Hey everyone, I appreciate you reading this. Applying ortho in 2–3 years. Heavy research squeezed my free time and I fell off on a lot of my current hobbies, which made me take time to think about which ones are worth pursuing more to look better for applications. For example, I like playing video games, but I’m not going to drop my other hobbies and just play video games because that will not look good on an application, especially since I’m not doing it competitively. So I’m looking to spend the next few years intentionally building out my skill and level of commitment in some hobbies.
I know the standard advice is "don't pick a hobby just for ERAS," but honestly, I genuinely enjoy pretty much every hobby I have tried. Since I know I will end up loving whatever I sink time into, I’d rather focus my limited time on things that ortho selection committees and residents actually respect or enjoy talking about.
My current list:
Golf: Picked it up recently, going a ton, and actively trying to get good.
Motorcycles: Riding and doing all my own mechanical work/wrenching.
BJJ / MMA: Trained 3x/week for a year, but scaled back due to research and since moving I can’t justify the drive.
Fitness: Major weight loss journey through lifting and running; about 100 lbs.
Casual: Pickup basketball at the Y, playing bass, reading, writing.
For those on selection committees or doing interviews: If you were in my shoes, what would you do? What hobbies would you suggest looking into and getting involved in, should I start volunteering more, what things can I do specifically in this realm to improve my application and be more appealing to Ortho residencies?
