No hobbies on primary

[fishbait63]

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How much of a detriment is not putting a hobbies or something to make you more rounded on your activities?

I filled in all my activity slots even though I worked to group a few together whenever possible. By the time I was finished I ran out of slots and instead of putting something bland like i like reading or i like soccer I just left out any hobbies.

 

[Trexate]

How much of a detriment is not putting a hobbies or something to make you more rounded on your activities?

I filled in all my activity slots even though I worked to group a few together whenever possible. By the time I was finished I ran out of slots and instead of putting something bland like i like reading or i like soccer I just left out any hobbies.

All work and no play makes you a dull applicant.

Seriously though, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[phatlineman]

In all seriuosness though, if you're limited on spots, does it look better to adcoms to say, add a hobby of yours (running, playing guitar, movie editing,partying, long walks on the beach, etc) or does it look better to add another award you won, another club that you did stuff for, another shadowing experience you did, etc?

I understand the "dull applicant" issue but seriously if you're competing against other cut-throat people for very few spots you want to have more credentials then they do, right? (rather then have more hobbies that you do for fun than they do and less credentials)

All work and no play makes you a dull applicant.

Seriously though, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Trexate]

In all seriuosness though, if you're limited on spots, does it look better to adcoms to say, add a hobby of yours (running, playing guitar, movie editing,partying, long walks on the beach, etc) or does it look better to add another award you won, another club that you did stuff for, another shadowing experience you did, etc?

I understand the "dull applicant" issue but seriously if you're competing against other cut-throat people for very few spots you want to have more credentials then they do, right? (rather then have more hobbies that you do for fun than they do and less credentials)

Not necessarily credentials. You want to distance yourself from the pack. Keep in mind that likely everyone that is applying has similar credentials to you. Unless you've cured AIDS or cancer or done something equally extraordinary, you're likely to look like every other applicant. If you have a hobby that you're serious about, I don't think it's going to hurt you to leave off some irrelevant club. In fact, it just might be that thing that sets you apart from everyone else. Just be sure it's something that shows sufficient dedication. Don't put down that you play guitar because you pick up on once in a while and start playing 'Smoke on the Water.'

If you were an ADCOM and had to chose between two applicants that were identical except one was a member of Bio club and the other could play 'Stairway to Heaven,' which would you pick?

 

[auburnO5]

If you were an ADCOM and had to chose between two applicants that were identical except one was a member of Bio club and the other could play 'Stairway to Heaven,' which would you pick?

I would only pick the guy who plays Stairway to Heaven, if he could sing and play it backwards, revealing the subliminal satanic messages.

 

[Trexate]

I would only pick the guy who plays Stairway to Heaven, if he could sing and play it backwards, revealing the subliminal satanic messages.

I think that's worthy of an offer of admission on the spot.

 

[dumbbell]

hobbies? everyone's got some. But why do people feel that the only things you can put on amcas had to do with the arts or team sports?
Your application look solid (medical relevant experiences, mcat, gpa) you get an interview, then you will talk about personal hobbies during your interviews. (computer games, working out, running in the woods)

 

[echolalia16]

Can you compile your awards or similar experiences into one activity, and just list them all in the space provided to open up another activity slot?

 

[ThaliaNox]

I've seen a lot of applications and I've yet to see one that has so many worthwhile activities that there wasn't room for hobbies. Awards especially are almost always redundant. If you got a research award, I'd hope the research has a heading. A good way of thinking about it is that med schools don't care what awards your undergrad thinks your activities make you qualify for. They'll judge your activities for themselves. If you feel you HAVE to put awards down, simply list them all under one heading such as "Recognised Academic Acheivement." If it isn't the Goldwater, it doesn't deserve its own heading. Miscellaneous clubs can almost always be filed under one heading such as "Club membership." Weekend volunteering experiences can be left off or combined. (Things like March of Dimes or Relay for Life)

Sure, you can wait for interviews to talk about hobbies. The thing is that an interesting hobby is one of those things that might MAKE a school interview you. Applications often look nearly the same for the crowd applying right out of school. Hobbies can do a lot to keep you in the mind of the person reading your application.

 

[fishbait63]

In all seriousness I think my hobbies are utterly dull, I mean cooking, reading doesn't seem very special to me... How much is there to be gained from very boring hobbies that don't set you apart....

I didn't really list any awards I listed only activities that lasted a year or longer. And I already combined things as much as I could combining them until i hit the character limit.