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

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MiniMoo said:
Yes you can submit again as needed if you decide to add additional schools and/or assign additional letters.

Schools should have access to your LORs within a day or so of you assigning them through AMCAS. What you should do though is be sure to follow up with schools. Keep track of when you submit your letters/secondaries and when you're marked complete. If you notice that a week or two has gone by after submitting all your materials and you're still not complete (usually you can track status and receipt of materials online -- schools will email you a link), then you should give the school a call to make sure they got everything. Sometimes schools neglect to download and print out the LORs from the system, even though they're already available.
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👍 Thank you for the clarification! AMCAS made it seem so damn urgent that I assign LORs now. They need to tone it down a notch with the emails.
 
Why wouldn't you assign them now? Any particular reason?
 
BrainBuff said:
Why wouldn't you assign them now? Any particular reason?
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I'm still waiting for one of my professors to finish writing my LOR. I'm scared of the small chance that the LOR would not come through despite being already assigned.

Aside from that, I don't see any other reason that I wouldn't assign them now. Anyone else have any other reasons as to why you wouldn't assign them immediately?
 
I would strongly urge you to ASSIGN LETTERS to schools to which you have applied. It is very different to not have assigned letters than for AMCAS to not have received these letters. Once you have a letter packet set up with AMCAS, it only tells them they will be receiving these and assuming you have selected schools, AMCAS will need to forward the letters to these assigned schools.

I'd do it before you forget. It won't affect your application in any way if the letters are assigned but you do not yet have letters in your file. Most people probably apply this way, with a letter packet assigned, but not received by AMCAS. Tis better to have a blank file for a school than no file at all 😛
 
Wow, really? I'm sorry that I gave you the wrong information. Are you done with all of your science classes? And to be honest, although you may be upset with the drop in sGPA from 3.57 to 3.40, you're still in decent shape. If you look in the MSAR, you'll see that a lot of the schools (including the majority of CA schools) have accepted students with a sGPA of 3.4 or even a little lower. So please don't give up hope!

Also, numbers aren't everything , try and keep that in mind! Sure, they do matter, but it's only a portion of your application. And as you mentioned, you are an URM, which will only help you. Good luck 🙂 :luck:
 
I took the May test but have doubt about my performance but want to go ahead and submit my application to one school to speed up verification. I get the scores May 22nd, if im satisfied, great, my life becomes a ton easier. If i am not satisfied, i am already registered for the July 8 test, so will be taking that. As i add more schools to my application, will i be able to let them know to wait for my July 8 score?
Thank you!
P.S. Whem i submit my application in the next few days, i wont need to state that i am taking the July test yet, right?
 
Hm, this is tricky. I think if you're planning on taking the July MCAT, then you need to indicate that on AMCAS when you submit so that schools will know to hold your application and wait for those scores. I'm not 100% positive what you would do if you ended up deciding in the end not to sit for the test. Perhaps call each school individually to notify them of the change?

On the other hand, if you mark on AMCAS that you're not retaking the MCAT, schools will take whatever score you got the first time around and evaluate your application based on that. So if it's really low (a section <8 let's say), you might get screened out and not receive a secondary. But if you make it past the screen and get a secondary and then decide you want to retake the exam in July, you might have to update each individual school directly with an update letter (assuming they accept the new scores).

Someone correct me if I'm wrong about any of the above.
 
btw...does re-submitting when you add/assign LORs cause you to "go back to the end of the line" in terms of your application being reviewed by admissions?
 
Kip said:
btw...does re-submitting when you add/assign LORs cause you to "go back to the end of the line" in terms of your application being reviewed by admissions?
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No, verification is mainly to double check your grades, you can add schools, change letters etc without having to be re-verified
 
There is a fee that my school usually takes when I send transcripts out.

I was wondering, if I mail out my amcas transcript request forms, will I have to send the regular transcript fees enclosed in the envelope?

I have about three universities I have to send them to, and I've already sent some without fees enclosed.
=(
 
Yes, I believe you still gotta pay the $.

Call up the registrars and perhaps they can just bill you.
 
Is the AMCAS application available somewhere in pdf? I couldn't seem to find it anywhere on their website.

I know you are supposed to add nicknames, alternate names, etc. My Native American name can barely be written in English and I would need to use a symbol like theta to write my Native name. Looking at the actual pdf application beforehand would help.

Is there any way I could look at the AMCAS application form?

Thanx.
 
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Thank you so much for your advice 🙂 I really do hope that I still have a chance. I know (compared to others here on SDN) that my stats are nowhere near spectular, or even average now 🙁 I am trying to build up my EC's and have pretty good LOR's and I believe I have a pretty powerful PS story but I can't help to be realistic that my chances for MD acceptance (especially in CA) are rather slim 🙁

Unfortunately I cannot take many more science classes as my school is kicking me out! I only have genetics, calc I, biochem and zoo (human physiology which I PRAY counts toward my sGPA) left before I apply 🙁 If I get straight A's in those classes my sGPA will only be 3.42 🙁. It seems as though there is not much left to do besides do fantastic (35+) on the MCAT for me to have a chance which is so difficult in itself but I will DEFINITELY try my hardest!

Once again thank you for your advice!
 
I apologize if this has been asked before...for the transcripts section of schools attended, the following question:
Have you ever taken a post-secondary course anywhere other than at your home institution, including college courses taken while in high school?

What exactly is a post-secondary course? I did take a community college course way back in high school; would I need to include a transcript for this course?
 
tima said:
Did you use "I" in your works/activities area?

I used "I" in a couple of the entries, but some say not to.
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I do use “I” in my descriptions, however I do not put it as the first word. Starting a ton of sentences with I is really annoying to read sometimes. Here is an example of a few of my descriptions, since so many have been messaging me and asking 🙂

Research
"After receiving my masters degree in 2009, I secured a position at UT Southwestern as a clinical researcher. My research is conducted under Herb Phelan, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Burns/Trauma/Critical Care. My main project pertains to patients with traumatic brain injury and the current practices in venousthromboembolism prevention at Parkland. This position requires that I obtain consent from patients and gather data relating to the standard of care received in the surgery ICU for their traumatic brain injury in regards to DVT development. I frequently interact with patients and their families regarding the patient's participation and care. As I also contribute to several other studies, I need to observe practices and procedures relating to all types of trauma. Dr. Phelan allows me to attend several of the trauma surgery classes he teaches to the third and fourth year medical students. This position has also allowed me to observe several surgical procedures at the bedside and in the operating room. In addition, this experience has been a great opportunity to network with faculty and medical students."

Leadership
"During graduate school I was appointed Secretary of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), the main organization for the University of North Texas Health Science Center's graduate school. Being a leader for the graduate student body was a great community service opportunity. We donated money to the library to buy medical journals for the medical and graduate students. During the summer I mentored undergraduate students in my lab. My students still email to thank me for teaching them immunology as it is now helping them in their other courses. We had visits with the Boys and Girls Club, arranging demonstrations in the forensics and gross anatomy laboratories. The children were excited to see all of the real human organs, and even wore gloves to touch them! We planned a science fair for high school students offering prizes and scientific guest speakers. One of the last events of the year was the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life where I served on the planning committee for the GSA team. We raised over $15000 to donate towards cancer research. As an officer I was also asked to participate in monthly meetings with the dean to provide input on new policies for the graduate school. This opportunity allowed me to become more involved with my school, community and strengthened my leadership abilities."

Volunteering
"Habitat for Humanity was one of the most gratifying volunteer activities that I participated in during college. As part of the building crew, I helped build two homes. It was nice to help the future owners of each house realize their dream of owning a home. I painted an entire home, landscaped the front yard and cleaned after the house was built. On occasion, I would make lunch for all of the volunteers that dedicated so much time and effort to these building projects and to the families that needed it most. This was a truly humbling experience because this program provides more than just a home for these families, it gives them economic security."

Work
"Throughout high school and college, I held a management position in this company. As a sales manager I had many important responsibilities. Working full-time, I managed a crew of about 15-20 employees and made sure that all sales goals were met each day. My interpersonal skills were strengthened from working with a diverse population of customers and employees. My artistic passions came out as a cake decorator and I enjoyed challenging myself with creative ideas and intricate characters. My sense of responsibility, teamwork and pride in my work were built from this experience."

Clinical experience
"As a senior in college, I was selected for a competitive paid internship as a physician scribe. Working as a full-time scribe, I helped emergency physicians with their patients by writing the patient's history, physical, ordering and recording labs, and making discharge instructions with prescriptions. The physicians taught me an enormous amount about the decision making process. Towards the end, they allowed me to pitch my own decision and diagnosis prior to their input. The shadowing opportunity during each shift was the most interesting part of my job. I was able to observe a variety of patient illnesses and diagnoses with both MD and DO physicians. The vision of my future medical career was concrete after this experience."


kevincgk said:
Hi everyone,

What is the purpose of the question about dependents, and how do medical schools use it?

The question is, "How many dependents do you have?"

In the 2011 AMCAS Instructions, it says "Enter the number of people who are financially dependent on you (do not include yourself)."

I ask because I'm married, and my wife is studying and only working a few hours here and there. I'm not sure if this question is aimed at asking about children???

Thanks!
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I am also married and my husband is a full time student right now. I think of it this way… If a tax form asks me how many dependents I have I will always put 1 (for my husband). Therefore, I listed having a dependent on AMCAS also. If you are primarily making the money in your household then she is your dependent. If they wanted to know about children they would have asked that. Right? Either way you are not lying on this question so it really doesn’t matter.
 
hey guys,

Please help me, I tried to submit my AMCAS application last night (June 8th around 1am), and when I tried to pay using a cridit card, the website keeps telling me that my submission failed, and I cannot submit my application. I tried using multiple credit cards, and many times from 1am till 8am, same result everytime - fail. I am just wondering if everyone is having the same problem recently, or is it just me? Does anyone know how to get through it? Thank you very much.

This is really an emergency for me... 🙁
 
Being that all the Med Schools are now participating with AMCAS, is it true that they can just send in one LOR directly to AAMC office and then I can attach it to each medical school I want it sent. I just wanted to clear this up because one of my professors is saying it is done this way, while others are saying they must send one to each medical school.
 
Obi Wan said:
I apologize if this has been asked before...for the transcripts section of schools attended, the following question:
Have you ever taken a post-secondary course anywhere other than at your home institution, including college courses taken while in high school?

What exactly is a post-secondary course? I did take a community college course way back in high school; would I need to include a transcript for this course?
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Yes, you need to include a transcript from the community college - especially if it's listed on your undergraduate transcript (Post-secondary = post-high school).
 
jspier1 said:
Being that all the Med Schools are now participating with AMCAS, is it true that they can just send in one LOR directly to AAMC office and then I can attach it to each medical school I want it sent. I just wanted to clear this up because one of my professors is saying it is done this way, while others are saying they must send one to each medical school.
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Not ALL schools are participating in letter services, there's a few that aren't, listed here:

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcasletters.htm

But other than that, your prof is right. They send 1 copy to AMCAS, electronically or by regular mail and then you can assign it to each medical school that you want via the AMCAS system.
 
I was looking through the list but I couldn't fine anyone who had asked this question. I am currently taking Physics. Should I wait until the course is over and then send my transcript, or will it not matter, seeing as to how I indicated on the application that the course was "in progress." The only reason I ask is because Physics is the only main science requirement I am lacking right now. Thanks in advance.
 
Sorry if this has been asked before, I searched around and couldn't find an answer that's specific to me. It's for the transcript question: "Have you ever taken a post-secondary course anywhere other than at your home institution, including college courses taken while in high school?"

Okay, what I don't get is what they mean by "home institution"? The way I interpreted it was you answer "Yes" if you've taken courses at two institutions concurrently, and will be sending transcripts from both. So for example you have a "home" state school where you've declared etc., but take some cc courses because they're cheaper. "Yes" means you'll be sending the cc transcript. Is that wrong?

My situation is I got my BS from 1 school, then did post-bac courses at another school, but never attended both at the same time, so I was thinking I should answer "No". It's a minor thing but I'd appreciate clarification.

EDIT: I also never did study abroad, high school courses etc. Those are the only two post-secondary schools I've taken classes at.
 
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puddingjoe said:
Sorry if this has been asked before, I searched around and couldn't find an answer that's specific to me. It's for the transcript question: "Have you ever taken a post-secondary course anywhere other than at your home institution, including college courses taken while in high school?"

Okay, what I don't get is what they mean by "home institution"? The way I interpreted it was you answer "Yes" if you've taken courses at two institutions concurrently, and will be sending transcripts from both. So for example you have a "home" state school where you've declared etc., but take some cc courses because they're cheaper. "Yes" means you'll be sending the cc transcript. Is that wrong?

My situation is I got my BS from 1 school, then did post-bac courses at another school, but never attended both at the same time, so I was thinking I should answer "No". It's a minor thing but I'd appreciate clarification.

EDIT: I also never did study abroad, high school courses etc. Those are the only two post-secondary schools I've taken classes at.
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After reading the AMCAS 2011 instructions, I think you need to answer YES to that question. It says," The Schools Attended section allows you to list every post-secondary institution where you were enrolled for at least one course, even if credits have been transferred or if no credits were earned." It seems like by answering YES, AMCAS will expect two transcripts, one from each school.
 
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Hi everyone,

I'm trying to figure out the LORs section of the AMCAS application. Do I send them to AMCAS? Wait til secondaries come out and send them to each respective school?

I'm not sure because I thought you send your LORs directly to Interfolio (which is what I'm using) and then they send them out to each school during the secondaries....
 
LBJ2Chicago said:
Hi everyone,

I'm trying to figure out the LORs section of the AMCAS application. Do I send them to AMCAS? Wait til secondaries come out and send them to each respective school?

I'm not sure because I thought you send your LORs directly to Interfolio (which is what I'm using) and then they send them out to each school during the secondaries....
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You can use Interfolio OR AMCAS Letter Service.

Since all, but a few schools now are participating in AMCAS letter services, I'd suggest you using that. Each referee would send his/her letter into AMCAS, via mail or electronically in pdf format.

Then AMCAS will notify you when they receive a LOR and then you can assign it to whatever school you want.
 
A large majority of schools use the AMCAS LOR system now. If you're using Interfolio to store your letters, you would just send them directly from Interfolio to AMCAS. If you're applying to any schools that don't utilize the AMCAS LOR system, then you would send letters from Interfolio to the individual schools.

I actually like Interfolio better because 1) Not all schools use AMCAS and 2) If you had to reapply next year, Interfolio would still have all your letters. AMCAS, on the other hand, does not store letters so you would have to request that your writers send out new copies.
 
MiniMoo said:
A large majority of schools use the AMCAS LOR system now. If you're using Interfolio to store your letters, you would just send them directly from Interfolio to AMCAS. If you're applying to any schools that don't utilize the AMCAS LOR system, then you would send letters from Interfolio to the individual schools.

I actually like Interfolio better because 1) Not all schools use AMCAS and 2) If you had to reapply next year, Interfolio would still have all your letters. AMCAS, on the other hand, does not store letters so you would have to request that your writers send out new copies.
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Would it be possible to have Interfolio send the letters directly to each school during secondaries (what aacomas does) even if they participate in the AMCAS LOR system? I already have a couple letters stored in Interfolio.
 
Neuron14 said:
After reading the AMCAS 2011 instructions, I think you need to answer YES to that question. It says," The Schools Attended section allows you to list every post-secondary institution where you were enrolled for at least one course, even if credits have been transferred or if no credits were
earned." It seems like by answering YES, AMCAS will expect two transcripts, one from each school.
Click to expand...

Okay, it's such a confusing question. It seems like it's directed more for cc and study abroad programs, since I've already listed both schools and said I will send them a transcript, but I'll answer Yes anyways just to avoid any confusion...
 
shch0730 said:
hey guys,

Please help me, I tried to submit my AMCAS application last night (June 8th around 1am), and when I tried to pay using a cridit card, the website keeps telling me that my submission failed, and I cannot submit my application. I tried using multiple credit cards, and many times from 1am till 8am, same result everytime - fail. I am just wondering if everyone is having the same problem recently, or is it just me? Does anyone know how to get through it? Thank you very much.

This is really an emergency for me... 🙁
Click to expand...

Could be an issue with your browser, try a different computer and/or a different internet browser. If you're still not having any luck, try calling AMCAS.
 
I hope I'm not thread hijacking, but I have a couple related questions. If you use the AMCAS letter service, do you have to have them in to submit the primary? I have 1 letter writer dragging their heels, but I am ready to submit today or tomorrow other than that. Also, how do we know if a particular school uses the AMCAS letter service? Is it in the MSAR?
 
LBJ2Chicago said:
Would it be possible to have Interfolio send the letters directly to each school during secondaries (what aacomas does) even if they participate in the AMCAS LOR system? I already have a couple letters stored in Interfolio.
Click to expand...

No, you need to send them to AMCAS. Some schools specifically state on their website that if they receive letters not through AMCAS, they will be tossed in the trash. Any reason why you would want to send letters to individual schools anyways? It would cost you a lot more money and there's no real advantage.

Total180 said:
I hope I'm not thread hijacking, but I have a couple related questions. If you use the AMCAS letter service, do you have to have them in to submit the primary? I have 1 letter writer dragging their heels, but I am ready to submit today or tomorrow other than that. Also, how do we know if a particular school uses the AMCAS letter service? Is it in the MSAR?
Click to expand...

IIRC, you must designate on your primary which letters AMCAS should be expected to receive. They don't have to be physically received by AMCAS prior to submission of the primary. If, after submitting, you decide to add additional letters, you can go back in and do that.

Here's a link listing all schools that are using the AMCAS LOR service for the 2010-2011 cycle: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcasletters.htm
 
jspier1 said:
Being that all the Med Schools are now participating with AMCAS, is it true that they can just send in one LOR directly to AAMC office and then I can attach it to each medical school I want it sent. I just wanted to clear this up because one of my professors is saying it is done this way, while others are saying they must send one to each medical school.
Click to expand...

Most schools but NOT ALL participate in the AMCAS LOR process. So you'll want to send letters to AMCAS, which you can then assign to individual schools AND if you are applying to schools which don't use the AMCAS LOR process, you'll need to send letters to those individual schools as well.
 
I just submitted my amcas even though I am missing 1 transcript. It was supposedly mailed on May 26 and AMCAS is yet to receive it. SO I ordered another one yesterday to be safe.

If it takes another week for my transcript to arrive will this be a big setback, or will I still be in on good timing?
 
I have a quick question about AMCAS transcripts - can I send them directly to AMCAS without having printed the form on their website? Or do I have to make sure that form is enclosed?

Thanks for any help.
 
Lokhtar said:
I have a quick question about AMCAS transcripts - can I send them directly to AMCAS without having printed the form on their website? Or do I have to make sure that form is enclosed?

Thanks for any help.
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You can send them without the form but it is recommended to include it. There is a higher chance of your transcript being lost if you do not include it.
 
Normally we can request transcripts online, but the Registrar at my institution said to turn in a paper copy of the transcript form along with the AMCAS form to ensure that it was included with the transcript. I would call the Registrar and make sure they understand the form is to be included when the mail the transcript.
 
According to a recent thread in the Non-trad forum, an SDN member actually called AMCAS about this exact thing. He/she was informed that the form was not required and that transcripts would be matched up using name and social security number. It can't hurt to include it though, if possible. Although I know for some schools its difficult to include since transcript requests are submitted online or what-not.
 
Ah ok, thanks. Also, I can't find the address to send the transcripts to, where is it?
 
Lokhtar said:
Ah ok, thanks. Also, I can't find the address to send the transcripts to, where is it?
Click to expand...

I would look on the transcript request form. Pretty positive it's listed there.
 
Don't panic, it won't set you back very much at all. In fact, if they get it within a week then you *might* get verified by the time they send out the first batch to med schools. Depends on how fast it's moving at that time.

My suggestion to you is stay on top of the issue. I am in the same boat as you at the moment, except I have just submitted my 4th transcript request (in the past month) from the college in question as all 3 of the previous ones seem to have been "lost in the mail."

My case is very rare it seems, but make sure that transcript gets there. If it's not there in a week or so, see what you can do about getting another sent, and make sure the address is correct. Also, make sure to look at what date transcripts AMCAS is loading at the time, they are usually off a couple days.
 
This probably doesn't matter, but on the AMCAS application it asks you if you want to list scores on other tests (GRE, DAT, LSAT, etc.). I used to be pre-law and scored a 170 (98th percentile) on the LSAT. Would any adcom give a ****? Would it possibly look bad to include a different pre-professional test? I probably won't include it, but I wanted to see what everybody thinks.
 
I wouldn't include it. It's not going to affect your chances for an interview or acceptance and might actually invite questions like, "You went as far as to take the LSAT -- why not Law? Are you sure about medicine?" 😛
 
Pyrex said:
Just to confirm:

For coursework listing on AMCAS, I should list the Year in School (ie: freshmen, sophomore, junior) based on my number of units and NOT based on actual # of years I've been in college?

For example, I came to college already with AP units and thus I was a sophomore in my first year. Therefore, I listed that I was a sophomore my first and second quarter. I officially became a junior in units in my spring quarter of my first year, so I listed those classes as Junior standing. OR did i completely do this wrong and I should have listed freshmen for all of these listings?

Also, I am supposed to list my AP units together with my freshmen first quarter coursework, correct? On my transcript, those AP exams that I passed are listed as units received before I came to college.

THANKS.
Click to expand...

1) Yes, it seems like AMCAS determines your undergraduate status by credits or semester hours - There is a "Year In School" section in the AMCAS 2011 instruction manual (page 35).

2) Correct
 
MiniMoo said:
No, you need to send them to AMCAS. Some schools specifically state on their website that if they receive letters not through AMCAS, they will be tossed in the trash. Any reason why you would want to send letters to individual schools anyways? It would cost you a lot more money and there's no real advantage.



IIRC, you must designate on your primary which letters AMCAS should be expected to receive. They don't have to be physically received by AMCAS prior to submission of the primary. If, after submitting, you decide to add additional letters, you can go back in and do that.

Here's a link listing all schools that are using the AMCAS LOR service for the 2010-2011 cycle: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcasletters.htm
Click to expand...


Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I have a few letters already in Interfolio and just was not sure where to send them. One more thing: obviously some schools require different letters than others. With that being the case, should I send all my letters to AMCAS, than later on indicate which letters I want to be sent to which school, respectively?
 
LBJ2Chicago said:
Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I have a few letters already in Interfolio and just was not sure where to send them. One more thing: obviously some schools require different letters than others. With that being the case, should I send all my letters to AMCAS, than later on indicate which letters I want to be sent to which school, respectively?
Click to expand...

Yep! Send all letters to AMCAS and then you will be able to choose exactly which of your letters on file you want assigned to each school.
 
I had this same problem.. I called AMCAS this morning, and they recommended I send in another transcript, just in case. I had already sent one to them around May 18th, but since I hadn't sent in my primary, I guess they never got around to attaching it to my application. Anyway, they told me I was still early and have nothing to worry about. Just keep tabs of everything going on and we should be good to go.
 
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