Favorite Questions: What do you do for fun?

Part of an on-going series of favorite interview questions you'll run into during your college admissions interview --CJ

Question: What do you do for fun? (Alts: What hobbies do you have? What do you like doing in your spare time? What do you do to unwind?)

Background/Why You're Being Asked:

For some reason--maybe because asking about what you do for fun seems a little too casual for a college interview--this

question often catches college interviewees off-guard. You're ready to talk about grades. Your research--gotchya. Why you want to move to Minnesota? Check. Soliloquy on what you learned as captain of the football team? Check.

But.... for fun?

First, yes, I realize that the concept of "doing something for fun" seems antiquated in the current hyper-competitive college admissions environment, where everyone feels like they need to have 4 sports, 18 AP classes and 32 extracurricular activities on their resume.

Which makes it even more worth asking---in that rare down minute, what do you do for fun?

There are many reasons why your college interviewer may ask you this question. I ask it of college applicants because it's an easy way to get to know them on a more personal level--and it's always fun to find out that you have something (like, say, skiing) in common.

Other common reasons you're being asked:

• Just curious. Talking about what you like to do for fun is an easy ice breaker--the thought being that SURELY you do something for fun, and it's easy to talk about (neither are always the case!). A lot of interviewers (myself included) ask because we're just genuinely curious. It's fun to hear what "the kids" are up to.
• Search for multi-dimensionality. That's a fancy way of saying, are you just a resume? Valedictorians who are 3-sport athletes and captain of their chess team are often... well, dull workaholics. Finding out that you also like playing Frisbee golf with your friends makes you a real person, and real people make much better admissions candidates than do walking resumes. Are you well rounded?
  
• Campus contributions. Some college interviewers are always looking to see how you'll contribute to campus. Well-rounded students who do something for fun tend to contribute more to the student body than those who just work all the time. 
• Ability to balance. Asking what you do for fun is a back-door way of asking whether you can balance everything in your life such that you actually have time to do something fun. As busy as you are now, it'll only get worse in college--and if it seems to your interviewer like you're already drowning in the shallow end of the pool, that raises red flags about letting you into the deeper end.
• The "Roommate Test". A friend who interviews for an Ivy League school explained it to me this way:

We get thousands of applicants from this area every year alone--and at least half of them suck. They just study and work--and who wants to be somewhere where everyone just studies and works? I see my job as weeding out the candidates who suck.

In other words--are people going to like being around you at school? If you know how to have fun, then probably yes. Will your future roommate enjoy living with you? Hence, the Roommate Test.

How NOT to Respond:

If at this point you're asking "Jeez.... that's easy. How can someone screw that up?" it's a good question--this really should be a softball. Yet... you'd be surprised. A couple of pitfalls you'll want to avoid:

• Don't have a hobby. Seems obvious, but sometimes this question elicits the deer-in-the-headlights response, followed by a mumbled "uh... I dunno, I guess I hang out with friends?", or maybe worse, "Gee, I'm so swamped with school and sports and all, I really don't have time for anything else." Not having any response is probably the second-biggest mistake that applicants make with this question.
  
• Show horrible judgment. Then what's the biggest mistake made, you ask? Showing horrible judgment. Avoid any response that makes your interviewer think you have a substance abuse problem, a criminal record, or are likely to end up online on a spring break website. For instance, yes, high school kids drink--everyone knows that. But if the only thing you do for fun is get trashed with friends, that's pretty sad (in addition to technically being illegal...) 
• Be way into something that might be considered controversial. Adults know you're never supposed to talk about religion or politics at parties--you'll invariably offend someone. Same sorta applies here--tread carefully if your main pasttime is blogging for a left-wing anarchist site or running missions trips for your church. Both are fine--everyone has political and religious beliefs--remember that the beliefs of your interviewer may be 180 degrees opposite of yours. Although no one will ding you for your beliefs, you don't want to offend your college interviewer--even subconsciously. Better to say "Well, I write current-events commentary for an online blog" or "My religion is very important to me, so I spend a lot of time with my church's youth group" and try to leave it at that.
  
• Be into something "weird". This isn't a don't-do (see below), it's just something to bear in mind: If you have an exotic hobby--you're into manga, for instance, or practice Japanese ceremonial archery----be ready to explain it in detail to your interviewer, who probably has absolutely no clue what you're talking about. That's not to say don't mention it as a hobby, just make sure that you're comfortable talking about it and can explain it to your grandparents (not all college interviewers are class of 2005). For instance, one of my best interviewees was into woodworking--he made cabinets and boxes and things--and it was fascinating learning about what he did, he just had to explain even the rudimentary basics to me.
  

How to Nail It:

The shortest answer on how to nail this one? Have a hobby and be ready to talk about it. If you're stuck, consider a couple of points:

• Ordinary is OK. Don't kill yourself trying to think of some "cool" hobby or interest that you're into if one isn't obvious--and don't risk making one up. If what you do for fun is go to the movies with friends, or read, or play the guitar--congratulations, you're a high school student. There's nothing wrong with just being normal (particularly if you stand out elsewhere).
  
• Quirky can be fun. Alternatively, if you're into something offbeat, own up to it--it'll give your interview more color and interest (although you run the slight risk of being remembered only for your hobby). In past years, I've had devoted yoga-ists, a juggler (who even brought balls to demonstrate), the aforementioned woodworker and someone who collected Beatles--not the bug, but figurines of John, Paul, George and Ringo. So if your hobby is a little off-beat, share it (just note the warning above about "weird" pursuits...)
• Be honest. As always, fake responses come across as fake--dull and lifeless. Surely you're into something outside of school and resume-worthy activities. Do you play sports with friends on free afternoons? Play video games? Read? Go ahead and share it.
  

Talking about what you do for fun should be one of the easiest and most enjoyable parts of your interview--you're talking about what you enjoy doing, after all! Don't over-think this one, just be ready for it and you'll be fine ------CJ