What if you discover that you significantly erred on AMCAS after submitting?

[Gauss44]

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If you significantly erred on AMCAS and believe that it could be cause for dismissal upon verification by the medical schools, what is the best remedy? Would it be to send an update letter to every medical school where you applied correcting yourself?

 

[Gauss44]

Depends what the error is. Simply correcting via update may still get you investigated and banned by AMCAS. So we need details.

I have multiple examples:

EXAMPLE #1:
Not the criminal question, but the activities section. Something that's subjective like you said that you co-founded or helped start the March of Dimes (let's pretend that that's a relatively new but very successful event), but others claim you came in on the ground level and helped run it after it was started. The argument of "the others" being that there was a march to eliminate birth defects the previous year by a different name (with other differences, different neighborhood, etc.) which they now consider to be the "first" March of Dimes. The main motivation likely being that they don't want you to have credit because they don't see you as being as dedicated as they are (since you spend so much time with school work instead of activism), some are jealous of you (for a list of unrelated reasons), and just kind of don't like you.

So, maybe not an inaccuracy so much as a difference of perception or opinion. If a school's method of verification is to do a google search and start calling other people involved, there's a chance they could get in touch with a rival or someone with less than accurate not nice things to say, to no fault of your own.

EDIT: This hasn't come to pass yet. It's just a concern. It's in the applicant's best interest not to signficantly understate accomplishments, but also not to overstate. It gets more complicated when there are rivals involved, jealousy, etc.

 

[bananafish94]

you co-founded or helped start the March of Dimes

Are you Franklin Roosevelt reincarnated? If so, be sure to also mention your 12 years as President on AMCAS.

The main motivation being that they don't want you to have credit because they don't see you as being as dedicated as they are (since you spend so much time with school work instead of activism) and thus, some kind of don't like you

Were you honest on the application? If so, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

 

[Gauss44]

Examples 2:
Anticipating taking courses, doing research, running a club, or shadowing that never comes to pass. Or the opposite. Or a late grade change that boosts post bacc GPA over a couple points. Or accidentally add a year of an extracurricular with office held? You said you were in a club, but are not listed as such due to not paying dues or joining late? Being a year off on work history for a job?

EDIT: I have not submitted AMCAS yet. I am doing my due diligence and am trying to figure out what is more important and less important, and where to draw the line in terms of getting information perfect.

 

[880cylon]

I'm confused. Did you commit an error about all of those activities in example 2?

 

[Gauss44]

I'm confused. Did you commit an error about all of those activities in example 2?

No, I'm doing my due diligence. Would like to submit application soon. The sooner, the greater likelihood of inaccuracies or challenge-able information. Later means a more perfect application, but obviously has it's disadvantages if you take too long.

 

[21Rush12]

I thought I understood but then it got more confusing. If you're more comfortable with PM I'd be happy to offer an opinion.

Being this general, it seems like being honest and reporting in good faith who you are and what you did is okay. No need to overstate your roles or positions held, just focus on what they meant to you.


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[egil_skallagrimsson]

Which is why I advise applicants not to include future items

I have seen it stated multiple times on here that this isn't an issue. How can you be held liable for not completing something in the future?

 

[longhaul3]

Examples 2:
Anticipating taking courses, doing research, running a club, or shadowing that never comes to pass. Or the opposite. Or a late grade change that boosts post bacc GPA over a couple points. Or accidentally add a year of an extracurricular with office held? You said you were in a club, but are not listed as such due to not paying dues or joining late? Being a year off on work history for a job?

EDIT: I have not submitted AMCAS yet. I am doing my due diligence and am trying to figure out what is more important and less important, and where to draw the line in terms of getting information perfect.

Draw the line at the truth. I don't get exactly what you're asking, but it sounds like you're trying to figure out how much fudging one can do to make oneself look better without getting caught. If you write in good faith what you believe to be the truth, no one should call it into question.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Examples 2:
Anticipating taking courses, doing research, running a club, or shadowing that never comes to pass. Or the opposite. Or a late grade change that boosts post bacc GPA over a couple points. Or accidentally add a year of an extracurricular with office held? You said you were in a club, but are not listed as such due to not paying dues or joining late? Being a year off on work history for a job?

EDIT: I have not submitted AMCAS yet. I am doing my due diligence and am trying to figure out what is more important and less important, and where to draw the line in terms of getting information perfect.

I keep a "Goals AMCAS" in Word, just to see what could work/what would be nice over the next few years. Any "future" stuff is very vague. I would only include things that are set in stone, you have some details on (contacts, what you'll be doing) not simply what you "plan" on, meaning "hoping for" because so much can change/not happen.