AMCAS 2012 FAQs

The 75 page AMCAS Instructions guide (found at www.amcas.org) and the “Help” button at the top of every page of

the AMCAS application, provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for completing your AMCAS application. You

should always refer to these sources to answer questions you may have about filling out your application. You can

also contact an AMCAS representative if you have further questions, or technical issues with the application (contact

information is available online). Please attempt to find the answer on your own before contacting AMCAS or the

Career Services Center.

However, because there are a few commonly asked questions that have UCSD-specific answers, we have created the

following FAQ to help you complete the application:

1. Why do I have to submit a transcript from each school I attended if I transferred credit to UCSD?

The medical schools need to know ALL of the college level coursework you have attempted, so you MUST provide

an original transcript from each school in which you enrolled. Although your TritonLink Academic History page and

your Degree Audit might list the coursework you transferred in, that same coursework is NOT listed on your official

transcript. AMCAS needs the official transcripts to verify that you took the courses, earned the grades, and that

you aren’t hiding other courses that you didn’t transfer.

Your official transcript looks different from your Degree Audit and your TritonLink Academic History. You may

want to get a copy of your transcript from each school you attended to see for yourself what AMCAS will receive.

2. How do I enter my AP or IB credits into AMCAS?

Your official UCSD transcript only lists the total number of AP or IB credits you earned and does not break it down

by subject like your TritonLink history does. You must list it by subject on AMCAS, though. Make sure that the

total number of AP or IB units you enter into AMCAS matches the total listed on your official transcript.

So if your TritonLink history looks like this example, your transcript would read “Advanced Placement Units: 24”

In AMCAS, you will enter all of these units under the first quarter of your first year at UCSD (that’s when UCSD

assigned you the credit) as follows:

3. How should I classify interdisciplinary courses (e.g., biochemistry, HDP, bioengineering)?

You should classify courses based on the primary content of the course. The coursework classification section

under the “Help” button at the top of each AMCAS webpage lists common courses and their suggested

classifications. However, in special circumstances you can deviate from this based on the specific content of your

course. If, for example, you feel that the primary content of a bioengineering course was biological, you can

classify it as “biology.” You need to do this in good faith and consistently (don’t indiscriminately call all of your

interdisciplinary “A” grades “biology” to pad your science GPA) – make sure you could back up your choice with

the syllabus or course description if challenged. AMCAS has the right to change clearly incorrect classifications.

 Create a course name and number to clearly identify

the test and credit you earned

 Classify the credit according to the appropriate subject

 List the grade as “P”

 List the number of units UCSD gave you for that AP

score under credit hours (NOT the number of units you

were exempted from)

 Check the box under special course type for

“Advanced Placement” or “International Baccalaureate

(IB)”

 Repeat these steps to add a new AMCAS course for

each AP test for which you earned UCSD credit (in this

example, 4 tests) to match the total number of AP units

listed on your transcript (here 24).

4. How do I enter my coursework from study abroad?

AMCAS does not accept foreign transcripts, so to get credit for the classes you took abroad, follow below:

If you participated in EAP, the courses you took abroad are listed on your UCSD transcript. You will list both

UCSD and the foreign school you attended under “Schools Attended.” Follow the instructions as you enter the

foreign school to request a transcript exception for the foreign school and indicate that the courses you took there

will appear on your UCSD transcript. List the study abroad course work under the foreign college as it appears on

your UCSD transcript. Do NOT also list the courses under UCSD.

If you participated in OAP sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian university (not UCSD), the courses you took abroad

are listed with grades on the transcript of the sponsoring university. The courses, without grades are also listed on

your UCSD transcript. On AMCAS, you will list the sponsoring institution and the foreign school and UCSD under

“Schools Attended.” Follow the instructions as you enter the foreign school to request a transcript exception for

the foreign school and indicate that the courses you took there will appear on the sponsoring institution’s transcript.

List the study abroad courses you took under the foreign college as they appear on the sponsoring institution’s

transcript. You will need to have a transcript sent to AMCAS from the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution.

You will not list any of the study abroad courses taken under the name of the sponsoring institution or UCSD.

If you participated in OAP that was NOT sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian university, the credits are listed on your

UCSD transcript, but the grades you earned there are not. List the foreign school under schools attended. Follow

the instructions as you enter the foreign school to request a transcript exception for the foreign school and indicate

that the courses you took there will appear on your UCSD transcript. List the study abroad course work under the

foreign college as it appears on your UCSD transcript. Leave the transcript grade blank as there are no grades

listed on your transcript for these courses. Do NOT also list the courses under UCSD.

Check the AMCAS instructions and Help feature for more detailed instructions.

5. In what order should I list my work/experience?

It does not matter. The medical schools will ask AMCAS to provide this information to them in any order they

choose (chronologically, reverse chronologically, by experience type, etc.) Because of this, the order in which you

enter them is irrelevant.

6. What should I include in my work/experiences descriptions? Do I need to use all 15 spots?

Each activity description should focus on what you did in that role. It should list with detail and specificity your

duties, responsibilities and actions and incorporate the context of the activity (e.g., size of the organization,

scope/goal of the project, etc.). Where applicable, include a quick mention of why you chose to do the activity (“To

learn about the practice of medicine, I volunteered in the hospital…”) and briefly – explicitly or implicitly through

description & word choice – what you got out of it.

You do not need to use all 15 spots or all 700 characters to describe each activity. The medical schools are more

interested in the quality of the experiences listed, not the quantity of experiences. You may combine similar

activities (e.g., multiple shadowing opportunities together, Provost Honors and other UCSD academic awards in

one description, etc.) as your specific situation allows. Don’t short change yourself by not fully describing

something or condensing too many things together, but be concise where you can. Remember that the schools

read thousands of applications – don’t make them read unnecessary verbiage.

This year, AMCAS requires you to identify up to three of your activities that were the “most meaningful” to you and

gives you an additional 1325 characters to describe the selected activities. Choose a variety of your experiences

that show your skill development, interest in medicine and motivation. They do not have to be directly related to

medicine.

7. Can I list future activities in the work/experience section?

AMCAS will not let you list experiences with start dates that are in the future. You can include significant future

plans in your personal statement or in a similar/related activity description on AMCAS (e.g., “To continue my

exploration of medicine I will be starting a new hospital volunteer position this August…”). Or you can wait to

inform the schools of your future plans in your secondary applications or interviews.

8. How do I fill out the AMCAS Letters section?

Separate directions for sending your letters to medical schools and filling out AMCAS Section 6 about letters are

available on the Career Services Center website’s Medicine page (http://career.ucsd.edu/undergraduates/thinking-

about-grad-school/medicine.html). Please follow these directions carefully to avoid delays and unnecessary fees.

04/2011 UCSD Career Services Center http://career.ucsd.edu