How to write a compelling AMCAS Activities section

05 February 2024 - 15 mins read time
Tags: Med Guide

Continuing my series on applying to medical school, today we’re talking about the AMCAS Work and Activities section! I will leave the basics (requirements, character limits, etc.) to the official sources—instead, this article discusses the writing strategies that I used to get interviews at schools like UPenn, UCSF, Mayo, NYU, and Cornell.

Table of Contents Timing Organization Getting Started The Formula Tips

Timing

I applied during the 2023-24 cycle, which means I was aiming to submit the primary application (including both the personal statement and the activities) by the submission date on May 30, 2023. Looking back, I would recommend starting the activities section at least one month before the primary application submission date. Of course, the earlier, the better!

I would also recommend writing the activities after the personal statement. This is for a couple of reasons:

Starting with the personal statement lets you focus on crafting your overall application narrative. Once the narrative is defined, you can continue to reinforce this narrative while writing your activities.
Starting with the personal statement encourages you to use your most compelling anecdotes in the statement (where they will arguably have more impact). Then you can come up with different anecdotes for the activities, to avoid redundancy.

Organization

I drafted my activites in a Google Sheet. You can make a copy of the template here.

Getting Started

Start by reading through a bunch of examples online. Notice which activities catch your attention, and which ones you skim over.

The goal is to put yourself in the shoes of the Tired Reader—someone who has already read dozens of applications today. Because odds are, that’s the kind of person who will be evaluating your application. 😪

So how do we wake up the Tired Reader? That’s where my formula comes in.

The Formula

For each 700-character activity description, I used one of two templates: STAR and insight.

STAR

A Situation Task Action Result (STAR) description (based on the Amazon STAR method) highlights your initiative and impact. It works best for activities where you saw a problem, came up with a solution, and executed it with quantifiable results. In general, if you can think of a way to frame an activity as a STAR, then you should use a STAR description.

Here is the formula:

1 sentence explaining the organization and your role (and optionally, your motivation)
1 sentence explaining the situation/task
1 sentence explaining your action
1 sentence explaining the result (ideally with metrics)
(Optional) 1 sentence explaining an ambition/insight (see Insight)

Keep in mind that this template is just a guideline; you should adjust the number of sentences as needed to best convey your story.

To see this formula in action, let’s try transforming a mediocre description into a STAR description. Here’s an example activity from BeMo:

Experience: Summer Internship Perrigo Pharmaceuticals

In the Summer of 2016, I had the opportunity to intern at Perrigo Company in Crystal Minnesota. I had the pleasure of working in the technical operations department. In this position, I was tasked with the development and refinement of manufacturing procedures, as well as working alongside fellow coworkers in the production of the medications. I was given a degree of autonomy in my role, in demonstrating extensive degrees of both innovation and organization in the projects I was tasked with. Many times, the job was a test of perseverance and patience working as a small gear in the machine. The experience offered a unique insight into an industry behind the medical field and how it operates.

This description has the situation and task, but lacks the action and result. Let’s apply the STAR formula to make it more compelling:

Experience: Summer Internship Perrigo Pharmaceuticals

I worked in the technical operations department of Perrigo Pharmaceuticals. One of my tasks was to refine the manufacturing procedures for medicinal tablets. After identifying a bottleneck in our outsourced packaging operations, I performed a cost-benefit analysis comparing different vendors and wrote a proposal to switch to the optimal vendor. Ultimately, my solution led to a 15% increase in manufacturing efficiency. This experience reaffirmed my interest in integrating business and pharmacology to not only develop therapies but also efficiently bring them to market to maximize patient impact.

How did I make it more interesting?

I described the specific action (proposal) that I took to address the task.
I described the result with metrics (15%).
For my takeaway, I described a future ambition (business + pharmacology for diabetes)—bonus points if the overall application narrative also focuses on this theme.
I still demonstrated autonomy, innovation, and organization without using those buzzwords.

Let’s look at another description. Here’s a research activity from Shemmassian:

Experience: Clinton Lab

In the Clinton lab, I studied SFPQ, which is a human tumor-suppressor protein that interestingly contains both a DNA binding domain and an RNA binding domain. MALAT1 is a RNA that can inactivate SFPQ, potentially leading to tumorigenesis. Our project aimed to develop a procedure to detect levels of MALAT1 RNA in a patient’s blood as a potential early predictor for the presence of circulating tumor cells. Using blood samples, I helped with the PCR optimization protocol, finding that magnesium could reverse inhibition of PCR amplification caused by unknown factors in the plasma.

This research description is strong, but the research gap (situation) could be framed in a more compelling way, and a Tired Reader might have trouble following the technical terms. Let’s apply the STAR formula:

Experience: Clinton Lab

Prior studies have shown that MALAT1 RNA can lead to tumorigenesis by inactivating the human tumor-suppressing protein SFPQ; however, the clinical applications of these findings are unclear. For this project, I developed a procedure to detect levels of MALAT1 RNA in a patient’s blood as a potential early predictor for the presence of circulating tumor cells. One issue I encountered was that unknown factors in the blood plasma inhibited PCR amplification. To address this, I planned and executed a PCR optimization protocol, ultimately finding that magnesium could decrease inhibition of the PCR amplification by an average of 25%.

How did I make it more interesting?

I condensed the technical background into one sentence and omitted some unnecessary details.
I emphasized the research gap (clinical applications).
The original description presented the action (PCR optimization protocol) before the task (reducing inhibition of PCR amplification). I reordered it to put the task first, which makes the problem-solving sound more impressive.
I added a metric (25%) to support the result.

Insight

An insight description highlights your critical thinking and nuance. If you can’t frame an activity as a STAR, then use this formula instead:

~2 sentences explaining the organization and your role (and optionally, your motivation)
~3 sentences explaining an ambition/insight

What makes an interesting insight? When it comes to writing insights, these are the most common pitfalls:

The insight is too vague. A weak way to wrap up a description is with a vague insight like, “Through this experience, I learned how to be compassionate,” or, “I developed my communication skills.” Takeaways like these lack substance. The reader is left wondering, what did you learn about compassion? What did you learn about communication?
The insight is too obvious. Another weak insight is the obvious insight, which look like, “I learned that you have to be compassionate when working with difficult patients,” or, “I learned that teamwork requires good communication.” If a middle schooler wouldn’t be impressed by your insight, then neither would a physician reader.

In order to write interesting insights, I came up with the Although Principle. The Although Principle states:

An insight is interesting if it can be rephrased as, “Although [counterargument], actually [insight].”

In other words, you want your insight to be nuanced.

Let’s see this in action. Here’s a clinical activity from BeMo:

Role: Emergency Department (ED) Assistant

In the ED, I provided constant observation to assigned medical and psychiatric patients, assisted with direct patient care and safely transported patients to and from the department. Being part of a patient care team, I learned that every member of the team contributes an invaluable skillset, essential to the efficiency and success of the department. I played a calming and helpful role during a difficult and often stressful time for the patients. I empathized and worked to develop trusting relationships so patients could work with our team more effectively. By working in this challenging position and with patients with a different set of needs, I have learned patience and compassion.

This description struggles with both a vague insight (“I learned patience and compassion”) and an obvious insight (“every member of the team contributes”).

Let’s apply the insight formula and the Although Principle to make it more interesting:

Role: Emergency Department (ED) Assistant

During the pandemic, 22% of the hospitals in my state reported critical staffing shortages. To help address this need, I became an ED Assistant, where I performed clinical observation, assisted with direct patient care, and transported patients. When the ED was packed, I often faced a tough choice between ensuring each patient felt adequately cared for and swiftly attending to everyone. One strategy I learned to improve patient comfort without adding care time was to deliberately interact with patients on their level, by pulling up a chair next to them or elevating their bed to eye level. Rather than slow us down, these comforting acts ultimately saved time by alleviating patient anxiety.

How did I make it more interesting?

I demonstrated motivation and initiative by describing the need (staffing shortages) that inspired me to take action.
I demonstrated problem-solving by describing a dilemma (patient comfort vs. efficiency) and my specific solution.
I demonstrated an insight that abides by the Although Principle: “Although you might expect reduced efficiency if you spend time comforting patients, actually there are ways to improve patient comfort without adding care time.”
I still demonstrated empathy, patience, and compassion without using those buzzwords.

Let’s try another one. Here’s a volunteering activity from Shemmassian:

Experience: Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program Supervisor

Joining a lab as an undergraduate student can be intimidating. This program helps transition students into this formidable experience by pairing over 30 mentors and mentees based on major, research interest and other factors. We provide a platform where experienced student-researchers can impart their knowledge and guide mentees through lab responsibilities, time management and coursework among other topics. I create the survey forms, generate mentor-mentee pairings based on select criteria and mentor two students myself! I learned organizational skills but more so, the value of a mentor-mentee relationship. I plan to partake in and contribute to similar relationships in medical school.

Again, this description struggles with a vague insight (“I learned organizational skills”) and an obvious insight (“the value of a mentor-mentee relationship”). Let’s apply the insight formula:

Experience: Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program Supervisor

URMP is a program that matches 30+ mentors with undergraduates who are new to research. As the program supervisor, I create survey forms, generate mentor-mentee pairings, and mentor two students myself! Through fostering dozens of pairings, I noticed that the mentees who consistently thrived were the ones who, from the start, had a clear idea of their goals and what they wanted out of the program—regardless of whom they were paired with. With this realization, I launched a monthly workshop for mentees about how to define tangible mentorship goals.

How did I make it more interesting?

I condensed the organization description into one sentence, to make more room for my own contributions.
I demonstrated an insight that abides by the Although Principle: “Although you might expect the success of a mentor pairing to depend on the quality of the mentor, actually it depends more on the clarity of the mentee’s goals.”
I demonstrated initiative by applying this insight to improve the program (pre-mentorship workshops).
Note: If I had metrics related to the outcomes of the workshops, then I would probably prefer to use the STAR formula here (with the task being, say, to address mentee attrition).

Last one. Here’s a teaching activity from Shemmassian:

Experience: WSU FLM Program Supervisor

I lead discussions in introductory cell and molecular biology for ~20 WSU students biweekly. I also serve as a mentor for students from low-income, first-generation or underrepresented minority backgrounds. In April 2018, the department recognized me as FLM of the Month for outstanding student evaluations. In May 2018, I was promoted to be supervisor, where I evaluate current FLMs, hire and develop new FLMs, and act as a liaison between the administration and FLMs. I learned to effectively communicate complex concepts, gained an appreciation for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and leveraged my experience to constructively develop other FLMs.

This description looks great, but it falls flat at the end with a vague insight (and also implies that the author didn’t have an appreciation for disadvantaged students before?). To make the last sentence more compelling, we could replace it with an interesting insight (using the Although Principle) or a future ambition. Let’s go with an ambition:

Experience: WSU FLM Program Supervisor

I lead discussions in introductory cell and molecular biology for ~20 WSU students biweekly. I also serve as a mentor for students from low-income, first-generation or underrepresented minority backgrounds. In April 2018, the department recognized me as FLM of the Month for outstanding student evaluations. In May 2018, I was promoted to be supervisor, where I evaluate current FLMs, hire and develop new FLMs, and act as a liaison between the administration and FLMs. As a future academic physician, I aim to continue this line of work by developing a DEI-centered curriculum that integrates cultural competency and inclusivity training into medical education.

Remember, ambitions like these work best if the overall application narrative also focuses on a similar theme!

Tips

Be as specific as possible when using the phrase “I learned how to _____.” For example, don’t just say, “I learned how to explain complex concepts.” Instead, describe a specific technique that you learned, such as, “I learned that anthropomorphizing molecules is an effective way to help students understand complex chemical relationships.”
Should it sound like creative nonfiction? This is a contentious topic—some advisors like Dr. Gray recommend framing your activities as narrative stories (e.g. “I examined the western blot through bleary eyes…”). Others recommend against it.

Personally, I’m not a fan. As a Tired Reader, I like it when people get to the point. Don’t get me wrong—you can still include personal anecdotes using these formulas (e.g. a STAR about how you helped a patient named Luci find affordable health care)—but I tend to skim when it starts sounding like a creative nonfiction assignment.
Exceptions to the formula. These formulas don’t work for all types of activities. For honors, awards, recognitions, publications, posters, and presentations, a simple bulleted list would suffice, especially if you’re short on space. For most meaningful experience descriptions, you can try adapting the formulas for the longer character limit—but I will discuss most meaningful experiences in more detail in a future post!
How hot should your takes be? 🔥 This is the hardest part of using the Although Principle. You want your takes to be hot enough to be interesting, but not too hot that readers are turned off. That’s why the best insights come from genuine experience—there’s no substitute for the nuanced insights that come from getting your hands dirty and asking tough questions. If you’re concerned, I would suggest discussing with your advisors (especially physician advisors) to get their insights.
How ambitious should your ambitions be? This is also a balancing act: you want to sound as ambitious as possible to impress readers, without sounding naive. Throughout my cycle, I learned to lean toward the side of more ambitious. Just do your research, and make sure that you can back up your goals and why you’re capable if you’re asked in an interview.