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Quotes by members of
our panel of admissions officers are in italics.
Because people don't usually make career decisions based
on pure reason, it can be difficult to explain why
you've chosen the field you have. Moreover, your basic
reasons probably look a lot like everyone else's. In
this section, you'll learn how to develop your ideas
effectively and insightfully while emphasizing your
uniqueness.
Lifelong Interest
Medicine requires such a
serious commitment that few people stumble across the
idea of pursuing it late in life. It's very likely that
you have always wanted to be a doctor, and that's not a
fact that you should hide. But you also have to watch
out for two potential problems:
1) Don't offer your point
in such a cliched, prepackaged way as to make your
reader cringe. For example, you shouldn't start your
essay, "I have always wanted to be a doctor" or "I've
always known that medicine was my calling." Better to
describe early experiences and then let the point about
your early interest unfold naturally.
2) Don't rely solely on
this reason and forget to justify your choice with more
recent experiences.
Tell us not only why
you want to be a doctor but what you have done to test
your decision. Have you had some experience? Have you
observed doctors? -- University of Michigan
Medical School
This applicant does
state his lifelong interest in the first sentence, but
with a twist: "Sometimes I like to tell people that my
father knew I wanted to be a doctor long before I did,
but the truth is that the idea of becoming a physician
has probably been gestating within me in some form or
other since an early age."
By the third sentence,
however, he moves to details, recalling one significant
scene. Telling a story is the best way to guarantee that
your discussion stays grounded in concrete evidence. The
second paragraph provides the "test" aspect: how he
confirmed his interest in medicine through direct,
hands-on experience. In this paragraph he does not
tell another story, but still stays focused on details
by describing some of his responsibilities and naming
procedures he observed.
Although your own details
might make the difference between a good and great
essay, you can ensure a solid result simply by avoiding
the above pitfalls as this applicant did. On the first
issue, he uses a specific story to make a typical idea
his own personal point. On the second issue, he uses his
childhood fascination only to describe the roots of what
will grow into a more mature commitment. The result is a
compelling explanation of his motivation to become a
doctor.
If It Runs in the
Family...
Some applicants will cite
their parents as reasons for their choice. Here again
you have to be careful not to sound juvenile or overly
simplistic. The mere fact that one or both of your
parents were doctors does not explain why you would want
to follow in their footsteps. Some readers might even
conclude that you haven't been able to make up your own
mind. Note how the
same essay above
includes the following disclaimer: "I idolize my father
and admire his commitment and contributions, but this
alone would not be enough to make me want to become a
doctor myself."
The Patient's
Perspective
This is also a standard
theme, but potentially a very powerful one. Describing
the direct impact a doctor had on your life or the life
of someone close to you can be a very effective way to
demonstrate what draws you to medicine.
Perhaps someone close
to the applicant was very ill once or died, and the
experience with that person or with his or her doctors
became very significant. After having read many
statements, I believe these are the sorts of experiences
that make people aware of what they themselves could do
in medicine. These experiences can be very powerful
material for the statement. -- School of
Medicine, University of Washington
The same caveats apply,
however. First, the fact that admissions officers have
seen this approach many times means you have to find a
unique, personal story to tell. Second, the story you
recount should serve only as the original inspiration,
and you still need to use recent experiences to show how
you've confirmed that first recognition.
This applicant recalls
the impression that doctors who treated his mother left
on him. He provides useful details such as the illness
that afflicted her and the specific qualities that
impressed him most. Although there is enough substance
in his first paragraph to make a strong point, you may
want to use even more details in your own essay. For
example, you could describe a specific episode and the
actions that your doctor took in treating your illness
or easing your concerns.
Notice again that the
second paragraph shifts to the trial stage, emphasizing
action rather than dwelling on passive response: "I also
had the chance to gain some firsthand experience in the
medical profession when I volunteered for over a year in
the emergency room of a regional hospital." You won't
necessarily have to follow the exact structure of going
from inspiration to action, nor does your inspiration
have to come from a dramatic experience, but the
relevant details will be present in every good essay.
When Medicine Fails...
A twist on the "patient's
perspective" approach is to describe a time when
medicine failed to save or heal someone close to you.
The purpose of this tactic would not be to rail against
the medical profession, of course, but rather to show
how a disappointing loss inspired you to join the
struggle against disease and sickness.
This applicant
describes the limits of the field he plans to pursue:
"However, in time physical therapy became the logical
focus of my attention for a number of reasons. For one,
I have memories from a very young age of my grandfather
in Czechoslovakia, disabled by a stroke, his problems
unmitigated by any attempts at physical therapy. I will
never forget the devastating consequences of this." He
goes on to describe ways in which both he and his
grandmother benefited from physical therapy, but by
mentioning a failed recovery, he shows that he
understands the scope of medicine at a mature level.
This applicant
describes problems with the health care system that did
not affect him directly, but that he observed while
working in a hospital. The important point is that he
plans to be part of the solution: "As a doctor, I hope
to participate in these changes in order to benefit more
people than are currently being served."
Helping Others
If there's one thing that
all medical school applicants can agree on, it's that
they all want to help others. So as always, you need to
show rather than tell the school about your commitment.
Community service is
very important in our process, because this is a
profession devoted to serving others. -- Stanford
University School of Medicine
The
next section of the course
will deal with the skills and qualities that will help
you serve people. Here we are concerned with why you
want to help--and why through medicine.
This applicant
describes his experience caring closely for his mother
and concludes: "After it was all over and I was back on
my feet, I decided I wanted to put myself back in a
situation in which I could help others who were ill."
Similarly,
this applicant
recognizes that the act of caring for his alcoholic and
abused mother heightened his "sensitivity to other
people and the difficulties with which they sometimes
must cope."
Both applicants give
detailed accounts of prior roles helping others and then
make strong connections to their current goals. Although
both of these essays deal with caring for relatives,
there are many other angles you could take. The point is
to show yourself in the active position of improving
someone's life and realizing that you wanted to devote
your career to that purpose. If you want to use service
unrelated to medicine as a reason, then you have to make
a clear transition that explains why you've chosen that
field as your outlet for helping others.
A Passion for Science
A passion for science is
usually not the main force behind someone's decision to
pursue medicine, but rather something that complements
his or her desire to help others. If science were your
sole calling, then you would most likely pursue a PhD.
That said, showing a strong commitment to science can
enhance your candidacy, especially if you have
demonstrated an interest in research.
The challenge is how to
show passion rather than simply tell the reader about
it.
This applicant devotes
an entire paragraph to his enthusiasm for biology and
the premed curriculum. He does a good job of emphasizing
the qualities that appeal to him--problem solving,
competition, the broad scope of issues--but still is
essentially telling and not showing us anything.
A point that has come up
before and will come up in the next section is the
importance of action: the most effective way to
demonstrate qualities is to show yourself in an active
role. Saying that you found material fascinating is
presenting your passive response to it. On the other
hand, you could describe a time when you did outside
reading on a topic that intrigued you, or an opportunity
you earned to become a professor's research assistant
based on the enthusiasm you showed. Active details are,
of course, helpful for every point you make, but they
come more naturally when describing a volunteer or work
experience. Here you have to make a special point to
ensure that you demonstrate a passion for science
through your active engagement with it.
The other alternative,
though less effective, is to convey enthusiasm through
spirited language. Here, your ability to write matters
more than the content you choose. You might, for
example, ask insightful, probing questions about your
chosen area, or you could simply describe an issue or
discovery in vivid detail. Again, you should attempt
this approach only if you know you are a strong writer. |
