AMCAS Application

Instructions:
In this document is a Brief Outline Of my Work/Extra Curriculars over the last few years for my
med school application in USA and Ierland. the Descriptions need to be a 700 characters each
(15 in total) and well structured. The points I listed offer a description of roughly what i did. If you
have any questions let me know. The ones marked most important need and additional 1325
characters (there will be 3). Please expand on the ideas I have to frame my application in the
best possible light. Also below is the list of things the AAMC looks for in an applicant so it is
important to touch on as many as possible when writing the individual description of each
activity.
this looks like a good guide: http://blog.accepted.com/2014/04/30/
the_experiences_section_how_to_choose/
and here is the description provided by the AAMC:
Here you will enter any work experience, extracurricular activities, awards, honors, or
publications that you would like to bring to the attention of your medical schools.
A maximum of 15 experiences may be entered; however you can enter up to four occurrences
for each experience.
Enter only significant experiences; medical schools are interested in quality rather than quantity.
Work and activities will appear on your application in chronological order and you cannot
rearrange them. However, medical schools can sort your entries and view them in a variety of
orders to suit their specific review processes.
You may identify up to three experiences that you consider to be the most meaningful. If you
have two or more entries, you will be required to identify at least one as the most meaningful.
When you designate an activity as being most meaningful, you will be given an additional 1325
characters to explain why. 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.
I also need the personal statement:
Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school. The available space
for your response is 5300 characters, or approximately one full page.
it is important to draw on my experience (listed blow) to highlight passion to enter medical
school. this is what the AAMC states they look for. so it should touch a little on as many as
possible Interpersonal Competencies
Service Orientation: Demonstrates a desire to help others and sensitivity to others’ needs and
feelings; demonstrates a desire to alleviate others’ distress; recognizes and acts on his/her
responsibilities to society; locally, nationally, and globally.
Social Skills: Demonstrates an awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings, and the ways that
social and behavioral cues affect peoples’ interactions and behaviors; adjusts behaviors
appropriately in response to these cues; treats others with respect.
Cultural Competence: Demonstrates knowledge of socio-cultural factors that affect interactions
and behaviors; shows an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity;
recognizes and acts on the obligation to inform one’s own judgment; engages diverse and
competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship, and work; recognizes and
appropriately addresses bias in themselves and others; interacts effectively with people from
diverse backgrounds.
Teamwork: Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals; shares information and
knowledge with others and provides feedback; puts team goals ahead of individual goals.
Oral Communication: Effectively conveys information to others using spoken words and
sentences; listens effectively; recognizes potential communication barriers and adjusts
approach or clarifies information as needed.
Intrapersonal Competencies
Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others: Behaves in an honest and ethical manner; cultivates
personal and academic integrity; adheres to ethical principles and follows rules and procedures;
resists peer pressure to engage in unethical behavior and encourages others to behave in
honest and ethical ways; develops and demonstrates ethical and moral reasoning.
Reliability and Dependability: Consistently fulfills obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner;
takes responsibility for personal actions and performance.
Resilience and Adaptability: Demonstrates tolerance of stressful or changing environments or
situations and adapts effectively to them; is persistent, even under difficult situations; recovers
from setbacks.
Capacity for Improvement: Sets goals for continuous improvement and for learning new
concepts and skills; engages in reflective practice for improvement; solicits and responds
appropriately to feedback.
Thinking and Reasoning Competencies
Critical Thinking: Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Quantitative Reasoning: Applies quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to
describe or explain phenomena in the natural world.
Scientific Inquiry: Applies knowledge of the scientific process to integrate and synthesize
information, solve problems and formulate research questions and hypotheses; is facile in the
language of the sciences and uses it to participate in the discourse of science and explain how
scientific knowledge is discovered and validated.
Written Communication: Effectively conveys information to others using written words and
sentences.
Science Competencies
Living Systems: Applies knowledge and skill in the natural sciences to solve problems related to
molecular and macro systems including biomolecules, molecules, cells, and organs.
Human Behavior: Applies knowledge of the self, others, and social systems to solve problems
related to the psychological, socio-cultural, and biological factors that influence health and wellbeing.
Sorry I know this was long!!!
American/Irish Med School
Extra-Curriculars
1. MEDLIFE uOttawa Chapter Financial Officer
– First Year Rep – Attending and Contributing to MIDLIFE uOttawa events and fundraisers as a
team
– Sponsorship Officer (2nd year) – Leading a team of 3 students in order to secure sponsorship
and funds for MEDLIFE events
– Financial Officer as of Summer 2015, overseeing all financial activities of MIDLIFE uOttawa
including fundraising and sponsorship committees. Working as a team with other executives
to plan fundraisers, events and contribute to MEDLIFE global fund.
2. First Responder on University of Ottawa Emergency Student Response Team — Most
Important
– Provide Pre-Hospital Care at all Student Federation Events, including 101 (Frosh) Week. Stay
up to date with first response skills and attend trainings to provide best possible care.
– Starting Fall 2105 we will be providing 24/7 emergency medical coverage on campus
– since first year
3. Summer Student University of Ottawa
– Dr. Harper’s Lab Mammalian Bioenergetics Lab: Acquired knowledge of laboratory skills
essential for research in mammalian bioenergetics.
– Examined the difference in oxidative stress observed in mice undernourished in utero as
compared to the control. Worked under a PhD student.
– Preformed gel electrophoresis and western blot techniques.
– Preformed analysis of western blot and high performance liquid chromatography.
– Developed sterile cell culture skills in biological safety cabinet.
– Calculated and prepared standard laboratory solutions
– summer 2014
4. Keenan Research Summer Student at St. Micheal’s Hospital
– Identify patient responses to anti-mediator therapy in order to identify the effects on complex
patients
– Prepared a poster presentation for presentation at the American allergy and immunology
conference “Treatment of a New Disease Cluster: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome,
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome”
– Conducted ethical research and followed guidelines
– sumer 2015
5. Certified Personal Trainer
– Certified as a Canada fitness professionals personal training specialist summer 2013
– Completed personal training course written and practical exams to establish competency in
the fitness industry
– Completed a nutrition and Weight loss specialist course as a part of continuing education
credits with expected data certification September 2015
– 20 hours personal training shadowing experience with experienced personal trainer in
industry in order to complete certification
– Maintenance of healthy and active lifestyle as a part of commitment to healthy living ( I try to
workout and eat healthy myself)
6. Certified Yoga Instructor
– Completed yoga fit Canada yoga teacher training level one.
– Establish safe and effective standard practice to teach yoga
– Completed 20 hour course in order to gain necessary skill set for effective practice
– summer 2014
7. Red Cross Certified First Responder
– completed requirements for 40 hour red cross first responder course
– learned pre-hospital care at first responder level
– safe standard of practice
– honed first aid skills
– summer 2015
8. Music Lessons
– Studying Guitar since grade 9, with a music teacher
– Preformed small acoustic shows with a singer during last year of high school and summer.
they were all for local charities
– working towards preforming a set at a charity show as a singer songwriter
– currently taking guitar and singing lessons and sharpening skills as a singer songwriter
– have learned trumpet, drums and flute also
9. Physician Shadowing
– shadowed family doctor for 2 weeks at albion finch medical center. learned about patient care
and daily activities of being a doctor summer 2014
– one day with nephrologist at an endocrinology and diabetes clinic. was able to gain a more
holistic view of healthcare with a specialist summer 2014
– one day with a general surgeon in a rural hospital to learn about general surgery and about
healthcare in a rural setting summer 2015
10. MEDLIFE Volunteer Trip to Lima Peru — Most important
– volunteered in mobile clinics in lima peru.
– helped with patient care, shadowed physicians and dentists
– educated patients on proper hygiene
– built staircases to help people navigate steep hills of the outskirts of lima
– very fulfilling to interact with low income families
– summer 2015
11. Member of uOttawa Intramural Sports League
– played volleyball and soccer in winter 2014 and 2015 receptively
– won the league in soccer
– cooperation with teammates, leaderships skills
12. University of Ottawa Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
– awarded scholarship from university of ottawa to conduct research in Dr. Harper’s lab
– examined the effects of insulin treatment on primary mouse myoblasts and a c2c12 cancer
cell line
– established sterile tequniquee in biological safe cabinet
– honed cell culture skills and learned to effectively use high performance liquid
chromatography
– project cumulated in a research poster
– 2nd year
13. Ottawa Mission – Most Important
– worked in homeless shelter kitchen
– worked with other volunteers and mission staff to prove aid to ottawa’s homeless
– starting working the hospice on site in the fall
– for the last year
14. Clinical Trial Research Assistant
– worked with physicians and research coordinators to conduct clinical trials at albion finch
medical center.
– learned about how clinical trials are done
– interacted with patients
– learned to take blood pressure and ECG
– during and after grade 12
15. Pharmacy Assistant
– worked with pharmacist and pharmacy techs
– attention to detail
– helped patients
– delivered quality care
– since grade 12