Is my answer too simple?

[raptarious]

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I notice many people have very elaborate answers or unique stories to tell when they are asked why they want to become a doctor.

Mine is pretty simple. I want to serve in the army and save lives because there is a shortage of doctors.

What would adcoms say or follow up with?

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Don't apply to many public schools then. Most public schools want doctors who will serve that state. If you're in the military, in all likelihood you won't remain in the state you went to medical school in. This probably isn't a hard and fast rule but I think it mostly applies. Hopefully you can get into USUHS

 

[raptarious]

so why not be a combat medic?

Well, my plan is to practice medicine in the army for my entire career. Because of that, I want to maximize my foundation and keep opportunities open. From what I understand (I've only looked at a few statistics so I'll have to look at this again), physicians are in high demand due to their scope.

Don't apply to many public schools then. Most public schools want doctors who will serve that state. If you're in the military, in all likelihood you won't remain in the state you went to medical school in. This probably isn't a hard and fast rule but I think it mostly applies. Hopefully you can get into USUHS

Thanks for the tip, I'll keep this in mind. Yeah, I'm interested in USUHS.

 

[Goro]

Lots of states have military bases on them.

Don't apply to many public schools then. Most public schools want doctors who will serve that state. If you're in the military, in all likelihood you won't remain in the state you went to medical school in. This probably isn't a hard and fast rule but I think it mostly applies. Hopefully you can get into USUHS

 

[kevinsword91]

I notice many people have very elaborate answers or unique stories to tell when they are asked why they want to become a doctor.

Mine is pretty simple. I want to serve in the army and save lives because there is a shortage of doctors.

What would adcoms say or follow up with?

So you only want to be a physcian because the Army has a shortage of those right now? I'm not trying to be combative to your answer, but it could be a possible question based on this line of logic.

Having your personal statement read that you only want to be a physician because the Army needs them right now may be unwise(except for maybe USUHS). To be clear, its perfectly fine if that is your main reason, but you are going to need to dig a little deeper for your personal statement.

 

[Ecronum]

I think kevinsword91 is trying to play devils advocate which is fine but I'm not sure it's that scrutinizing. It just has to be an honest genuine reason - and I think if you expand on what led you to want to be an Army physician (versus maybe a civilian physician or a navy/air force physician) would help you stand out.

 

[tdubst]

How did you come to this decision? Talk about the path that led you to wanting pursue military medicine. What have you done to support your goal?

 

[ERK123]

How did you come to this decision? Talk about the path that led you to wanting pursue military medicine. What have you done to support your goal?

This exactly. I think many people have relatively simple reasons for why they want to be a doctor, but the pathway they took to arrive at these reasons is what makes for a powerful personal statement.

OP, you want to be a military doctor because the army needs military doctors, right? How did you come to realize that the army needs military doctors and what experiences and qualities do you posses that makes you conclude that you will be a good military doctor?

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Lots of states have military bases on them.

That is true. I guess my argument just stems from anecdotal evidence - friends who mentioned they wanted to do milmed at interviews and did not receive a positive response from interviewers.