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Yes, I believe that would be a good idea.
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*~*~*~*Tips for Entering your "Work and Activities" in AMCAS*~*~*~*
Started by CougarMD
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Yes, I believe that would be a good idea.
Im sorry if this was asked earlier, I searched the thread though and didn't seem to find this question. My question is that when entering multiple awards and scholarships into a single section what I should put for contact information/number since those are required
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Any thoughts? Sorry I keep checking sdn for a response because I am working on this section right now... Thanks!
Should total hours be listed in the experience like for research, work or volunteering? Or is it okay to just leave the number of hours per week?
1) It's hard to imagine that a brief experience could be more meaningful than the years of dance involvement. Adcomms might find it harder to believe also. Go with your heart.
2) This is sorta unique. Go for it.
3) Either combine or leave out this brief experience which can still be good fodder for interview conversations and update letters after you've developed it more.
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Adcomms like to see that you have stress-relieving activities. Go ahead and list the tae kwon do. And it's fine to group it with other hobbies, so long as you have enough space to say want you want to convey when sharing this information about yourself.
The registrar of your school.
Is is not required that you do so, but if you didn't fill in the hours per week, it's a good idea. Many do both.
A bit of a random question, but does the admissions committee generally review the Work/Activities section before reading the PS? Or do you think it completely depends on the school?
The Personal Statement prints out after the Experiences section, interestingly. I would expect that what is looked at first depends on the individual reader. Wouldn't you imagine that the PS is generally looked at first? If it's terrible, there's no need to waste time reading further. If it relates special circumstances, the ECs would be viewed with different eyes. If it's absolutely golden, weaker Experiences might be forgiven.
Experience name: Physician Shadowing.
Description:
I acted as a translator for Vietnamese patients who don't speak English.
1) Is this how I should list it?
2) If I get other kinds of shadowing in the future do I need to describe it? It seems to me shadowing is self explanatory or I really have to list what I see?
Description:
I acted as a translator for Vietnamese patients who don't speak English.
1) Is this how I should list it?
2) If I get other kinds of shadowing in the future do I need to describe it? It seems to me shadowing is self explanatory or I really have to list what I see?
i listed my shadowing and volunteerng as "community service - medical" not "other" -- what are other ppl doing?
I have some activities which I started since high school
and keep continuing until now.
Shoud I use the start date as October 2004(high school) or
September 2007(university) ?
If it is September 2007, then can I just mention that
I started the activity since October 2004
on the experience description ?
Thanks
and keep continuing until now.
Shoud I use the start date as October 2004(high school) or
September 2007(university) ?
If it is September 2007, then can I just mention that
I started the activity since October 2004
on the experience description ?
Thanks
Here's a question.. how does one go about listing activities such as piano playing?
I've played since I was 4 years old.. and with some exception (broken limbs and a major head injury), have pretty much played daily since then. I took lessons until college, and for a year while I was in college. I haven't taken lessons since, although I do still play and teach myself pieces. Who would I even list as a contact for this? I could list the teacher I had in college... but that was 4 years ago at this point. Is it worth listing? It is certainly important to me and it would feel funny not to list it.
While I am certainly not a virtuoso or even really gifted at it, when I work my ass off on a piece I can play it quite beautifully.
Currently working on a Brahms Intermezzo and Beethoven's Pathetique Piano Sonata.
Thanks!
I've played since I was 4 years old.. and with some exception (broken limbs and a major head injury), have pretty much played daily since then. I took lessons until college, and for a year while I was in college. I haven't taken lessons since, although I do still play and teach myself pieces. Who would I even list as a contact for this? I could list the teacher I had in college... but that was 4 years ago at this point. Is it worth listing? It is certainly important to me and it would feel funny not to list it.
While I am certainly not a virtuoso or even really gifted at it, when I work my ass off on a piece I can play it quite beautifully.
Currently working on a Brahms Intermezzo and Beethoven's Pathetique Piano Sonata.
Thanks!
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I have the exact same experience! My grandmother taught me from the age of 4 and I continue to play to this day, albeit not weekly. I listed it as an activity under "Extracurricular / Hobbies/ Avocations" and elaborated upon the experience in the description. I am aware that this is not an earth-shattering experience but I felt it was important to list it so as to somehow set me apart from the other applicants (at least, I hope it will)!😀
Go grandma! 🙂
While my grandfather sadly did not teach me (passed away right before I started playing), he was entirely the reason I started playing and grew up on classical music in the first place.
Best of luck to you 🙂
1) I would think you could make it sound more interesting than you just did. You could be translating directions to the bathroom for all I can tell.
2) Traditional shadowing is well understood by adcomms and need not be elaborated on. If you sqaw something very cool, though, you might comment on it.
Most would put Shadowing under Other, since it is not a community service and helps no one but yourself. Volunteering is usually a community service and helps others through your actions. Sometimes the community service is clinical, and shadowing is embedded (like a volunteer medical translator, medical assistant, or scribe). In such a case one would designate the activity as a community service/volunteer and name it something that includes the word shadowing, so adcomms won't miss it.
You can do it either way, depending on which makes the hours per week look better.
The teacher would be fine as a contact, or if you play with others, you could use one of the other musicians.
You have the choice of listing it as a Hobby, or if you play for others, Artistic Endeavors.
Definitely include it, even if you have to group it with other activities.
So I have indicated paragraphs in my app for both work/activities as follows:
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
by just simply pressing enter in between paragraphs and thus leaving a space in between them.
However, the line breaks are NOT shown in the html version of my app. Yet, the app is pristine in the .pdf version. Does this matter?
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
by just simply pressing enter in between paragraphs and thus leaving a space in between them.
However, the line breaks are NOT shown in the html version of my app. Yet, the app is pristine in the .pdf version. Does this matter?
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i'm currently trying to finalize my app so i can submit tomorrow or the day after. i am planning to print out my application so i can read it on paper before submitting.
when i try to print my app in HTML format, the work/activities section description combines all my "bulleted" points into a huge paragraph...is this how adcomms will see it? i entered the points in and started a new line for each bullet point, but its not showing that on the printed version. if its going to look like this to adcomms, i figure i should just rewrite all the descriptions in narrative form (even though i personally don't like this format). thoughts?
when i try to print my app in HTML format, the work/activities section description combines all my "bulleted" points into a huge paragraph...is this how adcomms will see it? i entered the points in and started a new line for each bullet point, but its not showing that on the printed version. if its going to look like this to adcomms, i figure i should just rewrite all the descriptions in narrative form (even though i personally don't like this format). thoughts?
This was my exact question as seen above. For now, I just reverted to paragraph format to avoid issues with formatting. Good luck. Hopefully somebody can help us out.
ah, sorry for re-asking the question. i searched the thread with the word "print" but nothing came up. hopefully someone can help!
REALLY AWESOME thread!
Kudos to you all!
Regarding the work section, I am starting a research job with a cancer center a week before I turn in my app. Should I be able to list it in the work/act section?
😍143😍
Kudos to you all!
Regarding the work section, I am starting a research job with a cancer center a week before I turn in my app. Should I be able to list it in the work/act section?
😍143😍
REALLY AWESOME thread!
Kudos to you all!
Regarding the work section, I am starting a research job with a cancer center a week before I turn in my app. Should I be able to list it in the work/act section?
😍143😍
I would. If you don't provide much detail, you'll almost certainly be asked about it at interviews. Just describe it as much as you can.
Appreciate all the hard work people have put into this thread so far.
I had a quick question on how to enter in starting / end dates for certain activities that I have maybe done for a month, taken a few months off, and then returned to for a few weeks. It seems disingenuous to list it as starting / ending over that whole time period, but also just listing start / end for the first month would be wrong...how would you guys do it, just not list a start / end date and clarify in the description area?
I had a quick question on how to enter in starting / end dates for certain activities that I have maybe done for a month, taken a few months off, and then returned to for a few weeks. It seems disingenuous to list it as starting / ending over that whole time period, but also just listing start / end for the first month would be wrong...how would you guys do it, just not list a start / end date and clarify in the description area?
Formatting is not my area of expertise, but did you use the "Print Preview" button (from the main page) to see what it looks like?
You are obliged to enter a start and end date, but you can name the activity (eg) "Intermittent Physician Shadowing," averaging the hours over the entire time frame, and then explaining in the narrative that you took 3 months off. Or, if the hours /week would be less than 1, don't enter the hours/week, explain the variation in time involved, and list the total hours in the narrative. Or do both.
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How did you do your bullets points? I used MS word to make them then copy and paste into AMCAS; they come out just fine in the pdf print.
yttikyellow, what if you just put a "-" (hypen) to begin each bullet point? does that work?
also, earlier i heard that after converting to the pdf and going back to the amcas to make edits some people were getting cut off at 694 characters (not 700). is that still happening to people or has it been solved?
I've read that this happens because a hard return is counted as equal to two characters.
a couple of questions:
1) I was a teaching assistant/review session leader for both Organic Chemistry and Biology. I was also a one-on-one tutor through my school for both classes. Both were done by separate offices and were separate jobs. I've listed them separately but should they be together?
2) I volunteered as a tour guide/student ambassador for my college's admission department during the school year (sophomore, junior, senior years) and it took up a good amount of time so I want to include it. However, I also worked a summer with the office and they paid me for that time. How should I list it?
3) I was a research assistant for credit in an emergency room my junior year (I basically helped sign patients up for clinical studies). However, there was a lot of downtime so I used the opportunity to shadow doctors and help around the ER. I didn't get paid for any of it except I got some research credit. Should I put it down as research or clinical volunteer? (I also have 15 months research in a lab).
4) Later this summer, I am traveling to Latin America with a non-profit group from my school that I joined a while ago. The trip will mostly include health education in a village. However, I haven't had the trip yet and since it's not until August, I would want to submit before that. Do I still include/how would I talk about this experience? I studied abroad before (for a summer in France) but it was just taking classes, cultural interactions, and learning a new language. I have been lucky to travel to many places around the world (mainly because my relatives live all over -- Asia, Africa, Europe) and I enjoy experiencing new cultures but I don't know if that's something to talk about.
5) How would you title an entry for a merit scholarship (obtained during college) and induction into honor society?
6) I joined a dance team my freshman year of college and it took up a lot of my time because a) practices went on for a while and b) we also volunteered in the community at a local Boys&Girls Club. I want to put this as 'Artistic Endeavor' but would it be more apt to put it as Volunteering even though I have a few of those already (including one that's one of the 3 most meaningful)?
7) I did lab research for over a year and spent a good number of hours in lab during that time (12-16 hours per week while taking a full load). However, while I enjoyed working in lab at the time, I didn't like the experience. I still want to put it on my work/activities because it took up a lot of my time, but how can I say that I didn't like it while still being "nice" about it. Right now I have something along the lines of, "I enjoyed the intellectual challenges behind my work and found the experience humbling when my experiments did not go as planned. I now understand the great deal of work that goes into these fields and foresee myself enjoying it once I have gained a deeper understanding of my work once in medical school"
okay, that was more than "a couple" 😛
1) I was a teaching assistant/review session leader for both Organic Chemistry and Biology. I was also a one-on-one tutor through my school for both classes. Both were done by separate offices and were separate jobs. I've listed them separately but should they be together?
2) I volunteered as a tour guide/student ambassador for my college's admission department during the school year (sophomore, junior, senior years) and it took up a good amount of time so I want to include it. However, I also worked a summer with the office and they paid me for that time. How should I list it?
3) I was a research assistant for credit in an emergency room my junior year (I basically helped sign patients up for clinical studies). However, there was a lot of downtime so I used the opportunity to shadow doctors and help around the ER. I didn't get paid for any of it except I got some research credit. Should I put it down as research or clinical volunteer? (I also have 15 months research in a lab).
4) Later this summer, I am traveling to Latin America with a non-profit group from my school that I joined a while ago. The trip will mostly include health education in a village. However, I haven't had the trip yet and since it's not until August, I would want to submit before that. Do I still include/how would I talk about this experience? I studied abroad before (for a summer in France) but it was just taking classes, cultural interactions, and learning a new language. I have been lucky to travel to many places around the world (mainly because my relatives live all over -- Asia, Africa, Europe) and I enjoy experiencing new cultures but I don't know if that's something to talk about.
5) How would you title an entry for a merit scholarship (obtained during college) and induction into honor society?
6) I joined a dance team my freshman year of college and it took up a lot of my time because a) practices went on for a while and b) we also volunteered in the community at a local Boys&Girls Club. I want to put this as 'Artistic Endeavor' but would it be more apt to put it as Volunteering even though I have a few of those already (including one that's one of the 3 most meaningful)?
7) I did lab research for over a year and spent a good number of hours in lab during that time (12-16 hours per week while taking a full load). However, while I enjoyed working in lab at the time, I didn't like the experience. I still want to put it on my work/activities because it took up a lot of my time, but how can I say that I didn't like it while still being "nice" about it. Right now I have something along the lines of, "I enjoyed the intellectual challenges behind my work and found the experience humbling when my experiments did not go as planned. I now understand the great deal of work that goes into these fields and foresee myself enjoying it once I have gained a deeper understanding of my work once in medical school"
okay, that was more than "a couple" 😛
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i did not use real bullet points...i used the "-" as my "bullet point." i printed my app out in the PDF format and it looked fine (showed the return spaces that i put between certain points)...however the HTML format still looks different. i'm just going to leave the "bullet points" and hope that they print it out in PDF format and that HTML just simply doesn't allow return spaces (maybe this is some type of computer knowledge that i'm unaware about).
also, i'm still experiencing the ~694 character cut off. i also heard that it can be due to return spaces counting as multiple characters. i just cut down on my description until it successfully saved everything.
What if you lost contact with the coordinator in one of your volunteer work? Is it ok to list a fellow volunteer instead?
Also what do you call the head professor of a lab? We usually call him big cheese and I don't think that should go on amcas.
Also what do you call the head professor of a lab? We usually call him big cheese and I don't think that should go on amcas.
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can I join your lab?I put in the first name, last name box "refer to description" then list everything in the description box.
Thanks!
holy **** I have like no room to describe the activities with the contact info there.
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An alternative is to pick the activity that was most recent, or of longest duration, or most meaningful, and use that activity to fill in the contact info, time frame, and hours. Then, in the description, list the first activity first, then say "Also:" and list the time frame, contact info, hours, and description for the 2nd activity.
Either way, the title of the description should apply to both activities if they're lumped together
Hmmm, I'm debating if I should split some of this up since I have 2 entries left....but it would be for activities <100 hours, so I'm not sure if the adcoms are going to think I'm BSing to fill space.
Then try grouping 2 at a time. If that still doesn't have enough room then maybe try to be more concise with the description.
Yes, I think im just going to have something like volunteering & volunteering pt2 & volunteering pt 3 for the experience names.
Hey guys,
When entering research, what do I put in the description box? Should I put a summary of the abstract? The Title of the research? Do I need to put ALL the authors (a lot)??? I'm kinda stumped on this one. I basically put what I did, but not really what the research was about. I'm hoping it comes up in the interview, lol. Should I put it in the description??
Also... this question is kinda off topic for the thread, but when listing the schools I want AMCAS sent to, can someone explain the whole thing behind listing one school, then later adding onto it? How does this work? Do you have to send another check in to pay for the additional schools later? The thing is, I know 2 schools to apply to, but I want more time to look into others.
Thanks in advance! Ya'll have been great.
When entering research, what do I put in the description box? Should I put a summary of the abstract? The Title of the research? Do I need to put ALL the authors (a lot)??? I'm kinda stumped on this one. I basically put what I did, but not really what the research was about. I'm hoping it comes up in the interview, lol. Should I put it in the description??
Also... this question is kinda off topic for the thread, but when listing the schools I want AMCAS sent to, can someone explain the whole thing behind listing one school, then later adding onto it? How does this work? Do you have to send another check in to pay for the additional schools later? The thing is, I know 2 schools to apply to, but I want more time to look into others.
Thanks in advance! Ya'll have been great.
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What is the "oldest" experience that can (or should) be listed? I had two mentorships in high school where I got 100+ hours of shadowing experience as well as independent research. This was 6 years ago and I'm not sure if I should mention these as part of my shadowing experience. They helped me confirm my desire to continue in the direction of medicine when I first started as an undergrad...
1) It's best they are listed separately, unless you are desperate for space.
2) List the date span for the volunteer position with the hours/week, then if you don't want to list the employment separately, add at the end of the narrative that you were hired by the same office for the summer, new date span and hours/week.
3) You weren't a volunteer since you got class credit. I'd list it under Research, name it Clinical Research Assistant, and give the true hours of activity with that alone. Then split out the shadowing time and list it separately with your other formal shadowing time under Other.
4) Save something you haven't yet done for update letters or Secondary essays. If you want to mention the traveling you have done, list it under other or hobbies.
5) I would list all Honors/Awards/Scholarships (not the need-based ones) in a single space and name it something like Recognitions for Excellence.
6) I'd use Artistic Endeavor and mention the related volunteer time in the narrative.
7) There's no reason to give negative commentary. I would stop with "I enjoyed the intellectual challenges behind my work and found the experience humbling when my experiments did not go as planned."
1) When discussing a Research entry, it is appropriate to to describe the purpose of the research and what you personally did.
When entering a Presentation/Poster or Pub, you can list the first author, then et al, then say where your name is on the list. The title should pretty much explain the research, but if not, you can refer to the Research listing that is related.
2) Definitely off topic: One submits, listing a single school, so that the verification process is completed quickly (takes a few days in early June, but much longer later in the cycle). When you are ready, you can add additional schools in waves, recertify the application, and pay for them (credit card is easier). Newly added schools get the entire verified application within a business day if it's after June 10 or so, once the school has the payment.
Thank you so much for your response! I am definitely going to combine them under one experience name of "Hobbies." My question is, what should I do about contact info.I will probably put that in the main required contact info field and then include contact info. for my study abroad director in the description who can verify that I took a photography course while abroad. Thoughts? Also, I am grouping together two shadowing experiences. I put one of the physician's contact info and the corresponding date in the required fields and listed this information in the description area for the other.
Thanks again and I apologize if this has already been asked!
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