AMCAS provides 18 categories in which you can classify your experiences. They are:
Artistic Endeavors
Community Service/Volunteer – Not Medical/Clinical
Community Service/Volunteer – Medical/Clinical
Conferences Attended
Extracurricular Activities
Hobbies
Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Intercollegiate Athletics
Leadership – Not listed elsewhere
Military Service
Other
Paid Employment – Medical/Clinical
Paid Employment – Not Medical/Clinical
Physician Shadowing/Clinical Observation
Presentations/Posters
Publications
Research/Lab
Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant
Sometimes an activity can match two categories. When that happens, lean on the clinical categories, if applicable. (For example, if your activity is both Leadership and Community Service – Medical/ Clinical, choose the latter.) If clinical is not relevant, then choose the category in which you have the fewest activities.
A client who came to me as a re-applicant a few years back told me that a school from which she was rejected indicated that they had not counted a clearly clinical activity as clinical because she had classified it differently. So be sure you consider the categories deliberately in crafting your AMCAS.
