*~*~* Official AACOMAS Questions Thread 2013-2014 *~*~*

[BB8730]

A Few Questions:

1. Is it okay to leave out demographic information like race, family occupation, etc? Will it be held against me if I put "no answer"?

2. What should I put as the position for physician shadowing? And should I put the experiences as separate or all one EC?

3. Is it okay to leave EC total hours blank if I'm not sure how many I did? Will it be held against me?

4. How much detail should I include in EC/work experience descriptions?

1. Not answering those questions usually isn't held against you elsewhere (e.g., applying for jobs), so I don't think it would be here. I'm not sure, though.

2. Put "Physician Job Shadowing" or something similar. If you can fit them into one category, that would be best. If you need to explain more for some reason then you can do multiple categories.

3. If you're not sure, I would estimate so they have an idea of what you did. If you leave the hours blank they might not take it seriously.

4. This question gets asked a lot and gets many different responses from all kinds of people with successful applications. It's really just personal preference. I formatted mine in concise, resume-like descriptions. Adcoms are busy people, so I figured that they appreciate conciseness.

Question on replacement:
First took:
Organic 1: B- 4 credits
Organic 2: C+ 4 credits
Organic Lab: B 2 credits

Retake:
Organic 1: 5 credits
Organic 2: 5 credits

Both included a lab as part of the 5 credits, and not an additional class. Would my lab get replaced too, or would my original 4 credits just get turned into the 5 credits?

At the very least, you can replace the 4 credit Organic 1 and 2 with the 5 credit Organic 1 and 2 without factoring in the lab. Some people in previous years claim that they got AACOMAS to count combined retakes while others haven't. Contact AACOMAS about it and, if you can, post here or PM me with what they said. Thanks.

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[hallowmann]

How did you address shadowing in PR? Did they seem to like the direct contact? I graduated in kinesiology and was required to do an intern in PT. I have over 200 hours. How did you make it to where they don't start thinking you want to be a PT. I don't want to give them the wrong ideas and I do NOT want to be a PT! Thanks bub

I actually had a lot of medical ECs as well, like medical research, volunteering in hospitals, etc., so I don't think it was an issue. I did make the case that the patient interaction and relieving of pain is what ultimately motivated me to go back to school (I did it before my post-bac) and pursue medicine. As long as you can make a good case of why you want to be a physician, it really shouldn't matter that you shadowed a PT.

A Few Questions:

1. Is it okay to leave out demographic information like race, family occupation, etc? Will it be held against me if I put "no answer"?

2. What should I put as the position for physician shadowing? And should I put the experiences as separate or all one EC?

3. Is it okay to leave EC total hours blank if I'm not sure how many I did? Will it be held against me?

4. How much detail should I include in EC/work experience descriptions?

1. Yes.

2. I just put "Student" or something along those lines.

3. Its OK to do it. Whether its held against you or not is dependent on the school. I did that for 1 or 2 of mine, and it didn't come up, but they weren't big ECs for me.

4. This is really a personal preference. You should be concise, but at the same time it should be clear what you did and how it affected you/how what you learned was valuable.

Question on replacement:
First took:
Organic 1: B- 4 credits
Organic 2: C+ 4 credits
Organic Lab: B 2 credits

Retake:
Organic 1: 5 credits
Organic 2: 5 credits

Both included a lab as part of the 5 credits, and not an additional class. Would my lab get replaced too, or would my original 4 credits just get turned into the 5 credits?

This is a tricky one. In my experience, they wouldn't replace my labs. That being said, some people said they were able to do replacement in cases similar to yours, but you have to contact AACOMAS and explain the situation in detail and hope you get someone who understands it.

 

[hallowmann]

Yes, it's ok? Or yes, it will be held against me? And do you think I should keep my shadowing as separate or in one category (Shadowed 4 total physicians, 2 MD and 2 DO)?

Yes, you can leave it as "no answer". They can't hold it against you if you don't answer optional questions.

Its really up to you man, but many people suggest combining.

 

[hallowmann]

If I combine, should I put down the names and titles of each physician in the description? How did you put down your shadowing experiences?

If you combine, you should definitely put down all the names, titles, hours, etc. for each experience. There is enough time to bullet that info.

I only had 2 shadowing experiences that were far apart, so I listed them separate. For ECs that had 3-4 experiences, I combined them into one and just used a bulleted list with basic info, and a 1 sentence summary at the end of each bullet. Again though, this is completely up to you how you want to do it.

 

[PreMedRookie]

If you don't know what it is then you probably don't have one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_guardian

Haha I know what a guardian is I was confused since it seemed like you had to put something. Thanks

 

[hallowmann]

Thanks for the advice man. Last question (hopefully lol). How would it look to separate osteopathic shadowing from allopathic shadowing in the EC list? Both sets of physicians did the same thing (no OMM shadowing or anything like that) but I did my osteopathic shadowing over a year after allopathic. So would it make sense to have one listing for all allopathic and one for all osteopathic physicians?

I wouldn't separate them just based on osteopathic vs. allopathic. If say you did the MD ones in 2011 and the DO ones in 2012, maybe you could say "Physician Shadowing - 2011" and "Physician Shadowing - 2012", but again this is up to you, and I would either separate all of them or combine all of them.

 

[deleted492904]

Hey guys, quick question about the prerequisites. Some schools requires inorganic chemistry and some don't. Unfortunately for me I didn't take inorganic chemistry in college. My question is, can I still apply and take inorganic chemistry before I matriculate? What is the advice for my situation?

 

[Answer2lf3 is42]

Hello!

I have a few of semi-dumb questions, if anybody wouldn't mind answering for me, please.

1. With regards to the "Family Information" section, what qualifies as 'Guardian'? I could not find information on the AACOMAS Instructions. I ask because my parents are divorced. Also, would I need to enter my biological mother or my step-mother?

2. Is it beneficial/laughed upon to have high school honors and scholarships listed? Or is it really only from once you are in university and on?

3. For the awards/ECs/experiences, is it better to put in chronological order or in order of importance?

Thanks in advance!

P.s. Flame Princess!?!?!

 

[hallowmann]

Hey guys, quick question about the prerequisites. Some schools requires inorganic chemistry and some don't. Unfortunately for me I didn't take inorganic chemistry in college. My question is, can I still apply and take inorganic chemistry before I matriculate? What is the advice for my situation?

A lot of places call Gen Chem, Inorganic Chem, so I think you might just be confusing the two. I have not seen any that require real "Inorganic Chem", as in an advanced inorganic chem.

In any case, if you are missing any pre-reqs, you can take them the year you are applying, as long as you successfully complete them before matriculation.

Hello!

I have a few of semi-dumb questions, if anybody wouldn't mind answering for me, please.

1. With regards to the "Family Information" section, what qualifies as 'Guardian'? I could not find information on the AACOMAS Instructions. I ask because my parents are divorced. Also, would I need to enter my biological mother or my step-mother?

2. Is it beneficial/laughed upon to have high school honors and scholarships listed? Or is it really only from once you are in university and on?

3. For the awards/ECs/experiences, is it better to put in chronological order or in order of importance?

Thanks in advance!

P.s. Flame Princess!?!?!

1. They are your legal guardians. This may be your biological parents or your dad and step-mom, it really depends on your situation. Ask your dad if you aren't sure.

2. They are looking for all ECs, work, and awards from after high school to the present.

3. I would put it in order of importance, but it really doesn't matter. I think mine was automatically put in chronological order based on the end date.

 

[BB8730]

Hey guys, quick question about the prerequisites. Some schools requires inorganic chemistry and some don't. Unfortunately for me I didn't take inorganic chemistry in college. My question is, can I still apply and take inorganic chemistry before I matriculate? What is the advice for my situation?

Yes, you can apply now and take it before you matriculate. Schools aren't concerned about the prereqs until the interview day or after you've been accepted. As long as you complete them before you start med school, they're happy.

Hello!

I have a few of semi-dumb questions, if anybody wouldn't mind answering for me, please.

1. With regards to the "Family Information" section, what qualifies as 'Guardian'? I could not find information on the AACOMAS Instructions. I ask because my parents are divorced. Also, would I need to enter my biological mother or my step-mother?

2. Is it beneficial/laughed upon to have high school honors and scholarships listed? Or is it really only from once you are in university and on?

3. For the awards/ECs/experiences, is it better to put in chronological order or in order of importance?

Thanks in advance!

P.s. Flame Princess!?!?!

1. A guardian is someone who has legal custody over you. Not sure if that really even applies since (I'm assuming) you're over 18. Put whichever mother you want. The demographic info isn't really a big deal.

2. Generally you want to list undergraduate (and beyond) accomplishments, but if you feel like it's important to list it, go right ahead. I would only list something from high school if it was a big deal.

3. AACOMAS automatically ranks them chronologically when they generate your applicant profile.

 

[hallowmann]

Yes, you can apply now and take it before you matriculate. Schools aren't concerned about the prereqs until the interview day or after you've been accepted. As long as you complete them before you start med school, they're happy.

1. A guardian is someone who has legal custody over you. Not sure if that really even applies since (I'm assuming) you're over 18. Put whichever mother you want. The demographic info isn't really a big deal.

2. Generally you want to list undergraduate (and beyond) accomplishments, but if you feel like it's important to list it, go right ahead. I would only list something from high school if it was a big deal.

3. AACOMAS automatically ranks them chronologically when they generate your applicant profile.

Haha, looks like we were writing responses simultaneously .

 

[WillburCobb]

When adding grades how exact should you be with academic status? Technically I had enough credits by the second semester of my second year to be considered a junior, and enough to be considered a senior by my third year. Should I base my academic status on that or is it okay to just enter freshman for all first year classes, sophmore for all second year classes, etc.?

 

[hallowmann]

When adding grades how exact should you be with academic status? Technically I had enough credits by the second semester of my second year to be considered a junior, and enough to be considered a senior by my third year. Should I base my academic status on that or is it okay to just enter freshman for all first year classes, sophmore for all second year classes, etc.?

Just put it in based on your year. So if you took a bunch of credits sophomore year, label them as sophomore year. It really doesn't matter though, I believe the numbers are just a guide anyways.

 

[BB8730]

Haha, looks like we were writing responses simultaneously .

 

[Elevencents]

After entering all your coursework, do the GPA's displayed reflect any retakes or only once transcripts are verified? The GPA they show doesn't mesh with the one I have using the spreadsheet found here in the forums. Off by a decent amount actually.

 

[hallowmann]

After entering all your coursework, do the GPA's displayed reflect any retakes or only once transcripts are verified? The GPA they show doesn't mesh with the one I have using the spreadsheet found here in the forums. Off by a decent amount actually.

That GPA should incorporate retakes. Double check that everything is coded right. Be aware though that retakes in progress aren't counted so anything labeled RNY will count the same as an unlabeled course. If there are still issues, try calculating it yourself (sum up all quality points and divide them by credits), and see if it still doesn't match up.

 

[Buckeye1992]

I took 28 college credits my senior year of high school, should I count this as freshmen and then move my actual college years up accordingly? I technically just finished my junior year but have like 119 credits already. Also, do you enter AP classes? I noticed there was a designation for them.

 

[kayak30]

.

 

[3bamboo]

Theres no section to enter your minors right? Just majors?
Or am I just missing it

 

[SFU]

If its a special minor, im sure it would be obvious. Other wise no one really cares about minors, or even majors for that matter.

 

[Konwai]

For the work experience and activities descriptions, do you guys think that all 750 characters should be filled out in a thorough description? Or would a brief 250-300 character description be okay?

 

[MJS4878]

Hi guys,

Just had a question about repeating a course. I took Chem II my freshman year and now I am a senior who is applying this cycle. I plan to retake Chem II this summer in order to get rid of the C I originally received. I am very confused about how to enter this into AACOMAS. For the original Chem II do I list it as "Repeat/To be Completed"? Also, the instructions say put RNY in the type column. There is no type column, and if there was which one (new or old Chem II) do I put it under.

Thanks!

 

[hallowmann]

For the work experience and activities descriptions, do you guys think that all 750 characters should be filled out in a thorough description? Or would a brief 250-300 character description be okay?

This is really up to you. For me, only about half of my ECs used the whole space provided. It really depends on how much you have to say about each experience. If it was particularly meaningful you may want to say more, but if it wasn't, was very short, and was from a long time ago, I doubt you'd really want to write a ton about it.

Hi guys,

Just had a question about repeating a course. I took Chem II my freshman year and now I am a senior who is applying this cycle. I plan to retake Chem II this summer in order to get rid of the C I originally received. I am very confused about how to enter this into AACOMAS. For the original Chem II do I list it as "Repeat/To be Completed"? Also, the instructions say put RNY in the type column. There is no type column, and if there was which one (new or old Chem II) do I put it under.

Thanks!

For in progress courses, be sure to label the term as "In Progress". If you did that, then the grades sections should be grayed out. The classification will be "Repeat/To be completed". The classification for the old course you are repeating will also be "Repeat/To be completed". This classification is RNY and will come up like that when you add the course.

 

[MJS4878]

Thanks a lot Hallowmann, you are truly the man

 

[StudyShy]

Haha. It made me put an education status for guardian even though I have never had one.

 

[simplyseema]

Quick question -

I keep reading in this thread that we can start submitting applications starting June 1st. But on the AACOM homepage it says "Applicants will be able to submit their completed applications starting June 3." Can we start submitting June 1 or June 3?

 

[Nissan GTR]

Quick question -

I keep reading in this thread that we can start submitting applications starting June 1st. But on the AACOM homepage it says "Applicants will be able to submit their completed applications starting June 3." Can we start submitting June 1 or June 3?

June 3

 

[hallowmann]

Quick question -

I keep reading in this thread that we can start submitting applications starting June 1st. But on the AACOM homepage it says "Applicants will be able to submit their completed applications starting June 3." Can we start submitting June 1 or June 3?

Haha, talk about an oversight. If it says June 3rd it might be June 3rd. I don't think any of us realized that June 1st was a Sunday , but really the AACOMAS instruction manual says June 1st (page 9, 1st sentence under "Apply Early!"), so I'd go by that.

I would aim to submit on the 1st, then if its really the 3rd you just have to wait 2 days. If you really want to know for sure, you should contact AACOMAS support directly.

 

[dallasdaines]

I took one semester at my university way back in the spring of 2004, but then I was gone from 2005 to 2007 on a religious mission. I returned to school in 2008. When it asks for me to enter my start date and end date, should I include that first semester way back in 2004? I feel like it makes me look bad to be enrolled for an undergrad for nine years! What do you think?

 

[BB8730]

How important are EC descriptions anyway? If you just say a little something (Like 3-4 sentences) about each EC you did is that enough? Or will adcoms be unimpressed and decide not to interview you?

It's important for you to describe what you did, but it's not important for you to write a novel about it. The shorter the better, but make sure you don't sell yourself short. 3-4 sentences is a good amount of description IMO, especially for non-complicated ECs.

I took one semester at my university way back in the spring of 2004, but then I was gone from 2005 to 2007 on a religious mission. I returned to school in 2008. When it asks for me to enter my start date and end date, should I include that first semester way back in 2004? I feel like it makes me look bad to be enrolled for an undergrad for nine years! What do you think?

Only enter a college twice if you earned more than one degree from it. I asked an AACOMAS rep the same question when I applied. They will see your semester coursework and know that you weren't there for 9 years.

 

[vhle]

Easiest way is to register an account with Interfolio. Have your professor and doctor send them to Interfolio, and Interfolio makes copies and sends them to the schools you apply to. It's way easier than asking your writers to make 10 or 20 copies of the letter and then mail them all off.

Will this cost the professors or doctors any money? I am not using my pre preprofessional committee so I'm trying to figure out where exactly they will send it as well..

 

[BB8730]

So is 300-400-ish characters per experience good enough even though they give you 750?

Oh yes. All of mine were less than 400 and I know many other successful applicants who did the same.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using SDN Mobile

 

[vhle]

If I am taking retakes during the summer, should I follow the instructions and list then as L01, L02, and the courses they replace as R01 and R02, even though I don't have marks for them yet? I noticed if you do so, the R01 and R02 aren't included in your gpa calculations..and it rises alot But I would assume this obviously would be corrected to reflect my actual GPA right?

Or should I just list them as planned, but not add the attributes of being repeats, until they are actually complete?

Hey so, R01, R02, R03 etc are designated for the number of courses you retook according, not the amount of times you retook them?
For example, if I retook chem 1 physics 1 and calc 1X each it would be R01, R02, R03. They wouldn't all be R01 just cause I retook them once..right?

 

[Answer2lf3 is42]

Thanks, brakk026 & hallowmann!

 

[BB8730]

Hey so, R01, R02, R03 etc are designated for the number of courses you retook according, not the amount of times you retook them?
For example, if I retook chem 1 physics 1 and calc 1X each it would be R01, R02, R03. They wouldn't all be R01 just cause I retook them once..right?

You are correct.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using SDN Mobile

 

[Docility]

I just wanted to thank you guys for answering all these questions...your responses have been really helpful!

Haha. It made me put an education status for guardian even though I have never had one.

Haha I noticed that too! Clearly, our guardians must have an education status...never mind the fact that they are nonexistent and nameless.

 

[PreMedRookie]

If you got an A+ in a class do you just put A? Will they not care that this is not how it appears on your transcript since there is no A+ option?

Or do I put A+ in the GRADE spot and then select A in the AACOMAS GRADE spot?

 

[CapCrunch]

Who would I contact at AACOMAS regarding grade replacement verifications?

 

[hallowmann]

Who would I contact at AACOMAS regarding grade replacement verifications?

See the first post in this thread (original post).

 

[PinkMelon]

How do you report grades throughout the application process if you're still in school? I'm going to be in my senior year and I'll be getting grades for summer and winter semester. Do i have to re-send my transcripts to AACOMAS, and does that recalculate my gpa for schools? Or is the GPA i have submitted in June going to be the only one they see and not the updated one? Thanks!

 

[Mtrader]

For sending transcripts, is there a difference between the "expedited" mailing address and the regular PO box address?

The instructions don't mention extra cost or anything like that so why would anyone want to use a non expedited address?

 

[BB8730]

How do you report grades throughout the application process if you're still in school? I'm going to be in my senior year and I'll be getting grades for summer and winter semester. Do i have to re-send my transcripts to AACOMAS, and does that recalculate my gpa for schools? Or is the GPA i have submitted in June going to be the only one they see and not the updated one? Thanks!

After you've submitted your application, you can update it anytime by sending them a new transcript. They will automatically enter in your new coursework and calculate new GPAs, etc.

For sending transcripts, is there a difference between the "expedited" mailing address and the regular PO box address?

The instructions don't mention extra cost or anything like that so why would anyone want to use a non expedited address?

My guess is that the expedited address - for some reason - works better with expedited mailing services. Sending regular mail to the expedited address probably doesn't make any difference.

 

[BB8730]

Stupid question: I have a black belt in a martial art that I earned while in high school. Can I add that to the awards section?

If you really want to you could, but generally people don't add awards from high school. I would leave it out if I were you.

 

[BB8730]

OK thanks. Another question: if you check off that you have any family members who are DOs or MDs, do you have to name which one(s)?

I'm not sure - none of my family members were. Maybe someone who has done this can comment.

 

[Shinobiz11]

If you got an A+ in a class do you just put A? Will they not care that this is not how it appears on your transcript since there is no A+ option?

Or do I put A+ in the GRADE spot and then select A in the AACOMAS GRADE spot?

I put A+ just to show the +, it can't hurt you.

 

[LaughingMan]

Hey All,

At my first University, they combined Bio 1 and Bio 2 Lab into:

"Lab Investigations in Biology" which is a 2 hour course.

When I transferred, I received credit for both Bio Lab 1 and Bio Lab 2. Each 1 hour.

When I list it on my app, you think I should just list it as Bio Lab 1 and 2?

 

[BB8730]

Hey All,

At my first University, they combined Bio 1 and Bio 2 Lab into:

"Lab Investigations in Biology" which is a 2 hour course.

When I transferred, I received credit for both Bio Lab 1 and Bio Lab 2. Each 1 hour.

When I list it on my app, you think I should just list it as Bio Lab 1 and 2?

AACOMAS will be interested in what it was originally. Transfer credits get jumbled up all the time. List it as what it was at the first university.

 

[LaughingMan]

AACOMAS will be interested in what it was originally. Transfer credits get jumbled up all the time. List it as what it was at the first university.

My concern is that they might mix it up and only credit Bio Lab 1?

Think the concern is valid?

 

[hallowmann]

My concern is that they might mix it up and only credit Bio Lab 1?

Think the concern is valid?

Its based on number of credits. You are required to have 8 credits of biology (i.e. 6 credits of lecture and 2 credits of lab), so it doesn't matter if that was with separate classes or with the same class.

The way they demonstrate your completion of the pre-reqs is on like a summary section on the first page that just lists the number of credits and the GPA. Then in subsequent pages they list the pre-req type (bio, chem, etc.), and list the individual classes that fulfill the pre-reqs. As long as your credit hours fulfill the requirement, it should be fine.

 

[theeleventhhour]

Anyone get a confirmation email when they signed up for AACOMAS?