How to Organize Your Activities on Your Med School App | OldPreMeds Podcast Ep. 259

If you've got a bunch of closely related activities for your med school application, should you group them together into one? Or keep them separate? And how does the optimal strategy vary between AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS? That's what we're covering today!

Our student question this week has to do with how to group and organize a bunch of different research experiences in your medical school application. Should you group them together or list them out separately?

In my answer, I discuss:

• How AMCAS differs from AACOMAS and TMDSAS when it comes to activity slots.
• Should you list all of your research publications in your activities section separately?
• Should you include references for your publications in your med school application?
• How can you emphasize the impact from your research work in your application?
• Should you mark your research as a "most meaningful experience"?

0:00 Introduction
1:56 Student Question
2:35 My Answer

[niajohnson]

Does this advice still apply if you have volunteered on different units at a hospital for 4 years during college? I was just going to mention an experience I had on one of the units for the MD application but I also want to show that I have a lot of hours volunteering in a hospital and I am not sure if I can do both.

[schmo]

Thank you for this! I recently bought your personal statement book, and it’s great Dr. Gray! Just wondering, are you still a practicing physician? Or is this your full time job now?

[MissAblue]

Are the experiences/activites suppose to be listed in order of dates or it doesn't matter?

[hannahdivic]

Quick question for you about clinical experience:
I watched your video on caretaking for relatives as counting for clinical experience, but I am wondering if certain aspects of the RA (Resident Assistant) job count as well, even though it is not initially often thought of as standard clinical experience. I have been an RA in college for the past 3 years, and this has increased my interest in pursuing a medical career path because I see (almost daily) a plethora of student health issues that take a huge variety of forms. I have been trained in and helped students in crisis situations (suicide, eating disorders, family problems, sexual assault, alcohol poisoning, etc.) with a particular emphasis in mental health. Helping students in their daily lives with mental health issues (and more) has led to my interest in psychiatry. What is the best way to include this experience in my med school application? Does it count as clinical experience, and if so, should I break it up into clinical experience around student health and activity experience around social dynamics? Please let me know your thoughts and thank you for the great advice in your videos so far! :)