So everyone knows that the question "why do you want to be a doctor" is asked frequently whether you are appying to a BD/MD program (my case) or Medical school. Anyone who has already gotten into a BS/MD program, can you please tell me what they want in those essays? How can I write the perfect essay that will get me into the program? Thankss, any comments apreciated.
Why do you want to be doctor?
- Thread starter Zahin
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2007
- Messages
- 31
- Reaction score
- 1
Just write from the heart! Seriously. When the program asks you why, your answer is personal to you and only you, and admissions just wants to know your reasons and motivations. Why you want to be a doctor may be different from why someone else wants to be a doctor. It's one of those things you really have to figure out on your own.
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2009
- Messages
- 397
- Reaction score
- 3
I'd tell you why I want to be a doctor, but I don't want you to use it in your admissions essay
hahahahaha. I like that. That's really clever.
I'd tell you why I want to be a doctor, but I don't want you to use it in your admissions essay
haha i doubt i'll copy your reason for becoming a doctor, since I am not doing it for the money.
so sad though...people are so selfish these days
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2008
- Messages
- 364
- Reaction score
- 73
haha i doubt i'll copy your reason for becoming a doctor, since I am not doing it for the money.
so sad though...people are so selfish these days
Well, If your not in it for the money then you should have a good reason, haha.
Plus don't be naive, seriously I hope you understand the time and money investment one must go through in order to become a physician. It's honorable to say your not doing it for the money, however in the end honesty is not going to pay-off debt.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2009
- Messages
- 197
- Reaction score
- 0
haha i doubt i'll copy your reason for becoming a doctor, since I am not doing it for the money.
so sad though...people are so selfish these days
Since when did I say I was in it for the money?
Of course you were going to copy my reason.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 344
- Reaction score
- 2
Common reason for wanting to be a physician is to combine your passion for science & helping others that can only be satisfied w/ an MD. That rules out being a social working b/c of your passion for science. It also rules out becoming an engineer/basic scientist due to your passion for helping others. And by helping others, you want to be helping others directly, as in a patient office (since anybody w/ a job is essentially helping others).
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2006
- Messages
- 571
- Reaction score
- 2
+1. I wouldn't spend 8+ years being broke just to be in debt for the rest of my life. Money and prestige play huge roles in everyone's decision. If people didn't care about either they would become a CNA or a MA.
This is false. Engineers help people directly all the time. My friend is doing a freshman engineering group project and they are building a special sink for this kid who is disabled. He has met the kid and have had meetings with his parents. So you can't say that engineers do not help people directly.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2008
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
i think the perfect essay only goes so far as getting you an interview
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 344
- Reaction score
- 2
Sure, engineers help people directly. However, the reasons I stated are still valid reasons for being a physician. Passion for science and helping others. There are only so many reasons for wanting to be a physician.
Some people go for the classic, "I broke my leg in HS and the surgeon who fixed me inspired me to be a physician", but I don't think this story sounds as sincere.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2009
- Messages
- 64
- Reaction score
- 1
Well, you probably don't want to write this in your essay, but this is how I see it in my mind:
3 points
I like science
I like social interaction*
I like money
-I want to do something that makes money, but I don't want to do something I would hate.
-I don't want to do something I like, but make little money.
-I'm a very social person, and I like science, and I like money. Sounds like doctor or pharmacist.
(Sure, I may be "greedy" to some people's standards for using money as a major factor for a career choice, but I think you would be stupid for assuming that. Would I be happier being a lab tech making 40K or being a surgeon making 400K? Both have science, which I like, but one just happens that one has a distinct advantage. Also, you can save lives every day and provide a huge impact on society. Now is that really so greedy?)
Some may ask why I didn't list helping people. Well, maybe its just me, but I find that response as pretentious. Seriously, how do you know that you like helping people, in a medical sense. I mean, yeah, you have to like helping people as a doctor and I would assume most people would like it, but I just think it should be worded slightly different. "I would like to help people" would be better, IMO. Its just like what my mother said to me when I said I considered doing an ROTC program and joining the Air Force. I said that I wanted to fly an airplane, but I never flown. She said "How would you know if you've never flown a plane." I've flown on a plane, but I've never been in the cockpit. And some say, "I've volunteered at hospitals, etc." but I think the Volunteer - Doctor thing is analogous to to the Passenger - Pilot comparison I made above. You've been around it, but you haven't actually DONE it yet.
I don't know, just trying to make you guys think. I just wrote an essay, so I'm in that deep thinking kind of mood.
3 points
I like science
I like social interaction*
I like money
-I want to do something that makes money, but I don't want to do something I would hate.
-I don't want to do something I like, but make little money.
-I'm a very social person, and I like science, and I like money. Sounds like doctor or pharmacist.
(Sure, I may be "greedy" to some people's standards for using money as a major factor for a career choice, but I think you would be stupid for assuming that. Would I be happier being a lab tech making 40K or being a surgeon making 400K? Both have science, which I like, but one just happens that one has a distinct advantage. Also, you can save lives every day and provide a huge impact on society. Now is that really so greedy?)
Some may ask why I didn't list helping people. Well, maybe its just me, but I find that response as pretentious. Seriously, how do you know that you like helping people, in a medical sense. I mean, yeah, you have to like helping people as a doctor and I would assume most people would like it, but I just think it should be worded slightly different. "I would like to help people" would be better, IMO. Its just like what my mother said to me when I said I considered doing an ROTC program and joining the Air Force. I said that I wanted to fly an airplane, but I never flown. She said "How would you know if you've never flown a plane." I've flown on a plane, but I've never been in the cockpit. And some say, "I've volunteered at hospitals, etc." but I think the Volunteer - Doctor thing is analogous to to the Passenger - Pilot comparison I made above. You've been around it, but you haven't actually DONE it yet.
I don't know, just trying to make you guys think. I just wrote an essay, so I'm in that deep thinking kind of mood.
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 344
- Reaction score
- 2
Social interaction and helping people is two different ways of saying the same thing. I don't think wanting money is a bad thing. Think about it, the whole point of having a job is to make money to support yourself; so I don't see what's wrong with thinking about money (just don't be silly and put it in your PS).
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2009
- Messages
- 64
- Reaction score
- 1
Oh, no, I wasn't even thinking about doing something stupid like that. Lol. Just giving personal input.
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2009
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 0
I like , I do
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 115
- Reaction score
- 1
Honestly...Fast Cars, Money, and Girls....
I wouldnt put that on the app tho...lol
Talk about how you want a job that would make a difference in the world, and how your volunteer work (i assume every pre-med has done volunteer work) has shown you that helping people is great.
I wouldnt put that on the app tho...lol
Talk about how you want a job that would make a difference in the world, and how your volunteer work (i assume every pre-med has done volunteer work) has shown you that helping people is great.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2007
- Messages
- 799
- Reaction score
- 90
To add on to this, specific examples of patients or clinics or a doctor/mentor you worked with that might have helped form your decision to go into medicine is where its at. MUCH better than "I liked volunteering cuz I saw doctors make sick people better".
Find a real life example that really hit home with you and your decision. ADCOMS see through BS.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2009
- Messages
- 786
- Reaction score
- 54
Think about what first got you interested in medicine. Was there an event that piqued your interest, a family member? Was your decision gradual, or did you wake up one day and just know that this was what you want to do? If you have faced any hardships that make you more sensitive to the feelings of others or inspired you to help others, discussing that might help as well.
