without these videos, i would literally make every single mistake that you discuss. Thank you so much

@schmo2109

3 жыл бұрын

im sad i didnt find him sooner lol

@musicmeister1313

Жыл бұрын

"every single mistake" is funny🤣

@mbb1849

Жыл бұрын

💯💯

Pretty much become an author, writer, poet etc and then apply to medical school, (obviously after completing 4500+ hours of scribing, volunteering, research, internship, extracurriculars and extremely difficult coursework maintaining a 3.7-4.0 gpa and 515+ mcat)

@eknoorsandhu2349

5 ай бұрын

It’s 700 characters 😭 like 5 sentences cmon bro

@danix4883

2 ай бұрын

You forgot curing cancer and starting a non profit that has pulled 100 million people out of poverty

@user-wj6pq9go1t

2 ай бұрын

@@eknoorsandhu2349you in med school?

@BrickSTEM-ku1bw

Ай бұрын

@@eknoorsandhu2349 Yeah, how the fuck am I supposed to write about 4 years worth of military experience in 700 characters? I'm debating splitting it into however many different "experiences" it takes to get it all down. Then, if I happen to get an interview and they ask why I have 50+ activities, I fantasize about saying something smart alecky about why they only allow 700 characters but want us to tell a fucking story. Related tangent - AMCAS is an absolute trash application service. It seems like every single step I have to Google how to do it properly so I don't get my app kicked back. And you know what I see when I Google these things? People with the same questions on SDN and Reddit from years back to literally 2002 - present. The shit is not clear and has been minimally updated to fix their trash because they know we have to pay them and go through the process regardless. I cannot wait to finally be in so I can openly talk mad shit about everyone who is part of this scummy, scam process. Another thing - Nobody in their right mind just LOVES volunteering from the goodness of their heart. That's a bunch of bullshit. If they did, you'd see a lot more doctors continuing this sort of activity later in life. Yes, some do - a tiny percentage of practicing physicians. I've had this discussion with many others in the process, and alot of people agree with me. We're just not allowed to talk about it without being incognito. Just be a fake person until you get what you want. Maybe that's why "imposter syndrome" is so rampant, think about it.

@BoxOfCurryos

Ай бұрын

chill out lmfao

I swear to you writing these sections like this NEVER occurred to me. This is actually the most helpful thing ever

Ahh Dr. Gray you will never know how much you have encouraged and helped me, this helped my writer's block SO much. Seriously, thank you!!!

Perfect timing for this video! You gave me the push of confidence I needed to get my activities section finished. Thank you Dr. Gray!

Your channel is one of the most helpful I have ever seen on the internet. You have provided free mentoring for students that may not have any knowledge on how to create an application that will stand out.

Thank you so much for this, this is a great video to release during the midst of med school applications.

love this! the stories are infinitely more interesting than just the list of tasks.

lesson learned: tell stories in the description of activities listed. Don't sell yourself by explaining what you learned from those activities.

This is an amazing video. I was about to make a lot of these mistakes!

Holy shit. I'm a re-applicant, 514 mcat, 3.97 gpa but I feel my writing is lackluster, as well as really writing out how I feel. I definitely needed this. Thanks! 👌

I have been waiting for this!!! So excited!

my shadowing is meaningful, because my surgeon who fixed my acl is who mentored me and guided me into medicine, very impactful in my life

holy cow this is helpful, after watching this I wrote a paragraph on my research and it sounds so much better! Thanks Dr. Gray!

This video is phenomenal! Where have you been all my life?! Lol just bought your book, phenomenal material!

Your channel is a gem! You talk about everything I was doubting about 😍

The video did come in at an opportune time :D

@frantzfudoshian1548

4 жыл бұрын

Right!! Guessing you're a fellow applicant?

thank you Dr. Grey!!! I needed this!

You are truly THE best Dr. Gray!!

Wow, thank you so much for this. I never thought or knew to write this section like this.

Even as a pre-dental these videos are LIFE SAVERS

Hi Dr. Gray, could you make a video of your advice to the international students who will apply to US medical schools?

Thank you for these videos! They are getting me through this application. My only question is about research. You say you need a story with them as well and not just list what you did. All the good examples were clinical research where you interact with a patient. What about bench work? Sometimes there isn't really story worthy that happens except you did your responsibilities and liked it. I have a lot of psychology research and I had to make everything as standardized as possible so I honestly couldn't tell you any stories if I wanted to because all the sessions were so similar.

Would love to see a suggestion about how to talk about a corporate job/internship. I haven't found any suggestions online. Corporate jobs don't have cute, meaningful stories about helping Timmy with his homework. Right now I feel like "I helped a rich company get richer and worked 40 hours a week at a cube"

@saoirsemarie2785

3 жыл бұрын

Talk about co workers or customers you resonated with?

@shellyb5014

3 жыл бұрын

Agree.

@benjohnson6636

3 жыл бұрын

Lol a little late, but I felt like I learned a lot about problem solving, innovation, and working as a team in my non-clinical internships. I think all those things will translate nicely in any medical discipline.

@garrywellman

2 жыл бұрын

Talk about working in a team environment to accomplish shared goals for the company

@MamaWho

Жыл бұрын

@@benjohnson6636 my friend isn't that exactly what he doesn't want us to say haha?

Thank you for your insight! How would we quantify the number of hours for a long-held hobby (like 10+ years)?

This video did come at the perfect time. I'm a senior in high school!

Doing my activities right now. Thank you for the tips!

Thank you so much! Gotta go fix my whole application lol

Can't wait for that Premed book!! Also I am a Supplemental Instructor for my school which is basically a tutor, should I just assume that med school committees know what an SI is?

I have two options for ma any advice; Due to a large staff, provider and patient turnover, in the midst of a pandemic. With no other options, I was to take the role of MA, front desk, and part time manager in my second week. I was nervous, but I knew it was an opportunity for growth and learning. Overtime I built trust that allowed me to manage meetings with Lab representatives as the main point of contact. I was not only interested in the medical side of labs, learning what each biomarker tested, but also in the management that went along with working the Dr. to create custom labs for patients. What I loved the most was the primary care aspect, seeing the progress patients were making over the course of each visit. Second While I loved working all the MA duties, doing injections, taking vitals, writing the subjective, and creating custom lab panels with the DR. and lab reps for patients. My favorite task was working with the little kids. Most of the patients were adults, so taking care of a newborn or a child was a treat. Being the only male and a 22-year-old college student at that, no one expected me to be the one warm and fuzzy person that played with the tiaras and princess dresses when three young girls came in. Growing up with two sisters this was my wheelhouse. I also knew not many kids love going to the doctor; my goal was to make it enjoyable and seeing a smile on their faces confirmed just that.

All I can say is THANK YOU!!!

Thanks so much for this video!

Thanks for your time and the breakdown of the activity section do’s and don’ts. In terms of the hobbies, if it is something you have been doing your entire life, and continue to do at the present moment, how do I go about the hrs? Do I put an estimate of overall hours or should I record the hours I dedicate to my hobby currently?

@MedicalSchoolHQ

4 жыл бұрын

Guesstimate

Hi there! Now some school requires Casper test for students. Do you know any ideas how do well On casper test?

Dr. Gray your like a psychic! I’m spending all day today on these essays and just happened to see if you had a video on them during my break lol

Hi! I want to make one of my shadowing experiences my most meaningful. I know that is not traditional or even recommended, but I feel like it genuinely made me feel more excited and interested in becoming a doctor. It was a week long, and I got to shadow multiple different medical professionals. It definitely impacted me. Do you think I can do this without wasting my time, or do you think even if it is my most meaningful I should still pick something else?

This is a very helpful video!

It would be great if there was a video on designating oneself "disadvantaged" on your application. How do I know if I should put disadvantaged status? (because it is always easy to point to someone else who is more disadvantaged). And, if so, what is the best way to use the space they provide you with to explain your disadvantage?

@alexisstockman320

4 жыл бұрын

I believe he has a video on this topic. I watched it today and it was super helpful!

Could you discuss how to approach writing about volunteering during covid19 in the med school app.

Haha this is amazing... Kinda savage Dr. Gray, but 100% helpful! Thank you 🤩

I took a class in undergrad that involved shadowing the professor who was a physician. Outside of shadowing we discussed complex cases and how we each thought it could be approached. Although this was a class can I still use it as an activity?

You’re amazing! You have helped me so much.

excellent thank you Dr Gray

how should we address activities that were cut short by COVID-19?

I would have made all those mistakes if I didn't see this. Thank you for the advice!!!!

Can you list/bullet point poster presentations and publications, or should you tell a story about it?

How is this content free.... great stuff!

Hey! Thanks for the video. I have a question around min 21:45. When the student says she was offered a job, doesn't that show that she was likely trustworthy and diligent without her explicitly saying it?

Hi Dr. Gray, I have a question on how better to write about about your meaningful activities (extra characters explaining why) vs. when you mention these same significant experiences in your personal statement... How can I write them differently although they highlight a similar impact? Should I present them in a different light?

Hi Dr. Gray or anyone else that can answer my question: Should research publications all be compiled and put in together as one activity? Thank you

Please make a video on how to talk about military experience and service.

Thank you for the extremely helpful content!

Hey Dr. Gray, great video and very helpful. I had a question regarding your view on shadowing being a most meaningful experience. When I shadowed at the ICU it was the first time I witnessed someone pass in front of me, and this had a huge effect on my view of the world and my decision to commit to the medical field. Would you still recommend not listing it as an MME or do you think rare cases such as this are applicable?

I wish I could just spend an hour with you and show you my application lol

We need a TMDSAS example!

Would you recommend this same style when doing apps for medical RESIDENCIES as well?

I think I'll name my son after you. I mean my husband's middle name is Ryan too but still. You rock.

Dr. Gray what’s your skin care routine?! Lolll

@MedicalSchoolHQ

4 жыл бұрын

lol. Genetics?!

@M4cnCh3eze

4 жыл бұрын

@@MedicalSchoolHQ Bruh, that's a question I bet you didn't think you'd get Dr. Gray lol.

Super helpful!

How would these insights/advice translate for Canadian Medical School Applicants, where we only have 150 characters?

Well timed video indeed

I am a non-trad and need to know how far back can my activities date back? I have current one's but I really like some of my older one's.

10/10 video! thanks

If some activities (esp. clinically related) begin our senior years, will your perception be that it was merely checkboxing? The reality for many of us is that we had planned things during this time which was canceled and ultimately had to be postponed until later on.

@MedicalSchoolHQ

4 жыл бұрын

Stuff that was supposed to happen now but missed will be expected. I wouldn’t worry about it. There will be a COVID question for many secondaries and the AACOMAS primary

how can I be a part of the services MSH offers? This will be my third, and final time applying to medical school, and I want to exhaust every thing I can to make sure this really is my last time.

What if shadowing for me was a long-term and impactful experience? Would it be acceptable to put it down as a meaningful experience then? I shadowed a physician for years and worked closely w him on procedures and w patients

I really wish you could destroy my activities section before I hit submit 😩

As an older non-trad, with several research experiences, 10 years as a nursing assistant, etc. how should I approach the activities section? Condense each similar experience under one heading w/randomly chosen Job name/position/location? Multiple for each?

@imgood2023

4 жыл бұрын

Hi I'm a nurse I've had a similar problem. What I have decided to do is highlight a different quality a job/or position brought brought out of me. Example: leadership- shift supervisor, pediatric nurse- compassion ect. If I lumped all my nursing stuff into one box I would be selling myself short. Think about each of your jobs and if you are able to think of a situation that can demonstrate one of your great qualities (teamwork, communication, dedication ect.) Then write that job as a separate activity. Good luck :)

How do you recommend going about activities in TMDSAS?

@jasmineeee2223

3 жыл бұрын

would it be the same way?

hi! Dr.Gray, I am just curious whether it would be good to have a complementary personal statement to EC. As in the stories I talked about in EC can be reinforced by stories in PS or vice verse. Because due to structure and other flow reasons, I decided to opted out to talk some experience in PS but talked about then in EC’s most meaningful section. That would be okay right?

thank you so much!

hey! can you take a look at mine for dental school?

Thank you for sharing these helpful tips. I am struggling with writing about my experiences working with patients (since I am fearful of violating HIPAA). Do you have any content that addresses this topic, as it specifically pertains to the AMCAS application? According to HIPAA, information can't be identifiable. However, this can be subjective, hence my dilemma.

Opening up my OTCAS application and rewriting my experience section from tasks completed (bullet form) into a story takeaway experience.

One question how old make be the activities 5 years is ok

Hello. Do you think being a medical translator over the phone (language line) would be considered clinical experience?

Do we copy and paste from amcas activities right into aacomas activities even though it goes from 700 characters to 600? Would we delete some stuff?

please someone what does he say to do for tmdsas

Thank you so much Dr. Gray. I got accepted to 1 MD and 3 DO schools despite a low MCAT because of all your videos. I was able to write a good apps without anybody but me and help of chatGPT lol. Your advices are gold. I hope every applicant knows and watches your videos to personage their own stories!

Quick question: how would a volunteering in a alternative medicine clinic look on application? We do have to do some vital signs work and close patient contact

@WriteYourAcceptance

3 жыл бұрын

That’s awesome. I would definitely capture an ex of that. Are you applying this cycle?

What do we do as TMDSAS applicants?

Thank you for this incredibly helpful video, Dr. Gray! I have a question that I hope you'll be able to help with. I'm a non-traditional applicant that has spent the past 2.5+ years working in a small, family-owned ophthalmology clinic. The staff is very small and although I was initially hired on as a scribe I ended up taking on a lot of additional roles and "wore a lot of hats" in the clinic and was ultimately appointed the clinical supervisor. My question is this: Can I/should I create separate entries for each role I filled within the office? I understand that it was a single experience at a single facility, but I had 5 different job titles at once (clinical supervisor, scribe/assistant, technician, Eylea specialist, and medical supply manager) and my concern is that I won't be able to adequately convey the impact of each role in a single work/activities entry due to the character limit.

@adegun10

4 жыл бұрын

He has said in previous videos that when you have multiple positions from one "title", you can break it up into multiple activities so that you have the space to describe the other experiences. Just break up the hours accordingly because you obviously can't state the same amount of hours for all the different activities. Hope this helps!

How many stories should we include in our activity statements?

How would you go about writing descriptions for TMDSAS since the storytelling method won't work due to the character limit?

@rubendegto

4 жыл бұрын

my exact question

@benrhodes7725

4 жыл бұрын

Lol my question as well

@stephaniehuffman8821

4 жыл бұрын

Has anyone found a response to this question? I would love to see an example.

Did the book come out yet?

When will your book on the med school application come out!?!?!

@MedicalSchoolHQ

3 жыл бұрын

Don't know yet. It's with the editor now.

Hi! I put three clinically unrelated activities for my most meaningful activities. (Research, study abroad/internship, and teaching). How will adcoms view this? Should I remove one and put a clinical activity instead?

@MedicalSchoolHQ

4 жыл бұрын

Put what is most meaningful to you!

For the most meaningful experiences should we just tell 2 different stories for the initial 700 and the 1350 after?

@gisellegutierrez4223

4 жыл бұрын

I have the same question 🤔

@staydzy

4 жыл бұрын

I was wondering the same thing! Dr. Gray please help us!

@richardouellette4041

4 жыл бұрын

Same. I was just working on that today.

@rachellllhines

4 жыл бұрын

following

@MissMega75

4 жыл бұрын

Following

Hey Dr. Gray, could you make a video about if we should send applications earlier without our MCAT score or to wait for mcat score and then send?

@shelbyr4805

4 жыл бұрын

this is a more personal discretion type of thing. there are pros and cons to both options. it depends on if you have a previous score, if you are happy with that score, if you think there's a chance you might have to re-apply, and etc. i will say that a very common thing pre-meds do if they don't have a score in right away is to choose one school that is way out of their league or that they'd never attend just so their application is verified, and once their mcat score comes in, then they can choose if they'd like to apply to their schools or not. the benefit of this is that you won't be seen as a re-applicant if you do not send them your primary in the first place.

Great video, Dr. Gray! I think a lot of the mindset behind the "sales pitchy" wording is because we want to make sure our point comes across clearly to the adcoms. I guess it just makes me nervous at times that like "what if they don't see how I grew from this experience without me telling them". Do you think it's a good rule of thumb to assume they will be able to extrapolate all this?

@brandoutmusic

3 жыл бұрын

Also does the idea of not selling yourself apply to all parts of the app or only for this section?

my freshman gpa is 4.0, sophomore is 3.98, junior is 2.9 and senior is 3.5. cGPA is 3.6 and science gpa is 3.4.... is it a very low gpa with downward trend? I'm so worried ☹️ Is there any suggestions if I should take master or post-bacc programs? Thanks! (I haven't taken mcat yet. I will take it next year)

Do you have some very faint music going on in the background? It's just there enough that its distracting but not loud enough for me to enjoy it.

In the activities should you use as many stories as possible (if applicable of course)? How does one not go overboard with stories... will too many stories be corny?

@stephaniehuffman8821

4 жыл бұрын

I'm wondering the same thing. I am a non-traditional student with at least 12 jobs between high school and applying. Should I tell a story for each one?

@maureene7138

4 жыл бұрын

Same question as well

Dr. Gray I currently have a fourth year aspiring med school undergrad shadowing me right now for medical school and he had a question I don’t exactly have an answer for. I attended a semester school that ended in may so my transcripts were ready to send out with my application the very first date AMCAS opened, he however ends in the second week of June because he’s on a quarter system. So this is likely that he won’t receive his transcripts until 2 weeks after near the end of June to send in to amcas right away, and his question was how would that impact his application time slot and interview chances if he didn’t submit the first two weeks of applications opening. I feel like that’s a terrible situation for him to be in but I don’t know how to advise him properly

@sh4yfeisty

4 жыл бұрын

AMCAS is delaying medical school transmission for 2 weeks. So instead of sending apps on june 26, they will now be transmitted to med school july 10.

@WillvsFear

4 жыл бұрын

Shayma embaby ah thank you, I’ll let him know so he can have a peace of mind. I can only hope my younger brother can fare the same next year because right now he is in the same situation but will be a junior rising senior by 2021 for the 2022 cycle

I like it, I bought the book 😂

Dr. Gray, The AACOMAS description of a "Healthcare experience" says "...work in a health or health-related field where you are not directly responsible for a patient's care, but may still have patient interaction" and their description of "Non-healthcare employment" is "Paid work done outside of the health care field or a research lab; for example, a retail or restaurant job." This leaves me a little confused as to where I would classify Research or Research work experience? What about research that isn't involved in healthcare at all --such as physics research? Any suggestion, or if you have made a video about this already, would be helpful. Thank you

I think you may have went a little heavy on the noise reduction filter or something. The audio is making me uneasy.

Hi Dr. Gray. My undergrad prehealth committee, including an adcom from my undergrad's MD admissions, suggests we do use this space to include everything we did in order to clarify our role. I understand it's usually basic and straightforward for something like shadowing or tutoring, but a lot of non-clinical or even clinical volunteering roles have many responsibilities/aspects that aren't intuitive to the reader. Unfortunately that space, especially when also applying to AACOMAS, doesn't give way to this kind of storytelling. Most of our spaces may end up being really describing the variety of tasks required for a certain role, or explaining organizations that are unique and specific. What do you make of this situation?

@David-vu1xq

4 жыл бұрын

This is the general advice I have received as well from my pre-health committee. I feel like making a flowery story prevents you from explaining unique jobs or organizations/experiences you've been apart of. For me, it's a challenge to create an easy to read story depicting that I extracted data from 1000s of patient charts as a part of a retrospective study I did for a hospital. Much easier for me to describe the work that I did, which is hopefully impressive for an undergrad.

@BonesBelieber1424

4 жыл бұрын

@@David-vu1xq Right. I understand this storytelling for the PS, most meaningful activities, or even giving basic snippets for super straightforward things like waitressing. It makes sense that readers want a real sense of who you are. But leaving out a lot of stuff that you did for the sake of a story when you have 600-700 characters seems counterintuitive. The one in this video about the child with CP is a sweet story but I genuinely have no clue about this person's responsibilities after reading it. I presume this student wasn't a physical therapist, so what was their actual role there? I gain nothing about their competencies or reflection from their "intensity of emotions" or "joy of her body's buoyancy." It just seems vague and dramatic.

@angieocampo184

4 жыл бұрын

@@BonesBelieber1424 I completely agree ^

@corrie3161

4 жыл бұрын

@@BonesBelieber1424 I think there is a balance and I wrestle with which is the best approach. Don't get me wrong some roles need to be explained more with less stories hands down! Let's take the story about the child with CP again, thinking of the entry as a whole which includes experience type, name, total hours, and org name would that application reviewer / adcomm, who is surrounded by the healthcare field and reads 1000s of applications, need the student to use the few alloted characters to explain what a physical therapy tech does and his/her commitment to their job ? I wouldn't think so because the reviewer sees your total hours and intuitively knows what PT techs do to an extent. And as far as competencies when I read this entry I think regardless of if this student was doing volunteer or paid employment, implementing exercises/activities (probably under the direction of a PT at some clinic or facility) for children with disabilities such as CP shows: Service Orientation, Teamwork, Reliability and Dependability and by the definition maybe even Social skills without saying I am a team player. I have a heart for service. I am hard working. I enjoy my job etc.

@BonesBelieber1424

4 жыл бұрын

​@@corrie3161 If they wrote "PT tech" I agree with you there; I assumed they had just put volunteer. I still don't love the description of "rush of emotions" and joy of buoyancy thing. Therapy pools are common in PT, and maybe it's the English major in me but all I got out of the description was "one of the patients had CP." Almost all volunteering demonstrates being service-oriented and reliability/dependability. Not sure where the teamwork was here either. In my opinion, the story needed more substance to show the student's role and responsibilities, even if through story. I do like the part about the patient fighting the rigidity and it being a specific example, but the reflection and the student's own role is really lacking. Being "struck" by intense emotions was very cliched and surface level here, and saying they want to provide this care makes me ask "why not be a PT?"

So basically throughout all of these activity descriptions no where ever do you need to state what you do in a job persae because it is always obvious and wastes space?

@SatsuiEvilRyu

4 жыл бұрын

Med school admissions committee arent idiots. This is not the same as a resume or applying to a low entry level job.

@SatsuiEvilRyu

4 жыл бұрын

in some examples they did briefly state what they did but the most important part is having an experience to talk about. If you volunteered at a hospital or worked at a hospital and had real clinical experience and not just desk work, include a time where a patient that you deeply remember the most and how it impacted you or how you impacted the patient.

thank you:)