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Best to let it go unless its raised in an interview setting.
*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Work/Activities Tips Thread 2018-2019*~*~*~*
Started by Lucca
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1) Filling in the Organization isn't obligatory for Hobbies.
2) Put in a date range that covers all your hobbies, say, the college years, for example.
3) You'd list the healthcare jobs, if they entailed patient interaction, under Employment-Medical/Clinical. You could list the others as Collegiate Jobs under Employment-Not Medical/Clinical. It sounds like you don't think they were relevant. What jobs did you hold?
4) You must have had about 64 hours of hospital volunteering. It's not too small a number to list. Isn't there a volunteer office that kept track of your hours that you could list as a Contact? You don't need someone who can give you a reference, just someone to attest to timeframe and hours.
I see what you're saying, but what if I'm in the position where I postponed my exam multiple times, and the time that I worked while studying for the exam was let's say October 2017-March 2018, but since March quit the job and continued just full time studying to take my test in July. How would they know that I was working during the same time of studying since there's a big gap between finishing to work and studying for the exam? Do you know what I mean...?
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I see what you mean. I trust you to make the best decision on how to present it.
I’ll be blunter than Cat: don’t mention the McAT in your description it makes you seem neurotic and weird.
Thanks for your response.
As for contact for my hospital volunteering I suppose I could list the HR phone number since they coordinated everything and put a file together for me so I assume they keep records of the volunteers, but I don't think they kept track of the hours.
I had a few jobs while in college (more than one at a time for while). Cashier then crew trainer at Mc Donalds, receptionist at a car insurance office, medical records then billing/intake coordinator at a home health agency, returns material coordinator at a logistic solutions company, then when I got my BA I got my current job psychosocial rehabilitation services facilitator at a mental health community center. So far I only listed the one at the home health and my current job. Would you say that it would be good to list any of the others? If so, should I put them under one entry or multiple entries?
Thanks in advance.
Catalystik, thanks again for the advice. I had a quick question. I was reading through my application and noticed for one of my activities there's a 20 hour discrepancy between what I reported in my description (completed + projected adds up to 370) and my date ranges/repeated activity hours (adds up to 350). The thing is, the 370 is actually what's accurate, but now I'm concerned they'll think I added 20 hours on top. Should I send schools an update, or is this small enough to be overlooked? Just wondering what to do. Thank you again for the advice.
Got it. Yeah I ended up taking it out, and I'm just describing what I did and what I learned during the work experience.
Any job you had working with people or interacting with the public is worth mentioning. So is training (leadership). Others might be worth including (all in one space) just so Adcomms know how busy you were, unless you need more space for description.
Let it go. Twenty hours is small potatoes.
How should I write about a scribe position that I just recently started? I completed training and have started the actual work, but I'm still a newbie under supervision. I can give a brief description of what I've done so far and what I hope to gain from the experience, but not much else in all honesty. Would it seem odd if I don't give any serious reflection?
Also, how should I list hours? I've committed to 25 hours per week. Right now I have very little, but it'll add on for the next year. However, I don't want to bloat my application with something I haven't done yet...
Also, how should I list hours? I've committed to 25 hours per week. Right now I have very little, but it'll add on for the next year. However, I don't want to bloat my application with something I haven't done yet...
I agree that you won't have much to say beyond a basic description of your role, but if your clinical activity is thus far sparse, using a space for this clinical employment will make sure adcomms know you're adding to your experience (as opposed to saving the new employment to have something fresh to mention on Secondaries, if you already have plenty of patient interaction). Since you are not yet past your probational period, and because we see many who don't get that far, I'd be reluctant to suggest that you list your future hours of ~1250 in the header, when you've completed only, say, 50. My suggestion would be to list the completed hours only in the header and then enter your future plan in the narrative: Maybe, "I completed my training and started work x/xx/xxx. I plan to work 25 hours per week through y/yy/yy."
i worked as a tech for several years after graduating from college.
Is it too much for me to say something like I learned how to be a scientist. I eventually was planning my own experiments, running them, and analyzing data, working together with my mentor but also setting up and doing the actual projects on my own.
But i dont want to be overstepping with what i claim.
Is it too much for me to say something like I learned how to be a scientist. I eventually was planning my own experiments, running them, and analyzing data, working together with my mentor but also setting up and doing the actual projects on my own.
But i dont want to be overstepping with what i claim.
I suggest leaving out the snippet "I learned how to be a scientist." Maybe instead, "I learned to utilize the scientific method"?
Hey guys, quick question: I forgot to list my job (that I had for ~5 years!) on my application. It was just your average retail job, and I quit last year. However, I had the job throughout undergrad and my post-bacc year. Do you guys think it will matter? I'm not anxious about it, but I'm really stunned that I forgot to add that before submitting! Perhaps I can just list it on my secondaries?
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okay thanks!
im so confused. Iv read the post about research as most meaningful.
What is expected in the meaningful section/essay.
I list my projects. I saw we could list what we did? Since i worked there a long time we did a lot of different things. Do I lay out the experiments and in doing so the techinques (mousework, genotyping, harvesting organs for cells, plating and culturing, running experiments on those cells, collecting RNA, protein, qPCR and western, FACS). Or do i just list the techniques?
Or are they looking for more what I learned through my experience there?
A retail job is a plus due to the need for utilizing "people" skills. Perhaps another if your activities required similar talents?
Yes, several of my other activities required people skills. I was so focused on describing my medical/ extracurricular activities that I forgot all about my job, lol. Would you recommend I point this out on my secondaries?
Any and all of those areas are fair game. You are only limited by the space at your disposal. You need not include every role and every technique, nor a detailed summary of each experiment. You could gloss over the early years and more focus on recent productivity. You want to create an engaging tale, an overview. If you want to add important insights, it's like a cherry on the sundae.
There's no one right way to write about it.
ah okay thank you. i feel like iv done all my other entries wrong. I didnt know they were meant to be engaging tales. I more wrote them as responses to what was the activity and what made them meaningful.
If you are provided an appropriate prompt and/or can pull anecdotes from the job on a Stress you overcame, or a Challenge you met, or A time when you failed, you can refer to your "Five years in retail" briefly as the backstory.
No, no, no, an "engaging tale" is not a must! It's an option. Most entries are bare-boned facts.
Sorry to disquiet you with what I said.
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Sorry, to be clear the issues is that my statement reads that I work on autologous HSCT and focus on GVHD when it should have said I work on autologous and allogeneic HSCTs with a focus on GVHD. GVHD isn't at all associated with auto transplants so to me this is a really dumb mistake to leave out any mention of allo especially as it's my current full time job. I just want to be sure, is it definitely something I shouldn't address in a secondary? Thanks!
I completely understand your angst that your application doesn't reflect meticulous attention to detail. Chances are small, but exist, that any one reader will question what you wrote, but I know that some rare schools pair applicants with researchers in their field. If it will help you to put the issue aside, for any Secondary that gives an appropriate prompt, eg, "Is there anything you'd like to bring to the admission committee's attention," you may include the corrected sentence. I say this more for your sake than because I believe the error will have a negative impact on your application cycle.
Bullet format is fine as long as you use a dash (-) or star (*) to represent the bullet.
Use the College Registrar as the Contact.
Hello again! Question--I have all of my physician shadowing (about 50 hours) under one spot. I put the most recent doc I shadowed in top area and then added all the others in the description; it's about 7 doctors total. With all of the hours and contact info, that leaves no room for descriptions at all. I was hoping to put descriptions for each experience on my primary, but is it okay if I don't? Will adcoms look down on my just listing the shadowing? I guess can definitely talk about it in secondaries I suppose.
Adcomms are very familiar with the range of shadowing experiences, so no description is necessary. I'd be fine with you leaving the space as you have it.
If you really, really want to free up space for description you could a) spread into two spaces, or b) summarize three of the shadowees by specialty and subtotal hours only (no contacts, names, or dates). See post 2 of this thread for an example of a Shadowing space.
Why?
Put your first paragraph in the 700 character space. And the rest in the 1325 character space. It should print out as a cohesive essay with the unused space removed. The only indication that the MM space has begun is a blank line exactly like a paragraph break. (And a note in the left margin.) There's no separate boxes.
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Hi all!
So I took a capstone course this past semester through my uni's business school. It was pretty much a business internship except you get placed with a company by the professors. I was wondering what experience type this would be. I can't put it as Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical because I didn't get paid (it was a course).
I am also waiting on one of my lab's papers to get accepted by its journal. It was submitted/received at the beginning of March. I was wondering how much longer I should wait, because this will delay me from submitting my primary. It's my only publication so far, so I really want to have it on my application
So I took a capstone course this past semester through my uni's business school. It was pretty much a business internship except you get placed with a company by the professors. I was wondering what experience type this would be. I can't put it as Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical because I didn't get paid (it was a course).
I am also waiting on one of my lab's papers to get accepted by its journal. It was submitted/received at the beginning of March. I was wondering how much longer I should wait, because this will delay me from submitting my primary. It's my only publication so far, so I really want to have it on my application
1) List an Internship-like experience in the Other category.
2) Only your PI can give you insight into the typical turn-around time for this journal. It could be tomorrow, or in 3 months, or require major revisions, or be rejected, only to be later accepted by the 2nd or 3rd journal to which it's submitted.
Considering these uncertainties, you might consider saving a potential acceptance for something fresh and exciting to mention on Secondaries or future update letters, where permitted.
How much longer you can afford to wait depends on how strong your application is. For weaker applicants, waiting is not advisable. For those in the top 10%: they could apply on the deadline and still have a good chance of getting in somewhere.
I misread the instructions and wrote my "essay" (intertwining description and reflection) within the 1325 character limit... so now I wonder if I have to redo it, making a 700 character description then a reflection; or if I can still use my 1325 essay by just splitting, as you said, one paragraph to the 700 box and the rest to the 1325 box?
Hello,
I have the following things I want to list for Honors/Awards - how should I group them and should I include them all?
Full cost of attendance scholarship at my undergrad (has a title to it - I'm thinking of using this as 'Experience Name' and writing the others below?
National $10k scholarship
National $5k scholarship
Goldwater honorable mention (I'm applying MD - is this useful to have? Research is a part of my app and I am applying to competitive schools without pubs so I thought it would be useful).
University Honors Program
Thanks!
I have the following things I want to list for Honors/Awards - how should I group them and should I include them all?
Full cost of attendance scholarship at my undergrad (has a title to it - I'm thinking of using this as 'Experience Name' and writing the others below?
National $10k scholarship
National $5k scholarship
Goldwater honorable mention (I'm applying MD - is this useful to have? Research is a part of my app and I am applying to competitive schools without pubs so I thought it would be useful).
University Honors Program
Thanks!
If you wrote the whole thing in the text boxes (not in a word processing program), you should be able to copy and paste to split the essay into the two boxes. You can check to see the final appearance after you save it by going to the Main Menu and accessing Print Application on the far right side, so you can see how it looks (without physically printing it out).
The name you give the space should encompass everything in the space, eg, Collegiate Merit Scholarships and Recognitions.
-I would not list a scholarship that is related to HS merit only, rather than having continuing required benchmarks throughout college. There is another place on the application where you can give the percent of your college expenses covered by scholarships.
-For the University Honors Program, give the criteria for inclusion, since this varies by institution.
-Even a Goldwater Honorable Mention is hard to come by, so I think it's worth mentioning.
I guess my question was, is it okay if my current essay is not clearly split in activity description and then activity reflection? As in, it okay if, without having to rewrite my essay at this stage, I keep it as it is and take the first paragraph(s) to fill up the 700 character box, with the rest going to the 1325 box?
Thanks so much for your advice. I literally had a stress dream in which I was explaining this error to my boss when talking about med school apps. I think I'll let it go, and hopefully if I do interview somewhere that matches me with someone in the field, I can just address it then since in the grand scheme, you're right, it's pretty minor. :/
Yes, it's OK to mix description and reflection rather than putting all the reflection in the MM area. You don't need to rewrite the essay. Split out the first paragraph into the first box as we discussed (being sure it's not near 700 characters where it will get cut off).
thank you so much, I appreciate all the help!!
The scholarship's only continuing benchmarks are a certain # of service hours per semester, but it seems best to leave it off. The only honors criteria I can find listed on the website is that it comprises the top X% of applicants. There was an application process but I don't remember what it constituted. Should I include the University description?
1) What earned you the scholarship? How many service hours are required per term orper year?
2) Include the bit about top X%. If there are any other critical requirements, summarize them (briefly, like "requires 1 Honors class per term"), but otherwise, the GPA criteria is enough.
Thanks for your help so far!
The scholarship is given to 8-10 incoming students a year, based on HS achievement + an interview. Not sure specifically what earned me the scholarship. It's 30 hours a year, and my service exceeds that of course.
Hmm. Odd that it's not based on meritorious volunteering in the HS years. I agree with your conclusion of not listing it. Also, you wouldn't want adcomms mentally subtracting the "required" volunteering from what you've completed in college.
Quick question (gahhh so close to submitting! haha) I was involved with a volunteering program throughout my 4 years in college, close to 1000 hours. I started as a volunteer then worked my way up to working full time. Some of these hours (less than 100) were actual volunteering. Do I list the activity as Community Service - Not medical? Or do I list it as Paid employment - Not medical? In both scenarios, I plan to make a note of the total volunteering hours.
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About 900 hours are paid, and should be listed as Employment. The 100 hours could be mentioned in the backstory of your narrative in that same space, or you can carve out those hours and either list them on their own or group them with other NonClinical volunteering.
futuredrnick
New Member
Hey guys, would anyone be willing to take a look at my activity descriptions? I haven't received any feedback on my activities yet, so I am interested in what you'd have to say about the content and style. I'd greatly appreciate your help and I am willing to review something of yours! Thanks!
What I currently have:
Under the "Paid employment" category, 3 different dates for my 3 different positions (each with their respective hours); then first box (770 characters) lists the breakdown of hours and positions; second box (1325 characters) is the "essay" with a narrative explaining the transition of positions. Could that work?
Of note, only one of the 3 positions was paid.
I am confused. Is this a new topic or an explanation about what we'd been discussing?
Why are you listing unpaid positions under Employment? Were you compensated in ways other than salary?
I guess when I was filling out this activity, I wanted to show the transition of positions within one program. If classifying this experience under Paid Employment, I thought that by adding a note in one of the boxes with a breakdown of (paid and unpaid) positions and their respective hours, that would be okay.
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