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Choosing the Right Category for your AMCAS Experiences

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AMCAS provides 18 categories in which you can classify your experiences. They are

Artistic Endeavors
Community Service/Volunteer – Not Medical/Clinical
Community Service/Volunteer – Medical/Clinical
Conferences Attended
Extracurricular Activities
Hobbies
Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Intercollegiate Athletics
Leadership – Not listed elsewhere
Military Service
Other
Paid Employment – Medical/Clinical
Paid Employment – Not Medical/Clinical
Physician Shadowing/Clinical Observation
Presentations/Posters
Publications
Research/Lab
Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant  

Sometimes an activity can match two categories. When that happens, lean on the clinical categories, if applicable. (For example, if your activity is both Leadership and Community Service – Medical/ Clinical, chose the latter.) If clinical is not relevant, then choose the category in which you have the fewest activities. 

A client who came to me as a re-applicant told me that a school from which she was rejected indicated that they had not counted a clearly clinical activity as clinical because she had classified it differently. Be sure you consider the categories deliberately in crafting your AMCAS.  

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Urgent, Urgent, Urgent, Emergency?

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The AMCAS open-for-submission date came and went, and the question I’m getting now is: Should I panic if I haven’t yet submitted my AMCAS?

The answer is no – and depending on where you are in the process – yes. Submitting on Day 1 precisely is not worth losing your mind over, so if you didn’t do so, please don’t kick yourself. On the other hand, submitting very soon is to your advantage because of rolling admissions.

So, if you are wrapping up your work and have your written materials in a superior state, just keep moving and get your application submitted promptly. If you are behind the eight ball and don’t feel that you can craft outstanding written materials speedily, consider waiting a year to apply. Every season I encounter re-applicants who, during the previous application cycle, submitted their AMCASes in August or September…thus making them re-applicants :(. 

So… on your mark. Get set. Go!

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AMCAS Tips (and Particulars): How to Best Draft Your Work/Activity Experience Description Section

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I’ve had a few clients recently who were confused about the AMCAS Work/Activity Experience Description character limits and how the Most Meaningful Experiences fit in.

Please remember that AMCAS Experience Descriptions can have up to 700 characters (not words!), while the Most Meaningful Experiences max out at 1325 characters. (Note, then, that the Most Meaningful Experiences are separate from the Experience Descriptions.)

Here’s a short blog with AMCAS Work/Activity Experience Description writing tips and another with Most Meaningful Experiences guidance. Good luck!

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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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