*~*~*~*Tips for Entering your "Work and Activities" in AMCAS*~*~*~*

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JSU said:
The Intern/GI job that I have is pretty much whatever I want it to be as the doc is really flexible. Right now, it looks like I will be taking patient histories and then staying in the room during the his examinations so it would be half primary care shadowing and half experience with actual patient interaction and interviewing (which do you think is more important?).
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They are equally important.
 
Hey guys i have a question where will bodybuilding fit in the application especially if i compete.
 
Though I am not going to mark it one of my 'most meaningful' activities, is there a way I can include a Summer Research Fellowship that I am doing this summer? I am applying to some research heavy schools, so it would be great if i could work it in somehow. Otherwise, what are my options? Update Letter? Resubmit AMCAS in July (26th~ish)?

Separate question: If I only have 10 entries, is it terrible? I know quality > quantity, but come on, does size really matter?
 
Alaunus said:
Hey guys i have a question where will bodybuilding fit in the application especially if i compete.
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Why not? If it is an activity of yours and you have something to say about it. I used to powerlift and that got a line under my rockclimbing/fitness experience.
 
willthebrave said:
Though I am not going to mark it one of my 'most meaningful' activities, is there a way I can include a Summer Research Fellowship that I am doing this summer? I am applying to some research heavy schools, so it would be great if i could work it in somehow. Otherwise, what are my options? Update Letter? Resubmit AMCAS in July (26th~ish)?

Separate question: If I only have 10 entries, is it terrible? I know quality > quantity, but come on, does size really matter?
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Since you have an acceptance letter in hand for the SURF, you could mention it toward the end of your Personal Statement. Then later, discuss progress in an update letter.

Ten entries is just fine.
 
Sorry if I missed it, but who should I list as contact for Dean's List awards?

Also, for shadowing, is it ok if for contact I listed the physician who I shadowed the most, and then in the description listed the other doctors, their positions, and how long I shadowed them?
 
I'm trying to get an idea for how in depth I should describe my activities/how I grew personally from them. Do most people go right up to the character limit for most activities?
 
Diggidy said:
Sorry if I missed it, but who should I list as contact for Dean's List awards?

Also, for shadowing, is it ok if for contact I listed the physician who I shadowed the most, and then in the description listed the other doctors, their positions, and how long I shadowed them?
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1) The registrar at your school.
2) Yes. Check back through this thread for Catalystik's answers to multiple inquiries on this subject.
 
cowsgomuon said:
I used my Chapter Advisor as a contact for my sorority leadership activities, and my sorority Resident Advisor as a contact for my hobbies.
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Thanks.

How about for things like hobbies? I did some ballroom dancing, but I never formally joined the club. I just attended their lessons and their events.
 
haydninvictus said:
I'm trying to get an idea for how in depth I should describe my activities/how I grew personally from them. Do most people go right up to the character limit for most activities?
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Keeping in mind that we don't yet have experience with how applicants will use the additional space for a "Most Meaningful" activity, I would say that the average applicant does not use all the space alloted. IMO, succintness is more likely to get the entry read rather than skimmed.
 
So I'm a bit confused with all this talk of hours, the importance of 'diluting' or averaging hours per week, etc.

It was my impression that hours are not important. Rather, what you should have gotten from the experience is an understanding of your abilities, the role of a physician, and why you want to become a physician.

Is it vital, then, to include hours per week? Does it look 'bad' if you don't include it or don't list the total number of hours in the description box?

If you insist on including the hours, why?
 
chekov said:
So I'm a bit confused with all this talk of hours, the importance of 'diluting' or averaging hours per week, etc.

It was my impression that hours are not important. Rather, what you should have gotten from the experience is an understanding of your abilities, the role of a physician, and why you want to become a physician.

Is it vital, then, to include hours per week? Does it look 'bad' if you don't include it or don't list the total number of hours in the description box?

If you insist on including the hours, why?
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I think it's best to add hours because what if someone lists something they only did one or twice? For example, what if you did an activity twice over a big time period so you put a large start to end time? Putting hours shows that you did in fact put in time for the activity and you're not just listing something you did briefly.
 
chekov said:
Is it vital, then, to include hours per week? Does it look 'bad' if you don't include it or don't list the total number of hours in the description box?

If you insist on including the hours, why?
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Hours per week aren't relevant to some activities (like getting an award). Including them can be confusing when you spend 40 hours in one week and then zero in another, and averaging them out doesn't make sense (like for shadowing). Where it doesn't make sense or it's misleading, then don't fill it in. But in such a situation, most will give the total hours spent. Some do both, which isn't a bad idea for volunteering and shadowing since some adcomms have challenged math skills (just like the general population).

For many activities, hours per week are very relevant to give adcomms an overall picture of how involved you were with school, work, ECs, research, etc, as they like to see that you can a carry a heavy load and still succeed academically.
 
So, I have 4 hobbies I would like to mention and the description of each is one running about 325 characters. Do you think it would be best to use 2 entries, discussing two of the hobbies in each? Or should I just mark hobbies as 'most significant' and discuss all four in one place?

I feel like adcoms might not like to see hobbies as a most significant activity...
 
hi
what about multiple summer jobs at different places? would i group them or do each one individually?

also i raised a significant amount of money for charity in high school, and even more in university-what would my start and end dates be like?
 
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ZooeyGlass said:
So, I have 4 hobbies I would like to mention and the description of each is one running about 325 characters. Do you think it would be best to use 2 entries, discussing two of the hobbies in each? Or should I just mark hobbies as 'most significant' and discuss all four in one place?

I feel like adcoms might not like to see hobbies as a most significant activity...
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Since "most significant" is new for the year, the best we can do is go with our gut. Mine's saying not to mark them as most significant. I don't see anything necessarily distasteful about using two spaces, unless you need an entry for something else.
 
lowdy100 said:
1) what about multiple summer jobs at different places? would i group them or do each one individually?

2) also i raised a significant amount of money for charity in high school, and even more in university-what would my start and end dates be like?
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1) If you have the space, list them separately. If you don't, list the most recent or the most interesting first, using that summer's date span and hr/wk. Name the activity "Summer Jobs" or "Short-term Employment". Put dates, contact info, and job description for the others in the narrative with hours/week.

2) Put the actual start and end dates, but don't add the hours/week. In the narrative describe the intermittent involvement and the ~ total hours you gave to the activity.
 
mauberley said:
Since "most significant" is new for the year, the best we can do is go with our gut. Mine's saying not to mark them as most significant. I don't see anything necessarily distasteful about using two spaces, unless you need an entry for something else.
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Great. I think using two spaces is a wise move, especially because I have an entry to spare.

Thanks for the help.
 
I want to write about 3 x one of meaningful experiences in PS,
as three activities are connected with each other for why medicine essay.

On the experience description of 700, if I describe them in more detail,
it will be duplicate in some way.

Is it still o.k or should I make it simple on the experience description ?

Thanks
 
I am completely out of room. I currently have an experience for Omicron Delta Kappa leadership society (like phi beta kappa but is leadership based). Should I put my rabbinic publication (non-scientific publication) there instead? I can't think of another place to put Omicron Delta Kappa but the publication can be listed as a side note in my most significant experience about rabbinical seminary.

Thanks!
 
Boston12345 said:
I want to write about 3 x one of meaningful experiences in PS,
as three activities are connected with each other for why medicine essay.

On the experience description of 700, if I describe them in more detail,
it will be duplicate in some way.

Is it still o.k or should I make it simple on the experience description ?
Try to minimize duplicate information.
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Click to expand...
 
JSU said:
I am completely out of room. I currently have an experience for Omicron Delta Kappa leadership society (like phi beta kappa but is leadership based). Should I put my rabbinic publication (non-scientific publication) there instead? I can't think of another place to put Omicron Delta Kappa but the publication can be listed as a side note in my most significant experience about rabbinical seminary.
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List the nonscience publication along with the rabbinical seminary info. Give the space to the leadership activity.
 
Catalystik said:
List the nonscience publication along with the rabbinical seminary info. Give the space to the leadership activity.
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The problem with that is that I can't really fit everything into the seminary part as it is and don't want to have to try to make the pub fit in there (I delineated all of my community service in this experience as well). The other problem with ODK is that I haven't spent THAT much time involved in it. I wish I could just write as much as I wanted to 🙁
 
My university offers a strange class called "Organic Chemistry Workshop Mentor," a 2 credit class where the "student" runs a workshop tutoring and teaching organic chemistry students. (Basically, you pay to be a tutor). This isn't work experience, I'm not sure if it's volunteering... But I did it for a year and it was an incredible experience where I learned a lot about mentoring and teaching. But it's a class. Can I list it? Under what?
 
Signifier said:
My university offers a strange class called "Organic Chemistry Workshop Mentor," a 2 credit class where the "student" runs a workshop tutoring and teaching organic chemistry students. (Basically, you pay to be a tutor). This isn't work experience, I'm not sure if it's volunteering... But I did it for a year and it was an incredible experience where I learned a lot about mentoring and teaching. But it's a class. Can I list it? Under what?
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List it under Teaching/Tutoring, even though it's already on your transcript.
 
JSU said:
The problem with that is that I can't really fit everything into the seminary part as it is and don't want to have to try to make the pub fit in there (I delineated all of my community service in this experience as well). The other problem with ODK is that I haven't spent THAT much time involved in it. I wish I could just write as much as I wanted to 🙁
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It's your choice. To put things into perspective, it's very rare for an applicant to list a nonscience publication.
 
Catalystik said:
It's your choice. To put things into perspective, it's very rare for an applicant to list a nonscience publication.
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It looks like I have an extra experience anyway. So the publication will go there and I will try to elaborate on the intensity of study during seminary. Thanks!
 
Three quick questions:
1) Would club sports be listed as intercollegiate. We competed against other schools, received travel allowance from student activities fund, had classes excused for tournament, ect, competed against varsity squads. This was the highest level for this sport at my school
2) Would working at a medical camp (for kids with specific illnesses) qualify for leadership, clinical/medical, or other (I am a licensed health care provider, and I was providing medical services)
3) SAR training--> search and rescue. I am often the "victim" during training. I am not the dog handler and don't actually look for real lost people. community service? other?
 
I'm starting 2 summer jobs on May 30th.

My question is, should I wait to submit my application so that I'll have more to say about these activities? How long would it be worth to wait? Otherwise, my application is done and I could submit June 1. Or should I just write something like "I have just begun doing X... I hope to get X out of it?"

I already have volunteering and research experiences listed, so it's not like my application depends on these things, although they still look good. Any advice?
 
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opti said:
I'm starting 2 summer jobs on May 30th. One of them is a paid position at a school for children with disabilities where I've been volunteering for the past 3 years. The other is an unpaid clinical research position (which basically guarantees that I'll be included in a publication within the next 6 months).

My question is, should I wait to submit my application so that I'll have more to say about these activities? How long would it be worth to wait? Otherwise, my application is done and I could submit June 1. Or should I just write something like "I have just begun doing X... I hope to get X out of it?"

I already have 3 years of volunteering and 3 research experiences listed, so it's not like my application depends on these things, although they still look good. Any advice?
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You will not be to impress an ADCOM anymore by waiting until July than you could by just submitting in June with it listed as an ongoing activity that began May 2011. Save it for interviews.
 
felixthekat said:
Three quick questions:
1) Would club sports be listed as intercollegiate. We competed against other schools, received travel allowance from student activities fund, had classes excused for tournament, ect, competed against varsity squads. This was the highest level for this sport at my school
2) Would working at a medical camp (for kids with specific illnesses) qualify for leadership, clinical/medical, or other (I am a licensed health care provider, and I was providing medical services)
3) SAR training--> search and rescue. I am often the "victim" during training. I am not the dog handler and don't actually look for real lost people. community service? other?
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1) It sounds to me like it fulfills the "spirit" of the intercollegiate sport category, even though it's called a club sport.

2) List it under Employment-not Military and make any other categories that apply apparent through the job description. It sounds like a clinical experience to me.

3) Volunteer-not Medical/Clinical. Sounds interesting. If it isn't an activity that took a lot of total hours, you might group it with oother short-term employment.
 
is there a consensus as to what we should put in the descriptions for publications and abstracts? what if it's at an undergraduate science journal or conference? would we still just put in the citation and a description if we can fit it?
 
and sorry..what about manuscripts that are currently under review for submission?
 
citrusguy2010 said:
1) is there a consensus as to what we should put in the descriptions for publications and abstracts?

2)what if it's at an undergraduate science journal or conference? would we still just put in the citation and a description if we can fit it?
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1) One can just refer to the Research entry related to it after the citation.

2) If it's in a campus journal or research symposium, one would most properly mention it at the end of the Research entry rather than placing it in another spacey under Presentation/Poster or Publication.
 
Ugh, I hate this mandatory Contact Info section. It makes things unnecessarily difficult and time-consuming (digging up people's contacts and names from years ago).

Suddenly every EC we do not only must be at some competitive level (can't do just for our own curiosity or leisure), but be done with multiple people in a structured organization (how are the Edisons and Galileos going to list their accomplishments? Put God as a reference?)?

And the suggestion of adding another participant for the contact info makes it look very awkward:

Hobby: Painting
Contact: Joe Blow
Position: Partner...???
 
So I volunteered as a research assistant for my last two years of college and then got a paid research job at the same lab for my year off. Should I split that up between "research" and "paid employment." I worked on different projects/had different responsibilities after graduating, but I keep reading that we shouldn't be listing ONE program twice? Thanks!
 
Med22 said:
So I volunteered as a research assistant for my last two years of college and then got a paid research job at the same lab for my year off. Should I split that up between "research" and "paid employment." I worked on different projects/had different responsibilities after graduating, but I keep reading that we shouldn't be listing ONE program twice? Thanks!
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You can list the same lab twice as long as the date spans are different. It's the duplication of the same hours (claiming double credit) that would look bad.
 
sariyu said:
And the suggestion of adding another participant for the contact info makes it look very awkward:

Hobby: Painting
Contact: Joe Blow
Position: Partner...???
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Instead of "Partner" maybe list the model? (J/K)

Yeah, I agree with you. I wonder how it would work if one lists "No Contact Available" in the Contact Name space, and for Contact Phone, 000-555-0000.
 
Few Questions:

1) Can anyone comment on how they are specifically entering in shadowing? Like if I'm listing all my experiences in the description box what should I put in the contact name, just one doc?
2) Concerning conferences attended and presentations....I presented two abstracts at the AANS conference should I write this in conferences attended and presentations? Or just one?
 
Thanks!!! Another question: I have 4 publications and 3 posters. All of these except 1 publication are from the same research lab. I was going to have 2 research slots (one as an undergrad assistant and another as a paid employee). Should I lump the publications and/or posters into the descriptions of those two slots or include them as their own entry?
 
Thanks for your reply! Do you think it would be best to include post-grad research still as "research" or call that "paid employment?"

Sorry I forgot to quote the previous question.^^The statement above is in response to this post:

Originally Posted by Med22
So I volunteered as a research assistant for my last two years of college and then got a paid research job at the same lab for my year off. Should I split that up between "research" and "paid employment." I worked on different projects/had different responsibilities after graduating, but I keep reading that we shouldn't be listing ONE program twice? Thanks!

You can list the same lab twice as long as the date spans are different. It's the duplication of the same hours (claiming double credit) that would look bad.
 
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