*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Work/Activities Tips Thread 2017-2018*~*~*~*

[artist27]

Since you already have Teaching and maybe don't have a nonmedical community service space, I think it would be best to have it under the latter tag. I expect you have a very reliable contact who can attest to the activity. Be sure the name you give the activity reflects the teaching component of the activity.

I assume the principal of the school will be sufficient?

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[Catalystik]

I assume the principal of the school will be sufficient?

Absolutely.

 

[Overthink]

Being a DJ/Music Producer is one of my activities. Should I include a link to my SoundCloud page, where anyone can stream most of the music I have made so far?

 

[Catalystik]

Being a DJ/Music Producer is one of my activities. Should I include a link to my SoundCloud page, where anyone can stream most of the music I have made so far?

You may, but you might want to be sure none of the lyric content would objectionable to a conservative older adcomm.

 

[Dox4lyfe]

It's a weekend school at a local mosque. I already have hospital volunteering, health screenings, and volunteering at a dental clinic.

Ayy I do the same! I was wondering when someone would ask this. For me, I called it non-clinical volunteering, especially since the mosque is in the city and all the students are disadvantaged minorities. Teaching is lower in importance than volunteering, so since you already have tutoring I'd just keep this as volunteering.

 

[adubs94]

During my gap year I will be doing Americorps for a clinic, I recently signed my contract in May, so in that respect it's a new activity as I'll also get additional training to become a therapist for the clients. However, I have volunteered here since February, so the only thing that's changed is I'm able to get the training to become a therapist instead of just assisting the therapists. It's definitely made an impact on me while I'm there, so I'd like to list as an MM to describe that more. Would it be acceptable to extend the time length back a few months to February (instead of when my actual contract started) so Adcoms don't think I'm gauging my "meaningfulness" description on a month of working there? Also, if I'll be continuing this activity for the next year through August 2018, is it looked down upon to write down future hours that are expected from me from my contract (right now I have about 100 hours since February, but will have 1500 hours by August 2018).

 

[Catalystik]

1) During my gap year I will be doing Americorps for a clinic, I recently signed my contract in May, so in that respect it's a new activity as I'll also get additional training to become a therapist for the clients. However, I have volunteered here since February, so the only thing that's changed is I'm able to get the training to become a therapist instead of just assisting the therapists. It's definitely made an impact on me while I'm there, so I'd like to list as an MM to describe that more. Would it be acceptable to extend the time length back a few months to February (instead of when my actual contract started) so Adcoms don't think I'm gauging my "meaningfulness" description on a month of working there?

2) Also, if I'll be continuing this activity for the next year through August 2018, is it looked down upon to write down future hours that are expected from me from my contract (right now I have about 100 hours since February, but will have 1500 hours by August 2018).

1) Yes, you can use a February start date, but explain the transition from volunteer to contractee in the narrative, along with date, change in role, hours per week, etc. Be transparent.

2) Yes, you can add future hour projections, but I strongly suggest you differentiate completed vs future hours, either by using the Repeated feature (making the current month the end of span one and the beginning of span two, so both appear in the header), or by only putting current hours in the header, but adding future planned hours in the narrative space.

***Applicants choose experiences with far less than 100 hours for MM status, so don't think it will be looked down on due to that parameter.

 

[adubs94]

1) Yes, you can use a February start date, but explain the transition from volunteer to contractee in the narrative, along with date, change in role, hours per week, etc. Be transparent.

2) Yes, you can add future hour projections, but I strongly suggest you differentiate completed vs future hours, either by using the Repeated feature (making the current month the end of span one and the beginning of span two, so both appear in the header), or by only putting current hours in the header, but adding future planned hours in the narrative space.

***Applicants choose experiences with far less than 100 hours for MM status, so don't think it will be looked down on due to that parameter.

Thanks for the advice! Also, what is your opinion on this...if I'm listing multiple activities under one heading, for total hours do I just list it for the first activity, or would it be better to do a total of the hours for all activities then include a breakdown of the hours in the description? For example, I have multiple service activities listed under "Community Volunteer." Total hours for all of them together is around 408. Each one separately is: 80 hours, 8 hours, 220 hours, and 100 hours. If I'm listing the activity with 220 hours first under the description, do I put the 220 for the "Total hours" or the 408 number?

 

[TheVisionary]

Hey SDN. I'm just about ready to submit, but I dropped my app by a picky reader to make sure it was solid. My reader thought my most meaningful section could use more creativity and use more showing vs telling.

My question is: how personal/creative should the most meaningful blurb (which is only 1300 characters) be compared to the PS? I assumed it should be halfway between the PS and activity description. For the MM section I mostly wrote extra details about what I did in each experience (1/4 of it) and what I learned through each one (3/4 of it). Does it need more than that, like how it "defines who I am" or how it was highly transformative? I am not quite sure if and what I am lacking in this bit.

 

[Catalystik]

Also, what is your opinion on this...if I'm listing multiple activities under one heading, for total hours do I just list it for the first activity, or would it be better to do a total of the hours for all activities then include a breakdown of the hours in the description? For example, I have multiple service activities listed under "Community Volunteer." Total hours for all of them together is around 408. Each one separately is: 80 hours, 8 hours, 220 hours, and 100 hours. If I'm listing the activity with 220 hours first under the description, do I put the 220 for the "Total hours" or the 408 number?

You can do it that way (as I've bolded), with just the dates for activity #1 in the header, and then mention in the narrative that "These additional hours are not included above," before listing the rest. Or you can put all the hours in the header's Total Hours blank, make the date span inclusive of all the activities in the space (which works best if they're not too spread out or the involvement is more or less constant), and include all the subtotals and subdatespans for the items in the space. Regardless, name the slot something that suggests more than one activity, like Multiple Collegiate Service Activities, or somesuch.

 

[Catalystik]

Hey SDN. I'm just about ready to submit, but I dropped my app by a picky reader to make sure it was solid. My reader thought my most meaningful section could use more creativity and use more showing vs telling.

My question is: how personal/creative should the most meaningful blurb (which is only 1300 characters) be compared to the PS? I assumed it should be halfway between the PS and activity description. For the MM section I mostly wrote extra details about what I did in each experience (1/4 of it) and what I learned through each one (3/4 of it). Does it need more than that, like how it "defines who I am" or how it was highly transformative? I am not quite sure if and what I am lacking in this bit.

As long as you included something about impact or insights gained, which it sounds like you did, you don't want to force yourself further if it doesn't seem natural and relate to your view of the activity. An activity can be meaningful to an individual without having been "highly transformative."

I do think this is a natural place to add new anecdotes that "show rather than tell" though. I don't know that I'd call it a "creative" approach. It just makes for good writing and more interesting reading.

 

[sarcasm]

I have a question: One of my publications was retracted (we found literature showing that the cell lines we used were misidentified, so we retracted the paper)--would it be inappropriate to include this in the activities? The paper still appears in Pubmed and on the journal's website with a notice of the retraction at the top of the page.

 

[Catalystik]

I have a question: One of my publications was retracted (we found literature showing that the cell lines we used were misidentified, so we retracted the paper)--would it be inappropriate to include this in the activities? The paper still appears in Pubmed and on the journal's website with a notice of the retraction at the top of the page.

My knee-jerk reflex was to say that it won't add benefit to your application, but on reflexion, I think if you were include a discussion of appreciating the importance of academic integrity, as a "lesson learned," that the experience would reflect positively on your Research team. Another place to put this would be on a Secondary, for common prompts like, "Discuss a stress and how you handled it," or 'Tell about a time you failed and what you'd do differently," or "Have you ever had an ethical dilemma?".

BTW, I've never seen this on a application. But, then, the situation is rare.

 

[Adrenaline_Junkie]

Hi Everyone!

I did research for about 9 months at my lab, however none of the actual data I generated was included in the final publication which was put into the Journal of Pain two years later. I did have some significant findings during my time there that essentially guided the lab in establishing the protocol that was published in the paper (I was using a general nuclear H&E stain that revealed some trends in what we thought was neutrophil accumulation, but in order to be sure they used a Neutrophil specific NPO staining technique later after I left). Fortunately, my observations were confirmed by NPO stain but since I wasn't in the lab and did not generate any of the paper data, I was not included on the authorship.

So my question is... even though I am not listed as an author can I list the paper under the publications section or should I simply state what I have written above in my research section and include a link to the paper there?

I also just started research at a new institution this past week, can I include this under Research as "repeated" and set the end date as Aug 2018 with projected weekly hours? I just want to make sure I understood what I saw earlier in this thread about including experiences that are new.

Thanks!!

 

[Catalystik]

1) I did research for about 9 months at my lab, however none of the actual data I generated was included in the final publication which was put into the Journal of Pain two years later. I did have some significant findings during my time there that essentially guided the lab in establishing the protocol that was published in the paper (I was using a general nuclear H&E stain that revealed some trends in what we thought was neutrophil accumulation, but in order to be sure they used a Neutrophil specific NPO staining technique later after I left). Fortunately, my observations were confirmed by NPO stain but since I wasn't in the lab and did not generate any of the paper data, I was not included on the authorship.

So my question is... even though I am not listed as an author can I list the paper under the publications section or should I simply state what I have written above in my research section and include a link to the paper there?

2) I also just started research at a new institution this past week, can I include this under Research as "repeated" and set the end date as Aug 2018 with projected weekly hours? I just want to make sure I understood what I saw earlier in this thread about including experiences that are new.

1) No, it would not be appropriate to list a paper under Publications when you aren't listed as an author. Instead you may mention in the affiliated Research slot what you contributed to an eventually-published paper. You need not cite it. With luck, your PI will back you up in an LOR.

2) I'm not sure if you meant to include it under the previously mentioned Research space or a new one. The Repeated feature is only for use when the header information belongs to all the below entries, but which have spaced out time-spans. You can a) mention the new position as an addendum in the previous Research space #1 (which will tie up a lot of characters), b) put it in its own space (as Research #2) just to let adcomms know your future plans (even though it won't give any other benefit to your application), or c) save it for mention in Secondaries or Update letters, where allowed.

***If you choose b), be sure to distinguish between completed and future hours. This is a good use of the Repeated feature, where the end of the first date span (completed hours) and the beginning of the second date span (future hours until Aug 2018) are the current month. Both time frames will appear in the header.

If anything isn't clear, ask again.

 

[Adrenaline_Junkie]

1) No, it would not be appropriate to list a paper under Publications when you aren't listed as an author. Instead you may mention in the affiliated Research slot what you contributed to an eventually-published paper. You need not cite it. With luck, your PI will back you up in an LOR.

2) I'm not sure if you meant to include it under the previously mentioned Research space or a new one. The Repeated feature is only for use when the header information belongs to all the below entries, but which have spaced out time-spans. You can a) mention the new position as an addendum in the previous Research space #1 (which will tie up a lot of characters), b) put it in its own space (as Research #2) just to let adcomms know your future plans (even though it won't give any other benefit to your application), or c) save it for mention in Secondaries or Update letters, where allowed.

***If you choose b), be sure to distinguish between completed and future hours. This is a good use of the Repeated feature, where the end of the first date span (completed hours) and the beginning of the second date span (future hours until Aug 2018) are the current month. Both time frames will appear in the header.

If anything isn't clear, ask again.

Ok sounds good, I will make sure to include that information under the Research slot then.

With respect to #2, I was just wondering whether I should like my UCSD and UCI research under the same Research slot or whether I should separate them. Do you really think there is no benefit to this? I know it doesn't show any of my future accomplishments but I know that I will be participating in several presentations in the future and will likely get published as well. I know I can't list these things but figured that listed the experience shows that I am engaging in research even after graduating 3 years ago.

Thanks again for all your insight!!

 

[Catalystik]

1) With respect to #2, I was just wondering whether I should like my UCSD and UCI research under the same Research slot or whether I should separate them.

2) Do you really think there is no benefit to this? I know it doesn't show any of my future accomplishments but I know that I will be participating in several presentations in the future and will likely get published as well. I know I can't list these things but figured that listed the experience shows that I am engaging in research even after graduating 3 years ago.

1) Will they both fit in one space? With all you'd have to relate, you might need to make the activity MM, to make it work. You might try a sample to see what you can get into 700 characters vs another 1325.

2) If you hang around SDN long enough, you'll see that with alarming frequency we see posts about getting fired, getting sick, quitting due to family/personal issues, disabling accidents, PI dies, moves, loses funding, etc., keeping an applicant from fulfilling an intention, which are examples of why adcomms give future activity projections little weight.

 

[chocolatethunder]

@Catalystik

Hi Catalystik

I am currently working on my AMCAS Primary Application and I have a question. I am trying to list shadowing on the application but I am not sure about how to input it. I've had 3 experiences where I have technically "shadowed" physicians.

1.) I worked as a clinical research associate where I have been in the ER for about 1000 hours. During this time I've technically shadowed doctors during the entire time I was there. Furthermore, about 100 hours of those hours were actually "designated shadowing" hours by my supervisor who let me follow ER Residents around and observe them without simultaneously enrolling patients into clinical studies as part of my job.

2.) I worked as a language interpreter in a major hospital, where I had to translate for non-English speaking patients in pretty much every single medical profession, for a total 200 hours.

3.) I was a scribe for 500 hours in family practice and pediatrics and 3000 hours in urgent care, where I was in the room 100% percent of the time during the entire patient/provider exchange.

Now besides the 100 hrs that were "official shadowing" in the ER (only one medical profession compared to the dozens I've observed in other instances) all my other experiences are "unofficial shadowing."

Is it assumed, that adcoms will know that I've shadowed through other experiences or do I have to actually do official shadowing, where I'm not working at a job, but exclusively following a doctor and watching them.

Also, do I make a separate "physician shadowing" tab or just mention that I've shadowed at all of these within the description of these roles.

Ahead of time, sorry if this is a dumb question, but I was just curious about how to label these in the work/activities. I have a lot of great experiences that I want to share and I just want to portray them accurately and truthfully.

Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

@Catalystik
I am currently working on my AMCAS Primary Application and I have a question. I am trying to list shadowing on the application but I am not sure about how to input it. I've had 3 experiences where I have technically "shadowed" physicians.

1.) I worked as a clinical research associate where I have been in the ER for about 1000 hours. During this time I've technically shadowed doctors during the entire time I was there. Furthermore, about 100 hours of those hours were actually "designated shadowing" hours by my supervisor who let me follow ER Residents around and observe them without simultaneously enrolling patients into clinical studies as part of my job.

2.) I worked as a language interpreter in a major hospital, where I had to translate for non-English speaking patients in pretty much every single medical profession, for a total 200 hours.

3.) I was a scribe for 500 hours in family practice and pediatrics and 3000 hours in urgent care, where I was in the room 100% percent of the time during the entire patient/provider exchange.

Now besides the 100 hrs that were "official shadowing" in the ER (only one medical profession compared to the dozens I've observed in other instances) all my other experiences are "unofficial shadowing."

A) Is it assumed, that adcoms will know that I've shadowed through other experiences or do I have to actually do official shadowing, where I'm not working at a job, but exclusively following a doctor and watching them.

B) Also, do I make a separate "physician shadowing" tab or just mention that I've shadowed at all of these within the description of these roles.

C) I was just curious about how to label these in the work/activities. I have a lot of great experiences that I want to share and I just want to portray them accurately and truthfully.

Thanks for the referral @gyngyn

A) Some adcomms will feel you need to do some official dedicated shadowing, where that is your main purpose for being in the room. Many others will look on scribing and translating for a physician as representing a sufficiently similar activity.

B) Yes, you need a Shadowing tab, so office staff screeners won't miss that you have some when they score your application. You don't need to mention all three qualifying activities in the space, as about 50 hours of shadowing are the average listed. I suggest that you use the space to list the 100 hours of shadowing for which your supervisor gave you permission and who can act as your contact. Don't double count those hours, though. Subtract them from the time in the ER if they are included in that 1000 hours.

C) As to how you'd tag the above activities, I suggest the bare-bones possibilities of:

1) Research , naming it something like: Clinical Research Associate for [General Topic] Project. Your description can mention the physician observation.
2) Volunteer-Clinical (or Employment, if you were paid). Name it YYY Language Translator for Hospital Patients & Their Healthcare Workers Mention the percent of the time you translated for docs vs other staffers.
3) Employment- Clinical, naming it perhaps Emergency Department Scribe.

Also, read the FAQ in post #2, page 1 of this thread about naming activities. There's a section on listing shadowing as well.

***At the end of your Shadowing entry, after you complete the narrative for the ED shadowing, if you wish you can comment that "In addition to the above hours, I have worked, researched and volunteered in clinical settings and had additional opportunities to observe (names of physician specialties); those activities are listed elsewhere on the application."

 

[Catalystik]

I am currently involved in a homeless outreach of which I was involved from Nov 2016-Dec 2016, and again from Apr 2017 to June 2018. Should I split up these two dates and subsequent hours for the activity?

This is the perfect use of the Repeated feature, as everything in the header (Contact, location, organization name) is true for both timespans. The two timeframes with their separate hours will both appear in the at the top of the activity.

 

[ServiceFirst]

This is the perfect use of the Repeated feature, as everything in the header (Contact, location, organization name) is true for both timespans. The two timeframes with their separate hours will both appear in the at the top of the activity.

Thank you so much @Catalystik ! This is very helpful. Just a question out of curiosity though, does the AMCAS report the activity and hours as separate events? Or does the separate date hours add to the total, and the breakdown is presented as well?

 

[chocolatethunder]

Thanks for the referral @gyngyn

A) Some adcomms will feel you need to do some official dedicated shadowing, where that is your main purpose for being in the room. Many others will look on scribing and translating for a physician as representing a sufficiently similar activity.

B) Yes, you need a Shadowing tab, so office staff screeners won't miss that you have some when they score your application. You don't need to mention all three qualifying activities in the space, as about 50 hours of shadowing are the average listed. I suggest that you use the space to list the 100 hours of shadowing for which your supervisor gave you permission and who can act as your contact. Don't double count those hours, though. Subtract them from the time in the ER if they are included in that 1000 hours.

C) As to how you'd tag the above activities, I suggest the bare-bones possibilities of:

1) Research , naming it something like: Clinical Research Associate for [General Topic] Project. Your description can mention the physician observation.
2) Volunteer-Clinical (or Employment, if you were paid). Name it YYY Language Translator for Hospital Patients & Their Healthcare Workers Mention the percent of the time you translated for docs vs other staffers.
3) Employment- Clinical, naming it perhaps Emergency Department Scribe.

Also, read the FAQ in post #2, page 1 of this thread about naming activities. There's a section on listing shadowing as well.

***At the end of your Shadowing entry, after you complete the narrative for the ED shadowing, if you wish you can comment that "In addition to the above hours, I have worked, researched and volunteered in clinical settings and had additional opportunities to observe (names of physician specialties); those activities are listed elsewhere on the application."

Thank you Catalystik, this clarifies everything a lot more clearly!!

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you so much @Catalystik ! This is very helpful. Just a question out of curiosity though, does the AMCAS report the activity and hours as separate events? Or does the separate date hours add to the total, and the breakdown is presented as well?

The activity will appear as one event and take up just one space. In the upper right of the box, each datespan will appear with its individual subtotal of hours after each line. There is no grand total provided.

You'll be able to see how it will look to adcomms by going to the Main Menu on the first page of the application, select Print on the right side, pick PDF view.

 

[DoctorCakes]

Catalystik,

I have an extensive experience where I've worked at my family small-business (think retail) all throughout high school and college. It is a very small business but has expanded locations since we opened it up. I worked as a cashier and stock boy helping out my family whenever I could. It was not paid. Should I include this in "other" category? Is it bad to include me helping at my family business? I don't want it to seem like I was forced to volunteer. Also, the only person who could vouch for me is my parents or immediate family. Is it that bad to include them as a reference?

Should I include high school hours if it is a continued activity? I have put 1000+ hrs throughout high school and college but majority was during high school and don't want to pad my application too much.

Basically, this experience taught me a great deal about work ethic and communication skills. Would hate to leave it out

 

[deleted850921]

This may be addressed already, but when listing a club that I have a board position in, would my contact person be the current president or the faculty advisor for that club?

 

[Suffer]

How important is it that your descriptions/most meaningful "blow the reader out of the water" so to speak?

Or is simple description and discussion of takeaways okay? How much are takeaways read into if at all?

 

[Catalystik]

I have an extensive experience where I've worked at my family small-business (think retail) all throughout high school and college. It is a very small business but has expanded locations since we opened it up. I worked as a cashier and stock boy helping out my family whenever I could. It was not paid. Should I include this in "other" category? Is it bad to include me helping at my family business? I don't want it to seem like I was forced to volunteer. Also, the only person who could vouch for me is my parents or immediate family. Is it that bad to include them as a reference?

Should I include high school hours if it is a continued activity? I have put 1000+ hrs throughout high school and college but majority was during high school and don't want to pad my application too much.

Basically, this experience taught me a great deal about work ethic and communication skills. Would hate to leave it out

1) It is appropriate to list assisting with a family business as Employment. Even though you didn't receive a a paycheck, you got other compensation, like food, clothing, housing, and perhaps assistance with educational costs. Since your description will make clear that this is a family-owned business, listing a relative as your Contact is fine.

You may include HS hours, but I suggest you break the hours worked down by using the Repeated feature into HS and College years. All the hours will appear at the top of the box, and it will be apparent that your involvement was greater during the HS years.

 

[Catalystik]

This may be addressed already, but when listing a club that I have a board position in, would my contact person be the current president or the faculty advisor for that club?

Either is fine. Use the one that will have the most accurate memory about your degree of involvement in the organization.

 

[Catalystik]

1) How important is it that your descriptions/most meaningful "blow the reader out of the water" so to speak? Or is simple description and discussion of takeaways okay?

2) How much are takeaways read into if at all?

1) Simple description is fine. It is not necessary to force "take-aways." Every activity doesn't lend itself to them (including Most Meaningfuls). So speak in your natural voice. Be succinct. And stop when you've said what you want to say.

2) It depends on the adcomm. Some prefer a "show, don't tell" approach, rather than having you enumerate your relevant qualities.

 

[ranstopolis]

Should I include my test-prep job on my AMCAS application?

I have a part-time job teaching MCAT prep for a major test-prep company. I was (obviously) going to include it, spinning the entry as leadership/teaching experience.

But...

An advisor of mine, who spent a decade plus on an admissions committee at a top-tier school, has indicated to me that working for a test prep company is likely to make admissions committees discount high MCAT scores, the perception being that such work puts you at a significant advantage on the MCAT relative to other students. She believes including my teaching experience on my application adds an "unnecessary element of risk," meaning it will add uncertainty about the trustworthiness of my MCAT score.

I am struggling with this choice -- I think that entry includes valuable teaching, mentoring, and leadership experience I am loath to remove, but I hold this advisor's opinion in very high esteem.

Anyone out there who's taught MCAT-prep classes include their teaching experience? Anyone out there choose not to include it? Either way, what led you make your choice?

Thanks!

 

[Bruster]

I am working on my activities section, and trying to figure out whether I could include some (so far) unpublished research. I completed the statistical analysis and conformational editing for a paper that the primary author has not yet sought publishing for because the study design needs some tweaking (ultimately they are probably going to re-do the study with a different design). I put tons of time into it and learned a lot from it but I'm not sure if it belongs in the activities section of AMCAS because nothing actually came of the research. Thoughts?

 

[Catalystik]

Should I include my test-prep job on my AMCAS application?

I have a part-time job teaching MCAT prep for a major test-prep company. I was (obviously) going to include it, spinning the entry as leadership/teaching experience. But...An advisor of mine, who spent a decade plus on an admissions committee at a top-tier school, has indicated to me that working for a test prep company is likely to make admissions committees discount high MCAT scores, the perception being that such work puts you at a significant advantage on the MCAT relative to other students. She believes including my teaching experience on my application adds an "unnecessary element of risk," meaning it will add uncertainty about the trustworthiness of my MCAT score.

I am struggling with this choice -- I think that entry includes valuable teaching, mentoring, and leadership experience I am loath to remove, but I hold this advisor's opinion in very high esteem.

When I see this on an application, I don't look at it as an MCAT advantage, except as it keeps the material fresh in your mind (as do MCAT Prep Books/On-line Courses and reviewing old class notes), but rather, that you have so mastered the necessary material, that you can communicate it effectively. A higher MCAT score is a logical outcome. What would look odd, would be a low MCAT score in the disciplines which you teach. To my mind listing this is not risky.

There are a number of SDNers in your same shoes. Hopefully some of them will come by and report their experiences in the thread where you asked the same question in the main forum. Perhaps the weight of some positive outcomes will help you feel more comfortable about including it on the application.

Enter it under a Teaching tag. Or Employment-Not medical/Clinical.

 

[Catalystik]

I am working on my activities section, and trying to figure out whether I could include some (so far) unpublished research. I completed the statistical analysis and conformational editing for a paper that the primary author has not yet sought publishing for because the study design needs some tweaking (ultimately they are probably going to re-do the study with a different design). I put tons of time into it and learned a lot from it but I'm not sure if it belongs in the activities section of AMCAS because nothing actually came of the research. Thoughts?

You can include your contributions in the affiliated Research entry. It sounds like it is far too premature to even call this a manuscript in progress. So don't.

 

[ranstopolis]

When I see this on an application, I don't look at it as an MCAT advantage, except as it keeps the material fresh in your mind (as do MCAT Prep Books/On-line Courses and reviewing old class notes), but rather, that you have so mastered the necessary material, that you can communicate it effectively. A higher MCAT score is a logical outcome. What would look odd, would be a low MCAT score in the disciplines which you teach. To my mind listing this is not risky.

There are a number of SDNers in your same shoes. Hopefully some of them will come by and report their experiences in the thread where you asked the same question in the main forum. Perhaps the weight of some positive outcomes will help you feel more comfortable about including it on the application.

Enter it under a Teaching tag. Or Employment-Not medical/Clinical.

Thank you, I hugely appreciate this.

 

[coffemug]

Determining which way to group and describe my research experience. After undergrad I worked as a research technician in a lab and am listed as a co-author on three conference abstracts/poster presentations. My plan is to add my lab experience as one entry and in the experience description give a concise summary of the labs background, my duties, a one sentence overview of my work, and my takeaway. In the MM section I will expand on the importance of the experience. For the abstracts I currently have a separate entry for each where I intend on writing a 2 sentence synopsis of that particular abstract followed by a citation. Does this seem like an appropriate way to go about it or would anyone recommend a change?

 

[drdpmn]

I scribed for one company at 2 different locations. The specialties and experiences were very different, so I have a lot to say about each. Would it be reasonable to list these as 2 different entries even though my title and employer are the same?

 

[tbonez71]

I was philanthropy chair of my frat for a couple of years... We didn't have an advisor, and nobody at the school I think would know/could vouch that I served this role. This was 3 years ago so most of the people I knew in there have since graduated.

What should I do as a contact? I'm kind of lost on this one, especially since it is one of my MM experiences.

 

[ariri]

Anyone want to help me consolidate/veto my EC list? I've read that you don't want to fill out all 15 slots, so I tried categorizing them instead. Any help is appreciated!
* most meaningful exp
1. Research scientist (main job)*
2. Publications
3. Posters and Presentations
4. Start-up company (side job)*
5. personal and company awards
6. harm-reduction volunteering*
7. diversity committee co-founder
8. Educational Outreach volunteer (a few different organizations)
9. Undergraduate jobs (a bunch of different odds and ends)
10. Undergraduate research
11. Combined shadowing
12. Caregiver experience
13. hobbies

Also, if you're currently with the job/program, do you extend the end date to the furthest date they allow? How do you reconcile that with the hours that you type in?

 

[teamoteamo]

Within one of my most meaningful entries (research classified), I speak to my research internship (425 hrs) and the two conferences + awards that have since followed. Is it alright that I include two different date ranges within the entry (1 for the time of the internship and 1 for both conferences)? If so, does one merely list the hours as the start and finish of the conference itself, even time when I wasn't presenting? Thanks!

 

[856857]

A few questions.

1. Is it okay to only list 2 activities as most meaningful?

2. Should a most meaningful activity be related to a clinical experience? Or it doesn't matter?

3. Most of my activities don't have a timesheet to record hours and I don't remember how many hours I spent on them. Should I try to give a best estimate?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Determining which way to group and describe my research experience. After undergrad I worked as a research technician in a lab and am listed as a co-author on three conference abstracts/poster presentations. My plan is to add my lab experience as one entry and in the experience description give a concise summary of the labs background, my duties, a one sentence overview of my work, and my takeaway. In the MM section I will expand on the importance of the experience. For the abstracts I currently have a separate entry for each where I intend on writing a 2 sentence synopsis of that particular abstract followed by a citation. Does this seem like an appropriate way to go about it or would anyone recommend a change?

That works. An alternative would be to use more than one space to describe separate research projects and then group your Posters/Abstracts all in one slot. There's no "one right way" to fill in the spaces.

You might take a look on page 1 of this thread at post #2, item 20 for other ideas on listing research productivity.

 

[Catalystik]

I scribed for one company at 2 different locations. The specialties and experiences were very different, so I have a lot to say about each. Would it be reasonable to list these as 2 different entries even though my title and employer are the same?

Yes, so long as the hours of each are sufficiently substantial. Be sure the titles you give the space distinguish them enough that adcomms won't get confused about your purpose.

 

[Catalystik]

I was philanthropy chair of my frat for a couple of years... We didn't have an advisor, and nobody at the school I think would know/could vouch that I served this role. This was 3 years ago so most of the people I knew in there have since graduated.

What should I do as a contact? I'm kind of lost on this one, especially since it is one of my MM experiences.

Call the frat and ask if they have records. Or, list a co-officer from your time of tenure (the frat may keep a contact list), or call the Greek Affairs Office on campus and see what records they keep, or list yourself.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Anyone want to help me consolidate/veto my EC list? I've read that you don't want to fill out all 15 slots, so I tried categorizing them instead. Any help is appreciated!
* most meaningful exp
1. Research scientist (main job)*
2. Publications
3. Posters and Presentations
4. Start-up company (side job)*
5. personal and company awards
6. harm-reduction volunteering*
7. diversity committee co-founder
8. Educational Outreach volunteer (a few different organizations)
9. Undergraduate jobs (a bunch of different odds and ends)
10. Undergraduate research
11. Combined shadowing
12. Caregiver experience
13. hobbies

2) Also, if you're currently with the job/program, do you extend the end date to the furthest date they allow? How do you reconcile that with the hours that you type in?

1) The list looks good, though I'm not clear if you have some active clinical experience or not (caregiver=babysitter, nanny, or what?). The activities where you've consolidated are appropriate.

2) The latest date you can extend future hours into would be Aug 2018. I'ts fine to project hours, so long as you're sure it will happen, but be sure to divide future hours from those completed. You can do this
a) with the Repeated feature, making the current month the end of datespan 1, but also the beginning of datespan 2, or
b) you can put only the completed hours in the header and include projected hours and dates in your narrative (a better idea if you're not sure).

 

[Catalystik]

Within one of my most meaningful entries (research classified), I speak to my research internship (425 hrs) and the two conferences + awards that have since followed. Is it alright that I include two different date ranges within the entry (1 for the time of the internship and 1 for both conferences)? If so, does one merely list the hours as the start and finish of the conference itself, even time when I wasn't presenting?

I need more information: That is not a use of the Repeated feature that I've ever seen. It sounds like it could lead to confusion, and depending on why you want to mention the conferences, that's not where adcomms will be looking for it.

Why did you attend the conference? Were they local or distant from campus? Did you have posters or a presentation? Were they the same for each conference? What earned "awards"? Do you have no further room for a dedicated Conferences Attended or Presentations/Posters space?

When attending a conference, the hours claimed are generally those spent organizing the conference or standing by a poster or a podium.

 

[Catalystik]

1. Is it okay to only list 2 activities as most meaningful?

2. Should a most meaningful activity be related to a clinical experience? Or it doesn't matter?

3. Most of my activities don't have a timesheet to record hours and I don't remember how many hours I spent on them. Should I try to give a best estimate?

Thank you for numbering your questions:

1) Yes.

2) It doesn't matter. Pick depending on whether it WAS impactful to you, or if you need more space for description.

3) Get a best faith estimate that adcomms will believe.

 

[teamoteamo]

I need more information: That is not a use of the Repeated feature that I've ever seen. It sounds like it could lead to confusion, and depending on why you want to mention the conferences, that's not where adcomms will be looking for it.

Why did you attend the conference? Were they local or distant from campus? Did you have posters or a presentation? Were they the same for each conference? What earned "awards"? Do you have no further room for a dedicated Conferences Attended or Presentations/Posters space?

When attending a conference, the hours claimed are generally those spent organizing the conference or standing by a poster or a podium.

I attended the conferences out of pure interest in wanting to share my research. One was a national conference and the other was local. I presented the same poster at both conferences, which I also mentioned in my description. I earned both an "Outstanding Poster Presentation" and a merit-based award at the national conference and placed second for my poster presentation in the local conference. I do not have space to separate out into those categories (I'm non-trad), so I kept them together. I could just add an additional 3 hours to my tally since that's the approximate amount of time that I was standing by my poster.

 

[Catalystik]

I attended the conferences out of pure interest in wanting to share my research. One was a national conference and the other was local. I presented the same poster at both conferences, which I also mentioned in my description. I earned both an "Outstanding Poster Presentation" and a merit-based award at the national conference and placed second for my poster presentation in the local conference. I do not have space to separate out into those categories (I'm non-trad), so I kept them together. I could just add an additional 3 hours to my tally since that's the approximate amount of time that I was standing by my poster.

As a thought, is there room left in an Honors/Awards space for their mention?

 

[Luzlin]

I have a book chapter publication where my PI is the book editor and I'm the 4th author for the chapter our lab wrote. The book is still in press to be published in July, and this is my only publication. How would I cite this correctly and since AMCAS won't allow me to put July for publication date, should I put May because we return the proofs that month?

Also, I helped with the editing for all the chapters in that book and my name is in the Acknowledgement for it. Is it worth mentioning under the description for my Research? I spent a significant amount of hours doing that and my PI said he will mention this in the LOR.

 

[Catalystik]

1) I have a book chapter publication where my PI is the book editor and I'm the 4th author for the chapter our lab wrote. The book is still in press to be published in July, and this is my only publication. How would I cite this correctly and since AMCAS won't allow me to put July for publication date, should I put May because we return the proofs that month?

2) Also, I helped with the editing for all the chapters in that book and my name is in the Acknowledgement for it. Is it worth mentioning under the description for my Research? I spent a significant amount of hours doing that and my PI said he will mention this in the LOR.

1) Use the date the book was accepted for publication by the publisher. The citation would be a usual book chapter citation (Google it), with [in press] taking the place of page numbers. Be sure the actual publication date is included.

One example:
APA Style Blog: Books and Book Chapters: What to Cite

2) In the same space, you can add this additional information at the end but only because the LOR will back you up.