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

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!

How to Use the MSAR to Your Advantage

The Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) is an online database that allows users to search, sort and compare information about U.S. and Canadian medical schools. (I hate to date myself, but when I was applying to medical school and used the MSAR, it was a hard copy book.) The 2019 MSAR came out last month, and if you are applying to medical school, I'd recommend purchasing it ($28) because it provides so much information about schools and their admissions statistics. The MSAR allows you sort and compare schools by median MCAT scores, AMCAS GPAs, and other criteria. 

You should use the MSAR to help determine which schools are in your range and which are "reach" schools. While it's fine to have a lot of "reach" schools (if you can afford it), it's critical to ensure you are applying wisely to schools that match your numbers. The advantage of the MSAR is that you can make evidence-based decisions. I've found some applicants have eye-opening experiences when they thoroughly review schools' statistics and either realize that their numbers are low and that they should apply accordingly or, happily, that they have numbers that match with top schools. Either way, reviewing the data is critical to good decision making. 

Locum Tenens: A Nontraditional Path in Medicine

For those pre-meds, medical students, and residents interested in creative ways doctors practice medicine, here is a helpful review of a course on obtaining, maintaining, and effectively juggling locum tenens. For those unfamiliar, a medical locum tenens job allows a doctor to temporarily fill an empty slot (e.g. for someone who is on maternity leave). Locum tenens is an opportunity to do some traveling and make some income, but there are some complications you'll want to avoid. Take a peek at the article. 

TMDSAS: The Old and The New

For those applying to medical school through the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), please note that your process is a little different from the AMCAS system: The TMDSAS allows for more expository writing, including the medical personal statement, the personal characteristics essay, and the optional essay. This year, too, the TMDSAS has added on a meaningful activities section, which can include up to three accomplishments, with a 500 character limit each.

The TMDSAS has a different timeline from AMCAS as well. Check it out here. For TMDSAS official application instructions, click this link.  

Yes, I do edit the TMDSAS! Contact me for help.