questions re: entering AMCAS ECs

[RookTookIt]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey guys. I have a few questions about how I should enter certain things on my AMCAS.

1. I have done shadowing in two very different settings (separated by 2 years). Should I break these into two slots, or put them both in the same?
2. For the past 2 years I have been doing research as a technician in the same lab. From this I have one publication and another in the works. Should this be listed as "paid employment" or "research/lab"? Does one look better than the other?
3. I am a member of an improv group. I started by taking classes at UCB and formed the group with a few other people from the school. Now we perform a couple times a month at various places in NYC. Is this a worthwhile hobby to put on my application? Or is it not serious enough?

Thanks!

 

[tremulousNeedle]

Hey guys. I have a few questions about how I should enter certain things on my AMCAS.

1. I have done shadowing in two very different settings (separated by 2 years). Should I break these into two slots, or put them both in the same?
2. For the past 2 years I have been doing research as a technician in the same lab. From this I have one publication and another in the works. Should this be listed as "paid employment" or "research/lab"? Does one look better than the other?
3. I am a member of an improv group. I started by taking classes at UCB and formed the group with a few other people from the school. Now we perform a couple times a month at various places in NYC. Is this a worthwhile hobby to put on my application? Or is it not serious enough?

Thanks!

1) if they are different, separate them.
2) research - easier to identify on your AMCAS application that schools print out, plus some schools electronically screen applications for research experience, the computer looks to see if you selected 'research/lab' in the correct box.
3) yes, shows you have interests and motivation for things outside of medicine. May be a conversation piece for interviews.

-senior medical student / admissions committee interviewer

 

[Catalystik]

Alternative to item 1) if you are short on space: When listing shadowing under Other, you need not put in contact information, person, dates, etc. in the header. Name the activity Physician Shadowing, give the location only if it's the same for both, then in the body of the narrative put the inclusive dates, physican name and specialty, contact information, with total hours per doc. At the end of the narrative give a grand total for all shadowing.

 

[mvenus929]

How you break down your ECs should be related to: How many experiences you have to put, the importance of these activities to you, and, to some degree, the importance to adcoms.

1. With that in mind, did you do something different in your shadowing experiences? I personally put all my shadowing under one category, going into detail about it in my comments. If you're pressed for slots, putting them into one category will help free up another slot for something else. If you're not, but you didn't really get anything else out of the second than out of the first, you should still probably put them in one slot. But if you can talk extensively about both and have the space, feel free to separate them out.

2. You should probably put your research down as research. While it is paid employment, that's more of a catch-all for things that don't fit elsewhere. Also, you can put your publication in, and list your research under that, depending on how much of your research led up to that publication. It's up to you to determine which is more important: the publication or the research itself, or both (having equal importance).

3. Heck yes put it down. It makes you a unique applicant, and it's a hobby.

 

[lord_jeebus]

1. putting all the shadowing together makes the application easier to read

2. research

3. yes

 

[RookTookIt]

1. putting all the shadowing together makes the application easier to read

Is this true of research, too? I was planning on separating out different labs (3 total) because each was a long-term commitment that included independent-ish projects.