*~*~*~* Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2021-2026 *~*~*~*

[centerpiece]

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Hi, I have a question about something I was thinking of adding to my honors/awards/recognitions section of my work/activities. I was accepted to an MD early assurance program in my state as a college sophomore (I am a rising senior and applying this cycle, if that matters). This program is non-binding. Can I put this in the mentioned section, and could it help leverage acceptances from other schools/would it be worth including?

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, I have a question about something I was thinking of adding to my honors/awards/recognitions section of my work/activities. I was accepted to an MD early assurance program in my state as a college sophomore (I am a rising senior and applying this cycle, if that matters). This program is non-binding. Can I put this in the mentioned section, and could it help leverage acceptances from other schools/would it be worth including?

I've never seen it done. Were the criteria for acceptance to the EAP and to the affiliated med school more stringent than those of most of the schools to which you plan to apply?

 

[rambo315]

Question regarding the W/A section. I have a research experience that I dedicated 3 spaces to. One slot to describe the overall role in this lab (under research), one slot to describe a presentation and research grant I received (under poster), and one 2nd author publication (under publication). Is it fine to do this or do I need to condense everything into one slot? All these things occurred in one lab that I was a part of.

The poster project was actually a summer project that I developed with help from my postdoc but I continued it into the year. The publication was another project in the lab I was helping out a lot with (completely different project) Thanks!

 

[centerpiece]

I've never seen it done. Were the criteria for acceptance to the EAP and to the affiliated med school more stringent than those of most of the schools to which you plan to apply?

Thanks for the reply. The GPA and MCAT averages are kind of in line with a lot of schools on my list, and a few points less than the best schools on my list. I also told my recommenders about this acceptance so it's possible the schools to which I apply would get to know anyways through my recommendation letters.

 

[Catalystik]

Question regarding the W/A section. I have a research experience that I dedicated 3 spaces to. One slot to describe the overall role in this lab (under research), one slot to describe a presentation and research grant I received (under poster), and one 2nd author publication (under publication). Is it fine to do this or do I need to condense everything into one slot? All these things occurred in one lab that I was a part of.

The poster project was actually a summer project that I developed with help from my postdoc but I continued it into the year. The publication was another project in the lab I was helping out a lot with (completely different project) Thanks!

Did you present the poster on campus, or at a regional or national conference?

 

[Catalystik]

Thanks for the reply. The GPA and MCAT averages are kind of in line with a lot of schools on my list, and a few points less than the best schools on my list. I also told my recommenders about this acceptance so it's possible the schools to which I apply would get to know anyways through my recommendation letters.

Seems to me that including this in W/A would lead to interview questions about why you want to go elsewhere. Your answer to this could be a positive or negative for your appeal. If you proceed, be sure you have a very compelling answer to this question. I will not advise you either for or against.

 

[rambo315]

Did you present the poster on campus, or at a regional or national conference?

it was on campus of the national lab (not at my university) I researched at (research symposium event). Normally I'm mainly helping out with a bunch of diff projects in the lab, the poster project started off as a summer project for the grant I received but I continued it into the year.

 

[Catalystik]

it was on campus of the national lab (not at my university) I researched at (research symposium event). Normally I'm mainly helping out with a bunch of diff projects in the lab, the poster project started off as a summer project for the grant I received but I continued it into the year.

Using three spaces is appropriate, then, assuming that acceptance of the poster abstract was a competitive process.

 

[hommefatale]

How strict are schools with categories? If I have one activity that fits in multiple, will they be upset if I don't pick one that aligns with how they interpret the activity?

 

[Catalystik]

How strict are schools with categories? If I have one activity that fits in multiple, will they be upset if I don't pick one that aligns with how they interpret the activity?

You can choose the category based on what best balances your application. "Other" is a category that is available as well, where your space title gives clues to the content. But take care. Don't, eg, list an activity as Leadership when 90% of your listed hours were from the activity leading to the leadership role. Too much "up-selling" will do more than upset adcomms.

 

[med12443i]

I have been leading a project in my neuroscience lab for the last 2 years. We have just submitted this manuscript to the journal. I am the sole first author (out of 3 including PI), and it is something I have worked very hard on. I would love to have this on my application because I it is the culmination of my research experience (~3000 hours). How can I include this?
@Catalystik

Hi, I just wanted to follow up on this. My first-author manuscript is currently in review at a journal. I do not have room to include it under my research heading. I have also presented posters with data from this manuscript at multiple conferences. Would it be alright to mention the manuscript in the poster category and say that data from this preprint was presented at the following conferences?

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, I just wanted to follow up on this. My first-author manuscript is currently in review at a journal. I do not have room to include it under my research heading. I have also presented posters with data from this manuscript at multiple conferences. Would it be alright to mention the manuscript in the poster category and say that data from this preprint was presented at the following conferences?

In the Presentations/Posters space, after the citation for the Posters, you can mention the submitted manuscript, based on the same data, has been submitted for review.

 

[med12443i]

In the Presentations/Posters space, after the citation for the Posters, you can mention the submitted manuscript, based on the same data, has been submitted for review.

Thanks!

 

[carson16666]

I have 15 activities and need to make room for publication, I can't figure out which one to remove out of the following:
1. Busser/Dishwasher for 1.5 years
2. teaching kids about space ~100 hours
3. sports car race flagger ~100 hours (I feel like this is the obvious choice but its a pretty interesting activity)

Any help is greatly appreciated 😎

 

[Catalystik]

I have 15 activities and need to make room for publication, I can't figure out which one to remove out of the following:
1. Busser/Dishwasher for 1.5 years
2. teaching kids about space ~100 hours
3. sports car race flagger ~100 hours (I feel like this is the obvious choice but its a pretty interesting activity)

Any help is greatly appreciated 😎

Do you have any other Teaching/Tutoring/Coaching or mentoring with which you could group the 100 hrs teaching about space? Any other employment during the college years with which you could group the restaurant work? Did you use Honors/Awards for anything more significant that Deans List that would keep you from deleting it?

 

[carson16666]

Do you have any other Teaching/Tutoring/Coaching or mentoring with which you could group the 100 hrs teaching about space? Any other employment during the college years with which you could group the restaurant work? Did you use Honors/Awards for anything more significant that Deans List that would keep you from deleting it?

I combined busser/dishwasher with my other employment, didn't even think about that honestly. Thank you!! 😊

 

[Mpsll]

I don't have space for more activities but one of them fits as both social justice/advocacy and leadership. This is my most meaningful and only category for either social justice/advocacy or leadership. What should I label it as?

I could delete the hobby and make room for it, but I get the sense that some medical schools want to see you having a life outside of medicine? So I'm not sure which is more important

 

[Catalystik]

I don't have space for more activities but one of them fits as both social justice/advocacy and leadership. This is my most meaningful and only category for either social justice/advocacy or leadership. What should I label it as?

I could delete the hobby and make room for it, but I get the sense that some medical schools want to see you having a life outside of medicine? So I'm not sure which is more important

Have you reviewed the Mission Statements of the schools you'll apply to? There seem to be fewer that claim a wish "to train future leaders in medicine" than otherwise. Regardless of which label you pick, be sure to include in the space's title the other role that is included within.

 

[ridebiker]

I just found out that I got a very part time paid clinical job at a clinic I have been volunteering at for almost 3 years (which I will continue to also volunteer at over the next year). I am a non-trad, so I have a corporate, non clinical full time job that consumes most of my time. I'm very excited about the job because it is working with a program that I am very interested in and relates to my career goals (primary care). However, I won't be starting the job officially until June 9th and would like to submit my app before that since I'm finished with everything else. It is a weekly job with set hours, and has existed for several years, so it's not like something I am unsure will happen. Is it ok to include this on my app as an activity, even though I haven't started it? In the Work/Activities section of the app I do see guidance on how to list something you haven't started yet, so it seems to me it is ok, but then I've read conflicting advice on reddit/sdn regarding it. I would estimate on the low side of hours just to be safe, but I'd really like to include it if is not a bad look, because I'm excited about it and it's very relevant to my hopeful career path

 

[Catalystik]

I just found out that I got a very part time paid clinical job at a clinic I have been volunteering at for almost 3 years (which I will continue to also volunteer at over the next year). I am a non-trad, so I have a corporate, non clinical full time job that consumes most of my time. I'm very excited about the job because it is working with a program that I am very interested in and relates to my career goals (primary care). However, I won't be starting the job officially until June 9th and would like to submit my app before that since I'm finished with everything else. It is a weekly job with set hours, and has existed for several years, so it's not like something I am unsure will happen. Is it ok to include this on my app as an activity, even though I haven't started it? In the Work/Activities section of the app I do see guidance on how to list something you haven't started yet, so it seems to me it is ok, but then I've read conflicting advice on reddit/sdn regarding it. I would estimate on the low side of hours just to be safe, but I'd really like to include it if is not a bad look, because I'm excited about it and it's very relevant to my hopeful career path

I suggest you include the future job at the end of the Volunteer entry at the same location, with the "hope to work xx hours/wk 6/9 to 8/1" (or whatever), without giving an hourly total.

 

[anonymouswho]

Hi! Not sure if this has been asked already, but I worked on a research project throughout high school that finally got published during undergrad. When listing this publication on my application, should I put down the total hours I worked on the research in the "hours" section since I don’t list the research separately as an activity? I plan on using the publication month/year as the “completed dates”.

 

[Catalystik]

I worked on a research project throughout high school that finally got published during undergrad. When listing this publication on my application, should I put down the total hours I worked on the research in the "hours" section since I don’t list the research separately as an activity? I plan on using the publication month/year as the “completed dates”.

Yes, that’s fine.

 

[ridebiker]

I suggest you include the future job at the end of the Volunteer entry at the same location, with the "hope to work xx hours/wk 6/9 to 8/1" (or whatever), without giving an hourly total.

The only issue is one is a paid job, helping with a very specific program for specific patients, and the volunteering is more as an MA during a free clinic which I also do weekly. They are very different roles, and the clinical volunteering role is already one of my MME. I guess I thought since the role will be a full year long, weekly job, it would be ok to talk about it in its own section, especially since it's kind of expanding on the topics I talked about when writing the MME for this clinic, so kind of validating that this truly is my interest and I've pursued new ways to get involved in it as well? If that makes sense? I can talk with a lot of detail about the program since it's something we offer our clinic patients and I've learned about it over several years. But if it would be frowned upon for it to have it's own activity section with only projected hours, I think I'd just leave it off and address it in a secondary if that is more acceptable

 

[Catalystik]

The only issue is one is a paid job, helping with a very specific program for specific patients, and the volunteering is more as an MA during a free clinic which I also do weekly. They are very different roles, and the clinical volunteering role is already one of my MME. I guess I thought since the role will be a full year long, weekly job, it would be ok to talk about it in its own section, especially since it's kind of expanding on the topics I talked about when writing the MME for this clinic, so kind of validating that this truly is my interest and I've pursued new ways to get involved in it as well? If that makes sense? I can talk with a lot of detail about the program since it's something we offer our clinic patients and I've learned about it over several years. But if it would be frowned upon for it to have it's own activity section with only projected hours, I think I'd just leave it off and address it in a secondary if that is more acceptable

It is the more acceptable option.

 

[anonymouswho]

Yes, that’s fine.

thank you so much! one more question on the topic, would a experience name of "Publication in [journal name]" be okay or would in need to expand upon it?

 

[Catalystik]

would a experience name of "Publication in [journal name]" be okay or would in need to expand upon it?

Try to give some added info to draw attention. No need to reuse the word "Publication" in a Publication-labeled space.

maybe:
Co-Authored Paper in Peer-Reviewed Journal. Or Scholarly Journal Article in [Discipline].
or
Accepted manuscript from an Independent Project on ?
or
Xth Author in (name of journal, if well known) on (specific topic).

 

[rambo315]

Is it fine to put "Senior Medical Assistant" for my MA section or should I just keep as MA? I work in a private clinic so it isn't an official title but I've worked their the longest and have additional roles like handling logistics, coordinating, etc.

 

[Catalystik]

Is it fine to put "Senior Medical Assistant" for my MA section or should I just keep as MA? I work in a private clinic so it isn't an official title but I've worked their the longest and have additional roles like handling logistics, coordinating, etc.

It's fine to record a title that better describes your role.

 

[rich2929]

Minor detail, i understand schools want to see family medicine shadowing. I have internal medicine. both are primary care. Am i good to meet the "primary care" shadowing requirement?

 

[Catalystik]

Minor detail, i understand schools want to see family medicine shadowing. I have internal medicine. both are primary care. Am i good to meet the "primary care" shadowing requirement?

Yes!

 

[evenfeather]

Would it be worth it to put a separate entry for "Employee of the Month" at my EMT job? It's the only award I have, but I'm afraid it will look bad if I only got it for 1 month during my 1.5 years as an EMT and may hurt me more than it would help me. I've already used up all the space in my actual EMT entry. Should I try fitting it in there however possible, make a separate entry, or just not mention it at all?

 

[Diamond45123]

I'm applying MD/PhD. As part of the awards section, I put in all the grants that I was able to get by the school through proposals I submitted for my research projects. My premed advisor doesn't think it helps at all, but I'm not sure I agree because I want to show that I'm capable of applying for grants and funding my own research as a future physician-scientist. It is also crucial for me because I'm low-income I needed that money to do my research. what is the opinion on putting grants in the awards section?

 

[Catalystik]

Would it be worth it to put a separate entry for "Employee of the Month" at my EMT job? It's the only award I have, but I'm afraid it will look bad if I only got it for 1 month during my 1.5 years as an EMT and may hurt me more than it would help me. I've already used up all the space in my actual EMT entry. Should I try fitting it in there however possible, make a separate entry, or just not mention it at all?

No. Leave it off.

 

[Catalystik]

I'm applying MD/PhD. As part of the awards section, I put in all the grants that I was able to get by the school through proposals I submitted for my research projects. My premed advisor doesn't think it helps at all, but I'm not sure I agree because I want to show that I'm capable of applying for grants and funding my own research as a future physician-scientist. It is also crucial for me because I'm low-income I needed that money to do my research. what is the opinion on putting grants in the awards section?

I don’t see MD/PhD applications, so can’t give THE opinion, but I think including it is fine.

 

[premedbarista]

I was a volunteer for 1 semester, board member for a year, and then president for a yearof a student-led nonprofit service organization. Should I list this as a leadership or a service activity? Most of the hours are service hours of me being at the site actually volunteering, but I did do a lot of admin/president hours too so I'm not sure what to do. TY!

 

[Catalystik]

I was a volunteer for 1 semester, board member for a year, and then president for a year of a student-led nonprofit service organization. Should I list this as a leadership or a service activity? Most of the hours are service hours of me being at the site actually volunteering, but I did do a lot of admin/president hours too so I'm not sure what to do. TY!

Either list it as a Service activity and include mention of the leadership roles in the title of the space. Or, carve out the leadership-only hours and list them separately with their own dates and hours in a Leadership space (taking care not to double count hours), if the number of hours is enough for the activity to stand on its own.

 

[peanutlover282]

Hi! I have a couple of questions about entries for my work/activities section.

1) I have 4 poster presentations, 1 was at a national conference where I received an award, and the other 3 was the same poster at 3 different on campus research symposiums. Do I list the national presentation as its own entry and the other 3 as part of the research/lab activity (which is one of my most meaningful)? Also, if I do include the other 3 under the research entry, do I need citations for those posters, or should I just mention that I gave those poster presentations?

2) For a different research program I was in, I spent the vast majority of the time just teaching students laboratory and cell culture techniques and helping them with their research projects rather than working on my own research project. Is it okay for me to list this as volunteer hours rather than research hours? (it was uncompensated)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Catalystik]

1) I have 4 poster presentations, 1 was at a national conference where I received an award, and the other 3 was the same poster at 3 different on campus research symposiums. Do I list the national presentation as its own entry and the other 3 as part of the research/lab activity (which is one of my most meaningful)? Also, if I do include the other 3 under the research entry, do I need citations for those posters, or should I just mention that I gave those poster presentations?

2) For a different research program I was in, I spent the vast majority of the time just teaching students laboratory and cell culture techniques and helping them with their research projects rather than working on my own research project. Is it okay for me to list this as volunteer hours rather than research hours? (it was uncompensated)

1) See item #20 in the second post of this thread.

2) Are you really short of volunteer hours? Personally I'd prefer to see it labeled Teaching , which covers mentoring, too (carving out the hours involved from your Research time and not double counting it). You can make the volunteer nature of the activity apparent within your narrative (but be subtle).

 

[peanutlover282]

1) See item #20 in the second post of this thread.

2) Are you really short of volunteer hours? Personally I'd prefer to see it labeled Teaching , which covers mentoring, too (carving out the hours involved from your Research time and not double counting it). You can make the volunteer nature of the activity apparent within your narrative (but be subtle).

Thank you! My volunteer hours are a little lackluster. 100 at an animal shelter, and 20 (180 projected) at crisis text line. Not sure if this changes how i should designate the experience.

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you! My volunteer hours are a little lackluster. 100 at an animal shelter, and 20 (180 projected) at crisis text line. Not sure if this changes how i should designate the experience.

This information doesn't change how I'd prefer to see the listing, but if you feel the Volunteer-specific designation better enhances your application (and it might considering you displayed some person to person interaction), AND if your Contact will verify the activity and hours you claim (even better if it's mentioned in your LOR), then go for it. And hopefully, you have something else designated as Teaching/Tutoring?

 

[peanutlover282]

This information doesn't change how I'd prefer to see the listing, but if you feel the Volunteer-specific designation better enhances your application (and it might considering you displayed some person to person interaction), AND if your Contact will verify the activity and hours you claim (even better if it's mentioned in your LOR), then go for it. And hopefully, you have something else designated as Teaching/Tutoring?

Thank you so much again! And yes I have 100+ TA hours so I'm set on that front. Thank you for your insight, it's super helpful!

 

[Catalystik]

Hi,

Sorry to bother you.

Thank you so much!

Extracurricular or Hobbies with the space title cueing the content.
The latter.

 

[jcsparky16]

I have a question about splitting activities for my W/A section. So I have around 2k hours working as an EMT, but I spent a significant amount of that time training new EMTs and students. I never had an official FTO role or anything like that, but I was going to split this up into two experiences. I have one for the clinical side and another for training. Would that be a good idea? I don't have any other leadership experiences I could use instead.

Also for my nonclinical job, I worked in a retail store for the first year, and then started working farmers markets for over 3 years. These were very different jobs with different responsibilities. Should I split this one too?

Same for shadowing. I spent most of the time shadowing a FM doc, but I also shadowed in ortho and radiology. Definitely very different experiences, but I don't think this should be separate entries because it's basically the same thing for all of them.

I don't have a lot of experiences, and I'm not sure I'll be able to fill out all 15 anyways, so space definitely isn't a problem.

 

[Catalystik]

1) I have a question about splitting activities for my W/A section. So I have around 2k hours working as an EMT, but I spent a significant amount of that time training new EMTs and students. I never had an official FTO role or anything like that, but I was going to split this up into two experiences. I have one for the clinical side and another for training. Would that be a good idea? I don't have any other leadership experiences I could use instead.

2) Also for my nonclinical job, I worked in a retail store for the first year, and then started working farmers markets for over 3 years. These were very different jobs with different responsibilities. Should I split this one too?

3) Same for shadowing. I spent most of the time shadowing a FM doc, but I also shadowed in ortho and radiology. Definitely very different experiences, but I don't think this should be separate entries because it's basically the same thing for all of them.

I don't have a lot of experiences, and I'm not sure I'll be able to fill out all 15 anyways, so space definitely isn't a problem.

1) Splitting the activity into two is fine, but since the Training activity does not represent Peer Leadership, it would be best to tag it as Teaching, rather than Leadership.
2) You may.
3) You are right. use one space for all of it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Hi everyone, I had a question about a unique activity I had on my application.

my background is in computer programming, and one of my activities was creating a conversational AI to create positive mental health discussions. i would share it here but obviously don't want to self promote anything.

in my activity description, I explained that i was motivated to build this due to long wait times users experienced while volunteering as a crisis text counselor, and to create a way to have more immediate support.

In my description, I cited peer-reviewed medical literature explaining that conversational agents can reduce barriers to mental health access. lastly, i emphasized that my tool was not a replacement for care, but a bridge to encourage one to access it.

i spent a lot of time fine-tuning a large language model and incorporating crisis intervention and mental health literature to inform responses, but i am wondering if i am just giving a reason to dismiss me if it is some kind of red flag.

Understand why you're being vague.... but the details matters. Was this something you did in collaboration with some established academic PI, or recognized crisis intervention interface? Or is this something that you thought would look cool and you took on yourself to do without oversight? What was the purpose--was this to develop a prototype that you could present to potential partners to refine and validate, or did you release it into the wild without anyone else vetting it? Are you generating revenue through ads or other means?

Even if I take at face value that you did this from purely positive intentions, depending on these answers I could find your course of action to be reckless if you don't have the appropriate oversight.

 

[imqine]

i don’t make any money and i consulted a mental health professional while building it.

what im getting is that there will probably a technology gap from the audience reading it, so ill just remove it since it seems like incompetence or negligence is going to be assumed when i put real work into vetting it.

I also volunteer as a crisis counselor, and I see both sides of what you're explaining. You're also right in that the wait times for crisis counseling can be insane, so I would see the usefulness of a sort of a tool, and you have a good read on why it would be needed. It's not like you're doing this for the wrong reasons.

That being said, I would say if it's not really something attached to an organization, a PI / institution, or held to any sort of official research standard, it does feel a little bit dangerous to put on an application. I'm not sure what "consulted" means as to how closely you worked with a professional, but asked questions to vs. worked on an official research project with could be viewed wildly different.

While it's a good idea I think it could pretty easily be viewed as reckless if it was something you just released out into the world. I don't think that incompetence is going to be assumed, it's just that what you're trying to do is incredibly difficult to do really well and ensure people's safety along the way. There's been large research teams working with partnered hotlines for years on conversational mental health AI tools, and they still have major issues in testing. If it was released just by you without sort of an official research testing, even by consulting (which could mean many different things...) with a professional, it could hypothetically put people's health at risk, and be viewed as reckless in that way. If you do use it as an activity and it hasn't been released yet, maybe focus on how you're interested in testing it to see the usefulness of AI? Just my two cents.

 

[GoSpursGo]

i don’t make any money and i consulted a mental health professional while building it.

what im getting is that there will probably a technology gap from the audience reading it, so ill just remove it since it seems like incompetence or negligence is going to be assumed when i put real work into vetting it.

Agree with the poster above—what you’re making could definitely be useful, and there is a need for this kind of resource. But no matter how good you think your coding or technology skills are, it does strike me as reckless to just make something like this and implement it without any oversight. You don’t know what you don’t know. Consulting a singular MHP seems inadequate.

If you had some outcomes data (ie number of clients who have used the services, referrals to other resources, feedback on if people found it helpful), that would potentially lend legitimacy to your tool. In the absence of such data, I think it will generate a fair amount of skepticism as you’re encountering here.

 

[anonymouswho]

Hi! I help a family member create graphics for advertising their business. I was planning on including it as a hobby on my primary. But would it be seen badly if its just for a close family member?

Also, would it be okay to include meditation as a hobby? I think its really helped me develop skilld to stay calm and grounded which I think would be important as a physician.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Hi! I help a family member create graphics for advertising their business. I was planning on including it as a hobby on my primary. But would it be seen badly if its just for a close family member?

2) Also, would it be okay to include meditation as a hobby? I think its really helped me develop skilld to stay calm and grounded which I think would be important as a physician.

1) No. And Hobbies does not require a Contact.
2) Yes.

 

[Mpsll]

Hello, I was wondering for Posters/Presentations section should I just include the citations? For several of my posters, I also presented whether at international/campus, etc. but for one of them I did not present. If I just include citation, is it assumed I presented at said conference? I only included citations for 3 of the 5 as I did not have more characters to spare or work/activity slots remaining.