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- May 9, 2012
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- Medical Student
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I've read on a few occasions here that when writing the PS one should shy away from sounding like they are set on a specialty and that schools want to see an open-mindedness. But when reading the "Not Another Crayon in the Box" article by Alex Jennings posted on SDN's front page, he seems to advocate a different approach. He writes "Whether you see yourself pioneering new techniques in heart surgery or making home visits in rural America, you should share this vision."
This seems to go against much of the common rhetoric that makes its way through these boards and I can see his point. It seems like the "why medicine?" question may be directly tied to applicant's future goals (and possibly specialization). No one decided that they wanted to become a doctor while balancing equations in their first gen chem class, something really drives one to that decision. For example, I have a deep interest in oncology and cancer research and my ECs reflect this. Working with cancer patients is what really drove home my desire to become a physician.
I feel like I'd be leaving out a key part of my "why medicine?" foundation if I left my desire to pursue oncology based on my individual experiences that make my app unique. So I guess my question is why on Earth do others say this is a bad idea? Is there something that I'm missing here? I don't want to dig my own grave by not following the general consensus of this forum but at the same time I think maybe some ideas need to be reexamined.
This seems to go against much of the common rhetoric that makes its way through these boards and I can see his point. It seems like the "why medicine?" question may be directly tied to applicant's future goals (and possibly specialization). No one decided that they wanted to become a doctor while balancing equations in their first gen chem class, something really drives one to that decision. For example, I have a deep interest in oncology and cancer research and my ECs reflect this. Working with cancer patients is what really drove home my desire to become a physician.
I feel like I'd be leaving out a key part of my "why medicine?" foundation if I left my desire to pursue oncology based on my individual experiences that make my app unique. So I guess my question is why on Earth do others say this is a bad idea? Is there something that I'm missing here? I don't want to dig my own grave by not following the general consensus of this forum but at the same time I think maybe some ideas need to be reexamined.
