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Ten AMCAS Mistakes You Absolutely Want to Avoid

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May 28 (the date AMCAS application verification begins) is only three days away, so as you’re completing your final review of your written materials, here’s a quick and dirty list of AMCAS Work and Activities section errors to avoid at all costs:

1. Don’t write to write, and don’t fill to the maximum character count unless necessary. While you want to include many strong achievements, you do not want your AMCAS to be so wordy that your reader is tempted to skim.

2. While you need to be brief, don’t write in phrases; use full sentences. It’s a formal application, and you want to make your written materials as readable as possible.

3. Don’t assume your reader will carefully study the “header” section (including the title of the activity, hours, etc.). Make sure your descriptor could stand alone: Instead of “As an assistant, I conducted experiments…” use “As a research assistant at a Stanford Medical School neuroscience lab, I conducted experiments…”

4. Don’t be vague or trite. Make sure you spell out your accomplishments clearly and substantively. If your reader doesn’t understand an activity, you will not get “full credit” for what you’ve done. Make no assumptions.

5. Avoid abbreviations. Again, you want to be formal, and abbreviations you think are common might not be familiar to the reader.

6. Write about yourself and your role – not an organization. For example, don’t use the space to discuss Doctors without Borders. Use it to discuss the specifics of your role at Doctors without Borders.

7. Avoid generalities and consider using numbers to be persuasive. Saying that the conference you organized had 300 participants says it all.

8. Don’t merge the descriptors with the most meaningful paragraphs because they are separate sections: You can complete descriptors for up to 15 activities with up to 700 characters each plus up to three most meaningful paragraphs of up to 1325 characters each.

9. Unless your PI won the Nobel, avoid using supervisors’ and/or doctors’ names in your descriptors as they will be meaningless to the majority of your readers.

10. Choose the right category for each activity, so you get “full credit.”

Bonus: Get help. Do not submit your medical school application without having it reviewed by someone with experience. 

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Why the AMCAS Coursework Section is Even More Important than You Thought it Was

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As I mentioned in last week’s blog entry, the AAMC held a helpful webinar on April 14 called “Navigating the 2027 AMCAS Application Cycle for Applicants.” Here are some more take-home messages from the session:

  1. The Coursework area is the number one cause of verification delays.
  2. Ensure you report every course. This means you should report even if you earned no credit, you ended up with a withdrawal, the class was incomplete or repeated, the class was physical education, the class was later removed from your transcript, the course was advanced placement. 
  3. Avoid other common mistakes by following these tips: include plus/minus grades; note that the AMCAS academic year begins with the summer term prior; if a course has both a lecture and lab do not combine them into one entry.
  4. Use the 2027 AMCAS Applicant Guide and the Course Classification Guide if you are unsure how to categorize a class you’re taking.
  5. The BCPM that AAMC calculates is based on information provided by your individual college.

Look for more of my take-homes in near-future blog entries.

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Confused? Check out these AAMC Webinars

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For those approaching the medical school admissions cycle, I noted (at least) two AAMC webinars that look helpful:

First, on April 14 there is a live webinar at 11 AM PST reviewing general AMCAS information, described as follows: This webinar will help applicants prepare for the 2027 AMCAS® application cycle. Participants will receive a walkthrough of the AMCAS application, an overview of updates and changes for the upcoming cycle, and information about available resources to support a successful submission.

Then, on April 21 at 10:30 AM PST there is another live webinar on submitting AMCAS coursework and transcripts. Here’s the description: Submitting transcripts and completing the coursework section are important steps in the AMCAS® application process. This session will help applicants navigate common issues that arise when submitting official transcripts and entering coursework, and provide guidance to prevent processing delays.

Participants will learn about transcript submission requirements and timelines, common problems with electronic transcripts, how to accurately enter and update coursework, and common errors that result in returned applications. There will be time for live Q&A with AMCAS experts.

Both look very helpful.

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How To Craft Stand-out Most Meaningful Paragraphs

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Back in 2012, seemingly out of the blue, a new component appeared on AMCAS®. Applicants were being asked to identify up to three of their most significant extracurricular experiences and support their selections with more writing. The instructions stated:

This is your opportunity to summarize why you have selected this experience as one of your most meaningful. In your remarks, you might consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the experience and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation. 1325 max characters.

Now the Most Meaningful Paragraphs are par for the course, but applicants routinely make a few avoidable errors in crafting them. Here are tips to do your best work:

1) Don’t merge the descriptors with the Most Meaningful Paragraphs; they are separate sections: You can complete descriptors for up to 15 activities with a maximum of 700 characters each, plus up to three Most Meaningful Paragraphs with a maximum of 1325 characters each. The fact that these are two different tasks might seem clear to some, but every year, I receive AMCAS drafts to edit with merged descriptors and Most Meaningful Paragraphs.

2) Don’t use patient anecdotes in your Most Meaningful Paragraphs: Most medical school applicants have patient vignettes to share, which means that a patient story does not distinguish an applicant from the masses of other candidates. Also, these patient stories can sound trite or even inadvertently condescending. Talk about yourself instead. (See below.)

3) Don’t repeat what you’ve written in your descriptor. The Most Meaningful Paragraphs are an opportunity to delve deeper into your achievements. Let’s say you’re showcasing your experience as a teaching assistant (TA) who was promoted to head TA or simply asked to return the next semester. Highlight teaching achievements that propelled you to get the lead position or the return invite. Did you offer an unconventional way of learning the difficult material? If so, what was it? Did you provide service that was above and beyond what was required? If so, what exactly did you do and how did it help your students? Did you get excellent teaching reviews? By delving deeper, you can truly demonstrate the “transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the experience and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation.” Make sure you address at least one of the three topics mentioned in the prompt – transformative nature, impact, and/or personal growth – in your Most Meaningful Paragraph.

Bottom line: The Most Meaningful Paragraphs are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your distinctiveness and worthiness for medical school. Write substantively to make sure you don’t waste the opportunity to further your candidacy.

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Avoid These Ten Common AMCAS Mistakes

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Here’s a brief list of AMCAS Work and Activities section errors to avoid at all costs:

1. Don’t write to write. While you want to include many strong achievements, you do not want your AMCAS to be so wordy that your reader is tempted to skim.

2. While you need to be brief, don’t write in phrases; use full sentences. It’s a formal application, and you want to make your written materials as readable as possible.

3. Don’t assume your reader will carefully study the “header” section (including the title of the activity, hours, etc.). Make sure your descriptor could stand alone: Instead of “As an assistant, I conducted experiments…” use “As a research assistant at a Stanford Medical School neuroscience lab, I conducted experiments…”

4. Don’t be vague, dramatic, or trite. Make sure you spell out your accomplishments clearly and substantively. If your reader doesn’t understand an activity, you will not get “full credit” for what you’ve done. Make no assumptions.

5. Avoid abbreviations. Again, you want to be formal; plus, abbreviations you think are common might not be familiar to the reader.

6. Write about yourself and your role – not an organization. For example, don’t use the space to discuss Doctors without Borders. Use it to discuss the specifics of your role at Doctors without Borders.

7. Avoid generalities and consider using numbers to be persuasive. Saying that the conference you organized had 300 participants says it all.

8. Don’t merge the descriptors with the most meaningful paragraphs because they are separate sections: You can complete descriptors for up to 15 activities with up to 700 characters each plus up to three most meaningful paragraphs of up to 1325 characters each.

9. Unless your PI won the Nobel, avoid using supervisors’ and/or doctors’ names in your descriptors as they will be meaningless to the majority of your readers.

10. Choose the right category for each activity, so you get “full credit.” (Please note AMCAS added a category last year called “Social Justice/Advocacy.”)

Bonus: Get help. Do not submit your medical school application without having it reviewed by someone with a lot of experience. You do not want to showcase suboptimal materials for a process that is this important and competitive.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital. She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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