Not sure which EC to include as my 15th entry

[and 99 others]

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Hello,

I currently have 14 entries in my work and activities section and am trying to decide what the nature of my last entry should be. I am debating between:

1) A hobby which is cycling and bike repair. I would basically talk about why I love cycling but mostly focus on how I also kind of offer a bike repair "service". It's basically me doing things as minor as fixing or replacing deflated tires or rusty chains to assembling bikes for those who bought a bike themselves but are struggling to put it together. Various things and I typically do all of it for free, purchasing any required parts like tires, tubes, chains with my own money just. I do it because I want to encourage people to bike more often for their own health, to reduce traffic congestion, and most importantly reduce carbon emissions. I don't really have an online presence, its mostly just word of mouth, people will call or text me saying "hey, so and so told me you work on bikes, would you mind doing X for me" and I do it if I can. Sometimes people give me a few bucks out of appreciation but there is no charge. I would include this in the hopes that it fleshes me out a bit more and makes me more memorable for whoever is viewing my app. Something that stands out and reminds them of "the bike repair guy"

2) Another hobby, something called antedating, which is basically going through databases of magazines, newspapers, any sort of written text, etc. to find the earliest possible usage of a certain word or phrase. It is kind of like a game/hunt and there is a whole online community surrounding it where we discuss new findings. It also allows you to see the evolution of a language, how words completely transform in meaning over time, and how certain events can give birth to new words and phrases. Gives you a sense of where the society from that time point is at mentally. I am considering this because a central theme in my PS, work and activities, and secondaries is language and language learning (which is another hobby I listed), so I feel like it would give more depth to me and my story as a whole. And also give me that memorable factor, like "that language/antedating guy".

3) A non-clinical activity volunteering with AARP. I basically work with elderly, underprivileged minority groups. I do community work with the organization by helping set up movie screenings, free concerts and events at parks and whatnot. The whole point is really to promote community cohesiveness. I have about 100-150 hours with this and I understand it's a decent activity to write about especially since it involves working with disadvantaged populations (a prominent theme in my app and where I want to focus as a physician) but the reason I am asking is because I have a similar activity that I already included in my app working with these communities providing translation and immigration services. This immigration one is one of my most meaningful experiences too and I have around 200 hours doing it.

Please let me know what you all think. Thank you in advance!

 

[Moko]

Many activities can be combined together in AMCAS to save space. For example, your two hobbies can be combined to one entry. Same for shadowing experiences, awards, any many others (depending on the content) etc. If your experience with the AARP is "one of my most meaningful experiences" why are you even thinking of cutting it out? Worst case scenario, combine it with your work with the immigration services. And yes, your hobbies should also make it into your application!

 

[and 99 others]

Many activities can be combined together in AMCAS to save space. For example, your two hobbies can be combined to one entry. Same for shadowing experiences, awards, any many others (depending on the content) etc. If your experience with the AARP is "one of my most meaningful experiences" why are you even thinking of cutting it out? Worst case scenario, combine it with your work with the immigration services. And yes, your hobbies should also make it into your application!

My experience with AARP isnt my most meaningful. The immigration one is. I already considered combining the two but I would be sacrificing too many of the points in the immigration one, especially because I would have to use many more characters just for the extra contact info in the activity description.

I also feel like if I combined the two hobbies, I would be giving an extremely superficial and disjointed account of both, since they're so irrelevant to one another. Don't you think?

 

[Moko]

My experience with AARP isnt my most meaningful. The immigration one is. I already considered combining the two but I would be sacrificing too many of the points in the immigration one, especially because I would have to use many more characters just for the extra contact info in the activity description.

I also feel like if I combined the two hobbies, I would be giving an extremely superficial and disjointed account of both, since they're so irrelevant to one another. Don't you think?

I combined three hobbies in one when I applied many moons ago. Many people do.

If you feel that you cannot combine the AARP and immigration activities together, then combine something else to make room for these two activities that are among your most meaningful.

 

[907914]

I combined three hobbies in one when I applied many moons ago. Many people do.

If you feel that you cannot combine the AARP and immigration activities together, then combine something else to make room for these two activities that are among your most meaningful.

I combined 5 hobbies in to one. 2 were self explanatory and the other 3 got a one sentence description. The hobbies are kind of just to be like “oh hey, neat.”

 

[Catalystik]

Hello,

I currently have 14 entries in my work and activities section and am trying to decide what the nature of my last entry should be. I am debating between:

1) A hobby which is cycling and bike repair. I would basically talk about why I love cycling but mostly focus on how I also kind of offer a bike repair "service". It's basically me doing things as minor as fixing or replacing deflated tires or rusty chains to assembling bikes for those who bought a bike themselves but are struggling to put it together. Various things and I typically do all of it for free, purchasing any required parts like tires, tubes, chains with my own money just. I do it because I want to encourage people to bike more often for their own health, to reduce traffic congestion, and most importantly reduce carbon emissions. I don't really have an online presence, its mostly just word of mouth, people will call or text me saying "hey, so and so told me you work on bikes, would you mind doing X for me" and I do it if I can. Sometimes people give me a few bucks out of appreciation but there is no charge. I would include this in the hopes that it fleshes me out a bit more and makes me more memorable for whoever is viewing my app. Something that stands out and reminds them of "the bike repair guy"

2) Another hobby, something called antedating, which is basically going through databases of magazines, newspapers, any sort of written text, etc. to find the earliest possible usage of a certain word or phrase. It is kind of like a game/hunt and there is a whole online community surrounding it where we discuss new findings. It also allows you to see the evolution of a language, how words completely transform in meaning over time, and how certain events can give birth to new words and phrases. Gives you a sense of where the society from that time point is at mentally. I am considering this because a central theme in my PS, work and activities, and secondaries is language and language learning (which is another hobby I listed), so I feel like it would give more depth to me and my story as a whole. And also give me that memorable factor, like "that language/antedating guy".

3) A non-clinical activity volunteering with AARP. I basically work with elderly, underprivileged minority groups. I do community work with the organization by helping set up movie screenings, free concerts and events at parks and whatnot. The whole point is really to promote community cohesiveness. I have about 100-150 hours with this and I understand it's a decent activity to write about especially since it involves working with disadvantaged populations (a prominent theme in my app and where I want to focus as a physician) but the reason I am asking is because I have a similar activity that I already included in my app working with these communities providing translation and immigration services. This immigration one is one of my most meaningful experiences too and I have around 200 hours doing it.

Please let me know what you all think. Thank you in advance!

I'd pick #1 as you could fold the other two into the referenced related activities if you could write succinctly enough or could use them as new entries on Secondaries. I think more adcomms would find Bike-Repair Guy more memorable than the more-unique Language-Aficionado Guy (knowing the language expression deficits many of them seem to suffer from) or AARP guy (an age category many of them fit into). JMO and not the final word, BTW.

 

[gyngyn]

15 filled boxes is unusual.
Be sure that you really need them all (someone will have to read them...).

 

[and 99 others]

15 filled boxes is unusual.
Be sure that you really need them all (someone will have to read them...).

I mean, they're all either research or volunteer experiences that I've been doing for multiple years and that are important to me. Some hobbies, tutoring, and leadership as well. I feel like they are all relatively meaningful.

 

[gyngyn]

I mean, they're all either research or volunteer experiences that I've been doing for multiple years and that are important to me. Some hobbies, tutoring, and leadership as well. I feel like they are all relatively meaningful.

You're sure that none of them might reasonably be condensed into a single box?

 

[907914]

You're sure that none of them might reasonably be condensed into a single box?

I mean, they're all either research or volunteer experiences that I've been doing for multiple years and that are important to me. Some hobbies, tutoring, and leadership as well. I feel like they are all relatively meaningful.

All of your shadowing should be able to be combined in to one box as shadowing is fairly self explanatory. Most hobbies can be compressed. Posters can be combined with their original research activity. etc.

 

[and 99 others]

You're sure that none of them might reasonably be condensed into a single box?

All of your shadowing should be able to be combined in to one box as shadowing is fairly self explanatory. Most hobbies can be compressed. Posters can be combined with their original research activity. etc.

I'm quite sure. Some of them are tangentially related but grouping them together would sacrifice the key points I focus on in each entry and I think weaken the narrative of my app as a whole. I have combined the language learning and antedating entries, all shadowing is grouped in one entry, I even grouped my publications with my poster presentations under the same "Publications" entry rather than two separate "Publications" and Posters/Presentations" entries. I am thinking about just omitting the AARP entry entirely and including the bike repair hobby based on what @Catalystik suggested, which would make 15 total. I really do not know what else I can do to bring it down to less than 15 without. Is it frowned upon to have 15 entries if they are pretty meaningful, distinct, and long term experiences?

 

[907914]

15 entries if they are pretty meaningful, distinct, and long term experiences?

Aye, therein lies the rub. For what an applicant thinks is meaningful/distinct =/= what an ADCOM views as meaningful/distinct.

On that note, I too have all 15 activities filled out so I am not really one to talk.

 

[gyngyn]

I really do not know what else I can do to bring it down to less than 15 without. Is it frowned upon to have 15 entries if they are pretty meaningful, distinct, and long term experiences?

They are yours to use.
No one will frown as long as they are not fluffy "fillers."

 

[and 99 others]

They are yours to use.
No one will frown as long as they are not fluffy "fillers."

Gotcha. In that case, do you think that the bike repair hobby is more valuable than the AARP community volunteering?

 

[gyngyn]

Gotcha. In that case, do you think that the bike repair hobby is more valuable than the AARP community volunteering?

What do you think?

 

[907914]

AARP community volunteering

This should be in your App somewhere. The bike thing would be cool if you have room.

 

[and 99 others]

What do you think?

Ok then could I get away with combining AARP with my immigration activity but without differentiating between the number of hours worked in each activity in the description box so as to save on characters? Like just writing 300-350 hours in the total hours box and leaving it at that?

 

[gyngyn]

Ok then could I get away with combining AARP with my immigration activity but without differentiating between the number of hours worked in each activity in the description box so as to save on characters? Like just writing 300-350 hours in the total hours box and leaving it at that?

Are they related in any way?

 

[deleted972488]

Ok then could I get away with combining AARP with my immigration activity but without differentiating between the number of hours worked in each activity in the description box so as to save on characters? Like just writing 300-350 hours in the total hours box and leaving it at that?

That’s probably fine. I lumped all my non-clinical volunteering together because they were short-term commitments and I wouldn’t have had room to list everything separately. I also didn’t say “X hours doing Y.” I just put the total hours.

 

[chlorocruorin]

I never knew hobbies were put in this section.

 

[and 99 others]

Are they related in any way?

The organizations are entirely separate. But they both worked with minorities in the community. The immigration one was almost exclusively with Hispanics whereas AARP was blacks and Hispanics. I was going to put them under the title "Hispanic Community Work". Honestly, basically the entire additional 1350 for most meaningful experience focuses on immigration and how their status as immigrants and minorities presents a number of roadblocks. But the overall point is that from interacting with them, I learned that I want to work with disadvantaged communities as a doctor (not necessarily just with immigrants)

 

[and 99 others]

That’s probably fine. I lumped all my non-clinical volunteering together because they were short-term commitments and I wouldn’t have had room to list everything separately. I also didn’t say “X hours doing Y.” I just put the total hours.

What did you do for the contact info for each different experience?

 

[deleted972488]

What did you do for the contact info for each different experience?

Put the contact information of the person of the longest lasting / most important of the experiences.

 

[Jaigantic]

I have one entry that is me being a finalist for a very prestigious international scholarship. I didn't include it in my entry about other honors/awards/scholarships because I didn't actually win it. But it is a very notable scholarship so i wanted to include it since I made it that far. Should I group it with the rest of my scholarships and awards all in one entry to make room for a hobby or does it merit its own slot?

 

[deleted972488]

I have one entry that is me being a finalist for a very prestigious international scholarship. I didn't include it in my entry about other honors/awards/scholarships because I didn't actually win it. But it is a very notable scholarship so i wanted to include it since I made it that far. Should I group it with the rest of my scholarships and awards all in one entry to make room for a hobby or does it merit its own slot?

Group it with the rest and say finalist.

 

[Planes2Doc]

You've probably reached diminishing returns much earlier than this point.

 

[LizzyM]

Group it with the rest and say finalist.

Agree. Does not merit its own slot.

@and 99 others Totally agree that bike repair is a great hook!

 

[and 99 others]

You've probably reached diminishing returns much earlier than this point.

How do you mean? What gives you that impression?

 

[Jaigantic]

Agree. Does not merit its own slot.

@and 99 others Totally agree that bike repair is a great hook!

If I group it with the rest of my scholarships entry, do you think it is liable to be overlooked? I feel like it's a nice plus but not sure, maybe it's entirely unimportant since I didn't win it.

 

[Planes2Doc]

How do you mean? What gives you that impression?

A lot of people don't make it up to 15 entries or not even 10. Therefore after a certain amount, more activities probably won't end up helping very much if they are pretty run-of-the-mill.

 

[LizzyM]

If I group it with the rest of my scholarships entry, do you think it is liable to be overlooked? I feel like it's a nice plus but not sure, maybe it's entirely unimportant since I didn't win it.

No one really cares about scholarship entries-- and if you didn't win it they really won't care about it.
You don't need 15 items and if some of them feel like padding it will not help you.

 

[Moko]

No one really cares about scholarship entries-- and if you didn't win it they really won't care about it.
You don't need 15 items and if some of them feel like padding it will not help you.

I hate padding. It reeks of desperation.

 

[LizzyM]

I hate padding. It reeks of desperation.

Before AMCAS started allowing future activities on the application, I likened future activities as being similar to a sixth grader stuffing a bra with Kleenex. Promises of things to come but not what's real at the moment. 😉

 

[and 99 others]

I hate padding. It reeks of desperation.

But how can we know what qualifies as padding in the eyes of a committee? These things are unique and important to me but they may very well be common and unimportant to someone viewing my app! Makes it very difficult to decide what to include and what to omit, especially if we are pushing 15 entries

 

[Moko]

But how can we know what qualifies as padding in the eyes of a committee? These things are unique and important to me but they may very well be common and unimportant to someone viewing my app! Makes it very difficult to decide what to include and what to omit, especially if we are pushing 15 entries

That's why it's important to have multiple eyes look at the finished product.

 

[LizzyM]

But how can we know what qualifies as padding in the eyes of a committee? These things are unique and important to me but they may very well be common and unimportant to someone viewing my app! Makes it very difficult to decide what to include and what to omit, especially if we are pushing 15 entries

No one said you need to use all 15 slots. Don't "push" 15 entries.
Non-clinical volunteering (1-3)
Clinical volunteering (1-3)
Shadowing (1)
Research (1 or 2)
Athletics and/or Hobby and/or Artistic Endeavor (1-2)
Employment (0-4 depending on age and experience, more for non-trads)
Leadership and/or club membership (0-2)
Publications, Presentations (1-2)

It would be very unual to hit the max in each of those categories and then you'd need to decide what to jetison.

 

[and 99 others]

That's why it's important to have multiple eyes look at the finished product.

But none of those eyes are people on adcoms. That's the problem.

No one said you need to use all 15 slots. Don't "push" 15 entries.
Non-clinical volunteering (1-3)
Clinical volunteering (1-3)
Shadowing (1)
Research (1 or 2)
Athletics and/or Hobby and/or Artistic Endeavor (1-2)
Employment (0-4 depending on age and experience, more for non-trads)
Leadership and/or club membership (0-2)
Publications, Presentations (1-2)

It would be very unual to hit the max in each of those categories and then you'd need to decide what to jetison.

Sorry, when I said "pushing" I meant when someone has so many activities that they reach 15 or more. Not that I'm going out of my way to fill up 15 slots.

So, I have basically the max amount in almost all of those you listed, with the exception of no employment (at least thats not the category I listed them as) and instead 1 entry for scholarships and another for tutoring, two AMCAS categories you didn't mention. If this is the case, would you say it's reasonable to have 15 entries? Does that make for a well rounded list and, ideally, applicant? If it matters, all of the experiences where longevity is feasible, I carried out for at least a year and a half, mostly 2 or more years. Given I had such a time commitment, I didn't want to unnecessarily omit anything.

 

[gyngyn]

Does that make for a well rounded list and, ideally, applicant?

The number of boxes filled has very little correlation with the strength of the applicant.

 

[LizzyM]

Scholarships is a silly category unless it is something major -- really major and frankly, I can't think of anything that would fit that description that wouldn't also be a prize of some kind, like one of the Intel Science Fair awards of 50K or more. Ditto for Honors. We see your GPA. Unless you graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.2 because your school has a terrible grade deflation, those sorts of Latin honors are a waste of space on the application.