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AMCAS: Frequently Asked Questions Some general points to bear in mind: AMCAS has a great Help menu; it would be a good idea to read the introduction before you start, and that should be the first place you consult if you have further questions. Remember that medical schools initially will only know you through your AMCAS application, so you should think carefully about how you present yourself. This means making sure that you write in complete sentences, and pay attention to details like punctuation and capitalization—but it also means that you should think about how you present yourself, and what you want to emphasize. Be aware that once you submit an application (the point at which you pay), you cannot go back and make changes (with the exceptions of updating your contact information, and adding more schools you wish to apply to). So make sure you proofread everything carefully. You can print the application out to do so (use the button on the main menu page). *** You need to print out and submit to us a draft of your application by June 1 (of course you can make changes and submit it to AMCAS later than that). Once you have done that, you don’t need to get anything further from us before you apply. This draft is not for us to proofread or critique, but is for our records as we write your letters. The draft can be printed from the Main Menu of your application (not the summary of each section.) Also, please check the box that releases information to your advisors at Penn. This will be very helpful for future applicants—you may have benefited from statistics collected this way yourself.
How many transcripts should I request? You only need to request one copy of each of your transcripts, and have it sent directly to AMCAS. You might perhaps want to have a transcript sent to yourself, just to be sure it goes out, and that it is correct. How should I request my transcript? In requesting a transcript you should use the form AMCAS provides—see the “Print Transcript Request” button on the main menu. Note that to request a Penn transcript, you should also fill out the Penn registrar office’s form (see www.upenn.edu/registrar). Since you should include the AMCAS form (so your transcript can be matched to your application), you should request the transcript by mail or in person rather than via the Web. Do I need transcripts from international schools? What about study abroad? AMCAS will not expect you to provide transcripts from international schools. For how to provide courses for study abroad, see below. If transfer courses appear on my Penn transcript, do I still need a transcript from the school I transferred from? Yes. You will need to send in a copy of a transcript for all U.S. post-secondary schools where you took classes. When should I submit my transcript? Can I request a transcript before I submit my AMCAS application? You can request a transcript before you have submitted your application—but in any event you should wait until your grades for Spring have been posted before you have your transcript sent.
Do I need to convert my credit units to “credit hours”? No; AMCAS will convert them for you. Try to enter your classes exactly as they appear on your transcript. What about study abroad? When you list your “schools attended,” you should list any study abroad program separately—even if sponsored through Penn. In the school name, you should note that the program was a study abroad through Penn. For example, “Kings College, London (Study Abroad through Penn)” How should I list AP credit? List them in your 1st semester, with your year as “freshman” (even though you did them in High School). List your grade as “G.” Check the “AP” box, and put “AP” before the course title. You cannot list AP courses for which you did not receive credit. What about exempt courses? List courses for which you were exempt (because you had otherwise satisfied the requirement)—and did not receive credit—and check the “exempt” box. This is applicable for Chem 53 and 54 for some people. Do seminars count as “lecture” courses? Yes. What should I do about “writing intensive” courses? Enter “(writing intensive)” in parenthesis after the course title if the title doesn’t indicate “Writing.” I’m a junior. Do I need to list courses I will take as a senior? Yes. Make your best guess of courses you will take in the future. Do not exaggerate the number of courses you will take. If you drop courses or otherwise change your schedule later, you can always send an update directly to the schools. This also applies to seniors who plan to take courses after graduation.
Does it matter in what order I list my activities? Should I list the most important first? It does not really matter. Schools can sort your entries themselves anyway if they so choose. You can emphasize some activities over others, however, by how much (and in what way) you choose to write about them. If I’m short of space, can I condense several related activities into one? Yes. You could list various activities under “tutoring,” for example, and then give further details of each one. You could give the date of the most recent. If I have done the same activity over summers, can I list it as one activity? Yes—just specify you did it over the summer only in the description. Does it matter if I list fewer than 15 activities? No. Some people will have devoted a lot of attention to a few activities, and that is fine. What if I was in a student-run organization, do I need to list contact information? No, but you could list contact information for other activities with supervision. Can I include things done for a class? Yes, if you consider them important. You would not list them as “volunteer.” You would include the course number in your description. Examples might include independent research or academically based community service courses. Can I include activities from the summer after high school? Yes—you can include any activities you did after high school. The only exception to listing high school activities would be a case such as if you won a scholarship that you continued to receive while you were in college. Can I include being on the Dean’s List and other awards? Yes—remember medical schools will not see your transcript, so they will not know about Dean’s List otherwise. You should also explain the award—for example what it means to be on the Dean’s List at Penn; it is not the same at every school. The date for the Dean’s List would be May of the year you received that honor. You do not need to list contact information for most honors.
Are MCAT scores forwarded to AMCAS automatically? Yes. What if I want to (re)take the MCAT later? If you know you will take the MCAT later in the summer, after you submit, indicate that you will take a future test (by completing the "Next MCAT" section), and give the date (which you can change later if necessary). Should I wait for grades and MCAT scores before I submit? Yes, if possible, you should wait for grades in your spring courses, and MCAT scores might influence which schools you choose to apply to--but it is not a good idea at all to submit AMCAS later than mid-July. Any time in June or early July is still early enough to submit your application. If you think summer grades will help you, and you want to wait for them—it is up to you to judge if that is worth waiting further for. Early application, though, will usually maximize your chances. What is my legal residence? If you’re still a student, even if you’re registered to vote here, usually your residence is the state where your parents live. If your situation is complicated, it would make sense to check your status with the relevant state school. Will schools know where else you have applied? No—not until next May, at the end of the process. What will the application cost? It costs $160 for the first school you apply to, and then $30 for each school you apply to after that. Thre will then be further fees as you complete each school's secondary application.
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