Are there things that are completely off limits for an application/interview?

[ciestar]

I tried not to include this in the title, for some obvious reasons, but anyway..
Are there hobbies in particular you just shouldn't talk about? For instance, I spend much of my free time watching TV. I was essentially raised by a television and that's just something I've never shaken. I have an unhealthy fangirl obsession with Grey's Anatomy… but I feel like I shouldn't mention stuff like this, AT ALL.

What types of hobbies or any other types of things, should we never mention? (Keep it clean, please..my mind went there too when I typed out the question.)

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[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Along the same lines as television, its probably wise not to mention video games as one's favorite hobby. Probably also better to shy away from mentioning involvement in groups centered around controversial topics - ie avoid talking about or at least "water down" involvement in anti/abortion groups, research on marijuana, etc. NEVER talk about the time you got to help with a procedure when shadowing a doc if you had zero qualifications - unethical. Just a few that popped into my head.

 

[Spinach Dip]

THIS:

 

[Shinobiz11]

Probably drugs, alcohol, and sex. That kinda stuff should be obvious. If you wouldn't talk about it at a job interview, don't think they want to hear about it.

 

[ciestar]

Probably drugs, alcohol, and sex. That kinda stuff should be obvious. If you wouldn't talk about it at a job interview, don't think they want to hear about it.

Of course, I'm just trying to stray away from the more obvious stuff.

 

[ciestar]

But, would something like, I enjoy watching sports be acceptable?
I attend many games a year in Philadelphia (whenever I can, but they're all horrible most of the time these days).
Also watch baseball/hockey basically every night it's on. Something different I guess, I'm a female sports hound.
Better than talking about Grey's Anatomy, though.

 

[Shinobiz11]

But, would something like, I enjoy watching sports be acceptable?
I attend many games a year in Philadelphia (whenever I can, but they're all horrible most of the time these days).
Also watch baseball/hockey basically every night it's on. Something different I guess, I'm a female sports hound.
Better than talking about Grey's Anatomy, though.

Of course it would, if they ask a question pertaining to it. Don't try to shoehorn it into an answer because you want to present yourself.

 

[BuffPremed]

Hobbies that you would sell as "amazing experiences." For example, it's cool that you played volleyball with your friends on the weekends but if you tell an adcom "Over 200 hours of constructing, playing, and coaching of volleyball over 4 years with close friends on the weekends while having a full course-load" will just sound ridiculous.

 

[hydroxyurea]

Hobbies that you would sell as "amazing experiences." For example, it's cool that you played volleyball with your friends on the weekends but if you tell an adcom "Over 200 hours of constructing, playing, and coaching of volleyball over 4 years with close friends on the weekends while having a full course-load" will just sound ridiculous.

But what if you were voted team MVP four years in a row and got a LOR from the creepy homeless guy that came to watch girls in short shorts?

 

[hoihaie]

But what if you were voted team MVP four years in a row and got a LOR from the creepy homeless guy that came to watch girls in short shorts?

only if you team won the beach championship

or sleeping - cause we all know thats everyone's #1 hobby heh

 

[NickNaylor]

But, would something like, I enjoy watching sports be acceptable?
I attend many games a year in Philadelphia (whenever I can, but they're all horrible most of the time these days).
Also watch baseball/hockey basically every night it's on. Something different I guess, I'm a female sports hound.
Better than talking about Grey's Anatomy, though.

Not worth talking about in an app, worth talking about should it come up in conversation.

 

[Doctor Dream]

Along the same lines as television, its probably wise not to mention video games as one's favorite hobby.

I was toying with putting "competitive Pokémon battling" on my hobbies list and wondering what SDN's thoughts are.

There's a website dedicated to competitive Pokémon battling with like 15,000+ members, I got pretty good at it last year and was ranked in the top 10 (globally) in one of the tiers. Currently in top 50, lost my edge a little since I haven't played as much It's something I really enjoy though and find myself doing when I'm tired of studying for the night or have downtime on weekends.

Anyways, videogames aren't my life and I'm not trying to pass the top 10 thing off as some great achievement, but I think it'd be something to help me stand out and be cool to talk about (don't think adcoms have seen too many competitive Pokémon battlers )

I'm concerned adcoms might think this is just weird or something though, and be like "Wtf?" instead of "oh that's different!" Should I list it?

 

[2Pints]

THIS:

Well that just rocked my nothing magical world.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

only if you team won the beach championship

or sleeping - cause we all know thats everyone's #1 hobby heh

A doctor's prescribed "need to sleep regular hours" is probably one thing to avoid. Sleep becomes a valued commodity when you're in certain cycles of this education and it may raise a few eyebrows if this is an issue.

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

Am I allowed to talk about giving patients basic tests while working with a doctor I am volunteering with? Nothing is invasive or anything (e.g imaging, eye tests, vision tests, taking IOP). I don't know if I need qualifications to do any of this, but I only have the training from the other (paid) clinical assistant.

 

[baxt1412]

Am I allowed to talk about giving patients basic tests while working with a doctor I am volunteering with? Nothing is invasive or anything (e.g imaging, eye tests, vision tests, taking IOP). I don't know if I need qualifications to do any of this, but I only have the training from the other (paid) clinical assistant.

i wouldn't just to be safe. you can say you helped out/were present, but i don't know that i would say you did these things without any formal training. even if certifications aren't required, training certainly is. they wouldn't hire you as an optometry assistant and give you no training. get what i'm saying?

 

[Osteoth]

I was toying with putting "competitive Pokémon battling" on my hobbies list and wondering what SDN's thoughts are.

There's a website dedicated to competitive Pokémon battling with like 15,000+ members, I got pretty good at it last year and was ranked in the top 10 (globally) in one of the tiers. Currently in top 50, lost my edge a little since I haven't played as much It's something I really enjoy though and find myself doing when I'm tired of studying for the night or have downtime on weekends.

Anyways, videogames aren't my life and I'm not trying to pass the top 10 thing off as some great achievement, but I think it'd be something to help me stand out and be cool to talk about (don't think adcoms have seen too many competitive Pokémon battlers )

I'm concerned adcoms might think this is just weird or something though, and be like "Wtf?" instead of "oh that's different!" Should I list it?

lulwut

 

[gettheleadout]

I tried not to include this in the title, for some obvious reasons, but anyway..
Are there hobbies in particular you just shouldn't talk about? For instance, I spend much of my free time watching TV. I was essentially raised by a television and that's just something I've never shaken. I have an unhealthy fangirl obsession with Grey's Anatomy… but I feel like I shouldn't mention stuff like this, AT ALL.

What types of hobbies or any other types of things, should we never mention? (Keep it clean, please..my mind went there too when I typed out the question.)

There are interests that are basically indefensible when presented to the typical older, conservative physician or faculty member, regardless of how legitimate they may be. For example, it's unlikely that video games or anime will be seen as appropriate interests for a mature adult, despite the reality, because of where your interviewer will likely be coming from in considering these topics.

 

[BuffPremed]

Long story short OP: if it took time out of your free time to work with other people for any reason, then you can put it on there. And no, watching netflix with your girlfriend doesn't count.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

But, would something like, I enjoy watching sports be acceptable?
I attend many games a year in Philadelphia (whenever I can, but they're all horrible most of the time these days).
Also watch baseball/hockey basically every night it's on. Something different I guess, I'm a female sports hound.
Better than talking about Grey's Anatomy, though.

I once posed as a Phillies fan at Shea during a Phillies-Mets game. The Mets won that game in extra innings, but had their usual epic collapse in September. And the Phillies ended up winning the WS that year

 

[PakiMDDreamer]

What about interracial or interreligious relationships (as struggles primarily I guess)? Or is that nonsense to talk about

 

[ciestar]

Not worth talking about in an app, worth talking about should it come up in conversation.

Well this was more towards my curiosity if I were asked, maybe in an interview, of what I do in my free time. It wouldn't be listed as a hobby or anything on an app.

But, just for clarification, would it be inadvisable to mention any of these "hobbies" in a secondary if they were to ask anything relating to it?

There are interests that are basically indefensible when presented to the typical older, conservative physician or faculty member, regardless of how legitimate they may be. For example, it's unlikely that video games or anime will be seen as appropriate interests for a mature adult, despite the reality, because of where your interviewer will likely be coming from in considering these topics.

Well, thank god I suck at all video games and anime bores me.
But does anything else come to mind when you mention indefensible hobbies?

 

[hoihaie]

graffiti

 

[ellul]

lol @ posters having to ask if they should bring up pokemon and dating to adcoms

 

[ellul]

I was toying with putting "competitive Pokémon battling" on my hobbies list ...

idk anything about pokemen but this guy seems really chill

rate him as a battler or whatever

 

[deleted407021]

<=== Animal rights supporting atheist.

Probably an insta-reject. Reading is one of my top hobbies and that's the kind of stuff I tend to absorb. I'd echo other posters who suggest keeping involvement in controversial groups and topics to one's self.

 

[type12]

I think anything is fair game, as long as you write about it properly. I think that'd be an awesome thread: "acceptable way to put subject X in a personal statement." For instance:

Sex
I saw firsthand what sex addiction could do to a person. My older brother followed his girlfriends into the world of heroine, disfigurement, and self-destruction. He'd cheat on them too, and always experienced guilt for it. He kept me away from girls for a long time, though he didn't know my orientation at the time.

I was in the operating room when he finally succumbed to a staph infection that was left untreated for too long. When I was older, and with my parents' approval, I sat down with the physician that took care of my brother. He took the time to explain what effect the drugs, the exposure risks of STDs, had on him.

The biggest insights to my brother's condition, however, came from a psychiatrist, who seemed to peer through to his very soul based on what few moments he held. When he told me, "Your brother probably loved you more than his addictions," I felt a truth surge through me as tears through my eyes. It was this experience that...

Or:

Religion
My career plan was to visit God's house everyday, as a shepherd, in the same small town I grew up. Science stripped this blissful dream from me, and the world and simple ambitions were replaced with eye-opening experiences and adventures in college...

 

[ciestar]

<=== Animal rights supporting atheist.

Probably an insta-reject. Reading is one of my top hobbies and that's the kind of stuff I tend to absorb. I'd echo other posters who suggest keeping involvement in controversial groups and topics to one's self.

<=== Animal rights supporting carnivore. I'm a legit walking hypocrite. I work heavily with a dog rescue though, so I've got that.

 

[xffan624]

I tried not to include this in the title, for some obvious reasons, but anyway..
Are there hobbies in particular you just shouldn't talk about? For instance, I spend much of my free time watching TV. I was essentially raised by a television and that's just something I've never shaken. I have an unhealthy fangirl obsession with Grey's Anatomy… but I feel like I shouldn't mention stuff like this, AT ALL.

What types of hobbies or any other types of things, should we never mention? (Keep it clean, please..my mind went there too when I typed out the question.)

One of my secondaries asked about what I do for fun. Watching sports (fellow female sports addict) and video games were among them. I also had more active stuff listed like running, tae kwon do, etc. It's ok to do frivolous things (like video games or pokemon), but if that's all you're doing, there might be a raised eye from an ADCOM.

 

[hmockingbird]

My impression was that the problem with medical TV shows specifically is that you don't want to give off the impression that you think medicine is like these shows.

I honestly don't think med schools care about what you do for a hobby unless you mention something totally inappropriate like smoking marijuana. For a secondary that asks about your hobbies or doing an interview, I think the point of those questions is just to show you have a life outside applying to med school and will have something that helps you relax/something fun to do in your free time when you are in med school. I'm pretty sure I mentioned watching Netflix at one of my interviews at the school I'm at now, obviously a non-issue lol.

ETA: So, in an interview... answering the question "What specialty are you interested in?" with "Surgery because it looks cool on Grey's Anatomy" is a bad idea (basically true story from another applicant on one of my interview days). If they ask you what you like to do for fun and you mention watching TV as one of your hobbies, and then they ask what your favorite shows are, mentioning Grey's Anatomy wouldn't be inappropriate. That's not a test, that's just the interviewer trying to get to know who you are and probably make you feel more comfortable by talking about a less stressful topic.

 

[ciestar]

My impression was that the problem with medical TV shows specifically is that you don't want to give off the impression that you think medicine is like these shows.

I honestly don't think med schools care about what you do for a hobby unless you mention something totally inappropriate like smoking marijuana. For a secondary that asks about your hobbies or doing an interview, I think the point of those questions is just to show you have a life outside applying to med school and will have something that helps you relax/something fun to do in your free time when you are in med school. I'm pretty sure I mentioned watching Netflix at one of my interviews at the school I'm at now, obviously a non-issue lol.

ETA: So, in an interview... answering the question "What specialty are you interested in?" with "Surgery because it looks cool on Grey's Anatomy" is a bad idea (basically true story from another applicant on one of my interview days). If they ask you what you like to do for fun and you mention watching TV as one of your hobbies, and then they ask what your favorite shows are, mentioning Grey's Anatomy wouldn't be inappropriate. That's not a test, that's just the interviewer trying to get to know who you are and probably make you feel more comfortable by talking about a less stressful topic.

Hahaha, well at least the "medicine" isn't what I love about Grey's.

 

[BuffPremed]

<=== Animal rights supporting atheist.

Probably an insta-reject. Reading is one of my top hobbies and that's the kind of stuff I tend to absorb. I'd echo other posters who suggest keeping involvement in controversial groups and topics to one's self.

The only way that would be an auto-reject is if you applied to Loma Linda or other religious institutions.

 

[deleted407021]

The only way that would be an auto-reject is if you applied to Loma Linda or other religious institutions.

I'm not so sure. Apparently, atheists are the least trusted group in the U.S. and many people, even those who aren't practicing theists, often have prejudiced ideas about them. Additionally, the idea that humans do not reserve the right to enslave non humans and that the latter group has the same right to life as we do, generally isn't very popular or well understood.

 

[bbsare]

Along the same lines as television, its probably wise not to mention video games as one's favorite hobby. Probably also better to shy away from mentioning involvement in groups centered around controversial topics - ie avoid talking about or at least "water down" involvement in anti/abortion groups, research on marijuana, etc. NEVER talk about the time you got to help with a procedure when shadowing a doc if you had zero qualifications - unethical. Just a few that popped into my head.

Would you also think to leave out ECs like Students Against Israeli Apartheid? I feel like I would leave that out just to be safe, even though it's a valid student group...sucks.

 

[chillaxbro]

There are definitely "wrong" answers for hobbies. I talked about taking long walks while listening to podcasts (specifically Joe Rogan) and all the interviewers and other interviewees thought I was a weirdo. Don't do that.

 

[AspiringERMD]

There are definitely "wrong" answers for hobbies. I talked about taking long walks while listening to podcasts (specifically Joe Rogan) and all the interviewers and other interviewees thought I was a weirdo. Don't do that.

I'm surprised that they thought that podcasts and walking is weird. I don't think it is in the slightest. Exercise + learning or being entertained? What's wrong with that?

I'm an executive board member of the Secular Student Alliance at the school where I'm doing a postbac. I talked to Hemant Mehta (writes the Friendly Atheist blog, applied to and briefly attended medical school) in person, and he was emphatic that I need to leave it out, even if it's a leadership position. So I did.

 

[Goro]

That might not go over well at the Touros or Einstein.

Would you also think to leave out ECs like Students Against Israeli Apartheid? I feel like I would leave that out just to be safe, even though it's a valid student group...sucks.

Best to leave strong political views or hot button topical content off the table. For example, if you're anti-abortion, and you go to pro-life rallies, that's all well and good, but your interviewer might very well be a female medical student who would beg to differ from you.

Animal rights activists would raise huge red flags for us.

Video gaming as a hobby? Yean, that's fine to mention. Your social skills will be on display during the interview, so if you're the stereotypical pale, overweight young guy with Cheetos dust on your tie, and who can't look anyone in the eye, then that would be an issue.

Me personally, I have issues with the gullible devotes of pseudoscience.

 

[deleted407021]

Animal rights activists would raise huge red flags for us.

Yeah. That's really unfortunate and I think a product of misinformation.

 

[type12]

Me personally, I have issues with the gullible devotes of pseudoscience.

Gasp! Can an adcom come out of the religious closet so boldly? [SERIOUS]Aren't you worried it'll prevent religious applicants from applying?[/SERIOUS]

 

[Goro]

I'm not talking about religion. I have many Mormon students, for example, and they tend to be at the top end of the class, especially the kids from BYU.

I was talking about people whom untested nostrums like naturopathy, chiropractic, homeopathy etc are more a belief system than a competing therapeutic.

Gasp! Can an adcom come out of the religious closet so boldly? [SERIOUS]Aren't you worried it'll prevent religious applicants from applying?[/SERIOUS]

 

[Conflagration]

Interviewer: So, what're your hobbies?
Pre-med: Oh, I love hunting. The skinning's so cool! It's like that one time I-
Interviewer: You what?
Pre-med: Oh, nothing. Just don't look in my back yard, a'ight?

 

[PakiMDDreamer]

Man this sucks, feels weird to not be yourself, but I guess fakin' a little to get an MD is worth it

 

[ellul]

i guess a lot of people think that med school admissions are places to 'be yourself' which (because most of these people are less than four years out of high school) is going to include all kinds of dumb crap like dweeby atheism, video games, silly political opinions, dating concerns, whatever. other than huge red flags, i think one of the goals of asking hobbies/interests questions is to see whether you have an adult/mature sensibility since you're eventually going to need it. think of whatever hobbies you have and choose the ones you could see yourself sharing with a successful professional with a family in his/her 30s-60s.

 

[karayaa]

i guess a lot of people think that med school admissions are places to 'be yourself' which (because most of these people are less than four years out of high school) is going to include all kinds of dumb crap like dweeby atheism, video games, silly political opinions, dating concerns, whatever. other than huge red flags, i think one of the goals of asking hobbies/interests questions is to see whether you have an adult/mature sensibility since you're eventually going to need it. think of whatever hobbies you have and choose the ones you could see yourself sharing with a successful professional with a family in his/her 30s-60s.

People that old don't have hobbies. They just have families and work

 

[allantois]

People that old don't have hobbies. They just have families and work

Yeaah right

 

[ciestar]

People that old don't have hobbies. They just have families and work

Normal "old" people find stuff to do in their free time.

 

[xffan624]

People that old don't have hobbies. They just have families and work

... You're going to be a boring middle aged person. My brother-in-law home brews. My sister runs marathons. Both over 30 and they have two kids.

 

[Law2Doc]

I think anything is fair game, as long as you write about it properly. I think that'd be an awesome thread: "acceptable way to put subject X in a personal statement." For instance:

Or:

If you are going to write an essay about the evils of heroin, you need to be able to spell it.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

If you are going to write an essay about the evils of heroin, you need to be able to spell it.

I am not convinced the majority of heroin addicts I've met can consistently spell heroin correctly.

 

[mehc012]

I'm not so sure. Apparently, atheists are the least trusted group in the U.S. and many people, even those who aren't practicing theists, often have prejudiced ideas about them. Additionally, the idea that humans do not reserve the right to enslave non humans and that the latter group has the same right to life as we do, generally isn't very popular or well understood.

I think the bigger issue is the animal one, because really, animal testing is a large part of medical research at this point.