Guest wab8611 Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 i know that everyone, hopefully, has a different answer to the question "why do you want to be a doctor? or why is this field right for you?" i just want to know what your answer to this question was, and if you were being honest.. this may seem dumb, but i was just curious about how others feel. im in high school (gr 12) right now. so don't worry about me memorizing all these answers and repeating them to the admissions committee.. thanks %%WORD59%†11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest studentz Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 I was honest. I basically talked about some pretty significant experiences that I've experienced (through people that are close to me) in the past few years and the way physicians changed the lives of those people. I wanted to be a doc before those incidents, but for the generic, fresh-out-of-highschool-premed "like science and helping people" reason. Those experiences made me realize what all that really means. This is one of those reasons that you really should spend a lot of time on for your own sake. It's important to know for yourself that you're in this for the right reasons before you end up asking yourself "What the hell am I doing?" six years later. Plus, I'm pretty sure the interviewers know when you're spewing BS, even if they expect prepared responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 Hey, That's a good point, studentz- if you don't have a good answer for this question at the ABSOLUTE LEAST (which you know is coming in a medical school interview), then kiss your chances goodbye, because no one wants to hear the "stock" answers to this question- ie: I've wanted to be a doctor all my life (w/o examples, of course) /I've always wanted to realize my potential/ being a doctor is my destiny/ other assorted @#%$ you hear as an interviewer. At the very least, have a well-thought-out answer to this question because it will make you look infinitely better as a candidate and infinitely better as someone for getting into med school (speaking strictly as a medical student) than someone who doesn't. Anyway, that's my advice, so take it as you will! Best of luck! Timmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ploughboy Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 I didn't actually get to address that question during my interview (odd, wot?), however here are the notes I'd prepared in case I was asked: "Stop sign, hockey arena, arrow with 'EFPO' on it hitting _Das Kapital_, Roy Romanow looking through binoculars at a Cabbage Patch baby yelling 'yes, yes' while being hit on the head by a teeter-totter. St. Lawrence on a griddle; Larry the Cable Guy rolling up his sleeves and saying 'Git 'er done'; small shrug and a smile." Did that help? ;-) Believe it or not, based on those notes I can give a decent 3.5-4.0 minute "commercial" for why I want to study medicine (mnemonics are a wonderful thing!). I guess my point is that the answer to that question is very specific to each individual, and you're going to have to answer it for yourself. Probably not the answer you want to hear - sorry. No Cabbage Patch babies were harmed during the writing of this message... pb -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (MingW32) iD8DBQFCcAib/HNgbK3bC2wRAuY+AJ95NkqUR/ZnLtJfqvA/6Z5Yn18VoQCglI/c BqwYxdCut8nS4LNx40HKbaM= =/w5d -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wab8611 Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 lol.. that was good.. i already know what im going to say when i have the interview many years from now... if the answer will change with the coming years of undergrad, i don't know. i just wanted to see if my reasons were dumb.. see when i was young, as with all Indian families, my parents wanted me to become a doctor so i could choose to some how work for my self, and in a sense be the the boss. They thought this would be best for me since i was a minority, at the time. so since i was young i wanted to become a doctor, based on that, but this all changed when i reached my early teen years, because i saw the hard work involved. that plus the influence of the wrong type of friends caused me to skip classes, and hang around the wrong crowd. in my 4th year of my uncle became very sick and was diagnosed with pericarditis, which could lead to heart failure. this particular uncle was very close to me so i stayed at the hospital as often as i could, watching different doctors work on him. this was the moment i realized why i actually wanted to become a doctor. it wasn't because my parents always wanted me to become one, but its because in becoming a doctor i will have the knowledge to help someone who needs it. this may seem like the same answer you hear everyday, but this for me seems like the ultimate job. i will be getting incredible knowledge, and i will be able to help families, friends, anyone, in ways know one else can. anyways thats what my answer would be to this question. it might sound dumb, but that is how i feel as of right now. im only in gr12, well i graduated already but im upgrading my marks to attend UofT in fall 2005. Wab8611 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 I just said that I spent some time volunteering in a hospital and from I've seen of the work involved, the interactions I had in the hospital and from what I know of medicine outside of these experiences, being a doctor looked like something I'd enjoy. And although people may say it hurts to say "I like helping people and I like challenge", I think if you DON'T say that you're at a disadvantage (because really... what kind of doctor doesn't like to help people). Just don't make that ALL that you say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorae Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 I think the key to answering any interview question is to use specific examples! There's nothing wrong with answering "why do you want to be a doctor" with the phrase "becauce I want to help people" but you better make darn sure the next few sentences are examples from you life! Whatever your answer is, you need to highlight things in your life that "prove" your decision is well thought out and that you KNOW you want to be a doctor (versus you just think you do). lor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clinicalchief Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 My answer to this question in a nutshell was: I want to be a clinician and teacher; I want to work with people and problem solve, make decisions and work under pressure. I am also dedicated to life-long learning and self evaluation and improvement. I want to stress to you however, that any answer you give must include specific examples to support your answer. Without specific examples, your answer will seem generic and you will be less likely to "stand out" from the other applicants. cc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 There are at least nine previous threads that address this question, hope they help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.