It's a pretty common secondary question that's somewhat difficult to find a genuine answer for when applying broadly. One approach I'm considering is to discuss something I like about the curriculum. Can anyone recommend other approaches that might be successful?
Answering "why do you want to attend school X?"
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Start with what you honestly like about the school. I know it's going to be difficult depending on how many schools you apply to, but I think being genuine is the best way to approach it. If you truly like a school's curriculum then talk about it. If you're applying to a lot of schools, maybe you can group them into categories of what you like about them and then come up with a generic template where you can fill in specifics. So you could have a category of schools where you like their curriculum, another category where you like the mission statement, another where you like the location, etc.
A little off topic but related to this is that I would recommend applying only to those schools you would like to attend. When I was applying I did have my "safeties" but there was no school on my list I wouldn't have been happy attending. There are so many SDNers who complain about getting in nowhere but their last choice and I'm thinking "then why the hell did you apply there???"
A little off topic but related to this is that I would recommend applying only to those schools you would like to attend. When I was applying I did have my "safeties" but there was no school on my list I wouldn't have been happy attending. There are so many SDNers who complain about getting in nowhere but their last choice and I'm thinking "then why the hell did you apply there???"
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Show that you did your homework. It's tempting to use a generic response touching on patient diversity/location/etc that can apply to every school asking this question, but it's always good to name specific opportunities/programs/curriculum facets/other unique things of the school in question when you can to display genuine interest.
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If you have time, I found it helpful to search through the school-specific threads and read what current students had to say about their school. It gives you great insider knowledge and it yields a less generic response.
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My own sort of related question here, Is it ok to say you want to attend a school because it's close to home? There's a few schools that the only reason I'm really applying to is because they're close to home. I'd mention more of course but that would be the main reason.
For others I'd talk about the specific opportunities they have, mission statement, etc. If you know what you're interested in maybe mention a strength the school has in that area. For example I'm interested in pediatrics so I can mention something about a school having one of the best pediatric hospitals and it would make sense as to why I'm interested.
For others I'd talk about the specific opportunities they have, mission statement, etc. If you know what you're interested in maybe mention a strength the school has in that area. For example I'm interested in pediatrics so I can mention something about a school having one of the best pediatric hospitals and it would make sense as to why I'm interested.
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Mission statement and how it fits with your AMCAS experiences and future goals, specific programs/opportunities, specific parts of the curriculum, and any unique aspects related to location (patient diversity, proximity to support systems/family, etc.) are all viable points
This is a great course of action, and it helped me quite a bit to avoid writing generic prompts. Find out what the school is especially proud of by stalking old application threads or asking current students and be sure to talk about your enthusiasm about these things!
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Yes, but you can expand on that. If being close to home is the only reason then you can say something like "I want to attend [insert school] because I grew up in the area so I am very familiar with the community and the patient population. I would relish the opportunity to learn more in-depth about this area's systemic healthcare concerns and hopefully work to increase access to medical care to those in need." Etc. etc. etc.
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Thanks, that's a very good way to put it! I mentioned similar things in other parts of my application but didn't think of including it as part of the why these schools.
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Everyone knows that the real answer is because it is medical school and you want to go to medical school, so it’s fundamentally sort of a dumb q. Therefore you do a little research and mention stuff they are publicly proud of.
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Unless the school prides itself on their "unique and innovative" curriculum (*cough* Rush *cough*), I'd avoid using it as a means to express specific interest in their program.
I'd focus more on their mission statement and history. Do they focus on serving underserved communities? Are they focused on research? Also, bring in whether or not if the location is important to you. If you have a unique situation where you have either family ties or a strong geographical preference for where their school is, be sure to explain that.
Hypothetically, if I made a hobby of sailing, would that be something you'd recommend writing about if you were to answer this question for a coastal school?
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Except for at schools that had truly noteworthy features built into their curriculum, I never mentioned curriculum because I frankly didn't feel like I knew enough about how medical school curriculum works to read through a list of courses and speak intelligently on what stood out to me. I didn't want to risk gushing about how unique and valuable some aspect of the curriculum seemed when it was actually just pretty standard stuff you'll find at literally any medical school.
My approach was to keep a mental list of several things that I appreciated in a medical school and then use each school's website to determine which of those were most emphasized at that particular school. No school has everything you're looking for, but most schools have at least two or three draws, whether it be especially high board scores or match rates that speak to the quality of education you can expect to receive there, a mission that is in line with your own educational and professional goals and passions, or access to state-of-the-art learning tools and equipment. Sometimes along the way, I would come across mention of a particular program at that school that really stood out to me as being in synch with my interests or goals, and then I'd mention that.
My approach was to keep a mental list of several things that I appreciated in a medical school and then use each school's website to determine which of those were most emphasized at that particular school. No school has everything you're looking for, but most schools have at least two or three draws, whether it be especially high board scores or match rates that speak to the quality of education you can expect to receive there, a mission that is in line with your own educational and professional goals and passions, or access to state-of-the-art learning tools and equipment. Sometimes along the way, I would come across mention of a particular program at that school that really stood out to me as being in synch with my interests or goals, and then I'd mention that.
