Bad to say you know what field you want to go in to?

[Nookular]

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I am 99% sure that I want to be a radiation oncologist. Do you think it is OK to refer to this in my personal statements / interviews? I had previously been told (about something else relating to applications) that "people as young as us applicants dont know what we want to do yet, and if you say you do you are just being naiive" in the eyes of some of the more senior people we may encounter on adcoms.
Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Excellent to say what field you want to go into, as long as you can explain why.

 

[kanelope]

I did it and I think it really made my application stand out. I grew up in a rural community where my dad is the family physician. As a traditional applicant it showed that I have been interested in medicine and that I know the positives and negatives of the field/specialty.

 

[Quix]

When I've been asked about specialties during interviews, I reply that it really depends on the day that I'm asked. There are days when psychiatry seems really compelling, other days when I'm burned on continuity of care and the ER calls, and days when I think that the brain/kidney is really neat, so I think about neurology/nephrology/critical care.

What makes you "99%" certain about your desired speciality?

 

[ADeadLois]

I am 99% sure that I want to be a radiation oncologist. Do you think it is OK to refer to this in my personal statements / interviews? I had previously been told (about something else relating to applications) that "people as young as us applicants dont know what we want to do yet, and if you say you do you are just being naiive" in the eyes of some of the more senior people we may encounter on adcoms.
Thoughts? Thanks.

How can you be 99% sure? It's ok to have a preference about a specialty ("Radiation Oncology really interests me."), but saying you're 99% sure about your specialty is a bit naive considering you're not even in med school yet

 

[drizzt3117]

Yeah, I think it's a little difficult to be that specific in your preferences as a premed. I think a very general field like "primary care" or "rural medicine" or something like that is fine, but being very specific seems difficult, how do you know you won't do a surgical rotation during your third year and fall in love with it? The only exceptions I can think of where you could be that sure would be having a life experience such as having childhood cancer and wanting to go into pediatric oncology.

 

[jochi1543]

childhood cancer as a childhood

Yeah, that'd be a tough one, indeed.

 

[Nookular]

How can you be 99% sure? It's ok to have a preference about a specialty ("Radiation Oncology really interests me."), but saying you're 99% sure about your specialty is a bit naive considering you're not even in med school yet

Briefly:
I was doing a medical physics fellowship in a radiation oncology clinic, since I was going to get my masters in MP, and realized RO has every aspect of MP that I love, plus several more. I then spent the next 2.5 months shadowing every RO on staff (and residents) 40+ hours a week. I also shadowed other areas of medicine I wanted to do (picu, peds, surg, etc.) and walked away at the end of the fellowship only seeing myself as a rad onc.

I feel like that gives me enough experience to know what I'm getting into, but then again you never know until youre there.

I say 99% because no one can ever be sure that something wont come along. Its like how bc is 99.8% effective. That 0.2% covers your butt incase something crazy happens.


[[[I will not be saying "i'm 99% sure..." in my essay. There is a difference between forum speak and application speak, so don't bother pointing out how childish of a description that is]]]]

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Some people get rubbed the wrong way when people seem absolutely sure about what they want to go into. I think it's because it leads to romantising the field and (when things don't work live up to unrealistic expectations) eventual heartbreak.

As long as you hedge it in the framework of "I realize my interests may change over time and I enjoy medicine as a whole, but this is the thing that I can see myself doing in twenty years" you'll be fine.

 

[ADeadLois]

Briefly:
I was doing a medical physics fellowship in a radiation oncology clinic, since I was going to get my masters in MP, and realized RO has every aspect of MP that I love, plus several more. I then spent the next 2.5 months shadowing every RO on staff (and residents) 40+ hours a week. I also shadowed other areas of medicine I wanted to do (picu, peds, surg, etc.) and walked away at the end of the fellowship only seeing myself as a rad onc.

I feel like that gives me enough experience to know what I'm getting into, but then again you never know until youre there.

I say 99% because no one can ever be sure that something wont come along. Its like how bc is 99.8% effective. That 0.2% covers your butt incase something crazy happens.


[[[I will not be saying "i'm 99% sure..." in my essay. There is a difference between forum speak and application speak, so don't bother pointing out how childish of a description that is]]]]

Fair enough.

 

[jochi1543]

I wouldn't do it ESPECIALLY because it's competitive. Have you thought of what you'd do if you didn't get into that specialty? Some specialties only have like a 40% match rate, and that's for already very competitive applicants.

 

[Nookular]

Fair enough.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but that is enough, right??? In my mind that is a lot of time observing and discussing a RO career, but possibly not in the eyes of the adcomms. My whole realization that I want to be a doctor has been so rushed (over the course of that summer I essentially dropped my masters and 100% changed my schedule to premed, and haven't regretted it at all, but it was a quick change) that my perception of 'adequate time thinking' is probably skewed.


And about what I would do if I don't get RO: probably radiology or peds, but like you say, i've got a looooong way before I get to that point...

 

[Law2Doc]

Some people get rubbed the wrong way when people seem absolutely sure about what they want to go into.

I agree with this. Eg I met a surgeon who interviews who candidly admits he thinks poorly of people who say they are sure they want to be a surgeon before they go through the surgery rotation, because in his opinion, that is likely an opinion derived from naivety and television.

Unless you have a pretty significant story leading to a particular choice of fields, it is best to indicate a "leaning" but hedge it with having an open mind until you see more stuff. I would never say "sure" or "99% sure" etc.

Truth of the matter is that MOST med students will change their mind in terms of desired field. Many will discover in rotations something they like more, or find that what they thought they liked isn't exactly how they imagined it. Some will be precluded from certain tracks due to grades/scores. Others will decide that things like lifestyle, which may not have seemed important as an applicant, become more important as you get a few more years of med school under your belt. It is thus smartest to keep an open mind because odds are that as sure as you may be today, you will probably change your mind down the road.

 

[ADeadLois]

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but that is enough, right??? In my mind that is a lot of time observing and discussing a RO career, but possibly not in the eyes of the adcomms. My whole realization that I want to be a doctor has been so rushed (over the course of that summer I essentially dropped my masters and 100% changed my schedule to premed, and haven't regretted it at all, but it was a quick change) that my perception of 'adequate time thinking' is probably skewed.


And about what I would do if I don't get RO: probably radiology or peds, but like you say, i've got a looooong way before I get to that point...

You're clearly an exception to the rule, having considerable experience in the field you're interested in. Most who project their specialties do so for very flimsy reasons.

However, I would still avoid coming across as 99% sure of your specialty on paper and in interviews. Discuss your experiences honestly and openly, but definitely clarify that you would wait until your rotations to be 100% sure.

 

[Jolie South]

I always talk about my background in microbiology and tropical medicine and how at the moment I'm into infectious disease.

After that, I usually go on to say that I'm open to other fields and looking forward to clerkships.

It usually goes over pretty well. Maybe, you could adapt that approach to what your particular experiences are.

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

I have always wanted to go into Pediatric Oncology but after shadowing with family medicine I like that field as well! So luckily I will be shadowing in Peds Oncology/Hematology for a couple weeks over XMas break so I will be able to know a lil bit more of an area-

But I wouldn't say I for sure want to do x,y,or z... say your current interest is____ but leave it open. Who knows- my least favorite unit in A&P was Neuro but what if you just didn't like what you thought you would.

 

[theNEWgirl]

While it is nice to have such resolution, I think that you shouldn't sound so ABSOLUTE about it because it shows that you are inflexible and naive because you haven't experience med school yet. In many of my interviews, I mentioned that I'm interested in emergency medicine, but I also mentioned that I'm open to other fields if EM turns out to be incompatible with me. 👍

 

[BlackSails]

I think that as long as you can explain why you want the field, and you can explain why you dont want other fields, then it is ok.

 

[PlAnEjaNe]

What will you do if you can't go into rad onc? If you are so sure, then will you just quit school? I think this is the problem with saying you are 99% sure. You absolutely have to consider the possibility that you won't be able to do rad onc, no matter how much you love it. This is what adcoms are afraid of, that premeds will come to medschool thinking they will absolutely do one, and only one thing, and then when they can't do that they will leave medicine because nothing else interests them. Do you see the 'argument' in asserting your absolute certainty?


PlAnEjaNe

 

[TheRealMD]

Because it's way too easy to sound like you are in a fairytale land. Until you've actually been on a rotation of some sort, it's hard to say you know what you'll like doing at all.

Few people's interest radically change (i.e. maybe peds to neurgosurgery or vice versa) but time and time again you hear doctors say that they definitely did not think they'd be in the specialty they are practicing now. Just make sure to keep an open mind.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

but time and time again you hear doctors say that they definitely did not think they'd be in the specialty they are practicing now. Just make sure to keep an open mind.

This is an absolutely great point.

Whenever I've been to a physician panel where they discuss the career choice, the number of people who start off relating what field they THOUGHT they'd go in and then what they ended up in is astounding. You're always hearing stuff like: "I always thought I'd be Medicine and (insert story here) I wound up in OB/GYN" "I thought I was surgery and I wound up in peds" "I thought I was going to be a pathologist and wound up being a neurosurgeon."

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

I am 99% sure that I want to be a radiation oncologist. Do you think it is OK to refer to this in my personal statements / interviews? I had previously been told (about something else relating to applications) that "people as young as us applicants dont know what we want to do yet, and if you say you do you are just being naiive" in the eyes of some of the more senior people we may encounter on adcoms.
Thoughts? Thanks.

I would be really careful about putting such a narrow and ultra competitive specialty in your PS. Personally, if I were interviewing you, my biggest question/concern is how do you really know that you can achieve the level of competitiveness it would take to match in said field...and would be concerned what would happen to you if after a year of MS you are not a superstar....would you just drop out?

I think listing something relatively general is ok....but a particular sub specialty and a competitive one at that could be a problem.

Unless your dad is a rad onc, grandpa is a a rad onc department chairmen, and you have done research with them during the summer time since 7th grade....you might be safe to mention it.

 

[etf]

I think listing something relatively general is ok....but a particular sub specialty and a competitive one at that could be a problem.

absolutely. i'm never making the mistake again of revealing my neurosurgical ambitions until 5 years after i'm a practicing neurosurgeon. i've got other interests (like ob/gyn) that i'm going to stick to for interview purposes.

 

[BMWPower06]

So if asked, you would say that your interested in a particular field, but not committed to it?