Write your AMCAS work and activities without fighting the counter.

Why the work and activities section is hard

It looks like a form, but it is fifteen small essays. The AMCAS character limit for each description is 700, spaces included. Up to three become Most Meaningful experiences with another 1,325 characters to explain why they mattered. Dates, hours and contacts have to be right for every entry.

Juggling a spreadsheet, a document and a separate character counter, it is easy to lose the latest version, miss that one entry is 40 characters over, or write three Most Meaningful essays that all say "I learned a lot."

Advising offices publish their own work and activities templates and guides, such as those from Yale and the University of Chicago. This builder puts the structure they describe into one private workspace.

What the writing feedback looks for

Simple, transparent rules, not an AI rewrite. You decide what to change.

• Over the limit: exactly how many characters to cut, before you paste.
• Weak openings and filler: "responsible for", "duties included", "I was able to", "a lot of", "various", "very".
• Passive voice: "volunteers were trained" instead of "I trained 6 volunteers".
• No numbers: a nudge to add one concrete figure, such as hours per week or people you trained.
• No reflection in Most Meaningful essays and the personal statement: what you learned or how it changed you.
• Familiar phrases such as "ever since I was" or "make a difference", very long sentences and repeated words.
• Possible patient details: full dates, record-style numbers, room numbers and names with titles are flagged so you can remove them.

Who it is for

• Pre-med students and gap-year applicants writing the work and activities section and the personal statement.
• Pre-health advisors and mentors who want students to send a clean, printable draft for review.

How to draft your work and activities in an afternoon

1. List every experience you might include, then add the strongest 10 to 15.
2. For each one, fill in the type, dates and hours, then write the description. Lead with what you did, add one number, end with what it taught you.
3. Work through the feedback until the entry fits and every flagged phrase is settled.
4. Mark up to three Most Meaningful experiences and write why each one changed you, in 1,325 characters or fewer.
5. Open Overview & checks, fix anything marked with "!", and look at your hours by type.
6. Download a backup, then copy the entries out one box at a time when the application opens.

The builder is preset to the limits advising offices list: up to 15 experiences, 700 characters per description, up to 3 Most Meaningful with 1,325 more characters each, and 5,300 characters for the personal statement (AAMC, Section 5: Work and Activities; AAMC, Section 8: Essays; UChicago Career Advancement). AMCAS also lets you enter up to four occurrences of one experience and shows entries in chronological order. Always confirm against the current official instructions.

FAQ

How many characters is each AMCAS work and activities description?

The AAMC and advising offices list 700 characters for each experience description, and 1,325 additional characters for each experience you mark as Most Meaningful. The builder is preset to those numbers. Limits can change between cycles, so check the current application instructions and change the limits on the Export & data tab if they differ.

How many experiences can I list, and how many can be Most Meaningful?

Up to 15 experiences, and up to 3 of them can be marked Most Meaningful. If you list two or more experiences, AMCAS requires you to mark at least one. You do not have to fill all 15. The builder stops you at 15 entries and 3 Most Meaningful picks, and its readiness check flags a list with no Most Meaningful pick.

Do spaces and line breaks count?

The builder counts every character, including spaces and line breaks, and counts accented letters and symbols as one character each. After you paste into the application, check its own counter once, because some forms treat line breaks or curly quotes differently.

Does the builder write my entries for me?

No. It gives you five prompts to get a first draft down and simple rule-based feedback: passive voice, filler phrases, weak openings, very long sentences, repeated words, missing numbers and missing reflection. The words and the story are yours.

Can I use it for AACOMAS, TMDSAS or PA school applications?

Yes, as a drafting space. Change the number of experiences and the character limits on the Export & data tab to match that application's current instructions. The experience types in the list follow the AMCAS categories, so choose the closest one and adjust it when you paste.

Where are my drafts stored?

Only in your browser's local storage on the device you use. Nothing is sent to MedRise and there is no account. Download a backup file to move your drafts to another computer, and use Clear my data to delete everything.

Start your list today

Free, private and ready in your browser. Load the fictional example to see a finished list in one click.

Education and workflow support only. The Med School Activities Builder counts characters and gives general writing suggestions from simple rules. It is not admissions advice and does not predict your chances. Never include patient names or any detail that could identify a patient. Check every limit against the current official instructions. AMCAS^® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); MedRise is not affiliated with or endorsed by the AAMC. See the terms and disclaimer and privacy notice.