*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Work/Activities Tips Thread 2016-2017*~*~*~*

[702599]

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You only need list a contact that can attest to your dates and hours of involvement. They will not be asked for a reference. This person doesn't have to know you personally. At a "company" there should be a hiring office that keeps records of past employees.

As a fallback position, you can always list yourself, but ideally you'd use a more objective individual.

Thank you! In the case of a student org. then, can I just put someone from the on-campus student life office?

 

[Catalystik]

Question for Presentation/Conferences Attended. With the same poster, my research group presented at several conferences across the country. Now entering them into AMCAS, I'm several characters over. If I delete the contributors (Last name, First name initial., next one...) my count is fine. <-this is listed only once
Some people's last names are just really really long. How should I go about this? Is listing names that important?
My description follows:
Names... Poster Name Conference Name Location Date

Thanks.

Instead of listing all authors, you might just put that you were third author, or whatever. Or, you could cite the names in order, including yours, then put et al for the remaining ones ( if you're close to the front of the line).

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you! In the case of a student org. then, can I just put someone from the on-campus student life office?

Yes, as they generally should have member lists.

 

[pizza1994]

Do you know which are visitors, which are coming for routine tests or appointments, and who is ill? What percent are currently sick or injured patients with whom you interact in a helpful way? Do emergent cases go through your door or access the ED in another way?

No I don't know who is ill or not. I am mainly the individual who welcomes/greets people at the front and the first-point of contact. I provide people with any directions and information on patient visits. Emergent cases sometimes go through my door depending on which part of the hopsital I am in. I also provide patients with activties, book, games..etc in waiting rooms.

 

[pizza1994]

should we use past or present tense when describing our expereinces?

 

[libahli]

Three more questions (and hopefully that's it!):

1. For many of the clubs I was involved with in college, the advisors or presidents are either no longer in their respective positions or are no longer affiliated with the college at all. Should I still put them as the contact people (with their current contact info) or should I put the current overall department as the contact? The issue with the second option is that it is possible they wouldn't have a way of verifying some of my activities since not everything was recorded from way back when I was in undergrad since I'm a nontrad.

2. For an independent study completed for a non-science professor (for credit) that I presented at my undergrad institution, should I classify as research or as presentations? Or, should I not include this as an activity at all since it wasn't science and didn't get published or anything. My main reason for including would be to show intellectual curiosity siesta because my major was not in a field that typically produces any sort of research or independent study work.

3. As a nontrad, there are some gaps currently on my application that are somewhat noticeable. I spent the majority of this time working a "pink" collar job not related to science/medicine. Should I include this or not? I would have to make a best guess as to the hours and for the contact person, the best person would actually be a relative (I got paid, it was legitimate work, and I do not have the same last name as this contact...but it is a close relative). I could put a different contact but then it wouldn't be the person I worked for the most. I technically don't need this as filler on my app, the reason I would think that maybe I should, include it is so that adcoms don't wonder at any of the gaps on my application (again, not immediately apparent, but definitely there).

 

[Catalystik]

No I don't know who is ill or not. I am mainly the individual who welcomes/greets people at the front and the first-point of contact. I provide people with any directions and information on patient visits. Emergent cases sometimes go through my door depending on which part of the hopsital I am in. I also provide patients with activties, book, games..etc in waiting rooms.

Providing known patients with entertainment options is certainly clinical. The greeting duties are a bit more iffy in that respect, as I suspect that actual patients are more scarse.

 

[Catalystik]

should we use past or present tense when describing our expereinces?

If you are still involved in the activity, present tense is fine. For past activities, or parts of current activities that are completed, past tense seems more natural.

 

[Catalystik]

Three more questions (and hopefully that's it!):

1. For many of the clubs I was involved with in college, the advisors or presidents are either no longer in their respective positions or are no longer affiliated with the college at all. Should I still put them as the contact people (with their current contact info) or should I put the current overall department as the contact? The issue with the second option is that it is possible they wouldn't have a way of verifying some of my activities since not everything was recorded from way back when I was in undergrad since I'm a nontrad.

2. For an independent study completed for a non-science professor (for credit) that I presented at my undergrad institution, should I classify as research or as presentations? Or, should I not include this as an activity at all since it wasn't science and didn't get published or anything. My main reason for including would be to show intellectual curiosity siesta because my major was not in a field that typically produces any sort of research or independent study work.

3. As a nontrad, there are some gaps currently on my application that are somewhat noticeable. I spent the majority of this time working a "pink" collar job not related to science/medicine. Should I include this or not? I would have to make a best guess as to the hours and for the contact person, the best person would actually be a relative (I got paid, it was legitimate work, and I do not have the same last name as this contact...but it is a close relative). I could put a different contact but then it wouldn't be the person I worked for the most. I technically don't need this as filler on my app, the reason I would think that maybe I should, include it is so that adcoms don't wonder at any of the gaps on my application (again, not immediately apparent, but definitely there).

1) Usually a college has an office that oversees all approved student organizations. That office would be a good one to use, as they should have lists of past adherents. (See post #205 above) If not, you can use a ex co-member or yourself.

2) If it was hypothesis-driven research which had a study design, data collected, conclusions drawn after analysis, even if it was within a non-science discipline, it is Research for AMCAS purposes. Since the presentation took place on campus, you'd mention it in the same space, rather than within a Posters/Presentations space.

If what you're describing was a like a term paper that relied on a lit search/others' findings, it is not the type of research that is meant to be in a Research spot. Rather you'd use the Other category.

3) Filling in the gaps of your application is a good idea. Include it. It's fine to name a relative as the Contact if they were your employer. Just don't ask one for an LOR. The person you name is not meant to give a reference, but just to verify dates of employment and rough hours worked.

 

[libahli]

1) Usually a college has an office that oversees all approved student organizations. That office would be a good one to use, as they should have lists of past adherents. (See post #205 above) If not, you can use a ex co-member or yourself.

2) If it was hypothesis-driven research which had a study design, data collected, conclusions drawn after analysis, even if it was within a non-science discipline, it is Research for AMCAS purposes. Since the presentation took place on campus, you'd mention it in the same space, rather than within a Posters/Presentations space.

If what you're describing was a like a term paper that relied on a lit search/others' findings, it is not the type of research that is meant to be in a Research spot. Rather you'd use the Other category.

3) Filling in the gaps of your application is a good idea. Include it. It's fine to name a relative as the Contact if they were your employer. Just don't ask one for an LOR. The person you name is not meant to give a reference, but just to verify dates of employment and rough hours worked.

Thank you so much!!

 

[Vero Medico]

I have two questions regarding research:

1.If our research experience revolves around different specializations in Medicine, should we separate them by category ?

2. If we create a category for conference abstracts, should we also point out about the abstract in the research position description?

Thanks for all your guidance,

 

[Catalystik]

I have two questions regarding research:

1.If our research experience revolves around different specializations in Medicine, should we separate them as category ?

2. If we create a category for conference abstracts, should we also point out about the abstract in the research position description?

1) Not necessarily, though that would be one way to sort out an abundant tangle of research experiences. They could be sorted by time, institution, etc as well. I'm not sure I'm getting at what you really want to know, though, so be more specific if you wish.

2) No. Only list it once for AMCAS.

 

[theonlytycrane]

See the example in post #2, item 10. Yes, the other docs' contact info should be in the narrative.

Here is another example:

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.
********************************************

-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.

Is a short description of each shadowing experience sufficient in this format? My initial thought was to include a reflection of my experience in paragraph form.

 

[Catalystik]

Is a short description of each shadowing experience sufficient in this format? My initial thought was to include a reflection of my experience in paragraph form.

As Shadowing is universally understood by all adcomms, little description is needed. If you don't have space for everything, be more succinct where it seems less important, so you have space for reflection at the end.

 

[kittridge1141]

Hi,

I have two questions about categorizing medical vs. not medical:

1) if I worked with children with autism, would that be considered medical?
2) I volunteered at a hospital where first 100 hours were done at a non-clinical setting (gift shop). How would I distinguish that on the application?

Thank you so much for all your help,

 

[Catalystik]

1) if I worked with children with autism, would that be considered medical?
2) I volunteered at a hospital where first 100 hours were done at a non-clinical setting (gift shop). How would I distinguish that on the application?

1) It depends on your role. Can you describe it?

2) Assuming your most recent hospital volunteering was clinical in nature, list the gift shop separately in a nonclinical space or group it with another nonmedical volunteer gig.

 

[Gibbward]

So I had 3 separate research activities in undergrad. Two were summer research internship with 2 different professors from my school while another was an independent study project with a 3rd professor, where my data was used in a now published manuscript. I was going to group all of them up into just 1 "undergraduate research" activity (have a different and much more meaningful research activity in my app), and briefly describe each of the projects. Is this fine? Or maybe talk more about my independent study project in the description of my "Publication" activity along with the citation for the article?

 

[Astra]

1. Tutoring (Unpaid): Community service or tutoring section?

2. Teaching Assistant ( Unpaid): Community service or TA section?

3. Peer Mentor: Community Service

4. Publication: Publication

5. Research Lab: research lab

6. Hospice volunteering: Clinical volunteering

7. Children's home volunteering: Non clinical volunteering

8. Playing guitar: Hobby

9. Playing in a Band: Artistic endeavor

10. Deans list: honors awards

11. Skateboarding: Extracurricular activities

12. Executive board for Biology Organization: Leadership

13. Street clean ups, food drives in various Orgs ( I don't know how to write this one)

14. Drawing: Hobby

@Catalystik, could you verify for each one whether or not I put it in the correct category?

Thank you very much!

 

[Catalystik]

So I had 3 separate research activities in undergrad. Two were summer research internship with 2 different professors from my school while another was an independent study project with a 3rd professor, where my data was used in a now published manuscript. I was going to group all of them up into just 1 "undergraduate research" activity (have a different and much more meaningful research activity in my app), and briefly describe each of the projects.
1) Is this fine?
2) Or maybe talk more about my independent study project in the description of my "Publication" activity along with the citation for the article?

1) Yes, it's fine. 2) I think that's a good idea so as to include more info on the third, more-productive experience.

 

[Catalystik]

1. Tutoring (Unpaid): Community service or tutoring section?

2. Teaching Assistant ( Unpaid): Community service or TA section?

3. Peer Mentor: Community Service

4. Publication: Publication

5. Research Lab: research lab

6. Hospice volunteering: Clinical volunteering

7. Children's home volunteering: Non clinical volunteering

8. Playing guitar: Hobby

9. Playing in a Band: Artistic endeavor

10. Deans list: honors awards

11. Skateboarding: Extracurricular activities

12. Executive board for Biology Organization: Leadership

13. Street clean ups, food drives in various Orgs ( I don't know how to write this one)

14. Drawing: Hobby

@Catalystik, could you verify for each one whether or not I put it in the correct category?

Mostly it's fine:
-You have nothing under Teaching. Put one or both of 1) and 2) under that tag.
-Skateboarding could be in a Hobby category, too, with one or two of the others, and free up a space if you need one.

For 13) call it Short-Term Volunteerism and maybe create a bullet list of jobs you've done. If you did this as part of an group (like AED), use that club as the Contact and Organization in the header. Put hours after each entry and then add them together for the Total Hours. If they are not related in any way, put the one with the most hours for the header information and try to put similar info in the narrative for the others your list, as best you can fit it. If it won't fit, you might add as an addendum, "Also spent 7 hours cleaning up a creek and collecting toiletries for a Women's Shelter, or some such.

 

[Astra]

Mostly it's fine:
-You have nothing under Teaching. Put one or both of 1) and 2) under that tag.
-Skateboarding could be in a Hobby category, too, with one or two of the others, and free up a space if you need one.

For 13) call it Short-Term Volunteerism and maybe create a bullet list of jobs you've done. If you did this as part of an group (like AED), use that club as the Contact and Organization in the header. Put hours after each entry and then add them together for the Total Hours. If they are not related in any way, put the one with the most hours for the header information and try to put similar info in the narrative for the others your list, as best you can fit it. If it won't fit, you might add as an addendum, "Also spent 7 hours cleaning up a creek and collecting toiletries for a Women's Shelter, or some such.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read all my post and write that! Really appreciate it!

 

[wanderingorion]

I worked as a scribe since February of last year, in a group, but started working with one doctor around June and later. I've separated the two activities since my majority of the time spent as a scribe was as a personal scribe, I was going to use it as a "Meaningful experience". Would it be better to just combine them and use the extra space to discuss my experience as a personal scribe?

 

[Catalystik]

I worked as a scribe since February of last year, in a group, but started working with one doctor around June and later. I've separated the two activities since my majority of the time spent as a scribe was as a personal scribe, I was going to use it as a "Meaningful experience". Would it be better to just combine them and use the extra space to discuss my experience as a personal scribe?

If it's the same location/ organization, keep it together. If no, split them. I am assuming your duties stayed the same.

 

[wanderingorion]

If it's the same location/ organization, keep it together. If no, split them. I am assuming your duties stayed the same.

Well, I was paid directly by the MD, so I'm not sure how to classify them. He's also writing one of my LOR, so I'm not sure

 

[Hau5MD]

If I presented a poster at our school (and didn't give it a separate entry), should I still include the full title and all authors? I was running a little low on characters and was just thinking of including when and where presented.

 

[Catalystik]

Well, I was paid directly by the MD, so I'm not sure how to classify them. He's also writing one of my LOR, so I'm not sure

You might decide on how much space you need to use, whether you want to use a second Contact for a similar job, whether one Contact can attest to your involvement before he hired you. There's no one right way.

 

[Catalystik]

If I presented a poster at our school (and didn't give it a separate entry), should I still include the full title and all authors? I was running a little low on characters and was just thinking of including when and where presented.

The content should be apparent from your Research description, so you could say, "I presented a second-author poster on this research at my school's Student Science Symposium on x/xx/xxxx." It could even be shorter than that if I tried hard.

 

[kittridge1141]

1) It depends on your role. Can you describe it?
/

 

[Catalystik]

hi!
1) it's like play therapy. Working on eye-contact and a bit of speech therapy as well. Mostly just playing though. Encouraging social interactions and being more flexible.
2) Could I just not list the first hundred hours and only list the hours that counted for clinical?

Thank you for your help!

1) Emphasize the therapeutic aspects of your interactions, and it is a clinical experience. If you were just playing with kids, who happened to be autistic, it would not be. So spin it the right way.

2) Yes.

 

[banana_phone]

I am out of space in my activities and am one spot over (I currently have 16).

Option A) Should I not include honors stuff (graduated Magna cum laude, Chancellor's list, deans list, etc.)?
Option B) I did a unique study abroad called Semester at Sea, and spent time volunteering in South Africa and Brazil. I have the volunteering experiences listed separately from Semester at Sea. Should I just list semester at sea and discuss the volunteering within that?

 

[Catalystik]

I am out of space in my activities and am one spot over (I currently have 16).

Option A) Should I not include honors stuff (graduated Magna cum laude, Chancellor's list, deans list, etc.)?
Option B) I did a unique study abroad called Semester at Sea, and spent time volunteering in South Africa and Brazil. I have the volunteering experiences listed separately from Semester at Sea. Should I just list semester at sea and discuss the volunteering within that?

I would take out Honors/Awards, which adds nothing that isn't obvious from your transcript. Keep the other two separate, as both are interesting.

 

[turtles43]

Hello all-

I've completed undergraduate research, and was able to get a paper published with 3 other students. We presented a poster of our research at our "home" PSU campus, the main PSU campus, and another PSU branch campus at research symposium.

Right now I have one entry for research, one entry for the publication, and one entry to include all of the presentations. Do you think this is the best way to list these experiences? How to suggest I list the presentations in one entry? I can't seem to think of an experience name without the word presentation! I want it to catch their attention.

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

I've completed undergraduate research, and was able to get a paper published with 3 other students. We presented a poster of our research at our "home" PSU campus, the main PSU campus, and another PSU branch campus at research symposium.

Right now I have one entry for research, one entry for the publication, and one entry to include all of the presentations. Do you think this is the best way to list these experiences? How to suggest I list the presentations in one entry? I can't seem to think of an experience name without the word presentation! I want it to catch their attention.

I think the best way to list the experiences would be with one Research spot and one Publications spot, but then after your citation state that the same data was also presented at three Research Symposia days, then give sites and date of each. If you personally presented each say so, and if not, give credit to the one who did (tho it's still OK to list them if you're an author). You might try to express how selective the vetting process was for being allowed to participate in the venues off your usual campus.

FAQ (continued):

Any poster, pub, or presentation that took place at a campus venue should be mentioned with the affiliated Research entry. Any that occurred at a regional/national location or journal deserves its own spot, if you have space. If any of those data sharings came out of the same project, they could be mentioned together in one spot tagged under the highest prestige format:

National Pub > Regional Pub > Abstract in a national journal > National Poster/Presentation > Regional Poster/Presentation > abstract in a conference brochure > campus pub > campus poster/presentation.

 

[turtles43]

I think the best way to list the experiences would be with one Research spot and one Publications spot, but then after your citation state that the same data was also presented at three Research Symposia days, then give sites and date of each. If you personally presented each say so, and if not, give credit to the one who did (tho it's still OK to list them if you're an author). You might try to express how selective the vetting process was for being allowed to participate in the venues off your usual campus.

Thank you!

I've also worked as a peer and professional tutor, and a TA. As a TA I did course design. Is it okay to keep these two activities separate?

 

[Catalystik]

I've also worked as a peer and professional tutor, and a TA. As a TA I did course design. Is it okay to keep these two activities separate?

Yes.

 

[desiredmembername123]

.

 

[Catalystik]

I volunteer at Habitat for 150 hours, but have only been in a leadership role for about 50 of those hours. Would I list the whole thing as leadership? I would be really interested in doing so as it is my only leadership experience.

I suggest that you would not use the Leadership tag if you want to include time as a general member. Rather, use the Volunteer/Community Service tag, Name the activity something like, Habitat for Humanity General Member and XXX Committee Chair (which makes your leadership role pretty clear). Put the combined hours in the Total Hours box, then in the narrative, distinguish the hours for each and the date of transition, along with your explanation.

Alternatively, you can split the activity into two spaces and use the Leadership tag for the 50 hours, which is substantial enough to list on its own.

 

[turtles43]

How do you suggest altering activity descriptions and personal statement so they are not repetitive? My most meaningful experiences greatly overlap with my PS. I've tried to make my statement more story-like, but I am worried about this aspect of my app.

 

[Catalystik]

How do you suggest altering activity descriptions and personal statement so they are not repetitive? My most meaningful experiences greatly overlap with my PS. I've tried to make my statement more story-like, but I am worried about this aspect of my app.

In the PS give motivation for involvement, anecdotes, and impact. In Activities, give job description, role, insights. Or mix those components around a bit to fit what you want to say. If there is a bit of overlap, use different vocabulary so it sounds fresh.

 

[pillowsnice]

If I presented a poster on my research, should I list this under "research" or under "presentations/posters"? I only presented at undergraduate symposiums, so it wasn't anything fancy, just on campus. Also when I list my poster, how should I cite them?

 

[Catalystik]

If I presented a poster on my research, should I list this under "research" or under "presentations/posters"? I only presented at undergraduate symposiums, so it wasn't anything fancy, just on campus. Also when I list my poster, how should I cite them?

Since this presentation took place at a campus research symposium, I suggest you mention the poster in the same space as your Research. As such, if you don't have space for the poster title, author list, and date of presentation, you can abbreviate things by just saying, "I personally presented a second-authored poster on the above work 2/13/16 during a Campus research day event."

 

[pillowsnice]

Since this presentation took place at a campus research symposium, I suggest you mention the poster in the same space as your Research. As such, if you don't have space for the poster title, author list, and date of presentation, you can abbreviate things by just saying, "I personally presented a second-authored poster on the above work 2/13/16 during a Campus research day event."

Thanks for your response! I probably don't have room to fully cite my posters, so I will do what you have suggested.
Also, another question: Does it particularly matter if my most meaningful experiences aren't all clinical? Right now, I have chosen my free clinic volunteering (60 hours) over my hospital volunteering (120 hours) because I felt the free clinic gave me more insight. I also have a teaching position as the other and am deciding on my third. I'm thinking of choosing EMT over research since I enjoyed EMT more but have spent much more time doing research. What do you think of these activities? Does it matter if only one of them is technically around physicians?

 

[Thoroughbred_Med]

@Catalystik for a "paid employment" that is ongoing and will be ongoing throughout this cycle, what should I put for the "end date" ? It hasn't ended...

thanks in advance!

 

[Catalystik]

Does it particularly matter if my most meaningful experiences aren't all clinical? Right now, I have chosen my free clinic volunteering (60 hours) over my hospital volunteering (120 hours) because I felt the free clinic gave me more insight. I also have a teaching position as the other and am deciding on my third. I'm thinking of choosing EMT over research since I enjoyed EMT more but have spent much more time doing research. What do you think of these activities? Does it matter if only one of them is technically around physicians?

Free clinic, EMT, and teaching sound like good choices with nice variety.

 

[Catalystik]

@Catalystik for a "paid employment" that is ongoing and will be ongoing throughout this cycle, what should I put for the "end date" ? It hasn't ended...

The latest possible end date you're allowed to use is August 2017, unless you stop before then.

 

[kittridge1141]

1) Emphasize the therapeutic aspects of your interactions, and it is a clinical experience. If you were just playing with kids, who happened to be autistic, it would not be. So spin it the right way.

2) Yes.

thanks so much!

 

[pillowsnice]

Free clinic, EMT, and teaching sound like good choices with nice variety.

Sounds good, thanks!

 

[Vero Medico]

I was wondering if it would be a better idea to include the research abstracts and posters under the same headline as "Abstracts accepted/presented at conferences" and by indicating the conference name , we dont have to include another tag for conferences attended.

 

[Catalystik]

I was wondering if it would be a better idea to include the research abstracts and posters under the same headline as "Abstracts accepted/presented at conferences" and by indicating the conference name , we dont have to include another tag for conferences attended.

I agree with not using a separate Conferences Attended slot. It rarely adds much to an application.

 

[oznefu]

If a physician I shadowed has my same last name, would it okay to clarify the non-relationship after listing their contact name? Ex. Jane Smith, M.D. (not-related)