Is mixed-martial arts okay to mention?

[Google_was_my_idea]

Hey everyone!

So I have been doing MMA since 1998 and want to include it on my application as a hobby. I read in another thread that older conservative adcoms don’t look highly on high-risk activities. I don’t really consider this high-risk since there are less severe injuries than in football. Would this be okay to include? I have a black belt, have taught children classes for more than 500 hours (pre-college years), and created an informal club of about 30-40 high schoolers (instructor for this too). This last part was when I was 18-19 years old, and I’ll be applying at age 27.

Too risky to include? It is a pretty big hobby of mine, but idk. Thanks for the input.

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[Goro]

Fine by me

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

Fine by me

Sounds good! Just wanted to verify because of the previous thread. Thanks! @Goro

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yes. I have friends in my class who mentioned it and obviously did just fine. My med school actually has a combatives club.

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

Yes. I have friends in my class who mentioned it and obviously did just fine. My med school actually has a combatives club.

That’s pretty cool. I’m wonder why many adcoms in older generation don’t like high-risk activities though.

 

[Doctor-S]

That’s pretty cool. I’m wonder why many adcoms in older generation don’t like high-risk activities though.

MMA is fine with me.

High-risk activity (at least to me) is something pretty hazardous ... think bungee jumping into a smoldering volcano from 1,500 feet, using nothing more than a fraying tether line attached to a worn-out rusty spike in the ground.

If you want to do something like that, I might opine you have a death wish or secretly aspire to star in your own death-defying stunt show!

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

MMA is fine with me.

High-risk activity (at least to me) is something pretty hazardous ... think bungee jumping into a smoldering volcano from 1,500 feet, using nothing more than a fraying tether line attached to a worn-out rusty spike in the ground.

If you want to do something like that, I might opine you have a death wish or secretly aspire to star in your own death-defying stunt show!

Lmao okay if that’s what they are referring to, then I can absolutely understand. At the very least they can use a normal spike.

 

[Cornfed101]

MMA is fine with me.

High-risk activity (at least to me) is something pretty hazardous ... think bungee jumping into a smoldering volcano from 1,500 feet, using nothing more than a fraying tether line attached to a worn-out rusty spike in the ground.

If you want to do something like that, I might opine you have a death wish or secretly aspire to star in your own death-defying stunt show!

something like this?

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

BASE jumping: probably not wise unless you have some kind of weird deep philosophical commitment to it, such that it’s part of who you are and you’d rather be rejected than go to a school that doesn’t like all of you. Including your penchant for jumping from tall buildings.

MMA: perfectly fine. Not any different from boxing, really. Should be a positive or neutral at worst; were I you, I’d include it and even use it as an example of leadership.

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

BASE jumping: probably not wise unless you have some kind of weird deep philosophical commitment to it, such that it’s part of who you are and you’d rather be rejected than go to a school that doesn’t like all of you. Including your penchant for jumping from tall buildings.

MMA: perfectly fine. Not any different from boxing, really. Should be a positive or neutral at worst; were I you, I’d include it and even use it as an example of leadership.

Thanks! I’ll include it in my hobbies and show it as leadership. Most of the leadership section is from the ages 11-19 so not sure how much it’ll matter.

 

[FreeGibbs]

Don't think its a bad idea. Looks like you have gained a lot of good leadership and teaching skills as a practitioner, so if anything it improves your app. FWIW I talked about being a BJJ practitioner for 6 years in all my essays and interviews, and it usually goes well.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Hmm. I don’t know how you should write about this but it is definitely valuable; seek an adcom’s advice here if you want more information.

 

[FreeGibbs]

Hmm. I don’t know how you should write about this but it is definitely valuable; seek an adcom’s advice here if you want more information.

@Dpinatelli n=1, but for me I mainly talked about losing tournaments, self-discipline and mental resilience i developed through the years and how those skills transferred to other aspects of my life

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

@Dpinatelli n=1, but for me I mainly talked about losing tournaments, self-discipline and mental resilience i developed through the years and how those skills transferred to other aspects of my life

Those are good topics to mention. I’ll probably talk about that in addition to a love for teaching too. Also, I’ve always compared martial arts to chess. It’s a quicker version of countering your opponent and reacting efficiently.

 

[deleted1001426]

I hope its ok haha. I talked about free climbing a few times in interviews so if mma is considered too high risk then I royally messed up

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

I talked about playing with literal fire as one of my major extracurricular activities, it seems to have worked out...

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

I talked about playing with literal fire as one of my major extracurricular activities, it seems to have worked out...

That’s a interesting one for sure.

 

[82Scout]

I read in another thread that older conservative adcoms don’t look highly on high-risk activities.

Lol is this really a thing?

I would say I've engaged in plenty of "high-risk" activities, some from the military and some from personal enjoyment. I even talked with one interviewer (ortho) about how we both enjoy cars and racing autocross or open track.

 

[Google_was_my_idea]

Lol is this really a thing?

I would say I've engaged in plenty of "high-risk" activities, some from the military and some from personal enjoyment. I even talked with one interviewer (ortho) about how we both enjoy cars and racing autocross or open track.

Haha yeah I was surprised when I read it too. It must only be really high-risk activities like stated above. I’m sure there are some out there that think this way, but it’s probably only a few adcoms.

 

[Cornfed101]

I talked about playing with literal fire as one of my major extracurricular activities, it seems to have worked out...

fire-knife dancing?

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

fire-knife dancing?

circus club. less luau, more "what if we threw people in the air while spinning flaming things"

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

As long as you’re doing things in a fairly sane manner and aren’t a BASE jumper or Darwin Award contender, you should be fine.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

Maybe its just me, but I'd be more interested in hearing from someone who does MMA than 1 of 20 other people who have "played X instrument for 17 years". Am I still triggered by an interview where everyone used the same musical fun fact? You decide.

 

[jurassicpark]

I don't see a problem at all. Many people in medicine are into all sorts of martial arts, hunting, shooting, and bunch of other stuff. It would make an interesting conversation starter

 

[Prince_Avocado]

Hey everyone!

So I have been doing MMA since 1998 and want to include it on my application as a hobby. I read in another thread that older conservative adcoms don’t look highly on high-risk activities. I don’t really consider this high-risk since there are less severe injuries than in football. Would this be okay to include? I have a black belt, have taught children classes for more than 500 hours (pre-college years), and created an informal club of about 30-40 high schoolers (instructor for this too). This last part was when I was 18-19 years old, and I’ll be applying at age 27.

Too risky to include? It is a pretty big hobby of mine, but idk. Thanks for the input.

I don't think it's risky at all! I personally instructed Tae Kwon-Do throughout college to a wide variety of ages, including individuals with special needs. During my interview at WCUCOM, the admissions committee constantly asked me questions about why this was something I chose to do and how it correlates with medicine. There is a lot of things you can talk about! I was telling them how it had made me comfortable and confident teaching individuals of varying backgrounds in a variety of setting. I also discussed how I had to understand what to target for each individual and create exercises that would optimize their progression, but in such a way where it was done in a timely manner during classes. So I basically elaborated how essential those skills are in the medical field, and how I can use it as a physician to interact with my patients. It was something that they were pleasantly surprised with as its not too common for applicants to have that experience. I got accepted 5 days after the interview, and the associate dean told me on the phone that I interviewed really well! It is definitely a good thing to talk about if you know how to correlate it with medicine!

 

[Detailfanatic]

I mentioned it on all of my apps and it came up in every interview! There were clubs on campus and I was able to talk about being involved in them and what martial arts taught me. It was a very positive experience to I discuss and can help you stand out a bit

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Honestly, I think the main time that these kinds of hobbies can become an issue will be when you apply to residency. I have heard from some surgeons that they stopped doing certain risky activities that could endanger their hands (and therefore their ability to perform surgery), and would question surgeons who continued to do so. On the other hand, having some kind of risky hobby is basically a requirement for EM as far as I can tell

 

[Cornfed101]

Honestly, I think the main time that these kinds of hobbies can become an issue will be when you apply to residency. I have heard from some surgeons that they stopped doing certain risky activities that could endanger their hands (and therefore their ability to perform surgery), and would question surgeons who continued to do so. On the other hand, having some kind of risky hobby is basically a requirement for EM as far as I can tell

my uncle is an orthodontist and severed his thumb road biking. We definitely called him an idiot

 

[ChymeofPassion]

my uncle is an orthodontist and severed his thumb road biking. We definitely called him an idiot

How does that even happen? Speaking as a road biker who wants to keep all his digits.

 

[Cornfed101]

How does that even happen? Speaking as a road biker who wants to keep all his digits.

wrecked, cleats didn’t come out, thumb took the brunt of it. The video of him manipulating his thumb was like nearly headless nick in Harry Potter. They did reattach it!

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

wrecked, cleats didn’t come out, thumb took the brunt of it. The video of him manipulating his thumb was like nearly headless nick in Harry Potter. They did reattach it!

Sounds less like idiocy and more like a freak accident. Hope he (and his thumb!) are doing better.