*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2011-2012*~*~*~*

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What exactly does the advice "apply early" refer to? Does it just mean submit the primary as soon as possible. What if you want to wait until spring quarter grades are in to send transcripts, which may arrive several weeks later, delaying verification of the app? What about committee letters not being sent out until towards the end of summer? Does that mean even if you applied early that your whole app is late now because your letters came in later than many other people's? I guess I'm ultimately trying to get a sense of when admission committees will start reviewing the application....
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garconfrancais said:
What exactly does the advice "apply early" refer to? Does it just mean submit the primary as soon as possible. What if you want to wait until spring quarter grades are in to send transcripts, which may arrive several weeks later, delaying verification of the app? What about committee letters not being sent out until towards the end of summer? Does that mean even if you applied early that your whole app is late now because your letters came in later than many other people's? I guess I'm ultimately trying to get a sense of when admission committees will start reviewing the application....
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From what I gather, it means get your primary app submitted fast so it will be verified quickly. This means med schools will get it earlier and begin sending out secondaries. The earlier you get those done the sooner you can be invited for interviews. Most schools accept on a rolling basis so you are at a definite advantage to get it done early, especially with lower stats (such as my humble self). As far as committee letters, etc, you can submit and be verified before those are in I think. I think you won't be 'complete' at individual schools until they get that information, however, which might make it take longer before you're offered interviews. But many schools don't start inviting for interviews until late August so you'll probably be okay. My school is notoriously late with their committee letter and I spoke personally with the chair of the committee and basically begged her to get it in by July. We'll see though! Anyone who's been through the process what to add to this? I'm also a bit concerned!
 
Can I just pick up sealed official transcripts from my schools (I have a few due to summer classes) and just mail them in to AMCAS myself?
 
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Is it necessary to list a contact for hobbies/interests? I'm thinking of lumping my hobbies into one activity, so one of them (blacksmithing) has a contact, but the others are things I do on my own, so I don't have anyone I can list as a contact. Should I list my blacksmithing contact as the contact for the entire section, even though he can't be a contact for all the activities? Is it possible to not list a contact for my "hobbies" activity and just include my blacksmithing contact's info in the description?
 
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fractal said:
Is it necessary to list a contact for hobbies/interests? I'm thinking of lumping my hobbies into one activity, so one of them (blacksmithing) has a contact, but the others (running, baking for friends, etc.) are things I do on my own, so I don't have anyone I can list as a contact. Should I list my blacksmithing contact as the contact for the entire section, even though he can't be a contact for all the activities? Is it possible to not list a contact for my "hobbies" activity and just include my blacksmithing contact's info in the description?
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Until the application opens this year, none of us will be sure about that. When it does, you let us know!
 
docdonny said:
Can I just pick up sealed official transcripts from my schools (I have a few due to summer classes) and just mail them in to AMCAS myself?
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make sure you attach the amcas transcript request form w/ it as well. you can get on as soon as you create an account for this cycle.
 
KPCOFGS said:
it's actually june 10 this year (surprisingly early), but otherwise this is spot on. plus most schools don't start sending out secondaries right when they get applications anyway.

http://prehealth.buffalo.edu/bullet...cation-service-amcas-preliminary-information/
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sorry, i'm still a little confused :(

this year, the application opens may 5 and you can work on it until you decide to submit it in june. so, is june 1 the first day that you can submit your app? then, if june 10th is the day that the schools can receive your application, should you even bother to submit it on june 1st then? or just wait til like june 11th...

if you submit it on june 1, you'll have to be verified but if you submit it after june 10, you won't?

thanks for the help!
 
Do you get to describe each activity or do you just list them? How does mentioning AMCAS activities work on an application?
 
How do you attach the amcas transcript request form, when your school has an electronic request for transcripts? I just request transcripts to be sent from my school's website, and put in the send to address, so how would I attach the request form?

And when grouping like activities together, how do you put the different references for each activity? I just don't understand how you can group activities together, when each activity is likely to have a different reference.
 
postbacpremed87 said:
Do you get to describe each activity or do you just list them? How does mentioning AMCAS activities work on an application?
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You describe each one. The Vanderbilt ADCOMs stressed not to fluff up an activity that didn't mean much to you, but still describe it. It's important to describe what you really got out of each activity, as well as it being obvious which ones were the most meaningful to you (I think you even have to rank this now). https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/how_to_apply/
 
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Hello678 said:
How do you attach the amcas transcript request form, when your school has an electronic request for transcripts? I just request transcripts to be sent from my school's website, and put in the send to address, so how would I attach the request form?
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My school is the same way (online transcript requests). I don't really have an option to include the identification form, so I'm just sending my transcripts without it. We'll see how it goes.
 
if a school requires 90 units to apply, does that include AP units? after this quarter, i will have completed an equivalent amount of quarter units, but i would like to apply june 1st if possible.
 
I'd like some advice regarding the description section of a fairly "typical" hospital volunteer AMCAS experience. I'd like to say what I did without boring the adcom members to tears, but I'm afraid I'm keeping it too brief.

Given the new 700 character limit, I'm writing ~ 1 sentence bullet points and I have:

  • Specific responsibilities
  • Example patient interaction; what I learned
  • What the overall experience has taught me/exposed me to
  • Dovetailed some shadowing/rounding I did in the unit

Total of ~ 400 characters.

Am I being too brief?

I know what the experience is supposed to say to adcom members about attention to detail, sacrificing discomfort for the sake of the patient, developing rapport, etc, but explicitly stating this seems a bit self-aggrandizing.

I suppose I'm simply asking if adcom members will read between the lines and imply these attributes given the list I've provided. FYI this is neither the focus of my application, nor is it my most important volunteer experience (to me).

Thanks in advance for the advice.
 
My opinion is that the adcoms should be able to gather all those qualities from your activity description. It's just like the PS; you shouldn't have to say explicitly "I want to go to med school because I want to help people and because I am compassionate" (or if you do, it makes for a sub-par PS). You should be able to back up such (implied) sweeping statements with examples, and I think that listing what you did as opposed to what you "are" is enough.

Chimneysweep said:
I'd like some advice regarding the description section of a fairly "typical" hospital volunteer AMCAS experience. I'd like to say what I did without boring the adcom members to tears, but I'm afraid I'm keeping it too brief.

Given the new 700 character limit, I'm writing ~ 1 sentence bullet points and I have:

  • Specific responsibilities
  • Example patient interaction; what I learned
  • What the overall experience has taught me/exposed me to
  • Dovetailed some shadowing/rounding I did in the unit

Total of ~ 400 characters.

Am I being too brief?

I know what the experience is supposed to say to adcom members about attention to detail, sacrificing discomfort for the sake of the patient, developing rapport, etc, but explicitly stating this seems a bit self-aggrandizing.

I suppose I'm simply asking if adcom members will read between the lines and imply these attributes given the list I've provided. FYI this is neither the focus of my application, nor is it my most important volunteer experience (to me).

Thanks in advance for the advice.
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CougarMD said:
2. When can I start uploading my transcripts to AMCAS?
As soon as the application opens, on May 5th.

I would also suggest "rushing" transcripts whenever possible. The peace of mind is worth the extra money.
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So, you can enter your transcript info as soon the application opens. How early can you start mailing official transcripts? Same time?
 
Yes, as soon as you create your 2012 application and fill out school information you will have an AMCAS generated form with your ID and other information on it. You print this out and send to school to send with your transcript to AMCAS.

medzealot said:
So, you can enter your transcript info as soon the application opens. How early can you start mailing official transcripts? Same time?
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glikegrandpa said:
Yes, as soon as you create your 2012 application and fill out school information you will have an AMCAS generated form with your ID and other information on it. You print this out and send to school to send with your transcript to AMCAS.
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Okay that makes so much more sense now....I was confused on how the whole thing worked for a bit.

I guess things will make more sense once we can actually SEE the application on AMCAS haha
 
I really want to get a general impression of what the AMCAS application looks like. I've read that they make you separate your activities into "clinical", "research", and "other". Do you only get 15 spaces? Do you have a box to list/describe the activity? Is there a box to click whether you classify it as clinical, research, other? I am attempting to come up with 3-5 sentence descriptions for each. Would this be sufficient? Wouldn't shadowing be considered clinical? So many questions!!! I am sorry.
 
postbacpremed87 said:
I really want to get a general impression of what the AMCAS application looks like. I've read that they make you separate your activities into "clinical", "research", and "other". Do you only get 15 spaces? Do you have a box to list/describe the activity? Is there a box to click whether you classify it as clinical, research, other? I am attempting to come up with 3-5 sentence descriptions for each. Would this be sufficient? Wouldn't shadowing be considered clinical? So many questions!!! I am sorry.
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You can have up to 15 experiences. Each experience is designated by selecting from a drop-down box (clinical, non-clinical, leadership, etc). You have a box to describe the activity (i think the character count is different this year). I've heard shadowing could be either "clinical" or "other"
 
postbacpremed87 said:
I really want to get a general impression of what the AMCAS application looks like. I've read that they make you separate your activities into "clinical", "research", and "other". Do you only get 15 spaces? Do you have a box to list/describe the activity? Is there a box to click whether you classify it as clinical, research, other? I am attempting to come up with 3-5 sentence descriptions for each. Would this be sufficient? Wouldn't shadowing be considered clinical? So many questions!!! I am sorry.
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Read the FAQ at the beginning of this thread http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10877657 to better understand how they make you arrange your work and activities. If you still have questions about it you can post them in there:)
 
daisys said:
sorry, i'm still a little confused :(

this year, the application opens may 5 and you can work on it until you decide to submit it in june. so, is june 1 the first day that you can submit your app? then, if june 10th is the day that the schools can receive your application, should you even bother to submit it on june 1st then? or just wait til like june 11th...

if you submit it on june 1, you'll have to be verified but if you submit it after june 10, you won't?
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You always get verified. The time it takes to be verified changes throughout the season. If you submit your application on the first day, it may only take a few hours. The second year I applied, if you submitted it the second day, you were looking at a wait time of 2 weeks. The first year I applied... I waited until after I got my MCAT score, two days or so before the applications were sent out and I was still in that first batch to go out.

Your application will not be sent to schools until it is verified. So, if you wait to submit it June 11th, you'll have a lag time while it gets verified, while schools will already have the applications of those who were verified before June 10th. You're probably splitting hairs at that point, since most schools won't start to worry about next year's class until July/August, so if you don't have a completed application to your degree of perfectionism, it's better to wait a few days rather than submit on the first day the application opens.
 
If I am asking a PhD student who was my Teaching Assistant to write me a LOR and am having the professor of the course co-sign the letter, how should I label the title when listing it in Interfolio or AMCAS application? Should I put the professor's name or the name of my teaching assistant who is actually writing the letter?
 
mvenus929 said:
FWIW... I applied and got accepted to a school that previously waitlisted me. I got an interview and rejected from a school that previously rejected me. I didn't get an interview from a school that previously waitlisted me. And I'm going to a school that I didn't apply to the first time.
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I would just like to point out the insanity of this whole process, vis-a-vis the above. Seriously. :laugh:
 
IntoTheWest said:
If I am asking a PhD student who was my Teaching Assistant to write me a LOR and am having the professor of the course co-sign the letter, how should I label the title when listing it in Interfolio or AMCAS application? Should I put the professor's name or the name of my teaching assistant who is actually writing the letter?
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definitely the professors name. a TA letter of rec would not suffice, so you shouldnt put his name. although your method is perfectly fine, it needs to be marked as a professor LOR imo.

again: do AP units count for the 90 semester units required before you apply?
 
Thank you for the info cougar. Just wondering...do you have any info on transcripts?
 
I have a question.

From what I understand, there are different sections on the AMCAS where you enter work experience and clinical experience? Well, what if all of my clinical experience IS work experience? All the clinical experience I have was paid experience when I worked as a PT tech (about 2 years 1,200 hours). I had direct patient contact but it wasn't volunteer so I can't put it under "clinical experience" correct? In this case, my "clinical experience" section would be left blank. This is something that troubles me. I don't want adcoms to think that I don't have any patient contact, when in reality, I actually do. Any insight? Thanks
 
hopefulMD9 said:
I have a question.

From what I understand, there are different sections on the AMCAS where you enter work experience and clinical experience? Well, what if all of my clinical experience IS work experience? All the clinical experience I have was paid experience when I worked as a PT tech (about 2 years 1,200 hours). I had direct patient contact but it wasn't volunteer so I can't put it under "clinical experience" correct? In this case, my "clinical experience" section would be left blank. This is something that troubles me. I don't want adcoms to think that I don't have any patient contact, when in reality, I actually do. Any insight? Thanks
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Unless it has changed radically in the past two years, it's not what you're thinking.

You have 15 slots for all your activities... clinical, work, volunteer, whatever. You put each of those activities into categories. I'm pretty sure the only category related to clinical experience directly is 'volunteer-clinical' or something like that. You show your clinical experience in your summaries of your activities, not by slotting them into a 'clinical experience' category.
 
Gust said:
Thank you for the info cougar. Just wondering...do you have any info on transcripts?
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What would you like to know? You send them to AMCAS, and you'll know that they confirmed when you find your GPA calculated (undergrad, grad, science, AO, etc.)
 
Gust said:
Thank you for the info cougar. Just wondering...do you have any info on transcripts?
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Sure Gust, what would you like to know? What would you want to see in the FAQ? A general overview of them would be a good idea; I'll work on it this weekend:)
 
So I understand from this that it is possible to submit your AMCAS app. at ANY time once the 2012 app. opens ~May 5th?

And the advice to submit early for early verification for early send off in June thus means that it is optimal to submit your AMCAS sometime in mid May so that it can be verified for send off by the time schools begin accepting primaries in June?

Sooo... one might want to pre-write all of their EC descriptions now, etc.?

Thanks to everyone for their help in this!
 
TheJarvik6 said:
So I understand from this that it is possible to submit your AMCAS app. at ANY time once the 2012 app. opens ~May 5th?

And the advice to submit early for early verification for early send off in June thus means that it is optimal to submit your AMCAS sometime in mid May so that it can be verified for send off by the time schools begin accepting primaries in June?

Sooo... one might want to pre-write all of their EC descriptions now, etc.?

Thanks to everyone for their help in this!
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Re-read the very first question in the FAQ:) you can't submit until June.
 
Thank you Cougar! I must re-read the faq!:oops:

Thank you again for your time!
 
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When you apply to any pre-health school, do they see all your transcripts? I ask because I plan on taking a course in American literature at a community college to fill out one of my general requirements. My college doesn't accept the letter grade and only the credits so as long as I received a C or higher in the course at the community college then it would not affect my GPA and I would get the requirement filled. However, if pre-health schools receive all transcripts and see that I got a hypothetical C in the course would that affect my chances of getting in? Or do health schools only see transcripts from your main institution?
 
CougarMD said:
Sure Gust, what would you like to know? What would you want to see in the FAQ? A general overview of them would be a good idea; I'll work on it this weekend:)
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An overview would be GREAT!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Question:
I was reviewing the 2012 AMCAS Instruction Manual, and on the list of course classifications page, I do not see any way to designate English courses. I was confused by this, and I would appreciate any assistance since I have courses that I need to designate as English that are not obviously English courses from the titles. Thanks.
 
Mazdave said:
Question:
I was reviewing the 2012 AMCAS Instruction Manual, and on the list of course classifications page, I do not see any way to designate English courses. I was confused by this, and I would appreciate any assistance since I have courses that I need to designate as English that are not obviously English courses from the titles. Thanks.
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I see an English Language and Comparative Literature (ENGL) designation on page 40 of the manual. It includes composition and literature, so I think it covers pretty much everything.
 
I don't see ENGL. The list goes from engineering (ENGI) to Fine Arts (ARTS).


nadaba said:
I see an English Language and Comparative Literature (ENGL) designation on page 40 of the manual. It includes composition and literature, so I think it covers pretty much everything.
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Hello678 said:
I don't see ENGL. The list goes from engineering (ENGI) to Fine Arts (ARTS).
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I don't see it in my PDF copy of the 2012 manual, either. But last year's application had an ENGL category and I don't see a reason why it would have went away, so I'm going to assume they botched the PDF.
 
Hello678 said:
I don't see ENGL. The list goes from engineering (ENGI) to Fine Arts (ARTS).
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Interesting, I don't see it anymore either. I have a printout from about 2 weeks ago that has an ENGL category (it says "AMCAS 2012 Instruction Manual" on the top). I guess we'll see on May 5th :shrug:
 
Can anyone tell me how submitting transcripts to AMCAS works? I took a class in a college that's not my home institution. Do I need to ask for my transcript to be sent to my home college now, or do I wait till I am applying to medical school to ask for it? Also, the class is not required for my degree so I didn't bother transferring the credits, should I do that?
 
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