Hobbies and Sports in VMCAS ? uhhh

[psjlg2]

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Hi all,

I was wondering what you all were putting in for your hobbies and sports section of the VMCAS.

I have a lot of hobbies, Guitar, softball, Mandolin, Flyfishing, Hiking, Mountain-Bike, running ...

Well, there is that 480 words where you can describe it. Is anyone else writing stuff like

Hobby: Guitar

I have played the guitar for over 8 years and have played in a number of concerts/performances....etc

Hobby: Fishing

Living in Alaska, there are ample opportunities for fishing, and ever since I could hold a pole my family took me out fishing...blah blah blah yada yada yada...

I mean, I don't want to have 8 sections of all of my various hobbies, that seems redundant. I'm going to talk a bit about growing up in AK in my personal statement and how that has impacted me (wildlife, isolated, cold haha) but I want to get others input on what they are actually putting in this section, it seems a little too broad.

Cheers

 

[Caninerepro]

I just listed them without an explanation. Just like you would on a resume. No need to go into gory detail, they just want to see you have well rounded interests outside of academia -- a real life. If you have a unique or cool one it might get a chuckle or hmm, but that is all it is for.

 

[rileyroo]

I'm just entering them...not explaining.

 

[Angelo84]

I would just list them unless you help some position as well (ie captain of the softball team).

 

[psjlg2]

Ha thanks,

I thought it would be a bit ridiculous if I wrote paragraphs about each of my hobbies, I think a list is much better. Maybe I could say that I like to splash in large puddles while riding my bike, highly relevant to the subject at hand...

Thanks guys

 

[sumstorm]

I did it differently than most, apparently. I didn't want to have a long list of activities that might make someone wonder 'how real is this?'

I looked at how my activities grouped together, and listed that as the Hobby then put the details in the explanation. For example:

Outdoor Recreation: Rescue Diver certified by PADI in SCUBA, dived in Australasia, S. America, and N. America, spelunked caves in Indiana, Illinios, and Kentucky, Canyoned, abseiled, and rock climbed in Australia and New Zealand, Section hiked the Appalacian Trail and other parks.

Environmental Conservation: attended consortiums on energy impact in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, & 2007, volunteered on trail maintenance teams for Appalacian Trai, assisted in swamp preseveration data collection at Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge

So if I still danced (like I did in before college) I might have put:

Dance: 6 years of jazz including group and solo performances and competitions, 4 years of clogging with participation in Jr Nationals, 2 years classical ballet, assisted in instruction of pre-schoolers

For me, that was better than just a list, and let me highlight some of the interesting stuff without having a huge list.

 

[vethopes]

What are you guys putting as a contact number for your hobbies? I mean, who are they supposed to contact b/c you have played guitar for 10 years? Or that I am an advanced scuba diver? Or my high school football team? I don't get it. . .

Should all the sports I played in high school be listed under the same activity? Should I really be listing everything. . .such as Frisbee golf, and whitewater kayaking? I feel a bit silly listing all these, especially under different activities, it would be such a long list. . ..

 

[psjlg2]

It doesn't require a phone number so I didn't put one. I don't think my guitar teacher who I took lessons from for only four years (about 5 years ago) would appreciate a call if they felt the need to give him a ring.

And I put stuff like "Hiking", and there is absolutly no phone number to put there, as there are no organized hiking groups that i've been a part of. (Hiking is a solo sport and should be done with few people anyways 😉)

 

[jesiah]

where is this section in the vmcas?

nm found it

 

[cedriccj3]

I'm actually having trouble finding it as well...I see the community activities, honors/awards, etc section but not seeing anything that specifically mentions sports or hobbies. where is this found?

 

[twelvetigers]

It should be called "extracurricular activities" and I think it's lumped with something else.

 

[PrimalMU]

I'm definitely having problems finding that section, too. In fact, I think the VMCAS needs rearranged, because some of it isn't very intuitive (I had a hard time finding the Explanation Statement).

 

[Pigsfoot]

I see 'community activities' but not extracurricular!! where is this??

 

[twelvetigers]

Okay, it's under community activities. Here's the description for that section:

"List and describe extracurricular or community activities in which you were engaged, including those during high school, beginning with the most important. You may include sports and hobbies."

So, there you go. Deep breaths!