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Don't list it. Mentioning charitable donations would not be viewed well. Nor would putting money in the basket at a house of worship or giving blood.
*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2015-2016*~*~*~*
Started by Ismet
Get help with your application
Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.
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I don't think that waiting until mid-June to submit your application will have a significant negative impact on your application. OTOH, I also don't think that listing a new job you've barely begun will have a significant positive impact (though at least adcomms would know you have a plan).
Delaying would give you 2 extra weeks to pack in more ER volunteering.
If you basically voted Yes or No on various candidates, pick Other. If you can write a convincing essay that supports being leaderish among faculty, then pick Leadership. This is a type of activity with an impressive title that may or may not have substance attached to it. Convince your readers, if you choose the latter.
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For a "physician shadowing" entry that includes multiple shadowing experiences with different doctors in different places, who would I put as a contact and as an organization?
One potential format for listing physician shadowing on an AMCAS application (whichever doc you list first, you'd put the pertinent data in the header and omit it from the narrative box. Total Hours box would be all the hours added together):
**4/2015-5/2015: 15 hours, Jake Famleedok, MD, Family Practice. [email protected] This was mostly clinic time, but I got to observe a vaginal delivery, too. I cut the cord!
**3/14-5/2014: 20 hours, Ling Ula, MD, Pulmonology, Podunk, AL, Health Clinic, 555-555-5556
** 12/2013-3/2014: 40 hours, Al Abowtgolf, DO, Sports Medicine, Podunk, AL, Health Clinic, 555-555-5555
**Spring 2012: 15 hours, John Kutoocure, DO, Surgeon, Meridian, MS. [email protected] Observed a complete bowel resection and a pancreatic cancer resection. Some clinic hours included.
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-If the Contact is not the physician, you'll need to add that person's name, too.
-If two or more took place at one location, you might list them at the top and have the header Organization apply to both.
-If you have many, many docs, you can list the main ones at the top and later summarize others in a way that fits in the remaining space, like "Also shadowed a rheumatologist, neonatologist, and neurosurgeon for 20 more hours combined" without giving contacts and locations.
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Hey Cat...thanks for all the help in this thread!
Regarding research...I have 3 main positions that I'd like to list. Two were year-long minor roles - I had mini projects, but no big-picture work - in bio labs during my senior year of HS and my freshman year of college. My last one was a senior thesis in the chemistry department, with all the standard stuff implied by that - poster presentations, individual project, 'defense' in front of the dept., thesis published by school, etc. I would like to list these as 2 slots - one perhaps as
Biology Research Assistant
&
Senior Honors Thesis.
My question is, should I indicate in some way that the first one contains 2 separate research experiences, or would that be too awkward? I was thinking along the lines of
'Biology Research Assistant at School X and School Y'
Also, is it reasonable to put an entry for, essentially, a grab-bag of various volunteer activities? I never did anything sustained or organized in undergrad, but I'd put in a weekend for an even here, charity music performance there, etc. It's not a huge total, but it's an aspect that's not otherwise highlighted. Even got my picture in the (über local) newspaper once, still have the url saved, haha!
If not, should I use that space for the posters, etc. that go along with my thesis (hardly worth mentioning imo), or just for hobbies, etc?
Regarding research...I have 3 main positions that I'd like to list. Two were year-long minor roles - I had mini projects, but no big-picture work - in bio labs during my senior year of HS and my freshman year of college. My last one was a senior thesis in the chemistry department, with all the standard stuff implied by that - poster presentations, individual project, 'defense' in front of the dept., thesis published by school, etc. I would like to list these as 2 slots - one perhaps as
Biology Research Assistant
&
Senior Honors Thesis.
My question is, should I indicate in some way that the first one contains 2 separate research experiences, or would that be too awkward? I was thinking along the lines of
'Biology Research Assistant at School X and School Y'
Also, is it reasonable to put an entry for, essentially, a grab-bag of various volunteer activities? I never did anything sustained or organized in undergrad, but I'd put in a weekend for an even here, charity music performance there, etc. It's not a huge total, but it's an aspect that's not otherwise highlighted. Even got my picture in the (über local) newspaper once, still have the url saved, haha!
If not, should I use that space for the posters, etc. that go along with my thesis (hardly worth mentioning imo), or just for hobbies, etc?
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1) Your solution to the issue of including 2 research positions in one slot is fine, but to make it clear it wasn't the same project on two campuses (happens sometimes) maybe title it Biology Research Assistantships at School X and School Y with the plural suggesting they were two separate activities.
For the second slot, from the way you want to tag it, I gather it is not based on original hypothesis-driven research. You might consider adding the subject of the thesis to the title you enter, so as to pique interest in reading it.
2) It would be absolutely fine to use a slot for Short-Term Collegiate Volunteer Positions and group many brief activities there. If you have no other nonmedical community service, this is a better use of the space than the other two options (though I personally like to see a Hobbies entry).
What, my thesis? Yes, it was an individual hypothesis-driven research project carried out over the summer and throughout senior year. My results were #$@, but that was partly because our trip to gather more samples was derailed by the Egyptian revolution
It was heavily intertwined with archeologic research, however...we were trying to apply chemical techniques to archeologic problems, so it's a bit of an odd duck. I'm worried the title would make it seem not like a chemistry research position, but ah, well.I described it that way because I thought the research part was a given in a senior thesis, sorry...but the poster presentations, public defense, and school-published thesis paper might vary from school to school!
Ah, thanks...that's great phrasing! Yeah, my nonmedical efforts are lacking...the only organized things I tried were RAINN (they make it impossible to get involved, I swear...you have to travel to NYC for a weekend and I live in CA), which I'm very interested in supporting, and the Humane Society, which I'm just now starting and holding off on in case I get this travel program I applied for, so I won't list it. I probably spent a year trying to get involved in RAINN before giving up, silly me.
I really wanted a Hobbies entry too, as I do a lot of cool things (fix my own car/motorcycle, SCUBA, rock climbing, ultimate frisbee, cello, etc), but I managed to pull at least a few of those into full-fledged entries or mention them in other places.
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1) Yes, I was referring to the thesis. Why not also list it under Research? Titling it Thesis Somehow will not differentiate from the many that are based on lit searches. You don't want adcomms to make the wrong assumption, like I did.1) What, my thesis? Yes, it was an individual hypothesis-driven research project carried out over the summer and throughout senior year. My results were #$@, but that was partly because our trip to gather more samples was derailed by the Egyptian revolution
2) I really wanted a Hobbies entry too, as I do a lot of cool things (fix my own car/motorcycle, SCUBA, rock climbing, ultimate frisbee, cello, etc), but I managed to pull at least a few of those into full-fledged entries or mention them in other places.
2) Hopefully, some Secondaries will give you the chance to mention your interesting lineup of leisure-time activities, too.
1) Oh, it's definitely classified under Research/Lab...it just gets its own separate entry because it was a more detailed project than the other two and it's probably going to be one of my Most Meaningfuls.
However, I'm glad I posted here, because it did not even occur to me that a science department thesis could be taken as anything but research-driven. I've updated the title to "Chemistry Research Thesis - [Beginning of my thesis title]. Thanks again!
2)
Maybe I'll get rid of my very-low-hours 'leadership' position in the student chemistry group and just put that under 'Hobbies' as well...it doesn't add much, as I already have tons of chemistry-related stuff and oodles of leadership elsewhere...unless it's important to have something specifically labelled leadership? I assume they'll note other leadership in activity descriptions, especially if the titles allude to it, like "Head xyz position", etc?
Hey all,
Are there any established rules for how I would cite a poster presentation + published abstract that I will be making post application-date? The conference is in August, and I want to include it in my publications/presentations list because it is an international conference and the journal the abstract will be published in is a high-impact journal. However the publication won't come until after I apply... Bit awkward for citation style.
Muchas gracias!
Are there any established rules for how I would cite a poster presentation + published abstract that I will be making post application-date? The conference is in August, and I want to include it in my publications/presentations list because it is an international conference and the journal the abstract will be published in is a high-impact journal. However the publication won't come until after I apply... Bit awkward for citation style.
Muchas gracias!
It's fine not to have a dedicated Leadership space. I do feel it's a good idea to have the leadership role alluded to in the title of the activity as you plan.
Since you have "a list" it would be legitimate to use the date it was accepted, cite what you can of it, and for the missing information, maybe say [in press]. Include "abstract" before or after the title. In the same area you could mention the date of your future presentation/conference name/location. (If you weren't to be the actual presenter, it would be appropriate to give credit to whichever author would do it.)
Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it.
How do one go about entering in responsibilities using bullet points? Right now, the description for some of my experiences look like this for example:
-Manage a research lab.
-Ensure that protocols are followed.
When I click view my application using PDF format on AMCAS, it lists the bullet points as I entered them. But when I click view the application using HTML format, all the bullet points appear to be grouped together into one big paragraph that looks like this:
-Manage a research lab. -Ensure that protocols are followed.
I just don't want to use bullet points hoping that it would make reading this part more enjoyable for adcoms but then having AMCAS messing everything all up by grouping them altogether. Can any adcom give me an advice? Thank you!
-Manage a research lab.
-Ensure that protocols are followed.
When I click view my application using PDF format on AMCAS, it lists the bullet points as I entered them. But when I click view the application using HTML format, all the bullet points appear to be grouped together into one big paragraph that looks like this:
-Manage a research lab. -Ensure that protocols are followed.
I just don't want to use bullet points hoping that it would make reading this part more enjoyable for adcoms but then having AMCAS messing everything all up by grouping them altogether. Can any adcom give me an advice? Thank you!
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Not to worry: The PDF view is the one that adcomms will see.
Thank you!!
Where did the search function for forums go with this new updated version?
Since I can't find it... in what format should I list publications? If I list it like a full citation, I don't have enough room to fit all of the publications in 700 characters. Do you think I could cut back on some authors to shorten it?
Since I can't find it... in what format should I list publications? If I list it like a full citation, I don't have enough room to fit all of the publications in 700 characters. Do you think I could cut back on some authors to shorten it?
1) I wish I knew. It's no doubt related to the recent upgrade, so maybe all the subcomponents aren't ready to "Go Live" yet.
2) To save space, others with the same problem have just mentioned their authorship spot, like "Fifth Author," before the rest of the citation (+/- the first author) instead of listing all contributers. You could contract further by using a PMID# after the title of the manuscript.
If anyone in the school would recall you, even the custodian or school nurse, you might use them for a contact (assuming you remind them of your involvement). If all else fails, it's acceptable to use a parent, friend, or yourself, with the most objective possible person obviously being your first choice.
Hi Catalystik, sorry for all the questions... but I needed some more advice.
1) Through my research, my coordinator allowed us to shadow physicians in the clinic/ during rounds. So all the students were put on a schedule and rotated in shadowing different physicians. I don’t have all the contact info for each physician I shadowed, but everything is documented by my research coordinators, who made the schedule. My question is, when i’m listing the physicians I shadowed, should I list the ones I have all the info for first, and then list the rest of them that I shadowed, through my research, and for their contact info just put my research coordinator’s info for contact info? or do you suggest something else?
2) Also, if multiple physicians I shadowed worked at the same hospital, can I abbreviate that hospital after I write it out fully for the first physician? Example: Dr. X, University of X hospital (UoX); Dr. Y, UoX; Dr. Z, UoX….?
3) I asked about this earlier, but I totally forgot one part of my question. Leadership roles in my fraternity is one of my most meaningful entries. I have other leadership roles as well (representative for my post-bac program on the graduate student counsel & another position in a different organization). Would it be okay to put these other leadership roles in the same entry as my leadership for my fraternity roles, and use the extra space to describe only the fraternity experience? Or should I make a separate entry and just put the rest of the leadership roles I have in that new entry?
4) Finally, for my undergraduate employment, I worked 3 jobs and wanted to mention all of them. However, putting them in one entry doesn’t leave me a lot of room to describe/ talk about what I learned and put contact info for each one, with hours worked. Do you suggest making three different entries or just do the best I can with one entry to save room?
Thank you again for all your help! I really do appreciate it!
1) Through my research, my coordinator allowed us to shadow physicians in the clinic/ during rounds. So all the students were put on a schedule and rotated in shadowing different physicians. I don’t have all the contact info for each physician I shadowed, but everything is documented by my research coordinators, who made the schedule. My question is, when i’m listing the physicians I shadowed, should I list the ones I have all the info for first, and then list the rest of them that I shadowed, through my research, and for their contact info just put my research coordinator’s info for contact info? or do you suggest something else?
2) Also, if multiple physicians I shadowed worked at the same hospital, can I abbreviate that hospital after I write it out fully for the first physician? Example: Dr. X, University of X hospital (UoX); Dr. Y, UoX; Dr. Z, UoX….?
3) I asked about this earlier, but I totally forgot one part of my question. Leadership roles in my fraternity is one of my most meaningful entries. I have other leadership roles as well (representative for my post-bac program on the graduate student counsel & another position in a different organization). Would it be okay to put these other leadership roles in the same entry as my leadership for my fraternity roles, and use the extra space to describe only the fraternity experience? Or should I make a separate entry and just put the rest of the leadership roles I have in that new entry?
4) Finally, for my undergraduate employment, I worked 3 jobs and wanted to mention all of them. However, putting them in one entry doesn’t leave me a lot of room to describe/ talk about what I learned and put contact info for each one, with hours worked. Do you suggest making three different entries or just do the best I can with one entry to save room?
Thank you again for all your help! I really do appreciate it!
1) That's fine, unless it might be more efficient to use the research coordinator contact in the header since all the docs are also in the same location, and then list all those docs first. Then add the docs from outside that system with their own contacts and locations.
2) List the hospital fully once as a subheader within the narrative, then list the docs from that hospital. Don't abbreviate.
3) I think the other Leadership roles should go together in a separate space.
4) If you have the space, make three entries. Alternatively, you may have had some jobs that are universally understood by any adcomm that really don't need explanation or impact descriptions. Or, you could put all the impact together after listing bare bones info about each job, starting it with, "Through these jobs, I learned . . ." and save space that way.
Thank you so much!!
For publications/posters, are you supposed to put the citation? Otherwise, how would adcoms know the author order?
If so, how do I deal with the situation in which there are tons of authors (so it would take up almost the entire character count if I put the entire author list)?
I've heard of some people putting PubMed ID but this article is not up on PubMed yet (it has been formally accepted and will be on PubMed in late June most likely but I am submittting earlier than that).
If so, how do I deal with the situation in which there are tons of authors (so it would take up almost the entire character count if I put the entire author list)?
I've heard of some people putting PubMed ID but this article is not up on PubMed yet (it has been formally accepted and will be on PubMed in late June most likely but I am submittting earlier than that).
If you have space, you enter a formal citation.
If you don't, you can put your place in the author line up (+/- the first author), then the full title, journal abbreviation (full name would be in the header), [in press] in place of date and page numbers. Include the date it was accepted in the header.
please let me know if this is a good way to fill out this confusing section
In the "experience description" I give a short paragraph about what this club or place or event is (is it ok to quote and copy/paste the "about us" sections on club websites with a link to the website? or should I just write something original?
then i give bullet points on the things I did (responsibilities and possibly a few of my favorite memories even if i do not check this off as my 3 "meaningful experiences" ?
I feel like bullet points is easier to look at than a whole essay on what i did
and if i do bullet points, do they have to be full sentences? past tense or present tense? (i guess that depends if we're still involved with the activity?)
Thanks for the help my peeps!!
In the "experience description" I give a short paragraph about what this club or place or event is (is it ok to quote and copy/paste the "about us" sections on club websites with a link to the website? or should I just write something original?
then i give bullet points on the things I did (responsibilities and possibly a few of my favorite memories even if i do not check this off as my 3 "meaningful experiences" ?
I feel like bullet points is easier to look at than a whole essay on what i did
and if i do bullet points, do they have to be full sentences? past tense or present tense? (i guess that depends if we're still involved with the activity?)
Thanks for the help my peeps!!
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Is it ok to use personal emails for contacts in your Work/Activities section? My volunteer coordinator at my hospital is another volunteer that doesn't have an official @cityhospital.org email account. Can I use her personal @comcast.com account?
I also shadowed some doctors that I communicated with using their personal email addresses. Is it ok to list their personal email address, or should I go out of my way to bother them for their professional email address?
Thanks!
I also shadowed some doctors that I communicated with using their personal email addresses. Is it ok to list their personal email address, or should I go out of my way to bother them for their professional email address?
Thanks!
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Edited out.. already asked this. Sorry!
1) You'll use less spaces if you give a briefer summary in your own words. I wouldn't want to know another person's view of About Us, I want to know what you think is going on.
2) Sounds good.
3) It's fine to mix and match narrative and bullet points as best suits what you wish to convey.
4) Phrases are fine, with verb tense consistent with past or current involvement.
Yes, if you want to use a space for that. Your GPA speaks for itself, but many still group GPA-based honors in a space, along with their other honors and awards.
1) As long as they tell you it's OK with them. Having this discussion also makes sure they realize they may get a contact.
2) If the doctor gave you a personal email address, it's OK to use it. It would be polite to ask, though, and thus ensure they are aware of a possible contact.
Just do hrs/wk*4*#months.
If you have Google Chrome, just do it in the address bar at the top of this page, it'll give you an answer without even clicking enter.
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Awesome tip! I didn't know about that and it worked like a charm. Thanks.Just do hrs/wk*4*#months.
If you have Google Chrome, just do it in the address bar at the top of this page, it'll give you an answer without even clicking enter.
Questions for listing a Master's Degree and Thesis. I ordered my transcripts before my Master's will post on the transcripts -- I figure my Advisor's LoR will validate Masters degree, plus the transcripts do list the date of advancement to candidacy and thesis submission.
1. Should I list my Master's as its own experience. If so, classify how? Awards & Recognition?
2. Does a Master's Thesis count as a publication? I currently have it listed under the Master's experience, but it eats up a lot of characters.
3. Does listing a Master's Thesis (assuming it is a publication) and a Article Publication separately, versus just listing in a single category have a significantly greater impact?
Thanks.
1. Should I list my Master's as its own experience. If so, classify how? Awards & Recognition?
2. Does a Master's Thesis count as a publication? I currently have it listed under the Master's experience, but it eats up a lot of characters.
3. Does listing a Master's Thesis (assuming it is a publication) and a Article Publication separately, versus just listing in a single category have a significantly greater impact?
Thanks.
1) Your transcripts already cover your involvement with a masters program. If you were awarded the masters by the time you submit, you could include it under Honors/Awards if you wish, but the validation via your advisor's LOR seems more suitable. If you want to discuss the process of earning a masters and producing a thesis, I suggest choosing the category of "Other" and perhaps titling it with the words Thesis on YYY and Master of XXX Degree included somehow. A hint of the thesis topic might help draw a reader in.
2) With the limited information you have provided, it's hard to give a definitive answer. Has it been widely distributed outside your campus? Did you submit a condensed version to a regional or national journal, and was it accepted? Do you have a contract for book publication by a serious academic publisher? For a newly-defended thesis, the answer to these questions is probably No. Even if it's accessible through an on-line, off-campus database and you can provide a link to it, it may not qualify as a "Publication" for AMCAS purposes.
3) Strategies vary when faced with multiple publications to list and limited space. Every true publication deserves its own space, but one rarely has that luxury.
A published article could be tagged in various ways depending on topic. If you wrote a scholarly article, Publications is the often the best choice. But depending on the subject, other categories to consider might be Teaching, Artistic Endeavors, or Hobbies.
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I am thinking of putting some informal tutoring on my app and am leaving the parent's contact information. I've been tutoring kids that are apart of one family because they have been having some rough times since their mom's husband was incarcerated. They are low income and also live in government subsidized housing. I've been tutoring them because I feel like they're in a disadvantaged situation but this isn't something I feel that I can say in the description because it's such personal information and I'd be tying in the mom's name and contact info. Am I right in that if I include this in my app, I should not mention their situation to protect their family even though it was my motivation for tutoring?
Yes, you are right to have a concern of protecting their privacy. It's happened that persons named in a med school essay were known to the interviewer.
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I volunteer at a free-clinic and they have real bad leadership with no one clearly in charge.
Thus I listed my friend who I regular go with as my contact for the volunteering. What should I write as the Contact's Title:??
Just friend? Their must be a more professional word to use.
Thus I listed my friend who I regular go with as my contact for the volunteering. What should I write as the Contact's Title:??
Just friend? Their must be a more professional word to use.
Co-Volunteer? Nursing Staff Aide? Patient-Liaison? Does another descriptor better cover the role your friend plays?
I think there's someone in the PS readers list who mentions willingness to do so.
Sorry, your request falls outside the scope of this thread. Hopefully, @mehc012 's suggestion works out for you.
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Any value in listing a hyperlink to an art portfolio? or a new article that you were featured in?
Art Portfolio: Yes.
Article about you: I'd need more information, but probably not. A condensed version in your own words about whatever made the article newsworthy is more likely to be read by time-challenged adcomms.
Thanks. Can I send you a work/activity question privately via a conversation?
Sorry, my PM box is closed as I don't give private consultations. Public conversations help thousands of other applicants, and is far more time efficient than a one-on-one approach.
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