what's the consensus on listing leisure activities?

[inside_edition]

---

Members do not see this ad.

what's the consensus on listing leisure activities on amcas? I think that it can show a different side of premed students, such as what a person can bring into a medical school.

what do ya'll think?

 

[DrBowtie]

Depends on what they are.

 

[HumbleMD]

Save it for the interview. The process for granting secondares/interviews probably wouldn't look into your liesure activities, but it has come up in almost every interview I've had.

 

[CTtarheel]

if you've got the space and its a tasteful activity (i.e. not st. like bar hopping, or stripping) go for it. If you don't have the space, no worries, its a very common interview question. It makes you interesting.

 

[kenmc3]

Only list something if it is truly unique – like you are a curling champion or something. Otherwise it will probably just look like you are trying to list anything you can think of, even if it doesn’t have much value to your application.

 

[CTtarheel]

who cares if it looks like padding? They can't give you credit for doing things you don't tell them about. Your extracurriculars are basically an accounting of your free time, anything you don't put there is simply time you've spend watching TV or drinking. If you've put a lot of time in something you should without question list it.

 

[kenmc3]

The entire purpose of you’re application is to set you apart from the other applicants. Therefore, any extra padding will just be wasting the time of the admissions committee. They will read the application and say – well he doesn’t really didn’t do anything else so now he is just writing anything down that enters his mind. Trust me – ADCOMS read through thousands of these things and can see through it all.

My rule – If it isn’t super special – don’t list it.

 

[solitude]

I think you should list a few of your hobbies, e.g. if you run marathons, put that down. It's not a traditional EC, but it definitely adds to your application.

 

[stoppushingit]

^ only if you indeed participated in marathons.

but i agree, only list things that are outstanding. not like "i am trying to teach my dog to do XYZ trick"

 

[musiclink213]

If your hobby is something that requires a lot of dedication and time and effort, I say go for it. I put down that I figure skate on my application, and though I've only been on one interview so far, we had 2 interviewers and they both asked me about it. If however, you say something like playing Party Poker is one of your hobbies, I don't know how well it will go down.

 

[Johannen]

I agree. I enjoy video games. That didn't make it on my AMCAS. I am, however, the DDR Club president at my school. That one seemed like it would be more worthwhile; indeed, it was brought up multiple times at the one interview I've had so far.

 

[DoctorPardi]

Yeah I think you need to use common sense with some of these. Like I spent a lot of time online, and I have at times spent many hours a week competing in tournaments and leagues for online games. While this took a lot of dedication, time, practice etc, I don't know if it would help me.

The thing is people who don't spend much time playing video games, or growing up with video games do not understand how that hobby can be very much like sports hobbies. If you did something everyone can relate to or understand then put it on there. Figure skating is something everyone knows about from the olympics and other things. If you play tennis in a league every week, throw it on there. Put things that will help you.

 

[solitude]

Yeah I think you need to use common sense with some of these. Like I spent a lot of time online, and I have at times spent many hours a week competing in tournaments and leagues for online games. While this took a lot of dedication, time, practice etc, I don't know if it would help me.

The thing is people who don't spend much time playing video games, or growing up with video games do not understand how that hobby can be very much like sports hobbies. If you did something everyone can relate to or understand then put it on there. Figure skating is something everyone knows about from the olympics and other things. If you play tennis in a league every week, throw it on there. Put things that will help you.

I agree with you that video games can be very much like sports, but as you said, they won't always go over well if listed on the application. I recommend keeping them off.

 

[solitude]

I agree with you that video games can be very much like sports, but as you said, they won't always go over well if listed on the application. I recommend keeping them off.

Oh I should add, I have a friend here who was one of the top few old-school Doom players in the world when he applied to college (still is, I think). He omitted that EC from his college applications.

 

[HumbleMD]

I agree with you that video games can be very much like sports, but as you said, they won't always go over well if listed on the application. I recommend keeping them off.

I definitely wouldn't include things like videogames, or others. But to give some perspective on videogames, a guy from my High School used to play videogames all the time, didn't really do any schoolwork, and ended up going to a CC for a year. Currently, he's making over a million bucks a year in endorsements becuase I guess he's on the winningest Halo team in the world or something. Go ahead and google it, name's David Walsh. It's pretty crazy the stuff they have our there.

 

[Law2Doc]

Oh I should add, I have a friend here who was one of the top few old-school Doom players in the world when he applied to college (still is, I think). He omitted that EC from his college applications.

There are lots of people that have had pretty significant achievements in stupid timewasting things. While impressive to some, and sometimes lucrative, you simply don't want to list that on an application. Unless you were actually the designer of a video game, you generally don't list it as an EC.

 

[Rafa]

but i agree, only list things that are outstanding. not like "i am trying to teach my dog to do XYZ trick"

I taught by dog to meow - you betcha I'm putting that as an EC.

 

[dr_dre]

What about things like sports/working out?

I hit the gym for 1.5 hours at least 4 times a week, swim on other days.
I've played on recreational student teams - although haven't really won any championships or anything.

 

[leahmaria]

What about things like sports/working out?

I hit the gym for 1.5 hours at least 4 times a week, swim on other days.
I've played on recreational student teams - although haven't really won any championships or anything.

I scuba dive, and I would have put that on my amcas if I had room...as it was, i put it on a secondary or two. getting certified to dive is something i did recently and it's something i'm proud of...and the sport is something i LOVE to do.

 

[solitude]

There are lots of people that have had pretty significant achievements in stupid timewasting things. While impressive to some, and sometimes lucrative, you simply don't want to list that on an application. Unless you were actually the designer of a video game, you generally don't list it as an EC.

Yes, I agree. I like the way you put it too

 

[kenmc3]

What about things like sports/working out?

I hit the gym for 1.5 hours at least 4 times a week, swim on other days.
I've played on recreational student teams - although haven't really won any championships or anything.

Your application is a time for you to shine – so if you don’t consider something an accomplishment – don’t put it. Most people have the ability to exercise and many people (especially health conscious pre-med students) partake in some form of physical activity. So if you are doing something that doesn’t take some sort of acquired skill and is just a reflection of how you use your time, don’t put it on your application.

Put yourself in the shoes of the ADCOM – ask yourself is putting that you run and swim etc will really make you stand out opposed to other applicants. Now if you were a member of a college team and can demonstrate your dedication to hard work and teamwork, that’s another story.

 

[CTtarheel]

I scuba dive, and I would have put that on my amcas if I had room...as it was, i put it on a secondary or two. getting certified to dive is something i did recently and it's something i'm proud of...and the sport is something i LOVE to do.

i'm a scuba diver and one of my interviewers was too. It came up in the "what do you do for fun question" and we spent like 10 minutes talking about it. MUCH better interview than spending that time talking about my moral or ethical dilemas!

 

[leahmaria]

i'm a scuba diver and one of my interviewers was too. It came up in the "what do you do for fun question" and we spent like 10 minutes talking about it. MUCH better interview than spending that time talking about my moral or ethical dilemas!

Sounds like it! I've gotten to talk about it at some of my interviews too...and getting new ideas for dive sites/dive centers is always a plus!

 

[KittycooMD]

I taught by dog to meow - you betcha I'm putting that as an EC.

My kitty barks when he wants food, but he's self taught! 😀

 

[musiclink213]

Sounds like it! I've gotten to talk about it at some of my interviews too...and getting new ideas for dive sites/dive centers is always a plus!

Along those same lines, when one of my interviewers asked me where I skate and how long it takes me to get there, I told him the truth, that it takes me about 40 minutes without traffic. He then started telling me they have about 5 rinks within 20 minutes of the school, some even closer. I would be lying if I said it didn't help bump them even higher on my list. Always nice to know that you could continue with what you do when you start med school.

 

[Rafa]

My kitty barks when he wants food, but he's self taught! 😀

Haha...that's awesome. 👍

 

[BleepTastic]

Thank goodness for this thread.
I was wondering about this too because I do something that most people find pretty dumb- drawing comic books.
Now it's time consuming and so I'm definitely not doing kegstands during that time (unfortunately), but I know it's not a very prestigious activity. It's not like I'm Stan Lee so I'm just small-time. It's just I do feel like it is a skill (narrative storytelling) that just happens to have a poor reputation. Does this sound like something I should keep on the amcas?

 

[Rafa]

Thank goodness for this thread.
I was wondering about this too because I do something that most people find pretty dumb- drawing comic books.
Now it's time consuming and so I'm definitely not doing kegstands during that time (unfortunately), but I know it's not a very prestigious activity. It's not like I'm Stan Lee so I'm just small-time. It's just I do feel like it is a skill (narrative storytelling) that just happens to have a poor reputation. Does this sound like something I should keep on the amcas?

I would. If it comes down to the empty space, or a blurb on something creative you like to do, I'd put it down.

 

[sendwich]

Thank goodness for this thread.
I was wondering about this too because I do something that most people find pretty dumb- drawing comic books.
Now it's time consuming and so I'm definitely not doing kegstands during that time (unfortunately), but I know it's not a very prestigious activity. It's not like I'm Stan Lee so I'm just small-time. It's just I do feel like it is a skill (narrative storytelling) that just happens to have a poor reputation. Does this sound like something I should keep on the amcas?

I'd put this down as well. If every applicant was to only put down a "prestigiuos" activity, I don't think many of us would have much to put down.

Some peple might say "wait until secondaries to put them down" but I've found that, although some schools ask for hobbies and such, not every school does. So do whatever you can to not only "Look good" (app-wise) but to set yourself apart from the rest of 40,000 applicants.