a last question about unimportant EC

[coralfangs]

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have you guys put down stuff like working out or any other crap that u've spent a crap load of time doing?

for example, i ain't in any competitive sports but i don't want the adcom to think i'm so out of shape or VERY inferior to those athletes, i do work out 6+ hrs a week
well, is physical fitness important?

 

[TMP-SMX]

have you guys put down stuff like working out or any other crap that u've spent a crap load of time doing?

for example, i ain't in any competitive sports but i don't want the adcom to think i'm so out of shape or VERY inferior to those athletes, i do work out 6+ hrs a week
well, is physical fitness important?

I don't think bench pressing 275 pounds during your interview is a pre-requisite for getting into medical school.

Something like that is impossible to spin and would probably seem like you are just taking up space.

They can tell whether you are in shape or not by the way you look. And even then they don't really care unless you are lacking basic motor skills.

 

[legobikes]

I don't think bench pressing 275 pounds during your interview is a pre-requisite for getting into medical school.

Something like that is impossible to spin and would probably seem like you are just taking up space.

They can tell whether you are in shape or not by the way you look. And even then they don't really care unless you are lacking basic motor skills.

yes but it does show a certain level of commitment and also explains away more of how you spend your time when you're not doing the things listed. I'm considering putting it on mine.

 

[TMP-SMX]

yes but it does show a certain level of commitment and also explains away more of how you spend your time when you're not doing the things listed. I'm considering putting it on mine.

If it's something you do totally independently I don't see how it has any bearing whatsoever on gaining admission into medical school.

If you are going to start putting down hobbies I suggest you get more than just working out to add as an EC.

 

[coralfangs]

ya guys, i mean, it can either make u look bad for filling up EC spaces or demonstrate how you are spending the rest of your time
so hard to decide
i mean, there is still a large time gap between one's EC/work and school
considering that you sleep 8 hrs a day, 3 hrs for meals
that's 91 hrs left a week for school and EC

omg, never i am getting too paranoid



ps: gapotts2003, everytime i see your avatar, i wanna smile

 

[TMP-SMX]

ya guys, i mean, it can either make u look bad for filling up EC spaces or demonstrate how you are spending the rest of your time
so hard to decide
i mean, there is still a large time gap between one's EC/work and school
considering that you sleep 8 hrs a day, 3 hrs for meals
that's 91 hrs left a week for school and EC

omg, never i am getting too paranoid



ps: gapotts2003, everytime i see your avatar, i wanna smile

Good. 😀

 

[kevster2001]

I put down webdesign since I liked doing that stuff and listed a few websites i did (nothing impressive but still something i've done before).

 

[AmyO]

I would definitely not put hobbies or activities, like working out on your EC's!!! Save these interesting tidbits for your interviews. I think at almost every interview I had a question like: What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies? Tell me something interesting about yourself. Putting activities that have no significance to medical school or were not organized activities you participated in (varsity athletics, volunteering, shadowing, clubs, etc) will make you look desperate to include anything you can think of. If the interviewer/ad com member has a hard time sifting through non-relevant information when reading your AMCAS, it could leave a bad taste in their mouth. Don't overthink or fluff your EC's. It will be obvious. Good luck!

 

[Law2Doc]

I don't think bench pressing 275 pounds during your interview is a pre-requisite for getting into medical school.

It could help. I actually had an interview where we talked about weight training -- It came up in a discussion of hobbies -- but I would never list it on an application as an EC. Unless you are a competitive or ranked bodybuilder and have won competitions and the like.

 

[Anastasis]

Eh - I thought about putting hobbies down (I swim a ton, read lots of scifi, learn how to cook odd things) but I decided it would look like I was filling up space. Maybe I'll get asked about my hobbies in interviews?

It's really up to you, if it is something important to you, just make sure that comes across in the description.

 

[coralfangs]

I would definitely not put hobbies or activities, like working out on your EC's!!! Save these interesting tidbits for your interviews. I think at almost every interview I had a question like: What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies? Tell me something interesting about yourself. Putting activities that have no significance to medical school or were not organized activities you participated in (varsity athletics, volunteering, shadowing, clubs, etc) will make you look desperate to include anything you can think of. If the interviewer/ad com member has a hard time sifting through non-relevant information when reading your AMCAS, it could leave a bad taste in their mouth. Don't overthink or fluff your EC's. It will be obvious. Good luck!

workout is one thing
but if you are really good at what you do and you have done it for a crap load of years, i don't see why not

so true, anastasis,

 

[Robizzle]

my entire personal statement is about weight lifting and i have no regrets. not competitive/professional either. just dedicated 🙂

 

[mac_kin]

If I were an ADCOM I would look at hobbies as a little sketchy. Anyone could write down whatever they want and make up the actual number of hours they put into it. It really looks better if you include things that are "organized" because they can always double check on those and they feel that you're telling the truth.

I'm sure that out of the thousands of med school applicants, there are those who seriously lack ECs. Some may even include several hobbies to take up space and write down that they "swim for 3 hours each day" or "go running for an hour 6 x per week". Assuming they look like they're in shape at the interview, and know something about the sport, it's hard to say if they are telling the truth.

So in the end it may just give them something to talk about at the interview especially if they share similar interests. Writing down that you swim recreationally for 3 hours each day probably has 0.1% impact on your med school admission.

 

[Bubblehead-to-MD]

ya guys, i mean, it can either make u look bad for filling up EC spaces or demonstrate how you are spending the rest of your time
so hard to decide
i mean, there is still a large time gap between one's EC/work and school
considering that you sleep 8 hrs a day, 3 hrs for meals
that's 91 hrs left a week for school and EC

omg, never i am getting too paranoid



ps: gapotts2003, everytime i see your avatar, i wanna smile

You sleep 8 hours a day and spend 3 hours eating??? Holy crap!

 

[coralfangs]

good points, guys
i felt really insecure about my lack of organized sports haha

 

[greytmedic]

I put down that I was a runner in my EC's under extracurricular/hobbies/avocations. I basically put it because I run marathons and currently am training for Chicago '06. I am not competitive and don't belong to any charity running groups, I basically run because I like it. I did talk about the determination and will power it takes to run a marathon, so I don't think it will be looked at as just filler.

I did have a work experience that I removed before I submitted. I worked a job a couple of summers that I listed. When I was looking over my application it just seemed that it really didn't belong and there really wasn't much to it. I figured that would seem more like filler than my running.

 

[Golfing_Doc]

I included a couple on my AMCAS because they included leadership positions, coaching, mentor, or if I was competitive in it on the HS/College/Amateur level. I think they add a bit more to the app than just research/clinical/grades. If you've competed at something or played an instrument for 10+ years, include it! It's part of who you are and was a big part of your life.