*~*~*~* Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2021-2027 *~*~*~*

[PreMed2006]

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Hi, I am undergoing a Medical Assistant training program currently. Planning to take the certification exam at the end of the training in September. The training has theory (100 hours) and practical/lab/externship (100 hours). Are we allowed to report all/any of these hours as clinical hours on the medical school application? Thank you

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, I am undergoing a Medical Assistant training program currently. Planning to take the certification exam at the end of the training in September. The training has theory (100 hours) and practical/lab/externship (100 hours). Are we allowed to report all/any of these hours as clinical hours on the medical school application? Thank you

Yes. You might report the Externship's face-to-face patient interaction hours under the tag "Other," since these are not Employment or Volunteer hours. You would need a Contact who can attest to this involvement.

 

[PreMed2006]

Yes. You might report the Externship's face-to-face patient interaction hours under the tag "Other," since these are not Employment or Volunteer hours. You would need a Contact who can attest to this involvement.

Thank you very much

 

[WHPH2016]

Question regarding benefit of adding in a new 1st author publication on AMCAS primary.

I have been fortunate enough to have a manuscript accepted to a reputable journal as 1st author. The current status is 'Accepted - Requires Action' and these actions pertain to other authors updating their COIs and some formatting for figures. I have read that it is okay to include accepted manuscripts that are not published yet if they were officially accepted. However, I am about ready to submit my application and am not sure if I should include this publication or if it is better to save it for secondaries or perhaps even as a substantial update for update letters (in case I need to send those down the line for schools that accept them).

Of note, I already have one first author publication on my application, a second authorship, and two other co-authored, as well as a poster I presented (listed under 'Posters/Presentations'). At this stage I am not sure if including an additional first author would greatly improve my application or if it would be better to save it for when it is official and has a DOI/PMID and can be used if needed to "help my case".

@Catalystik or any another experienced members, would appreciate your insight!

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Question regarding benefit of adding in a new 1st author publication on AMCAS primary.

I have been fortunate enough to have a manuscript accepted to a reputable journal as 1st author. The current status is 'Accepted - Requires Action' and these actions pertain to other authors updating their COIs and some formatting for figures. I have read that it is okay to include accepted manuscripts that are not published yet if they were officially accepted. However, I am about ready to submit my application and am not sure if I should include this publication or if it is better to save it for secondaries or perhaps even as a substantial update for update letters (in case I need to send those down the line for schools that accept them).

Of note, I already have one first author publication on my application, a second authorship, and two other co-authored, as well as a poster I presented (listed under 'Posters/Presentations'). At this stage I am not sure if including an additional first author would greatly improve my application or if it would be better to save it for when it is official and has a DOI/PMID and can be used if needed to "help my case".

@Catalystik or any another experienced members, would appreciate your insight!

Thanks!

I agree with your reasoning. Considering your previous accomplishments, save it for Secondaries/updates after your have a DOI/PMID.

 

[Catalystik]

I am wondering if my experiences do not count as clinical. I read this in a recent secondary application:

"Substantive, longitudinal clinical experiences such as: shadowing a physician, medical mission trips, scribing, community EMS, etc. Please note that volunteering in clinic/waiting rooms such as playing/reading to children, stocking shelves, and transporting patients is considered good volunteer experience, but is not hands-on clinical experience"

I haven't worked in a clinical setting, but have about 500 hours across volunteering in hospitals/clinics.

Never took vitals or did medical tasks, but I registered patients, did transport (both helping them walk and transport back to vehicles), assisting with needs after surgeries. I've spent hours with patients, according to this school (Georgetown) none of it counts as clinical experience? I also have shadowing, which is it clinical but still seems way less involved than any of the other things I did.

Is this a standard definition they are using or is this a school-specific, narrow criteria? Is it worth it to apply to these schools with these type of criteria?

Interacting with patients at the registration desk, providing post-surgery needs, and engaging in patient transport are widely considered to be substantive clinical experience. Interestingly, short-term medical mission trips are not much valued elsewhere.

 

[yodalehehu]

I had a shadowing experience arranged by the volunteer office at a local hospital a couple years ago. I had the opportunity to observe in various areas, including the OR, pre-op, and post-op rooms, where I watched surgeons and anesthesiologists in action.

It looks like listing the specific physician's name, date, and other details is expected on the application. However, since I rotated through different doctors over several days (4-8 hours per day), and given the “float” nature of the experience, I didn't catch the names of all the physicians. Assuming this experience counts toward my shadowing hours, how should I list it on the application?

 

[Catalystik]

I had a shadowing experience arranged by the volunteer office at a local hospital a couple years ago. I had the opportunity to observe in various areas, including the OR, pre-op, and post-op rooms, where I watched surgeons and anesthesiologists in action.

It looks like listing the specific physician's name, date, and other details is expected on the application. However, since I rotated through different doctors over several days (4-8 hours per day), and given the “float” nature of the experience, I didn't catch the names of all the physicians. Assuming this experience counts toward my shadowing hours, how should I list it on the application?

Use the Volunteer Office Coordinator as your Shadowing Contact (or someone in the office that can attest to the activity having occurred, even if only by their title). I assume you have an email or phone number to enter. State that the experience involved rotating through multiple departments. It's OK to list the main specialties that you observed without using the physician names (as they won't recall you anyway).

 

[RMR_1]

Agree with the above. Whomever gave you permission to shadow is the person to list as the contact person.

If all else fails, call/reach the hospital somehow and ask them to pick an appropriate liaison person. Try to describe the experience as best you can, remaining succinct while avoiding being terse!

Good luck. 🙂

 

[chilly_md]

I had a shadowing experience arranged by the volunteer office at a local hospital a couple years ago. I had the opportunity to observe in various areas, including the OR, pre-op, and post-op rooms, where I watched surgeons and anesthesiologists in action.

It looks like listing the specific physician's name, date, and other details is expected on the application. However, since I rotated through different doctors over several days (4-8 hours per day), and given the “float” nature of the experience, I didn't catch the names of all the physicians. Assuming this experience counts toward my shadowing hours, how should I list it on the application?

I have merged your thread with our main AMCAS Work/Activities thread. It is helpful to keep these posts here to help other applicants in similar situations and we also have a list of FAQ's from Catalystik on the first page.

 

[asterok]

Hi, I’m really interested in health policy, inequities, and public health, and have worked in conjunction with public health researchers and other students on commentaries/opinion pieces about current issues in those fields (like a working group focusing on health inequities). They've been published in peer-reviewed, scientific journals, but I don't think it warrants being called "research" because it is really commentary/opinion, no hypotheses being tested, etc. I also have traditional research experience via 2 labs so I hesitate to add another experience that might make me appear all over the place when it comes to the research category. Would it be weird to put this under "advocacy", or would something else be better? I'm not sure and would really appreciate any suggestions, thank you very much!

 

[RMR_1]

Hi, I’m really interested in health policy, inequities, and public health, and have worked in conjunction with public health researchers and other students on commentaries/opinion pieces about current issues in those fields (like a working group focusing on health inequities). They've been published in peer-reviewed, scientific journals, but I don't think it warrants being called "research" because it is really commentary/opinion, no hypotheses being tested, etc. I also have traditional research experience via 2 labs so I hesitate to add another experience that might make me appear all over the place when it comes to the research category. Would it be weird to put this under "advocacy", or would something else be better? I'm not sure and would really appreciate any suggestions, thank you very much!

Your research doesn't have to be organized. Try to tie it together w/a theme if you can, though.

Try to be more specific when you say things like "health inequities" or "opinion." Some of these topics can be touchy, so be careful about how you present them.

Don't put it all under "advocacy." Put it under "research."

 

[asterok]

Your research doesn't have to be organized. Try to tie it together w/a theme if you can, though.

Try to be more specific when you say things like "health inequities" or "opinion." Some of these topics can be touchy, so be careful about how you present them.

Don't put it all under "advocacy." Put it under "research."

Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, I’m really interested in health policy, inequities, and public health, and have worked in conjunction with public health researchers and other students on commentaries/opinion pieces about current issues in those fields (like a working group focusing on health inequities). They've been published in peer-reviewed, scientific journals, but I don't think it warrants being called "research" because it is really commentary/opinion, no hypotheses being tested, etc. I also have traditional research experience via 2 labs so I hesitate to add another experience that might make me appear all over the place when it comes to the research category. Would it be weird to put this under "advocacy", or would something else be better? I'm not sure and would really appreciate any suggestions, thank you very much!

You might consider using "Artistic Endeavors" to highlight validated writing capabilities shared with a wide audience.

 

[asterok]

You might consider using "Artistic Endeavors" to highlight validated writing capabilities shared with a wide audience.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it!

 

[sillysulfur]

Hi all,

As I begin drafting my activities section for the 2026–2027 application cycle, I’ve run into a challenge with one of my most meaningful experiences.

I’m deeply involved in a volunteer EMS organization where I’ve contributed over 1,300 hours in 3 years. While the majority of my time has been spent being a primary patient care provider on the ambulance, I’ve also taken on several leadership and non-clinical roles. On the clinical side, I serve as a Crew Chief (BLS) and Field Training Officer. Beyond that, I’ve coordinated community medical education initiatives (CPR, Stop the Bleed, Narcan trainings), served as a voting member on multiple committees (recruitment, DEI, financial audits, awards, and mental health), and have been selected to serve as a Director for the upcoming year with a focus on DEI, mental health, outreach, and HR-related work. As an organization, we are also heavily involved in community service and fundraising efforts for local needs (e.g., Thanksgiving drives, holiday initiatives, Breast Cancer Awareness events, and more), and I have contributed a significant number of hours to these efforts as well.

My question is how best to represent all the aspects of this involvement in the activities section (in AMCAS).

• Should all of these roles be grouped under a single “most meaningful” EMS/clinical activity (how would I do this?), or is it appropriate to separate out leadership/non-operational/volunteer roles into an additional entry?
• Also, are these community medical education initiatives considered non-clinical volunteering?

I’m also unsure how to handle the upcoming Director position, since it will be a significant commitment but has not yet begun (my "term" starts in mid-May).

Thanks in advance, any advice is helpful!

 

[Catalystik]

Hi all,

As I begin drafting my activities section for the 2026–2027 application cycle, I’ve run into a challenge with one of my most meaningful experiences.

I’m deeply involved in a volunteer EMS organization where I’ve contributed over 1,300 hours in 3 years. While the majority of my time has been spent being a primary patient care provider on the ambulance, I’ve also taken on several leadership and non-clinical roles. On the clinical side, I serve as a Crew Chief (BLS) and Field Training Officer. Beyond that, I’ve coordinated community medical education initiatives (CPR, Stop the Bleed, Narcan trainings), served as a voting member on multiple committees (recruitment, DEI, financial audits, awards, and mental health), and have been selected to serve as a Director for the upcoming year with a focus on DEI, mental health, outreach, and HR-related work. As an organization, we are also heavily involved in community service and fundraising efforts for local needs (e.g., Thanksgiving drives, holiday initiatives, Breast Cancer Awareness events, and more), and I have contributed a significant number of hours to these efforts as well.

1) My question is how best to represent all the aspects of this involvement in the activities section (in AMCAS).

• a) Should all of these roles be grouped under a single “most meaningful” EMS/clinical activity (how would I do this?), or is it appropriate to separate out leadership/non-operational/volunteer roles into an additional entry?
• b) Also, are these community medical education initiatives considered non-clinical volunteering?

2) I’m also unsure how to handle the upcoming Director position, since it will be a significant commitment but has not yet begun (my "term" starts in mid-May).

Thanks in advance, any advice is helpful!

1a) It is appropriate to break the experience into multiple categories, provided there are enough hours in each, such as Volunteer-Clinical, Volunteer-Not Clinical, Leadership, +/- Teaching, as you feel appropriate. I don't think you could do it justice if you squeeze it all into a MM space.
1b) You can pick Nonclinical Volunteering or Teaching, whichever balances your application best. The volunteer aspect of the Teaching can be expressed in the title of the activity, or in the narrative. Ditto with the alternative.

2) You will have barely begun the Directorship at the time you submit and will have few hours or completed initiatives to recount. I suggest you save it for future updates later in the cycle (where allowed).

 

[panapandapana]

I did a master's program and one of the requirements was to do research at an off campus location and eventually present those findings at the end of program poster conference. With the work I did, I turned it into my poster, thesis, and eventually helped in pubs. But because it was required by the program, I'm not sure if I can include it in the presentation/poster section of AMCAS activities.

 

[Catalystik]

I did a master's program and one of the requirements was to do research at an off campus location and eventually present those findings at the end of program poster conference. With the work I did, I turned it into my poster, thesis, and eventually helped in pubs. But because it was required by the program, I'm not sure if I can include it in the presentation/poster section of AMCAS activities.

Welcome to SDN.

Read item #20 of this post and see if it helps: *~*~*~* Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2021-2027 *~*~*~*

 

[pickeljuice]

Hello! Thank you for all the questions you've been answering. I have several questions that I was hoping to get some clarification on as well.

1. For the research aspect of my application, I've been fortunate to get several abstract publications + poster presentations through different conferences. To my understanding, the abstract publications were through the journal associated with the organization but I'm not sure if that's just the same as a "conference booklet." Do I place my citations for these publications + poster separately in the "Presentations/Posters" category? Also, do I also make a separate listing for "Conferences Attended" as well?

2. One of my volunteering experiences was done primarily during COVID when the electronic volunteering documentation was non-existent and required paper documentation instead. Also, the person who was in-charge of volunteering services is no longer there. I kept an accurate log of how many hours I've worked there, but I'm worried that the current electronic documentation software they have now doesn't accurately reflect my hours and will make me look like a liar if medical schools check. Should I explain the situation in my W/A section?

3. Related to Q#2, if I don't have the contact info for the person who was responsible for my activity, what do I do instead?

Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

Hello! Thank you for all the questions you've been answering. I have several questions that I was hoping to get some clarification on as well.

1. a) For the research aspect of my application, I've been fortunate to get several abstract publications + poster presentations through different conferences. To my understanding, the abstract publications were through the journal associated with the organization but I'm not sure if that's just the same as a "conference booklet." b) Do I place my citations for these publications + poster separately in the "Presentations/Posters" category? c) Also, do I also make a separate listing for "Conferences Attended" as well?

2. One of my volunteering experiences was done primarily during COVID when the electronic volunteering documentation was non-existent and required paper documentation instead. Also, the person who was in-charge of volunteering services is no longer there. I kept an accurate log of how many hours I've worked there, but I'm worried that the current electronic documentation software they have now doesn't accurately reflect my hours and will make me look like a liar if medical schools check. Should I explain the situation in my W/A section?

3. Related to Q#2, if I don't have the contact info for the person who was responsible for my activity, what do I do instead?

Thank you!

1a) If the abstract has a PubMed ID#, it can be listed as a Publication, otherwise, consider it the same a conference booklet listing for a Poster Presentation. See post 2 of this thread, item #20 for more advice.
1b) If it can be listed as a Pub, then in the same space mention the associated poster.
1c) Not unless you were a conference organizer, or invited speaker. Don't waste a space listing Conferences Attended passively, aside from poster presentations.

2) Call the volunteer office and find out what documentation they have.

3) You don't need to list a person. Any clerk/staffer of the volunteer office can be mentioned in an anonymous way. If that doesn't work out, you can list another member of a care team, or co-volunteer, or an advisor aware of the position. As a last resort, list yourself and explain the circumstances.

 

[pickeljuice]

1a) If the abstract has a PubMed ID#, it can be listed as a Publication, otherwise, consider it the same a conference booklet listing for a Poster Presentation. See post 2 of this thread, item #20 for more advice.
1b) If it can be listed as a Pub, then in the same space mention the associated poster.
1c) Not unless you were a conference organizer, or invited speaker. Don't waste a space listing Conferences Attended passively, aside from poster presentations.

2) Call the volunteer office and find out what documentation they have.

3) You don't need to list a person. Any clerk/staffer of the volunteer office can be mentioned in an anonymous way. If that doesn't work out, you can list another member of a care team, or co-volunteer, or an advisor aware of the position. As a last resort, list yourself and explain the circumstances.

Thank you for answering!

1a. So, my abstracts were published as part of two separate journals, but they're listed as "Issue X supplements" . Since they appear in a journal, can I put them in the research entry?

1b. I just want to make sure I understand. Currently, I have 3 experiences in my W/A section related to research - "Research/Lab", "Presentations/Posters", and "Publications".

For my "Research/Lab" section, I've only put down my actual experience working in my lab and briefly mentioned the abstracts/publications/presentations that I did.

For my "Presentations/Posters" section, I put the citations of the abstracts that I presented, however, should I explicitly say when/where/who presented my abstract instead? For example, "I presented at the 2025 Blue Jay Conference with [Title of Abstract]"

For my "Publications" section, I just put down the actual citations of my publications. Is that okay?

2. If they don't have documentation from the time that I volunteered, what would you recommend that I do at that point?

3. If I have to list myself, do I explain the circumstances in the actual entry for that volunteering experience or do I do it somewhere else?

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you for answering!

1a. So, my abstracts were published as part of two separate journals, but they're listed as "Issue X supplements" . Since they appear in a journal, can I put them in the research entry?

1b. I just want to make sure I understand. Currently, I have 3 experiences in my W/A section related to research - "Research/Lab", "Presentations/Posters", and "Publications".

For my "Research/Lab" section, I've only put down my actual experience working in my lab and briefly mentioned the abstracts/publications/presentations that I did.

For my "Presentations/Posters" section, I put the citations of the abstracts that I presented, however, should I explicitly say when/where/who presented my abstract instead? For example, "I presented at the 2025 Blue Jay Conference with [Title of Abstract]"

For my "Publications" section, I just put down the actual citations of my publications. Is that okay?

2. If they don't have documentation from the time that I volunteered, what would you recommend that I do at that point?

3. If I have to list myself, do I explain the circumstances in the actual entry for that volunteering experience or do I do it somewhere else?

1) Do they have a Pub Med ID? Did you check? If not, citing the abstract is equivalent to citing the poster. Only one is needed.

Don't mention your abstract/poster presentation in two different Experience entries. "Research" should be about your research contributions.

It is appropriate to mention the actual presenter. You can do this by saying nth author presented (or whatever).

The citation alone is fine in the Publications space.

2) You might ask if you can send them a copy of your own documentation, and if they will honor it.

3) In the same entry.

 

[Ari.2390]

Hello,

As I am writing out my activities for the 26-27 cycle, I had a few questions regarding my experiences. I would appreciate any clarification.

1. I volunteered in a pharmacy as an assistant for 2 summers. Would this count as regular volunteering or clinical?
2. Should I include being part of my school's honors program or is that not significant enough?
3. During the summer of my freshman year, I shadowed/volunteered at the same clinic for pain management and podiatry. I shadowed for the first month then, transitioned into becoming a volunteer for the last two months of my summer break. Should I group these two experiences together?

Thank you for the advice!

 

[Catalystik]

Hello,

As I am writing out my activities for the 26-27 cycle, I had a few questions regarding my experiences. I would appreciate any clarification.

1. I volunteered in a pharmacy as an assistant for 2 summers. Would this count as regular volunteering or clinical?
2. Should I include being part of my school's honors program or is that not significant enough?
3. During the summer of my freshman year, I shadowed/volunteered at the same clinic for pain management and podiatry. I shadowed for the first month then, transitioned into becoming a volunteer for the last two months of my summer break. Should I group these two experiences together?

Thank you for the advice!

1) To what extent did you interact with patients coming to the window (like, the percent of the time)? What was the purpose of the interaction, if any? [In general, this is listed as Nonclinical.]
2) It's on your transcript. No need to further discuss it.
3) How many PHYSICIAN shadowing hours and how many with podiatry DPMs? What was your role as a volunteer? What other clinical experience interacting with patients will you list.

 

[Kimie02]

Hi there,

I'm finalizing my work/activities section and was hoping to get a few clarifications before applying:

1. I have one entry for honors/awards. Is it best to list the each out individually (almost bulleted) or should I keep it in a paragraph format? I keep hearing different advice for this.
2. I've shadowed across many specialties, but I formed a mentor relationship with one who I deem as one of my most meaningful entries. As of now I have 2 separate entries (one for the other specialties I shadowed and 1 for my mentor). Should I keep it separate or is it better to group them together?
3. For an entry, when it asks who to contact, should I put the owner or is it best to put my letter of rec info? For example, I worked as an MA at a job and also have it as a meaningful entry. I currently have the owner's contact info, but I planned on using another doctor from that practice as a LOR.
   1. I know it can look odd if a LOR isn't tied to a meaningful entry, but in this case the LOR is coming from a different doctor at the same practice than the one listed as contact - does that matter? Or should I just change the contact to be the same as my LOR?

Thank you for the help!

 

[Catalystik]

Hi there,

I'm finalizing my work/activities section and was hoping to get a few clarifications before applying:

1. I have one entry for honors/awards. Is it best to list the each out individually (almost bulleted) or should I keep it in a paragraph format? I keep hearing different advice for this.
2. I've shadowed across many specialties, but I formed a mentor relationship with one who I deem as one of my most meaningful entries. As of now I have 2 separate entries (one for the other specialties I shadowed and 1 for my mentor). Should I keep it separate or is it better to group them together?
3. For an entry, when it asks who to contact, should I put the owner or is it best to put my letter of rec info? For example, I worked as an MA at a job and also have it as a meaningful entry. I currently have the owner's contact info, but I planned on using another doctor from that practice as a LOR.
   1. I know it can look odd if a LOR isn't tied to a meaningful entry, but in this case the LOR is coming from a different doctor at the same practice than the one listed as contact - does that matter? Or should I just change the contact to be the same as my LOR?

Thank you for the help!

1) For this category, I think bullets work best.

2) If you are space-challenged, grouping is fine. If you have a lot to say about the mentoring and the hours for each entry are strong, then it's OK to use separate spaces.

3) It's probably best to use the Contact most familiar with the time frame and total hours you plan to enter. So use the Contact person.

 

[Kimie02]

1) For this category, I think bullets work best.

2) If you are space-challenged, grouping is fine. If you have a lot to say about the mentoring and the hours for each entry are strong, then it's OK to use separate spaces.

3) It's probably best to use the Contact most familiar with the time frame and total hours you plan to enter. So use the Contact person.

Great, thank you so much for the help!

 

[MathPerson]

Good afternoon, I have 2 questions while finalizing my primary application for this cycle:
1. I founded a non-profit organization that mainly serves the underserved by providing food, clothes, and basic necessities. As the founder, I was both in charge of the logistics in running the organization as well as volunteering myself. Will this be counted toward leadership-not listed elsewhere or Community service-non clinical? I saw some old post recommending split my hours into both, not quite sure whether that's the right move.
2. I have one volunteer that I only did for 4 times with 15 hours in total because it was so difficult to sign up. Is it worth including? I don't think I am going to ever reach the 15 work/activities limit, so it is not a space issue. I saw people mentioning the 50-hour rule and it was the only one that did not reach 50 hours.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Good afternoon, I have 2 questions while finalizing my primary application for this cycle:
1. I founded a non-profit organization that mainly serves the underserved by providing food, clothes, and basic necessities. As the founder, I was both in charge of the logistics in running the organization as well as volunteering myself. Will this be counted toward leadership-not listed elsewhere or Community service-non clinical? I saw some old post recommending split my hours into both, not quite sure whether that's the right move.

Classify it as you will, but adcoms reserve the right to reclassify according to their own standards (like I would put it under Leadership). If you can itemize your hours, that would help.

2. I have one volunteer that I only did for 4 times with 15 hours in total because it was so difficult to sign up. Is it worth including? I don't think I am going to ever reach the 15 work/activities limit, so it is not a space issue. I saw people mentioning the 50-hour rule and it was the only one that did not reach 50 hours.

Yeah, then I advise skipping it.

 

[MathPerson]

Classify it as you will, but adcoms reserve the right to reclassify according to their own standards (like I would put it under Leadership). If you can itemize your hours, that would help.



Yeah, then I advise skipping it.

Thank you so much for the clarification and advice.

 

[chembiomed]

Hello!

I had a question about inputting poster presentation information on the work/activity section.

I presented two posters at a campus level symposium and one at a state level undergraduate conference. I saw that it was recommended to put the posters that was presented at a symposium with its affiliated research activity. However, I don't have enough word count on the research section to do so. If that is the case, can I lump these as one activity under Presentations/posters?

In addition, I did my research under two different professors during my undergraduate years. Therefore, the posters I did is a mix of works that I did under both of them. If so, who should I put as the contact information/organization for the poster presentations? Can I put myself and just put the contact title as "presenter"?

 

[Catalystik]

I had a question about inputting poster presentation information on the work/activity section.

1) I presented two posters at a campus level symposium and one at a state level undergraduate conference. I saw that it was recommended to put the posters that was presented at a symposium with its affiliated research activity. However, I don't have enough word count on the research section to do so. If that is the case, can I lump these as one activity under Presentations/posters?

2) In addition, I did my research under two different professors during my undergraduate years. Therefore, the posters I did is a mix of works that I did under both of them. If so, who should I put as the contact information/organization for the poster presentations? Can I put myself and just put the contact title as "presenter"?

1) Yes.
2) The state-level conference would be considered the most competitive for inclusion. In the header, you could enter the sponsoring department of the conference, ie the one you contacted to be approved for inclusion. Or the PI who would recall you best, or was listed as a co-author. Or a grad student you worked with. Or yourself.

 

[chembiomed]

1) Yes.
2) The state-level conference would be considered the most competitive for inclusion. In the header, you could enter the sponsoring department of the conference, ie the one you contacted to be approved for inclusion. Or the PI who would recall you best, or was listed as a co-author. Or a grad student you worked with. Or yourself.

Thank you!

If the conference/symposium was hosted by different organization, what would be the best one to put? Symposium was hosted by my school but the state conference was at another institution?

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you!

If the conference/symposium was hosted by different organization, what would be the best one to put? Symposium was hosted by my school but the state conference was at another institution?

Thank you so much for the help!

Use the state conference host in the header of the space.

 

[chembiomed]

Thank you so much for your fast answer @Catalystik

I just had a couple more questions
- Based on your last answer, I put the organizer of the state conference for the organization name. The organization - the Florida Undergraduate Research Association - does not have a headquarter listed. When I presented at the state conference, it was located at St. Thomas University. Do you think it will be okay to put that location instead?
- For the completion date, do you think it would be ok to put the date when the most recent presentation was done?
- For awards section, I did take a look at the FAQ section but could not find an answer to my question, which is - if I have multiple awards from different offices inside the University, can I put the contact information/organization of the office that I received most of my awards from?

Once again thank you for your awesome help!

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you so much for your fast answer @Catalystik

I just had a couple more questions
1. - Based on your last answer, I put the organizer of the state conference for the organization name. The organization - the Florida Undergraduate Research Association - does not have a headquarter listed. When I presented at the state conference, it was located at St. Thomas University. Do you think it will be okay to put that location instead?
2. - For the completion date, do you think it would be ok to put the date when the most recent presentation was done?
3. - For awards section, I did take a look at the FAQ section but could not find an answer to my question, which is - if I have multiple awards from different offices inside the University, can I put the contact information/organization of the office that I received most of my awards from?

Once again thank you for your awesome help!

1) Do not list St Thomas U as a Contact. That is way too vague.
2) Yes. All of them would have been presented by that date.
3) Yes. Or use the Registrar's office that generally has a list of all of the university-based awards.

 

[chembiomed]

1) Do not list St Thomas U as a Contact. That is way too vague.
2) Yes. All of them would have been presented by that date.
3) Yes. Or use the Registrar's office that generally has a list of all of the university-based awards.

Ah, sorry I think my question was weirdly worded for #1. I was going to put myself as the contact. But the question still asks for organization, city/state/country. So I was wondering what I should put those if I put myself as the contact.

I was planning to put my contact but the organizer's information as the Florida Undergraduate Research Association (who hosted the conference) and the Miami, FL as the location since this is where conference was hosted. I wanted to find the location of the Florida Undergraduate Research Association's city/state to put that information there but the website does not provide one.

 

[Catalystik]

Ah, sorry I think my question was weirdly worded for #1. I was going to put myself as the contact. But the question still asks for organization, city/state/country. So I was wondering what I should put those if I put myself as the contact.

I was planning to put my contact but the organizer's information as the Florida Undergraduate Research Association (who hosted the conference) and the Miami, FL as the location since this is where conference was hosted. I wanted to find the location of the Florida Undergraduate Research Association's city/state to put that information there but the website does not provide one.

OK. Enter Florida Undergraduate Research Association and Country: USA. Based on past years' applications, I don't think you need to enter city & state. If the program lets you save the entry, then you're good to go.

 

[chembiomed]

OK. Enter Florida Undergraduate Research Association and Country: USA. Based on past years' applications, I don't think you need to enter city & state. If the program lets you save the entry, then you're good to go.

thank you so much!

 

[chembiomed]

Hello,

I had a quick question regarding the dates for the activities that are ongoing (no break in middle).
If I am submitting my application in June will my completed date run until June, and my anticipated date will start in July? Or, do I overlap them with the completed date as June and my anticipated start date in June as well since it's ongoing?

Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

Hello,

I had a quick question regarding the dates for the activities that are ongoing (no break in middle).
If I am submitting my application in June a) will my completed date run until June, and my anticipated date will start in July? Or, b) do I overlap them with the completed date as June and my anticipated start date in June as well since it's ongoing?

Thank you!

B) will work.

 

[chembiomed]

Hello @Catalystik !

Thank you for your help again! I contacted AMCAS about this yesterday and they recommended that I do A). To be honest, the support person did not sound super sure of the answer, however.

Do you think either A or B would work as long as I make sure to not double count the time?

 

[Catalystik]

Hello @Catalystik !

Thank you for your help again! I contacted AMCAS about this yesterday and they recommended that I do A). To be honest, the support person did not sound super sure of the answer, however.

Do you think either A or B would work as long as I make sure to not double count the time?

Yes

 

[allaroundgdm11]

Hello! I am torn about how to best present the non-clinical volunteering I've done. In each instance, I feel the experience is better represented by another category (e.g. leadership, teaching, honors/awards). I have one experience that was technically an internship but I did it on a completely volunteer basis, was very community involved, not a professional experience or anything, you get the idea. In my other experiences I'll absolutely talk about the community service aspect in the descriptions. Not sure how I could itemize the hours for my leadership one because it was ALL leadership and ALL volunteer. I don't have space to split into separate entries either.

So I guess my question is will my app get trashed if none of my activities are explicitly labeled "volunteer/community service - non-clinical" even if there's a clear service focus in the descriptions? Could I cover it with the internship I described above or would that be discounted by committees? I don't want to inaccurately/halfheartedly label something as non-clinical volunteering just to make sure the box is checked. I also have major clinical volunteering if that makes a difference.

I've just seen so much conflicting advice about what truly counts as non-clinical volunteering and how important it is vs clinical volunteering and how to best present activities that encompass multiple categories and what hours actually count for what in nuanced experiences and what have you. I know I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot. Thanks in advance so much for your help.

 

[Catalystik]

Hello! I am torn about how to best present the non-clinical volunteering I've done. In each instance, I feel the experience is better represented by another category (e.g. leadership, teaching, honors/awards). I have one experience that was technically an internship but I did it on a completely volunteer basis, was very community involved, not a professional experience or anything, you get the idea. In my other experiences I'll absolutely talk about the community service aspect in the descriptions. Not sure how I could itemize the hours for my leadership one because it was ALL leadership and ALL volunteer. I don't have space to split into separate entries either.

So I guess my question is will my app get trashed if none of my activities are explicitly labeled "volunteer/community service - non-clinical" even if there's a clear service focus in the descriptions? Could I cover it with the internship I described above or would that be discounted by committees? I don't want to inaccurately/halfheartedly label something as non-clinical volunteering just to make sure the box is checked. I also have major clinical volunteering if that makes a difference.

I've just seen so much conflicting advice about what truly counts as non-clinical volunteering and how important it is vs clinical volunteering and how to best present activities that encompass multiple categories and what hours actually count for what in nuanced experiences and what have you. I know I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot. Thanks in advance so much for your help.

If you have no other nonmedical community service, you will do yourself a disservice in the eyes of many med schools to label it as an Internship or Leadership. You can make the leadership component clear with the title you give the space and your description.

 

[allaroundgdm11]

If you have no other nonmedical community service, you will do yourself a disservice in the eyes of many med schools to label it as an Internship or Leadership. You can make the leadership component clear with the title you give the space and your description.

Thank you so much for your reply! So do you think I could label the "internship" as non-clinical volunteering? Wouldn't many adcoms recategorize my leadership/volunteer experience as Leadership anyways, even if I label it as non-clinical volunteering? Why is it sufficient to make leadership clear in the description but not community service, especially if it's a major leadership experience?

Thanks again for your help!!

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you so much for your reply! 1) So do you think I could label the "internship" as non-clinical volunteering? 2) Wouldn't many adcoms recategorize my leadership/volunteer experience as Leadership anyways, even if I label it as non-clinical volunteering? 3) Why is it sufficient to make leadership clear in the description but not community service, especially if it's a major leadership experience?

Thanks again for your help!!

You really aren't giving me a lot of detail about the experience to be sure I give you the best answer, like, was this an internship for class credit? What was the
leadership component? For how long did this last? Total hours?

But no matter, as I can deal with generalizations. 1) Yes. 2) Yes. 3) You would make both the nonmedical community service and the leadership component clear in the title of the space.

 

[allaroundgdm11]

You really aren't giving me a lot of detail about the experience to be sure I give you the best answer, like, was this an internship for class credit? What was the
leadership component? For how long did this last? Total hours?

But no matter, as I can deal with generalizations. 1) Yes. 2) Yes. 3) You would make both the nonmedical community service and the leadership component clear in the title of the space.

Sorry I don't know why I'm being so vague lol.

For the internship: not for credit but related to my (non-STEM) major. The work I did really wasn't academic, it was community engagement (one summer, 350 hours).

For the leadership: Chief of volunteer campus EMS. I rebuilt it from pretty much the ground up. Tons of admin, training, mentoring, community outreach, etc. It was 2 years and ~800 hours, the bulk of it non-medical. I also received a major campus award for my service to the community. I know there's another applicant above with a similar scenario and I saw you recommended splitting it up but like I said I unfortunately don't have space.

Also have a volunteer music teaching/coaching experience that could potentially be listed as non-clinical but thought teaching fit better.

hope this clarifies a few things, thanks again for your insight!

 

[Catalystik]

For the internship: not for credit but related to my (non-STEM) major. The work I did really wasn't academic, it was community engagement (one summer, 350 hours).

For the leadership: Chief of volunteer campus EMS. I rebuilt it from pretty much the ground up. Tons of admin, training, mentoring, community outreach, etc. It was 2 years and ~800 hours, the bulk of it non-medical. I also received a major campus award for my service to the community. I know there's another applicant above with a similar scenario and I saw you recommended splitting it up but like I said I unfortunately don't have space.

Also have a volunteer music teaching/coaching experience that could potentially be listed as non-clinical but thought teaching fit better.

hope this clarifies a few things, thanks again for your insight!

What did you do for the 350 hours of internship?

For the teaching music/coaching, I think a Teaching category is a good idea.