Hobbies

[PeanutButter1]

Hi folks, 

 

Apologies if this has been discussed in previous threads. I noticed a lot of people stating that they have put hobbies under their NAQ section. I have always been a little worried about this because many of my hobbies don't have major or formal accomplishments associated with them. For that reason, I am unable to include an organization or website, or a verifier who isn't a family member or friend. 

Just wondering, do most people only put hobbies where they've demonstrated some sort of accomplishment, or is it reasonable to put things like playing instruments just for fun, for which I wouldn't really be able to put any concrete evidence like a website. Can anyone give some strategies on how to give some evidence to these types of experiences - for example, link to a video of you playing the instrument?

Thank you

[frenchpress]

2 hours ago, PeanutButter1 said:

Hi folks, 

 

Apologies if this has been discussed in previous threads. I noticed a lot of people stating that they have put hobbies under their NAQ section. I have always been a little worried about this because many of my hobbies don't have major or formal accomplishments associated with them. For that reason, I am unable to include an organization or website, or a verifier who isn't a family member or friend. 

Just wondering, do most people only put hobbies where they've demonstrated some sort of accomplishment, or is it reasonable to put things like playing instruments just for fun, for which I wouldn't really be able to put any concrete evidence like a website. Can anyone give some strategies on how to give some evidence to these types of experiences - for example, link to a video of you playing the instrument?

Thank you

I put several hobbies (I think at least 8, about half my entries) that had zero ‘accomplishment’ associated with them aside from the time I spent on them. Instrument, cooking, sports/outdoor hobbies, travel, etc. I used family and friends and a couple of instructors for verifiers, no ‘website’ or evidence required. I am fairly sure that many people do this, although maybe not to the same extent. You don’t want your whole NAQ to be things like this, but certainly you can include things that illustrate who you are to round out your entries - usually they’ll fit best under ‘diversity of experiences’.

Edit: The following is from the help guide, which basically reinforces the same: “We are interested in learning more about you through your non-academic qualities and experiences. This means that we would like to know what you have been doing, what you are passionate about, and how you spend your time. . . . Please include experiences that will tell us something about you, even if they are not your greatest achievements or accomplishments. However, also be aware of how committed you were to that activity. If you participated in an activity for one day or one week, we are not likely to consider this as illuminating as activities that you have participated in over the longer term.

[PeanutButter1]

28 minutes ago, frenchpress said:

I put several hobbies (I think at least 8, about half my entries) that had zero ‘accomplishment’ associated with them aside from the time I spent on them. Instrument, cooking, sports/outdoor hobbies, travel, etc. I used family and friends and a couple of instructors for verifiers, no ‘website’ or evidence required. I am fairly sure that many people do this, although maybe not to the same extent. You don’t want your whole NAQ to be things like this, but certainly you can include things that illustrate who you are to round out your entries - usually they’ll fit best under ‘diversity of experiences’.

Edit: The following is from the help guide, which basically reinforces the same: “We are interested in learning more about you through your non-academic qualities and experiences. This means that we would like to know what you have been doing, what you are passionate about, and how you spend your time. . . . Please include experiences that will tell us something about you, even if they are not your greatest achievements or accomplishments. However, also be aware of how committed you were to that activity. If you participated in an activity for one day or one week, we are not likely to consider this as illuminating as activities that you have participated in over the longer term.

Thanks so much!