how to answer why medicine personal statement

• Medical School Interview

“Why Do You Want to Become a Doctor?”: How I Answered

Featured Expert: Dr. Sruveera Sathi, MD

Answering “why do you want to become a doctor?” is essential, but difficult during medical school interviews or when writing a medical school personal statement . I'll share how I answered this common medical school interview question, plus tips on how to prepare for it and ace your interview.

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Article Contents 6 min read

How to answer “why do you want to become a doctor”.

I was asked “Why do you want to be a doctor?”, in pretty much every medical school interview I went to. This is the ultimate ice-breaker that can come up in medical school interview questions . It’s a question that’s so simple on the surface but can become painfully obvious to the interviewer if you don’t give an authentic, convincing, and genuine answer.

So, let’s get into the mind of an interviewer for a second and think about why someone is asking this question, and what information they are hoping to get from it:

• When someone is asking this question, they want to know your personal journey and how you decided that medicine is the career path you want. They want to know what your initial and subsequent influences were for you to choose medicine.
• They also want to know your inner motivation for pursuing a career in medicine , and that these motivations are appropriate/suitable for a career in medicine. Also, what impact do you wish to make in the field?
• Do these influences and inner motivations for pursuing a career in medicine come across as genuine or are they cliché and don’t seem authentic?

I kept all these considerations in mind when coming up with my answer for this question. Truthfully, it took writing my personal statement and a lot of internal self-reflection to be able to answer this question well. I had to personally start from the beginning at what was my early inspiration for medicine.

I created a timeline of my early inspiration and then asked myself: what is the thread that led me to the next experience? What did I learn from that experience? Which of these experiences contributed the most in my journey toward medicine? I drafted little stories after each clinical , volunteer and research experience in my CV to see if there were some underlying threads and themes. 

1. Share Your Early Influences Towards Medicine

So, to answer the first consideration listed above: I want you to ask yourself, what was your journey to medicine. What were those early or initial influences for you?

For some it can be parents or other family members in the field or medicine for others, it could be themselves or a family member having gone through an illness and seeing how a physician helped them navigate this. For others, it could be an interest in the sciences or the human body. I would try your best to identify what that is for you. I asked myself when did first have an awareness of the field of medicine and worked from there.

For me, it was having grandparents and aunt\/uncles from India who I could see, and feel were excellent clinicians and were also pillars in their communities. I admired how they applied their knowledge and their humanistic skills to treat and heal people and were actively involved in community building efforts. ","label":"My Answer:","title":"My Answer:"}]' code='tab1' template='BlogArticle'>

2. Discuss How Your Interest in Becoming a Doctor Evolved

Now ask yourself, how did these influences evolve over time? What experiences did you accumulate that shaped this desire to pursue a medical career?

I then focused in on one clinical experience (I had a few, but chose one), where I witnessed the information that I learned through my community experiences and from my textbooks regarding asthma physiology and treatment come to life when treating a pediatric patient who was from an immigrant background. In the process of helping to explain the diagnosis, pathophysiology, treatment, and empathy for the patient and mom who were anxious in the situation, I saw the direct impact a physician could make in educating a patient, alleviating fear and worry. This is what I wanted to hone in my career. Experiences like this solidified that medicine was the path I wanted to pursue. ","label":"How I Structured My Answer","title":"How I Structured My Answer"}]' code='tab2' template='BlogArticle'>

3. Conclude with Your Mission Statement for Wanting to Become a Doctor

Then finally, I would encourage you to end with a mission statement about what your impact in the field of medicine will be. This can be your take-home message to the interviewer about what sort of role you might fulfill in their medical school , or even in the medical community at large. This will also answer the second consideration above,: which is what are your motivations for pursuing a career in medicine?

Try to do this in 1 to 2 sentences as concisely as possible.

Overall, I considering my experiences, I would like to be a physician because I hope to be a competent clinician with a vast depth and breadth of knowledge who can educate, and guide my patients through their health journey, and a leader who empowers, advocates, and has a strong presence in the community to address the societal forces which impact a patient\u2019s health.  ","label":"My Answer:","title":"My Answer:"}]' code='tab3' template='BlogArticle'>

So far, I went over how to answer this question. Let’s also go over how NOT to answer this question, or what to avoid when answering this question.

Don’t Read From Your CV

The first thing I would avoid is to regurgitate your entire medical school resume or CV. Be selective about which experiences were impactful to you in deciding you wanted to go into medicine.

A way you can determine which experiences to include in your answer is: have one that is the initial influence, then have 2 or 3 experiences that show how that influence evolved. It can be an impactful course, tutoring job, research project, volunteer experience or clinical experience. It can be any of the extracurriculars you’ve spent significant time in. Then try to end with something that solidified your interest in pursuing the career and your overall mission statement.

Don’t Let Your Motivation for Becoming a Doctor be About Someone Else

The next thing I would avoid in your answer is anything along the lines of pursuing medicine because you want to carry on a legacy, or because your parents told you to.

It’s okay to say that your parents were an initial influence, but it’s important to convey how you arrived at this decision for yourself through your own personal exploration.

Don’t Start with a Cliche

Another thing you want to avoid are cliché’s like “I want to go into medicine to help people.” The reason this is cliché is because people in many professions “help people” including teachers, financial consultants, engineers etc.

Distinguish why you want to be a doctor specifically. Somethings that doctors do that some of these other professions don’t is have a DIRECT impact on someone’s health and a deep knowledge about the human body. I would weave this in your answer, especially if you are making the jump from another health profession such as nurse to doctor or PA to MD . 

Want more tips on how to answer this question? Watch this!

Why Do You Want to Become a Doctor? How to Brainstorm Your Answer

Taking everything we’ve talked about up until now into account, we now can start looking at how you can start thinking about your answer “why do you want to become a doctor?”. Your reason for wanting to become a doctor may jump out at you right away, crystal clear. Or maybe it was a series of choices or events in your life which led you to an interest in medicine. Regardless of where you fall, if you don’t have a ready answer, it’s time to dig deep and start asking yourself some self-reflective questions.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get started on creating your personal narrative:

• What were the defining moments in your life?
• What were your early experiences with the medical profession? Which ones made an impression on you?
• When was the moment you decided to apply to medical school? What spurred your decision?
• Is there someone in your life who inspires you? Why?
• What qualities do you have that you think would make a good doctor?
• What started your curiosity or interest in medicine?
• What experiences do you have that have grown your interest in medicine?
• What about the medical profession most appeals to you? Why do you want to become a doctor over another related profession?

We initiated a program that offered online seminars and webinars about mindful movement, designed to help people in remote areas prevent diabetes through physical activity and healthier lifestyle choices. But, despite our efforts, many people continued to be diagnosed with diabetes, which made clear to me that going into medicine was the path I needed to follow. My personal experience with my father and my experience with KACIN, and the IDHC, have solidified my determination to become a doctor. It is my calling to start helping people, and I am ready to take the necessary steps to make this dream a reality. ","label":"Sample Answer","title":"Sample Answer"}]' code='tab4' template='BlogArticle'>

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To answer this interview question can be tricky, since it is open-ended and everyone’s answer will be different. To answer it, you need to identity the primary reason why YOU want to become a doctor and how you came to this realization.

Medical school interviewers ask this question because they want to get to know you on a deeper level, but they also want to know your motivations for pursuing a career in medicine. They want to admit students who have a genuine, passionate interest in medicine. 

Some good reasons for becoming a doctor include helping others, of course, and there are many professional benefits of being a doctor. Medicine is also a diverse, stimulating and interesting field which is constantly evolving and has many career avenues for practitioners to explore. 

A good answer to this interview question will be different for each applicant, but a strong answer will be genuine, self-reflective, well-structured and passionate. Present your personal reasons for pursuing medicine as a career. Use a personal narrative to explain what has drawn you towards medicine.

Yes, your answer to this question is extremely important. Medical school interviewers are expecting a strong and clear answer. Any uncertainty or insincere reasons you give for wanting to be a doctor may lead to you being rejected as a candidate.

Start by sharing what sparked your initial interest in medicine, then explain what you did to deepen your interest in becoming a doctor. Finally, explain what the defining moment was or what solidified your decision to become a doctor.

There are many resources to help you prepare for medical school interviews. One of the best ways is to use mock medical school interviews , as they are the closest simulation to the real deal. You can also seek help from medical school admission consultants , who can give you personalized feedback on your interview answers and interview performance.

Avoid naming money, prestige or job security as reasons why you want to be a doctor. If your parents were doctors or pushed you to become a doctor, this will not be viewed as a good reason by admission committees, either.

There are many qualities that make a good doctor, but above all, doctors need to be excellent listeners and communicators and empathetic and caring to their patients. Doctors need to be advocates for their patients, be able to work well as part of a medical team, and have a desire for lifelong learning.

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Modou Lamin Kinteh

Thank you so much

BeMo Academic Consulting

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Kivumbi Kirabo James

Thanks alot , this was really helpful to me especially now that I am facing hard time with my HSC biology course. I realise that my perseverance to the hardship could be another strength to make me an outstanding doctor.

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Why medicine?: how to answer this common MD interview question

For many applicants, the question, “Why medicine?” is an expected, yet challenging to answer when asked in an interview setting. Fortunately, you’ve likely reflected on this question when considering whether to apply to medical school and throughout the application process, particularly when writing your personal statement. But you might not have had to synthesize these ideas into something that can be concise enough to verbally communicate. Here's a framework for how to communicate an effective answer to this question when asked in an interview setting.  

How to answer "Why medicine?"

1. the content.

Oftentimes, interviewers will ask you, “Why do you want to go into medicine?” to elicit two main things. 

The first aspect they want to hear is what you understand to be at the heart of doctoring. As you likely have discovered, doctors see their work as more than just diagnosis and treatment—it involves all aspects of serving patients in the clinic or hospital, and complementary work to broadly improve the health of patients from other angles as well. Thus, your interviewer will want to know is that you’ve grown to understand the different ways that people practice the profession, both directly in patient care and around it. 

The second component is focused on you. Given what you’ve understood about doctoring, what draws you into the role? You should consider both your breadth of experiences within medicine as well as outside of it. For instance, is there a particular population you care deeply about, since you have already dedicated your time to working with this community and hope to continue to serve them from a standpoint of a physician in the future? Is there a particular element that complements being a physician, like having an anthropology background that has attuned you to observation and connecting deeply with others, or having a passion in basic science research that you hope to continue pursuing in order to better understand the underpinnings of disease? 

2. The delivery

One approach to effectively delivering these messages is to address both elements, verbalizing what you’ve seen physicians you’ve worked with accomplishing that speaks to your own passions, both within the walls of the hospital and outside of it. 

Consider starting clearly: “I was drawn to medicine when/because…” and then reference components that have stuck with you. For example, when I was considering entering medicine, it struck me that this field offered a dedicated space to comfort others in times of vulnerability, not only by providing knowledge or answers, but by simply being a human presence. Using this revelation as my opening helped give the interviewer my perspective on how I thought about a doctor’s role. 

Afterwards, bring up your own specific experiences. Choose one or two that speak to your understanding of medicine and what kind of doctor you hope to be. Talk about your social justice work, and how you saw physicians advocating and the areas you hope to change in the future. Share about your background in and passion for in data science, and how you’ve worked with physician-scientists who combine their knowledge of disease and expertise in big data to address population-level problems. You can use anecdotes, but remember that you want to be clear and concise with their question always in mind—every sentence should help illustrate why you want a future in medicine.

3. Some statements to be cautious about...

 “i wanted to be a doctor because i was sick as a child.”.

Instead, use your own experiences as a reflection for what you appreciated about doctors—whether it their comforting presence, their support to your family, etc. You can reflect on whether this has encouraged you to shadow in or seek opportunities in particular fields, but focus instead on what you learned from them. 

“I’ve dreamed of being a doctor since I was 8 years old.”

Instead, focus on the here and now, largely college and post-grad years, and what has recently helped affirm this dream. While it’s special that you’ve been dreaming of being a physician for a long time, you have more maturity of thought now and can add depth to the “why.” 

“I wanted to be a doctor because my parents are doctors.”

Instead, hear from them how they think about their own careers as doctors. Reflect on how you may be similar or different, and focus on how you’ve carved your own path.

Related Content

Alex | Founder of Medfully

Why medicine: tips, mistakes & example answers (medicine interview questions), 🤔 “why medicine” - why is this question asked in medicine interviews.

"Why Medicine?" is likely to be the very first question you hear in your Medical School Interview. Nowadays most Medical Schools use the question as an icebreaker and to get you in the interview mood. After all, you have already told them why you want to become a doctor in your Personal Statement!

Be wary, however - while this question may not be decisive in terms of whether you get in or not, interview panellists expect you to be prepared for it.  Thus, with your answer, you have to show  consideration, confidence and maturity.

Questions about your motivations to study medicine are equally likely to come up in panel interviews and MMIs.

✅ Why Medicine: How to approach the question

For most people, there are only a limited number of reasons for choosing the medical pathway. If you don't have a unique and personal motivation,  don't worry  - it's more about  how you approach the question and present yourself to the interviewers than the substance of your answer.

🙆‍♀️ Be Genuine:  The interview panellists don’t want to hear the most sophisticated and unique reason, but a  genuine one . Make sure you choose reasons that you actually care about, as the interviewers may always ask you to elaborate on some of your points. They will know if you’re making your answer up in order to tell them what you think they want to hear.

💪  Use The Question To Signpost Your Strengths, Interests and Experiences:  If you enjoy problem-solving, mention the chess club you are a part of or a moment during your work experience, which showed you how crucial it is in medicine. If hands-on use of science appeals to you, mention the experiments you did as a part of your EPQ or the piano lessons that helped you develop manual dexterity. This technique will make your answer stand out and sound more genuine.

🤩  Demonstrate How Passionate You Are! Smile while giving your answer and imagine you are casually talking to one of your best friends. Remember that your body language, tone of voice, or speaking pace can exude more passion, sincerity, and confidence than any words. More than that, some interviewers have a rubric dedicated to assessing that non-verbal aspect of your answer.

❌ Answering Why Medicine: Common mistakes

🆘  ”I’d Like To Help People”: Avoid saying you would simply "like to help people," as 80% of the jobs in the world do that (think of police officers, farmers, software developers etc.) If you really want to use this argument, be wary of the phrasing and support it effectively.

🤑  ”It’s A Stable And Well-Paid Job”. Yes, that’s true and it’s fine if that’s one of the motivating factors for you. But being a doctor requires a lot more passion and dedication to persevere through the long course and many challenges you’ll face as a doctor. Therefore, it’s not a good reason to mention in your interviews.

🔊  Sounding Rehearsed. Since it is the most obvious question and one highly likely to come up in your interview, it may be tempting to memorise the answer to it. This, however, will make you come across as robotic and inauthentic (rather than genuine and enthusiastic), which won't be perceived favourably by the interviewers. Therefore, try not to script a complete answer to the question, and when practising, try not to overdo the question.

🔢  Simply Listing The Reasons: This doesn't show genuine interest. Make sure you elaborate on each of them, even if in one sentence.

🥱  Giving Vague And Banal Reasons. Make sure your reasons are as  specific  as possible. Saying you would find great joy in translating the knowledge behind the disease to a meaningful context and using it as a tool to help people is much more convincing than saying you "enjoy the sciences."

♾️  Attempting To Cover Too Many Reasons. Medicine is a highly complex and multidimensional field, so there are naturally numerous good reasons for getting into it. However, the question is not a contest of quantity, so it's best to  limit your answer to 2-3 succinct, well-thought-out and meaningful points.

🛠️ Why Medicine: How to structure your answer

Introduction:  Ensure you show the interviewers that deciding to pursue medicine wasn't a random decision but rather one you have  thoroughly considered.  It may be a good idea to highlight this in the first sentence of your answer. Other than stating that explicitly, you can choose to mention how you gained insight into the profession or highlight how multidimensional medicine is.

Points:  Make the answer brief. We would recommend choosing two to three most relevant but distinct reasons to show that there are  various aspects  of the medical world or the profession that interests you. Remember always to explain these aspects and not only list them.

Conclusion:  It is good practice to signal to the interviewers you have ended your answer with a powerful, direct summary (e.g. "This is why I have chosen to pursue a career in medicine").

🚀  TOP Tip: Finding these tips helpful? Check out our 70,000+ interview guide with insider tactics, interview flashcards and mock interview simulations at  Medfully - The Best Medicine Interview Preparation Resource.

💬 Why Medicine: Example Interview Answer

There are numerous reasons why I’d like to study medicine. For me, personally, choosing to apply for medicine was the product of many thoughts, reflections and experiences over the past years.

Firstly, I was always naturally drawn to the natural sciences, so I knew for a long time that I’d enjoy doing something within that realm. But it wasn’t until my volunteering experience at a local care home, that I realised first-hand how satisfying it is to build that intimate rapport with patients, one based on trust, empathy and competencies. And it’s that perfect and unique balance of science and the human connection that draws me towards medicine.

Secondly, I think that doctors have the unique privilege to take care of arguably the most valuable commodity that exists, which is people’s health or sometimes even life. Working directly on something as meaningful as that will, I think, make my work meaningful and in turn, motivate me to give it my best and stay committed. At the same time, working closely with someone sick, who’s likely at the hardest stage of their life, is a huge responsibility, but one I’m ready to apply myself to.

So overall, what draws me most to medicine is the nice balance between science and human connection, as well as the satisfaction and meaning it provides. However, this is by no means a comprehensive list!

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