involved in tutoring since high school, but it's been off and on- I did it from senior year of hs through all four years of undergrad, both as a volunteer and for pay. Then, after undergrad it became a lot more sporadic, as I'd volunteer maybe once or twice a month, with big gaps in there too when I didn't have time. Recently it's been picking up again, on the order of once a week.

I don't have any idea of a total number of hours, since I'm a nontrad and I didn't even think about going to medical school until recently. How would I go about documenting this without being dishonest about my involvement? Obviously I'd like to put it down because it's my longest, most longitudinal activity (13 years) and I mention it in my PS but I don't want to overstate anything.
This is a trickier one. The normal header boxes really aren't going to help you too much here. I'd put the time span as the full 13 years or whatever (I think it's safe to leave off the HS part at this point but from college on) and put the hours/week at 1 then come up with a succinct but accurate description of your involvement to include in the main description box
Alternatively, don't fill in the hours per week in the header. In the description, give an idea of your variations in involvement just as you have here, with more focus on the most recent years. The title you give the activity should indicate its intermittent/variable nature.
 
Hello,

I want to change the contact person I listed for one of my work/activities. It says in the manual that I can't make any changes to this section after I submit. Is there anyway I could update this info?

Thanks in advance.
 
I want to change the contact person I listed for one of my work/activities. It says in the manual that I can't make any changes to this section after I submit. Is there anyway I could update this info?
The only way to update the contact would be by sending an email to individual schools regarding the issue.
 
First of all, thank you CAT so much. I've read a lot of your responses on this post and they've been very helpful.

I think for me the hardest part of the primary application has been organizing everything. I really would like to get your advice on how to list these activities:

1. Awards
as was suggested here, I listed the name of the first award and in the description I listed the name of two other awards that I got.

What I have listed is as follows "was recognized by the Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) in 2007 - 2008 and 2008 - 2009 for my commitment to the community through service"

Should I briefly describe what MCC is?

2. Community Service/Volunteer - NonMedical
I've volunteered in the community through an organization on campus for 5 years. Throughout that time, I've served on different E-board positions for the club and now since I've graduated I've served as an Advisor for the club.

Would you recommend separating this one club into two sections "community service volunteer" and "leadership" ? Or would recommend just combining it all under "community service" or "leaderhip" and mark is one of my most meaningful experiences and describe the E-board roles I've held along with the volunteering I've done?

3. Research.
I did a 7 month undergraduate research and after graduating I got a paid research position. This paid research has resulted in (a) 1 book chapter publication - second author (b) 1 journal publication - 2nd author (c) 4 publications in communication/preparation - will be published in a couple of months and next year. (d) 5 posters (two last year and three abstracts these year with first author in two posters [these will be the publications next year]). (e) 2 oral presenations at conferences

Would you recommend separating this in the following categories "Research/Lab" for undergrad and "paid" for paid research, "publications" category, and "conferences" category?

I did not find space to cite all the publications in the description place. May I cite the published paper and a book chapter and for others just list that I have "4 more publications in communication/prep"?

thank you very much. I appreciate all your time and effort to help others here.
 
First of all, thank you CAT so much. I've read a lot of your responses on this post and they've been very helpful.

I think for me the hardest part of the primary application has been organizing everything. I really would like to get your advice on how to list these activities:

1. Awards
as was suggested here, I listed the name of the first award and in the description I listed the name of two other awards that I got.

What I have listed is as follows "was recognized by the Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) in 2007 - 2008 and 2008 - 2009 for my commitment to the community through service"

Should I briefly describe what MCC is?

2. Community Service/Volunteer - NonMedical
I've volunteered in the community through an organization on campus for 5 years. Throughout that time, I've served on different E-board positions for the club and now since I've graduated I've served as an Advisor for the club.

Would you recommend separating this one club into two sections "community service volunteer" and "leadership" ? Or would recommend just combining it all under "community service" or "leaderhip" and mark is one of my most meaningful experiences and describe the E-board roles I've held along with the volunteering I've done?

3. Research.
I did a 7 month undergraduate research and after graduating I got a paid research position. This paid research has resulted in (a) 1 book chapter publication - second author (b) 1 journal publication - 2nd author (c) 4 publications in communication/preparation - will be published in a couple of months and next year. (d) 5 posters (two last year and three abstracts these year with first author in two posters [these will be the publications next year]). (e) 2 oral presenations at conferences

Would you recommend separating this in the following categories "Research/Lab" for undergrad and "paid" for paid research, "publications" category, and "conferences" category?

I did not find space to cite all the publications in the description place. May I cite the published paper and a book chapter and for others just list that I have "4 more publications in communication/prep"?
1) Yes.

2) Your choice may depend on the space you have and whether you have other equally substantive leadership roles. If you have plenty of space, it would make sense to highlight the leadership component by listing it on its own (but not double counting the hours involved). If space is limited, or you need the extra characters, you would do best to make the activity "Most Meaningful," and make the inclusion of leadership clear from the title you give the activity. A last option would be to split the activity, but designate just one component of the two as "Most Meaningful."

3) JMO, but research should be listed under Research, whether paid, volunteer, or for credit. Make the employment clear, perhaps from the title you choose. If they were in the same lab/same PI, they could be combined if you need the space.

I would not state, "4 more publications in communication/prep" as this is presumptuous. Rather, say, "four manuscripts are in process of preparation" or somesuch. As this doesn't help your application, except to be thorough, I you are short on space, you can omit it.

Another way to group for you to consider which cuts down on repeating the same title/citation over and over: Each completed project/set of data should be listed under the most prestigious manner in which the data was shared with the world, with lesser presentations mentioned afterward in the same space. So if the same data was published in Nature, but also previously in a campus pub, was part of the book chapter, 3 posters at conferences of various repute, 1 abstract published in a conference's national journal supplement, and a podium presentation, then all this would be mentioned in a single space. If you are short on space, then campus events/venues can be omitted as they don't add much luster to your application. So can pubs not found in PubMed.

"Conferences Attended" category doesn't do much for you. Use Posters/Presentations if that is the highest format of presentation, choosing the most prestigious among them for the header information.

This is just an overview, as you didn't give much detail. If it doesn't suit your circumstances, feel free to provide more info.
 
Regarding future work/activities, it mentions in the FAQ on the first page this is something that can be included in an update letter. Is said update letter something that can be done through AMCAS (and I just can't see the option yet because my app isn't verified) or are you referring to submitting an update letter to individual schools?
 
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Regarding future work/activities, it mentions in the FAQ on the first page this is something that can be included in an update letter. Is said update letter something that can be done through AMCAS (and I just can't see the option yet because my app isn't verified) or are you referring to submitting an update letter to individual schools?
One would be obliged to submit a letter of updated activities to each school individually (where allowed), as AMCAS doesn't provide this service.

Sometimes an appropriate Secondary essay prompt allows one to give this information.
 
1) Yes.

2) Your choice may depend on the space you have and whether you have other equally substantive leadership roles. If you have plenty of space, it would make sense to highlight the leadership component by listing it on its own (but not double counting the hours involved). If space is limited, or you need the extra characters, you would do best to make the activity "Most Meaningful," and make the inclusion of leadership clear from the title you give the activity. A last option would be to split the activity, but designate just one component of the two as "Most Meaningful."

3) JMO, but research should be listed under Research, whether paid, volunteer, or for credit. Make the employment clear, perhaps from the title you choose. If they were in the same lab/same PI, they could be combined if you need the space.

I would not state, "4 more publications in communication/prep" as this is presumptuous. Rather, say, "four manuscripts are in process of preparation" or somesuch. As this doesn't help your application, except to be thorough, I you are short on space, you can omit it.

Another way to group for you to consider which cuts down on repeating the same title/citation over and over: Each completed project/set of data should be listed under the most prestigious manner in which the data was shared with the world, with lesser presentations mentioned afterward in the same space. So if the same data was published in Nature, but also previously in a campus pub, was part of the book chapter, 3 posters at conferences of various repute, 1 abstract published in a conference's national journal supplement, and a podium presentation, then all this would be mentioned in a single space. If you are short on space, then campus events/venues can be omitted as they don't add much luster to your application. So can pubs not found in PubMed.

"Conferences Attended" category doesn't do much for you. Use Posters/Presentations if that is the highest format of presentation, choosing the most prestigious among them for the header information.

This is just an overview, as you didn't give much detail. If it doesn't suit your circumstances, feel free to provide more info.

Dear Cat, your feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you very much.

2) I will consider listing the activity under the "Community Service/Volunteer - non Medical/Clinical" experience type and then mark it as the most meaningful. In the experience description, I will list the different roles I had on the Executive Board and in the experience summary, I will describe the type of volunteering services I've done and why.

Under "Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere" experience type, may I list a separate organization that I'm an Advisor for since 2011 (it's an international club and I attended one of the Summits for it), one chapter that I started on campus, and I mentored high school students at the Business Program on campus for two summers?

3) I did undergraduate research in 2008 and I started volunteering in another lab w/ different PI after I graduated in 2010 and got hired in few months later as a Research Assistant.

I decided to combine my undergrad and graduate research under one experience type and marked it as the most meaningful.

Experience Type: Research/Lab
Experience Name: Research Assistant
Experience Description: I wrote that

1) Undergraduate Researcher, Department, School, Project Name. (PI name, date, x hours/week)
2) Research Assistant, Department, School, Summary/Title of Research (PI name, date, 50 hours/week).
555 characters/700

Experience Summary:
I listed the bullet point style of what the type of procedures I have performed, the title of projects...
615 characters/700

My personal statement will include my research experience and what I learned from it...etc.. So considering that, do you believe that the bullet format in the "Experience Summary" box is acceptable, even though AMCAS advices to use it to explain why you have selected this experience as the most meaningful and what you've learned from it?

Experience Type: Publications
Experience Description, I typed:
1) 1 journal publication in 2012 (second author)
2) 1 paper in communication 2012.
3) 2 publications in preparation 2012 (second author)
4) 1 book chapter publication in 2011 (second author)
195 characters /700 words

I marked it as the "most meaningful" and got extra space under the Experience Summary where I typed the actual paper names that correlated to what I typed above in the Experience Description
Experience Summary
1) authors, paper name, publication name, 2012
2) paper name, publication name, (In Communication), 2012
3) authors, paper name (In Preparation), 2012
4) authors, paper name (In Preparation), 2012
5) authors, book chapter name, publisher, 2011
1118 characters/1325 max

If I don't mark Publications as the most meaningful experience, I can fit it under the 700 character limit only if I (a) omit the authors (b) omit the book chapter - since it was an online "InTech" publishing. Do you believe that this is a better way of doing this and do you think it's necessary to list under which publications I was a second author?

I agreed with you and deleted the "Conferences Attended" experience type and instead used "Presentations/Posters".

Experience Type: Presentations/Posters
In the Experience Descrpiton, I listed
1) title of abstract, conference name where I presented and date
2) title of abstract, symphosium name
3) I typed "Two poster presentations May, 2011 and three poster presentations April, 2012 at Hospital Name Research Week, location"

In (3), I could not fit the titles of abstracts, but I presented these abstracts at the hospital where I work at and it was during our National Research Week.

Thank you so so much.
 
1) Under "Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere" experience type, may I list a separate organization that I'm an Advisor for since 2011 (it's an international club and I attended one of the Summits for it), one chapter that I started on campus, and I mentored high school students at the Business Program on campus for two summers?

2) My personal statement will include my research experience and what I learned from it...etc.. So considering that, do you believe that the bullet format in the "Experience Summary" box is acceptable, even though AMCAS advices to use it to explain why you have selected this experience as the most meaningful and what you've learned from it?

3) If I don't mark Publications as the most meaningful experience, I can fit it under the 700 character limit only if I (a) omit the authors (b) omit the book chapter - since it was an online "InTech" publishing. Do you believe that this is a better way of doing this and do you think it's necessary to list under which publications I was a second author?
1) Yes on the international club, but the mentoring experience would be better listed under Teaching.

2) Yes

3) It's fine to just list the first author, et al, and say your place on the author list, or to list the first and second author if you are #2. Or if the author list is the same for several entries, just enter them once. It's OK to abbreviate the formal citation style for AMCAS purposes. Omitting the on-line book chapter is fine. As mentioned before, you need not include manuscripts in preparation or those submitted that are not yet accepted. Honestly, they are meaningless, as anyone can claim the same without being able to prove it. It would be better for your PI to include this in his LOR to give it validity if you can't bear to leave it unmentioned.
 
1) Yes on the international club, but the mentoring experience would be better listed under Teaching.

2) Yes

3) It's fine to just list the first author, et al, and say your place on the author list, or to list the first and second author if you are #2. Or if the author list is the same for several entries, just enter them once. It's OK to abbreviate the formal citation style for AMCAS purposes. Omitting the on-line book chapter is fine. As mentioned before, you need not include manuscripts in preparation or those submitted that are not yet accepted. Honestly, they are meaningless, as anyone can claim the same without being able to prove it. It would be better for your PI to include this in his LOR to give it validity if you can't bear to leave it unmentioned.

1) and 3) will do, thank you!
 
Research Experience

1. I took a summer and was paid a small amount to enroll patients in a research study as well as collect the data from the patients. I did this with 2 med students. I had very little input on the paper but I was named as an author. My name is 4 of the 5 authors. Can I include this? It seems from reading suggestions since I did not contribute to forming the hypothesis or writing up the results it shouldn't even be classified as research. Can I just list the publication and explain what my role was? Should I just eliminate it completely?

2. Also, for one of my psych classes we had to conduct research. I was in a group of 4 and we all worked together to design the research and analyze the results. In the end we made a poster and presented it in a tiny research day through the psych department. Can I list this as a poster? Since it was combined should I say co-author? Should I instead list it as research and mention the poster? I have no idea the amount of time I put into this. I mean I did research other papers and write the whole thing, I would guess about 30 hours but that is a complete guess.

Shadowing

3. I have not done a ton of shadowing, I have shadowed my father who is an ER doc and shadowed one other ER doc at children's hospital. I have volunteered in the ER for over 500 hours and did some shadowing in little spurts. I have worked as an ER tech also for 3 years. I feel I have significant clinical experience but does it look bad if I don't have a specific shadowing entry? I just don't know how I could create one because it was so random and I have no idea about the dates
 
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Research Experience

1. I took a summer and was paid a small amount to enroll patients in a research study as well as collect the data from the patients. I did this with 2 med students. I had very little input on the paper but I was named as an author. My name is 4 of the 5 authors. Can I include this? It seems from reading suggestions since I did not contribute to forming the hypothesis or writing up the results it shouldn't even be classified as research. Can I just list the publication and explain what my role was? Should I just eliminate it completely?

2. Also, for one of my psych classes we had to conduct research. I was in a group of 4 and we all worked together to design the research and analyze the results. In the end we made a poster and presented it in a tiny research day through the psych department. Can I list this as a poster? Since it was combined should I say co-author? Should I instead list it as research and mention the poster?

Shadowing

3. I have not done a ton of shadowing, I have shadowed my father who is an ER doc and shadowed one other ER doc at children's hospital. I have volunteered in the ER for over 500 hours and did some shadowing in little spurts. I have worked as an ER tech also for 3 years. I feel I have significant clinical experience but does it look bad if I don't have a specific shadowing entry? I just don't know how I could create one because it was so random and I have no idea about the dates
1) The designation you should use is is Research/Lab for a description of your duties. Be sure to mention the word "paid" in there somewhere or in the title. You were in the right place at the right time. You can cite the publication in the same space if it was a campus publication or you are short of room, or you can legitimately use a second space under Publications if it is Searchable within a publication database like PubMed.

2) Use a second Research listing for this one, even though it's curricular. Mention somewhere that it was part of a class requirement. Campus poster presentations are generally included in the same Research space and NOT in a Posters/Presentations spot, which would be better reserved for regional or national meetings. It's fine to say you were a co-author.

3) If you prefer not to have a separate Shadowing space under Other, then you want to make very, very sure your mention of the activity is not missed, as a screening adcomm will be looking for it at most schools. I suggest you include the word "Shadowing" in the title of the activity (even though it was a job), and specifically discuss it and use the word again in the description. Besides the two ER docs (it's fine to use a family member, BTW) that you'd ideally mention by name, you can also refer to general ER staff and possibly state a % of the time with your job that you were in a physician's presence.
 
Thanks for the earlier answers! I have a few quick questions-

This spring, I have been volunteering as a research assistant in a cardiovascular study in one of the hospitals near where I live. Technically this was through the hospital's volunteer program so I have it currently listed under clinical volunteering. However, all of my duties were research based- consenting patients, extracting info from their medical records, centrifuging and separating blood samples, etc. Additionally, a number of times I was able to shadow the cardiologists during their procedures (mostly left and right heart catheterizations).

So, I am wondering if I should label this as simply a volunteering experience, or possibly title the experience differently to acknowledge the varied nature of the experience. Currently I simply have it titled as "Premed Volunteer Progam- Level 2"

Also- should I include the title of the study in my description? If so how should I go about doing this without making it sound really clunky?

Thanks again!
 
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This spring, I have been volunteering as a research assistant in a cardiovascular study in one of the hospitals near where I live. Technically this was through the hospital's volunteer program so I have it currently listed under clinical volunteering. However, all of my duties were research based- consenting patients, extracting info from their medical records, centrifuging and separating blood samples, etc. Additionally, a number of times I was able to shadow the cardiologists during their procedures (mostly left and right heart catheterizations).

So, I am wondering if I should label this as simply a volunteering experience, or possibly title the experience differently to acknowledge the varied nature of the experience. Currently I simply have it titled as "Premed Volunteer Progam- Level 2"
It's my opinion that research, whether volunteer, paid, or for class credit, should be designated as Research. Mention the volunteer element somewhere as well as the fact that you interacted with patients. You might add both elements to the title you give the activity. If this is your only clinical experience, be sure to highlight the patient interaction even more as well as bring it to the fore in your PS.

I suggest the you split out the shadowing, and the associated hours, and list it with your other shadowing in an Other-designated space.
Also- should I include the title of the study in my description? If so how should I go about doing this without making it sound really clunky?
The title isn't necessary. Just describe the purpose of the study, as you understand it.
 
Thank again for answering my previous post

So I have 16 entries and I'm unsure if I need to seperate the research ones. So here it goes

Paid Employment
Student Office Assistant for ED BIlling (mention in PS) 3.8 years
Patient Care Associate in ER (also mention in PS) 1.3 years

Volunteer but obtained stipend (AMCAS said I could put these in volunteer but mention the stipend, the hourly comes down a few dollars if that)
Catholic Service Program working in ER for 2 years as tech (mentioned in PS and will put as one of most meaningful)

Volunteer regular
CORE memeber for church HS youth group (in OH) 2.5 years
CORE member for church HS youth group (in CA) 2 years
Teacher - Confirmation class in CA - 6 months
Teacher - Childrens Liturgy for Haitian Catholic Mass (1.8 years)

will put both of these under teaching
Undergraduate Research Associate (2.5 years mention in PS)
Student Volunteer at Hospital (6 months) should I cut this out? It was short and not meaningful really and I think I have plenty of volunteer work?

Mission Trips - volunteer (will definitely put one of these in my most meaningful experiences)
2 trips medical mission to Haiti over a 4 month period but in description will put the dates, should I still put the average weekly? for experience name can I put missionary? (mentioned in PS)
1 trip to Haiti with delivering wheelchairs (4 days only)
1 mission trip to haiti visiting orphanages and distributing clothes (10 days)

Leadership
Supervisory Undergraduate Research Associate (6 months) trained new volunteers
Church Young Adult Leader - created events for our group

Research
Research Associate - I explained this above but I want to make sure I classify it properly. I would prefer to only classify it as a publication since it got published in a real journal but my contribution was minimal and it would save me a spot if I could avoid putting it as both research and publication. However should I just put it in research and mention the publication since my role was tiny?
Researcher (is this an appropriate title) - research done for a class, co-authored poster but had to write my own paper, presented a poster at a tiny event. I have no idea how many hours I spent on this because I did this in November of 2007. I would guestimate 30 hours

Thanks so much if I enter all of these it is 16, so I would need to cut out at least one, maybe 2 if I should list my publication and research separately.
 
I suggest the you split out the shadowing, and the associated hours, and list it with your other shadowing in an Other-designated space.
The title isn't necessary. Just describe the purpose of the study, as you understand it.

Would it be a problem if I don't have any contact info for these doctors? I shadowed them as part of my volunteering, but did not have any contact with them outside the actual procedures and my other time on the floor.
 
Would it be a problem if I don't have any contact info for these doctors? I shadowed them as part of my volunteering, but did not have any contact with them outside the actual procedures and my other time on the floor.
You might designate them as staff physicians of XXXX Hospital (if you don't recall their names)and give the volunteer dept as the contact.
 
So I have 16 entries and I'm unsure if I need to seperate the research ones. So here it goes

Paid Employment
Student Office Assistant for ED BIlling (mention in PS) 3.8 years
Patient Care Associate in ER (also mention in PS) 1.3 years

Volunteer but obtained stipend (AMCAS said I could put these in volunteer but mention the stipend, the hourly comes down a few dollars if that)
Catholic Service Program working in ER for 2 years as tech (mentioned in PS and will put as one of most meaningful)

Volunteer regular
CORE memeber for church HS youth group (in OH) 2.5 years
CORE member for church HS youth group (in CA) 2 years
Teacher - Confirmation class in CA - 6 months
Teacher - Childrens Liturgy for Haitian Catholic Mass (1.8 years)
will put both of these under teaching
Undergraduate Research Associate (2.5 years mention in PS)
1) Student Volunteer at Hospital (6 months) should I cut this out? It was short and not meaningful really and I think I have plenty of volunteer work?

Mission Trips - volunteer (will definitely put one of these in my most meaningful experiences)
2) 2 trips medical mission to Haiti over a 4 month period but in description will put the dates, should I still put the average weekly? for experience name can I put missionary? (mentioned in PS)
1 trip to Haiti with delivering wheelchairs (4 days only)
1 mission trip to haiti visiting orphanages and distributing clothes (10 days)

Leadership
Supervisory Undergraduate Research Associate (6 months) trained new volunteers
Church Young Adult Leader - created events for our group

Research
Research Associate - I explained this above but I want to make sure I classify it properly.
3) I would prefer to only classify it as a publication since it got published in a real journal but my contribution was minimal and it would save me a spot if I could avoid putting it as both research and publication. However should I just put it in research and mention the publication since my role was tiny?

4) Researcher (is this an appropriate title) - research done for a class, co-authored poster but had to write my own paper, presented a poster at a tiny event. I have no idea how many hours I spent on this because I did this in November of 2007. I would guestimate 30 hours

Thanks so much if I enter all of these it is 16, so I would need to cut out at least one, maybe 2 if I should list my publication and research separately.
I have highlighted what I perceive to be your questions.

1) I agree that you have better and more than adequate clinical experience. You can cut it out.

2) Don't put the weekly average. Instead give a grand total at the end of the narrative, excluding sleep and nonworking moments. To many, "missionary" implies that you were a proselytizer. If that's what you mean, then use it. Or you could use something like "International Relief Worker," which might ruffle fewer feathers in some parts of the country.

3) Either choice will work. There is no "one right way" to fill out the application. That will bring you to 15 spaces.

4) In this case, I'd agree that "Researcher" would be appropriate as your title. But you could add more, to better characterize the experience, like "Psychology Class Research Group Member" or "Co-Researcher in Psychology Class Group," or somesuch (I think you get 70 characters per title).
 
Catalystik you have been such a huge help to so many of us here!! Thank you so much!!

I agree my work was not really about converting people but rather about relief work.
 
Wow, so how are you guys entering in research?

So I took a pscyh research class and I'm trying to enter the research section. For the name I put Psych class research project.

For the description I gave a 2 sentence into then described the study and results using bullets, but I used many acronyms to fit more characters. I used uncertainty (UN)
Religious tolerance (RT) Religious Freedom Prime(RF) Christian Ideals Prime (CIP). This was all I could fit, I did not have room to explain my total hour contribution, or explain my role in the study. Should I be much more vague in the explanation and not discuss findings for more room to include these things?

I have another research entry I'm trying to make from a paper that was published. How do I cite the research and should I be very vague again in description so to have room for my contribution and leave out the results?

Lastly, for one mission trips/international relief trips a video was made about the trip. This may sound stupid but if it fits can I supply the youtube link?

Lastly, I heard it looks bad, really bad to not have shadow experience.
- My father being a Dr I shadowed him and mentioned take your daughter to work day in my PS.
-scribed for him a few times in college too but I dont not remeber the dates or even year at all
-shadowed another doctor but can't even remeember the year I shadowed him

Right now I do not have shadowing listed BUT for one of my most meaningful experiences I explained in the extra section about my observing a trauma surgeon cracking a traum's chest and that experience. I also mention briefly in the description I had some shadowing experience. Is this sufficient without a specific shadowing spot or should I cut something out and try my best to guesstimate on the dates?
 
Wow, so how are you guys entering in research?

So I took a pscyh research class and I'm trying to enter the research section. For the name I put Psych class research project.

1) For the description I gave a 2 sentence into then described the study and results using bullets, but I used many acronyms to fit more characters. I used uncertainty (UN)
Religious tolerance (RT) Religious Freedom Prime(RF) Christian Ideals Prime (CIP). This was all I could fit, I did not have room to explain my total hour contribution, or explain my role in the study. Should I be much more vague in the explanation and not discuss findings for more room to include these things?

2) I have another research entry I'm trying to make from a paper that was published. a) How do I cite the research and b) should I be very vague again in description so to have room for my contribution and leave out the results?

3) Lastly, for one mission trips/international relief trips a video was made about the trip. This may sound stupid but if it fits can I supply the youtube link?

Lastly, I heard it looks bad, really bad to not have shadow experience.
- My father being a Dr I shadowed him and mentioned take your daughter to work day in my PS.
-scribed for him a few times in college too but I dont not remeber the dates or even year at all
-shadowed another doctor but can't even remeember the year I shadowed him

Right now I do not have shadowing listed BUT for one of my most meaningful experiences I explained in the extra section about my observing a trauma surgeon cracking a traum's chest and that experience. I also mention briefly in the description I had some shadowing experience. 4) Is this sufficient without a specific shadowing spot or should I cut something out and try my best to guesstimate on the dates?
1) It's not a good idea to use acronyms unless you explain their meaning the first time. You should be more vague in your description and don't worry about reporting the results. What your role was is more important and an idea of the time commitment.

2) a) The same way you see it done on PubMed, or an abbreviated version with only the first author, et al, and your place on the list. b) Yes, as from the citation it could be looked up if someone is curious.

3) I would not.

4) If you don't recall the specific dates (first choice), school term (choice 2, like, "fall of senior year"), or the year (choice 3, like, "in 2010"), then say, "during college." Try to give a timeframe. If it wasn't during the college years, I wouldn't bother mentioning it. Maybe you should get in some more recent shadowing to mention in update letters since this appears to be a weak area for you.
 
One last question before I hopefully submit!

One of my most meaningful experiences is my time as the president of my undergrad university's athletics booster club. Right before I graduated, my collegiate newspaper wrote a profile of my time with this organization, as we had made a fairly significant impact on the culture or athletics at our school. Is it appropriate to include a link to this article in my description?

Thanks again for all your help!
 
One of my most meaningful experiences is my time as the president of my undergrad university's athletics booster club. Right before I graduated, my collegiate newspaper wrote a profile of my time with this organization, as we had made a fairly significant impact on the culture or athletics at our school. Is it appropriate to include a link to this article in my description?
Yes, since it's all about you and it was sort of a recognition. Hopefully, the URL isn't too long.
 
Yes, since it's all about you and it was sort of a recognition. Hopefully, the URL isn't too long.

Would it be alright if I used a URL shortener?

Additionally, I received an award from my university for my time with the organization recognizing my devotion to and impact on the community. Currently I have this award grouped in with my description of my responsibilities as president of the organization, but it has already been causing me to cut short some of these descriptions. Would it be alright if I gave this award its own entry? I wouldn't want to add it to my academic recognition as it had nothing to do with my academic career. Another option I was thinking is bringing it up solely in the most meaningful space, though I know that is not supposed to be used for pure descriptive purposes.

What do you suggest?
 
1) Would it be alright if I used a URL shortener?

2) Additionally, I received an award from my university for my time with the organization recognizing my devotion to and impact on the community. Currently I have this award grouped in with my description of my responsibilities as president of the organization, but it has already been causing me to cut short some of these descriptions. Would it be alright if I gave this award its own entry?

3) I wouldn't want to add it to my academic recognition as it had nothing to do with my academic career. Another option I was thinking is bringing it up solely in the most meaningful space, though I know that is not supposed to be used for pure descriptive purposes.
1) I was thinking that something like tinyurl or similar might work, but I'd be sure to cite the original site, for the sake of authenticity, at that location.

2) Yes, you could give it its own entry, especially if you have a lot to say about it.

3) Alternatively, you could rename the Honors/Awards listing and title it Collegiate Recognitions, so it would fit there.

Or, if you decide to slip it into a "Most Meaningful" space for the affiliated activity, you wouldn't be the first to use the extra characters in a way that departs from AMCAS suggestion.
 
I have one of my experiences as a farm hand since I have lived on my family owned beef farm since I was little. Since I technically wasn't "paid" for this job (No W2 tax form) does anyone know what experience type I would list it under. I was thinking extracurricular or other, but technically it is a job so I wasn't really sure.

Thanks
 
I have one of my experiences as a farm hand since I have lived on my family owned beef farm since I was little. Since I technically wasn't "paid" for this job (No W2 tax form) does anyone know what experience type I would list it under. I was thinking extracurricular or other, but technically it is a job so I wasn't really sure.

Thanks
For a family-owned business like this, it's still appropriate to use Employment-nonMilitary. You may not have collected a wage, but you were "reimbursed" in other ways, like a place to live, food, clothing, family support, etc.
 
What if some of the work experience I did such as a school group doesn't really have contact information. Like the only information I could give would be the president of the organization at the time I was an undergrad but that doesn't really seem to make any sense. Thoughts? Does it really matter that much?
 
For a family-owned business like this, it's still appropriate to use Employment-nonMilitary. You may not have collected a wage, but you were "reimbursed" in other ways, like a place to live, food, clothing, family support, etc.

That's what I was thinking. I know for governmental purposes I can't use the paid employment because they actually look into it deeper but I wasn't sure if the AMCAS would be as strict. Thanks for the answer.
 
What if some of the work experience I did such as a school group doesn't really have contact information. Like the only information I could give would be the president of the organization at the time I was an undergrad but that doesn't really seem to make any sense. Thoughts? Does it really matter that much?
If the work was through the university, then the Student Employment or Payroll Office should have a record of your job dates. Recall that the contact just has to confirm you dates and degree of involvement. This is not for a reference, so the person you use as a contact doesn't have to know you. The president of the organization, or a secretary, or the hiring office would be fine to use also. If all else fails, you might use your advisor (if they knew about it), your parent, or yourself.
 
Hello,
I have a question about my work/activities section of my application. I received a leadership award two years in a row, the second year I got an additional awards and an award for my campus club. All these awards were from the same award source. I am unsure if I should list all the awards separately (first year individual, second year individual, second year-club) or put the individual awards together.
Thanks!
 
Hello,
I have a question about my work/activities section of my application. I received a leadership award two years in a row, the second year I got an additional awards and an award for my campus club. All these awards were from the same award source. I am unsure if I should list all the awards separately (first year individual, second year individual, second year-club) or put the individual awards together.
Thanks!
Many would put them together. If you need more space you could split them up, make it "most meaningful", or put some with the associated activity.
 
I had a few questions. I am getting anxious cause i have yet to submit and its getting late.

Question 1: I helped with making a poster. I am listed as an author, however i did not do a presentation on it. Should I add this to my AMCAS works/activities as a poster/presentation?

question 2: Hobbies ? Should you list your hobbies even tough you are not necessary associated with an organization. ie. played basketball in some local leagues. should i just leave this out or add it? Another one is i competed in some competitive video game tournaments. I have won some $$$ (not a lot). however what do i put down as a contact etc.
edit: the competitive video game organization throws tournament and are an actual company however i doubt they would remember me outside of a gamer ID. I am inclined to leave hobbies out? or should i just add it? it can do no harm right?
 
1) I helped with making a poster. I am listed as an author, however i did not do a presentation on it. Should I add this to my AMCAS works/activities as a poster/presentation?

2) Hobbies ? Should you list your hobbies even though you are not necessary associated with an organization. ie. played basketball in some local leagues. should i just leave this out or add it?

3) Another one is i competed in some competitive video game tournaments. I have won some $$$ (not a lot). however what do i put down as a contact etc. edit: the competitive video game organization throws tournament and are an actual company however i doubt they would remember me outside of a gamer ID.

4) I am inclined to leave hobbies out? or should i just add it? it can do no harm right?
1) Yes, as long as someone presented it. I'm assuming this was research-related. State which author did the presentation (stood next to the poster) to give the credit that is due. Since your name is on the author list, you need not be present to get the credit.

If the presentation occured at a campus event, then mention the poster in the same space as the associated Research. If it was an off-campus event (regional or national conference) then put it in its own space for Posters/Presentations.

2) Yes, including solo hobbies is fine.

3) It's OK to use yourself.

4) Including a list of leisuretime activities is very important to some adcomms. They like to know you have stress-relieving interests. Most put all of them in one space, unless it is particularly important and you have a lot to say. We often see types of movies or books folks are attracted to, pet involvement, walking/running/working out, knitting/sewing/baking or cooking/working on motors/computer programming/wood-working, fishing, historical reinactment, dance, music, etc. It doesn't matter if it seems mundane, as it helps adcomms get a sense of who you are. Unique does get extra points though, as it makes you more memorable.

I will insert a cautionary note here. Over-involvement with video games can be perceived as anti-social/not requiring people skills, so don't come across as a one-trick pony.
 
...........


I will insert a cautionary note here. Over-involvement with video games can be perceived as anti-social/not requiring people skills, so don't come across as a one-trick pony.

Bold is my biggest fear. The stigma of video games and idea of competitive gaming.

The game I competed in was a team based game which required teamwork. I do not play anymore, but i played for a good 2 years. The game has declined and not many tournaments are being held for it.
 
Please forgive me if this has already been covered, but I'm having trouble deciding what category I should place some activities in.

At my church, I served as a volunteer webmaster for a while. I designed and maintained the churche's website. What category should this go under? "Other"?

Also, at my church I teach in the children's primary class (I think ages 6-9?) from time to time and am also a junior deacon (which essentially I help collect offering every so often), am a church greeter every so often, and am Sabbath School Assistant Superintendent (basically, I am in charge of getting people for Sabbath School song service each week, and do whatever upfront stuff that the Superintendent would normally do if he's gone.) I was thinking of listing this all together under one activity, perhaps "Church Involvement". Should I categorize this as "Other"?
Thanks!
 
I'm having trouble deciding what category I should place some activities in.

1) At my church, I served as a volunteer webmaster for a while. I designed and maintained the churche's website. What category should this go under? "Other"?

2) Also, at my church I teach in the children's primary class (I think ages 6-9?) from time to time and am also a junior deacon (which essentially I help collect offering every so often), am a church greeter every so often, and am Sabbath School Assistant Superintendent (basically, I am in charge of getting people for Sabbath School song service each week, and do whatever upfront stuff that the Superintendent would normally do if he's gone.) I was thinking of listing this all together under one activity, perhaps "Church Involvement". Should I categorize this as "Other"?
1) I'd pick Volunteer-not Medical/Clinical.

2) Since the activities you describe cover Teaching, Leadership, and general Volunteering, I think that choosing "Other" to cover everything is fine. The title you mentioned covers everything you'd put in the space. If you are short of room, you could maybe add the webmaster stuff, unless you have so much to say that you need the extra characters to do it justice.
 
EC question:

Is it bad that I won't be able to start Hospital Volunteering until Junior year? I have done some back in highschool, and part of freshman year, but stopped because I joined another organization.


Also, can I count these as E.Cs?/How do these look?
-Tutor(Mostly family and friends, but also have some people I have tutored in math, chemistry, and physics.
-Truck Dispatcher(roughly 2 years)
-Red Cross Volunteer(about 1.5 year at city 1 and another year at city 2, so 2.5 years all together)
-Church Volunteer(do they even care about this one?)

Future:
-Volunteer for health center(~1 year)[Hopefully I get the gig]
-Volunteer for hospital(start in jun year)
-At the university i will attend I hope to do research for a year.
-Internships(engineering related)



Looking for something else that I should perhaps add in?(medically or clinically related)

And overall how are the ecs?
 
EC question:

Is it bad that I won't be able to start Hospital Volunteering until Junior year? I have done some back in highschool, and part of freshman year, but stopped because I joined another organization.


Also, can I count these as E.Cs?/How do these look?
-Tutor(Mostly family and friends, but also have some people I have tutored in math, chemistry, and physics.
-Truck Dispatcher(roughly 2 years)
-Red Cross Volunteer(about 1.5 year at city 1 and another year at city 2, so 2.5 years all together)
-Church Volunteer(do they even care about this one?)

Future:
-Volunteer for health center(~1 year)[Hopefully I get the gig]
-Volunteer for hospital(start in jun year)
-At the university i will attend I hope to do research for a year.
-Internships(engineering related)



Looking for something else that I should perhaps add in?(medically or clinically related)

And overall how are the ecs?
Your questions are outside the scope of this thread and more suitable for the What are My Chances Forum. Please consider editing your post (since duplicate posts are frowned on by the mods) after copy/pasting it into a new thread there to get appropriate opinions.
 
Thanks for all of your help Catalystik! It is very kind and thoughtful of you to take the time to help us pre-meds out! I appreciate it immensely!
 
I served as a board member appointed by the vice chancellor to serve as an undergraduate representative for a committee that allocates funding for technology related programs/projects. Should I categorize that under Other or Extracurricular?
 
I served as a board member appointed by the vice chancellor to serve as an undergraduate representative for a committee that allocates funding for technology related programs/projects. Should I categorize that under Other or Extracurricular?
If you can convincingly describe your involvement as Leadership, I'd use that designation. Otherwise, Other sounds good.
 
how should i categorize these:
(1) capstone thesis
(2) presented thesis and defended it in front of a panel of professors, also a more general q&a session

would 2 be considered a presentation?

also, is "research/lab" ONLY for scientific research? (the way "publications" is pretty much only for scientific pubs?) if so, where should I list non-scientific research?
 
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