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

[zdbsy]

Hey man I have similar circumstances. For the unverified transcripts (like a foreign undergraduate degree & courseworks), the AMCAS still wants us to list them in the coursework area without verification?

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[Mlamek514]

This may have been answered multiple times but how do you state total hours for the work/activities post I'm making where I'm lumping different scholarships and awards I've received all together?

 

[Ismet]

This may have been answered multiple times but how do you state total hours for the work/activities post I'm making where I'm lumping different scholarships and awards I've received all together?

Unless they've changed it this year, that should not be a required field. You don't have to put in the total hours if there are no hours to account for.

 

[Mlamek514]

If I've played a sport and won two national Championships in it should that be two seperate post in the work/activities section or just one?

 

[274631]

I used the search function and still didn't find an answer to this question. Sorry if it has been answered before. For 3 of my activities, I have not been in contact with anyone since I left those positions. I think most of the people who knew me have left their position and I do not know if the contact information I have for them (by searching online, old emails, etc) is up to date. Would it be a red flag to put myself down as a contact for these 3 activities?

Also, did anyone let all their contacts know that you were putting them down as a contact?

 

[Girly X]

Is a lifeguarding job:

paid employment - medical/clinical
or
paid employment - not medical/clinical


I want to say the former mostly because of all the first aid needs I had to take care of (stubbed toes, cuts, splinters, lots of minor (but bleeding) wounds, etc) and the training I had to undergo and keep current/practice (CPR, first aid, AED use, etc)...but the pool patrons weren't exactly "patients" nor in a hospital/clinic.

Should it really be classified as "not medical/clinical" instead?

I think listing it as medical/clinical may be a bit of a stretch. But I guess it depends on how you frame your duties. If you feel providing first aid was the large majority of your time spent as a lifeguard, then sure.

 

[Girly X]

Hey man I have similar circumstances. For the unverified transcripts (like a foreign undergraduate degree & courseworks), the AMCAS still wants us to list them in the coursework area without verification?

According to a previous poster, yes. Read the instruction guide, what to do is probably clearly stated in there.

 

[cyaneidae]

I think listing it as medical/clinical may be a bit of a stretch. But I guess it depends on how you frame your duties. If you feel providing first aid was the large majority of your time spent as a lifeguard, then sure.

Thanks for the input! Your first sentence is basically what I was thinking, but it's a blurry line so I wasn't sure. Probably will switch it over to non-clinical, then. I have a lot of other clinical activities, anyway.

 

[Girly X]

If I've played a sport and won two national Championships in it should that be two seperate post in the work/activities section or just one?

Sure. You can create an entry for the sport (Category: Athletics), and then list the Championship wins too (Category:Awards/Honors). But do not create a new Awards category just for this if you already have one where you can include this in a list.

 

[Girly X]

I used the search function and still didn't find an answer to this question. Sorry if it has been answered before. For 3 of my activities, I have not been in contact with anyone since I left those positions. I think most of the people who knew me have left their position and I do not know if the contact information I have for them (by searching online, old emails, etc) is up to date. Would it be a red flag to put myself down as a contact for these 3 activities?
Also, did anyone let all their contacts know that you were putting them down as a contact?

If there were any records kept, then the current supervisor will be able to provide verification that you were in that position (even if they never met you). If these were jobs, you could also list someone in the HR dept (call to figure out who to list). Worse case, list someone (friend, co-worker, family member) who could verify that you did what you said you did).

I would hesitate to list myself as the contact for anything. I feel it slightly diminishes the awesomeness of the activity, especially if you are describing some great things that you did.

No need to let your contacts know you are listing them. 99% of the time, they will probably not be contacted by any school.

 

[Catalystik]

Okay, so I've worked one summer about 4 hours a week UNOFFICIALLY for my dad in his private neurological practice. My dad paid me directly for doing work, but it was not official. Basically, I reviewed patient medical records, dealt with some billing and insurance stuff here and there.
Now, can this be categorized as "paid employment/clinical?" I'm assuming it can't considering medical schools can look up who was OFFICIALLY hired in the United States and when, and so I could very well be lying and they could be suspicious, considering the contact is my father.
I'm also considering wiping out this activity altogether, but it would be a blow to my application.

This would be considered paid employment, even if your compensation was in food and a place to live. AMCAS and adcomms are not going to ask if you were paid under the table, nor will they be confirming it with any national database. In the rare instance where they'd call or email to confirm the activity, they will only ask for confirmation of dates and typical hours worked. You might do better to list an office manager or supervisory nurse (if any) as the contact if such a person would know this information.

 

[rosaceae]

Like others, I tried to use the search function but couldn't find what I am about to ask (though I am sure it has been asked before). I am writing my work/activities in a narrative form, so formatting hasn't been an issue before. For my shadowing experiences, I am going to separate them with hard enters.

i.e.
Informal shadowing:
Radiologists, OB/GYNS, etc... through xx organization - xx hrs

Formal shadowing:
xxxxx, MD (Cardiologist) - xx hrs.

This looks fine when I select print a PDF version of my application, but when I select the HTML version it shows up as one long paragraph (none of my enters show up) and it is hard to distinguish between the different shadowing experiences.

What do you guys suggest I do for this? I am sure people have run into this problem before, especially since some people are doing their whole work/activities section in bulletpoint form. Any help would be greatly appreciated, especially since I am hoping to submit today

 

[Ismet]

Like others, I tried to use the search function but couldn't find what I am about to ask (though I am sure it has been asked before). I am writing my work/activities in a narrative form, so formatting hasn't been an issue before. For my shadowing experiences, I am going to separate them with hard enters.

i.e.
Informal shadowing:
Radiologists, OB/GYNS, etc... through xx organization - xx hrs

Formal shadowing:
xxxxx, MD (Cardiologist) - xx hrs.

This looks fine when I select print a PDF version of my application, but when I select the HTML version it shows up as one long paragraph (none of my enters show up) and it is hard to distinguish between the different shadowing experiences.

What do you guys suggest I do for this? I am sure people have run into this problem before, especially since some people are doing their whole work/activities section in bulletpoint form. Any help would be greatly appreciated, especially since I am hoping to submit today

Hard enters (basic formatting) will not show up in the HTML version. Just use the PDF version, as that is very similar to what adcoms will see.

 

[274631]

Thanks! Two are work positions and one is a volunteer position. I asked my dad to call the HR of one of the work places (its an international job back in my home country) and I am going to put a co-worker who I realized I had as a fb friend as the other. As for the volunteer thing, I'm just hoping the email address I have is still valid.

 

[ilikeponies]

Hey everyone!

So I've been horseback riding since I was 8 (I'm 22 now) and it's been a huge part of my life and absolutely a most meaningful experience. Once I started college I joined the equestrian club and taught riding lessons, trained the horses, etc. the entire time I was there. While the fact that I've been riding for 14 years is a hobby/extracurricular, the club was more of a leadership opportunity for me. Should I separate those two components? Or should I combine them, listing the date range that started when I began riding and then include both components (leisure and the club) in the title and in the description? I would like to keep the "leadership" category if possible, but if I combine them I'm not sure I can still do that.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Also, I presented a poster after one of my research experiences and have those two components separated - in the research listing, can I say something like "see 'Summer Poster Presentation (NIH)' for project details"?

 

[member5689]

I am finalizing my three most meaningful experiences now. I have four potentials: summer camp counselor for sick children, intercollegiate club ice hockey team, undergraduate nutritional science research lab assistant, and my current job as a clinical research aide at a medical school.

The bulk of my personal statement focuses on my summer camp experience and how this confirmed my desire to go to medical school, so this obviously is one of my most meaningful experiences. I would prefer to elaborate on the other three, since I only briefly mention them in my personal statement and have a lot more I could say about them.

Do you think it will look bad if I don't choose camp as most meaningful since I clearly state in my personal statement that it was the clincher for medicine? Or will this be assumed after reviewing my personal statement in combination with my work/ activities section?

Thanks for your input!

 

[BillrothI]

What do you guys think about listing a hobby as a 'most meaningful' activity? I was a competitive athlete for several years and consider that meaningful, but I am worried that the adcoms will see that as irrelevant and kind of a waste of space.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Bill R.

 

[uphillBattle]

What contact would we put for something like honors list?

 

[DocOpotamus]

Hard enters (basic formatting) will not show up in the HTML version. Just use the PDF version, as that is very similar to what adcoms will see.

Hi Ismet,
Congratulations on your successful cycle! I hope you continue to offer your advice on this thread throughout the cycle. We appreciate it! To those who got their apps in today, happy submission : )

 

[FxnOverload]

The only Awards/Honor I have received is the Dean's List (3.75+ GPA), and I received this twice, during the Fall/Spring of my Freshman year.

I want to list at least one award/honor, but at the same time (while it will be obvious) I don't want to draw even more attention to the fact I haven't gotten it during my sophomore or junior semesters.

Any advice whether to list it or not? I think I'm just thinking into it too much, and I should just list it.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

so I was inputting the work/activities, and I had a question...

Do i make separate slots for my leadership positions, or do I use one slot and list all of them under that one category?

 

[TheBossDoctor]

I have a question.

When we describe our activities, is it recommended to just explain what we did or should we also explain stuff like what we got out of it, how we grew from the experience, and how it will help us as a doctor?

And if we should explain the meaningfulness of the activities and all the latter stuff, do we just do that for the activities listed as "most meaningful" or is it recommended to do that for all of the activities we list?

 

[Girly X]

Hey everyone!

So I've been horseback riding since I was 8 (I'm 22 now) and it's been a huge part of my life and absolutely a most meaningful experience. Once I started college I joined the equestrian club and taught riding lessons, trained the horses, etc. the entire time I was there. While the fact that I've been riding for 14 years is a hobby/extracurricular, the club was more of a leadership opportunity for me. Should I separate those two components? Or should I combine them, listing the date range that started when I began riding and then include both components (leisure and the club) in the title and in the description? I would like to keep the "leadership" category if possible, but if I combine them I'm not sure I can still do that.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Also, I presented a poster after one of my research experiences and have those two components separated - in the research listing, can I say something like "see 'Summer Poster Presentation (NIH)' for project details"?

Horseback riding: Leadership is fine if you focus on that aspect of your involvement, with a smaller focus on the leisure aspects. One entry.

Poster: No. Do the full description of the project details within the research listing and be much briefer in the poster listing instead (without doing a cross reference). You will find that as you begin secondaries, some questions will seem to ask the same thing (even for one school). You must resist the urge to say things like "for more details please see my response X" or "as described in X,...."

 

[Girly X]

I am finalizing my three most meaningful experiences now. I have four potentials: summer camp counselor for sick children, intercollegiate club ice hockey team, undergraduate nutritional science research lab assistant, and my current job as a clinical research aide at a medical school.

The bulk of my personal statement focuses on my summer camp experience and how this confirmed my desire to go to medical school, so this obviously is one of my most meaningful experiences. I would prefer to elaborate on the other three, since I only briefly mention them in my personal statement and have a lot more I could say about them.

Do you think it will look bad if I don't choose camp as most meaningful since I clearly state in my personal statement that it was the clincher for medicine? Or will this be assumed after reviewing my personal statement in combination with my work/ activities section?

Thanks for your input!

No, if your PS is based on it, and it is your clincher for medicine, then it makes the most sense to have it as one of your most meaningful. It would be strange not to.

 

[Girly X]

What do you guys think about listing a hobby as a 'most meaningful' activity? I was a competitive athlete for several years and consider that meaningful, but I am worried that the adcoms will see that as irrelevant and kind of a waste of space.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Bill R.

No one can dictate what should be most meaningful to anyone else. If you clearly say why, describe what you learned and let your passion come through as you explain its significance to you, then I don't see why not. This goes for this or anything else that is selected as most meaningful. I actually feel that playing a competitive sport is a major EC.

 

[Girly X]

What contact would we put for something like honors list?

Your registrar's name and contact info, if you mean Dean's list (or any other academic honor).

If this is something else, then pick someone official (if possible) who can confirm that you received that honor.

 

[Girly X]

The only Awards/Honor I have received is the Dean's List (3.75+ GPA), and I received this twice, during the Fall/Spring of my Freshman year.

I want to list at least one award/honor, but at the same time (while it will be obvious) I don't want to draw even more attention to the fact I haven't gotten it during my sophomore or junior semesters.

Any advice whether to list it or not? I think I'm just thinking into it too much, and I should just list it.

List both. Two is better than 0. Plus your GPA breakdowns will already tell them that your freshman year was your best.

 

[Girly X]

so I was inputting the work/activities, and I had a question...

Do i make separate slots for my leadership positions, or do I use one slot and list all of them under that one category?

Make one slot and list all. Perhaps if one of them stood out above the rest, you can highlight it in a slot of its own.

 

[Girly X]

Hi all, I have a similar question to others listed here..just want some more input!

I don't have many awards/scholarships so I'm wondering if its worth listing another box (I do have room). I have: dean's list, 2 minor scholarships based on aGPA, and then I do have a significant research award, but this was already mentioned when I described my research, and I have a leadership award from an organization, but this was also mentioned in my discussion of that organization. So in all I have 4 different awards but 2 have already been mentioned in other parts of my application.

Is it worth it to list the awards? Should I re-list the awards that I already mentioned? Or will I be drawing attention to my lack of scholarships? I'm probably over thinking this haha. Thanks!

Yes. Create an awards entry. Re-list (like literally no descriptions needed) the two already described. Also list your small scholarships perhaps with a very brief explaination of the criteria for winning them and how much they were for. You are not going to be denied an interview or acceptance because you did not receive a large undergrad scholarship. Definitely over thinking this.

 

[Girly X]

I have a question.

When we describe our activities, is it recommended to just explain what we did or should we also explain stuff like what we got out of it, how we grew from the experience, and how it will help us as a doctor?

And if we should explain the meaningfulness of the activities and all the latter stuff, do we just do that for the activities listed as "most meaningful" or is it recommended to do that for all of the activities we list?

I explained what I got/learned/how I grew from each of my ECs. All you need is a few sentences like this within each description. Even 1 such sentence is better than none, imo. If it is something that obviously needs no explanation on what you learned etc. (like an Award), then of course be extremely brief and only describe.

For my most meaningful, I did about 40% description, 60% reflection sometimes more.

Some (including adcoms on SDN), feel that you should only reflect in your most meaningful ones. I received 11 interviews and 9 acceptances after reflecting all over my primary

 

[gopromd]

I have gone on various medical trips abroad with my father who is a physician. We've been to Nepal (2010), Thailand (2011), India (2011), Dominican Republic (2012) and Costa Rica (2013). I also went on a similar mission trip with my university to Kenya.

My question is: Can I group them together under one experience name as Mission Trips? And note specific dates/places in the description? And for country would I submit the "organization" as US based?

 

[Ismet]

I have gone on various medical trips abroad with my father who is a physician. We've been to Nepal (2010), Thailand (2011), India (2011), Dominican Republic (2012) and Costa Rica (2013). I also went on a similar mission trip with my university to Kenya.

My question is: Can I group them together under one experience name as Mission Trips? And note specific dates/places in the description? And for country would I submit the "organization" as US based?

yes, that's all fine.

 

[Anathema]

I was a TA for a physiology lab and helped students create studies for a journal. If a student accredited me in their acknowledgement should I post a link towards that said journal?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I was a TA for a physiology lab and helped students create studies for a journal. If a student accredited me in their acknowledgement should I post a link towards that said journal?

I'm guessing this journal was an undergraduate intramural journal? If so, don't list it. Acknowledgements don't mean anything even if you're acknowledged in a Nature paper (they're just a professional courtesy), and undergrad journals don't really count as publications. Trying to boast about being acknowledged in an undergrad journal will just make you come off as extremely desperate.

If the work was published in a real journal though, then you could say something like "helped students design their own independent projects, some which later went on to be published". Really you could probably leave that last part off and the effect would be the same.

 

[Anathema]

I'm guessing this journal was an undergraduate intramural journal? If so, don't list it. Acknowledgements don't mean anything even if you're acknowledged in a Nature paper (they're just a professional courtesy), and undergrad journals don't really count as publications. Trying to boast about being acknowledged in an undergrad journal will just make you come off as extremely desperate.

If the work was published in a real journal though, then you could say something like "helped students design their own independent projects, some which later went on to be published". Really you could probably leave that last part off and the effect would be the same.

That's what I was thinking about the desperate bit I'll stick to what I have. Thanks!

 

[Seranio]

.

 

[Sports Junky]

I have taken the bullet form approach, and I just want to make sure that the format will appear correctly. During the actual "edit" field itself, the format looks correct. But when I click on the summary page, and "show details", the format is no longer intact (It's just one big paragraph with bullet points in between).

Is there anyway to "preview" how it will appear? I think I'm just being neurotic...

 

[Ismet]

I have taken the bullet form approach, and I just want to make sure that the format will appear correctly. During the actual "edit" field itself, the format looks correct. But when I click on the summary page, and "show details", the format is no longer intact (It's just one big paragraph with bullet points in between).

Is there anyway to "preview" how it will appear? I think I'm just being neurotic...

there's an option to print the app in PDF. that's what it will look like.

 

[Sports Junky]

there's an option to print the app in PDF. that's what it will look like.

Thank you! I knew I was just being neurotic. The PDF format is very useful in verifying information, I'll be sure to use it before I submit.

 

[osmosis11]

How do you recommend calculating hours for hobbies? My hobby is a sport that I have been playing since grade school. I was very competitive in hs, but chose not to compete at the collegiate level. In college, I won intramural leagues and also regularly played/practiced in more relaxed settings. I don't have any way of really making a good calculation of my hours. Should I just try to list the hours that were for official intramurals in college? Or should I try to include more hours that were when I was just enjoying it? If I were to put all the hours that I ever played, it would be way over the maximum.

 

[ilikeponies]

Horseback riding: Leadership is fine if you focus on that aspect of your involvement, with a smaller focus on the leisure aspects. One entry.

Poster: No. Do the full description of the project details within the research listing and be much briefer in the poster listing instead (without doing a cross reference). You will find that as you begin secondaries, some questions will seem to ask the same thing (even for one school). You must resist the urge to say things like "for more details please see my response X" or "as described in X,...."

Got it, thanks so much!

 

[DamanTHFC]

Hi,
I was wondering if it is necessary to use the extra space for a meaningful experience.

For instance, I right now have 2 meaningful experiences that I am going to have to use the extra space, but for my third (potentially meaningful) experience, think i have enough that i dont need to use the extra space.

So overall i am trying to decide to make this experience meaningful or not (but it actually is meaningful to me.) I am afraid that not using the extra space will make it sound that it wasn't meaningful.

Thanks!

 

[BillrothI]

Hi,
I was wondering if it is necessary to use the extra space for a meaningful experience.

For instance, I right now have 2 meaningful experiences that I am going to have to use the extra space, but for my third (potentially meaningful) experience, think i have enough that i dont need to use the extra space.

So overall i am trying to decide to make this experience meaningful or not (but it actually is meaningful to me.) I am afraid that not using the extra space will make it sound that it wasn't meaningful.

Thanks!

I have the same question. I have two meaningful experiences; is it essential to have a third?

Thanks,
Bill R.

 

[TheBossDoctor]

For one of my clinical experiences, I actually quit the program half-way through. It was a 200 hour/1 year commitment, but I only completed 100 hours/6 months.

I really want to list it, but I am wondering if it is still OK to list it?

Even though I quit half-way through, I still got something out of it, and it does comprise nearly 50% of the clinical experience I have right now. I can still say that I got something out of it (patient interaction and such). I only quit half-way through because I felt that I could be doing more with other clinical opportunities.

 

[Pacna]

For one of my clinical experiences, I actually quit the program half-way through. It was a 200 hour/1 year commitment, but I only completed 100 hours/6 months.

I really want to list it, but I am wondering if it is still OK to list it?

Even though I quit half-way through, I still got something out of it, and it does comprise nearly 50% of the clinical experience I have right now. I can still say that I got something out of it (patient interaction and such). I only quit half-way through because I felt that I could be doing more with other clinical opportunities.

Definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY list it. 100% okay to quit jobs to pursue better opportunities. It actually show initiative. I would say that I quit to pursue a better opportunity at <place>.

 

[Ismet]

For one of my clinical experiences, I actually quit the program half-way through. It was a 200 hour/1 year commitment, but I only completed 100 hours/6 months.

I really want to list it, but I am wondering if it is still OK to list it?

Even though I quit half-way through, I still got something out of it, and it does comprise nearly 50% of the clinical experience I have right now. I can still say that I got something out of it (patient interaction and such). I only quit half-way through because I felt that I could be doing more with other clinical opportunities.

You can definitely list it, but don't harp that much on quitting halfway through.

Definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY list it. 100% okay to quit jobs to pursue better opportunities. It actually show initiative. I would say that I quit to pursue a better opportunity at <place>.

It also shows lack of commitment, which is not good. Double-edged sword.

 

[TheBossDoctor]

I'm definitely not going to mention that I quit. I just feel like it might seem a little suspicious since it's only 6 months long, and adcoms might think I left in the middle. If they do call the contact listed, then they'll definitely know I quit. But til then, I plan to avoid mentioning that part.

It would help if I had started my next clinical volunteering gig right after, but unfortunately, there was a 9 month gap between the two.

 

[TheBossDoctor]

You can definitely list it, but don't harp that much on quitting halfway through.



It also shows lack of commitment, which is not good. Double-edged sword.

I'm definitely not going to mention that I quit. I just feel like it might seem a little suspicious since it's only 6 months long, and adcoms might think I left in the middle. If they do call the contact listed, then they'll definitely find out I quit. But til then, I plan to avoid mentioning that part.

It would help if I had started my next clinical volunteering gig right after, but unfortunately, there was a 9 month gap between the two.

 

[thebluthfamily]

Would putting down two hobbies be a bad idea? I'm debating between putting down piano and reading as hobbies. I'm passionate about both of them; I've played piano for ten years now and still continue and I've been an avid reader ever since I was 4 (I even started a book club at my university). I feel that both of these hobbies would give the adcom a better understanding of who I am. Would you guys suggest putting both down or just keeping one (and if so, which one)?

 

[Ismet]

Would putting down two hobbies be a bad idea? I'm debating between putting down piano and reading as hobbies. I'm passionate about both of them; I've played piano for ten years now and still continue and I've been an avid reader ever since I was 4 (I even started a book club at my university). I feel that both of these hobbies would give the adcom a better understanding of who I am. Would you guys suggest putting both down or just keeping one (and if so, which one)?

You can combine both into one "Hobbies" entry and talk about both of them in the description. Or if you have enough slots, you can definitely make them separate. I had one entry (actually a most meaningful activity "artistic endeavor") for playing the cello and then a separate "Hobbies" entry where I talked about the other instruments I play and other activities. You're not limited to just one!