We have been receiving a lot of inquiries regarding the NAQ section of the new on-line application – people asking if they should include a particular activity or experience and if so, under which category should they enter it. We can’t advise you, we won’t tell you – It’s up to you to decide. Please don’t call or email us and ask if X should be under eg Leadership or Service Ethic, or if X should be included at all. Remember you won’t be penalized if you enter information in a “wrong” section – there is no such thing. So don’t worry, choose the activities, experiences and accomplishments which you consider important to your application for the MD Program and enter them where you think appropriate.
Hi there,
I was wondering why the decision was made to limit activities within categories. It seems rather disadvantageous to applicants who have numerous non-academic activities, which in previous years may have been rewarded. While quality is much more significant than quantity, I can’t help but think this proves to be more advantageous for applicants with limited non-academic experiences.
Thank you in advance.
As you say, quality is more meaningful than quantity. We believe the things we are looking for – concern for others, motivation, responsibility, creativity, curiosity, maturity, etc – are most clearly and deeply reflected in significant activities. This is not to say that shorter activities or activities in which you have little responsibility cannot help you develop important qualities, but as in the past, higher scores are generally given to “activities that demonstrate significant levels of responsibilities, initiative, and commitment over activities with minimal duration or degree of responsibility” (from Evaluation Criteria). Chances are that an applicant with many non-academic experiences has several significant, in-depth experiences among them, so he or she would not be disadvantaged against other applicants.
Hello,
Can/should we repeat Employment History and Research activity entries in the Report of Non-Academic Experiences if we feel they fit into the categories, or is repeating information discouraged? Thanks!
Repetition of information of in the Non-Academic section is discouraged. However, use your discretion when completing the application and placing your experiences in the appropriate categories.
What is the deadline for inclusion of NAQ’s, or ie. after what date are we not allowed to include certain activities? Am I allowed to include activities all the way up to the application deadline, or do we cut it in June when the application process starts?
Thank you
The cutoff for the 2012/2013 cycle is June 1, 2012. This means you can’t add any activities that took place after June 1, 2012.
Regarding the research section of NAQ’s, what status do publications require? (i.e. will a manuscript “Accepted for Publication” be considered?)
Thank you.
Accepted for publication is fine. Publications must be either accepted for publication or published (not just submitted).
If we are including an experience such as travel in our NAQ, how should we judge the number of hours allotted to this activity? For example, if I was travelling for a month in Asia, should I include every hour I was there (24 hours per day), only hours I was actively awake (14 hours per day), etc.?
Thank you
Please exclude sleep and travel time from your total hours.
Is graduate research experience (for which I receive a stipend) considered a Non-Academic or Employment activity? Further, should research awards and unpublished presentations (at my university and local hospitals) be organized as independent items or just mentioned within the description of my overall research experience.
Thank you!
Paid research (even paid by stipend) should go in the Employment History section. For your research awards and presentations, it’s your decision how to group them, but please be sure that the description is clear either way to avoid any confusion when we review your file.
How should I fill out total number of hours for scholarships received on a non-academic basis? (I received a scholarship for high school academic excellence and community involvement) Also when filling out a description, should we be using full sentences?
It’s up to you. We’ll be able to see from your description that it is an award so we will understand there isn’t really a specific hour total attached. For filling out the description, you aren’t required to use full sentences, but the description should be visually clear and easy to read.
Hello,
I was wondering how recent the activities/awards have to be. For example, if we have been in post secondary education for more than 4 years (multiple degrees) should we mention high school accomplishments/community involvement in addition to the post secondary involvement?
Thanks
There is no time limit on how far back activities and awards can go, but please keep in mind that we are interested in your most significant experiences. Generally speaking, for most applicants these significant activities take place after high school, but if one or more of your most important accomplishments occurred in high school feel free to include them on the application.