AMCAS Application Tips

Transcription

1 AMCAS Application Tips Steps to a strong application Sunny Gibson, MSW Director, Office of Diversity Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine s-gibson@northwestern.edu

2 Read the instructions! You can download an instruction booklet from the web Not following directions can result in error listing classes wrong (which can delay processing) incorrect punctuation in your personal comment section (dead give away that you didn t read the directions first)

3 How you enter it is how we see it How you enter the information matters Do NOT use ALL CAPS Please capitalize proper nouns (street names, your name, etc.) If you put your first name in the last name section and visa versa, that s how it will read There is no spell check in the AMCAS application have someone read it over!

4 Plan your timeline Know the deadlines (May November) Get copies of your transcripts and look them over Request transcripts for AMCAS early Only classes where you ve posted a grade will be calculated into your GPA, so if you want summer semester to count, don t submit until after your grades are posted. Allow enough time to do the application well!

5 Biographic Information Complete each section fully Mailing address list address where mail comes directly to you preferred address Complete parental information even if deceased Ethnicity complete section fully because it can determine eligibility for application or other programs at some schools.

6 Biographic Information Make sure your address is correct and useable long term. Use an appropriate address (not: or please!) Keep your contact information updated throughout the process. This is allowed even after you submit. You cannot change anything else, but you can go back in and add (apply to) more schools.

7 Disadvantaged Status Social, Economic or Educational Disadvantage Is English not your first language? Are you a first generation college student? Did you work to support your family during high school or college? Did you have unique hardships during your schooling?

8 Disadvantaged Status How do schools use it? Some schools do, some don t Different reviewers will interpret the information according to their own experiences and fund of knowledge I ve never heard of it penalizing an applicant when entered appropriately It has various uses according to school and at different points in the admissions process.

9 Disadvantaged Statement Describe how you are disadvantaged use facts, not your crystal ball NO If my father had not been sick, I would have gotten better grades YES My father s illness negatively impacted my performance my sophomore year How you have worked to overcome challenges - skills or lessons learned Generally refers to factors beyond your control (NOT I took too many hours freshman year. ) Be concise

10 Disadvantaged Statement Example My parents do not have an education beyond the second grade and they do not speak English. Consequently they have only been able to offer limited support for my educational pursuits. My parents are both farm laborers, and they have struggled to support our family on their wages. I began working to help support my family at the age of 12; often I had to trade sleep for paid work or school work. Needless to say, I had little time to participate in extracurricular activities. Making it through college on my own economically and emotionally was tremendously difficult. I attended a high school that was known to be one of the lowest scoring in national examinations, so it was not very helpful in preparing students for college. By and large, I have had to struggle on my own to perform in school and understand subject matter. I learned to ask for assistance, seek out any and all resources, and take initiative in my own learning.

11 Post Secondary Experiences Complete all 15 if you can If you don t have enough, evaluate if you are really ready to apply. If you have depth, but not a lot of breadth, that is okay, but be aware that you are competing with applicants who typically have 15 robust experiences. ONLY post-high school experiences with very little exception (it better be both relevant to medicine and extremely big if it is from high school.)

12 Post Secondary Experiences Aim for well-rounded! Choose a variety between employment, research, volunteer, leadership, etc. Combine categories if it helps save space i.e. Put all jobs you had to support yourself in a single category Customer Service Jobs and describe each one more specifically in the space provided below. Don t stretch and list things twice (i.e. research under both employment and publications)

13 Post Secondary Experiences Contact info do the best you can. Leave blank if you absolutely must. Most schools do not verify it, but they all reserve the right to. If the person with whom you worked is no longer there, list the person s name and the organization s general info. Dates List the date range and leave open for experiences in which you are still engaged.

14 Post Secondary Experiences Hours Do not exaggerate (you would be surprised how many people s hours exceed the number actually possible in a week.) Please include only engaged hours if you were a camp counselor, do not include time you were sleeping! Indicate in the description below that the nature of the position was to be on premises for the duration.

15 Post Secondary Experiences Descriptions [this is how I prefer them, other admissions folks may feel otherwise] resume style ACTION words to help describe what you DID. (organized, invented, orchestrated, designed, implemented..) Don t begin all sentences with I we know it is your application avoid repeating information in the description already included in the title ( As a lead cardiology diagnostic technician ) Use the space to describe in detail

16 Description Example NoName University Achievement Stars Program Developed, organized and implemented outreach program for educationally disadvantaged youth focusing on science and math achievement. Secured private funding from various foundations by writing grants and donation letters. Developed community contacts and partnerships in schools, churches, and local businesses. Designed science and math activities for youth between the ages of 10 and 16 by collaborating with teachers and doing research on innovative course design. Adapted and revised activities for non-english speaking youth and recruited bilingual program volunteers. Visited schools on the west side of Anytown, USA to talk to students about participating. Worked closely with NoName University partners to design an evaluation plan for the program in order to examine outcomes, make improvements and ensure long-term funding. Program continues serving over 100 students annually with 25 committed volunteers.

17 Course Listing List courses without all caps (BIOCHEMISTRY vs. Biochemistry) Check for spelling errors or typos Don t abbreviate unless it is listed that way on the transcript (Gen Chem vs. General Chemistry I) Follow the instructions from AMCAS for entering your course information! If you are unsure about the course classification, look it up in the instruction book! Entering incorrectly can delay processing or flag your application for investigation.

18 Personal Comments Crucial part of your application Experiences are about what you did, personal comments are about who you are and why you did those things Get feedback & engage a writing process Begin early (see other tutorial on personal statements) Don t settle for less than your best here!

19 Remember Print out entire application and have someone review it carefully Be sure to save your changes Understand that AMCAS doesn t keep everything from one application year to the next. Save a back up copy as PDF for your records, so if your plans change you haven t lost all that work! Double and triple check your work

20 Remember Don t wait until the last minute to submit! Many students wait too long and submit in September or October. This is allowed, but be aware of the implications for schools with rolling admissions.

21 Premed Tip! Keep a journal/log of important experiences with dates, hours, and contact information. It will come in handy for your AMCAS application. If the person has given you a business card, tape the card inside your journal/log. It helps to also journal powerful experiences you might have along the way that contribute to your understanding and motivation for a career in medicine. The personal statement is a process and having some journal entries can really help get you started on reflection and beginning to put your dreams on paper.