More AMCAS Work/Activities Tips

• You are allowed a maximum of 15 experiences with 1325 characters to describe each experience.
• Remember hard returns (enter) count as two characters.
• In general, medical school admission committees place more weight on activities that show dedication over a period of time and leadership.
• The admissions committees look down on repeats.
• Don’t fill the space just to fill the space. Ten stellar activities are better than 15 less-than-impressive activities.
• The AMCAS automatically lists the activities by date but you can be creative with how you list dates to have some control over activity order.

AMCAS Work/Activities

Did you know the AMCAS Work/Activities section is more than just a resume?

The Work/Activities section requires you to categorize your experiences by the following categories:

• Paid Employment— Not Military
• Paid Employment—Military
• Community Service/Volunteer—Not Medical/Clinical
• Community Service/Volunteer—Medical/Clinical
• Research/Lab
• Teaching/Tutoring
• Honors/Awards/Recognition
• Conferences Attended
• Presentations/Posters
• Extracurricular/Hobbies/Avocations
• Leadership—Not Listed ElsewhereOther

This allows you to include many experiences not listed on a normal resume. Some examples:

• Guitarist in a band that created an album
• Attended a toxicology conference in Berlin
• Won a creative writing contest in college
• Completed an Ironman triathlon