What is the most onerous section of the AMCAS to complete?

[QofQuimica]

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For current applicants or past, which part of AMCAS caused you the most grief? You can vote for as many options as you like.

 

[Freakingout]

Personal statement by far, everything else was a breeze

 

[logos]

Yep. Personal statement is a bitch. So is entering every class you've taken.

 

[DarkFark]

The PS is most annoying, but I especially hate having to relive every bad grade Ive had in college when I put them into the app.

 

[gujuDoc]

I would tend to say that the coursework is annoying because it is tedious. But at least all you have to do is cut and paste from your transcript and it goes quickly. On the other hand, personal statement is what scares me. I know what I want to talk about, but putting it into words is the hard part.

 

[gujuDoc]

Oh and the worst part, is secondaries are yet to come for all of you all, in which you'll be loaded with essay after essay.

 

[MollyMalone]

PS, sans doubt. Everything else is simply tedious; whereas writing a good PS is a challenge.

 

[tinkerbelle]

Oh and the worst part, is secondaries are yet to come for all of you all, in which you'll be loaded with essay after essay.

Oh yes. Those were bad. But at least they were short and you could finish them in a day or two. The PS took forever to write.

 

[pseudoknot]

Definitely the personal statement, on which I really need to start working. The activities are also a bit of work when you have to write 1300 char descriptions, but I guess it's good to have more space to explain yourself.

 

[gujuDoc]

Definitely the personal statement, on which I really need to start working. The activities are also a bit of work when you have to write 1300 char descriptions, but I guess it's good to have more space to explain yourself.

See but the beauty about that, is you don't have to use every single one of those characters. If you keep it short and concise it will be ok. however, the personal statement has to be something that will really grab the attention of the adcom and will therefore require a lot more then busy work to do. That's what makes it sooo painstaking.

 

[pseudoknot]

See but the beauty about that, is you don't have to use every single one of those characters. If you keep it short and concise it will be ok. however, the personal statement has to be something that will really grab the attention of the adcom and will therefore require a lot more then busy work to do. That's what makes it sooo painstaking.

True enough, but if you did research for two years at 20hrs/wk as an undergrad, you probably don't want to have a description that reads in full "Worked in lab."

I do think the personal statement is much more onerous than the rest of the AMCAS combined...and I haven't even started writing mine!

 

[SaharanPrince]

Entering the course work is a pain in the rear man...

 

[MollyMalone]

Entering the course work is a pain in the rear man...

Indeed. I had to enter 170 credits worth... but I bet someone can beat that!

 

[UCLAstudent]

Entering coursework was not fun.

 

[QofQuimica]

Indeed. I had to enter 170 credits worth... but I bet someone can beat that!

Me! Me! 12 years of full-time higher education and still counting....

 

[MoosePilot]

Entering the course work is a pain in the rear man...

I think this is more a pain than the PS.

The PS takes more time, but it also feels more productive. Entering coursework is just tedium and a way for AMCAS to avoid paying someone for this data entry task. Why they don't save that data is beyond me.

Edit: This may be influenced by the fact that I had to do it four times. Once for AMCAS last year, once for AMCAS this year, for AACOMAS, and for TSMDAS. I wish they'd make it an excel spreadsheet that you could save and submit to all three or something and have if you needed to resubmit.

 

[superdevil]

entering your courses--its soooooo tedious. and just wait until you have a secondary that asks you to do it again...

the PS was a bigger task, but it really wasn't as bad, because i actually knew it was important.

 

[mustangsally65]

Yes, TheDarkSide: I had 199 hours from one school, and 16 from another. It took a while. But it's better than 12 years post-sec education 😱 ! I feel for ya!

I hated the coursework section, but it was much better than last year's, I think they have dramatically improved the interface. And the personal statement was cake: I've been composing it for months in a word processing document on my computer. All I had to do was copy and paste.

 

[MollyMalone]

entering your courses--its soooooo tedious. and just wait until you have a secondary that asks you to do it again...

the PS was a bigger task, but it really wasn't as bad, because i actually knew it was important.

Oh, no, really? You have to do this on secondaries???

 

[superdevil]

Oh, no, really? You have to do this on secondaries???

my secondary for wright state and cincinnati, as i recall, ask you to fill out all the science classes you've taken (which, for a science major, is a pain in the ass).

other schools may do it (either i'm forgetting them or just don't have personal experience with them), but rest assured the vast majority of schools won't ask you to do this. good luck and enjoy!

 

[QofQuimica]

my secondary for wright state and cincinnati, as i recall, ask you to fill out all the science classes you've taken (which, for a science major, is a pain in the ass).

other schools may do it (either i'm forgetting them or just don't have personal experience with them), but rest assured the vast majority of schools won't ask you to do this. good luck and enjoy!

lmao, I am not sure I would do those secondaries. 🙄 I mean, I have to say that I don't really understand why AMCAS couldn't just forward copies of the actual transcripts to the schools. Surely the AAMC could afford a few high-quality scanners. And lots of schools even offer official transcripts on-line anyway.

 

[superdevil]

lmao, I am not sure I would do those secondaries. 🙄 I mean, I have to say that I don't really understand why AMCAS couldn't just forward copies of the actual transcripts to the schools. Surely the AAMC could afford a few high-quality scanners. And lots of schools even offer official transcripts on-line anyway.

this is not a student-friendly process.

welcome! 😉

 

[Loco Loki]

this is not a student-friendly process.

welcome! 😉

I find myself 'quoting for truth' alot around here.

But anyway, yes. Davis had the most annoying "re-enter your classes" form. Hardly any space to type in classes. I still can't fathom why they have you put classes in again.

Second, I drilled over my secondary essays, had tons of people read them. Pfft, in the end, I would have rather gotten them in earlier than pouring over them like that.

Oh yeah, and schools that don't ask for an essay, just send one along anyway with a check. More info about you, the better.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Yep. Personal statement is a bitch. So is entering every class you've taken.

is that a caffeine molecule in your avatar??? 😀

Ya PS is the most onerous... it def requires the most time. I agree that second would have to be the coursework. Everything else seems like a breeze.

Good luck to all!

 

[dr.z]

Course work. To enter every class and grade since college was a pain.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Yeah, Columbia makes you fill out all of your coursework on the secondary. It's like a second AMCAS.

 

[QofQuimica]

Fantastic, we should make a list of schools that require re-entering grades on secondaries. Anyone have more to add?

Columbia
UC Davis
U Cincinnati
Wright State

 

[Shredder]

everything is pretty cut and dry except the three leading options. actually even the coursework doesnt take any thinking, its just a royal pain and tedious as hell. the work and essay are subjective and are what you really have control over in your app, so these are definitely the toughest.

 

[tacrum43]

I don't like doing the ECs/Work experience part. They don't give you enough room to properly explain the activities. I can't decide what to write. In addtion, I'm not sure which activities to put down. I have some that are really meaningful to me, and some that are only okay. How do I emphasize which ones are the most important to me? I don't want them to appear to be on the same level as some of the more mundane ones. I do mention the best ones in my PS, but I should list them again in this section, shouldn't I?

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't like doing the ECs/Work experience part. They don't give you enough room to properly explain the activities. I can't decide what to write. In addtion, I'm not sure which activities to put down. I have some that are really meaningful to me, and some that are only okay. How do I emphasize which ones are the most important to me? I don't want them to appear to be on the same level as some of the more mundane ones. I do mention the best ones in my PS, but I should list them again in this section, shouldn't I?

I talked about two of my important activities in the PS and did not list them again in my activities section, at least not directly. But one has already come up indirectly, because I won an award for it and I used the award as one of my activities. Does that make sense? If not, read it a few more times and maybe your brain can be as addled as mine is. 😛

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't like doing the ECs/Work experience part. They don't give you enough room to properly explain the activities. I can't decide what to write. In addtion, I'm not sure which activities to put down. I have some that are really meaningful to me, and some that are only okay. How do I emphasize which ones are the most important to me? I don't want them to appear to be on the same level as some of the more mundane ones. I do mention the best ones in my PS, but I should list them again in this section, shouldn't I?

Holy cow, tacrum, I just read through your application saga. I hope that things go better for you this year.

 

[tacrum43]

Holy cow, tacrum, I just read through your application saga. I hope that things go better for you this year.

Yeah, thanks. It is kind of a saga isn't it? 😳

 

[dragonmate]

I don't like doing the ECs/Work experience part. They don't give you enough room to properly explain the activities. I can't decide what to write. In addtion, I'm not sure which activities to put down. I have some that are really meaningful to me, and some that are only okay. How do I emphasize which ones are the most important to me? I don't want them to appear to be on the same level as some of the more mundane ones. I do mention the best ones in my PS, but I should list them again in this section, shouldn't I?

I agree. The ECs/Work part is the worst part (and the best cuz you get to brag about your accomplishments). What I did was list the actvities that are most important to me, then list activities that would be most important to med schools, then use the rest of the room for more mundane stuff. But I wouldn't list really mundane things under any circumstances. You definetely don't want to blend it in with the better experiences. As far as emphasizing which are more important to you...that's where your 1300 characters come in. Make sure that aside from telling them your "duties" that you also "react" to your experience. It's ok to tell them what you learned from the experience and how much you enjoyed it. This is what will tell them how much it means to you.
And yes, mention the stuff you mentioned in your PS again. The more they see it, the better. Just DON'T REITERATE YOUR PS in your explanations. Good luck!

 

[Hoberto]

Indeed. I had to enter 170 credits worth... but I bet someone can beat that!

230 semester credits, God only knows how many classes . Why oh why did I have to try everything?? What was I thinking?

 

[QofQuimica]

I thought the new applicants might appreciate a little heads-up.

 

[RxnMan]

Course work. To enter every class and grade since college was a pain.

I thought that they really improved the interface to enter grades since they updated AMCAS, so it is much easier now than before. The PS, and changing it, making it a short story, full of your philosophy on how you're going to kick butt in medicine, and then mend that butt, was hard for me.

 

[drmota]

definitely the PS. took as long as everything else combined. picking schools was the funnest part. also very time consuming though.
-mota

 

[gujuDoc]

Most onerous part.......hmmm that's a toughie.

Although I never sent in my AMCAS and never applied, I had filled one out. So having had some experience with it.....

I'd say the PS will be the most thought provoking and take time in the sense that you'll need to effectively articulate "why medicine?"

But the rest of it is more irritating because it is busy work. Especially the coursework section.

 

[jebus]

picking schools was the funnest part.
-mota

Totally. It was like being a kid in some kind of store.
"Yeah, I'll take one of those, and how about one of these. Ooooh, that looks nice."
Then my bill was over $2000 and I started to cry and had a temper tantrum. In the afternoon I was ok, though. I think I get cranky without my nap and juicebox.

 

[nikibean]

Course Work. You want to know why?

Two words: Dial Up.
(When I was living in Truckee I didn't have the option of DSL or wireless at my apartment).

Everything else was cut and paste.

Oh, Q, did we mention the WAITING? I think, to quote Tom Petty, "the waiting is the hardest part...". That's fun for us people with OCD tendencies- when is the secondary going to come? Is it ever going to come? Then... "OMG am I ever going to get an interview?" then "OMG are they going to waitlist/accept or reject me? Did I read my interviewer wrong? Thank goodness for SDN where I can spend some of my nervous energy with others who are just as edgy as I am due to this insanely long, arduous process..." 😱

 

[QofQuimica]

Course Work. You want to know why?

Two words: Dial Up.
(When I was living in Truckee I didn't have the option of DSL or wireless at my apartment).

Everything else was cut and paste.

Oh, Q, did we mention the WAITING? I think, to quote Tom Petty, "the waiting is the hardest part...". That's fun for us people with OCD tendencies- when is the secondary going to come? Is it ever going to come? Then... "OMG am I ever going to get an interview?" then "OMG are they going to waitlist/accept or reject me? Did I read my interviewer wrong? Thank goodness for SDN where I can spend some of my nervous energy with others who are just as edgy as I am due to this insanely long, arduous process..." 😱

Ah, but waiting is a post-AMCAS hardship. 😉 Maybe we need a second poll for the worst part of the entire process. And FWIW, I agree with you, and the divine Mr. Petty.

 

[gujuDoc]

Ah, but waiting is a post-AMCAS hardship. 😉 Maybe we need a second poll for the worst part of the entire process. And FWIW, I agree with you, and the divine Mr. Petty.

ooooh oooooooooh should I go ahead and create it???





What shall our choices be for this poll???

Maybe the following:
MCAT
AMCAS
Secondaries
Cost
Waiting
The whole thing

 

[QofQuimica]

ooooh oooooooooh should I go ahead and create it???





What shall our choices be for this poll???

Maybe the following:
MCAT
AMCAS
Secondaries
Cost
Waiting
The whole thing

Ok, but you must also add the following choices:
-Interviews
-Friends, parents, and acquaintances constantly asking you where you are going and where you got in
-Schools that won't inform you about your status
-Not getting in and having to do the whole d*** thing over again the next year. 🙄
-Missing LORs

 

[MollyMalone]

Ok, but you must also add the following choices:
-Interviews
-Friends, parents, and acquaintances constantly asking you where you are going and where you got in
-Schools that won't inform you about your status
-Not getting in and having to do the whole d*** thing over again the next year. 🙄
-Missing LORs

I think you should add dealing with impending separation from significant other and the associated relationship issues. 🙁

 

[gujuDoc]

Ok, but you must also add the following choices:
-Interviews
-Friends, parents, and acquaintances constantly asking you where you are going and where you got in
-Schools that won't inform you about your status
-Not getting in and having to do the whole d*** thing over again the next year. 🙄
-Missing LORs

oooooh I forgot another one........waitlists.

I'll go ahead and create it. 😀

 

[gujuDoc]

I think you should add dealing with impending separation from significant other and the associated relationship issues. 🙁

molly,

sorry to hear about the trouble in paradise. I hope things work out for you two.

 

[QofQuimica]

I think you should add dealing with impending separation from significant other and the associated relationship issues. 🙁

🙁 Sorry. Fortunately, that is one issue that I do not have to deal with. 😉

 

[LabMonster]

The grades section was terrible - hated it.

Oddly, I found the PS to be insightful and it reinforced my committment to medicine.

-But then, I enjoy writing.

 

[gujuDoc]

The grades section was terrible - hated it.

Oddly, I found the PS to be insightful and it reinforced my committment to medicine.

-But then, I enjoy writing.

Yeah I think I'd rather do the PS then having to do busy work by filling out the grades on there. What's bad is that I recall a lot of you all saying that the secondaries wanted you to refill things out again.

 

[MollyMalone]

Thanks, Q and gujuDoc. 🙂

I'm sure everything will work out for the best.