Listing Experiences

I have a couple of questions about filling in the “Experience” section of the AMCAS.
Question #1
- Every Monday night for the last eight months, I have picked up a woman who was mildly disabled by an aneurysm. She is only 64 years old, but lives with her wheelchair bound mother. I take this woman shopping for groceries, out to run errands or sometimes we just hang out at a coffee shop. I happened into this arrangement, but love that I get a chance to assist these women. Now to my question. It was suggested to me that I include this type of volunteer work on my med school application, but this isn’t a formal arrangement.
Would this be an appropriate volunteer experience to include?
Question #2
- As a researcher, I have a number of published abstracts and poster presentations. I also have a few journal publications with more to come soon (hopefully). Because I find reading someone’s CV to be more boring than watching paint dry, I have considered shortening my list of publications and presentations to only one meeting. For instance, I’ve presented 4 posters at one meeting (for 4 consecutive years).
Would it be appropriate to list only one meeting under my experiences or should I list every single poster/abstract and journal publication?
Thanks,
– Rachel

Rachel, depending on how many experiences you have (you can only use 15), you certainly could use the volunteer experience with the 64 y.o. woman. It doesn’t have to be a “formal” arrangement through an agency.
As far as your pubs and poster presentations, you would condense the 4 presentations into one experience. If you have a number of publications, you would combine them as well so as to not exceed 15 experiences. Sometimes it makes sense to split them up, sometimes not.
Cheers,
Judy

Judy is of course correct on both counts.
1. Report anything you like that says something about you on AMCAS. How do you want the adcom to perceive you. This primary may be all they have so think what impression each new pieces of info adds. Your arrangement with this woman sounds perfectly reasonable to put on there.
2. When it came to the conference presentations etc bit I had the problem that I simply couldn’t fit it all. I therefore just wrote something like “over 100 conference presentations, most recently X” where X was the reference to the last presentation I did just to show I was still doing it. I did something similar with publications (I have been working in research for 14 years). ie you can list it as “one experience” if you choose but I would still give adequate reference for them to find the most recent and list the fact that you’ve done this several times, not just once. Don’t worry, the space isn’t that tight on the app wink.gif

I agree with everything that’s already been said. Let me also just remind you and oldernotwiser briefly that if you are having to condense experiences, and especially if you are having to condense research presentations, then you officially get a big gold star that says “BADASS” on it. Give it to your inner child to wear like a sheriff’s badge in times of doubt. Everyone on this site should have such problems.
As for the volunteering–you can list it. But you can also talk about it in your statement of purpose without listing it. You can also throw it in in interviews. The latter two approaches might be even better in the sense that this reflects something from your heart, that you didn’t start doing and probably don’t keep doing for the sake of your resume. It’s really the statement of purpose and interviews where you spend time talking about what’s in your heart. It’s on the resume that you show off the gold star sitting on top of it.
warmly,
boston joe

Judy Colwell may be able to comment on the advisability of this:
my application pre-dates this part of the AMCAS where you list your various experiences, so my observation is a bit dated… What I did was attach my resume to my secondaries. It may be that schools specifically tell you NOT to do that, since the AMCAS now includes space for that sort of timeline of experience, but IMHO it's worth attaching unless they've told you not to.
And speaking as one who has read a lot of applications, it's a helluva lot easier to read a resume than that damn AMCAS form - much easier to get a coherent picture of what a person has been doing with their life.

The only problem with that is that AMCAS is now ONLY online. sad.gif

QUOTE (oldernotwiser @ Jan 22 2003, 02:04 PM)
Report anything you like that says something about *you* on AMCAS. How do you want the adcom to perceive you.

After reading your replies, I had a moment of clarity, realizing why I had to ask "permission" to list a personal, specific volunteer experience.
The only reason I visit this woman every Monday night is because she needs me and I enjoy it. I felt mention this in my application, using it as a way to prove I'm committed to serving others, would cheapen this relationship.
I am conflicted on how best to show Admissions Committee members who Rachel is. I want to show AdComs that I'm intelligent, committed and a must have future medical student. However, listing these things, putting them out there for others to judge, is very difficult for me. It's also difficult for me to write about WHY I want to be a physician and what qualities I have that PROVE I'll be a good one. I do not want to leave out academic accomplishments or notable, persuasive service work, but I don't want to feel like I've prostituted myself or others just to catch the eye of an AdCom member.
Whether or not I choose to list my volunteer experience with this woman and her mother, I'm betting this one experience will not be what keeps me out of or gets me into medical school.
Thank you all for helping me navigate the application process, as well as the process of living and learning.
-- Rachel
QUOTE (jcolwell @ Jan 22 2003, 03:16 AM)
Rachel, depending on how many experiences you have (you can only use 15), [snip]

Wow, thanks for the quick responses.
I didn't realize I was limited to 15 experiences. Of course after checking the Instruction Book, it clearly and repeatedly states that - in bold no less. Who would have guessed to check the Instruction Book?
I've been trying to get my $h!+ together so I can apply this summer. I realized how research heavy my application would be if I tried to shove it all in. Then again, I was concerned that limiting my poster/pubs would make me look like a non-productive researcher.
Now that I know there is a limit to the number of experiences, I'm trying to find a balanced way to list them. I am assuming I should list some of my work history in the experience section as well. (The Instruction Book made no mention of where or how to list work history.)
Ready for another round of questions? Good, here goes!
Is it correct that the 15 experiences includes: volunteer experience, work experience, presentations/publications, and awards/honors?
Also, I've been working on my personal statement. (Note: I do not have a finished personal statement.) In my current working PS, I have been writing a pseudo chronology. A few things I've mentioned are rather dated experiences, but experiences that (at this draft of PS) are needed for flow and cohesion. So, my next question is: Should something mentioned in the PS be listed in the Experiences? Or would mentioning it in the PS, then listing it in the Experiences be redundant?
Thanks again
-- Rachel

I am not 100% sure but if you read the instruction book, it states that whatever is on the PS should not be on the experiences because you are just repeating yourself. So, if something that you did was your motivatio or gives insight into why adcoms should pick you over me (he he), then you should elaborate about that on your PS. The experiences (15 of them) include, jobs, volunteering, research, etc. so yes, you will have to put all your research, pubs, posters probably under one experience heading in condensed format. You do not want to put five different experiences pertaining to the same stuff, that just seems counterproductive. For example I have a ton of honors stuff, well I am putting all of those together under one experience, Army/Gulf War will be another, research another, and so on. Once they invite you for your interview then you can for sure elaborate about your reseach and how much you have accomplished, which they will still be able to glimpse via your AMCAS. I think that the PS has to read like a story versus a resume and catch the attention of the adcom enough ,that he/she will want to meet you in person, which I am sure all will biggrin.gif

QUOTE
The only problem with that is that AMCAS is now ONLY online.

(this comment was in reference to my suggestion about attaching a resume)
Sorry, I didn't make myself clear - I wasn't talking about attaching a resume to your AMCAS application; that's not done and it wasn't done even when the application was paper.
What I mean is for you to include your resume in your secondary response. Some schools may specifically tell you not to include anything except the specific secondary stuff, but if they don't spell it out, by all means include it.

Oh I completly missed the part where you said to attach it to secondaries.
Sorry.

QUOTE (Mary Renard @ Jan 22 2003, 11:56 PM)
Judy Colwell may be able to comment on the advisability of this:
my application pre-dates this part of the AMCAS where you list your various experiences, so my observation is a bit dated..... What I did was attach my resume to my secondaries. It may be that schools specifically tell you NOT to do that, since the AMCAS now includes space for that sort of timeline of experience, but IMHO it's worth attaching unless they've told you not to.
And speaking as one who has read a lot of applications, it's a helluva lot easier to read a resume than that damn AMCAS form - much easier to get a coherent picture of what a person has been doing with their life.

As Mary indicates, the "old" (paper) AMCAS was relatively difficult to read unless applicants were thoughtful and somewhat clever about how they listed experiences. The web-based AMCAS with its section on experiences is an improvement, but only slightly IMHO.
As far as including resumes with a 2ndary application - be careful here. If you have done a reasonable job on the experiences section, you won't need to include a resume. And many schools do not want them. Theory being, if you can't tell them what's important about you in the AMCAS application and their 2ndary essays (if the school has additional essays), then you haven't learned how to communicate well...typically stated "in the space provided." That isn't there just to keep you from going on and on. It's also there to see if you can do it, and do it well. Communication skills are critical in the admissions process.
Also, remember, that "the numbers" (grades/MCAT scores) will help get you a 2ndary. The "non-cognitive variables" (experiences) will help get you the interview. Don't leave important experiences out expecting to be able to discuss them in an interview. There may be no interview. (Also, don't forget, some med schools do "blind" interviews...the interviewer(s) have no access to any part of your file.)
Additionally, the med schools have been able to sort the experiences in any way they wish (or could - presumably this won't change). So, if they decide to sort with the listing of "volunteer-clinical" as their primary sort, and you don't have any, well....
efex is right about not repeating information too much between the PS and the Experiences. Some overlap may have to occur, but repeating information is a waste of characters. (5300 allowed on PS, 510 allowed on each experience discription.)
Cheers,
Judy

Is it only “volunteering” if the person you are aiding is not related to you? I recently asked a person in the current app cycle if I could list assisting my grandmother full-time during her last months many years ago (while I was a teen, I’m 34 today), thinking that the timing thing would be an issue. This person told me that the timing makes no difference, but since this was a relative and not through some formal organization, that I should not list it, and should rather use it in the personal statment. Another person I spoke to told me that timing IS an issue, and that med schools only want stuff you have done in the last few years. Well, aside from two research projects on campus, the only thing I have been doing is school, kids, husband and house! Should I consider taking a year off from applying to do other stuff? I planned to work in a research lab after I graduate (We need the $$$!) and take one class/semester to boost GPA, but…if too few clinically-related activities will result in no interviews, should this be done instead of the classes? Not working is NOT an option.

If I read you correctly, you have 2 recent research projects on campus. That sounds like pretty good experience to me. If you have the time to volunteer for 4 hrs/week at a hosp. or someplace like that, it would be useful. However, it sounds like you already have a lot on your plate with 2 projects plus school and family.
I would venture to say that you are in good shape with your EC's.
I've read that volunteering at your church or other community-type work counts as well. You are showing your commitment to helping others, it doesn't have to be medical.
Good luck!
Theresa