@wysdoc is a reliable resource to ask on this. My .02 would be that unless the two roles are distinctly different, they should only be listed under the category of your choosing. You could get away with it one or two activities but if you're splitting activities from the same organization multiple times, they'll most likely catch on.
*~*~*~*Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2020-2021*~*~*~*
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@wysdoc is a reliable resource to ask on this. My .02 would be that unless the two roles are distinctly different, they should only be listed under the category of your choosing. You could get away with it one or two activities but if you're splitting activities from the same organization multiple times, they'll most likely catch on.
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Okay y'all, the same question was once fully discussed on the "TMDSAS Hub" Facebook page in July 2019. This discussion was posted at a time when they were still fine-tuning the 2019-2020 Handbook.
Here is the discussion, with options, and why you could choose each one:
Student #1:
I have two questions! I ended up with a leadership position in every organization I participated in, so would it be better to just list all of them as leadership? In the handbook it says to just pick one section to put each activity under, but I found a post from three weeks earlier where someone had a similar question but was told to list the organization as an extracurricular and list the leadership position separately.
TMDSAS MOD:
Thanks for the patience. I had to consult with some other folks to make sure I gave you the right information. With regards to your leadership role in the organization, you may want to enter the org. under Extracurricular and then list your leadership roles under Leadership. We're working on developing a clarification and updating the Application Handbook. I'll post about it when its cleared.
TMDSAS MOD a couple weeks later with more details
Yeah - the instructions are ambiguous with how you should enter situations like this so here are your options:
1) Enter activity in either Leadership or Extracurricular. Adding it in Leadership removes the ability to add total hours, and adding it in Extracurricular limits your space to talk about the leadership roles.
2) Enter the Activity in Extracurricular and the leadership roles in 1 Leadership post (e.g. President, VP, Secretary would all be in one single Leadership "activity").
Neither option is 100% correct or incorrect. It's messy, I know, but we can't make a formal ruling at this point without disadvantaging applicants who followed instructions closely and only listed each activity once.
Do your best to only list every activity once as stated in the handbook, but when there's a bit of ambiguity like this, you can make a judgement call to split out a leadership experience.
Student #2:
Can you list more than once if you played different roles within the same organization i.e. community service chair one year, treasurer another? and what about if you had the same leadership role multiple years, but not consecutively?
TMDSAS MOD:
By my previous statement, you could list different roles once in the leadership section, then list the Community Service once.
For the same Leadership roles across several years, list it once, and put the years in the description.
Now: back to the present!
In short, go read page 33 of the EY 2021 Handbook.
Use your judgement. There will be some times when both Leadership and Activity roles are important to you.
Choose how you will list it.
If it was really important to you, write more about it in one of your "3 most meaningful" activity answers.
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I think for that specifically they do not. I will not be changing the descriptions (granted I only have 2 activities that fall into those two categories)
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deleted1043863
Didn't they say to add activities only once?
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yes
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Not sure at this point. Be sure to look at the list of schools on TMDSAS web page and see which schools don't require you to wait to be invited to do your secondary. There are some, and there are also some with no secondary.
Have to submit your primary first before sending a secondary!
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What is the recommended number of activities to have on the TMDSAS Application? Right now I have around 30 activities. Is this too much or too little?
I'm not sure if this question has been asked before, and I can't seem to get any clarity on this.
I'm not sure if this question has been asked before, and I can't seem to get any clarity on this.
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Not everyone will have activities in every category. You should not appear to be padding your list by splitting similar things into lots of separate places, or listing things where you spent little or no time. It should be a reflection of how you spent your time during college on activities that were either meaningful to you personally or to your career prep as a prospective doctor.
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Also, how would recommend putting in events paused to COVID-19? I was thinking of putting them in the planned activities section, but it doesn't allow a start date before 10/2020. So say I plan to restart an activity 06/2020. Should I just leave the dates as 10/2020-08/2021 in this section and write the actual projected start date (06/2020) in the description? Or should I create another entry in current activities for the dates 06/2020-10/2020 and write a third entry in the planned activities for 11/2020-08/2021.
I'm definitely leaning toward the first option because I don't want to fill the personal bio with a bunch redundant entries, but I also don't want adcoms to think I'll be stopping my major activities until october.
I'm definitely leaning toward the first option because I don't want to fill the personal bio with a bunch redundant entries, but I also don't want adcoms to think I'll be stopping my major activities until october.
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If you doubt an activity will really happen between 6/2020 and 10/2020, you can’t really add up the hours for it. This is an unusual year so if your activity stopped due to COVID-19, estimate the end date in March or April 2020. Very few people are going to have summer activities this year.
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Does TMDSAS have an official definition for 'non-traditional'? I'm taking two gap years, though I don't necessarily feel like a non-trad applicant. However, I'm not sure if I would count as one, and if I should check the box & write the additional explanation.
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What if there are plans to restart in the summer? Still count the hours, but keep it in the "planned activities" section?
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There is a hard line on this app for dates.
Current activities = anything from freshman in college to Oct 2020.
Planned activities = Nov 2020 to August 2021.
Activities you think you will do between now and Oct 2020 are only estimates. Be conservative in your hour guesses. If for some reason it didn’t happen you can talk about that in interviews.
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To be fair aren't all the planned activities from 11/2020 - date of matriculation also estimates? So I guess I should include the now-10/2020 hour estimates in with that? Sorry if I'm being confusing!
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It is a little confusing. Yes the time between now and October 2020 will be an estimate. But if you try to stretch a thing from June to December 2020 for instance, the system won’t accept that.
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For the total cumulative hours for current, ongoing activities, do we take into account the hours we plan on doing until the application deadline (October 2020) or just how many hours we have right know/at time of submission??
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You will estimate the total hours UP TO October 2020. Remember to adjust if your activity is school related and wouldn't take place during summer break, or if it is only a summer thing and won't continue during school.
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Thank you for clarifying! so basically:
the hours I have till today + estimated hours from today to October 2020 = total cumulative hours.
Yeah I am wondering about my scribe job and luckily I can continue cause now they’re switching to virtual!
the hours I have till today + estimated hours from today to October 2020 = total cumulative hours.
Yeah I am wondering about my scribe job and luckily I can continue cause now they’re switching to virtual!
When I was applying I never saw a TMDSAS definition. I did look up definitions on the web. My gap year is about ~1.5 years, but I did not relate to the definitions I saw and checked no. Nobody on the interview trail questioned it. So I really think it is personal preference.
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There's no official definition of non-trad, but if you are not sure or are taking those gap years to give yourself time to fulfill some of the volunteer/clinical activities that you didn't have time for during college, I would say maybe skip that essay.
If the essay you put in that space is vague or unfocused it will not add to your application, know what I mean?
An older applicant, one who changed careers and went back to school to take pre-med pre-reqs, one who is applying to med school after serving in the military, one who is applying after time off to start a family, these would be some examples of non-trads.
I think it usually means you did not go "straight through" HS, college, med school without a change in your plan.
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Listen, guys:
In the TMDSAS Application Handbook, there are Colored Boxes and areas on many of the pages.
When you're reading things, do you sometimes ignore headlines and footnotes and read only the fine print? Yeah, me too.
Well, these colored boxes often will have information on EXACTLY the thing you are having trouble with in the section you are working on.
Some even link you to a specific Podcast that you can listen to for a fuller explanation.
Use them and read them!
In the TMDSAS Application Handbook, there are Colored Boxes and areas on many of the pages.
When you're reading things, do you sometimes ignore headlines and footnotes and read only the fine print? Yeah, me too.
Well, these colored boxes often will have information on EXACTLY the thing you are having trouble with in the section you are working on.
Some even link you to a specific Podcast that you can listen to for a fuller explanation.
Use them and read them!
Had a question: If I did elementary, middle, and high school in texas but went out of state for undergrad and grad school would I be considered a TX resident? I am also a dependent for my parents tax return and they own property in TX (so I am guessing I may qualify under option 2, but I'm unsure).
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If you were out of state for the purpose of education and your parents still live in Texas you’re still a Texan.
You will answer all the questions on the TMDSAS form and they will make a judgement on your residency status. If you have any questions on the judgement you can ask for a review.
Questions
1. For the "Colleges Attended" section do I need to list all of the Dallas Community College Campuses that I took classes at even if all of these classes were transferred to my university and are listed on that transcript?
2. Should a Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, and Calculus II course be listed as MATH or CAL even if the abbreviation for all of these is MATH ####.
3. If I did the UTeach program (bachelors degree with a teacher certification upon graduation) should I list "Education" as a minor to my major degree since I took so many education classes?
4. Would it count as an "education interruption" if I have been working for the last 3 years since I graduated from undergrad?
5. Should I list academic recognition that I received for individual courses throughout undergrad (ie. biochemistry/music appreciation).
6. If I will continue some of my healthcare activities after I submit my application how to I avoid having to put an "end date" on the entry? Every time I try to leave it blank it gives me an error message.
7. For the extracurricular/leisure activities can I list simple stuff like running or a book club? Or does it have to be more serious stuff like being part of a sports team or being a professional writer?
8. If I did extra work in some classes because I was in Honors College and do I still label this class as a "regular class" and then just mention the honors contract in the description or do I list it as "honors" to begin with.
1. For the "Colleges Attended" section do I need to list all of the Dallas Community College Campuses that I took classes at even if all of these classes were transferred to my university and are listed on that transcript?
2. Should a Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, and Calculus II course be listed as MATH or CAL even if the abbreviation for all of these is MATH ####.
3. If I did the UTeach program (bachelors degree with a teacher certification upon graduation) should I list "Education" as a minor to my major degree since I took so many education classes?
4. Would it count as an "education interruption" if I have been working for the last 3 years since I graduated from undergrad?
5. Should I list academic recognition that I received for individual courses throughout undergrad (ie. biochemistry/music appreciation).
6. If I will continue some of my healthcare activities after I submit my application how to I avoid having to put an "end date" on the entry? Every time I try to leave it blank it gives me an error message.
7. For the extracurricular/leisure activities can I list simple stuff like running or a book club? Or does it have to be more serious stuff like being part of a sports team or being a professional writer?
8. If I did extra work in some classes because I was in Honors College and do I still label this class as a "regular class" and then just mention the honors contract in the description or do I list it as "honors" to begin with.
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1. Yes and you will later need to request an official transcript from each college attended to be sent to TMDSAS (wait until they ask you for it).
2. Math
3. Did it officially meet the requirements for a minor at your college? You can list that certification somewhere and UTeach is a good thing for your resume. Med schools don't care if you had a minor, 2 majors, etc. just that you did well in college.
4. Your education wasn't interrupted, it was completed and then you went to work
5. This is more for things like scholarships, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, etc.
6. Current Activities = Past & Present up to October 2020 (which is the final deadline for the TMDSAS application)
Planned activities = November 2020 up to August 2021 (when you would start med school)
If you split ongoing activities up that way (same activity ends Oct 2020 and re-starts Nov 2020) the system will accept it.
7. Up to you. What would you like to show as things that interest you?
8. The class title should list it as Honors Calc etc. You could also list being in the Honors College under Academic recognition and briefly describe the things expected of you.
Due to COVID, my MCAT was rescheduled to June 19th, and I would get my score back two weeks later on July 3rd. From what I've heard, it's best to submit your application early in the cycle, but could applying in July hurt my chances? Or can I submit my application before I get my score back? It's hard to try and guess when it's 'too late' to realistically apply.
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This year is of course out of the ordinary. Keep on preparing for your MCAT and take it when you can. In the meantime send in your TMDSAS primary app and it can be processed and ready to send to schools, your score can be added as soon as available.
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For activity descriptions, should we literally just describe the activity and what we did or reflect on what we learned from it? I feel that 300 characters is not nearly enough room to go into much detail.
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Yes, use active verbs, describe your duties and/or skills you used in the activity. It will be brief. Remember you get to choose your 3 most meaningful current activities to write more about, that is where you can go into the value to you, reflections, personal growth.
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Ok thanks. Also, would it be considered a red flag to not use all three meaningful activity slots?
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I never got asked that question before! Even if it wasn't "meaningful" to you personally could you find something about the 3rd slot that taught you patience, organization, work ethic, etc? That one could be shorter than the other two...
Dwight_the beet farmer
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How would we include multiple presentations/ publications for a given research activity?
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When you enter an activity, you will see a menu “has this research resulted in a publication etc?” Check yes, and you get more space to describe/ list titles
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Did you already do the Chronology? Speedy!
When you do this, you will only see the first 50 characters of what you wrote. When the school opens up your app to read it, they will see the entire text.
Dwight_the beet farmer
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Thank you for the reply! Its just that I have multiple presentations and publications so its almost impossible to fit into 500 characters
Should I create another entry to fit it in?
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This is a great page for deciding where to categorize your courses: TMDSAS Prescribed Coursework Definitions
You can scroll down and see that Stats courses are usually taught in the Math or Stats department, but if the course content was Statistics, you can list it under Stats.
A different page, which clues you in to specific courses that meet requirements and what their course name is at various universities, is here:
Course listings By University
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Okay so the note that says "If you do not want your description to be truncated, be sure to edit your activity descriptions appropriately after import to fit within 50 characters." is only for myself?
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Hey! I'm in the same exact situation as you, 507 MCAT, trying to retake, reapplicant, and everything. Have you decided what you're going to do? I'm finding it super difficult to balance MCAT studying and working on the app.
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Sure - something to show you have a life outside school
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I am a little confused about whether or not to specify some of my classes as Honors for the course type. On the handbook it says "any course taken as part of an honors program" and for my university, that includes all the classes I took, though many of them are not actually listed as honors courses within the registrar. In the honors program, there are different requirements, like how many upper-division courses we have to take. So many of my GE's are listed as actual honors classes, but some are not because I could sub an honors class for one taught at the 3000-level or higher. So, should I list all my classes as honors or only those that have honors in the course number?
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List the classes exactly as they appear in your transcript. Exactly. It’s best to get a copy of your transcript to have at your side as you fill in the courses. Some courses will be named Honors Lit. and so on.
You can have more room to talk about the Honors program you are a part of, in the Academic Honors section of your ECs on the application.
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