Describe yourself 10 years from now...

[sanchopanza]

Hi all,

Some secondary essays ask you to envision and describe your medical career 10 years from now. This is a difficult question to approach--you can't be too definite about how you envision yourself (that would be naïve), but you also can't be without focus (that would be, well, naïve as well).

I was wondering how some of you have approached or would approach such a question.

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[somethingpositi]

Hi all,

Some secondary essays ask you to envision and describe your medical career 10 years from now. This is a difficult question to approach--you can't be too definite about how you envision yourself (that would be naïve), but you also can't be without focus (that would be, well, naïve as well).

I was wondering how some of you have approached or would approach such a question.

I disagree with your assertion that it would be naive to be too definite about how you envision yourself. You're not saying that you WILL end up exactly where you say you will, just that you see yourself headed in that direction. What's wrong with that?

 

[jochi1543]

Well, what kind of physician do you hope to be? Not talking about specialty, but the personality type. How do you expect to treat your patients (not medically, but as people)? Do you have an interest in working on researching a particular disease? Does the prospect of working with a certain population attract you? (e.g. inner city physician, or part-time work at a low-income clinic)

 

[sosarah]

UofL's secondary asks that question concerning both practice and location and I had the same feeling as you. I really have no idea where I might be 10 years from now! Here's what I said though:

"I believe that the next 7 - 10 years will bring so many new experiences that it is difficult for me to definitively say where and what I will be practicing. However, at this time, I anticipate returning to my hometown to raise my own family because it is conveniently located within one hour of three major cities. The area encompasses numerous hospitals in which I would enjoy practicing neonatology or emergency medicine."

Critique? Keep in mind this essay had a 500 character limit and allowed no apostrophes, parenthases, colons, semicolons, brackets, etc.

 

[Meatwad]

Still making peanuts in a fellowship.

 

[durfen]

UofL's secondary asks that question concerning both practice and location and I had the same feeling as you. I really have no idea where I might be 10 years from now! Here's what I said though:

"I believe that the next 7 - 10 years will bring so many new experiences that it is difficult for me to definitively say where and what I will be practicing. However, at this time, I anticipate returning to my hometown to raise my own family because it is conveniently located within one hour of three major cities. The area encompasses numerous hospitals in which I would enjoy practicing neonatology or emergency medicine."

Critique? Keep in mind this essay had a 500 character limit and allowed no apostrophes, parenthases, colons, semicolons, brackets, etc.

" anticipate returning to my hometown to raise my own family because it is conveniently located within one hour of three major cities."

Just say I anticipate returning to my hometown to serve my community and raise my own family, possibly practicing neonatology or emergency medicine."
THe conveniently located sounds like a real estate brochure.

 

[MDrunner]

"Where will I be five years from now? I delight in not knowing. Thats one of the greatest things about life- its wonderful surprises!" Marlo Thomas

 

[alwaysaangel]

I disagree with your assertion that it would be naive to be too definite about how you envision yourself. You're not saying that you WILL end up exactly where you say you will, just that you see yourself headed in that direction. What's wrong with that?

Agreed. Say where you envision yourself as of now. Its not naive - ITS ANSWERING THE QUESTION! You guys really do spend too much time analyzing these questions - really they're not as tricky as you think they are answer what they ask honestly and you'll do great. Analyze and be neurotic and vague and you're going to screw yourself over.

 

[inaminute]

Lounging poolside at my oceanfront villa while one of my buff young men polishes my Ferrari and the other brings me a mai tai and gives me a swedish massage. And applies sunscreen to my back, of course.

 

[alwaysaangel]

"I believe that the next 7 - 10 years will bring so many new experiences that it is difficult for me to definitively say where and what I will be practicing. However, at this time, I anticipate returning to my hometown to raise my own family because it is conveniently located within one hour of three major cities. The area encompasses numerous hospitals in which I would enjoy practicing neonatology or emergency medicine."

The italicized part is unnecessary - they realize things change. You don't need to explain that to them - you're wasting your word limit. Start with "At this time" thats more than sufficient to get across that who knows what will change in 10 years. The rest is wasteful fluff.

The Bold part like someone else said sounds like a brochure - it doesn't explain why you would care to be within an hour of three major cities or how that affects you at all - the adcomm doesn't want to have to assume why you want to be within 3 cities - either elaborate or cut it.

The underlined part needs more elaboration - what about THOSE hospitals attracts you, what about those specialties attracts you? How does it relate back to your personality.

You need to make it a lot more personal and explain more why you want to be in your hometown (family? friends? connections? small community? great community hospitals?) because as of right now I see no real explanation why you wnat to be there and no real explanation of why you want neonatalogy or EM.

 

[sosarah]

Thanks for the input guys. You all had some really good suggestions. Hopefully this all helps out the OP as well.