Putting Multiple Things into on EC box on AMCAS

[OncDoc19]

I want to put all of my university awards/scholarships into one box on the AMCAS to save space, but I'm unsure what the best way to do this is. Here is the list I things I want to combine:
Deans List (all semesters)
President's List (since first semester Junior year, now a senior)
Multiple Scholarships from my university - some for first year only, some in later years
Multiple Scholarships from community organizations - all first year only

What dates should I put down and what should I list as the organization name and contact (school financial aid office?)

Also, I want to put down my involvement in cross country/track. I ran competitively from age 7 till sophomore year of college. What should I put down for dates and who should I put as a contact person?

Thanks!

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[OncDoc19]

Side Note - my title is not indicative of my English skills

 

[Dookter]

I didn't put all of the awards/scholarships in one box, but I did put all of the scholarships in one box. I did that because 1. I had a lot of scholarships, and 2. some of them were more impressive than others. I would have filled almost the entire 15 spots with scholarships if I didn't list them together...but some of them were really big scholarships and some were tiny ones for like $400. So I listed them together and nobody said anything. I have no idea if it is technically allowed.

 

[deuist]

List all of your awards under one heading. List the date as the first time you were named to Dean's List. Then, in the description, mention that you won Dean's List every semester and President's List Fall 2006. Do the same for the scholarships. Admissions committees don't care about the fine tuning of the date if you've won the same award multiple times.

For cross country, only mention what you did in college. List your coach as the contact person.

 

[OncDoc19]

Did anyone combine school clubs into one box? I need to do this as well to save space. How do I decide who to put as a contact person and organization name?

 

[mvenus929]

Did anyone combine school clubs into one box? I need to do this as well to save space. How do I decide who to put as a contact person and organization name?

Clubs are probably a bad thing to combine in one box, unless they are really related (pre-med society and AED, or biology club and BBB, or chemistry club and GSE), or you did multiple things through one club (did science olympiad and cool science through the chemistry club, say). If you have two totally different clubs, such as chemistry club and student government, they're probably not good things to combine.

 

[deuist]

How many boxes do you need? AMCAS gives you 15 to work with. If you find that you're running out of room, you might want to drop less important items. If you were a member of a particular organization, but didn't do anything with the group, drop it from the application. You don't need a paragraph to explain that you showed up to monthly meetings and sat in the back.

 

[OncDoc19]

Clubs are probably a bad thing to combine in one box, unless they are really related (pre-med society and AED, or biology club and BBB, or chemistry club and GSE), or you did multiple things through one club (did science olympiad and cool science through the chemistry club, say). If you have two totally different clubs, such as chemistry club and student government, they're probably not good things to combine.

So how do I mention all the things I have done if I can't combine these things. For example, at my school I have been involved in 3 volunteer organizations, 2 other organizations that relate to personal interests and have a leadership position in one other club that recruits students to volunteer with local non-profits. I will put this last one by itself since I hold a major position in the organization and it requires more than 10 hours per week, but I can't possibly put all the others in their own category. I am already at 15 things, when I combine the volunteering organizations and the non-volunteering organizations together (2 listings instead of 5). What do I do?

 

[OncDoc19]

This is my current list:
1. SUMR Pre-MSTP Research Program
2. Work in Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office
3. Work in Neonatology Research
4. ESL tutoring (volunteer)
5. Phi Beta Kappa
6. Deans/President's List
7. Scholarships
8. Non-Volunteering Student Groups
9. Track and Cross Country
10. Conference for MD/PhDs in Social Science and Humanities (important because I am applying for a MD/PhD in history of medicine)
11. Student Volunteering Groups
12. Hospice Volunteering
13. Blood Bank Volunteering
14. Shadowing Experience - 4 different doctors
15. 10,000 Hours Show Leadership Position

What can I omit?

 

[kypdurron5]

This is my current list:
1. SUMR Pre-MSTP Research Program
2. Work in Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office
3. Work in Neonatology Research
4. ESL tutoring (volunteer)
5. Phi Beta Kappa
6. Deans/President's List
7. Scholarships
8. Non-Volunteering Student Groups
9. Track and Cross Country
10. Conference for MD/PhDs in Social Science and Humanities (important because I am applying for a MD/PhD in history of medicine)
11. Student Volunteering Groups
12. Hospice Volunteering
13. Blood Bank Volunteering
14. Shadowing Experience - 4 different doctors
15. 10,000 Hours Show Leadership Position

What can I omit?

Lol...I think they should deny you admission to medical school; you're doing so much for the community think about what a loss it would be if you no longer had time to do all those things. 10,000 hours?! That's 8 hours a day, 7 days a week for almost 3 and a half years.

PS... I'm jealous of your EC's

 

[Davjc2009]

This is my current list:
1. SUMR Pre-MSTP Research Program
2. Work in Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office
3. Work in Neonatology Research
4. ESL tutoring (volunteer)
5. Phi Beta Kappa
6. Deans/President's List
7. Scholarships
8. Non-Volunteering Student Groups
9. Track and Cross Country
10. Conference for MD/PhDs in Social Science and Humanities (important because I am applying for a MD/PhD in history of medicine)
11. Student Volunteering Groups
12. Hospice Volunteering
13. Blood Bank Volunteering
14. Shadowing Experience - 4 different doctors
15. 10,000 Hours Show Leadership Position

What can I omit?

Take out the one with the least time commitment and/or least meaningful.

 

[georgia_md]

This is my current list:
1. SUMR Pre-MSTP Research Program
2. Work in Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office
3. Work in Neonatology Research
4. ESL tutoring (volunteer)
5. Phi Beta Kappa
6. Deans/President's List
7. Scholarships
8. Non-Volunteering Student Groups
9. Track and Cross Country
10. Conference for MD/PhDs in Social Science and Humanities (important because I am applying for a MD/PhD in history of medicine)
11. Student Volunteering Groups
12. Hospice Volunteering
13. Blood Bank Volunteering
14. Shadowing Experience - 4 different doctors
15. 10,000 Hours Show Leadership Position

What can I omit?

You are allowed 15, why not include all 15. They look like pretty good EC's

 

[Phoenix.]

Take my advice with a grain of salt since I'm just a fellow applicant who is pretty ignorant. But I'm also combining Phi Beta Kappa and all honors I got in college in one box. So, my title for the box is something like "Undergraduate Honors" and then I just list them by name and year. I can't imagine anyone really having an issue with that. And I think it'd be better to keep all of your volunteering and health related work in there in separate boxes. The honors/scholarships, on the other hand, looks to me like they could easily be combined. But that's just my opinion.

 

[gsmithers68]

This is my current list:
1. SUMR Pre-MSTP Research Program
2. Work in Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office
3. Work in Neonatology Research
4. ESL tutoring (volunteer)
5. Phi Beta Kappa
6. Deans/President's List
7. Scholarships
8. Non-Volunteering Student Groups
9. Track and Cross Country
10. Conference for MD/PhDs in Social Science and Humanities (important because I am applying for a MD/PhD in history of medicine)
11. Student Volunteering Groups
12. Hospice Volunteering
13. Blood Bank Volunteering
14. Shadowing Experience - 4 different doctors
15. 10,000 Hours Show Leadership Position

What can I omit?

this looks good. 15 is the maximum. Just elaborate in the description section of each of the scholarships, 4 shadowing experiences, etc. And you will be fine.

 

[Ersatzious]

This is my current list:
5. Phi Beta Kappa
6. Deans/President's List
7. Scholarships

I combined all of these into one slot entitled "Honors and Scholarships." For the main date range, I used the four year span from the start of matriculation to graduation, but indicated specific dates for each award or scholarship (e.g. Fall 2005, Spring 2006) within the description. Phi Beta Kappa does not need its own entry or a description.

10. Conference for MD/PhDs in Social Science and Humanities (important because I am applying for a MD/PhD in history of medicine)

Did you actually present or just attend? Just attending a conference is not terribly impressive and dedicating a separate entry is aggrandizing it a bit. If the conference related to any of the research experiences you are already listing, just mention it there. However, if you presented, by all means, make it a separate entry.

 

[OncDoc19]

Lol...I think they should deny you admission to medical school; you're doing so much for the community think about what a loss it would be if you no longer had time to do all those things. 10,000 hours?! That's 8 hours a day, 7 days a week for almost 3 and a half years.

PS... I'm jealous of your EC's

Thanks for the compliments! Actually the '10000 Hours Show' is the name of the organization. They attempt to raise this many hours by recruiting students to volunteer for at least 10 hours with a comminty-based non-profit. As a reward the organization puts on a concert with a big name band and the only way to get in is to volunteer. I am the 'grassroots director' for next year (I organize volunteer recruitment). Although the job doesn't require 10,000 hours, it does take about 10-15 horus per week.

 

[OncDoc19]

Take my advice with a grain of salt since I'm just a fellow applicant who is pretty ignorant. But I'm also combining Phi Beta Kappa and all honors I got in college in one box. So, my title for the box is something like "Undergraduate Honors" and then I just list them by name and year. I can't imagine anyone really having an issue with that. And I think it'd be better to keep all of your volunteering and health related work in there in separate boxes. The honors/scholarships, on the other hand, looks to me like they could easily be combined. But that's just my opinion.

I wanted to do this, but when I asked about it at the beginning of the thread people said I shouldn't combine sholarships and honors. Also, even if I combine everything I can, I don't have enough boxes to list every volunteering/health realted experience seperately. I gave my major ones their own space and combined the smaller ones or ones I haven't done for as long as the others. I think if I want to include them all then I have to do this.

 

[OncDoc19]

I combined all of these into one slot entitled "Honors and Scholarships." For the main date range, I used the four year span from the start of matriculation to graduation, but indicated specific dates for each award or scholarship (e.g. Fall 2005, Spring 2006) within the description. Phi Beta Kappa does its own entry or a description.

I'm confused, do you think Phi beta Kappa shoudl be alone or with the other things? Also, like I said to the previous person I did want to combine these and had planned to, but at the top of the thread when I asked how to do this (what organization to name, what dates to put on the entry, etc) everyone who replied siad I should put honors in one category and scholarships in another.

Did you actually present or just attend? Just attending a conference is not terribly impressive and dedicating a separate entry is aggrandizing it a bit. If the conference related to any of the research experiences you are already listing, just mention it there. However, if you presented, by all means, make it a separate entry.

Though I have done two history of medicine research projects, I did just attend this conference. It was intended for MD/PhD students and faculty - I think I was the only undergrad there. THe thing is, I'm applying for an MD/PhD in the history of medicine which is very non-traditional and there is some resistence to this at schools. This experiance really did help me to get a better idea of the kinds of research that one could do with as an MD with a non-science PhD and deepened my desire to pursue this route, both because of the presentations as well as from talking to current students and faculty about their careers. I fell like taking the initive to attend this conference, in addition to my research, further demonstrates my passion for becoming a physician-scholar in history. I know its not as impressive as if I had presented, but I want to include it and I'm not sure what it could logically be combined with.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm confused, do you think Phi beta Kappa shoudl be alone or with the other things?

Leave off Phi Beta Kappa and the dean's list stuff. Your gpa speaks for itself. Put all the scholarships under one heading and make the date the range of dates you were in school.

Though I have done two history of medicine research projects, I did just attend this conference. <snip> I know its not as impressive as if I had presented, but I want to include it and I'm not sure what it could logically be combined with.

Just write it into your essay as a way of describing the steps you've taken to get to the point where you are applying for the MD/PhD in history of science. It needn't go in the EC section.

 

[Ersatzious]

I'm confused, do you think Phi beta Kappa shoudl be alone or with the other things? Also, like I said to the previous person I did want to combine these and had planned to, but at the top of the thread when I asked how to do this (what organization to name, what dates to put on the entry, etc) everyone who replied siad I should put honors in one category and scholarships in another.

Sorry, that was DOES NOT, corrected above.

 

[146233]

I am, as I suspect others may be, having difficulty writing the description portions of my Work/Activities. I assume lists are generally frowned upon, but are they intended to be a full narrative? (i.e., "Organization X's mission is _____. As a _____ for Organization X, I did Y and Z, which ultimately led to a publication in XYZ Medical Journal.)

 

[LizzyM]

I am, as I suspect others may be, having difficulty writing the description portions of my Work/Activities. I assume lists are generally frowned upon, but are they intended to be a full narrative? (i.e., "Organization X's mission is _____. As a _____ for Organization X, I did Y and Z, which ultimately led to a publication in XYZ Medical Journal.)

This past season, I heard a lot of complaints from veteran adcom members who thought that the descriptions this year were too wordy (because of the newly expanded EC description section.) Bullet points or phrases seem better than paragraphs.

organized 50 volunteers to staff alumni tent for homecoming weekend, handled 120 kegs of beer as well as barbeque.

 

[linuxizer]

This past season, I heard a lot of complaints from veteran adcom members who thought that the descriptions this year were too wordy (because of the newly expanded EC description section.) Bullet points or phrases seem better than paragraphs.

organized 50 volunteers to staff alumni tent for homecoming weekend, handled 120 kegs of beer as well as barbeque.

It's official, our hero Lizzy has one heck of a sense of humour.

Ari