*-*-*The Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2011*-*-*

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hey guys. so amcas recieved my letters and transcripts by the end of june. i still haven't submitted (will by tomo morning), but i was wondering if it's possible that my transcripts have already been reviewed so that my verification is faster? does amcas review transcripts even if the application hasn't been submitted? thanks!

good luck everyone!!

NO, AMCAS does not review applications before they are submitted. Your transcripts are sitting in a folder in the storage room.

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Hey guys, just a quick question. My pre-health committee does not meet until late August to write everyone their recommendations/send the LORs with the packet. Do I need to have these in for my primary to be verified? I already submitted it a little while back, but I'm beginning to get worried as to whether my pre-health committee will delay this process for me.

Thank you
 
Hey guys, just a quick question. My pre-health committee does not meet until late August to write everyone their recommendations/send the LORs with the packet. Do I need to have these in for my primary to be verified? I already submitted it a little while back, but I'm beginning to get worried as to whether my pre-health committee will delay this process for me.

Thank you

No, you do not need to submit your letters for the primary to be verified.

However, your letters do need to be in before any med school will consider your application. So, make sure to get all of your secondaries done and sent in before your letters get in. That way, once the schools receive your letters, they can review your application right away.
 
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Yea no one is counting up activities to make sure they reach 15.
 
Is it true that if I'm 2-3 years away from applying, I should use Interfolio because I will be able to send the letters to AMCAS myself whenever I want to?

So you can't go wrong with Interfolio as long as you remember to send the letters to AMCAS if the school requires you to? Is that correct?
 
There are likely enough premeds with Dean's List Status all semesters to make listing it as an "award" superfluous.
 
You are correct. Though you might want all/most of your LORs to be within 12-months before you apply.
 
So I took a summer course and was wondering where I should send the transcripts.

I contacted AMCAS and the schools I was applying to. Some schools indicate that I should send the transcripts to AMCAS whereas AMCAS indicates I should send them to the individual schools. Please let me know where you guys send updated transcripts.

Thanks!
 
Why bother?

I don't remember any med schools asking for transcript updates during the cycle. AMCAS can't do anything with it - they have already processed your app.
 
Letters are not needed for AMCAS verification.
Submit your primary, you don't need to wait for a letter.
 
Correct. Using Interfolio is a no brainer.
 
After AMCAS was verified nobody took my transcripts. The only thing I did was inform the schools via letter of my additional grades.
 
Individual schools may request updated transcript, but usually only after the fall/spring. They'll usually provide you an address to send it to.
 
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You are correct. Though you might want all/most of your LORs to be within 12-months before you apply.

This.

Do yourself a favor and wait until close to time. You don't want letters that are a year or 2 or 3 old.
 
I put it on my AMCAS/AACOMAS last year. I say go for it.
 
I submitted my secondaries already and am complete at most of my schools. Will changing my phone # on AMCAS put me at the back of the line in terms of applicants or am I just paranoid? Also, when we change our contact info, do we just hit "submit application" again on AMCAS?

If you have completed secondaries, call the schools and update them with your new contact information.

If you haven't completed them, I'm sure you can just include the new number on the secondary.
 
I did not have any letters of rec, so i got a message saying if you dont have any letters of rec, amcas will not submit them to the individual schools...i didnt know what they were talking about so i just pressed continue continue continue and then i submitted, is that ok?
also, my "submit application" button is still active, when i click on it, it doesnt give me an error saying you have already submitted, it just takes me through the same process, acts as if its not submitted. their programmers should make that button inactive, these programmers are re****ed because the whole site sucks. is it normal that i can submit it again even though i submitted already?
 
I'm confused. Are you already verified? Why are you hitting submit again and again.

Don't worry about the LOR questions for now. Most schools require LORs to be sent by AMCAS, so at some point you will have to add them in but you can do that after your verified.
 
I'm confused. Are you already verified? Why are you hitting submit again and again.

Don't worry about the LOR questions for now. Most schools require LORs to be sent by AMCAS, so at some point you will have to add them in but you can do that after your verified.
No, I just submitted mine. I pressed continue, continue, and then there was a screen that asked for my password, i entered that, and then it showed a page saying "thank you for using amcas" or something.

I dont know if its been submitted properly. my submit button is still active, and when i press it, it takes me through the same procedure as before. shouldnt the submit button become inactive once you have submitted?
 
No, I just submitted mine. I pressed continue, continue, and then there was a screen that asked for my password, i entered that, and then it showed a page saying "thank you for using amcas" or something.

I dont know if its been submitted properly. my submit button is still active, and when i press it, it takes me through the same procedure as before. shouldnt the submit button become inactive once you have submitted?

No, because there are certain functions you can do such as adding LORs, adding schools, etc. to your application after your initial submission. You should see your status changed to something like "submitted. In review, or in queue" etc.

I suggest reading through the help guide to familiarize yourself with the AMCAS process. Avoidthetiger was right about LORs..you need to fill it out eventually once secondaries roll around, or have it filled out now with the author(s).
 
The submit button should be labeled "submit/save". You can still add your LORs whenever you want (better hurry up...you're creeping up on being "late") and then assign them to their respective schools. You just have to "submit/save" it again every time you assign the letters.

And if you are wondering...no, adding/assigning letters does NOT delay verification time.

If you have any further questions, please use the search button. :)
 
The submit button is both for the initial submission and for subsequent updates. In your case, clicking on it the first time should have brought you to a screen where you paid for the application. Then it goes through the verification process. The submit button remains active afterwards so that you can update your application with LORs (and possibly other updates as well, I'm unsure on that aspect). So what you'll do is receive a LOR, designate which schools to send it to, and then re-submit your application. This just sends and updated copy with the LOR to the schools you designated.

As far as whether or not it worked properly the first time, you should be able to check the status of the application via the main page of AMCAS, and it should say something along the lines of "waiting for verification" or "verified" or some variant of that.
 
I found out that one of my LOR writers' contact information may change from what I assume was in their letter (they are moving to a different institution). Do I need to contact all the schools and let them know? I know schools don't usually contact LOR writers, but I'd hate for them to not be able to reach one just in case. Any suggestions??
 
Just in case, and so you don't have to worry about it, do this: Write a form email that says something along the lines of, "To whom it may concern, I recently submitted Amcas to your school with a LOR from a writer whose contact info will change. I have included the new contact info in case you need it." Then address the email to yourself and BCC all of the schools you applied to. That will allow them to include the information in your file if they deem it necessary, but it won't take very long for you to do. Keep a copy of this email in your sent box in case you need to verify that you sent it at a later point.
 
oh, i see. so when is it really submitted?
you know when they say you have to apply early so have a higher chance of acceptance?
what is the definition of "apply" ? if my letters of rec are not in, and i have not sent in my transcripts, but i pressed submit, have i applied?

ok if you dont know what i mean, lets take an extreme case (i learned extreme cases from examkrackers)

say someone presses submit on June 1st, and then send their letters of rec and transcripts in October. have they applied early?
 
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oh, i see. so when is it really submitted?
you know when they say you have to apply early so have a higher chance of acceptance?
what is the definition of "apply" ? if my letters of rec are not in, and i have not sent in my transcripts, but i pressed submit, have i applied?

AMCAS will queue up your application to be verified once they receive your transcripts. While you could technically say you have applied, nothing will be done with your application until they receive those transcripts. Letters of Recommendation are generally considered part of the secondary application and thus don't need to be submitted until you submit the secondary application.
 
oh, i see. so when is it really submitted?
you know when they say you have to apply early so have a higher chance of acceptance?
what is the definition of "apply" ? if my letters of rec are not in, and i have not sent in my transcripts, but i pressed submit, have i applied?

ok if you dont know what i mean, lets take an extreme case (i learned extreme cases from examkrackers)

say someone presses submit on June 1st, and then send their letters of rec and transcripts in October. have they applied early?

No this will not be early. First of all you can't submit without transcripts, and secondly, schools will not consider your file complete until you have sent in your letters of rec. So they won't review your app till everything is in, and having everything in by October is not early.
 
I was wondering how to enter hours into the shadowing~

This one doctor I've shadowed for about ~20 hours now. I have it entered as

July 2010- Current
5 hours a week on average


Is this enough information time wise?
Or should I actually enter "20 hours of shadowing" into the description?


Also, what is a good description of a shadowing event? I note several specific procedures I've witnessed along with interactions I've experienced between the staff members.

One dilemma I'm having is if it is ok to mention certain cases I witnessed due to the confidentiality agreement and all. I don't disclose any information of the patients, but I note situations.
for example: a patient came in for an examination for a mole on the face. The mole was identified to be benign, however the doctor noted that she had purple striations on her sides. It turned out that she had Cushings, and was possibly saved on a chance examination.
 
Does AMCAS verify applications on the weekend? I'm asking because I want to submit my application ASAP, but I really don't think I will be done until Friday evening. Thus, I'm wondering if it would be better to wait until Monday morning (using the weekend for review), or if AMCAS would use the weekend to start my verification?


Thanks!
 
AMCAS doesn't verify on wkends. HOWEVER, you will get verified earlier if you submitted on Friday vs next Monday because people who submitted on Sat or Sun will get in line before you do. Do what you think is necessary. If you need a wkend to proofread, by all means do so. The time difference will probably only be a couple days.
 
Hi all,

I am an engineering student and my advisor told me that after my app gets verified, they may kick back some classes I listed as BCPM that don't qualify in their minds, and some that I didn't list that do qualify in their minds. He says as long as I can explain that each of the classes listed has more than 50% bio, math, chemistry, physics and prove it, I'm ok.

According to the AMCAS verification thread, my app should be verified in the next 2 days. I was wondering how, at that point, I submit the requested changes? Will they give me a chance to submit changes and disagreements with their verification before sending my app off to the schools?

Also, once I submit those changes, do I go back to the bottom of the list for verification?

What if I add schools? Will that affect the speed of processing and slow it down again?

Thanks!
-WuMedic
 
Dont know much about it.


Hi all,

I am an engineering student and my advisor told me that after my app gets verified, they may kick back some classes I listed as BCPM that don't qualify in their minds, and some that I didn't list that do qualify in their minds. He says as long as I can explain that each of the classes listed has more than 50% bio, math, chemistry, physics and prove it, I'm ok.

According to the AMCAS verification thread, my app should be verified in the next 2 days. I was wondering how, at that point, I submit the requested changes? Will they give me a chance to submit changes and disagreements with their verification before sending my app off to the schools?

Also, once I submit those changes, do I go back to the bottom of the list for verification?

What if I add schools? Will that affect the speed of processing and slow it down again?

Thanks!
-WuMedic
 
I don't know about you, but I thought it was necessary that they know how many hours total I have. I put it in my description.

As for the confidentiality, I wouldn't say "A patient came in, this is how their visit went, (details)." I would put it more in terms of "I shadowed this doctor. His specialty was (X). While shadowing, I got to see/learn about this, that and the other thing."
 
Hi all,

I am an engineering student and my advisor told me that after my app gets verified, they may kick back some classes I listed as BCPM that don't qualify in their minds, and some that I didn't list that do qualify in their minds. He says as long as I can explain that each of the classes listed has more than 50% bio, math, chemistry, physics and prove it, I'm ok.

According to the AMCAS verification thread, my app should be verified in the next 2 days. I was wondering how, at that point, I submit the requested changes? Will they give me a chance to submit changes and disagreements with their verification before sending my app off to the schools?

Also, once I submit those changes, do I go back to the bottom of the list for verification?

What if I add schools? Will that affect the speed of processing and slow it down again?

Thanks!
-WuMedic

From previous threads on SDN, it doesn't sound like adding schools will slow down processing, but I don't know how the posters knew that. If I were you, I'd just add the other schools the day you get verified. That way your info will get to them almost as quickly and you don't have to stress about whether you'll lose your place in the AMCAS verification queue.
 
I agree that it's a good idea to put in the number of hours you have currently. That will save you from getting asked any sort of in-depth question in an interview that you might not be able to answer. As far as the story you want to tell about it, you aren't really breaking confidentiality by saying what the disease/diagnosis is. What breaks confidentiality is including identifying information in your description. So be vague about the patient (i.e. don't include all demographic info) but you're probably fine being specific about the diagnosis.

That being said, I doubt that anyone will care what specific cases you saw. It's more about what you learned about being a doctor than what you learned about a disease.
 
I might be wrong but I don't think you can make changes to your coursework after you submit it. I wouldn't stress too much about courses you marked BCPM on your AMCAS -- either AMCAS will change it during the verification or they won't. Most likely, they won't change it. If they do, just contact them immediately and ask if they will re-mark it as a science course.

I would wait to add schools until after you are verified.
 
OP, what you'll need to do is submit an Academic Change Request. It's very easy to do and you'll get info on how to do it from AMCAS. You will list the classes that you want them to take a look at, and provide your rationale for why they should change the classification. If they find your argument compelling (and they probably will, since you know the class better than they do and you can provide a link to a course description) they'll change it.

Adding schools will not slow down the verification process at all. AMCAS looks at your application, verifies it as correct, and after that just submits the entire thing to your selected schools. Checking everything over is the only thing that really takes much time, so submitting to extra schools takes (virtually) no time.

Also,

Dont know much about it.

Then why bother posting anything?
 
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help bump up the post to the top so someone else would come along and help??

OP, what you'll need to do is submit an Academic Change Request. It's very easy to do and you'll get info on how to do it from AMCAS. You will list the classes that you want them to take a look at, and provide your rationale for why they should change the classification. If they find your argument compelling (and they probably will, since you know the class better than they do and you can provide a link to a course description) they'll change it.

Adding schools will not slow down the verification process at all. AMCAS looks at your application, verifies it as correct, and after that just submits the entire thing to your selected schools. Checking everything over is the only thing that really takes much time, so submitting to extra schools takes (virtually) no time.

Also,



Then why bother posting anything?
 
Another quick question. If a class is listed under say HP for health promotion but its a statistics class and is called statistics for research in public health should we mark it as math? I also have chronic disease epidemiology and biological and behavioral basis of disease - will those qualify for biology? Are courses marked as health sciences count toward BCPM?
 
Another quick question. If a class is listed under say HP for health promotion but its a statistics class and is called statistics for research in public health should we mark it as math? I also have chronic disease epidemiology and biological and behavioral basis of disease - will those qualify for biology? Are courses marked as health sciences count toward BCPM?

Those are some ambiguous course titles. Whatever happened to Introduction to ____________?

If you did well in the courses and want them included in your BCPM, then do what was said above and mark them as BCPM on your primary. If you get verified and they change them to non-BCPM, then send in your request to have it corrected as long as you have a strong case.
 
Another quick question. If a class is listed under say HP for health promotion but its a statistics class and is called statistics for research in public health should we mark it as math? I also have chronic disease epidemiology and biological and behavioral basis of disease - will those qualify for biology? Are courses marked as health sciences count toward BCPM?

I can't answer this question directly, because I think it will depend on the specific content of the courses you took (which you know about and I do not). However, I can give you a suggestion for how to figure it out. Using the help feature on the AMCAS you can look up the section for course classifications. In that section, it lists each heading with a couple of examples of specific classes (for instance, Mathematics as a heading might contain Calculus, Trig, Algebra, and Stats as examples of specific classes). Using those examples should give you a better idea of how to classify your classes. My gut feeling is that the stats class should be listed as math and the others as health sciences.
 
I was a volunteer at a hospital for about 1 year, and then I stopped volunteering there for a couple of years. Then I resumed my volunteer work there for about 6 months again and then stopped.

How do I list this on the work/activities section if there is only one start date and one stop date? Do I enter it in twice? Or do I put the first start date and last stop date and then clarify in the section that I didn't volunteer for a couple of years in between? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
I think you can do it either way, honestly. If you decide to put it as one EC you should probably describe the gap in your first sentence, so that if anyone just skims your activities they can see that immediately. It would probably be easier for an adcom to understand the timing of the activity if you put in in two separate entries, but I don't want to give you advice that might make it look like you are trying to just get a higher number listed. Maybe someone else will have some better advice.
 
Hello!

I have a some questions, and I apologize if they're obnoxious or repeats:

1. I spent time volunteering in overseas, and while I was there, I volunteered both as a teacher and in a clinic. I would say it was about 40% clinic and 60% teaching. Should I call this volunteering-clinical or non clinical? Or teaching?

2. Is it worth putting informal shadowing on my application? ie. Expat physicians I shadowed in other countries that I have no way of contacting? If I mention this within an entry (not as its own), should I say "Informally shadowed such and such here..."?

3. Required Clinical hours during EMT licensing course - do those count as shadowing?

4. I know people generally say to enter paid research positions as research/lab, but should we indicate in the explanation that we were paid? Or as the title "Paid Research Assistant"? I'm a non-trad, so it's a little important to indicate that that's how I've been making a living...but maybe not? Perhaps it's just awkward.

5. Is the "country" designation on work activities for the country in which you did the activity OR the country where the contact is?

6. I know this has been asked in different ways a million times, and I'm sorry. If I have a category for Miscellaneous Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies, is it okay to literally just bullet point list them? Or is it really lame for someone to have -Travel - Hiking -Whitewater rafting etc...?

7. Lastly, is it weird to have one of your 15 categories be fore miscellaneous extracurricular activities/hobbies, and another for a single sport? Or is this okay?

Oh my gosh. Most annoying post on the planet. I'm sorry, and thank you very much for your help!
 
Hello!

I have a some questions, and I apologize if they're obnoxious or repeats:

1. I spent time volunteering in overseas, and while I was there, I volunteered both as a teacher and in a clinic. I would say it was about 40% clinic and 60% teaching. Should I call this volunteering-clinical or non clinical? Or teaching?

I'd do clinical, because that's what matter most to the application.

2. Is it worth putting informal shadowing on my application? ie. Expat physicians I shadowed in other countries that I have no way of contacting? If I mention this within an entry (not as its own), should I say "Informally shadowed such and such here..."?
Yes, especially because it's in other countries. Just mention it within an entry.

3. Required Clinical hours during EMT licensing course - do those count as shadowing?
Yes, if you shadowed physicians. Just keep under the main shadowing entry.
4. I know people generally say to enter paid research positions as research/lab, but should we indicate in the explanation that we were paid? Or as the title "Paid Research Assistant"? I'm a non-trad, so it's a little important to indicate that that's how I've been making a living...but maybe not? Perhaps it's just awkward.
Work the paid part into the explanation. Putting it in the title is awkward and may backfire.
5. Is the "country" designation on work activities for the country in which you did the activity OR the country where the contact is?
Where the activity is.
6. I know this has been asked in different ways a million times, and I'm sorry. If I have a category for Miscellaneous Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies, is it okay to literally just bullet point list them? Or is it really lame for someone to have -Travel - Hiking -Whitewater rafting etc...?
Bullet-pointing all of that is good.
7. Lastly, is it weird to have one of your 15 categories be fore miscellaneous extracurricular activities/hobbies, and another for a single sport? Or is this okay?
It's only okay if you dedicated much more time and energy to that sport.
Oh my gosh. Most annoying post on the planet. I'm sorry, and thank you very much for your help!
No problem. Come back any time you need help.
 
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