Categorizing Your Activities in the TMDSAS Application
TMDSAS asks that each of your activities be entered in one category - here's how to do that.
Activities CANNOT be changed after submitting under any circumstances. Please be sure that you review all activity entries prior to submitting.
Looking for pointers about your activity entries? Find your questions outlined in the time stamps listed under the video description to receive guidance from the TMDSAS Director. |
Each activity should only be listed in one section of the Personal Biography section of the application. The only exceptions are:
Dr. Kellaway, the Associate Dean of Admissions and Outreach at the Long School of Medicine recommends the following strategy to help you reflect on your activities to come up with your descriptions:
You can write descriptions either as a story format, paragraph, or in bullet points. Unlike other application services, you do not need to enter the contact information in the activity descriptions.
You can also create an outline of your response and then narrow it down to 300 characters so you don't lose the meaning of the message you are trying to tell the schools. Remember, you have a 300-character count so make sure you convey personal attributes and what you learned from the activity within that character count.
Need real life examples of activity descriptions?
Watch from minute 8:03 - 11:03 to hear 3 description examples that Dr. Kellaway shares from previous application submissions!
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The Anatomy of an Applicant from the AAMC shows how activities reflect the core competencies expected of aspiring health professionals.
Advisors/Pre-Dent/Pre-Health Experiences/Pre-Med/Pre-Vet/TMDSAS Categorizing Your Activities in the TMDSAS ApplicationTMDSAS asks that each of your activities be entered in one category - here's how to do that.
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Current Activities are activities you are engaged in up to the application deadline.
Planned Activities are activities you plan to engage in after the application deadline through the point of matriculation (August 2025).
Example: Hospice Volunteer from May 1, 2024 - June 1, 2025.
You are volunteering at a hospice right now and have 10 hours completed by the time you submit your application on June 1st. You will have an additional 30 hours by October 31st 2024 and another 100 hours from November 1st to June 2025.If you currently participate in activities that you plan to continue after the application deadline, you should enter these activities under both Current and Planned Activities. This is also known as "ongoing" activities, so you must use the date breakdowns shown above to show your activity is continuous.
In some instances, you may have engaged in an activity for short periods of time but over a long time span (e.g., volunteering at a summer camp). You may enter these activities in one of two ways:
22:35 - How to enter long-term activities in the application with visuals 23:37 - How to enter short-term or sporadic activities in the application with visuals (e.g., dean's list) 32:22 - How would I list an activity that was long-term but seasonal (e.g., shadowing every summer/winter) and how it would appear on your application. |
WATCH the school panels to see what activities the schools look for and how to enter activities with breaks in between!
Watch the EY 2024 School Panels
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List academic honors, awards, and other recognitions received since graduating from high school. (Veterinary applicants should list academic recognitions since beginning high school.)
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List non-academic honors, awards, and other recognitions received since graduating from high school. (Veterinary applicants should list non-academic recognition since beginning high school.)
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List any leadership roles or positions of responsibility held since graduating from high school. (Veterinary applicants should list activities since beginning high school.) Examples may include leadership roles in clubs/organizations, supervisory roles, etc. In the absence of these roles, you may list leadership qualities you have learned from other opportunities.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List all jobs (paid work experience) held since graduating from high school, including military Paid healthcare activities may be listed here in addition to the healthcare activities section.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List any significant research activities (paid or volunteer) you have participated in since graduating high school. (Veterinary applicants should list activities since beginning high school.)
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List all direct healthcare-related activities you have participated in since graduating high school. For example, these may include: shadowing, scribing, clinical research, serving or working as a patient care tech, a nurse, and any direct observation or participation in patient care in a clinic, hospital, or with a physician or podiatrist in a formal way.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List all experiences where >50% of your time was spent interacting with, or under the direct supervision of a dentist. Dental experiences should relate to dental clinical, shadowing, or health science experiences that you have had with dentists. Include all relevant experiences, whether voluntary, paid, or academic experiences.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here as well as the Dental Dean's session!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List all experiences where >50% of your time was spent interacting with, or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian. Qualifying employment goes here.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List any animal experiences not supervised by a veterinarian, or any other general animal experiences.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List any non-healthcare-related community service or volunteer activities you have participated in since graduating from high school. (Veterinary applicants should list activities since beginning high school.)
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List any significant extracurricular, leisure activities, or hobbies you have participated in since graduating from high school. (Veterinary applicants should list activities since beginning high school.)
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
List any significant extracurricular, leisure activities, or hobbies you have participated in since graduating from high school involving the development and attunement of manual dexterity in small workspaces.
Need ideas writing your activity descriptions? View the information here as well as the Dental Dean's session!
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
Select 3 of your previously listed activities to expand on from any of your activity categories (from each of the [Activities] sections) that were the most meaningful and why.
Use the guidance outlined below to understand the rationale behind this category. Reflect on your activities, focusing not only on what you did, but also on the skills you developed and the impact of your work to create meaningful descriptions that support your overall narrative.
Indicate future activities you plan on participating in between the application deadline and matriculation (August 2025).