*~*~*~* Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2019-2020 *~*~*~*

[Catalystik]

I was in a club and fraternity where I did regular and consistent volunteer works. couple of hundred hours at the veterans home and a reading program. should I list these as separate activities even though the supervisor would be the same?

It looks like you should have enough hours with each for them to stand on their own in separate spaces. It's fine for them to have the same Contact.

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[Ferrous]

Im still a bit confused about Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere. If we are splitting an activity in two because each can stand alone, would the leadership component still be labeled as "Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere" if we are technically listing the activity elsewhere as service/philanthropy. Or is this just an indication to not double count hours if splitting an activity?

 

[vinefeather]

1) If you'd like a dedicated Leadership space that doesn't include any pre-leadership dates or hours (like when you had a general membership role with the organization earlier), then you'd pick Leadership-Not Listed Elsewhere, provided you delegated tasks to others for whose efforts you had responsibility. You have the option of splitting out the non-leadership time into a second space (tagged Extracurricular), or alternatively, referring to the earlier years as part of a backstory in the narrative of the Leadership space.

If you had a year or two with the organization prior to the leadership and you want to include all those hours and dates in one space, or if the leadership role means you do all the work and don't delegate tasks to others, then you'd use Extracurricular. But you can still call attention to the leadership role through the name you give the space, as well as through your description.

2) Research experiences for which you got class credit can be listed in the Activities section, provided they involved original hypothesis-based research and you feel the experience makes you a more attractive med school candidate. Campus posters and presentations don't add much cachet as they are often required regardless of content and don't undergo a peer-review process. It looks to me like the independent research experience might be worth adding.

3) Don't fluff up your application. Keep it succinct. The average spaces filled are 9-10. If the two scholarships weren't based on merit in college, don't include them on a med school application. You could probably get all four of those recognitions into one space. Is Deans List worth including, when your GPA speaks for itself? You decide.

Thank you so much for the help! For further clarification on question #1, would med schools look at leadership more favorably if it is labelled explicitly as a leadership activity versus if it is indicated by a position title under another category? I have two clubs in which I held leadership roles. One was in a service organization, so I labelled my involvement as non-clinical volunteer experience, with my leadership role explicit in the position title. I am considering doing the same for the religious/social organization under an extracurricular label. My logic here is that the total hours would more accurately reflect the total time I committed to the organization before/after leadership to become qualified/provide mentorship. I just don't know if it would put me at a disadvantage and/or de-emphasize the leadership roles. Both of these are most significant activities, so I will have essay space to make my involvement more clear.

 

[Catalystik]

Im still a bit confused about Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere. If we are splitting an activity in two because each can stand alone, would the leadership component still be labeled as "Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere" if we are technically listing the activity elsewhere as service/philanthropy. Or is this just an indication to not double count hours if splitting an activity?

In the Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere you would carve out the dates and hours you held the leadership position. That doesn't mean it wasn't also volunteer/community service, and you can make that clear in the description or title of the space. The other space (Community Service/Volunteer) would have the dates of involvement with the organization where you gave your service in other ways. The Total Hours for this other space would be the remaining hours you were involved with the organization's concerns, as you don't want to double count the hours. Sometimes you might be doing both components at once, but you'll have to decide which category to put those hours in for listing purposes. If this doesn't answer your concern, please rephrase the question.

 

[Catalystik]

1) If you'd like a dedicated Leadership space that doesn't include any pre-leadership dates or hours (like when you had a general membership role with the organization earlier), then you'd pick Leadership-Not Listed Elsewhere, provided you delegated tasks to others for whose efforts you had responsibility. You have the option of splitting out the non-leadership time into a second space (tagged Extracurricular), or alternatively, referring to the earlier years as part of a backstory in the narrative of the Leadership space.

If you had a year or two with the organization prior to the leadership and you want to include all those hours and dates in one space, or if the leadership role means you do all the work and don't delegate tasks to others, then you'd use Extracurricular. But you can still call attention to the leadership role through the name you give the space, as well as through your description.

For further clarification on question #1, would med schools look at leadership more favorably if it is labelled explicitly as a leadership activity versus if it is indicated by a position title under another category? I have two clubs in which I held leadership roles. One was in a service organization, so I labelled my involvement as non-clinical volunteer experience, with my leadership role explicit in the position title. I am considering doing the same for the religious/social organization under an extracurricular label. My logic here is that the total hours would more accurately reflect the total time I committed to the organization before/after leadership to become qualified/provide mentorship. I just don't know if it would put me at a disadvantage and/or de-emphasize the leadership roles. Both of these are most significant activities, so I will have essay space to make my involvement more clear.

Most applicants list their leadership roles as you have suggested, with the leadership embedded in the overall participation with a group. The time that I feel it might be a disadvantage not to list at least one Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere dedicated space, is if you are a strong contender for Top-20 med schools which have "Leadership in Medicine" as part of their mission statement. At such schools it is more likely that a reader scoring the application will be specifically looking for a Leadership Tab. JMO.

 

[MedHead345]

Working on listing just a couple hobbies and wondering what type of hobbies other people posted. I'm an advanced open water scuba diver, I like to skydive, I'm big on flyfishing, I do Tough Mudders and run marathons....do you guys think any of those are wise to inclued?

 

[Catalystik]

Working on listing just a couple hobbies and wondering what type of hobbies other people posted. I'm an advanced open water scuba diver, I like to skydive, I'm big on flyfishing, I do Tough Mudders and run marathons....do you guys think any of those are wise to inclued?

JMO, but they are all good listing except maybe the skydiving. Old, conservative, mainstream adcomms won't be partial to risktakers. Flyfishing tends to be a big hit, though.

 

[MedHead345]

JMO, but they are all good listing except maybe the skydiving. Old, conservative, mainstream adcomms won't be partial to risktakers. Flyfishing tends to be a big hit, though.

Good to know!! I was on the fence about that one. Old, conservative adcomms would definitely love fishing. Thank you!

 

[1realway]

Should I mention what kind of surgeries I observed during physician shadowing in the description?

 

[Catalystik]

Should I mention what kind of surgeries I observed during physician shadowing in the description?

Maybe one particularly interesting one, besides stating the type of surgeon the doc is (General, Cardiothoracic, Orthopedic, etc).

 

[sandiego3456]

Complicated situation here! Could use some advice.
-I worked as a medical scribe in the ER from June-Jan 31. On Jan 31, the hospital terminated the contract with my scribe company, therefore hiring a new scribe company. We were originally not able to be released from our non-competes to go back to the ED. So, I took a couple months off after this switch to study for the MCAT in April (did not feel comfortable finding/starting a new job so close to my MCAT date!)
-By the time I was done with the MCAT, people were being released from the noncompetes. Right now I'm in the middle of paperwork to go back to the same ER under the new scribe company.
1. I currently have it listed from June-Jan, am I good to enter a repeat date/project hours starting this May?
2. Do I need to explain this in my activities section? Is it fishy that I took a few months off? Or should I not even mention it?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Complicated situation here! Could use some advice.
-I worked as a medical scribe in the ER from June-Jan 31. On Jan 31, the hospital terminated the contract with my scribe company, therefore hiring a new scribe company. We were originally not able to be released from our non-competes to go back to the ED. So, I took a couple months off after this switch to study for the MCAT in April (did not feel comfortable finding/starting a new job so close to my MCAT date!)
-By the time I was done with the MCAT, people were being released from the noncompetes. Right now I'm in the middle of paperwork to go back to the same ER under the new scribe company.
1. I currently have it listed from June-Jan, am I good to enter a repeat date/project hours starting this May?
2. Do I need to explain this in my activities section? Is it fishy that I took a few months off? Or should I not even mention it?

1) It depends. Will you use the same Contact for both, say, someone in the ER, vs someone from each scribing company? When will you resume scribing?

2) A brief explanation would be helpful, but isn't essential.

 

[scorpion2020]

Hi! I have a question for my volunteer activities at a children's hospital.

1. I first volunteered as a hospitality cart volunteer in a team of four where we would go around the hospital offering food and drink to the patients and parents. I only obtained 60 hours here in the span of 8 months.

2. now I came back and I been here for almost 8 months again and I volunteer as a playside friend where I play board games with the patients. I'm not sure how many hours I have here but I think its close to 100.

I wanted to group these together as "clinical volunteering". Would number one not be considered clinical ? I was not with the patients all the time.
Should I instead separate them as non clinical and clinical ?

 

[scorpion2020]

I noticed some people posting about hobbies. I play soccer but I have been told not to talk about it because I'm not part of a team. I just play every weekend with my friends/ family. Its actually every Saturday. Should I mention this?

 

[Catalystik]

Hi! I have a question for my volunteer activities at a children's hospital.

1. I first volunteered as a hospitality cart volunteer in a team of four where we would go around the hospital offering food and drink to the patients and parents. I only obtained 60 hours here in the span of 8 months.

2. now I came back and I been here for almost 8 months again and I volunteer as a playside friend where I play board games with the patients. I'm not sure how many hours I have here but I think its close to 100.

I wanted to group these together as "clinical volunteering". Would number one not be considered clinical ? I was not with the patients all the time.
Should I instead separate them as non clinical and clinical ?

What did you do during #1 when not with patients? What percent of your role was spent with patients? Do you have the space to use two slots for this?

 

[sandiego3456]

1) It depends. Will you use the same Contact for both, say, someone in the ER, vs someone from each scribing company? When will you resume scribing?

2) A brief explanation would be helpful, but isn't essential.

No, it will be a different contact person for each scribing company. I don't resume scribing til the 6th, but I'm officially hired right now. I just want them to know what i'll be doing in the coming year!

 

[Catalystik]

No, it will be a different contact person for each scribing company. I don't resume scribing til the 6th, but I'm officially hired right now. I just want them to know what i'll be doing in the coming year!

Don't use the Repeated feature. Instead list your past scribe employment only in the header, but at the end of the narrative describing description and role, state that you'll resume scribing with [new Organization] at the same hospital on 6/6/19 YY hours per week during the application season. [Contact info]

 

[scorpion2020]

What did you do during #1 when not with patients? What percent of your role was spent with patients? Do you have the space to use two slots for this?

We prepared the cart with food and drink, took the cart from department to department, and went room to room asking if they wanted free food and drink. It was not very patient interactive as many of them were NPO. I do have the space to use two slots. I think that answers my question ,thank you very much.

 

[Catalystik]

We prepared the cart with food and drink, took the cart from department to department, and went room to room asking if they wanted free food and drink. It was not very patient interactive as many of them were NPO. I do have the space to use two slots. I think that answers my question ,thank you very much.

You still have patient interaction. Many would consider interacting with parents/family as a qualifying activity. All the other activity you described was prep time/travel. I think it can be included as Clinical if you prefer. Just gotta spin it right.

 

[scorpion2020]

You still have patient interaction. Many would consider interacting with parents/family as a qualifying activity. All the other activity you described was prep time/travel. I think it can be included as Clinical if you prefer. Just gotta spin it right.

If I do mark it down as clinical, should I combine it with the other activity? They're quite different and different time periods but at the same hospital and both clinical.

I have only 10 experiences btw.

 

[Catalystik]

If I do mark it down as clinical, should I combine it with the other activity? They're quite different and different time periods but at the same hospital and both clinical.

I have only 10 experiences btw.

If you want the total hours to look beefier, they could easily be listed together, but if you need extra space for discussion, it's fine to split them apart.

BTW, 9-10 is the average number of spaces used among all applicants.

 

[yuh]

What would peer mentoring students with disabilities be labeled as? I'm hesitant to put it under "teaching/tutoring/teaching assistant" because it was focused on socialization and integration into college life rather than academics.

 

[Catalystik]

What would peer mentoring students with disabilities be labeled as? I'm hesitant to put it under "teaching/tutoring/teaching assistant" because it was focused on socialization and integration into college life rather than academics.

Mentoring is considered a form of Teaching. But oher options might be Extracurricular or Volunteer or Employment (if you were paid).

 

[Ferrous]

Should I list volunteer abroad or not? In my description, I focused on how I helped build chimneys, disseminated health info etc in the community. Should I put it with under traveling in my hobbies section or leave it out entirely due to its negative connotation?

 

[Catalystik]

Should I list volunteer abroad or not? In my description, I focused on how I helped build chimneys, disseminated health info etc in the community. Should I put it with under traveling in my hobbies section or leave it out entirely due to its negative connotation?

Did you get involved in any "clinical" (as we define it on SDN) experience while there? How long was the experience? What else did your role consist of beside what you've stated here?

 

[Ferrous]

Did you get involved in any "clinical" (as we define it on SDN) experience while there? How long was the experience? What else did your role consist of beside what you've stated here?

Mostly: checking height, weight of kids, helping with handing out vitamins; shadowing at clinics

It was a 14 day trip (50 hours volunteer, 30 hours shadow / miscellaneous) and doesn't factor into any of my future activities (my focus has been on research), but I was also alone on the trip so I felt like I did a lot without disrupting their day to day lives. Was also in home country if that's a +/-

But from what I gather Adcoms may see it as negative regardless due to lack of long term commitment.

 

[Catalystik]

Mostly: checking height, weight of kids, helping with handing out vitamins; shadowing at clinics

It was a 14 day trip (50 hours volunteer, 30 hours shadow / miscellaneous) and doesn't factor into any of my future activities (my focus has been on research), but I was also alone on the trip so I felt like I did a lot without disrupting their day to day lives. Was also in home country if that's a +/-

But from what I gather Adcoms may see it as negative regardless due to lack of long term commitment.

Were you vising family and/or volunteering with a relative/connection? Or were you with an organization distant from family?

Do you have plenty of USA shadowing and clinical experience?

 

[redColor]

2 question,
For multiple awards, how the hours entered, put 0 hours?
For multiple publications, can pick any one as contact info?

 

[Catalystik]

2 question,
1) For multiple awards, how the hours entered, put 0 hours?
2) For multiple publications, can pick any one as contact info?

1) You can enter a zero, or the number of hours spent at the awards ceremonies.

2) Pick a PI, for the rest, you don't need to add an additional Contact, as the journal itself can be accessed online through your citation.

 

[Ferrous]

Were you vising family and/or volunteering with a relative/connection? Or were you with an organization distant from family?

Do you have plenty of USA shadowing and clinical experience?

No, was pretty far away from family w/ an established org.

Shadowing: 65 hr
Clinical: 270 hr (2 years, 3 sep activities)

 

[redColor]

Thank you so much, one more
For publication, the total hours will be 0 also?
Also, for graduation with highest honor is an award?

 

[drtribbiani]

I remember there being a thread with dedicated PS readers. Is there also a similar one for the W/A section? I just finished mine up and it'd be great if I could have someone read it

 

[907914]

Where did you present the posters? How selective was the process? Is the one Research space designated as MM so you have more characters? Any publications listed in another space? Do you have spaces to spare? There are many nuances that have to be considered as to the best way to present this information, including whether you're a good candidate for highly-selective, research-focused T20 schools. Should we discuss this in the "Tips" thread so as not to highjack the OP's conversation?

Both posters were presented at school symposium, abstract for one was accepted at a national conference however the university retracted travel funding (which I note). The one research space is designated as MM which I use to talk about one of my own pet projects within the lab that I designed at implement (wrote and received a departmental grant for it etc.) The MM is really where I talk about my passion, so to speak, for research as I only have 3 research related tabs across my entire application (no mention in PS as it doesn’t fit my story). No publications listed elsewhere - I have one project and poster combined into one activity from a different lab, 3 projects on the activity that is also MM, and one activity that is the 2 posters from that lab. I am fairly competitive for T20 schools and they make up the majority of my school list.

 

[Seihai]

I've recently been looking through my work/activities and realized that some sections are a bit redundant considering I had to describe my experiences in my Research Experiences Essay (applying MD/PhD).

Should I include my research work in 4 different labs (currently working in 3 of them simultaneously with some overlap between two of them) as four different activities, or should I group it all into one activity? How should I describe the experience for each respective section if I keep them separate in such a way that it's not redundant with my Research Experiences Essay?

I have poster presentations for all four labs, but I have put that in its own section. I also have manuscripts that are being drafted and one that has been submitted in yet another section for publications. I'm not sure how to reorganize this such that it makes more sense. I was thinking to move the manuscripts that haven't been submitted to their respective lab sections, if I wind up keeping the four different lab sections?

Sorry, haven't been able to find much of an answer to this for MD/PhD applicants regarding the overlap between Work/Activities and the Research Experiences Essay.

 

[907914]

When listing a company HR as the contact, I have nothing for first name/Last name. It comes off on the application looking as

"N/A N/A Company HR"

Is that right or should I just pt First name - human, last name - resources?

 

[Catalystik]

No, was pretty far away from family w/ an established org.

Shadowing: 65 hr
Clinical: 270 hr (2 years, 3 sep activities)

I think it's safe to list it. It doesn't need to be under Hobbies. You could enter it under Other and mix together everything you did (but still split out the shadowing and enter it with the other Shadowing you did in the US, if you like). Maybe title it Various Community Service in My Birth Country, or somesuch. This is just one suggestion and yours might be better, so don't take this as a directive. It's still "Voluntourism" but it isn't going to hurt you to list it.

 

[Catalystik]

1) For publication, the total hours will be 0 also?
2) Also, for graduation with highest honor is an award?

1) Yes.

2) Yes.

 

[Catalystik]

I remember there being a thread with dedicated PS readers. Is there also a similar one for the W/A section? I just finished mine up and it'd be great if I could have someone read it

No, there isn't a dedicated W/A Review Thread, but I've seen an occasional post requesting help in the main forum. Be careful who you trust though. Some folks out there might copy and paste to their own application.

 

[Catalystik]

I have 3 projects in the same lab that produced 3 posters. Would it be fine to split that in to “XYZ lab” and “XYZ posters” indicating the professor

Both posters were presented at school symposium, abstract for one was accepted at a national conference however the university retracted travel funding (which I note). The one research space is designated as MM which I use to talk about one of my own pet projects within the lab that I designed at implement (wrote and received a departmental grant for it etc.) The MM is really where I talk about my passion, so to speak, for research as I only have 3 research related tabs across my entire application (no mention in PS as it doesn’t fit my story). No publications listed elsewhere - I have one project and poster combined into one activity from a different lab, 3 projects on the activity that is also MM, and one activity that is the 2 posters from that lab. I am fairly competitive for T20 schools and they make up the majority of my school list.

Since the abstract for one of the posters was accepted by a national conference and underwent a more rigorous peer-review, I think you're fine to have a dedicated Posters/Presentations space (with the note about the retracted travel funding). You can put more posters into the same space if they fit. It looks like that is already what you decided to do.

 

[Catalystik]

When listing a company HR as the contact, I have nothing for first name/Last name. It comes off on the application looking as

"N/A N/A Company HR"

Is that right or should I just pt First name - human, last name - resources?

Try this:

First name: Human Resources
Last Name: Department
Title: [name of company]
On the application it will read: Human Resources Department, [name of company]
Be sure to have a correct phone number or email for this office.

Similarly: There is a designated person at your school who holds the title of Registrar, whom you can mention by name or not, as you wish. If you don't want to look that person up, you can still list the office as a Contact like this:

First name: Registrars
Last name: Office
Title: [name of your school (University of Arizona, eg)]
On the application it will print off as Contact Name & Title: Registrars Office, University of Arizona
You will still need to look up a phone number for the office.

 

[Catalystik]

I've recently been looking through my work/activities and realized that some sections are a bit redundant considering I had to describe my experiences in my Research Experiences Essay (applying MD/PhD).

Should I include my research work in 4 different labs (currently working in 3 of them simultaneously with some overlap between two of them) as four different activities, or should I group it all into one activity? How should I describe the experience for each respective section if I keep them separate in such a way that it's not redundant with my Research Experiences Essay?

I have poster presentations for all four labs, but I have put that in its own section. I also have manuscripts that are being drafted and one that has been submitted in yet another section for publications. I'm not sure how to reorganize this such that it makes more sense. I was thinking to move the manuscripts that haven't been submitted to their respective lab sections, if I wind up keeping the four different lab sections?

Sorry, haven't been able to find much of an answer to this for MD/PhD applicants regarding the overlap between Work/Activities and the Research Experiences Essay.

You cannot assume the same reader will have access to all components of your application. Sometimes readers are assigned specific sections for quality control, as it's easier to more directly "compare apples to apples." Thus, each section must stand on its own. The problem lies in that sometimes the reader is the same and you don't want them to get bored. So ideally, you'll make sections that tell the same story sound different with varying vocabulary, changing the order of discussion, different anecdotes, or whatever. Some redundancy is inevitable.

As an MD/PhD candidate, you want to emphasize your research-related activities as much as possible. OTOH, you don't want to fluff it up with earlier research that might have been more trivial, when you were learning techniques for the first time, and/or over which you were not given creative control. I definitely wouldn't group all four labs into one space, but grouping some of them might be better.

Do not enter submitted or [in preparation] manuscripts into a Publications space. I'd also say don't waste space on submissions in the Research space, but many applicants do this, and you wouldn't be alone. Note that it's kinda embarrassing to be asked about these at interviews after you've been rejected by three journals or if major revisions are rejected and the PI puts them off for a year. Never assume a quick acceptance letteer.

You might review my comments in this thread, post #2, item 20 regarding Research-listing issues.

 

[JUNGLEKING]

If I had two different positions within the same organization could I split it up into two different activities. The first activity is as regular non-clinical volunteering, but I was later promoted to be the lead/supervisor of regular volunteers, but was still unpaid. The two roles had different responsibilities so would it be possible to list the first role as volunteering and then the second role as leadership?

 

[Catalystik]

If I had two different positions within the same organization could I split it up into two different activities. The first activity is as regular non-clinical volunteering, but I was later promoted to be the lead/supervisor of regular volunteers, but was still unpaid. The two roles had different responsibilities so would it be possible to list the first role as volunteering and then the second role as leadership?

Absolutely, just don't double count any of the hours.

 

[Ferrous]

I think it's safe to list it. It doesn't need to be under Hobbies. You could enter it under Other and mix together everything you did (but still split out the shadowing and enter it with the other Shadowing you did in the US, if you like). Maybe title it Various Community Service in My Birth Country, or somesuch. This is just one suggestion and yours might be better, so don't take this as a directive. It's still "Voluntourism" but it isn't going to hurt you to list it.

Sounds good, thank you

Volunteer Clinical/Nonclinical would be too self-serving correct? I will list it as "Other" with service in the title

 

[HiHowAreYou]

Can I put myself as a contact if I've included a citation for my work?

 

[FatherTime-PhD]

Do I have to repeat things that are already in the organization title or experience name when I'm doing the description?
For example: If I already said experience name was "Home Repair Volunteer" and the Organization was "Johnson Loves Homes"... is it necessary for me to start my description with "As a home repair volunteer with Johnson Loves Homes..." or can I just start with "In this experience, I blah blah blah.." ??

 

[907914]

Do I have to repeat things that are already in the organization title or experience name when I'm doing the description?
For example: If I already said experience name was "Home Repair Volunteer" and the Organization was "Johnson Loves Homes"... is it necessary for me to start my description with "As a home repair volunteer with Johnson Loves Homes..." or can I just start with "In this experience, I blah blah blah.." ??

I have “In this activity, I served as a XXXX technician doing XXXX. The volunteer position at XXXX allowed me to blah blah blah.” You can have fun with it or be formulaic. So long as you are professional it shouldn’t matter

 

[Fullsend97]

I volunteered In my local hospital for the past couple of years. Ive had clinical and non clinical experiences. How can I go about entering them. Example I worked clinical (peadiatrics, ER, Dialysis) which involved patients but I also did some non clinical work for them (help desk, community garden).

 

[Fullsend97]

Also I worked as a volunteer tutor ... Would this go under Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant OR would it go under CommunityService/Volunteer- Non Clinical

 

[Catalystik]

Can I put myself as a contact if I've included a citation for my work?

What are you citing? Why not list the PI as your Contact?