Religious services on AMCAS?

[fastboyslim]

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What is general consensus on the appropriateness of listing Church/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple/etc attendance as an activity on the AMCAS? It may help the adcom get a better picture of who you are as a person, but I'm not sure if any look down upon you for bringing this up.

 

[235009]

i would say absolutely do not put this on your AMCAS.... it makes you seem extremely insincere in your attendance of religious services, it's as if you only went so you could put it on your AMCAS ....besides, if you are just showing up to services it's not like you actually do anything there that would reveal more about your personality

 

[Mattabet]

I wouldn't use it as an extracurricular. If it meshes with your personal statement, then use it there, but it feels like a reach. I know several regular service-goers, some of them used Campus Crusade & the like for EC's, but no one that I can think of listed religious services themselves as an EC.

 

[mvenus929]

Don't write that you attended religious services regularly...if you actually did something in the congregation (i.e. "Sunday School" teacher), then you can list that, but not if you just attend services regularly. That'll just seem like a filler.

 

[SnarkyMD]

Attending a religious service is (hopefully) something you are doing for your own fulfillment. If it only exists as a resume filler, I presume you're missing the point.

If you are active in some sort of leadership position (leading a small group or bible study), then by all means included it in your AMCAS application.

 

[fish89]

For AMCAS, it doesn't mean much to just go to church. Just because it's on our application doesn't mean you really got anything from church, or that it will relate at all to medicine.

 

[LizzyM]

Merely attending seems like filler. If you had some responsibility and were required to perform a role within the service (as a musician, etc) then maybe being faithful (if you'll pardon the pun) to your responsibility to the other members of the congreation might be something to list.

On the other hand, some applicants leave these activities off to decrease the possiblity of discrimination on the basis of religion.