Would this hurt my application?

[Aposteriori]

For both amcas and aacomas under extracurricular/hobby:

Leisure-time activity:

I have been playing basketball since I was in Kindergarten. Basketball has taught me the value of team work, discipline, focus, and dedication. These qualities helped me to excel in college and especially when I played pick-up basketball. Through teamwork I was able to make a variety of friends with different back grounds. Along with basketball, I enjoy reading current events, gardening, and hiking.

Is this wack? Should I take this out and save it for secondaries?

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[LChristmas]

It is your leisure activity, so it is perfectly acceptable for you to include it in that section. You could add something about using basketball to maintain balance in your life, not sure how much space you have left though.

 

[Dr. Death]

These qualities helped me to excel in college and especially when I played pick-up basketball.

This sentence needs work.

 

[razzmatazz87]

For both amcas and aacomas under extracurricular/hobby:

Leisure-time activity:

I have been playing basketball since I was in Kindergarten. Basketball has taught me the value of team work, discipline, focus, and dedication. These qualities helped me to excel in college and especially when I played pick-up basketball. Through teamwork I was able to make a variety of friends with different back grounds. Along with basketball, I enjoy reading current events, gardening, and hiking.

Is this wack? Should I take this out and save it for secondaries?

I mean, a lot of people have hobbies/activities on their application. I don't think adcoms like it when the hobby isn't...hm to find the right word, provable? No proof? Like, "I taught myself how to play guitar" is common, and while interesting, it would look better to add "and I perform at open mic night at Place X,Y,Z"

If you play basketball did you do intramural? I would definitively put it down it you did. If it is significant for you, put it down, be accurate, etc

 

[ShakaChaka]

I agree with razzmatazz87, you should add more jazz by emphasizing what you did with your hobby as well as how the hobby has enhanced your character.

Here is an example I am going to use:
My passion for surfing complemented my fascination with ecology. Ecology expanded my view in seeing the big picture on how things interacted with each other. Before every surf session, I would spend hours looking up the predicted wind patterns, swell direction, and the size of the waves to assess the conditions at different beach breaks. My dedication to the sport has sculpted my character; I had to train hard, research, wake up early to make sure I scored good waves. Surfing also help enhance my patience because the good waves do not come all the time. Lastly, I became humbled as I almost had a near death experience when I was surfing waves that were 10 feet and over, I learned that man is frail in the vast cosmic arena of nature.

 

[kevinsword91]

IMO, hobbies are great to have on an app, but don't need to be always need to be sold as some fundamental character building tool. There is nothing wrong with doing a hobby just for you and not having it be entirely about integrity, teamwork or perseverance. I am not an ADCOM, but I do believe there is such a thing as too much jazz when describing an experience. I have seen activities sections written that describe how playing occasional basketball will translate into fundamentally being a better physician and it seems to come across as really stretching the experience.

 

[ShakaChaka]

Hmm, I have a question along a similar line as OP now?

Would surfing be disadvantageous to tell adcoms, because the medical schools that I apply to that are not by the beach might make the adcoms think, "Hmm this guy likes to surf, but there are no waves here..." or they might be totally indifferent to surfing.... ??

 

[Heisenberg 41]

Hmm, I have a question along a similar line as OP now?

Would surfing be disadvantageous to tell adcoms, because the medical schools that I apply to that are not by the beach might make the adcoms think, "Hmm this guy likes to surf, but there are no waves here..." or they might be totally indifferent to surfing.... ??

You're probably overthinking it... just my .02

 

[vellez]

I think putting one or two hobbies on (so long as it's genuine) your AMCAS is always a great idea. I think it shows that you aren't a pre-med clone.

 

[Redpancreas]

For both amcas and aacomas under extracurricular/hobby:

Leisure-time activity:

I have been playing basketball since I was in Kindergarten. Basketball has taught me the value of team work, discipline, focus, and dedication. These qualities helped me to excel in college and especially when I played pick-up basketball. Through teamwork I was able to make a variety of friends with different back grounds. Along with basketball, I enjoy reading current events, gardening, and hiking.

Is this wack? Should I take this out and save it for secondaries?

Put it in if you have space
It's a leisure activity.
It shouldn't me more detailed than your medical/service/research experiences though.

 

[LilKangaroo]

My general rule of thumb for these types of online forms if that unless you were on an organized team (intramural or more competitive) or did it competitively/presented (having your photography shown at an exhibit, submitting your homegrown veggies to a state fair, WHATEVER), hobbies/leisure activities shouldn't go into the AMCAS form.

What you put on your AMCAS should be something tangible or an accomplishment. Even being on intramural teams shows time commitment and dedication to others, even if your team lost every game. Playing pick up doesn't have the same tangible qualities and I think you would have a hard time spinning it properly.

CVs/Resumes are different, in my opinion. You can and should put your leisure activities on there.
It sounds like something that should come out in a secondary essay, an interview, or potentially a personal statement, but not the AMCAS form.

This is just my opinion and you can take it or leave it. I don't think it will help you very much to put it on the form. Besides, a lot of secondaries ask questions about what shaped your character and specifically ask for examples that can't be found anywhere else on your application. Save it until then.

 

[Banco]

My general rule of thumb for these types of online forms if that unless you were on an organized team (intramural or more competitive) or did it competitively/presented (having your photography shown at an exhibit, submitting your homegrown veggies to a state fair, WHATEVER), hobbies/leisure activities shouldn't go into the AMCAS form.

What you put on your AMCAS should be something tangible or an accomplishment. Even being on intramural teams shows time commitment and dedication to others, even if your team lost every game. Playing pick up doesn't have the same tangible qualities and I think you would have a hard time spinning it properly.

CVs/Resumes are different, in my opinion. You can and should put your leisure activities on there.
It sounds like something that should come out in a secondary essay, an interview, or potentially a personal statement, but not the AMCAS form.

This is just my opinion and you can take it or leave it. I don't think it will help you very much to put it on the form. Besides, a lot of secondaries ask questions about what shaped your character and specifically ask for examples that can't be found anywhere else on your application. Save it until then.

I'll dispute this. If it was so frowned upon they wouldn't have a "hobbies" classification under activities.

I put 3 hobbies on my AMCAS and they came up as talking points in a few interviews.

 

[LilKangaroo]

I'll dispute this. If it was so frowned upon they wouldn't have a "hobbies" classification under activities.

I put 3 hobbies on my AMCAS and they came up as talking points in a few interviews.

Never said it was frowned upon. It's just what I do/how I see it. It's MY general rule of thumb.

You can accomplish something and have something tangible with your hobbies. But I still think it's better for secondaries or interviews if you don't have something tangible from it.

Again, it's just my opinion, but this opinion could be shared by your reviewer and I think it's an important angle to consider.

 

[Donald Juan]

Your app needs to represent who you are and what you have done in your life. I think that includes part time jobs you worked in college and hobbies you've had. Don't try and act like anything is more than what it is, but unless you've just got way too much going on in your 15 (I assume it's still 15...) experiences, I would definitely list a hobby like this if it meant a lot to you. I wouldn't try and list 3 different sports categories or anything excessive, but mentioning your athletic pursuits are important.

 

[sandstorm223]

What would I list a hobby as for aacomas? I love marathon running and really want to list it, but under extracurricular activities it requires an organization name. Hmm, should I just name it Marathon Running for organization name?

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

What would I list a hobby as for aacomas? I love marathon running and really want to list it, but under extracurricular activities it requires an organization name. Hmm, should I just name it Marathon Running for organization name?

Yes, but organization name isn't required, so you could just leave that blank.

 

[Grace184]

CVs/Resumes are different, in my opinion.

CVs and Resumes are not interchangeable. A CV is typically used by a professional in academia to show research, publications, presentation, etc. They are often several (many of your professors' are probably around 50) pages long. One would never put Hobbies on there. You would be laughed at by potential colleagues.

A Resume- yes, go ahead and put your hobbies. Though if you are applying professionally, this is not a great idea. Leave them in the labeled AMCAS section where they belong.

 

[LilKangaroo]

CVs and Resumes are not interchangeable. A CV is typically used by a professional in academia to show research, publications, presentation, etc. They are often several (many of your professors' are probably around 50) pages long. One would never put Hobbies on there. You would be laughed at by potential colleagues.

A Resume- yes, go ahead and put your hobbies. Though if you are applying professionally, this is not a great idea. Leave them in the labeled AMCAS section where they belong.

My bad.