Struggling with the AMCAS Work and Activities section? In this blog, you'll learn how I composed effective AMCAS Work and Activities entries, including the AMCAS "Most Meaningful Experiences" tips, which activities should be included, and how to maximize the allotted space to create powerful entries. Finally, I'll share 40 AMCAS Work and Activities examples from our own past successful students so you can create your own stand-out entries.


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AMCAS Work and Activities Categories What is the AMCAS Work and Activities Section? How Did I Choose Which Activities to Include? How to Structure Your AMCAS Work and Activities Entries How to Structure AMCAS Most Meaningful Experiences 40+ AMCAS Work and Activities Examples FAQs

AMCAS Work and Activities Categories

AMCAS allows up to 15 activities or experiences with a 700-character limit for each (including spaces).

Three of your experiences can be designated as your AMCAS most meaningful experiences and further expanded on in a separate section with a 1,325-character limit.

Here are the categories you can choose from: 

  • 1.
    ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS

    Any significant experiences or accomplishments in the arts, including fine arts, music, theatre and more.

  • 2.
    COMMUNITY SERVICE/VOLUNTEER - MEDICAL/CLINICAL

    Any volunteer or community services you have that are directly related to medicine or healthcare, such as a hospice volunteer.

  • 3.
    COMMUNITY SERVICE/VOLUNTEER - NOT MEDICAL/CLINICAL

    Volunteer experience that is not directly related to medicine or healthcare, such as volunteering at a food bank.

  • 4.
    CONFERENCES ATTENDED

    Did you attend any academic or research conferences as an undergrad? Detail which ones and what impact they had on your education.

  • 5.
    EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

    Use this category for any academic or non-academic extracurriculars you participated in during college.

  • 6.
    SOCIAL JUSTICE/ADVOCACY

    Any experiences where you “worked in furtherance of advancing the rights, privileges, or opportunities of a person or group of people.”

  • 7.
    HOBBIES

    Special interests or activities you pursue as a hobby that are not related to medical school but reveals something important or meaningful about who you are.

  • 8.
    HONORS/AWARDS/RECOGNITION

    This category includes academic and non-academic honors, awards or scholarships you may have received.

  • 9.
    INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

    This category highlights significant accomplishments and experiences in athletics at the collegiate level. 

  • 10.
    LEADERSHIP - NOT LISTED ELSEWHERE

    In this category you can highlight notable leadership experiences you have, including any leadership programs you completed, or awards received.

  • 11.
    MILITARY SERVICE

    If you served in the military, list it here, along with any distinctions you received.

  • 12.
    PAID EMPLOYMENT - MEDICAL/CLINICAL

    If you worked anywhere in a clinical capacity, such as at one of the best premed jobs, admissions committees will want to hear about it!

  • 13.
    PAID EMPLOYMENT - NOT MEDICAL/CLINICAL

    You can also include non-medical and non-clinical work experience. For instance, if you worked a part-time job during your undergraduate degree.

  • 14.
    PHYSICIAN SHADOWING/CLINICAL OBSERVATION

    Physician shadowing is an important requirement for many medical schools. List any and all shadowing experiences here. If you participated in a shadowing program for premeds include all relevant details.

  • 15.
    PRESENTATIONS/POSTERS

    If you had an opportunity to present your research at any conferences, share what impact you had.

  • 16.
    PUBLICATIONS

    If you have any research experience as an undergraduate and earned any publication credits, list them in this category.

  • 17.
    RESEARCH/LAB

    Detail your premed research opportunities and significant research projects you were involved in. 

  • 18.
    TEACHING/TUTORING/TEACHING ASSISTANT

    If you spent any time as a tutor or teaching assistant, share your experiences in this category!



What is the AMCAS Work and Activities Section?

A major component of the holistic review that most medical schools are moving toward is the AMCAS Work and Activities section. Before we get into the weeds of this section, I want to talk about the WHY. Why is this section important?

This section allows schools to see you as more than a set of statistics and as a well-rounded individual.

The 2 main goals that this section should accomplish are:

  1. For you to highlight experiences that have shaped you to become the individual you are today, and;
  2. Highlight experiences that can make you a great fit for a career in medicine and emphasize why you want to be a doctor.

Now to the more nitty-gritty details of this section:

The AMCAS work and activities section shows up BEFORE the medical school personal statement, so readers will have an insight into some of the activities that are important to you. Then the personal statement will weave these activities together into a cohesive narrative essay. Does the order matter?

Admissions committees will see your experiences listed in chronological order by default. However, they’ll have a choice of how to read these experiences. Some reviewers might rearrange your experiences by category (e.g., a reviewer can rearrange and want to only see your clinical experiences or only volunteering or only your honors or awards) or any other ways.

TL;DR:

Don’t worry too much about the order of your experiences because they will be listed chronologically anyway and rearranged later per the reviewers preference.



How Did I Choose Which AMCAS Activities to Include?

I made sure to include a mix of experiences and hit nearly every type applicable to me. I made it to 14 entries. So no, you do not need to use all 15 entries. Remember that admissions committees are getting hundreds to thousands of applications, therefore it will behoove you to strive for quality of experiences over quantity of experiences.

A good rule of thumb is to try and include these "core" categories that most medical schools are expecting to see:

Clinical experiences

  • Describe your role in the clinical setting in detail, indicating what your responsibilities were and what impact you had on patient care.
  • Quantify and qualify your contributions to the clinical setting. Use narratives to explain to demonstrate how you interacted with staff or patients. Add metrics to describe your responsibilities or skills when possible.
  • Include clinical experiences that showed longitudinal involvement, for instance, clinical scribe experience for a few months, or free clinic volunteering experiences over a few years.

Community service and leadership

  • Share the scope of your responsibilities and any projects you were instrumental in
  • Highlight examples of your leadership or management abilities, and the outcomes of your involvement in an event, project or initiative. Discuss how you overcame any obstacles you faced.
  • Explain how these experiences allowed you to develop your leadership skills

Research

  • Once again, describe your responsibilities and the project goals in detail, quantifying your contributions to a research project.
  • Emphasize the skills you gained and utilized during your research, such as critical thinking or teamwork, and how these were developed
  • Share the outcome of your participation in research, such publications. If there is one research project that you continued over a few years that resulted in publications, posters, or presentations, create a timeline of your accomplishments.

Can you include non-medical activities or hobbies in your AMCAS activities?

Other categories you include will be dependent on your individual interests and experiences as an applicant. Some things to think about in terms of what to include for AMCAS hobbies, and extracurriculars for medical school, is if you can convey in an impactful way the contribution you made or the impact it made on you. For instance, I was a writer for an online magazine that focused on South Asian women’s issues and I did this as an extracurricular activity. I chose to include this under hobbies because I could meaningfully write about what I learned from it (writing skills, interviewing skills, incorporating different perspectives, self-expression), and how it might help me with a healthcare career. 

The qualities that medical schools are searching for in applicants can be identified by looking at the AAMC Core Competencies, which are spread across three areas: 


aamc core competencies


Tips for Choosing Your AMCAS Most Meaningful Experiences

The entries you identify as “Most Meaningful Experiences”, and the way you address those experiences, are immensely important and are under considerable scrutiny by the application reviewers.

The AMCAS Instructional Manual’s tips for Most Meaningful Experiences is as follows:

"When writing your response, you might want to consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the activity, and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation."

For your Most Meaningful entries, do not simply name the positions you held or offer a mere list of qualities, tasks, or roles from that experience. You have more room, and that room should be devoted to forming a brief but compelling narrative. In choosing your Most Meaningful entries, remember to always focus on quality and impact

It’s worth noting that, in composing these experiences, you will still have the initial 700 characters to offer a description of the position itself, so the extra 1,325 characters are used to reflect on the impact of those experiences.

Here's an example of an AMCAS most meaningful entry:

Step 1
Step 2
Complete Entry

Describe the setting and the project, and tangible results

In the summer following my freshman year, I had the privilege of joining Dr. Samuel McMartin's lab. The project examined the impact of X-gene signaling on Alzheimer's protein markers in mice models. My responsibilities as a research assistant and participation in clinical shadowing, where I observed firsthand the practical implications of our research, allowed me to contribute to the lab team's efforts. Presenting our findings at the X conference was a milestone, highlighting the potential of our work. We found that the interaction of X-gene in the neurocellular environment increased the volume of Alzheimer-associated protein markers, advancing the understanding of dementia. (684 characters)


I would recommend making the 3 meaningful experiences in different categories to show variety, but all 3 should showcase deep commitment and investment into something. This is important because a medical career takes deep investment and commitment, so your experiences should reflect that. I would highly emphasize having at least 1 or more meaningful experiences that are a part of your clinical hours for medical school (can be paid or unpaid) where you participated in direct patient care. After all, you are applying to medical school!

The other two most meaningful experiences can be anything that you have a lot to talk about and have shown extensive time commitment to, or have accolades from, or that you truly are passionate about. This can be a sport that you did for several years, an instrument that you mastered, a research project that you participated in for several years that resulted in publications or presentations, or community service work that had you advanced in leadership/responsibilities.

To summarize:Your 3 most meaningful experiences should be ideally from different categories, at least one of them must be clinical in nature, and all 3 should showcase deep commitment or improvement/advancement in some regard, over time.


Here are our tips for how to ace your AMCAS Work and Activities entries!


How to Structure Your AMCAS Work and Activities Entries

I started the work and activities section prior to my personal statement. It was an ongoing process, but this section took me a couple of weeks to a month. I started on it ahead of the application cycle, by keeping an updated medical school CV and modified this document according to AMCAS requirements, after AMCAS opened.

I would recommend as you are going through your college and/or gap year before medical school, to keep up an updated CV or resume that has some of the above categories as headings. Then, as you go through your premed years, I would add those experiences to a document. This can serve as a good tool for you to visually see where you have strong experience already, where you can bolster your application more, and where you feel like you want to further deepen your interests.

For each experience on your resume, I would include some basic details like:

  • When you started the experience, and how long you’ve been doing it
  • Organization name
  • A contact name/email
  • Location of the experience
  • Total hours
  • A brief description of the role, responsibilities, and any metrics that highlight your accomplishments during this experience.
  • If you’re including clinical experience, I would recommend keeping a journal of memorable cases or interactions you had either with patients or staff.

Here are some tips on drafting your AMCAS activities entries:

  1. Use action verbs: Start each sentence with a strong action verb
  2. Prioritize impact over duties: Focus on outcomes, lessons, and growth rather than listing tasks.
  3. Tailor descriptions: Highlight transferable skills relevant to medicine, such as teamwork, empathy, or problem-solving.
  4. Reflect meaningfully: Include 1-2 sentences on how each experience shaped your perspective or prepared you for medical school.

Here’s an example of a good AMCAS activity entry versus a bad one:

Insufficient AMCAS Activity Example
Stronger AMCAS Activity Example

I joined my university's intramural soccer team as a competitive soccer player. In 2015, I was honored as the top Defender. Soccer served as my outlet for stress relief and balance during my undergraduate studies. On the soccer field I developed discipline and time management, and learned how to be a team player.



How to Structure AMCAS Most Meaningful Experiences

Some tips on including some important experiences if you feel like you’re pressed for space, is to think about how you can group certain experiences or combine them into one. For instance, you could list various presentations and posters under the research lab section if you make a research experience your “most meaningful” because you will have more character count to list all the accomplishments pertaining to that research. Also, if you were a superstar and won multiple awards during a graduation ceremony, under the honors and awards category, you can list multiple in one entry.

Another challenge is how to include sufficient detail to discuss the experience but not go over the character limit. I recommend starting a Google Doc or Word document and creating your draft on that and then copying your content into the AMCAS application after you’ve edited it and made sure it meets the word limit.

How I Drafted My Most Meaningful Experiences

Below is an example of one of my most meaningful experiences which happens to be clinical in nature. I started by giving an overview of where I worked, who I worked with, and my role and responsibilities. I highlighted any unique aspects of the organization, for instance, if it has a unique mission or serves a specific patient population. I would then use the remaining space to discuss any short anecdotes or lessons learned, or the impact you made within this experience. 


amcas work and activities example


Note: I used a patient encounter from this same experience in my personal statement, but in the work and activities section, I spoke about what I did and how I grew from this experience at a higher level. I discussed several lessons I learned and gave examples that showcase the qualities I exhibited. Some personal qualities I highlighted are teamwork, resolving conflict, efficiency, and focus on patient education. In my personal statement, I zoomed into a more specific patient encounter where I described what happened and how I assisted. 


40 ACMAS Work and Activities Examples

AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Paid Employment – Medical/Clinical

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AMCAS Activities Example #1
AMCAS Activities Example #2
AMCAS Activities Example #3
AMCAS Activities Example #4

Experience Type: Paid Employment – Medical/Clinical

Experience Name: Emergency Department (ED) Assistant

Total Hours: 1,400 hours

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

In the ED, I provided constant observation to assigned medical and psychiatric patients, assisted with direct patient care and safely transported patients to and from the department. Being part of a patient care team, I learned that every member of the team contributes an invaluable skillset, essential to the efficiency and success of the department. I played a calming and helpful role during a difficult and often stressful time for the patients. I empathized and worked to develop trusting relationships so patients could work with our team more effectively. Working in this challenging position and with patients with different sets of needs, I have learned patience and compassion.



AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Research/Lab and Presentations/Posters

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AMCAS Activities Example #5
AMCAS Activities Example #6
AMCAS Activities Example #7
AMCAS Activities Example #8
AMCAS Activities Example #9
AMCAS Activities Example #10
AMCAS Activities Example #11

Experience Type: Research/Lab

Experience Name: HIV Research Internship at X University

Total Hours: 900 hours

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

I participated in an Internship at X University through the BioMed Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. I conducted research under the supervision of Dr. X entitled “Exploring Post-Transcriptional Regulation of CCR5 in HIV Elite Controllers". Using a combination of genomic methods, I worked on identifying the genes causally responsible for elite control in patient samples who manifest a distinct mutation for HIV by performing PCR, gel electrophoresis, and CRISPR. At the end of the summer, I presented my research at the SURF Program Symposium. This experience enriched my learning in many subjects, especially in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology.


Looking for premed research opportunities? Here's a quick guide:

premed research opportunities


AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Community Service/Volunteer

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AMCAS Activities Example #12
AMCAS Activities Example #13
AMCAS Activities Example #14
AMCAS Activities Example #15
AMCAS Activities Example #16
AMCAS Activities Example #17
AMCAS Activities Example #18
AMCAS Activities Example #19

Experience Type: Community Service/Volunteer – Medical/Clinical

Experience Name: Volunteering at Z Mobile Clinic in Ecuador

Total Hours: 20

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

I provided education, primary care, and dental care to over 1,000 patients by participating in mobile clinics. I also had the chance to assist in local projects by building staircases with members of the community. I had been struggling with anatomy and considered not pursuing medicine anymore, but my first mobile clinic experience reaffirmed my goal of becoming a doctor. Listening to the patients explain their life stories and struggles to the physicians was invaluable. The opportunity to expose myself to people from new cultures prepared me to interact and communicate with patients from all backgrounds.


Wondering how many volunteer hours do you need for medical school?

how many volunteer hours for medical school


AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Community Service/Volunteer – Non-Medical

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AMCAS Activities Example #20
AMCAS Activities Example #21
AMCAS Activities Example #22
AMCAS Activities Example #23

Experience Type: Community Service/Volunteer -- Non Medical/Clinical

Experience Name: All Saint’s Soup Kitchen

Hours: 20 hours

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

All Saint’s Soup Kitchen provides free lunch on Saturdays to anyone who needs it. I assisted running the kitchen and the dining room. Serving meals for over 100 people every week. They were often homeless, drug addicts, or victims of domestic violence. All Saint’s Soup Kitchen operates like a restaurant, thus teamwork and communication were vital. I was initially overwhelmed, but I learned how to prioritize and to work with my team. While providing them with warm meals, I hoped that their quality of lives would soon improve. It reminded me that doctors play a crucial role in identifying barriers to care and that a multidisciplinary team is needed to connect patients to available resources.



AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Teaching Experience

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AMCAS Activities Example #24
AMCAS Activities Example #25

Experience Type: Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant

Experience Name: Math and Chemistry Teaching Assistant

Total Hours: 273

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

I served as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for Mathematics and General Chemistry. As a TA, I attended class with the students, graded assignments, and held office hours and study sessions. Through my position as a TA, I learned patience and worked with each student at his or her own pace. I came up with new ways to explain concepts that were suited to each student’s learning style. Their responsiveness and the look on their faces when they first understood a concept were the most rewarding aspects of the job. I will strive to facilitate patient education as a physician, making sure that a patient leaves the clinic well-informed with all of their questions answered regarding their healthcare needs.

 

AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Honors, Awards and Recognitions

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AMCAS Activities Example #26
AMCAS Activities Example 27

Experience Type: Honors/Awards/Recognitions

Experience Name: Sophomore Class GPA Award and Merit Scholarship

Hours: 0

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

I was one of two students in the sophomore class of the College of General Studies at X University nominated by faculty for my collected works. The Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning (CITL) selects two students, nominated by faculty, for the Best ePortfolio Award. CITL looks for evidence of student learning and evaluates the quality and quantity of information posted in the ePortfolios. I was also one of ten students recognized at X University College of General Studies for the top GPA of the sophomore class and awarded a merit scholarship for this accomplishment. I continued with my academic success and graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences Magna Cum Laude.


AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Shadowing and Clinical Observation

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AMCAS Activities Example #28
AMCAS Activities Example #29
AMCAS Activities Examples #30
AMCAS Activities Examples #31

Experience Type: Physician Shadowing/Clinical Observation

Experience Name: Clinical Shadowing at Vibrant Health Clinic 

Hours: 6

Most Meaningful: Yes

Description: 

I had the wonderful opportunity to shadow Dr. Kelly Kreisler at Vibrant Health Clinic in Kansas City. I spent the day observing Dr. Kreisler at each of her appointments with patients at the clinic and had the opportunity to see how Doctors work with translators to breach the barrier of language. The experience at this clinic served as an interesting look into how a medical professional approaches handling the delivery of care to patients of diverse backgrounds.

Shadowing Dr. Kreisler served as an invaluable experience when exploring various unique environments within the medical field. Vibrant Health is a clinic in the Kansas City area that serves many individuals who have recently immigrated to the United States from different countries. Dr. Kreisler's specialty is in Pediatrics, where many of the patients she was seeing were young and in the process of acclimating to their new life here in the United States. It was evident how much of an experienced physician Dr. Kreisler was as she seamlessly worked with translators to comprehensively ensure that there were no errors in communication between her and the parents of her patients. A very interesting point in my shadowing experience was seeing how Dr. Kreisler asked her patients and their parents if they were speaking English at home or at school. This was interesting as I didn't even think to consider how socialization played a role in the health and development of these young patients. This really was a lesson for me in seeing what it means to be comprehensive in the care of one's patients. This experience was truly memorable, from its unique setting to the examples of the sometimes complex nature of doctor/patient interactions. It is an attribute I would hope to bring into my own practice, as I pursue my dream of studying and practicing medicine.


Taking a gap year before medical school? Consider these best premed gap year jobs:

premed gap year jobs


AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Paid Employment – Non-Medical

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AMCAS Activities Example #32
AMCAS Activities Example #33
AMCAS Activities Example #34

Experience Type: Paid Employment – Not Medical/Clinical

Experience Name: Clinical Shadowing at Vibrant Health Clinic 

Hours: 400

Most Meaningful: No

Description: 

I worked as an online and in-person tutor for Varsity Tutors in the Minneapolis area as well as in Lawrence. I tutored everything from standardized tests such as the ACT and SATs to individual subjects such as organic chemistry, biology, and many more. I really loved the experience of teaching my students and made sure that I individualized each student's learning plan and really got to the source of any problems they had with the subject. Teaching is very rewarding, and it pushes me as an individual to have a deep understanding of the content I am teaching and explore new, more effective ways of communicating information to my students.



AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Extracurriculars and Hobbies

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AMCAS Activities Example #35
AMCAS Activities Example #36
AMCAS Activities Example #37
AMCAS Activities Example #38
AMCAS Activities Example #39

Experience Type: Extracurricular Activities

Experience Name: Zeta Beta Tau

Hours: 1,000

Most Meaningful: No

Description: 

I have been a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at KU since my freshman year of attending school in Kansas. The Chapter has a wonderful outreach within the community and having the opportunity to work as Operations Director, as well as serve in the risk management committee during my time as a member allowed me to grow the chapter with my fellow leaders, to double in size as a chapter and achieve the permit and raise 75,000 dollars in funding to build a house on campus. I have been a part of numerous volunteering opportunities sponsored by the chapter and have worked extensively to help make the organization well-rounded and reputable within the community at KU.



AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Leadership

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AMCAS Activities Example #40

Experience Type: Leadership

Experience Name: Philanthropy Coordinator of X Sorority

Hours: 200

Most Meaningful: No

Description:

As the philanthropy coordinator of my sorority, XYZ, I coordinated and executed large scale fundraisers that raised money for our philanthropies: Cystic Fibrosis and Relay for Life. I was responsible for reserving spaces, coordinating between venues, and raising awareness as well as planning ways to get as much participation as possible. During our annual male pageant for Cystic Fibrosis, we raised over $20,000 and had a Cystic Fibrosis patient talk and raise awareness of the tumultuous struggles of this disease. In addition, we raised over $15,000 for one of our sisters who had a Stage 3 brain tumor. By effectively raising awareness and collaborating with many sponsors, the entire community was motivated to contribute.


AMCAS Work and Activities Examples: Social Justice and Advocacy

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AMCAS Activities Example #41
AMCAS Activities Example #42

Experience Type: Social Justice/Advocacy

Experience Name: Climate Activism – WWF

Hours: 3 years

Most Meaningful: No

Description: 

For the past 3 years, I have been involved with the WWF both personally and communally. On the personal side, I have pledged myself to reducing my carbon footprint and supporting wildlife-friendly companies, brands and products in my personal consumption. I have been able to reduce my electricity usage year by year and reduce my personal waste through recycling and composting in a home garden. In the community, I have helped organize numerous fundraising events both in-person and online for the WWF’s worldwide plastic reduction initiative. I’ve also sent multiple letters to my state officials urging them to support climate-friendly policies and legislation.


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"They did a fantastic job with the revision process for my second draft of my AMCAS work/activities section. They highlighted all the good things which helped me understand what to keep and provided constructive criticism with specific in-text suggestions and concept ideas. This greatly helped clean up my wording while still getting my point across. Thank you so much BeMo!" - BeMo student.

"I had my AMCAS work/activities section reviewed. BeMo did a fantastic job giving me ideas for what I should put in certain sections, what I should focus on intention-wise, and how to fix all the things that were confusing. For the confusing stuff, they recommended either removing or rewriting it with specific suggestions. They also highlighted the good things I did, which helped me understand what specific things I should keep and the theme I should continue with. Fantastic revision help, thank you, BeMo." - BeMo student.

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FAQs

1. What are the AMCAS Work and Activities categories?
  • Artistic Endeavors
  • Community Service/Volunteer - Medical/Clinical
  • Community Service/Volunteer - Non Medical/Clinical
  • Conferences Attended
  • Extracurricular Activities
  • Social Justice/Advocacy
  • Hobbies
  • Honors/Award/Recognition
  • Intercollegiate Athletics
  • Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere
  • Military Service
  • Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
  • Paid Employment - Non Medical/Clinical
  • Physician Shadowing/Clinical Observation
  • Presentations/Posters
  • Publications
  • Research/Lab
  • Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant
2. What is the work and activities limit for AMCAS?

You can include up to 15 experiences with a 700-character limit for each (including spaces).

Should I include all 15 experiences in AMCAS Work and Activities?

Not necessarily, it's much more important to choose quality experiences to include instead of adding experiences just to try and fill up all 15 spots. If every single one of your experiences were significant but you only have 10, that's perfectly acceptable.

3. How do I list my hobbies on my AMCAS application?

AMCAS hobbies and artistic endeavors can certainly serve as a way to set your application apart from others. If a hobby or artistic endeavor has been a big part of your life or part of your identity, it can certainly be included. It's important, however, to ensure that what you want to include is really a significant experience for you. You'll need to demonstrate that your participation has helped shape you as a person, helped you grow, and taught you important lessons.

4. How far back can I go when listing an experience for AMCAS Work and Activities?

You can list experiences as far back as the summer following your senior year at high school. For the most part, entries further back than that are not relevant and shouldn't be included.

5. What should I write for my AMCAS Work and Activities titles?

Activity names should be as descriptive as possible. For example, instead of writing “Volunteer”, “Patient Transplant Volunteer” is more suitable and descriptive.

6. What should I write in the hours section for awards and publications on AMCAS?

Simply enter “0” into the hours section for these items.

7. I participated in an experience more than once, how do I list this correctly on AMCAS?

There is a “Yes” checkbox listed next to the “Repeated?” field. Simply check this box which will then allow you to add up to three additional date ranges for the experience.

8. Should I list an AMCAS experience as most meaningful if I already discussed this in my personal statement?

Ideally, your most meaningful experiences should not be the same as the main experiences you discuss in your personal statement. You could either choose another significant experience to list as your most meaningful or discuss a different experience in your personal statement.

9. Should I list an AMCAS activity that I plan to start in the future?

AMCAS allows you to add future hours for an anticipated activity. Check what AMCAS says as to how much in the future you can include hours (for example, sometimes AMCAS will state you can include future hours up until August of the year you are applying). Ensure that you only include future hours if you are 100% certain you can and will fulfill these, as AMCAS can verify these months after you have submitted the application.

10. What is the biggest mistake students make when filling in the AMCAS work and activities section?

The most common mistake students make is that they spend way too much time describing the activity, and not enough time reflecting on their experience and discussing what they learned or gained from the experience. With such a small amount of space, it's important that only one-third of the description actually describes the experience. Use the remaining characters for self-reflection and lessons learned. If you need help writing your AMCAS application, you can get professional medical school application help.

11. Will admissions committees see my AMCAS Work and Activities section first, or my personal statement first?

They will see your Work and Activities section first.

12. Should I list all my shadowing experiences in one AMCAS entry, or split them across multiple entries?

You can combine them into one entry. This is especially useful if you have a variety of experiences you want to talk about in your Work and Activities section – you do not want to be repetitive. Don’t forget to highlight what you’ve learned in during shadowing as well as what impact you may have had.

13. How should I list publications in AMCAS?

List as many as possible using the AMA format. If a given publication has many authors, list the first three. Your name does not have to appear in the list.

15. Does AMCAS contact verifiers?

Not often—only if they have significant doubts about the activity or the way you’ve described it. However, if they do reach out to verifiers it’s simply to confirm that you were in fact involved in the activity.

16. If I’m a reapplicant, do my AMCAS Work and Activities roll over?

Yes, if you previously filled out an AMCAS application, your experiences will roll over. Just be sure to check all your entries to make any edits or updates, and follow the AMCAS applicant guide to filling out this section.


 


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