is it bad to mention interest in a specific field during secondary

[CanadianKiddo]

Hi all!

Quick question, for the questions where the school is asking "why do you want to attend our program", would it be unwise to say because they are really good for a specific field (eg. big city so it's good for family medicine as I will get to see a lot of different patients during my studies), or would this rub the wrong way with the adcom, sinceI have no medical training and am just assuming stuff?

Thanks!

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[Goro]

Hi all!

Quick question, for the questions where the school is asking "why do you want to attend our program", would it be unwise to say because they are really good for a specific field (eg. big city so it's good for family medicine as I will get to see a lot of different patients during my studies), or would this rub the wrong way with the adcom, sinceI have no medical training and am just assuming stuff?

Thanks!

I feel that it's OK if you have at least some passing familiarity with the field, such as from shadowing. Saying you like surgery when you've never set foot in an operating room, or never even talked to a surgeon, will not look good.

 

[mdphdNYC]

The best answer I have heard to this question came from a program director: having a specialty in mind is a good thing because it shows you have thought deeply about what your medical career might look like, done your research, and as a result have organically developed a set of interests. They put absolutely no weight on what specialty you actually say, nor do they bother to document it, as the information you have based this on is limited and your preferences are certain to change with direct clinical experience. That said, if your reasons for preferring a specialty are not consistent with that narrative (for example, if your reasons involve prestige and salary, or if you show somehow that you have not done your research by e.g. a basic misunderstanding of the field) this will hurt you

 

[smukke]

Interest in primary care at a primary care oriented school is generally well received (though I think everyone in my class said they wanted to do primary care at their interviews...)

If it's in a specialty field, better be able to back it up with extensive ECs and a good story.

 

[Tenk]

No, just have a reason besides it sounds/looks cool.

 

[DameJulie]

I think a general category of specialty (e.g. primary care, surgery) is ok. Just don't go into the very detail. For example, in a prompt that asks for your future practice goal, it is very hard to answer it without mentioning the general area you're going into.

 

[Pathdocmd]

"From my (shadowing, research, work, volunteer) experiences I am interested in ____________, but I am very open to different fields. Who knows what I will discover in medical school?"