What are "significant" leisure activities?

[S_Talos]

A secondary app i'm working asks to list 'extracurricular, community, and "significant" leisure activities' (quotes are mine). Thats fine, but I'm feeling that I need to list a bunch of stuff but I also don't want to list something thats considered "insignificant". What I actually do in my free time is reading, biking, computer gaming, hanging out with friends and family, pretty mundane really. So what's the deal? Is any of that worth listing or just stick to extracurricular stuff?

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[SugarDaddy]

The schools are just trying to get to know you through the app process. So as mundane as biking may sound list it. I may lay off the hanging out with friends type stuff, but list things that may make you stick out. Like when I was applying I listed I liked to run and was planning on training for a marathon, I listed I loved to go fisihing and hiking. I like to play and watch baseball. So yea these things seem mundane, but the school is trying to get to know there is someone behind all the scores and awards, i.e. are you a human being or a freak? These type of things are stuff that adcoms love to talk and ask about during interviews. So let them know all the things that make you tick. Ok maybe not everything, listing partying and boozin would be bad form, but sell the unique things about yourself.

 

[UCLAMAN]

A secondary app i'm working asks to list 'extracurricular, community, and "significant" leisure activities' (quotes are mine). Thats fine, but I'm feeling that I need to list a bunch of stuff but I also don't want to list something thats considered "insignificant". What I actually do in my free time is reading, biking, computer gaming, hanging out with friends and family, pretty mundane really. So what's the deal? Is any of that worth listing or just stick to extracurricular stuff?

like the above poster said...adcoms want to make sure you have interests outside of medicine. you can list practically anything as "leisure." i'd say biking would be a good thing to include. make sure to point out significant races or tours and what not that you have been a part of. computer gaming might be a little antisocial to put on there...but...if perhaps you have competed in tournaments and can spin it as not only an endeavor you are good at but have parlayed it in a way that you have met lots of people(in person) and traveled and stuff it could work. its really about how you spin it...how you make whatever "mundane" activity you are a part of interesting.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

A secondary app i'm working asks to list 'extracurricular, community, and "significant" leisure activities' (quotes are mine). Thats fine, but I'm feeling that I need to list a bunch of stuff but I also don't want to list something thats considered "insignificant". What I actually do in my free time is reading, biking, computer gaming, hanging out with friends and family, pretty mundane really. So what's the deal? Is any of that worth listing or just stick to extracurricular stuff?

The rule of thumb I have heard is to list items you would comfortably like to talk about during an interview. I wouldn't want to talk about how many shots I could take, but I did enjoy talking about my dancing, running and swimming.

 

[RxnMan]

The rule of thumb I have heard is to list items you would comfortably like to talk about during an interview. I wouldn't want to talk about how many shots I could take, but I did enjoy talking about my dancing, running and swimming.

This is a good guide. I'd also say write down anything that you put significant time and effort into. If you 'make time' for activity XYZ, then it's probably significant to you. Also, if it's something that you may not do often, but is meaningful to you (I rock-climb about once a month) then that would qualify.

ECs are all about showing that you are a balanced person with diverse interests.

 

[Junkster]

As my siginificant leisure time activity, I listed scale model building. I won a few awards in CO for my work, so I figured that was significant. Put tennis down as well, since I play in tournements every once in a while.