*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2013-2014*~*~*~*

[zhopv10]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

So would that be 3 entries for this then: Research, Conference, Poster presentation? Unless you are combining with other activities to describe under any of these categories, it would probably be stretching things too much. I say have 1 or 2 entries for this: Research only or Research and Publications/Posters. You can talk about the conference under the research entry.

I already have the research one written out so my only question really was on the other two sorry about the confusion. But ya I thought it seemed a little stretched as well just wanted to make sure they would be ok with me listing something that has its own pull down with another category (I'll throw the conf. in with the research one). Also, is it appropriate to make a note in the publications one that I will presenting the same research again at the SFN conf. this year as well? I know that future activities are generally a no-no but considering the abstract has already been submitted and accepted it seemed possibly ok?

 

[Girly X]

I already have the research one written out so my only question really was on the other two sorry about the confusion. But ya I thought it seemed a little stretched as well just wanted to make sure they would be ok with me listing something that has its own pull down with another category (I'll throw the conf. in with the research one). Also, is it appropriate to make a note in the publications one that I will presenting the same research again at the SFN conf. this year as well? I know that future activities are generally a no-no but considering the abstract has already been submitted and accepted it seemed possibly ok?

Yes, you can certainly make a note in there about the future presentation. The concern is that should you for some reason not present, you will need to be comfortable addressing it should an interviewer decide to talk about that specific future conference.

 

[zhopv10]

Yes, you can certainly make a note in there about the future presentation. The concern is that should you for some reason not present, you will need to be comfortable addressing it should an interviewer decide to talk about that specific future conference.

fair enough 🙂 thanks! 🙂

 

[golfguy510]

Unless you continued this activity into college... I would say no... what is so important about it? Is it medically related?

I'm coming across the same issue. I worked at Best Buy and learned a lot of valuable skills; these were obviously not medically related but it does demonstrate my ability to adapt and interact with varying individual needs.

Any thoughts on this? I did not continue into college but I did work a solid 2 years there.

 

[Girly X]

I'm coming across the same issue. I worked at Best Buy and learned a lot of valuable skills; these were obviously not medically related but it does demonstrate my ability to adapt and interact with varying individual needs.

Any thoughts on this? I did not continue into college but I did work a solid 2 years there.

Sorry but work or activities in high school were good for getting you into college. But for professional school, they want to know what you did with your time during college. Perhaps you can find a way to work the skills you received there into some secondaries. But don't dwell on it. Focus more on what you did after high school.

 

[BamaNicole]

So question.....I did an independent research project that resulted in a poster presentation where I did molecular research on a small population to test for a mutation that has been linked by primary literature to schizophrenia.

This research and presentation took me about a quarter to complete.

I'm leery on adding it to my application because it was only a quarter, however, it is research I did myself and involved some pretty awesome sequencing.


Should I add it or is it too short of a time to add it?

 

[Pandaeac]

Hi all,

I was a clinical research assistant at a major hospital for just under 2 years, but I worked one of those years for one PI and the other year for another PI, both in the same department (because the first PI left to work in another state.) So, I have two questions about this:

1) Should I list those two years as one activity or should I separate them and have one activity for each of the PIs?

2) I was fortunate to do a fair amount of shadowing of my bosses and their colleagues as part of this job. Should I just explain that in my description of these jobs or should I create a separate activity (something like "shadowing in the OR") for all of those experiences?

Thank you!

 

[fuhgidabowdit]

Is working in the pharmacy (cvs/pharmacy) considered medical/clinical? I did have contact with patients, just not in a hospital setting...

 

[Girly X]

So question.....I did an independent research project that resulted in a poster presentation where I did molecular research on a small population to test for a mutation that has been linked by primary literature to schizophrenia.

This research and presentation took me about a quarter to complete.

I'm leery on adding it to my application because it was only a quarter, however, it is research I did myself and involved some pretty awesome sequencing.


Should I add it or is it too short of a time to add it?

If this was your only research experience, I would create an entry for it. If you have another more substantial research experience then combine this one into that entry.

 

[Girly X]

Hi all,

I was a clinical research assistant at a major hospital for just under 2 years, but I worked one of those years for one PI and the other year for another PI, both in the same department (because the first PI left to work in another state.) So, I have two questions about this:

1) Should I list those two years as one activity or should I separate them and have one activity for each of the PIs?

2) I was fortunate to do a fair amount of shadowing of my bosses and their colleagues as part of this job. Should I just explain that in my description of these jobs or should I create a separate activity (something like "shadowing in the OR") for all of those experiences?

Thank you!

1) This is one activity so list it as such. Use the current PI as the contact.

2) You can create a shadowing activity to describe those opportunities you received there if they were separate from your normal job responsibilities

 

[Girly X]

Is working in the pharmacy (cvs/pharmacy) considered medical/clinical? I did have contact with patients, just not in a hospital setting...

Yes, that's fine. Hopefully you also have some more direct patient contact to help round out your app?

 

[BamaNicole]

If this was your only research experience, I would create an entry for it. If you have another more substantial research experience then combine this one into that entry.

How would you title the entry? Independent researcher study?

Sorry I'm kinda clueless as how to title the experience. thank you for your answer btw.

 

[Pandaeac]

1) This is one activity so list it as such. Use the current PI as the contact.

2) You can create a shadowing activity to describe those opportunities you received there if they were separate from your normal job responsibilities

Thank you very much! This is not my current job, but, I am actually in much greater contact with the first PI I worked for there... would it be okay to list him as the contact person?

 

[Pandaeac]

So question.....I did an independent research project that resulted in a poster presentation where I did molecular research on a small population to test for a mutation that has been linked by primary literature to schizophrenia.

This research and presentation took me about a quarter to complete.

I'm leery on adding it to my application because it was only a quarter, however, it is research I did myself and involved some pretty awesome sequencing.


Should I add it or is it too short of a time to add it?

Just wanted to second that I think you should definitely add this as an activity

 

[novafan3000]

Similar jobs, different companies about 2-3 years apart. Split these or use one bullet?

Thanks guys for all the feedback this thread is so helpful so far!

 

[Girly X]

How would you title the entry? Independent researcher study?

Sorry I'm kinda clueless as how to title the experience. thank you for your answer btw.

Use the discipline in the title eg. Molecular Biology Research or Genetics Research.

 

[BamaNicole]

Use the discipline in the title eg. Molecular Biology Research or Genetics Research.

Thank you so much

 

[polyatomic]

Similar jobs, different companies about 2-3 years apart. Split these or use one bullet?

Thanks guys for all the feedback this thread is so helpful so far!

I think it depends on how much you got out of each job and how much you're willing to talk about it. If you have a lot to say for both, make them separate. If they're not that significant to you, group them.

 

[Girly X]

Thank you very much! This is not my current job, but, I am actually in much greater contact with the first PI I worked for there... would it be okay to list him as the contact person?

If you are not currently there, then using your first PI as the contact is just fine.

Similar jobs, different companies about 2-3 years apart. Split these or use one bullet?

Thanks guys for all the feedback this thread is so helpful so far!

I think you should split them, since they are several years apart. But either way will work as polyatomic explained.

 

[hookem29]

Hey all quick question:

For entering the total amount of hours for each activity, should we include the hours that we expect to complete by the end of our last year? I know on the first page the advice is not to list planned activities, but the instructions on the AMCAS say to list the amount of hours expected to be completed during the selected range.

Thanks!

 

[TheLastofUs]

Hey all quick question:

For entering the total amount of hours for each activity, should we include the hours that we expect to complete by the end of our last year? I know on the first page the advice is not to list planned activities, but the instructions on the AMCAS say to list the amount of hours expected to be completed during the selected range.

Thanks!

Emailed and talked to AMCAS about this a few times they said put the expected hours in the time frame. If you put a time frame to matriculation put those hours.

Some here have recommended to write in the description how many have been completed verses how many you will complete. I personally did not do this because I used the description to write more prose about what I did and learned instead of wasting characters on hours differentiation.

 

[Pandaeac]

Emailed and talked to AMCAS about this a few times they said put the expected hours in the time frame. If you put a time frame to matriculation put those hours.

Some here have recommended to write in the description how many have been completed verses how many you will complete. I personally did not do this because I used the description to write more prose about what I did and learned instead of wasting characters on hours differentiation.

Along these lines... if I am currently in a job, what would put as the end date of that job?

 

[hookem29]

Emailed and talked to AMCAS about this a few times they said put the expected hours in the time frame. If you put a time frame to matriculation put those hours.

Some here have recommended to write in the description how many have been completed verses how many you will complete. I personally did not do this because I used the description to write more prose about what I did and learned instead of wasting characters on hours differentiation.

Thank you!

 

[polyatomic]

Along these lines... if I am currently in a job, what would put as the end date of that job?

I put May 2014 for the end of all my activities (b/c that's when I'm graduating). And AMCAS requires that you have all dates end by August 2014 I believe. If you think you'll end sooner, put that.

 

[m82145]

Hey guys,

I realized today that the grade I got for taking an EMT course at my local community college will affect my GPA. During the course, I had a family emergency that I had to attend to which impacted my grade and I ended up getting a B in the class. I know that getting a B isnt the biggest deal but the class was 6 credits and when averaged into my overall gpa, it really takes a toll (dropping me from a 3.7 to a 3.6). I know that I can't really do anything about it now, but would you guys recommend me saying something in my application about it? I don't want to draw too much attention to it but I also want medical schools to know the EMT class is the reason that my gpa is lower.

I was thinking about including EMT certification in my 15 activities and then adding something like this to my description:

"I took the EMT class at my local community college and experienced a family emergency over the summer that significantly affected my grade."

What do you think? Am I just overthinking this or should I try to fix it? I'm not sure if I'd be better off just leaving it alone... The worst part is that I was under the assumption that I had taken the course as an audit and when I realized that I was receiving a grade for it, it was too late.

 

[Elewynne]

Thank you polyatomic and kuntash for the tips; I'm going to break things up into a couple entries since I have the space and would like to include some more details.

 

[Girly X]

Hey guys,

I realized today that the grade I got for taking an EMT course at my local community college will affect my GPA. During the course, I had a family emergency that I had to attend to which impacted my grade and I ended up getting a B in the class. I know that getting a B isnt the biggest deal but the class was 6 credits and when averaged into my overall gpa, it really takes a toll (dropping me from a 3.7 to a 3.6). I know that I can't really do anything about it now, but would you guys recommend me saying something in my application about it? I don't want to draw too much attention to it but I also want medical schools to know the EMT class is the reason that my gpa is lower.

I was thinking about including EMT certification in my 15 activities and then adding something like this to my description:

"I took the EMT class at my local community college and experienced a family emergency over the summer that significantly affected my grade."

What do you think? Am I just overthinking this or should I try to fix it? I'm not sure if I'd be better off just leaving it alone... The worst part is that I was under the assumption that I had taken the course as an audit and when I realized that I was receiving a grade for it, it was too late.

If it was counted as coursework, then do not list it again as an EC, unless you did something with it outside of the requirements of the course. And don't mention the family emergency etc. significantly affected your grade in this course and gave you a B.

A 3.6 is just fine. Besides the adcoms will see when the dip happened and will easily be able to attribute it to the 6 credit course that will be clearly listed on your final AMCAS. If anyone has a problem with it (which they won't), trust me they will ask you during your interview. One thing I learned during last cycle was that do not offer up negatives. If they think you think it is a big deal, they will make it a big deal to pick your brains and see how you think.

 

[tydye89]

As future activities are a "no-no" for this section, would a scholarship to the graduate school you will attend during your gap year before matriculating be appropriate?

 

[zhopv10]

so I've been deciding which 3 experiences to select as my "most meaningful" and i'm trying to decide between whether or not to include my work as a CNA. It is certainly extremely important but I cover it a fair amount in my personal statement... so should I include another activity or still do the CNA work and just hit it from a different angle? Would it seem odd to discuss something a lot in your personal statement and then not select it as a most meaningful experience or is that sort of expected?

 

[polyatomic]

As future activities are a "no-no" for this section, would a scholarship to the graduate school you will attend during your gap year before matriculating be appropriate?

Definitely include that! That's great to show adcoms, that you know what you're doing.

 

[polyatomic]

so I've been deciding which 3 experiences to select as my "most meaningful" and i'm trying to decide between whether or not to include my work as a CNA. It is certainly extremely important but I cover it a fair amount in my personal statement... so should I include another activity or still do the CNA work and just hit it from a different angle? Would it seem odd to discuss something a lot in your personal statement and then not select it as a most meaningful experience or is that sort of expected?

I felt that way too. I discussed my volunteer work in my PS and then selected it as most meaningful in my activities. I just hit it from a different angle like you said. Tried not to repeat too much. It is awkward, but then again it really is your most meaningful.

 

[hvairline]

I felt that way too. I discussed my volunteer work in my PS and then selected it as most meaningful in my activities. I just hit it from a different angle like you said. Tried not to repeat too much. It is awkward, but then again it really is your most meaningful.

I second that, the volunteer work I did in a hospital was extremely meaningful and solidified my desire to become a doctor. Therefore I talked about it in both my PS and my WA section but in different words and using a different angle.

 

[Pandaeac]

Hi all,

When describing our publications, should we provide a full citation of the publication, or is just the title and the name of the journal sufficient? Also, should we provide information about the results of the study, or focus more on the role we played (e.g. compiling data, lit reviews, writing manuscript drafts?)

Thank you!

 

[polyatomic]

Hi all,

When describing our publications, should we provide a full citation of the publication, or is just the title and the name of the journal sufficient? Also, should we provide information about the results of the study, or focus more on the role we played (e.g. compiling data, lit reviews, writing manuscript drafts?)

Thank you!

Well it depends. Did you describe your research for the publication somewhere else? Like under research experience? If you did, then I don't think you need to repeat yourself, unless you have something new to add. If you didn't describe your research elsewhere, definitely give a blurb about it. For a description, focus on your role (that's the most important!), but also make sure you give a sentence or two describing the study so you can involve the reader.

 

[scottydsntkno]

Hello Everyone!

I noticed there is now an option for intercollegiate athletics. I was a member of my Universities mens club crew team. Would this go here or under Extracurricular.

My school lacked a D1 Team, so the Club team was the only mens crew team that competed against other colleges in huge regattas such as the Charles, Skullykill, Dads Vail, etc..

 

[dirty630]

Emailed and talked to AMCAS about this a few times they said put the expected hours in the time frame. If you put a time frame to matriculation put those hours.

Some here have recommended to write in the description how many have been completed verses how many you will complete. I personally did not do this because I used the description to write more prose about what I did and learned instead of wasting characters on hours differentiation.

So if my time frame is from August 2012 - May 2014, and I did 200 hours last year, should I write 400 hours since I plan on doing another 200 hours next year?

 

[SmallBlock]

Hello Everyone!

I noticed there is now an option for intercollegiate athletics. I was a member of my Universities mens club crew team. Would this go here or under Extracurricular.

My school lacked a D1 Team, so the Club team was the only mens crew team that competed against other colleges in huge regattas such as the Charles, Skullykill, Dads Vail, etc..

Yay for other rowers! Since we insist on gambling on races, Men's rowing isn't a part of the NCAA. So in some ways we're all club rowers. Put it under intercollegiate athletics, it will shine more there.

 

[polyatomic]

So if my time frame is from August 2012 - May 2014, and I did 200 hours last year, should I write 400 hours since I plan on doing another 200 hours next year?

Yes

 

[dirty630]

Yes

I feel like I'm cheating....

 

[SmallBlock]

I feel like I'm cheating....

Well, the majority of people will probably be doing this, so you would likely put yourself at a disadvantage if you didn't do the same.

In fact, I know that everyone here says not to put future activities, but my pre-med advising group actually suggests including those as well, with a start date of the current month and an explanation in the description. You're going to be sending update letters, in all likelihood, so why not? What's the worst that could happen? Schools expect you to be using your time wisely if you're taking a gap year, and I doubt they think you would drop all ECs if you're still in school. They may not necessarily "accept" hours that haven't been accrued yet, but it gives them a heads-up that you have plans, which you then back up with update letters

 

[polyatomic]

I feel like I'm cheating....

You have to think, they'll be looking at your application for the next YEAR. If you're fairly certain in a year you'll have completed x number of hours, it's not cheating. It shows you're committed to this particular project.

Plus, in the AMCAS instructions, it says to do this. So it's not cheating.

 

[Anathema]

What should I categorize being a paid filmmaker as? It's not exactly big money so I've been putting it under Artistic Endeavors for now.

 

[Girly X]

In an all day meeting at work today. Will be back soon to give my thoughts on some of your questions as well.

 

[polyatomic]

What should I categorize being a paid filmmaker as? It's not exactly big money so I've been putting it under Artistic Endeavors for now.

I think either would be fine. Artistic Endeavor might be more appropriate, and a way to catch their eye rather than just "work."

 

[scottydsntkno]

Yay for other rowers! Since we insist on gambling on races, Men's rowing isn't a part of the NCAA. So in some ways we're all club rowers. Put it under intercollegiate athletics, it will shine more there.

Fello Rower ! Thanks a lot!

 

[Girly X]

As future activities are a "no-no" for this section, would a scholarship to the graduate school you will attend during your gap year before matriculating be appropriate?

A scholarship that has already been awarded is fine. Only remote problem would be if you do not actually matriculate for some reason. But otherwise you should be fine discussing gap year plans. In fact many secondaries will ask "what will you be doing between now and August 2014.

 

[Girly X]

so I've been deciding which 3 experiences to select as my "most meaningful" and i'm trying to decide between whether or not to include my work as a CNA. It is certainly extremely important but I cover it a fair amount in my personal statement... so should I include another activity or still do the CNA work and just hit it from a different angle? Would it seem odd to discuss something a lot in your personal statement and then not select it as a most meaningful experience or is that sort of expected?

Yup. Hit it from a related but second angle. You may even need to come up with a related but third angle for your secondaries (which will seem to ask questions you feel have already been answered in your PS or primary).

I handled this "problem" by having 3 (or 4) different stories about my most significant activities. Stories especially with people/characters can really help you build your overall theme. That theme should be seen throughout all your app (primary ECs, PS, secondaries essays, then finally at the interview). So find a balance between repetitive but somewhat different each time.

 

[Girly X]

Hi all,

When describing our publications, should we provide a full citation of the publication, or is just the title and the name of the journal sufficient? Also, should we provide information about the results of the study, or focus more on the role we played (e.g. compiling data, lit reviews, writing manuscript drafts?)

Thank you!

Provide full citations whenever possible as someone may want to look up your work.

Briefly describe the study and results but focus on the "so what" and "how you believe that what you learned or the skills you developed may help you as a future physician"

 

[Girly X]

Hello Everyone!

I noticed there is now an option for intercollegiate athletics. I was a member of my Universities mens club crew team. Would this go here or under Extracurricular.

My school lacked a D1 Team, so the Club team was the only mens crew team that competed against other colleges in huge regattas such as the Charles, Skullykill, Dads Vail, etc..

Yup. Intercollegiate athletics.

 

[Girly X]

So if my time frame is from August 2012 - May 2014, and I did 200 hours last year, should I write 400 hours since I plan on doing another 200 hours next year?

The hours do not really matter once you get to 200+. So either way is probably fine. However, make sure you have enough space to say what you have learned, how you grew from this etc.