*~*~*~* Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2021-2024 *~*~*~*

[doctro dre]

Hi Catalystik,

I was rereading my AMCAS primary the other day and listed 0 hours for one of my most meaningful activities, it is a leadership position of an org that I helped start recently. Am I completely ****ed? Do you have any recommendations? Update them in the secondary? ('Due to a foresight, the hours listed for X activity is incorrectly listed as 0. The correct number of hours should be 80. Apologies for mishap')

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi Catalystik,

I was rereading my AMCAS primary the other day and listed 0 hours for one of my most meaningful activities, it is a leadership position of an org that I helped start recently. Am I completely ****ed? Do you have any recommendations? Update them in the secondary? ('Due to a foresight, the hours listed for X activity is incorrectly listed as 0. The correct number of hours should be 80. Apologies for mishap')

Did you give a robust description of what your leadership role entailed and was it clear that general membership hours were not included? In that case it could logically be inferred that you’d made an error. But you’ll cover your bases better by communicating the omission as you described ( except I’d call it an oversight, rather than “foresight.”)

 

[doctro dre]

Did you give a robust description of what your leadership role entailed and was it clear that general membership hours were not included? In that case it could logically be inferred that you’d made an error. But you’ll cover your bases better by communicating the omission as you described ( except I’d call it an oversight, rather than “foresight.”)

I discussed my role in various initiatives yes, and also told a story of the outreach efforts that I helped lead leading us to our first partnership.
What do you mean general membership hours were not included? Thank you so much Catalystik

 

[Catalystik]

I discussed my role in various initiatives yes, and also told a story of the outreach efforts that I helped lead leading us to our first partnership.
What do you mean general membership hours were not included?

Some folks list an activity under leadership, when the date span provided started when they were a general member initially and took on the leadership role later in college, without differentiating between the general membership and leadership hours. This forces us to make assumptions and adjust the hours provided accordingly. Others list the dates and hours of leadership only, without inclusion of earlier involvement in the organization. Still others differentiate in the entry narrative the difference in level of involvement. It's always best to be transparent.

 

[baz2020]

For background, I have two entries that have the same person as the contact (one volunteering, one shadowing). I just realized that one of them I put the clinics main number and the other the contacts personal number, am I just overthinking or does this look dishonest?

 

[Catalystik]

For background, I have two entries that have the same person as the contact (one volunteering, one shadowing). I just realized that one of them I put the clinics main number and the other the contacts personal number, am I just overthinking or does this look dishonest?

Not a problem in any way.

 

[Schadret]

Question on entering info for a Babysitting job ("Paid Employment - Non Medical/Clinical") - done during all 4 years of college over the summer, hundreds of hours each summer, total of about 600 hours over the 4 summers - would it be 1 activity with a start date of 6/1/2017 and end date of 9/1/21 and the total of all hours or something else? If 1 activity, should it breakdown the hours-by-year in the description?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Question on entering info for a Babysitting job ("Paid Employment - Non Medical/Clinical") - done during all 4 years of college over the summer, hundreds of hours each summer, total of about 600 hours over the 4 summers - would it be 1 activity with a start date of 6/1/2017 and end date of 9/1/21 and the total of all hours or something else? If 1 activity, should it breakdown the hours-by-year in the description?

Thanks!

Do the hours vary widely from summer to summer?

 

[Schadret]

Do the hours vary widely from summer to summer?

A bit - also I just remembered one year was a lot more (so my total was off) because it included the Spring when she was off a semester for medical reasons. So it would be something like this:

2017 - 205 hours, summer only
2018 - 231 hours, summer only
2019 - 225 hours, summer only
2020 - 503 hours, Jan-end of summer

 

[Catalystik]

A bit - also I just remembered one year was a lot more (so my total was off) because it included the Spring when she was off a semester for medical reasons. So it would be something like this:

2017 - 205 hours, summer only
2018 - 231 hours, summer only
2019 - 225 hours, summer only
2020 - 503 hours, Jan-end of summer

I was going to say that you could use one date span and add the word ”Summer” to the title of the space, but considering your new information, I suggest using the Repeated feature so you can enter 4 separate date spans, each with its own hourly total, for the sake of better accuracy.

 

[baz2020]

Ive got to stop reading over my app months after submitting

One of the places I volunteered at I was trained by the volunteer coordinator, but actually worked with their son day to day. I listed the volunteer coordinator and their email but I then listed their sons phone number somehow. I’m assuming this is no big deal as either should be able to verify but just wanna double check

 

[Catalystik]

Ive got to stop reading over my app months after submitting

One of the places I volunteered at I was trained by the volunteer coordinator, but actually worked with their son day to day. I listed the volunteer coordinator and their email but I then listed their sons phone number somehow. I’m assuming this is no big deal as either should be able to verify but just wanna double check

Not a big deal, since either could validate the activity. Might you give a heads-up to the son about a possible contact? Just in case?

 

[baz2020]

Not a big deal, since either could validate the activity. Might you give a heads-up to the son about a possible contact? Just in case?

Yea I shot him a message and he said that was fine! Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

I have a few activities that I only did during breaks between semesters. 2 of these were done as a continuation through high school as well.
Should I either A) Split the dates into a bunch of different sections (So like June 2017 to August 2017, December 2017 to January 2018, June 2018 to August 2018 etc until I reach current day) OR B) Just list it June 2017 to Present and start my description along the lines of "I volunteered at X between semesters then go into the actual description.

For AMCAS: If you have four or fewer date spans to list, you can use the Repeated feature and list each one with its own Total Hours. Or you can list two date spans, one for the HS years, and one for the college years. It's also fine to have one all-inclusive date span with an explanation either in the narrative or in the title of the space (by including the term Intermittent, School-Break, or whatever).

 

[Catalystik]

Given that Americorp pays a small stipend, how would one count a year spent as an Americorp member? Would it be regarded as nonclinical volunteering? A job? Something else?

Were you (or will you be) paid a salary (with taxes and Medicare taken out) or a stipend (no taxes removed) which was/is barely enough to live on? I believe the latter is true, so you wouldn't strictly speaking be an employee. Whether you designate it as a job, a volunteer position (which it would widely be considered by adcomms), as Teaching, Clinical, or whatever, include "Americorp" in the title of the space so it's highlighted and easily notable.

 

[Catalystik]

Would it be better to send an update about a publication that is accepted pending minor revisions or wait until the publication is actually accepted to send the update? I do not know how long it will take them to review the revised publication (which was already submitted) and ultimately accept it or not, and so, the publication might not be accepted until several months from now.

This update would be a post-interview update for a particular school to hopefully give my application an extra push towards acceptance for the next acceptance date in November.

It's fair to include an acceptance of a manuscript pending minor revisions in an update letter (if you are up front about its exact status). It's better to include mention of it after you have an assigned publication date. It's better yet when you have a PMID# or DOI to report.

Do you have a copy of the email or letter that gives the status of the paper? Be sure to hang on to it.

 

[Catalystik]

During high school, I participated in a program designed for URM students that allowed me to earn an associates degree while still in high school. I worked full time to help support my family and also had tons of volunteering through the early college program. Can I include the employment history and/or non-clinical volunteering hours on my application?

Note: The first 2 years I spent half the day at my high school and half at my community college.
Last 2 years were spent all at the community college, full-time.

Not only "can" you, but more importantly, you should include these activities. They are related to your "college years."

 

[Catalystik]

I volunteer at an organization that collects donated food from businesses and delivers the food to local homeless shelters and food banks. Note, I have a leadership role in this organization. This is not a very time-consuming process. Probably about 30-45 minutes. However, I spend ~1.5 hours commuting in EACH direction to get to the events. I want to count my commute because without the commute it would seem like such a massive commitment just to get half of a volunteer hour. It just seems like without the commute included, the hours are dwindled down. 10 hours of volunteering would be neglecting the 30 hours that I spent commuting. What should I do? I just would like a clear answer on how to count my hours.

I am not driving, I am taking the bus/train

I am not a fan of including commute travel time when reporting community service or leadership. If you are on a train or bus, you can make the hours involved productive in other ways. But if you feel compelled to include the commute in your Total Hours space, then break it down in the narrative as to how much of it is related to commuting, how much to labor and actual pickup & delivery, and how much to the leadership role. Let adcomms decide how to view the hours involved.

 

[KnightDoc]

I am not a fan of including commute travel time when reporting community service or leadership. If you are on a train or bus, you can make the hours involved productive in other ways. But if you feel compelled to include the commute in your Total Hours space, then break it down in the narrative as to how much of it is related to commuting, how much to labor and actual pickup & delivery, and how much to the leadership role. Let adcomms decide how to view the hours involved.

Agreed. No employer, anywhere, pays anyone for the 30 hours they spend commuting. It is not an employer's, organization's, or adcom's problem that someone has to travel 3 hours round trip to perform 45 minutes of service, and it would be highly misleading to include commuting time as service. If you think it's legit to count it, label it as a commute as see how that goes over.

Believe me, the people who are reading it, who don't get paid, or otherwise receive any credit at all, for their commutes, won't be impressed. You choose where you live and where you perform service. Commuting time is personal time, everywhere, for everyone, even the bus driver who has to commute to the depot to get the bus to drive you around!

 

[Catalystik]

I’m currently a PCT in a cancer unit and I feel like I have adequate clinical experience. I’ve also gotten the chance to shadow a psychiatrist for ~25 hours. With COVID still being a thing, I found other shadowing opportunities difficult to find. I was able to find a family medicine doctor to shadow, but she eventually asked me if I could scribe for her for a few hours per week. This is what I’m currently doing but I was wondering if I still need to find other shadowing opportunities?

If this is in-person scribing, in general I think you'll be fine, especially if you can ask the doc to let you accompany her during non-patient contact time, too, observing her during phone calls, staff & insurance interactions, record keeping requirements, etc. Recall that 40 hours of shadowing is the desired minimum and 50 hours is the average listed.

 

[Catalystik]

Same activity at multiple locations: how would one go about listing this?

For example, volunteering at an ER in the city where I go to college at and another ER in my hometown over breaks and such? Or other activities like food pantries, habitat, etc that are all essentially the same role but at different locations if I'm at school or home.

Would they all be listed as one? or separate entries for each activity?

Group them or list them individually as space allows. Or if the total hourly impact "looks better" when you keep them together. If you group them, put Contact info for the second location in the narrative, along with dates and subtotalled hours for each.

 

[Catalystik]

So my brother and I are planning on shadowing the same doctor but a couple of months apart. I was wondering if this would in any way look bad or suspicious to medical schools as we will be applying to the same medical schools?

Not unless your experience descriptions are identical.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I just saw this thread and said man am I glad I don’t have to go through this again, only to realize I am going to have to do all this again in a few months for residency apps. Big sad.

 

[Catalystik]

I just saw this thread and said man am I glad I don’t have to go through this again, only to realize I am going to have to do all this again in a few months for residency apps. Big sad.

And there're "Tips" for that, too! ERAS, SOAP, and NRMP Match

 

[LiteralLungs]

Hello,
I will be reapplying during the upcoming cycle. One of the major weaknesses in my previous cycle was that I spent a lot of time in research rather than clinical work. My major research experiences were very recent, while much of my clinical involvement was from years prior. I had used research as a most meaningful activity on AMCAS, but I talked about only clinical things in my PS. I think it would be a good idea for me to de-emphasize research on my application. However, I still would like to include the research I did, especially since it shows recent academic involvement. I have a ton of research experiences from several different internships, and I have 5+ publications. Is there any good way to cram this all into one of the W&A slots? Would it be bad if I literally just listed all of the information resume style with no elaboration (I don't think I even have the space to do this, let alone explain anything if I include all of my research experience). I previously had 3 different entries for research. One was for the most meaningful (a several year long research internship), another was from older research experiences that were less significant, and another was for all of my publications. I now have more publications. I also want to combine these entries as much as possible to make space for the new clinical activities I have.

 

[Catalystik]

I will be reapplying during the upcoming cycle. One of the major weaknesses in my previous cycle was that I spent a lot of time in research rather than clinical work. My major research experiences were very recent, while much of my clinical involvement was from years prior. I had used research as a most meaningful activity on AMCAS, but I talked about only clinical things in my PS. I think it would be a good idea for me to de-emphasize research on my application. However, I still would like to include the research I did, especially since it shows recent academic involvement. I have a ton of research experiences from several different internships, and I have 5+ publications. Is there any good way to cram this all into one of the W&A slots? Would it be bad if I literally just listed all of the information resume style with no elaboration (I don't think I even have the space to do this, let alone explain anything if I include all of my research experience). I previously had 3 different entries for research. One was for the most meaningful (a several year long research internship), another was from older research experiences that were less significant, and another was for all of my publications. I now have more publications. I also want to combine these entries as much as possible to make space for the new clinical activities I have.

Recall that you are not expected to list EVERY activity, just those most beneficial to your application. Maybe you can cut out some of the research experiences where you didn't make a significant contribution or where you had no creative input. Perhaps you could just let the publications speak for you and not give a lot of detail otherwise.

Resume style is fine.

Here is an example of a super-condensed bibliography you might consider:

Abridged bibliography in the following format:
Shortened Title; Shortened Journal/Book; Pubmed ID/Location/Status.

1st Author:
TSUP; BBA; PMID 22192777
Efflux Proteins: Microbial Efflux Pumps; Horizon Scientific Press; Accepted (date)
Lead and Mercury Transporters (2 articles); Encycl. of Metalloproteins; ISBN 978-1-4614-1532-9 Jan. '13
MFS; FEBS J; PMID 22458847

2nd Author:
PTS; ELS; Search PTS on www.els.net

Co-author:
Phylogenetic char.; JMMB; PMID 22286036
APC; JMMB; PMID 22627175

 

[FloatingAbyss]

How do I list publications if they was no traditional (wet lab/clinical) research involved?

I have two publications because of literature analyses done remotely due to COVID. Do I list out this research/time spent reading the literature and the publications separately?

Additionally, I have three other summer research experiences which all resulted in posters, abstracts or a conference. Would the achievements through these experiences warrant their own section or can they be stated in the 3 research slots?

Sorry, I am unsure of how to structure a lot of my experiences and would appreciate any advice I can get!

 

[Catalystik]

How do I list publications if they was no traditional (wet lab/clinical) research involved?

1) I have two publications because of literature analyses done remotely due to COVID. Do I list out this research/time spent reading the literature and the publications separately?

2) Additionally, I have three other summer research experiences which all resulted in posters, abstracts or a conference. Would the achievements through these experiences warrant their own section or can they be stated in the 3 research slots?

Sorry, I am unsure of how to structure a lot of my experiences and would appreciate any advice I can get!

1) Ideally, yes, though if they were very similar, you can group the background reading/(hypothesis-based?) research/analysis for them together with their separate dates, hours, and Contact. The two pubs can be mentioned in a single space.

2) If space is limited, then yes, the resulting evidence of productivity can be mentioned in the same space as the Research descriptions. Otherwise, put the posters and abstracts in a single Posters/Presentations space.

See item 20 in Post #2 of this thread for exceptions and considerations.

 

[FloatingAbyss]

1) Ideally, yes, though if they were very similar, you can group the background reading/(hypothesis-based?) research/analysis for them together with their separate dates, hours, and Contact. The two pubs can be mentioned in a single space.

2) If space is limited, then yes, the resulting evidence of productivity can be mentioned in the same space as the Research descriptions. Otherwise, put the posters and abstracts in a single Posters/Presentations space.

See item 20 in Post #2 of this thread for exceptions and considerations.

Thank you! Just adding on - is it unusual if my three MMEs are not included in my PS? I have three anecdotes in my PS which came from three different experiences but feel like checking the same three boxes limits me. Clearly they were important but there are also others that speak more to my personal growth!

 

[Catalystik]

is it unusual if my three MMEs are not included in my PS? I have three anecdotes in my PS which came from three different experiences but feel like checking the same three boxes limits me. Clearly they were important but there are also others that speak more to my personal growth!

The PS is not meant to be a rehash of all your experiences. And all experiences are not meant to be included in the Activities section, just the most important ones. So your approach is fine.

 

[LuxFei24]

Hi all,

Getting ready to apply this cycle! I had a question about artistic endeavors. I graduated with a dance major and had a lot of time doing dance/humanities scholarship, performing masterworks, having pre-professional training, choreographic training, etc. I wanted to list this as one of my MMEs, but given that it was an undergraduate degree does it not belong in the "Work/Activities" then?

If I were to list it as an MME should I try to also note the ranking of my program? My college is consistently ranked as a top dance degree program and I don't know if this would help me to stand out a little more like the reputation behind certain schools for D1 sports?

While I do want to list dance as an MME, my recommendations are all coming from outside of dance from science, clinical experiences and my second degree which was in Japanese studies in history and anthro. I chose more letters from this field as I continued with Japanese Studies into a master's. However, I still dance on the side and am looking to teach ballet during my gap year. Would it look odd that I list dance as an MME but do not have recommendations from that area?

 

[Catalystik]

Hi all,

Getting ready to apply this cycle! I had a question about artistic endeavors. I graduated with a dance major and had a lot of time doing dance/humanities scholarship, performing masterworks, having pre-professional training, choreographic training, etc. 1) I wanted to list this as one of my MMEs, but given that it was an undergraduate degree does it not belong in the "Work/Activities" then?

2) If I were to list it as an MME should I try to also note the ranking of my program? My college is consistently ranked as a top dance degree program and I don't know if this would help me to stand out a little more like the reputation behind certain schools for D1 sports?

While I do want to list dance as an MME, my recommendations are all coming from outside of dance from science, clinical experiences and my second degree which was in Japanese studies in history and anthro. I chose more letters from this field as I continued with Japanese Studies into a master's. However, I still dance on the side and am looking to teach ballet during my gap year. 3) Would it look odd that I list dance as an MME but do not have recommendations from that area?

1) It DOES belong under Artistic Endeavors in Work/Activities. Highlight the teamwork and leadership components. It makes you interesting.
2) What is its rank (roughly)?
3) Not a problem.

 

[LuxFei24]

1) It DOES belong under Artistic Endeavors in Work/Activities. Highlight the teamwork and leadership components. It makes you interesting.
2) What is its rank (roughly)?
3) Not a problem.

Thank you for the quick reply -- super helpful!
1) And yes, I would love to highlight those aspects as well as the communication and expression skills it's provided me -- I think learning to gauge an audience as a performer and responding to those perceptions has been a huge benefit that is translatable.
2) It is consistently ranked in the top 5 or top 10.
3) That is reassuring, a few of my recommenders have had the chance to watch me perform and will likely write about it too!

 

[Catalystik]

1) I think learning to gauge an audience as a performer and responding to those perceptions has been a huge benefit that is translatable.
2) It is consistently ranked in the top 5 or top 10.
3) That is reassuring, a few of my recommenders have had the chance to watch me perform and will likely write about it too!

1) Yes.
2) This is reasonable to mention, in a humble way.
3)

 

[skrimpy]

My employers for my part-time non-clinical job speak very very little English — who do I put down as my contact? It is a very small business and I am one of their two only employees, so I don’t have a manager/direct supervisor to list either.

 

[Catalystik]

My employers for my part-time non-clinical job speak very very little English — who do I put down as my contact? It is a very small business and I am one of their two only employees, so I don’t have a manager/direct supervisor to list either.

Enter your employer as the Contact, but in your description mention the language preference. Alternatively, if your pay records are elsewhere, you could use someone from that location. Recall that a reference isn’t required, just confirmation of hours and timeframe of involvement.

 

[skrimpy]

Enter your employer as the Contact, but in your description mention the language preference. Alternatively, if your pay records are elsewhere, you could use someone from that location. Recall that a reference isn’t required, just confirmation of hours and timeframe of involvement.

Got it -- How do you recommend I mention the language preference? Just as a side-note/P.S. at the end?

 

[Catalystik]

How do you recommend I mention the language preference? Just as a side-note/P.S. at the end?

Yes, if you can't work it into the narrative.

 

[AMDG_nontrad]

Question - how do you count scribing hours? It feels like quite a stretch to call it clinical experience, but it’s not exactly passive shadowing either. I have maybe 500 hours of scribing in the ED, which I would argue was very much like shadowing doctors every shift (and occasional PAs/NPs).

I also have about 1000 hours of being an in-home paid PCA primarily for veterans who were often in significant poverty, which was a great experience. I think it was very clinical, although not in a medical setting (I emptied a lot of catheter bags, changed lots of adult diapers, acted as a companion in the end of life stage, etc.).

Do you think I should still get more shadowing hours? Or more clinical hours in a healthcare setting? (I think I’m genuinely excited to do either of those things to get a better feel for medicine, not just check the box, but I don’t have unlimited available time to invest in ECs.)

 

[Catalystik]

1) Question - how do you count scribing hours? It feels like quite a stretch to call it clinical experience, but it’s not exactly passive shadowing either. I have maybe 500 hours of scribing in the ED, which I would argue was very much like shadowing doctors every shift (and occasional PAs/NPs).

2) I also have about 1000 hours of being an in-home paid PCA primarily for veterans who were often in significant poverty, which was a great experience. I think it was very clinical, although not in a medical setting (I emptied a lot of catheter bags, changed lots of adult diapers, acted as a companion in the end of life stage, etc.).

3) a) Do you think I should still get more shadowing hours? b) Or more clinical hours in a healthcare setting? (I think I’m genuinely excited to do either of those things to get a better feel for medicine, not just check the box, but I don’t have unlimited available time to invest in ECs.)

1) Was this in-person scribing? Then call it Employment-Medical/Clinical like everyone else will. If you were not allowed to interact with the patient in any way, no need to mention it. If you were, then bring it up. While I agree that the position is very much like Shadowing, unfortunately, it does not include ALL of a doctor's day, and the rest of it is important, too, for you to know what you're getting yourself into.

2) Clinical experiences need not take place in a clinical environment, however all care-taking duties are not considered "clinical." If you are providing the same assistance you'd give a two-year-old (feeding, diaper changes), or housekeeping assistance (laundry, cleaning, food prep) it's not clinical. Foley care, passing meds, wound care, PT or OT exercises, socialization, writing reports: these are clinical. Decide what percent of each type of care you provide and include that in your narrative. Was the percent of clinical is small? Call it nonclinical and let the reader decide how much "clinical" credit to give you.

3a) Yes. b) Depends on your answers to 1) & 2).

 

[AMDG_nontrad]

1) Was this in-person scribing? Then call it Employment-Medical/Clinical like everyone else will. If you were not allowed to interact with the patient in any way, no need to mention it. If you were, then bring it up. While I agree that the position is very much like Shadowing, unfortunately, it does not include ALL of a doctor's day, and the rest of it is important, too, for you to know what you're getting yourself into.

2) Clinical experiences need not take place in a clinical environment, however all care-taking duties are not considered "clinical." If you are providing the same assistance you'd give a two-year-old (feeding, diaper changes), or housekeeping assistance (laundry, cleaning, food prep) it's not clinical. Foley care, passing meds, wound care, PT or OT exercises, socialization, writing reports: these are clinical. Decide what percent of each type of care you provide and include that in your narrative. Was the percent of clinical is small? Call it nonclinical and let the reader decide how much "clinical" credit to give you.

3a) Yes. b) Depends on your answers to 1) & 2).

Great, thanks! Yeah, scribing was in-person; I was generally there for the EM doctor's entire shift, but that answers my question regardless. (I've been searching the forums about how to count scribing, but i couldn't find a direct explanation, so thanks.) And my PCA work was probably 50/50 clinical/non-clinical then, or a little more on the clinical side.

Good to know - thanks again!

 

[FloatingAbyss]

1. Hello, I am back with another question! I am struggling to fit all my activities within 15 sections. I have combined a lot of them (for example: shadowing, tutoring/TA, ResLife positions, and clinical volunteering at two different hospitals) but I am unable to shrink down my 5 research experiences. Three of them were during different school years while two of them were summer research programs. Both of the summer experiences resulted in posters/presentations so I will also be filling out that section while my remote literature analyses resulted in two publications. All five of them are drastically different experiences (basic science/clinical/animal research) so I am truly lost on how to combine and cut down on these. All of them are 150 to roughly 500 hours . Any advice would be appreciated - Thank you!

2. Also I would like to confirm that healthcare consulting would be categorized as employment - nonmedical/clinical?

 

[Catalystik]

1. Hello, I am back with another question! I am struggling to fit all my activities within 15 sections. I have combined a lot of them (for example: shadowing, tutoring/TA, ResLife positions, and clinical volunteering at two different hospitals) but I am unable to shrink down my 5 research experiences. Three of them were during different school years while two of them were summer research programs. Both of the summer experiences resulted in posters/presentations so I will also be filling out that section while my remote literature analyses resulted in two publications. All five of them are drastically different experiences (basic science/clinical/animal research) so I am truly lost on how to combine and cut down on these. All of them are 150 to roughly 500 hours . Any advice would be appreciated - Thank you!

2. Also I would like to confirm that healthcare consulting would be categorized as employment - nonmedical/clinical?

1) a. If you were to make Research a Most Meaningful Activity (not saying it is, but just asking) could you fit brief descriptions of all the research activities into one space, or at least into fewer of them? That they took place in different years is no bar to grouping them as an all-inclusive datespan could be used.
b. Might you omit the brief (150 hours isn't much) research or discuss them briefly within the Posters/Presentations space? You are not obliged to mention every activity if it doesn't make your application stronger.

2) How many hours of direct patient interaction did this position entail? What was your role?

 

[FloatingAbyss]

1) a. If you were to make Research a Most Meaningful Activity (not saying it is, but just asking) could you fit brief descriptions of all the research activities into one space, or at least into fewer of them? That they took place in different years is no bar to grouping them as an all-inclusive datespan could be used.
b. Might you omit the brief (150 hours isn't much) research or discuss them briefly within the Posters/Presentations space? You are not obliged to mention every activity if it doesn't make your application stronger.

2) How many hours of direct patient interaction did this position entail? What was your role?

1. My three MME experiences are research (summer program), clinical employment and no clinical volunteering. My summer program was clinical research as well as one of my experiences during the school year (but different population group and research question) so I may be able to somehow tie it in.
Additionally, is it alright to leave out the brief experiences but mention the anecdotes/experience in secondaries or interviews possibly? For the experience resulting in 150 hours, it was very educational and informative as it was my first experience running clinical patient trials by myself and designing studies etc.

2. My role in healthcare consulting did not have any patient contact and was more conversations with pharma companies and hospitals etc.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Catalystik]

1. My three MME experiences are research (summer program), clinical employment and no clinical volunteering. My summer program was clinical research as well as one of my experiences during the school year (but different population group and research question) so I may be able to somehow tie it in.
a) Additionally, is it alright to leave out the brief experiences but mention the anecdotes/experience in secondaries or interviews possibly? b) For the experience resulting in 150 hours, it was very educational and informative as it was my first experience running clinical patient trials by myself and designing studies etc.

2. My role in healthcare consulting did not have any patient contact and was more conversations with pharma companies and hospitals etc.

1a) Yes, for sure. b) That alone may be all you need to say.

2) Then definitely it should be categorized as Not Medical/Clinical.

 

[FloatingAbyss]

1a) Yes, for sure. b) That alone may be all you need to say.

2) Then definitely it should be categorized as Not Medical/Clinical.

Thank you for your help! Even after this trimming I am still one box short and was wondering if it was worth cutting my hobby (stand up comedy) to fit in another research experience?

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you for your help! Even after this trimming I am still one box short and was wondering if it was worth cutting my hobby (stand up comedy) to fit in another research experience?

You need to decide on a strategy. For what sorts of med schools are you a good candidate? If your stats aren't sterling, then you might do yourself a favor by de-emphasizing your interest in research. And regardless, you may not be doing yourself a favor by cutting out an activity that would be unusual and help you stand out.

Do you have an Artistic Endeavor listed as well?

 

[FloatingAbyss]

You need to decide on a strategy. For what sorts of med schools are you a good candidate? If your stats aren't sterling, then you might do yourself a favor by de-emphasizing your interest in research. And regardless, you may not be doing yourself a favor by cutting out an activity that would be unusual and help you stand out.

Do you have an Artistic Endeavor listed as well?

I think my stats are less than stellar for ORM (3.7,511) with no X factor and typical ECs. I am personally more drawn toward med school that are focused on mission fit such as working with underserved populations.

I don’t have an artistic endeavor listed!

My current breakdown is 3 nonclinical volunteering , 1 clinical volunteering, 1 paid clinical, 2 non paid clinical, 2 leadership, 1 tutoring/TA, 1 publications, 1 awards/honors, 1 hobby and then squeezing these 5 research experiences or cutting them to fit the remaining 2!

 

[Catalystik]

I think my stats are less than stellar for ORM (3.7,511) with no X factor and typical ECs. I am personally more drawn toward med school that are focused on mission fit such as working with underserved populations.

I don’t have an artistic endeavor listed!

My current breakdown is 3 nonclinical volunteering , 1 clinical volunteering, 1 paid clinical, 2 non paid clinical, 2 leadership, 1 tutoring/TA, 1 publications, 1 awards/honors, 1 hobby and then squeezing these 5 research experiences or cutting them to fit the remaining 2!

What are the honors & awards? Maybe that could be cut.

If it’s related, could the leadership be mentioned in the same space as the originating activity? Or can the two leadership be grouped?

Can two of the nonclinical volunteering be grouped?

 

[FloatingAbyss]

What are the honors & awards? Maybe that could be cut.

If it’s related, could the leadership be mentioned in the same space as the originating activity? Or can the two leadership be grouped?

Can two of the nonclinical volunteering be grouped?

The honors and awards are for various course capstone projects and more about academics and not research.

The leadership activities are two separate EC clubs.

One of the nonclinical volunteering is tutoring low income minorities (middle school level). Would it be ok to fold this into my current tutoring/TAing slot (which is only college level)?