*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2015-2016*~*~*~*

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Thank you @Catalystik for taking time out to answer all our questions! You have been sooooo helpful!!

I have another question.... If I submitted an abstract in May and it was accepted for a presentation at a conference in October, what do I list as the date for that poster? I am listing this poster with other posters, and those have been the dates when the conference actually happened. If I say Oct 2015 for this poster will it raise eyebrows? Because of the space limit I don't think saying "abstract submitted and accepted in May 2015, presentation in October 2015" will be an option, not to mention that it is not the format I used for other posters (I simply listed full citations for those). I might be just splitting hairs but please help! Thank you so much.
 
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When listing hobbies and interests (compiled under one entry), is it necessary to add hours/week for each hobby? Some of my hobbies are projects that I will work on intensely for a week until it is complete, but then I might not start another project for a while.
 
moemoekyun said:
I think I saw this earlier, but if I'm starting an activity this month, got some hours, and plan to continue till the end of the year, or later (directions on site to next August), that would warrant repeat. First for hours at submission, then second for expected hours, correct?
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If you want to include the hours of a future activity that you are already engaged in, but keeping in mind that you won't be judged by future plans that could fall through, you can consider these options:

1) Use the Repeated feature to separate the Completed vs Future hours. This works if May 2015 is both your End Date for the Completed Hours and your Start Date for the future hours (you won't be permitted to enter and save a future start date that hasn't happened yet). Put the appropriate total in each Total Hours box. If you are graduating December or May 2016, that is a reasonable end date to enter if you are sure you will stay involved with the activity for another term or year. Include a conservative, in-good-faith guess on future hours for the second Total Hours box.

2) Or, only list the Completed Hours in the Total Hours box using the appropriate Start and End Dates, then in the narrative box state that you plan to continue this activity from June 2015-May 2016 with a probable additional 400 (or whatever) hours.

3) Or, do the same as in #2, but don't state anticipated Future hours, especially if there is any possibility they might not be completed. Just make a statement that you intend to continue with the activity for another X months.

*************Note that on June 1 you'll be able to enter June 2015 as the End Date for date range #1 and Start Date for date range #2, if you prefer.
 
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nRomaleos said:
1) Have you mentioned who do we put under the main contact for our compilation of shadowing experiences?

2) I was part of a philanthropy on campus for multiple-years. We volunteered with local organizations and hosted fundraisers. I also had a leadership position for a portion of the time as well. Would this be categorized under: extracurricular, community/volunteer service, other, or leadership? For context, I already have leadership and volunteer services for other activities.

3) Related question. I interned at a philanthropy for the underserved, but was primarily involved in marketing, campaigning, etc. I only received a stipend. Would this be under: extracurricular, comm/volunteer, or other?
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1) Use the Contact for the first listed Shadowed physician. This could be the most recent, the easiest to contact, or the one with the most hours, as you wish. Contact for others on your list will be entered with your narrative description, unless one Contact applies to all of them.

2) I suggest Community Service, but with a title referring to your leadership role, as then you can use the entire date span of involvement with the organization. In the narrative you can list the dates of the leadership role.

3) Internships are usually best tagged as Other, as they tend to have multiple subcomponents.
 
justadream said:
When you enter in an activity, there is a space for "Organization". As such, would you NOT put the organization name in the "experience name" entry?

For example, let's say you are editor in chief of the Harvard Crimson.

Should you put:

Experience Name: Editor in Chief
Organization: Harvard Crimson

OR

Experience Name: Harvard Crimson Editor in Chief
Organization: Harvard Crimson
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When possible, it's a good idea not to repeat words in an entry and to add more information where possible, which makes for more interesting reading. I suggest something like:

Experience Name: Managing Editor of Daily School Newspaper
Organization: Harvard Crimson
 
ejay19955 said:
If I submitted an abstract in May and it was accepted for a presentation at a conference in October, what do I list as the date for that poster? I am listing this poster with other posters, and those have been the dates when the conference actually happened. If I say Oct 2015 for this poster will it raise eyebrows? Because of the space limit I don't think saying "abstract submitted and accepted in May 2015, presentation in October 2015" will be an option, not to mention that it is not the format I used for other posters (I simply listed full citations for those). I might be just splitting hairs but please help!
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You can only state what is true by the date of submission. Sometimes "life happens" and planned presentations don't occur. Either cut down the words, or save it for an update letter or Secondary. There are varying acceptable formats, but maybe this can be adapted to yours:

Hsu, K. T., & Mendez, E. J. Suicidal ideation in incarcerated young adults. Abstract accepted for Annual Convention of the Southern Psychological Association, Savannah, GA, Oct15. (If you have extra space, add details of acceptance date and that it's a poster, though that should be redundant considering the tag you've used for the space.)
 
oneirologist said:
When listing hobbies and interests (compiled under one entry), is it necessary to add hours/week for each hobby? Some of my hobbies are projects that I will work on intensely for a week until it is complete, but then I might not start another project for a while.
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No. But give a sense of what involvements occur on a more regular basis, perhaps.
 
For undergrad, I went to a relatively conservative school, but I was involved in this "progressive" club on campus. The club had many different aims, but my involvement revolved around 1. increasing conversation and awareness about sexual assault on campus and 2. persuading the university to add "sexual orientation" to their nondiscrimination clause. I was debating listing this as my final activity, but I don't know if this would be considered too controversial. Alternatively, I could:

1. Only list 14 activities

2. Add in the semester I worked as a lab tech, but given that I have had 3 full years & 2 summers of research experiences, I didn't know if this would add much to my application. As a note, I am applying to more research-oriented schools.

3. List the retail job I had summer after freshman year of college to account for this time

Thanks!
 
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I began a scribe position in an ED with ScribeAmerica this month. Should I include it? By the time I send the primary application out, I wouldn't have began working on the floor yet, still doing classroom training. Should I save this for secondaries?
 
I did two separate, independent projects under the same lab. They are completely unrelated. Should I list them separately? The second one led to a poster/pending publication where I am listed co-author. The first one, I spent a lot of hours on but we decided to quit since the technique was not suitable. @Catalystik
 
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starlite911 said:
For undergrad, I went to a relatively conservative school, but I was involved in this "progressive" club on campus. The club had many different aims, but my involvement revolved around 1. increasing conversation and awareness about sexual assault on campus and 2. persuading the university to add "sexual orientation" to their nondiscrimination clause. I was debating listing this as my final activity, but I don't know if this would be considered too controversial. Alternatively, I could:

1. Only list 14 activities

2. Add in the semester I worked as a lab tech, but given that I have had 3 full years & 2 summers of research experiences, I didn't know if this would add much to my application. As a note, I am applying to more research-oriented schools.

3. List the retail job I had summer after freshman year of college to account for this time

Thanks!
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If you spent significant amount of time for this club, I would include it. But I would be sure to explain what motivated you to pursue this and how this may have affected how you plan to practice medicine.

Meh for lab tech stuff.

Depends on how interesting your retail job was.
 
Glazedonutlove said:
I did two separate, independent projects under the same lab. They are completely unrelated. Should I list them separately? The second one led to a poster/pending publication where I am listed co-author. The first one, I spent a lot of hours on but we decided to quit since the technique was not suitable.
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You should include them in the same section. Many applicants have multiple independent projects and/or publications, and they are typically all listed within the same box. Just be sure to make it obvious that you had a publication. Don't make the readers look for it in order to find it.
 
Svenson said:
I began a scribe position in an ED with ScribeAmerica this month. Should I include it? By the time I send the primary application out, I wouldn't have began working on the floor yet, still doing classroom training. Should I save this for secondaries?
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I suggest saving it for Secondaries. Or you can sneak it in this way: If you have any patient related gig already listed, and have a bit of space, you might add at the end , "This experience inspired me to . . . .; I have been accepted to a scribe position starting x/xx/xx.
 
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Catalystik said:
I suggest saving it for Secondaries. Or you can sneak it in this way: If you have any patient related gig already listed, and have a bit of space, you might add at the end , "This experience inspired me to . . . .; I have been accepted to a scribe position starting x/xx/xx.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Catalystik!
 
Glazedonutlove said:
I did two separate, independent projects under the same lab. They are completely unrelated. Should I list them separately? The second one led to a poster/pending publication where I am listed co-author. The first one, I spent a lot of hours on but we decided to quit since the technique was not suitable. @Catalystik
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How many months/years did you spend on each project? Do you have enough to say about each so they can stand alone? Do you need more space to say all you want to impart?
 
songl4a said:
"Even if the experience will be ongoing, the latest end date is August of the current application cycle." From the AMCAS guide. Does this mean for AMCAS 2016 my activity end dates have to be this upcoming August or I can put end dates for next May?
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It means an end date can be anything through next August 2016 (the end of the current cycle), so entering a May 2016 end date is fine.
 
Non-trad.

Paid Work Experience:

Company ASDF.Inc. - January 2008 - present; privately held consulting company
- Client WER: led ... developed ... strategized ... championed ...
- Client SDF: led ... developed .... implemented ...
- Client ASDF: ....

NEW ENTRY?!?!?
Vice President "Department" - dates; $2B publicly held yada-yada company
- Developed global organization reducing 3rd party vendor contract by $3.5M
- hired, mentored, asdl;fkjasdf ;asdlkfj
- ;alskdfasd f;lj

NEW ENTRY????!?!?
Sr. Director - dates; type of firm
-

NEW ENTRY?!?!?!?
Sr. Dirctor - dates; type of firm


NEW ENTRY?!?!?

OR ... can I lump the last 3-5 under one umbrella and bifurcate by listing with short highlights of each role/position... not like I was CEO of a healthcare conglomerate or anything like that?! while I find the experience was valuable in developing teams, mentoring younger staff/managers; overall, it's just a career.
 
songl4a said:
Also, I plan to continue all my current activities till the end of next year. Do I put repeat option and list the future dates that I plan to spend on these activities as well as hours? Do I have to do a new start/end date for every time I was on break and didn't do these activities or can I have 1 start/end for all the time I spent on an activity up till now, then a 2nd start/end for future planned hours into next year?
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You won't need a new start and end date for each year if you phrase the title of the activity to imply intermittency. Example would be Academic-Year Intramural Soccer Team. You can use the Repeated feature to divide completed vs future planned hours or see post #865 for other options.
 
Ad2b said:
Non-trad.

Paid Work Experience:

Company ASDF.Inc. - January 2008 - present; privately held consulting company
- Client WER: led ... developed ... strategized ... championed ...
- Client SDF: led ... developed .... implemented ...
- Client ASDF: ....

NEW ENTRY?!?!?
Vice President "Department" - dates; $2B publicly held yada-yada company
- Developed global organization reducing 3rd party vendor contract by $3.5M
- hired, mentored, asdl;fkjasdf ;asdlkfj
- ;alskdfasd f;lj

NEW ENTRY????!?!?
Sr. Director - dates; type of firm
-

NEW ENTRY?!?!?!?
Sr. Dirctor - dates; type of firm


NEW ENTRY?!?!?

OR ... can I lump the last 3-5 under one umbrella and bifurcate by listing with short highlights of each role/position... not like I was CEO of a healthcare conglomerate or anything like that?! while I find the experience was valuable in developing teams, mentoring younger staff/managers; overall, it's just a career.
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Yes, you can lump it all together, but you might consider breaking out the Business-Related Leadership Positions and listing them separately.
 
starlite911 said:
For undergrad, I went to a relatively conservative school, but I was involved in this "progressive" club on campus. The club had many different aims, but my involvement revolved around 1. increasing conversation and awareness about sexual assault on campus and 2. persuading the university to add "sexual orientation" to their nondiscrimination clause. I was debating listing this as my final activity, but I don't know if this would be considered too controversial. Alternatively, I could:

1. Only list 14 activities

2. Add in the semester I worked as a lab tech, but given that I have had 3 full years & 2 summers of research experiences, I didn't know if this would add much to my application. As a note, I am applying to more research-oriented schools.

3. List the retail job I had summer after freshman year of college to account for this time
Click to expand...
I don't think that your Progressive Club activities are controversial, at least, not from the causes you've listed. Do you really want to attend a school that would consider these initiatives objectionable?

I hope you were successful.
 
Presumably this has been asked, but for ongoing activities, should we just list the end date as June 2015 and indicate in the entry that the activity is ongoing?
 
Is it appropriate to list a summer study abroad as an activity, if so...how do I lists hours? Should it be the time spent in class or the time I was abroad total?
 
grey_wind said:
Is it appropriate to list a summer study abroad as an activity, if so...how do I lists hours? Should it be the time spent in class or the time I was abroad total?
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The classes you took are listed on your transcript, but if you want to discuss the experience of living elsewhere, experiencing a new culture and people, that's fine This is usually listed under the "Other" tag. The hours that you are not in class and not sleeping would be the ones to add up, IMO. The time is not important though, it's what you have to say about impact and insights that matters for this type of activity.
 
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Catalystik said:
4) If you have scheduled the shadowing for next month, you could add it to your Shadowing description as a future activity at the end of your narrative. Be sure it's clear what hours have already been accomplished by the time of submission.

5) More shadowing hours before submission would be the best move. Pro-Tip: It's the time you shadow during office, hours rather than those in the OR, that will help you most during interviews.
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When you say more, is there a target number? I know the hours themselves aren't important, but the experience, what I take from it. I don't expect to submit day one as I'm working on the PS, making sure contacts for activities are set, course work correct with official transcript, etc, but if I only need to shadow one or two more times to "look good", so be it.
 
What if travel abroad was for work but finding the slums of the various areas heartbreaking and it DOES impact what I want to do; bring western medicine to those countries either though grand rounds type events, DWB, or personal contacts... Other?
 
moemoekyun said:
When you say more, is there a target number? I know the hours themselves aren't important, but the experience, what I take from it. I don't expect to submit day one as I'm working on the PS, making sure contacts for activities are set, course work correct with official transcript, etc, but if I only need to shadow one or two more times to "look good", so be it.
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To meet the expectations of some schools with a stated minimum number of hours, aim for 40 total. About 50 hours is the average listed.
 
Thanks.
Also, 1) If I explain an uncommon acronym (BSI=Biology Science Intern) for one activity and it applies to another activity, do I need to explain it again for another activity, or just once.
2) If I volunteered at one hospital, then volunteered at another with the same position (different duties), would this be one or two activities.
 
moemoekyun said:
Thanks.
Also, 1) If I explain an uncommon acronym (BSI=Biology Science Intern) for one activity and it applies to another activity, do I need to explain it again for another activity, or just once.
2) If I volunteered at one hospital, then volunteered at another with the same position (different duties), would this be one or two activities.
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1) Yes. Explain again.

2) Most would enter each in its own space. If you are space-challenged, or one just began or took place for a short time, you might group them.
 
What should we include in the description box for a publication? Do I list the abstract, or summarize in my own words? Should I provide a link to the article or make a formal citation?
 
For research, is it necessary to explain acronyms (GFP=green fluorescent protein) and describe the main steps (used a column to test practical use, measured fluorescence with a new program), or is it unnecessary? Research was part of internship to improve lab class for future students.
 
I am a bit stuck on this issues concerning paid employment. I have a job as an MCAT instructor, and I am listing it under the Teaching category (right?) but I am not certain about how to calculate the hours. Should I just put the amount of time I have been paid for? This would include lecture prep time and teacher training etc. Or should I only include the time I actually spent standing up in front of the class lecturing? Most of my time has been spent in Prep, about 2-3x as much as actually in lecture.
 
moemoekyun said:
For research, is it necessary to explain acronyms (GFP=green fluorescent protein) and describe the main steps (used a column to test practical use, measured fluorescence with a new program), or is it unnecessary? Research was part of internship to improve lab class for future students.
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Yes, you have to explain acronyms the first time you use them. You need not explain the precise Methods of the research, but mentioning standard techniques that have been mastered is often done. Do give an overview of the purpose of the research. You can decide if you have the space to get more technical.
 
CaliforniaDreamer said:
I am a bit stuck on this issues concerning paid employment.
1) I have a job as an MCAT instructor, and I am listing it under the Teaching category (right?)
2) but I am not certain about how to calculate the hours. Should I just put the amount of time I have been paid for? This would include lecture prep time and teacher training etc. Or should I only include the time I actually spent standing up in front of the class lecturing? Most of my time has been spent in Prep, about 2-3x as much as actually in lecture.
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1) Yes. Or Employment.
2) I suggest you include all the hours in the Total Hours box, but then break it down in the narrative between prep time and teaching time.
 
Catalystik said:
A formal citation alone is fine. If you can add a PMID# (or similar) that would be great.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks. I wasn't sure since my premed advisor suggested I write a description for the paper, rather than just a link.
 
Catalystik said:
1) Yes. Or Employment.
2) I suggest you include all the hours in the Total Hours box, but then break it down in the narrative between prep time and teaching time.
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Thank you! One more question, it may have been answered already but I can't find it: When you mark an experience as most meaningful, should you start writing in the first box and then just continue fluidly into the second box? Or only write in the second box?
 
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CaliforniaDreamer said:
When you mark an experience as most meaningful, should you start writing in the first box and then just continue fluidly into the second box? Or only write in the second box?
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You should write in both areas. As you fill the first box, try to end so there will be a smooth transition in thoughts to the next segment. The MM comments will appear immediately after, without a line between the two narratives, just a space (like a new paragraph), with a comment in the left margin saying "Most Meaningful Experience Remarks".
 
Catalystik said:
You should write in both areas. As you fill the first box, try to end so there will be a smooth transition in thoughts to the next segment. The MM comments will appear immediately after, without a line between the two narratives, just a space (like a new paragraph), with a comment in the left margin saying "Most Meaningful Experience Remarks".
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Glorious, I don't know how I would have known this otherwise. Thank you.
 
Question 1) In what category and how do I you suggest file the following, what should I bundle:
  1. Peer-reviewer for journals, non-paid (grad students, passed to me by PI)
  2. Editor on scientific journal boards school-based & non school-based, non-paid ~2000 hours
  3. Scientific publications (peer reviewed) vs. scientific publications (invited/non peer reviewed)
  4. Book chapters
  5. Book reviews in journals
  6. Articles in newspapers and magazines online and offline (scientific material, but for general audience/interest)
Question 2) If applying for MD/PhD where I have to write the two massive MD/PhD essays, do I still have to put past research down (and associated grants etc.) as one of my activities?
 
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Hey all! An answer to this question is probably buried in this threat but I'm currently working a research job and will continue to work into the year and next year, anyone know what I should put for the end date?

Thanks in advance!
 
shweetz911 said:
Hey all! An answer to this question is probably buried in this threat but I'm currently working a research job and will continue to work into the year and next year, anyone know what I should put for the end date?

Thanks in advance!
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End date is apparently just the month when you are expected to matriculate to med school.
 
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