essay on why i want to become a medical doctor

Why Do You Want To Be A Doctor? [+ Example Interview Answers]

Table of contents.

Many students fall into the trap of providing a vague answer about enjoying science, wanting to help people, or always wanting to be a doctor. What they don’t realize is that most (if not all) applicants to medical school share these characteristics!

What differentiates you in answering the question is unique to your situation, so you’ll want to incorporate memorable specifics into your answer to help paint a better picture of you as an applicant. Answering this question provides you with a unique opportunity to put your journey to applying to med school into a coherent narrative. With a little thought, tailoring your answer can be a great way to highlight the strengths in your application or to shore up weaknesses. Here are a couple of thoughts on how to answer the question, and some pitfalls to avoid: 

Share Your Resume, But Don’t Just Rehash It

Use your answer to highlight not only your interest in medicine but how you came to develop that interest. Applicants often highlight the origins of their desire to be a doctor but are short on details as to how their resume relates to the journey to applying to med school. It’s not enough to say you “always wanted” to be a doctor; show through stories what you did along the way to understand more about yourself and that desire.

Vague answer: “I always knew I wanted to be a doctor ever since I was a kid. I did some shadowing in high school and I volunteered in college at a hospital too, so I basically felt like I understood what doctors did every day and knew I wanted to be one.” 

This answer doesn’t provide much information about the applicant beyond what could already be found on their resume. Your interviewers will want to hear more about you as a person that they couldn’t find out by reading the rest of your application. 

Better answer: “I didn’t come from a family of doctors, but my parents say it was always something I was interested in. After one of my friends told me about how their dad, who is a doctor, used to be on call all the time and would sometimes miss holidays or birthdays from getting called to the hospital, I decided it would be a good idea to try to get a better sense of what it was actually like being a doctor. I asked to shadow him in high school, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that if I was going to do this, I needed to be really sure I was ready to handle the demands of the job. I started volunteering at our local emergency department in college to try to prepare myself even more. I learned a lot from being in the ED – not just about being a doctor, but about all the other roles it takes to successfully care for a patient. Now that I’m better informed, I want to be a doctor because there’s no other job where the sacrifice seems so worth it – you can make an immediate, life-changing difference for people, as I saw time and again when patients came in with strokes, heart attacks, and injuries.” 

This answer adds detail that might not be evident elsewhere in the application. It shows that the applicant understands some of the demands of being a doctor (missing holidays and birthdays, acknowledging  personal sacrifice) as well as highlighting an attempt to grow personally and gain clinical skills as a motivation for volunteering (rather than “checking a box” to show they volunteered). It also opens the possibility of the interviewer asking follow-up questions about what they saw in the emergency department that they liked or disliked, or what they learned from that experience. 

Answer Why Medicine, Rather Than Another Career In The Sciences

There are many jobs where you can use science to help people other than being a doctor, and there seem to be more every day. This might have been your initial motivation for exploring becoming a doctor, but interviewers will want to know how you built on that motivation and decided on medicine specifically. Liking science and wanting to help people are great initial motivations, but interviewers will want to see more than that in an application. Be sure to use your answer to expand on why medicine specifically, versus another career in the sciences.

Vague answer: “I really enjoyed science in high school, and I knew I wanted to help people, so I decided to major in biology in college. I wasn’t really sure whether or not to apply to med school right away, so I took a gap year after college and worked as a scribe.” 

This answer doesn’t sound as if the interviewee has put much thought into addressing the question. It might also invite some unwelcome questions about why the interviewee took a “gap year,” and prompt the interviewer to ask whether they’ve applied to medical school before and failed to get in, or about their academic record, which could present a problem if it is not stellar.

Better answer: “As a high school student, I was fascinated with my science classes. Someone suggested I consider biology as a major in college, so I gave it a shot. Even though I loved my classes and the research lab that I worked in, I wasn’t completely satisfied with how I was applying what I knew. Rather than trying to apply to med school right away, I decided to spend a year working with patients to see if it was right for me. I took a job as a medical scribe, and it really confirmed my suspicion that medicine was a better fit for me than benchwork would have been. Seeing the way the doctors in our clinic utilized their knowledge to help people every day in a tangible way showed me  that medicine was the way I wanted to apply my skills. Having some patient contact scratched that itch of what I needed that I wasn’t getting from my benchwork: the chance to directly apply scientific principles to a person to help them in real time.” 

This answer is actually from the same student, with more detail. It sounds more confident, explains the gap year coherently, and illustrates personal growth. An interviewer would be much more likely to follow up with a question about the applicant’s research background or clinic experience next, rather than trying to get more details about a gap year. 

Consider Why You Want To Be A Physician Specifically

For some interviewers, it’s not good enough to say you want to go into medicine alone. Interviewers will want to know why you want to be a doctor specifically versus a nurse, physician assistant, physical therapist, or any other number of healthcare professionals who care directly for patients. Your answer should explain that you’ve been exposed to these possibilities and have a specific reason for choosing to pursue one over another. 

Vague answer: “I spent a lot of my career as an operating room nurse, but after a while, I really wanted to prescribe medicines, call the shots, and make more money. That’s when I decided to apply to med school.” 

Although this answer is somewhat exaggerated, it isn’t far off from real answers given by less-than-savvy applicants. This answer shows a lack of understanding of the roles of various health professions. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants can often prescribe medications, and in an increasingly team-based world, doctors aren’t the sole decision-makers when it comes to patient care. If autonomy were a big motivator for this applicant, there are better ways to express this. 

Better answer: “As an operating room nurse, I loved the patient care contact, and I found myself fascinated by what surgeons did on a daily basis. As time went on, I realized I wasn’t going to be satisfied in my career unless I was able to actually perform surgery independently on a patient. While some of my colleagues went on to become nurse practitioners or physician assistants, I wanted to go the physician route because I knew I wanted to be performing surgery in the OR independently. I want to be a doctor because I want to be a surgeon, and there isn’t another way for me to achieve that dream.”

This answer shows a better understanding of team roles and scope of practice than the previous one. It still gets at the idea of autonomy, while showing an understanding of team roles. A followup question might include a discussion of the applicant’s nursing experience or desire to be a surgeon specifically. 

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In summary….

There are as many ways to answer the “why do you want to be a doctor” question as there are applicants to medical school, so it pays to prepare an answer ahead of time. Use the fact that the question is virtually guaranteed to your advantage, and highlight elements of your application that aren’t immediately obvious on review of your resume. With some careful planning, your answer can set you up for success in the rest of your medical school interview!

Dr. Brennan Kruszewski is a practicing internist and primary care physician in Beachwood, Ohio. He graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in 2018, and recently completed his residency in Internal Medicine at University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He enjoys writing about a variety of medical topics, including his time in academic medicine and how to succeed as a young physician. In his spare time, he is an avid cyclist, lover of classical literature, and choral singer.

Further Reading

What to Bring to a Medical School Interview–And What to Expect

Preparing for Medical School

How to Get Into Medical School: Preparing a Strong Application

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10 Successful Medical School Essays

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-- Accepted to: Harvard Medical School GPA: 4.0 MCAT: 522

Sponsored by A ccepted.com : Great stats don’t assure acceptance to elite medical schools. The personal statement, most meaningful activities, activity descriptions, secondaries and interviews can determine acceptance or rejection. Since 1994, Accepted.com has guided medical applicants just like you to present compelling medical school applications. Get Accepted !

I started writing in 8th grade when a friend showed me her poetry about self-discovery and finding a voice. I was captivated by the way she used language to bring her experiences to life. We began writing together in our free time, trying to better understand ourselves by putting a pen to paper and attempting to paint a picture with words. I felt my style shift over time as I grappled with challenges that seemed to defy language. My poems became unstructured narratives, where I would use stories of events happening around me to convey my thoughts and emotions. In one of my earliest pieces, I wrote about a local boy’s suicide to try to better understand my visceral response. I discussed my frustration with the teenage social hierarchy, reflecting upon my social interactions while exploring the harms of peer pressure.

In college, as I continued to experiment with this narrative form, I discovered medical narratives. I have read everything from Manheimer’s Bellevue to Gawande’s Checklist and from Nuland’s observations about the way we die, to Kalanithi’s struggle with his own decline. I even experimented with this approach recently, writing a piece about my grandfather’s emphysema. Writing allowed me to move beyond the content of our relationship and attempt to investigate the ways time and youth distort our memories of the ones we love. I have augmented these narrative excursions with a clinical bioethics internship. In working with an interdisciplinary team of ethics consultants, I have learned by doing by participating in care team meetings, synthesizing discussions and paths forward in patient charts, and contributing to an ongoing legislative debate addressing the challenges of end of life care. I have also seen the ways ineffective intra-team communication and inter-personal conflicts of beliefs can compromise patient care.

Writing allowed me to move beyond the content of our relationship and attempt to investigate the ways time and youth distort our memories of the ones we love.

By assessing these difficult situations from all relevant perspectives and working to integrate the knowledge I’ve gained from exploring narratives, I have begun to reflect upon the impact the humanities can have on medical care. In a world that has become increasingly data driven, where patients can so easily devolve into lists of numbers and be forced into algorithmic boxes in search of an exact diagnosis, my synergistic narrative and bioethical backgrounds have taught me the importance of considering the many dimensions of the human condition. I am driven to become a physician who deeply considers a patient’s goal of care and goals of life. I want to learn to build and lead patient care teams that are oriented toward fulfilling these goals, creating an environment where family and clinician conflict can be addressed efficiently and respectfully. Above all, I look forward to using these approaches to keep the person beneath my patients in focus at each stage of my medical training, as I begin the task of translating complex basic science into excellent clinical care.

In her essay for medical school, Morgan pitches herself as a future physician with an interdisciplinary approach, given her appreciation of how the humanities can enable her to better understand her patients. Her narrative takes the form of an origin story, showing how a childhood interest in poetry grew into a larger mindset to keep a patient’s humanity at the center of her approach to clinical care.

This narrative distinguishes Morgan as a candidate for medical school effectively, as she provides specific examples of how her passions intersect with medicine. She first discusses how she used poetry to process her emotional response to a local boy’s suicide and ties in concern about teenage mental health. Then, she discusses more philosophical questions she encountered through reading medical narratives, which demonstrates her direct interest in applying writing and the humanities to medicine. By making the connection from this larger theme to her own reflections on her grandfather, Morgan provides a personal insight that will give an admissions officer a window into her character. This demonstrates her empathy for her future patients and commitment to their care.

Her narrative takes the form of an origin story, showing how a childhood interest in poetry grew into a larger mindset to keep a patient's humanity at the center of her approach to clinical care.

Furthermore, it is important to note that Morgan’s essay does not repeat anything in-depth that would otherwise be on her resume. She makes a reference to her work in care team meetings through a clinical bioethics internship, but does not focus on this because there are other places on her application where this internship can be discussed. Instead, she offers a more reflection-based perspective on the internship that goes more in-depth than a resume or CV could. This enables her to explain the reasons for interdisciplinary approach to medicine with tangible examples that range from personal to professional experiences — an approach that presents her as a well-rounded candidate for medical school.

Disclaimer: With exception of the removal of identifying details, essays are reproduced as originally submitted in applications; any errors in submissions are maintained to preserve the integrity of the piece. The Crimson's news and opinion teams—including writers, editors, photographers, and designers—were not involved in the production of this article.

-- Accepted To: A medical school in New Jersey with a 3% acceptance rate. GPA: 3.80 MCAT: 502 and 504

Sponsored by E fiie Consulting Group : “ EFIIE ” boasts 100% match rate for all premedical and predental registered students. Not all students are accepted unto their pre-health student roster. Considered the most elite in the industry and assists from start to end – premed to residency. EFIIE is a one-stop-full-service education firm.

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The tribulations I've overcome in my life have manifested in the compassion, curiosity, and courage that is embedded in my personality. Even a horrific mishap in my life has not changed my core beliefs and has only added fuel to my intense desire to become a doctor. My extensive service at an animal hospital, a harrowing personal experience, and volunteering as an EMT have increased my appreciation and admiration for the medical field.

At thirteen, I accompanied my father to the Park Home Animal Hospital with our eleven-year-old dog, Brendan. He was experiencing severe pain due to an osteosarcoma, which ultimately led to the difficult decision to put him to sleep. That experience brought to light many questions regarding the idea of what constitutes a "quality of life" for an animal and what importance "dignity" plays to an animal and how that differs from owner to owner and pet to pet. Noting my curiosity and my relative maturity in the matter, the owner of the animal hospital invited me to shadow the professional staff. Ten years later, I am still part of the team, having made the transition from volunteer to veterinarian technician. Saving a life, relieving pain, sharing in the euphoria of animal and owner reuniting after a procedure, to understanding the emotions of losing a loved one – my life was forever altered from the moment I stepped into that animal hospital.

As my appreciation for medical professionals continued to grow, a horrible accident created an indelible moment in my life. It was a warm summer day as I jumped onto a small boat captained by my grandfather. He was on his way to refill the boat's gas tank at the local marina, and as he pulled into the dock, I proceeded to make a dire mistake. As the line was thrown from the dock, I attempted to cleat the bowline prematurely, and some of the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life ensued.

Saving a life, relieving pain, sharing in the euphoria of animal and owner reuniting after a procedure, to understanding the emotions of losing a loved one – my life was forever altered from the moment I stepped into that animal hospital.

"Call 911!" I screamed, half-dazed as I witnessed blood gushing out of my open wounds, splashing onto the white fiberglass deck of the boat, forming a small puddle beneath my feet. I was instructed to raise my hand to reduce the bleeding, while someone wrapped an icy towel around the wound. The EMTs arrived shortly after and quickly drove me to an open field a short distance away, where a helicopter seemed to instantaneously appear.

The medevac landed on the roof of Stony Brook Hospital before I was expeditiously wheeled into the operating room for a seven-hour surgery to reattach my severed fingers. The distal phalanges of my 3rd and 4th fingers on my left hand had been torn off by the rope tightening on the cleat. I distinctly remember the chill from the cold metal table, the bright lights of the OR, and multiple doctors and nurses scurrying around. The skill and knowledge required to execute multiple skin graft surgeries were impressive and eye-opening. My shortened fingers often raise questions by others; however, they do not impair my self-confidence or physical abilities. The positive outcome of this trial was the realization of my intense desire to become a medical professional.

Despite being the patient, I was extremely impressed with the dedication, competence, and cohesiveness of the medical team. I felt proud to be a critical member of such a skilled group. To this day, I still cannot explain the dichotomy of experiencing being the patient, and concurrently one on the professional team, committed to saving the patient. Certainly, this experience was a defining part of my life and one of the key contributors to why I became an EMT and a volunteer member of the Sample Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The startling ring of the pager, whether it is to respond to an inebriated alcoholic who is emotionally distraught or to help bring breath to a pulseless person who has been pulled from the family swimming pool, I am committed to EMS. All of these events engender the same call to action and must be reacted to with the same seriousness, intensity, and magnanimity. It may be some routine matter or a dire emergency; this is a role filled with uncertainty and ambiguity, but that is how I choose to spend my days. My motives to become a physician are deeply seeded. They permeate my personality and emanate from my desire to respond to the needs of others. Through a traumatic personal event and my experiences as both a professional and volunteer, I have witnessed firsthand the power to heal the wounded and offer hope. Each person defines success in different ways. To know even one life has been improved by my actions affords me immense gratification and meaning. That is success to me and why I want to be a doctor.

This review is provided by EFIIE Consulting Group’s Pre-Health Senior Consultant Jude Chan

This student was a joy to work with — she was also the lowest MCAT profile I ever accepted onto my roster. At 504 on the second attempt (502 on her first) it would seem impossible and unlikely to most that she would be accepted into an allopathic medical school. Even for an osteopathic medical school this score could be too low. Additionally, the student’s GPA was considered competitive at 3.80, but it was from a lower ranked, less known college, so naturally most advisors would tell this student to go on and complete a master’s or postbaccalaureate program to show that she could manage upper level science classes. Further, she needed to retake the MCAT a third time.

However, I saw many other facets to this student’s history and life that spoke volumes about the type of student she was, and this was the positioning strategy I used for her file. Students who read her personal statement should know that acceptance is contingent on so much more than just an essay and MCAT score or GPA. Although many students have greater MCAT scores than 504 and higher GPAs than 3.80, I have helped students with lower scores and still maintained our 100% match rate. You are competing with thousands of candidates. Not every student out there requires our services and we are actually grateful that we can focus on a limited amount out of the tens of thousands that do. We are also here for the students who wish to focus on learning well the organic chemistry courses and physics courses and who want to focus on their research and shadowing opportunities rather than waste time deciphering the next step in this complex process. We tailor a pathway for each student dependent on their health care career goals, and our partnerships with non-profit organizations, hospitals, physicians and research labs allow our students to focus on what matters most — the building up of their basic science knowledge and their exposure to patients and patient care.

Students who read her personal statement should know that acceptance is contingent on so much more than just an essay and MCAT score or GPA.

Even students who believe that their struggle somehow disqualifies them from their dream career in health care can be redeemed if they are willing to work for it, just like this student with 502 and 504 MCAT scores. After our first consult, I saw a way to position her to still be accepted into an MD school in the US — I would not have recommended she register to our roster if I did not believe we could make a difference. Our rosters have a waitlist each semester, and it is in our best interest to be transparent with our students and protect our 100% record — something I consider a win-win. It is unethical to ever guarantee acceptance in admissions as we simply do not control these decisions. However, we respect it, play by the rules, and help our students stay one step ahead by creating an applicant profile that would be hard for the schools to ignore.

This may be the doctor I go to one day. Or the nurse or dentist my children or my grandchildren goes to one day. That is why it is much more than gaining acceptance — it is about properly matching the student to the best options for their education. Gaining an acceptance and being incapable of getting through the next 4 or 8 years (for my MD/PhD-MSTP students) is nonsensical.

-- Accepted To: Imperial College London UCAT Score: 2740 BMAT Score: 3.9, 5.4, 3.5A

My motivation to study Medicine stems from wishing to be a cog in the remarkable machine that is universal healthcare: a system which I saw first-hand when observing surgery in both the UK and Sri Lanka. Despite the differences in sanitation and technology, the universality of compassion became evident. When volunteering at OSCE training days, I spoke to many medical students, who emphasised the importance of a genuine interest in the sciences when studying Medicine. As such, I have kept myself informed of promising developments, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy. After learning about the role of HeLa cells in the development of the polio vaccine in Biology, I read 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' to find out more. Furthermore, I read that surface protein CD4 can be added to HeLa cells, allowing them to be infected with HIV, opening the possibility of these cells being used in HIV research to produce more life-changing drugs, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP). Following my BioGrad laboratory experience in HIV testing, and time collating data for research into inflammatory markers in lung cancer, I am also interested in pursuing a career in medical research. However, during a consultation between an ENT surgeon and a thyroid cancer patient, I learnt that practising medicine needs more than a scientific aptitude. As the surgeon explained that the cancer had metastasised to her liver, I watched him empathetically tailor his language for the patient - he avoided medical jargon and instead gave her time to come to terms with this. I have been developing my communication skills by volunteering weekly at care homes for 3 years, which has improved my ability to read body language and structure conversations to engage with the residents, most of whom have dementia.

However, during a consultation between an ENT surgeon and a thyroid cancer patient, I learnt that practising medicine needs more than a scientific aptitude.

Jude’s essay provides a very matter-of-fact account of their experience as a pre-medical student. However, they deepen this narrative by merging two distinct cultures through some common ground: a universality of compassion. Using clear, concise language and a logical succession of events — much like a doctor must follow when speaking to patients — Jude shows their motivation to go into the medical field.

From their OSCE training days to their school’s Science society, Jude connects their analytical perspective — learning about HeLa cells — to something that is relatable and human, such as a poor farmer’s notable contribution to science. This approach provides a gateway into their moral compass without having to explicitly state it, highlighting their fervent desire to learn how to interact and communicate with others when in a position of authority.

Using clear, concise language and a logical succession of events — much like a doctor must follow when speaking to patients — Jude shows their motivation to go into the medical field.

Jude’s closing paragraph reminds the reader of the similarities between two countries like the UK and Sri Lanka, and the importance of having a universal healthcare system that centers around the just and “world-class” treatment of patients. Overall, this essay showcases Jude’s personal initiative to continue to learn more and do better for the people they serve.

While the essay could have benefited from better transitions to weave Jude’s experiences into a personal story, its strong grounding in Jude’s motivation makes for a compelling application essay.

-- Accepted to: Weill Cornell Medical College GPA: 3.98 MCAT: 521

Sponsored by E fie Consulting Group : “ EFIIE ” boasts 100% match rate for all premedical and predental registered students. Not all students are accepted unto their pre-health student roster. Considered the most elite in the industry and assists from start to end – premed to residency. EFIIE is a one-stop-full-service education firm.

Following the physician’s unexpected request, we waited outside, anxiously waiting to hear the latest update on my father’s condition. It was early on in my father’s cancer progression – a change that had shaken our entire way of life overnight. During those 18 months, while my mother spent countless nights at the hospital, I took on the responsibility of caring for my brother. My social life became of minimal concern, and the majority of my studying for upcoming 12th- grade exams was done at the hospital. We were allowed back into the room as the physician walked out, and my parents updated us on the situation. Though we were a tight-knit family and my father wanted us to be present throughout his treatment, what this physician did was give my father a choice. Without making assumptions about who my father wanted in the room, he empowered him to make that choice independently in private. It was this respect directed towards my father, the subsequent efforts at caring for him, and the personal relationship of understanding they formed, that made the largest impact on him. Though my decision to pursue medicine came more than a year later, I deeply valued what these physicians were doing for my father, and I aspired to make a similar impact on people in the future.

It was during this period that I became curious about the human body, as we began to learn physiology in more depth at school. In previous years, the problem-based approach I could take while learning math and chemistry were primarily what sparked my interest. However, I became intrigued by how molecular interactions translated into large-scale organ function, and how these organ systems integrated together to generate the extraordinary physiological functions we tend to under-appreciate. I began my undergraduate studies with the goal of pursuing these interests, whilst leaning towards a career in medicine. While I was surprised to find that there were upwards of 40 programs within the life sciences that I could pursue, it broadened my perspective and challenged me to explore my options within science and healthcare. I chose to study pathobiology and explore my interests through hospital volunteering and research at the end of my first year.

Though my decision to pursue medicine came more than a year later, I deeply valued what these physicians were doing for my father, and I aspired to make a similar impact on people in the future.

While conducting research at St. Michael’s Hospital, I began to understand methods of data collection and analysis, and the thought process of scientific inquiry. I became acquainted with the scientific literature, and the experience transformed how I thought about the concepts I was learning in lecture. However, what stood out to me that summer was the time spent shadowing my supervisor in the neurosurgery clinic. It was where I began to fully understand what life would be like as a physician, and where the career began to truly appeal to me. What appealed to me most was the patient-oriented collaboration and discussions between my supervisor and his fellow; the physician-patient relationship that went far beyond diagnoses and treatments; and the problem solving that I experienced first-hand while being questioned on disease cases.

The day spent shadowing in the clinic was also the first time I developed a relationship with a patient. We were instructed to administer the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) test to patients as they awaited the neurosurgeon. My task was to convey the instructions as clearly as possible and score each section. I did this as best I could, adapting my explanation to each patient, and paying close attention to their responses to ensure I was understood. The last patient was a challenging case, given a language barrier combined with his severe hydrocephalus. It was an emotional time for his family, seeing their father/husband struggle to complete simple tasks and subsequently give up. I encouraged him to continue trying. But I also knew my words would not remedy the condition underlying his struggles. All I could do was make attempts at lightening the atmosphere as I got to know him and his family better. Hours later, as I saw his remarkable improvement following a lumbar puncture, and the joy on his and his family’s faces at his renewed ability to walk independently, I got a glimpse of how rewarding it would be to have the ability and privilege to care for such patients. By this point, I knew I wanted to commit to a life in medicine. Two years of weekly hospital volunteering have allowed me to make a small difference in patients’ lives by keeping them company through difficult times, and listening to their concerns while striving to help in the limited way that I could. I want to have the ability to provide care and treatment on a daily basis as a physician. Moreover, my hope is that the breadth of medicine will provide me with the opportunity to make an impact on a larger scale. Whilst attending conferences on neuroscience and surgical technology, I became aware of the potential to make a difference through healthcare, and I look forward to developing the skills necessary to do so through a Master’s in Global Health. Whether through research, health innovation, or public health, I hope not only to care for patients with the same compassion with which physicians cared for my father, but to add to the daily impact I can have by tackling large-scale issues in health.

Taylor’s essay offers both a straightforward, in-depth narrative and a deep analysis of his experiences, which effectively reveals his passion and willingness to learn in the medical field. The anecdote of Taylor’s father gives the reader insight into an original instance of learning through experience and clearly articulates Taylor’s motivations for becoming a compassionate and respectful physician.

Taylor strikes an impeccable balance between discussing his accomplishments and his character. All of his life experiences — and the difficult challenges he overcame — introduce the reader to an important aspect of Taylor’s personality: his compassion, care for his family, and power of observation in reflecting on the decisions his father’s doctor makes. His description of his time volunteering at St. Michael’s Hospital is indicative of Taylor’s curiosity about medical research, but also of his recognition of the importance of the patient-physician relationship. Moreover, he shows how his volunteer work enabled him to see how medicine goes “beyond diagnoses and treatments” — an observation that also speaks to his compassion.

His description of his time volunteering at St. Michael's Hospital is indicative of Taylor's curiosity about medical research, but also of his recognition of the importance of the patient-physician relationship.

Finally, Taylor also tells the reader about his ambition and purpose, which is important when thinking about applying to medical school. He discusses his hope of tackling larger scale problems through any means possible in medicine. This notion of using self interest to better the world is imperative to a successful college essay, and it is nicely done here.

-- Accepted to: Washington University

Sponsored by A dmitRx : We are a group of Chicago-based medical students who realize how challenging medical school admissions can be, so we want to provide our future classmates with resources we wish we had. Our mission at AdmitRx is to provide pre-medical students with affordable, personalized, high-quality guidance towards becoming an admitted medical student.

Running has always been one of my greatest passions whether it be with friends or alone with my thoughts. My dad has always been my biggest role model and was the first to introduce me to the world of running. We entered races around the country, and one day he invited me on a run that changed my life forever. The St. Jude Run is an annual event that raises millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. My dad has led or our local team for as long as I can remember, and I had the privilege to join when I was 16. From the first step I knew this was the environment for me – people from all walks of life united with one goal of ending childhood cancer. I had an interest in medicine before the run, and with these experiences I began to consider oncology as a career. When this came up in conversations, I would invariably be faced with the question “Do you really think you could get used to working with dying kids?” My 16-year-old self responded with something noble but naïve like “It’s important work, so I’ll have to handle it”. I was 16 years young with my plan to become an oncologist at St. Jude.

As I transitioned into college my plans for oncology were alive and well. I began working in a biochemistry lab researching new anti-cancer drugs. It was a small start, but I was overjoyed to be a part of the process. I applied to work at a number of places for the summer, but the Pediatric Oncology Education program (POE) at St. Jude was my goal. One afternoon, I had just returned from class and there it was: an email listed as ‘POE Offer’. I was ecstatic and accepted the offer immediately. Finally, I could get a glimpse at what my future holds. My future PI, Dr. Q, specialized in solid tumor translational research and I couldn’t wait to get started.

I was 16 years young with my plan to become an oncologist at St. Jude.

Summer finally came, I moved to Memphis, and I was welcomed by the X lab. I loved translational research because the results are just around the corner from helping patients. We began a pre-clinical trial of a new chemotherapy regimen and the results were looking terrific. I was also able to accompany Dr. Q whenever she saw patients in the solid tumor division. Things started simple with rounds each morning before focusing on the higher risk cases. I was fortunate enough to get to know some of the patients quite well, and I could sometimes help them pass the time with a game or two on a slow afternoon between treatments. These experiences shined a very human light on a field I had previously seen only through a microscope in a lab.

I arrived one morning as usual, but Dr. Q pulled me aside before rounds. She said one of the patients we had been seeing passed away in the night. I held my composure in the moment, but I felt as though an anvil was crushing down on me. It was tragic but I knew loss was part of the job, so I told myself to push forward. A few days later, I had mostly come to terms with what happened, but then the anvil came crashing back down with the passing of another patient. I could scarcely hold back the tears this time. That moment, it didn’t matter how many miraculous successes were happening a few doors down. Nothing overshadowed the loss, and there was no way I could ‘get used to it’ as my younger self had hoped.

I was still carrying the weight of what had happened and it was showing, so I asked Dr. Q for help. How do you keep smiling each day? How do you get used to it? The questions in my head went on. What I heard next changed my perspective forever. She said you keep smiling because no matter what happened, you’re still hope for the next patient. It’s not about getting used to it. You never get used to it and you shouldn’t. Beating cancer takes lifetimes, and you can’t look passed a life’s worth of hardships. I realized that moving passed the loss of patients would never suffice, but I need to move forward with them. Through the successes and shortcomings, we constantly make progress. I like to imagine that in all our future endeavors, it is the hands of those who have gone before us that guide the way. That is why I want to attend medical school and become a physician. We may never end the sting of loss, but physicians are the bridge between the past and the future. No where else is there the chance to learn from tragedy and use that to shape a better future. If I can learn something from one loss, keep moving forward, and use that knowledge to help even a single person – save one life, bring a moment of joy, avoid a moment of pain—then that is how I want to spend my life.

The change wasn’t overnight. The next loss still brought pain, but I took solace in moving forward so that we might learn something to give hope to a future patient. I returned to campus in a new lab doing cancer research, and my passion for medicine continues to flourish. I still think about all the people I encountered at St. Jude, especially those we lost. It might be a stretch, but during the long hours at the lab bench I still picture their hands moving through mine each step of the way. I could never have foreseen where the first steps of the St. Jude Run would bring me. I’m not sure where the road to becoming a physician may lead, but with helping hands guiding the way, I won’t be running it alone.

This essay, a description of the applicant’s intellectual challenges, displays the hardships of tending to cancer patients as a milestone of experience and realization of what it takes to be a physician. The writer explores deeper ideas beyond medicine, such as dealing with patient deaths in a way to progress and improve as a professional. In this way, the applicant gives the reader some insight into the applicant’s mindset, and their ability to think beyond the surface for ways to become better at what they do.

However, the essay fails to zero in on the applicant’s character, instead elaborating on life events that weakly illustrate the applicant’s growth as a physician. The writer’s mantra (“keep moving forward”) is feebly projected, and seems unoriginal due to the lack of a personalized connection between the experience at St. Jude and how that led to the applicant’s growth and mindset changes.

The writer explores deeper ideas beyond medicine, such as dealing with patient deaths in a way to progress and improve as a professional.

The writer, by only focusing on grief brought from patient deaths at St. Jude, misses out on the opportunity to further describe his or her experience at the hospital and portray an original, well-rounded image of his or her strengths, weaknesses, and work ethic.

The applicant ends the essay by attempting to highlight the things they learned at St. Jude, but fails to organize the ideas into a cohesive, comprehensible section. These ideas are also too abstract, and are vague indicators of the applicant’s character that are difficult to grasp.

-- Accepted to: New York University School of Medicine

Sponsored by MedEdits : MedEdits Medical Admissions has been helping applicants get into medical schools like Harvard for more than ten years. Structured like an academic medical department, MedEdits has experts in admissions, writing, editing, medicine, and interview prep working with you collaboratively so you can earn the best admissions results possible.

“Is this the movie you were talking about Alice?” I said as I showed her the movie poster on my iPhone. “Oh my God, I haven’t seen that poster in over 70 years,” she said with her arms trembling in front of her. Immediately, I sat up straight and started to question further. We were talking for about 40 minutes, and the most exciting thing she brought up in that time was the new flavor of pudding she had for lunch. All of sudden, she’s back in 1940 talking about what it was like to see this movie after school for only 5¢ a ticket! After an engaging discussion about life in the 40’s, I knew I had to indulge her. Armed with a plethora of movie streaming sights, I went to work scouring the web. No luck. The movie, “My Son My Son,” was apparently not in high demand amongst torrenting teens. I had to entreat my older brother for his Amazon Prime account to get a working stream. However, breaking up the monotony and isolation felt at the nursing home with a simple movie was worth the pandering.

While I was glad to help a resident have some fun, I was partly motivated by how much Alice reminded me of my own grandfather. In accordance with custom, my grandfather was to stay in our house once my grandmother passed away. More specifically, he stayed in my room and my bed. Just like grandma’s passing, my sudden roommate was a rough transition. In 8th grade at the time, I considered myself to be a generally good guy. Maybe even good enough to be a doctor one day. I volunteered at the hospital, shadowed regularly, and had a genuine interest for science. However, my interest in medicine was mostly restricted to academia. To be honest, I never had a sustained exposure to the palliative side of medicine until the arrival of my new roommate.

The two years I slept on that creaky wooden bed with him was the first time my metal was tested. Sharing that room, I was the one to take care of him. I was the one to rub ointment on his back, to feed him when I came back from school, and to empty out his spittoon when it got full. It was far from glamorous, and frustrating most of the time. With 75 years separating us, and senile dementia setting in, he would often forget who I was or where he was. Having to remind him that I was his grandson threatened to erode at my resolve. Assured by my Syrian Orthodox faith, I even prayed about it; asking God for comfort and firmness on my end. Over time, I grew slow to speak and eager to listen as he started to ramble more and more about bits and pieces of the past. If I was lucky, I would be able to stich together a narrative that may or may have not been true. In any case, my patience started to bud beyond my age group.

Having to remind him that I was his grandson threatened to erode at my resolve.

Although I grew more patient with his disease, my curiosity never really quelled. Conversely, it developed further alongside my rapidly growing interest in the clinical side of medicine. Naturally, I became drawn to a neurology lab in college where I got to study pathologies ranging from atrophy associated with schizophrenia, and necrotic lesions post stroke. However, unlike my intro biology courses, my work at the neurology lab was rooted beyond the academics. Instead, I found myself driven by real people who could potentially benefit from our research. In particular, my shadowing experience with Dr. Dominger in the Veteran’s home made the patient more relevant in our research as I got to encounter geriatric patients with age related diseases, such as Alzhimer’s and Parkinson’s. Furthermore, I had the privilege of of talking to the families of a few of these patients to get an idea of the impact that these diseases had on the family structure. For me, the scut work in the lab meant a lot more with these families in mind than the tritium tracer we were using in the lab.

Despite my achievements in the lab and the classroom, my time with my grandfather still holds a special place in my life story. The more I think about him, the more confident I am in my decision to pursue a career where caring for people is just as important, if not more important, than excelling at academics. Although it was a lot of work, the years spent with him was critical in expanding my horizons both in my personal life and in the context of medicine. While I grew to be more patient around others, I also grew to appreciate medicine beyond the science. This more holistic understanding of medicine had a synergistic effect in my work as I gained a purpose behind the extra hours in the lab, sleepless nights in the library, and longer hours volunteering. I had a reason for what I was doing that may one day help me have long conversations with my own grandchildren about the price of popcorn in the 2000’s.

The most important thing to highlight in Avery’s essay is how he is able to create a duality between his interest in not only the clinical, more academic-based side of medicine, but also the field’s personal side.

He draws personal connections between working with Alice — a patient in a hospital or nursing home — and caring intensely for his grandfather. These two experiences build up the “synergistic” relationship between caring for people and studying the science behind medicine. In this way, he is able to clearly state his passions for medicine and explain his exact motives for entering the field. Furthermore, in his discussion of her grandfather, he effectively employs imagery (“rub ointment on his back,” “feed him when I came back from school,” etc.) to describe the actual work that he does, calling it initially as “far from glamorous, and frustrating most of the time.” By first mentioning his initial impression, then transitioning into how he grew to appreciate the experience, Avery is able to demonstrate a strength of character, sense of enormous responsibility and capability, and open-minded attitude.

He draws personal connections between working with Alice — a patient in a hospital or nursing home — and caring intensely for his grandfather.

Later in the essay, Avery is also able to relate his time caring for his grandfather to his work with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, showcasing the social impact of his work, as the reader is likely already familiar with the biological impact of the work. This takes Avery’s essay full circle, bringing it back to how a discussion with an elderly patient about the movies reminds him of why he chose to pursue medicine.

That said, the essay does feel rushed near the end, as the writer was likely trying to remain within the word count. There could be a more developed transition before Avery introduces the last sentence about “conversations with my own grandchildren,” especially as a strong essay ending is always recommended.

-- Accepted To: Saint Louis University Medical School Direct Admission Medical Program

Sponsored by Atlas Admissions : Atlas Admissions provides expert medical school admissions consulting and test preparation services. Their experienced, physician-driven team consistently delivers top results by designing comprehensive, personalized strategies to optimize applications. Atlas Admissions is based in Boston, MA and is trusted by clients worldwide.

The tension in the office was tangible. The entire team sat silently sifting through papers as Dr. L introduced Adam, a 60-year-old morbidly obese man recently admitted for a large open wound along his chest. As Dr. L reviewed the details of the case, his prognosis became even bleaker: hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiomyopathy, hyperlipidemia; the list went on and on. As the humdrum of the side-conversations came to a halt, and the shuffle of papers softened, the reality of Adam’s situation became apparent. Adam had a few months to live at best, a few days at worst. To make matters worse, Adam’s insurance would not cover his treatment costs. With no job, family, or friends, he was dying poor and alone.

I followed Dr. L out of the conference room, unsure what would happen next. “Well,” she muttered hesitantly, “We need to make sure that Adam is on the same page as us.” It’s one thing to hear bad news, and another to hear it utterly alone. Dr. L frantically reviewed all of Adam’s paperwork desperately looking for someone to console him, someone to be at his side. As she began to make calls, I saw that being a physician calls for more than good grades and an aptitude for science: it requires maturity, sacrifice, and most of all, empathy. That empathy is exactly what I saw in Dr. L as she went out of her way to comfort a patient she met hardly 20 minutes prior.

Since high school, I’ve been fascinated by technology’s potential to improve healthcare. As a volunteer in [the] Student Ambassador program, I was fortunate enough to watch an open-heart surgery. Intrigued by the confluence of technology and medicine, I chose to study biomedical engineering. At [school], I wanted to help expand this interface, so I became involved with research through Dr. P’s lab by studying the applications of electrospun scaffolds for dermal wound healing. While still in the preliminary stages of research, I learned about the Disability Service Club (DSC) and decided to try something new by volunteering at a bowling outing.

As she began to make calls, I saw that being a physician calls for more than good grades and an aptitude for science: it requires maturity, sacrifice, and most of all, empathy.

The DSC promotes awareness of cognitive disabilities in the community and seeks to alleviate difficulties for the disabled. During one outing, I collaborated with Arc, a local organization with a similar mission. Walking in, I was told that my role was to support the participants by providing encouragement. I decided to help a relatively quiet group of individuals assisted by only one volunteer, Mary. Mary informed me that many individuals with whom I was working were diagnosed with ASD. Suddenly, she started cheering, as one of the members of the group bowled a strike. The group went wild. Everyone was dancing, singing, and rejoicing. Then I noticed one gentleman sitting at our table, solemn-faced. I tried to start a conversation with him, but he remained unresponsive. I sat with him for the rest of the game, trying my hardest to think of questions that would elicit more than a monosyllabic response, but to no avail. As the game ended, I stood up to say bye when he mumbled, “Thanks for talking.” Then he quickly turned his head away. I walked away beaming. Although I was unable to draw out a smile or even sustain a conversation, at the end of the day, the fact that this gentleman appreciated my mere effort completely overshadowed the awkwardness of our time together. Later that day, I realized that as much as I enjoyed the thrill of research and its applications, helping other people was what I was most passionate about.

When it finally came time to tell Adam about his deteriorating condition, I was not sure how he would react. Dr. L gently greeted him and slowly let reality take its toll. He stoically turned towards Dr. L and groaned, “I don’t really care. Just leave me alone.” Dr. L gave him a concerned nod and gradually left the room. We walked to the next room where we met with a pastor from Adam’s church.

“Adam’s always been like that,” remarked the pastor, “he’s never been one to express emotion.” We sat with his pastor for over an hour discussing how we could console Adam. It turned out that Adam was part of a motorcycle club, but recently quit because of his health. So, Dr. L arranged for motorcycle pictures and other small bike trinkets to be brought to his room as a reminder of better times.

Dr. L’s simple gesture reminded me of why I want to pursue medicine. There is something sacred, empowering, about providing support when people need it the most; whether it be simple as starting a conversation, or providing support during the most trying of times. My time spent conducting research kindled my interest in the science of medicine, and my service as a volunteer allowed me to realize how much I valued human interaction. Science and technology form the foundation of medicine, but to me, empathy is the essence. It is my combined interest in science and service that inspires me to pursue medicine. It is that combined interest that makes me aspire to be a physician.

Parker’s essay focuses on one central narrative with a governing theme of compassionate and attentive care for patients, which is the key motivator for her application to medical school. Parker’s story focuses on her volunteer experience shadowing of Dr. L who went the extra mile for Adam, which sets Dr. L up as a role model for Parker as she enters the medical field. This effectively demonstrates to the reader what kind of doctor Parker wants to be in the future.

Parker’s narrative has a clear beginning, middle, and end, making it easy for the reader to follow. She intersperses the main narrative about Adam with experiences she has with other patients and reflects upon her values as she contemplates pursuing medicine as a career. Her anecdote about bowling with the patients diagnosed with ASD is another instance where she uses a story to tell the reader why she values helping people through medicine and attentive patient care, especially as she focuses on the impact her work made on one man at the event.

Parker's story focuses on her volunteer experience shadowing of Dr. L who went the extra mile for Adam, which sets Dr. L up as a role model for Parker as she enters the medical field.

All throughout the essay, the writing is engaging and Parker incorporates excellent imagery, which goes well with her varied sentence structure. The essay is also strong because it comes back full circle at its conclusion, tying the overall narrative back to the story of Dr. L and Adam, which speaks to Parker’s motives for going to medical school.

-- Accepted To: Emory School of Medicine

Growing up, I enjoyed visiting my grandparents. My grandfather was an established doctor, helping the sick and elderly in rural Taiwan until two weeks before he died at 91 years old. His clinic was located on the first floor of the residency with an exam room, treatment room, X-ray room, and small pharmacy. Curious about his work, I would follow him to see his patients. Grandpa often asked me if I want to be a doctor just like him. I always smiled, but was more interested in how to beat the latest Pokémon game. I was in 8th grade when my grandfather passed away. I flew back to Taiwan to attend his funeral. It was a gloomy day and the only street in the small village became a mourning place for the villagers. Flowers filled the streets and people came to pay their respects. An old man told me a story: 60 years ago, a village woman was in a difficult labor. My grandfather rushed into the house and delivered a baby boy. That boy was the old man and he was forever grateful. Stories of grandpa saving lives and bringing happiness to families were told during the ceremony. At that moment, I realized why my grandfather worked so tirelessly up until his death as a physician. He did it for the reward of knowing that he kept a family together and saved a life. The ability for a doctor to heal and bring happiness is the reason why I want to study medicine. Medical school is the first step on a lifelong journey of learning, but I feel that my journey leading up to now has taught me some things of what it means to be an effective physician.

With a newfound purpose, I began volunteering and shadowing at my local hospital. One situation stood out when I was a volunteer in the cardiac stress lab. As I attached EKG leads onto a patient, suddenly the patient collapsed and started gasping for air. His face turned pale, then slightly blue. The charge nurse triggered “Code Blue” and started CPR. A team of doctors and nurses came, rushing in with a defibrillator to treat and stabilize the patient. What I noticed was that medicine was not only about one individual acting as a superhero to save a life, but that it takes a team of individuals with an effective leader, working together to deliver the best care. I want to be a leader as well as part of a team that can make a difference in a person’s life. I have refined these lessons about teamwork and leadership to my activities. In high school I was an 8 time varsity letter winner for swimming and tennis and captain of both of those teams. In college I have participated in many activities, but notably serving as assistant principle cellist in my school symphony as well as being a co-founding member of a quartet. From both my athletic experiences and my music experiences I learned what it was like to not only assert my position as a leader and to effectively communicate my views, but equally as important I learned how to compromise and listen to the opinions of others. Many physicians that I have observed show a unique blend of confidence and humility.

What I noticed was that medicine was not only about one individual acting as a superhero to save a life, but that it takes a team of individuals with an effective leader, working together to deliver the best care.

College opened me up to new perspectives on what makes a complete physician. A concept that was preached in the Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions in Medicine (GPPA) was that medicine is both an art and a science. The art of medicine deals with a variety of aspects including patient relationships as well as ethics. Besides my strong affinity for the sciences and mathematics, I always have had interest in history. I took courses in both German literature and history, which influenced me to take a class focusing on Nazi neuroscientists. It was the ideology of seeing the disabled and different races as test subjects rather than people that led to devastating lapses in medical ethics. The most surprising fact for me was that doctors who were respected and leaders in their field disregarded the humanity of patient and rather focused on getting results from their research. Speaking with Dr. Zeidman, the professor for this course, influenced me to start my research which deals with the ethical qualms of using data derived from unethical Nazi experimentation such as the brains derived from the adult and child euthanasia programs. Today, science is so result driven, it is important to keep in mind the ethics behind research and clinical practice. Also the development of personalized genomic medicine brings into question about potential privacy violations and on the extreme end discrimination. The study of ethics no matter the time period is paramount in the medical field. The end goal should always be to put the patient first.

Teaching experiences in college inspired me to become a physician educator if I become a doctor. Post-MCAT, I was offered a job by Next Step Test Prep as a tutor to help students one on one for the MCAT. I had a student who stated he was doing well during practice, but couldn’t get the correct answer during practice tests. Working with the student, I pointed out his lack of understanding concepts and this realization helped him and improves his MCAT score. Having the ability to educate the next generation of doctors is not only necessary, but also a rewarding experience.

My experiences volunteering and shadowing doctors in the hospital as well as my understanding of what it means to be a complete physician will make me a good candidate as a medical school student. It is my goal to provide the best care to patients and to put a smile on a family’s face just as my grandfather once had. Achieving this goal does not take a special miracle, but rather hard work, dedication, and an understanding of what it means to be an effective physician.

Through reflecting on various stages of life, Quinn expresses how they found purpose in pursuing medicine. Starting as a child more interested in Pokemon than their grandfather’s patients, Quinn exhibits personal growth through recognizing the importance of their grandfather’s work saving lives and eventually gaining the maturity to work towards this goal as part of a team.

This essay opens with abundant imagery — of the grandfather’s clinic, flowers filling the streets, and the village woman’s difficult labor — which grounds Quinn’s story in their family roots. Yet, the transition from shadowing in hospitals to pursuing leadership positions in high schools is jarring, and the list of athletic and musical accomplishments reads like a laundry list of accomplishments until Quinn neatly wraps them up as evidence of leadership and teamwork skills. Similarly, the section about tutoring, while intended to demonstrate Quinn’s desire to educate future physicians, lacks the emotional resonance necessary to elevate it from another line lifted from their resume.

This essay opens with abundant imagery — of the grandfather's clinic, flowers filling the streets, and the village woman's difficult labor — which grounds Quinn's story in their family roots.

The strongest point of Quinn’s essay is the focus on their unique arts and humanities background. This equips them with a unique perspective necessary to consider issues in medicine in a new light. Through detailing how history and literature coursework informed their unique research, Quinn sets their application apart from the multitude of STEM-focused narratives. Closing the essay with the desire to help others just as their grandfather had, Quinn ties the narrative back to their personal roots.

-- Accepted To: Edinburgh University UCAT Score: 2810 BMAT Score: 4.6, 4.2, 3.5A

Exposure to the medical career from an early age by my father, who would explain diseases of the human body, sparked my interest for Medicine and drove me to seek out work experience. I witnessed the contrast between use of bone saws and drills to gain access to the brain, with subsequent use of delicate instruments and microscopes in neurosurgery. The surgeon's care to remove the tumour, ensuring minimal damage to surrounding healthy brain and his commitment to achieve the best outcome for the patient was inspiring. The chance to have such a positive impact on a patient has motivated me to seek out a career in Medicine.

Whilst shadowing a surgical team in Texas, carrying out laparoscopic bariatric procedures, I appreciated the surgeon's dedication to continual professional development and research. I was inspired to carry out an Extended Project Qualification on whether bariatric surgery should be funded by the NHS. By researching current literature beyond my school curriculum, I learnt to assess papers for bias and use reliable sources to make a conclusion on a difficult ethical situation. I know that doctors are required to carry out research and make ethical decisions and so, I want to continue developing these skills during my time at medical school.

The chance to have such a positive impact on a patient has motivated me to seek out a career in Medicine.

Attending an Oncology multi-disciplinary team meeting showed me the importance of teamwork in medicine. I saw each team member, with specific areas of expertise, contributing to the discussion and actively listening, and together they formed a holistic plan of action for patients. During my Young Enterprise Award, I facilitated a brainstorm where everyone pitched a product idea. Each member offered a different perspective on the idea and then voted on a product to carry forward in the competition. As a result, we came runners up in the Regional Finals. Furthermore, I started developing my leadership skills, which I improved by doing Duke of Edinburgh Silver and attending a St. John Ambulance Leadership course. In one workshop, similar to the bariatric surgeon I shadowed, I communicated instructions and delegated roles to my team to successfully solve a puzzle. These experiences highlighted the crucial need for teamwork and leadership as a doctor.

Observing a GP, I identified the importance of compassion and empathy. During a consultation with a severely depressed patient, the GP came to the patient's eye level and used a calm, non-judgmental tone of voice, easing her anxieties and allowing her to disclose more information. While volunteering at a care home weekly for two years, I adapted my communication for a resident suffering with dementia who was disconnected from others. I would take her to a quiet environment, speak slowly and in a non-threatening manner, as such, she became talkative, engaged and happier. I recognised that communication and compassion allows doctors to build rapport, gain patients' trust and improve compliance. For two weeks, I shadowed a surgeon performing multiple craniotomies a day. I appreciated the challenges facing doctors including time and stress management needed to deliver high quality care. Organisation, by prioritising patients based on urgency and creating a timetable on the ward round, was key to running the theatre effectively. Similarly, I create to-do-lists and prioritise my academics and extra-curricular activities to maintain a good work-life balance: I am currently preparing for my Grade 8 in Singing, alongside my A-level exams. I also play tennis for the 1st team to relax and enable me to refocus. I wish to continue my hobbies at university, as ways to manage stress.

Through my work experiences and voluntary work, I have gained a realistic understanding of Medicine and its challenges. I have begun to display the necessary skills that I witnessed, such as empathy, leadership and teamwork. The combination of these skills with my fascination for the human body drives me to pursue a place at medical school and a career as a doctor.

This essay traces Alex's personal exploration of medicine through different stages of life, taking a fairly traditional path to the medical school application essay. From witnessing medical procedures to eventually pursuing leadership positions, this tale of personal progress argues that Alex's life has prepared him to become a doctor.

Alex details how experiences conducting research and working with medical teams have confirmed his interest in medicine. Although the breadth of experiences speaks to the applicant’s interest in medicine, the essay verges on being a regurgitation of the Alex's resume, which does not provide the admissions officer with any new insights or information and ultimately takes away from the essay as a whole. As such, the writing’s lack of voice or unique perspective puts the applicant at risk of sounding middle-of-the-road.

From witnessing medical procedures to eventually pursuing leadership positions, this tale of personal progress argues that Alex's life has prepared him to become a doctor.

The essay’s organization, however, is one of its strengths — each paragraph provides an example of personal growth through a new experience in medicine. Further, Alex demonstrates his compassion and diligence through detailed stories, which give a reader a glimpse into his values. Through recognizing important skills necessary to be a doctor, Alex demonstrates that he has the mature perspective necessary to embark upon this journey.

What this essay lacks in a unique voice, it makes up for in professionalism and organization. Alex's earnest desire to attend medical school is what makes this essay shine.

-- Accepted To: University of Toronto MCAT Scores: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems - 128, Critical Analysis and Reading Skills - 127, Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems - 127, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior - 130, Total - 512

Moment of brilliance.

Revelation.

These are all words one would use to describe their motivation by a higher calling to achieve something great. Such an experience is often cited as the reason for students to become physicians; I was not one of these students. Instead of waiting for an event like this, I chose to get involved in the activities that I found most invigorating. Slowly but surely, my interests, hobbies, and experiences inspired me to pursue medicine.

As a medical student, one must possess a solid academic foundation to facilitate an understanding of physical health and illness. Since high school, I found science courses the most appealing and tended to devote most of my time to their exploration. I also enjoyed learning about the music, food, literature, and language of other cultures through Latin and French class. I chose the Medical Sciences program because it allowed for flexibility in course selection. I have studied several scientific disciplines in depth like physiology and pathology while taking classes in sociology, psychology, and classical studies. Such a diverse academic portfolio has strengthened my ability to consider multiple viewpoints and attack problems from several angles. I hope to relate to patients from all walks of life as a physician and offer them personalized treatment.

I was motivated to travel as much as possible by learning about other cultures in school. Exposing myself to different environments offered me perspective on universal traits that render us human. I want to pursue medicine because I believe that this principle of commonality relates to medical practice in providing objective and compassionate care for all. Combined with my love for travel, this realization took me to Nepal with Volunteer Abroad (VA) to build a school for a local orphanage (4). The project’s demands required a group of us to work closely as a team to accomplish the task. Rooted in different backgrounds, we often had conflicting perspectives; even a simple task such as bricklaying could stir up an argument because each person had their own approach. However, we discussed why we came to Nepal and reached the conclusion that all we wanted was to build a place of education for the children. Our unifying goal allowed us to reach compromises and truly appreciate the value of teamwork. These skills are vital in a clinical setting, where physicians and other health care professionals need to collaborate as a multidisciplinary team to tackle patients’ physical, emotional, social, and psychological problems.

I hope to relate to patients from all walks of life as a physician and offer them personalized treatment.

The insight I gained from my Nepal excursion encouraged me to undertake and develop the role of VA campus representative (4). Unfortunately, many students are not equipped with the resources to volunteer abroad; I raised awareness about local initiatives so everyone had a chance to do their part. I tried to avoid pushing solely for international volunteerism for this reason and also because it can undermine the work of local skilled workers and foster dependency. Nevertheless, I took on this position with VA because I felt that the potential benefits were more significant than the disadvantages. Likewise, doctors must constantly weigh out the pros and cons of a situation to help a patient make the best choice. I tried to dispel fears of traveling abroad by sharing first-hand experiences so that students could make an informed decision. When people approached me regarding unfamiliar placements, I researched their questions and provided them with both answers and a sense of security. I found great fulfillment in addressing the concerns of individuals, and I believe that similar processes could prove invaluable in the practice of medicine.

As part of the Sickkids Summer Research Program, I began to appreciate the value of experimental investigation and evidence-based medicine (23). Responsible for initiating an infant nutrition study at a downtown clinic, I was required to explain the project’s implications and daily protocol to physicians, nurses and phlebotomists. I took anthropometric measurements and blood pressure of children aged 1-10 and asked parents about their and their child’s diet, television habits, physical exercise regimen, and sunlight exposure. On a few occasions, I analyzed and presented a small set of data to my superiors through oral presentations and written documents.

With continuous medical developments, physicians must participate in lifelong learning. More importantly, they can engage in research to further improve the lives of their patients. I encountered a young mother one day at the clinic struggling to complete the study’s questionnaires. After I asked her some questions, she began to open up to me as her anxiety subsided; she then told me that her child suffered from low iron. By talking with the physician and reading a few articles, I recommended a few supplements and iron-rich foods to help her child. This experience in particular helped me realize that I enjoy clinical research and strive to address the concerns of people with whom I interact.

Research is often impeded by a lack of government and private funding. My clinical placement motivated me to become more adept in budgeting, culminating in my role as founding Co-President of the UWO Commerce Club (ICCC) (9). Together, fellow club executives and I worked diligently to get the club ratified, a process that made me aware of the bureaucratic challenges facing new organizations. Although we had a small budget, we found ways of minimizing expenditure on advertising so that we were able to host more speakers who lectured about entrepreneurship and overcoming challenges. Considering the limited space available in hospitals and the rising cost of health care, physicians, too, are often forced to prioritize and manage the needs of their patients.

No one needs a grand revelation to pursue medicine. Although passion is vital, it is irrelevant whether this comes suddenly from a life-altering event or builds up progressively through experience. I enjoyed working in Nepal, managing resources, and being a part of clinical and research teams; medicine will allow me to combine all of these aspects into one wholesome career.

I know with certainty that this is the profession for me.

Jimmy opens this essay hinting that his essay will follow a well-worn path, describing the “big moment” that made him realize why he needed to become a physician. But Jimmy quickly turns the reader’s expectation on its head by stating that he did not have one of those moments. By doing this, Jimmy commands attention and has the reader waiting for an explanation. He soon provides the explanation that doubles as the “thesis” of his essay: Jimmy thinks passion can be built progressively, and Jimmy’s life progression has led him to the medical field.

Jimmy did not make the decision to pursue a career in medicine lightly. Instead he displays through anecdotes that his separate passions — helping others, exploring different walks of life, personal responsibility, and learning constantly, among others — helped Jimmy realize that being a physician was the career for him. By talking readers through his thought process, it is made clear that Jimmy is a critical thinker who can balance multiple different perspectives simultaneously. The ability to evaluate multiple options and make an informed, well-reasoned decision is one that bodes well for Jimmy’s medical career.

While in some cases this essay does a lot of “telling,” the comprehensive and decisive walkthrough indicates what Jimmy’s idea of a doctor is. To him, a doctor is someone who is genuinely interested in his work, someone who can empathize and related to his patients, someone who can make important decisions with a clear head, and someone who is always trying to learn more. Just like his decision to work at the VA, Jimmy has broken down the “problem” (what his career should be) and reached a sound conclusion.

By talking readers through his thought process, it is made clear that Jimmy is a critical thinker who can balance multiple different perspectives simultaneously.

Additionally, this essay communicates Jimmy’s care for others. While it is not always advisable to list one’s volunteer efforts, each activity Jimmy lists has a direct application to his essay. Further, the sheer amount of philanthropic work that Jimmy does speaks for itself: Jimmy would not have worked at VA, spent a summer with Sickkids, or founded the UWO finance club if he were not passionate about helping others through medicine. Like the VA story, the details of Jimmy’s participation in Sickkids and the UWO continue to show how he has thought about and embodied the principles that a physician needs to be successful.

Jimmy’s essay both breaks common tropes and lives up to them. By framing his “list” of activities with his passion-happens-slowly mindset, Jimmy injects purpose and interest into what could have been a boring and braggadocious essay if it were written differently. Overall, this essay lets the reader know that Jimmy is seriously dedicated to becoming a physician, and both his thoughts and his actions inspire confidence that he will give medical school his all.

The Crimson's news and opinion teams—including writers, editors, photographers, and designers—were not involved in the production of this content.

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How To Answer “Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor?” (With Examples)

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Summary. To answer “why do you want to be a doctor ?” in an interview, you should first give some background and provide some reasons for wanting to be a doctor. Describing and highlighting your experiences is a great way to show your interest in medicine. Finish the answer with your goals and what you want to achieve during your time as a doctor.

Have you ever asked a doctor why they chose their career path ? You’ll get a million different answers, but chances are all of them will have a great reason behind their decision to become a doctor.

If you want to become a doctor, at some point or another you are going to be asked, “why do you want to be a doctor?” When this moment arises, you need to have a great answer.

We’re going to take a look at the common reasons doctors list for choosing their field, as well as some tips for you to reflect on as you think about a career in the medical field. This is just a starting point so if you’re thinking about becoming a doctor do as much research as possible before making this momentous career decision.

Key Takeaways:

To answer the question “why do you want to be a doctor?” provide background about yourself, explain your reasons and experience, and finish with your goals.

It can take 11 years to become a doctor, so carefully consider the time, academic, and financial commitments.

A desire to help others, a strong interest in medicine, and the need for mental challenges are all good reasons to become a doctor.

Prepare your answer by talking to people in the field and doing extensive research.

How to Answer “Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor?”

How to prepare your answer to “why do you want to be a doctor, example answers to “why do you want to be a doctor”, why interviewers ask “why do you want to be a doctor”, why do you want to be a doctor, what to consider when becoming a doctor, how to become a doctor, bad reasons to become a doctor, “why do you want to be a doctor” interview question faq.

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Follow these steps for a good written or verbal answer to “why do you want to be a doctor?”

Give some background. Think back to mentors , impactful childhood experiences with doctors, or any other root cause of your interest in the field. This is compelling from a personal standpoint and allows the interviewer to understand how you came to your decision.

Provide a few reasons. Now that you’ve set the stage, you can provide some of the reasons. There will be some listed below to help you consider your answer. You can describe how your initial experiences or interests matured into one specialization or how much satisfaction you get from helping people. Be sure that you are honest during this part.

Describe your experiences. To really impress your interviewer or the reader of your application essay, make sure to highlight and emphasize some of your relevant experiences while you’re outlining your motivations.

Finish with goals. Now that you’ve described how your past led you to this decision and your present activities show that you’re on the proper course for medicine, it’s time to discuss your future. The more detail you can provide for how you see your career playing out and what communities you hope to serve, the stronger your answer will be.

Everyone comes to their answer in their own way and in their own time. You just need to sit with yourself and consider all of the factors that go into studying medicine and being a doctor to find your answer. You can take a few helpful extra steps to ensure that becoming a doctor is right for you. Here are a few ways to make an informed career choice:

Talk to people in the field. If you know anyone who’s a doctor or in a medical profession, you should talk to them about their experience. Even if they’re not in a field that you’re interested in, you can still learn a lot about the process of becoming a doctor and the lifestyle that comes with it.

Get experience. Often, medical practices and doctor’s offices offer internships or opportunities to shadow a doctor. No matter what step of the process you’re in, try to get as much hands-on experience as possible. Even just shadowing a doctor will give you an idea of their daily tasks and whether you’ll like the job.

Do your research. If you can’t get hands-on experience, look for ways to educate yourself about being a doctor. Many doctors have written autobiographies, and there are documentaries about medical procedures, so there are plenty of chances to learn more about medicine.

Think about your end goal. What’s your ideal role as a doctor? Think about what you want to achieve and how you can get there before taking steps to become a doctor. Does your ideal job exist?

Consider other opportunities. You should also think about what you would want to study if you don’t become a doctor. Think about your other interests and what you might want to do more than being a doctor. What other career opportunities interest you? How do they rank compared to being a doctor?

Now that we know what to factor into to an answer to the question “why do you want to be a doctor?” we can use this information to come up with a few example answers.

Example Answer

“I have wanted to be a doctor ever since I broke my leg when I was five years old. It may sound strange to say, but I loved being in the hospital. I was so interested in everything going around me. Then, while I healed, I enjoyed talking to my doctor any time I had to see her. She was very funny and good at explaining things to me. From then on I decided I would make a career in medicine and have the same impact on people.”

“I love the mental challenge of being a doctor. I want to spend time learning about medicine and building a series of skills that will let me solve all kinds of medical problems. Even the challenge of investing so much time and money into becoming a doctor is worthy it my eyes. I know that with this effort I can find very rewarding work and I will never be bored.”

“I want to serve my community and I am very interested healthcare. A job as a doctor would be a great use of my academic and professional skills. I graduated top of my class and after getting my bachelor’s degree in biology I spent three years working as a hospital administrator . I have seen first hand what it takes to be a doctor and it looks like the perfect job for me. I know I can get a lot of satisfaction using my skills to help people.”

Applications and interviews for medical school often feature this common question. Your MCAT scores certainly matter, but people on admissions panels sift through thousands of stellar candidates every day — your passion matters .

Interviewers know that becoming a doctor is an incredibly long and challenging path and that without real determination founded on solid motivations, you won’t be cut out for the field. Plus, the motivations you provide will give insight into who you are and what elements of the medical profession you value most.

Asking yourself why you want to be a doctor is the first thing you should do as you start thinking about a medical career. There are all sorts of reasons for becoming a doctor, and all of them are valid. What’s important when asking yourself this question is how your answer aligns with the demands of the job and the work it takes to get there.

There’s no right or wrong answer, but make sure your response fits with the skills, experience , and education necessary to become a doctor.

There are a few common responses to “why do you want to be a doctor?” and we’ll list a few here. Think about whether or not any of these popular reasons resonate with you.

Helping others. One of the primary roles of being a doctor is to help people . With the wide variety of medical positions out there, you can choose how you help people, but at the end of the day, you’re going to be there to save someone’s life or improve their health.

Interest in medicine. Many doctors want to be involved in cutting-edge research and making advancements in the field. This goes along with ultimately helping people, but these doctors tend to be more interested in medical research and are motivated by learning more about the human body and the world we live in.

Sharing their knowledge. Doctors hold a lot of knowledge that everyone should know, like how to stay healthy, but because of the involved education requirements, not everyone can. Doctors act as a link between all of this knowledge and its everyday implementation. Some doctors want to share their knowledge and empower their patients to take control of their health.

Job outlook . We will always need doctors to take care of us, so there’s a lot of stability in the medical profession. That can be appealing to some people since there will always be a need for doctors, and they’re doing meaningful and necessary work.

Prestige. Because of their immense education and training, doctors are respected for their background and their work to help people. While being a doctor isn’t all about glory, there is some worthy respect that comes along with the title. Beyond prestige, doctors are well-known community members who have an integral role in serving that community.

Salary. As we mentioned before, doctors can be paid quite a lot of money. This is even more true for extremely specialized doctors who practice in difficult fields like anesthesiology.

Mental challenge. There are no repetitive days as a doctor. Many people enter the profession because they want the mental stimulation and constant challenges that the life of a doctor offers.

While there’s no surefire way to figure out if being a doctor is the right job for you, spending time and reflecting on the career is a good start. There are many things to think about when it comes to being a doctor, so really think through all aspects before coming to your answer. Here are a few of the most significant factors to consider when it comes to becoming a doctor:

Time commitment. It takes a long time to become a doctor, so you’ll want to be sure that you’re okay with dedicating years to training for your job. You won’t be able to jump into the practice that you pick immediately, so patience and dedication are key to becoming a good doctor.

Financial situation. Since becoming a doctor takes years, you need to think about your financial situation and if you can pay for years of schooling. There’s a lot of support available for people who want to become doctors, but taking finances into account is essential. Doctors eventually make a lot of money, but you’ll need to spend a decent amount to reach that point.

Medical specialization. There are many fields doctors can practice in, and you should give some thought to what you want to do before starting. Think about what you’re passionate about and how you can align that with a specific medical field. For example, if you care about women’s issues, gynecology is a good option, or if you care about educating people, preventative medicine could be your future career.

Job location . Sometimes you have to live in a certain state or city to practice your specialty.

Other opportunities. Becoming a doctor is not the only way to be involved with cutting-edge medical advancements or caring for people. There are plenty of other roles in health professions that allow you to fulfill many of the same duties as a doctor, but with fewer education requirements, less time commitment, and fewer big responsibilities.

To become a doctor, you’ll need to spend about 11 years in school . First, you’ll spend four years getting a bachelor’s degree in a related field (like science, math, or even liberal arts ), then another four years at medical school for a medical degree.

After you graduate, you’ll have to complete a residency, fellowship, or internship to get firsthand experience as a doctor. You’ll get to shadow doctors with different specialties for three to eight years; then, you can become a licensed doctor.

Despite the hefty requirements to become a doctor, the rewards once you land the job are pretty great. Not only will you get to help people and contribute to advances in medicine, but doctors are also usually paid very well.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that physicians and surgeons have some of the highest salaries in the country. They estimated that in 2019, the median annual wage was $208,000.

Here are some reasons you should never state when asked why you want to be a doctor:

Wealth. There’s no doubt that doctors typically earn a lot of money, but it’s a cringey thing to hear as someone’s motivation. Plus, if a life of glamor is what you need to be happy, then the decade it takes to become a doctor will be extra challenging for you, as you’re unlikely to be rich during the process itself.

Power. Prestige or esteem are better-sounding variations of just plain “power,” but all of these answers skew toward egotistical. Instead, opt for something more palatable, like being an important part of the community.

Family. While it’s fine to have mentors who are family members in medicine, indicating that you’re only interested in the field because your family always produces doctors might raise some red flags for admissions boards.

Note that these aren’t just bad answers to say in an interview or write in an application essay. They’re also unhealthy sources of intrinsic motivation , and you should examine them closely before pursuing a medical career.

What are common medical school interview questions?

Some of the most common medical school interview questions include:

Why do you want to come to this school?

What primary care area of medicine would be the greatest interest to you?

Where do you plan to practice?

What concerns you about medicine?

What is your source of inspiration in deciding to pursue medicine?

What most recent advances in medicine have occurred that you believe will have the greatest impact on how you will practice medicine?

Who are your heroes and why?

What are reasons that people want to be doctors?

One main reason people want to become doctors or work in the medical field is to help others. The primary job for a doctor is to help others by either saving their life or to help improve any health concerns. This is rewarding to many. Other reasons people become doctors is to explore science, to solve problems, and to contribute to breakthroughs.

How long does it take to become a doctor?

It can take between 10 and 14 years to become a doctor. Depending on the field that you do it, it can take longer. The education requirements become a doctor are to complete an undergraduate degree program, preform well on your Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and complete four years of medical school.

After medical school you must enroll and complete a residency program. Once that is complete you can obtain a medical license in your state.

Missouri State – Preparing for the Medical School Interview – Sample Questions, Tips, and Format

The Ohio State University College of Medicine – Medical School Interview Questions and Recommended Answers

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Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. After taking on internships and entry-level jobs, she is familiar with the job search process and landing that crucial first job. Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience.

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“So, why medicine? Why do you want to be a doctor?”

“Why do you want to be a doctor?” It’s a question that many medical applicants are urged to have an answer for as they prepare to be interviewed for entry into medical school. In our 50th episode of Sharp Scratch, host Nikki Nabavi was joined by two past Sharp Scratch hosts, Laura Nunez-Mulder and Anna Harvey, as well as expert guest Declan Hyland, a consultant psychiatrist who is involved with medical schools admissions at the University of Liverpool, to discuss their own motivations for wanting to study medicine, and how this might change throughout medical school and life as a doctor. The team also heard from some very special guests about why they chose medicine.

The episode kicked off by discussing some of the “cliches” associated with answering the question of “why study medicine?” Nikki cited themes she had come across on Twitter , including the statements all medical applicants are advised to avoid such as “wanting to help people” and “being interested in science.” But why shouldn’t these be excellent reasons for wanting to become a doctor? Laura agreed that when she was applying to medical school, these were big reasons for her own interest in medicine as a career, but felt that “they weren’t good enough reasons,” and that to stand out in applications and interviews, she had to come up with “something that was still true, but was a bit different.” Many of our expert guests agreed that these two “cliches” were still true for them, with BMJ Editorial Registrar and surgical trainee Clara Munro reflecting that part of what keeps her in clinical medicine is “having a real curiosity and genuinely caring about patients, and enjoying engaging with them on a human level.”

Another theme Nikki raised from responses on social media was another “cliche,” of medical students “wanting to be a doctor since they came out of the womb.” Portfolio GP and media doctor Zoe Williams wanted to be a doctor since her third birthday, when she was bought a toy doctor’s kit by her grandmother, who was a midwife. “One of the reasons I wanted to be a doctor is because I found the human body fascinating.” But those dreams weren’t realised until many years later, when Zoe was one of the first students to have the opportunity to transfer from her Biomedical Sciences degree to Medicine. Declan discussed his similar pathway, highlighting that medicine isn’t just for those who learnt the brachial plexus before they could walk!

So with applications for medical courses up by nearly 5000 in the 2020-21 application cycle , what are admissions tutors looking for when asking applicants these questions at interview? The panel turned to Declan, who has had experience interviewing potential medical students, for his take. “Enthusiasm is one of the key things, and that usually comes across pretty quickly,” he said, continuing, “[applicants should] justify why medicine is more suited to your interests, rather than any other particular career within the health service.” 

The variety of work that is available to those with a medical degree is another factor that guided our panel members towards medicine, with Laura explaining that one of the reasons she chose medicine over other careers she considered was that “there’s not just one job within being a doctor that would interest me, there’s lots of jobs, and I would leave that choice open for longer.” Anna agreed, remembering comments she had received when applying for medical school from people concerned that making such a decision during her last years of school meant she was boxing herself into medicine, and not leaving enough options open. “But I don’t think I could have picked something at the age of 18 that could have given me more options.” Declan, speaking on his own career, said: “I’m fortunate that I have a lot of involvement with Liverpool medical school, which is entirely different and separate from my clinical work. It’s something like that that keeps you really inspired, refreshed and stops you burning out.” 

Anna also spoke about her desire to be part of something that is bigger than just herself: “I think a big part of it for me was wanting to have that community, and that agency; because you do have agency as a doctor that you might not in other professions.” Declan agreed: “It goes without saying that it’s still a very respected profession.” And it can’t be ignored that, for all the debate over hours and training, the career is one that can be lifelong, and provides reasonable stability in terms of salary.

For our final reflections, we turned to perhaps the most famous doctor in the UK – the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. Reflecting on his career, he said: “like many others, I have changed my mind multiple times, and the only thing that ran through all of it was clinical practice, which I still do. I’ve done various jobs, all of which I have enjoyed, many of which I would only do once, but I enjoyed that once.” He continued, “the reason to do a job is because you wish to do it, and if you manage to do that, medicine is a fantastic career.”

As Zoe highlighted, being a doctor is not just about the skills and knowledge you acquire throughout your career, but also how you feel: “It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am.”

To readers and listeners: why did you want to study medicine? Have your reasons changed throughout your career? We’d love to hear from you on social media using the hashtag #SharpScratch

Anna Harvey is a final year medical student and soon-to-be junior doctor in North Cumbria. She is a past Editorial Scholar at the BMJ and sits on the Steering Committee of the MedEd Research Collaborative , where her interest in identity is indulged through qualitative clinical education research.

Listen to the episode on spotify or apple pods .

The Sharp Scratch Panel:

Nikki Nabavi, The BMJ, University of Manchester

Anna Harvey , Final year medical student, King’s College London, past editorial scholar, The BMJ.

Laura Nunez-Mulder, Final year medical student, Cambridge University, past editorial scholar, The BMJ. 

Follow us on Twitter: 

Panel: @nikkixnabavi   @a_c_harvey @lnm_rugby  

Guest: @HylandDeclan

Brought to you by: @bmj_latest @BMJStudent

Sponsored by: @MPS_Medical

Brought to you by: @BMJ_Student

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Interview questions answered: Why do you want to be a doctor?

Certain things should be obvious to the admission committee members. Interviewing for a spot at a med school, each and every student dreams of helping people , working in healthcare, and earning big along the way. You are still young, your priorities can certainly shift, and talking about a specialization you want to pursue in seven years from now , or about a particular place where you’d like to work once you finally earn the coveted M.D. degree, is by all means a pure speculation… Yet in nine out of ten med school interviews , you will get this question. So how should you deal with it?

First of all, you do not necessarily have to stand out with your answer. It is fine saying the same thing (or a similar one) like many other students. At the end of the day, all of you want to study at med school, earn the M.D. degree, and work in healthcare. It is logical that your answers will be similar . But you can still do a few things to improve your chances of outclassing the other applicants , and getting accepted to the study program. We will look at them right now.

Let’s start with 7 sample answers to the question. I included some unconventional answers in my selection, just to give you an idea of different things you can focus on while trying to make an impression on the admission committee . You will find further notes and explanations below the list of answers.

7 sample answers to “Why do you want to be a doctor?” interview question

• I have always felt the calling to help people , and from all professions I find the job of a doctor the most fitting choice for my personality, strengths, and intelligence. What’s more, I am lucky enough to witness how my uncle, an ophthalmologist, makes a positive difference in the life of his patients, helping them to improve their vision dramatically, and return to normal ways of life. He’s been an inspiration for me , and one of the reasons why I decided to pursue a career of a doctor.
• I just feel that the health of our population is in catastrophic condition . Two out of three adults are either overweight or obese , and more than 50% of children suffer from diseases of civilization . People are addicted to drugs and sleeping pills, and I really feel that the survival of our specie is in danger. I would like to contribute to some positive changes at this front. Not sure yet how I can do it, but I am sure that an M.D. degree, and the connections I will make while studying at the med school, will help me to achieve my goal. That’s the main reason for my career choice.
• I want to be a doctor because I dream of running my own plastic surgery clinic one day. It is an ambitious goal, for sure, but why not to dream big while we are still young? I have an eye for detail , and see a huge market potential in my city. I’d love to make this dream come true, build a brand for myself , and help people look younger than they really are. Needless to say, I am still young, and my priorities may change , with everything I will experience at the med school. As for now, however, this is my goal and the main reason why I opted for med school studies.
• I hope to become a doctor to be able to join one of the NGOs working in the Middle East, treating poor people and victims of war conflict . Though I’ve been living in the US for 20 years now, I have never forgotten my roots , and would like to help where help is most needed , once I am qualified to work as a doctor. Obviously I can theoretically go there right now as a volunteer. If I did so, however, my impact would not be as big as the one I could have as an M.D. in the future.
• To be honest, I seek prestige and recognition. At the end of the day, life is a competitive affair . Everyone strives to earn big, have a great lifestyle, own big house, take care of a nice family–or of a couple of lovers. I want to be honest with you, and avoid the trash-talk of most other candidates . Sure enough, I see the meaningful purpose in this profession, but so do I see it in social work, or in teaching for example. Compared to teachers or social workers, however, doctors, and specialists in particular, can earn three to five times more money each year. And that’s no small difference…
• It is quite a long story . When I was young , I had terrible problems with my lungs, and was hospitalized each year for almost three months. It was extremely difficult to bear with it , skipping school, not being able to participate in outdoors activities, and so on. And the projection was not good–doctors back home said I’d struggle all my life. But then my parents discovered a pulmonary specialist in a Swiss clinic , we traveled there, and I undergone an experimental therapy combined with a lung surgery. Miraculously, six months after the surgery, my lungs were back to full capacity, and the problems have never returned. This doctor had such a profound impact on my life . He is my inspiration, and the reason why I want to be a doctor. I also want to help young people to regain their hope , and resume normal ways of living, after they’ve been struck with some terrible illness.
• To be honest, at the moment I do not really know . My goal is to work in healthcare, perhaps even in medical research , because I know that being healthy is the most important thing , and nothing else comes even close to it. But I am still young, and I look forward to meet like-minded intelligent people at the med school, explore different opportunities, and later decide what exactly I want to do with my life and professional career.

The more specific you are, the better

Try to think about yourself in ten years from now. Dare to dream. Imagine what you’d love to do, where you’d love to work, how you’d like to specialize, what impact you’d like to have in the local community, or in the world.

Come up with some vision , a meaningful one, and present it as your main driving force , the reason why you opted for difficult studies at a med school. That’s the way how to impress the admission committee members, and perhaps say something else than the majority of applicants will say.

Needless to say, you do not have to attain this vision in the future. You even do not have to follow it. People change, and so do their priorities. You may dream of something different in four years from now, or even in four weeks from now. When interviewing for a place at a med school, however, having a vision will certainly help you make an impression on the people from med school.

Brutal honesty can do wonders, especially if you have nothing to lose

You may find yourself in a variety of situations in the interviews. Maybe you did not have the very best GPA, or something else didn’t go that well in your application process. In every interview there are some favorites, but you certainly do not belong to the group . They still invited you for the interviews, but you are more of an underdog , someone who can surprise them positively and perhaps win their favor, but that’s all you can hope for, considering your starting position.

In such a case, it makes sense experimenting with unconventional answers . Because saying, more or less, the same thing as candidates with much better academic record will say, isn’t going to take you anywhere.

Interesting attitude is going for brutal honesty . Why not saying that you want to earn BIG , buy a nice holiday villa, and make impression on the most beautiful men/women , being a respected and recognized doctor in the area? In reality many people dream exactly about these things , but they are afraid to admit it, either to themselves, or the admission committee.

Maybe you can be the only truly honest applicant in the interviews? It doesn’t mean that you want to be the doctor only to make a lot of money. Sure enough, you see the meaningful purpose in the work, and whatever. But your primarily reason to go for this hard study program is to belong to the upper class one day , earning big, and enjoying the possibilities the money provide…

Ready to answer this one? I hope so! But it isn’t the only difficult question you will face in your med school interview. Check also 7 sample answers to other tricky questions:

• Does your academic record accurately reflect your capabilities?
• Why do you want to be a nurse?
• Why do you want to be a dentist?
• Why do you want to be a pediatrician?
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I want To become a Doctor Essay - 100, 200, 500 Words

• Essay on I want to become a Doctor -

One of the most significant occupations is that of a doctor. After all, these experts are qualified to identify, treat, and stop the spread of a variety of diseases. The care and safety of patients is every doctor's top priority. We are saved by doctors when we fall sick. Here are a few sample essays on I want to become a doctor .

100 Words Essay on I want to become a Doctor

200 words essay on i want to become a doctor, 500 words essay on i want to become a doctor.

Everyone has their aim in their life, I aim to be a doctor in the future. Doctors are essential in our society because they treat the irregularities in human bodies. They are heroes because they do their best and make us fit and fine. I want to become a doctor because I have seen a lot of serious cases which were cured by a doctor and I also want to help and serve the people. In my family, my father is a doctor and helps many people in a day. I also like to help people. In my city, I see a lot of poor people suffering from different types of diseases but they can't afford medical treatment. It's disturbed me and it also encourages me to become a doctor so that I can help and provide services to people.

Being a doctor has always been my dream. I have always been fascinated by the human body and how it works, and the idea of being able to help people overcome their illnesses and lead healthier lives is what drives me to pursue a career in medicine.

Throughout my life, I have been exposed to several instances where I have seen the transformative power of medicine. I have seen people who were once unable to move, walk again thanks to medical interventions, and that has inspired me to become a part of this industry. I have also witnessed the compassion and dedication that many doctors display towards their patients, and I aspire to emulate their qualities in my own career.

My journey towards becoming a doctor requires a strong academic foundation, and I have been working hard to ensure that I am well-prepared for this challenging but rewarding path. I have taken advanced courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, which have given me a solid understanding of the fundamentals of human anatomy and physiology. I have also been actively involved in various volunteering opportunities, such as working in hospitals and nursing homes, where I have been able to observe firsthand the work of healthcare professionals and the impact they have on people's lives.

One of the things that I admire about the medical profession is its constant evolution and advancement. New treatments and technologies are being developed all the time, and as a future doctor, I am excited to be a part of this progress. I am also aware of the challenges that come with this progress, such as ethical dilemmas and the need for healthcare systems to be accessible and affordable for everyone. I believe that it is crucial for doctors to be not just knowledgeable but also compassionate, ethical, and culturally sensitive, and I am committed to developing these qualities in myself.

Types Of Doctors-

There are different types of doctors. It is your field of interest and ability that decides in which area of medicine you will be working in. The different types of doctors are—

Allergists/Immunologists - This type of doctor treats immunity system disorders like asthma, food allergies, and some autoimmune diseases.

Anesthesiologists - These types of doctors give you drugs at the time of pain or any type of surgery, they monitor your vital sign when you are under anesthesia.

Cardiologists - They are experts on diseases related to the heart and blood vessels. You might see them at a time of heart attack, high blood pressure, or irregular heartbeat.

Dermatologists - These doctors treat the skin problem and skin allergies

Endocrinologists -These doctors are experts in the field of hormones and metabolism they can treat the disease like diabetes

Real Life Inspiration

One inspiring story of a doctor is that of Dr. Paul Farmer, who is an American physician and anthropologist. He is known for his work in providing healthcare to impoverished communities around the world, and for co-founding the international non-profit organization Partners In Health (PIH).

Dr. Farmer was born in North Carolina and grew up in a working-class family. Despite facing financial difficulties, he was able to attend Duke University, where he studied anthropology and medicine. After completing his medical studies, he traveled to Haiti, where he witnessed the dire lack of access to healthcare faced by the rural poor. This experience inspired him to dedicate his life to serving these marginalized communities.

In 1987, Dr. Farmer co-founded PIH with several colleagues, with the goal of providing quality healthcare to impoverished communities in Haiti and beyond. PIH has since expanded to serve communities in Latin America, Africa, and Russia, and has become a model for health equity and social justice.

One of Dr. Farmer's most notable achievements was his work in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Haiti and Peru. MDR-TB is a highly contagious and difficult-to-treat form of tuberculosis that often affects people living in poverty. Dr. Farmer and his team developed a novel treatment program that was not only effective but also affordable, and they were able to cure thousands of patients with MDR-TB.

Dr. Farmer has been recognized for his work with numerous awards and honors, including the MacArthur Fellowship and the Opus Prize. He continues to be a powerful advocate for health equity and social justice, and his work has inspired many others to pursue careers in global health.

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