'Evening Everyone~
I am finishing AMCAS (just in time for the deadline that has shifted… =( ), but one question is still lingering.
Under Work/Activities, I have 14 entries.
6x Army jobs
4x Non Medical volunteering (Alpha Phi Omega, Habitat for Humanity, a Boy Scout troop and a political campaign.)
2x Medical volunteering (both pre-hospital as an EMT)
1x research (modeling)
1x Shadowing (80 hours w/ MD)
I have one more that I can add. Some people say to include hobbies, some say “who cares.” I’m an avid mountain biker, cook and traveler. Should I talk about these things in the last section? Will this sort of thing be a good conversation starter in an open file interview?
Thanks in advanced for your perspectives.
Hi James,
The “hobbies” option in the AMCAS application is new this year. In the past people refrained from including hobbies because it wasn’t an option. I think it fleshes you out as an applicant if you include them, especially if you have room to do it (not sacrificing other important things that are essential to include). So if you have room, include them. In your description be sure to write about your hobbies in a meaningful way–saying why you were drawn to them, what you got out of them, learned, etc.
Good luck in the application process!
Best,
Liza
Thanks for this James s and Liza. I was just wondering about this myself!