" so why do you want to do medicine"

As interviews are coming up I thought I should make this thread . This is a question which some people will have no difficulty answering or if you are like me, will absolutely hates answering this.

So how would you answer this ? any tips on how not to be generic?

Reply 1

username1155480

13

if you hate answering it then you really shouldnt be applying for medicine.

Reply 2

Sexygeekguy

1

Original post by Jaska

if you hate answering it then you really shouldnt be applying for medicine.

I have to agree

Reply 3

KappaDan

I love the NHS. My family and I are indebted to it, as patients and Britons. It's an incredible achievement we have and I wish nothing more than to be a part of it. Plus I love the sciences, and I want to be in a professional SCIENTIFIC environment. Being able to help people, and work with chemistry and biology, is, for me, an amazing opportunity.

Reply 4

KappaDan

Original post by Sexygeekguy

I have to agree

It's not a question of motivation really, it's a question of articulation. It's like 'tell me about yourself'. I personally don't really know where to start. It's something so intrinsic and obvious to me, I feel like everyone else should know it. So because of that, it's hard to articulate.

Reply 5

Sexygeekguy

1

Original post by KappaDan

It's not a question of motivation really, it's a question of articulation. It's like 'tell me about yourself'. I personally don't really know where to start. It's something so intrinsic and obvious to me, I feel like everyone else should know it. So because of that, it's hard to articulate.

I'm a med student and my PS took a long time, but it should be intrinsic yes

Reply 6

*pitseleh*

20

Original post by Sexygeekguy

I have to agree

I don't think that's particularly fair; applying to Medicine doesn't mean you're compelled to love everything about the process, any more than being a med student means you have to love all aspects of the course, or being a doctor means you have to love everything your job entails.

I've always hated questions like that - not because I don't have a good answer, but because usually whatever I've had to say on the subject, I've already said in my written application. So when someone asks me 'why Medicine?' after that, it feels like I'm expected to be effusive in my enthusiasm when I'm actually quite a reserved person by nature. So yeah - I don't think it's fair to write someone off just for saying they don't know how best to go about answering generic questions.

Reply 7

sleepysnooze

3

Original post by KappaDan

I love the NHS. My family and I are indebted to it, as patients and Britons. It's an incredible achievement we have and I wish nothing more than to be a part of it.

...how is that a reason to STUDY that kind of administration, though? the allied forces' armies saved my grandparents' lives in WWII but I'm not going to say that this is an incentive for me to become a military strategist/expert. and surely you are indebted to many more things in this sense, such as the police, the schools, the government in general, etc? so why the NHS/medical administration?

Plus I love the sciences, and I want to be in a professional SCIENTIFIC environment. Being able to help people, and work with chemistry and biology, is, for me, an amazing opportunity.

firstly, it would be a completely fair enough reason to say simply that you enjoyed the subject of medicine from what you have read to explain why you now want to study it, but you have said you love "the sciences" - why *this* science over another one?
secondly, any economist will tell you that it is not natural anthropological behaviour for people to choose career paths not for themselves, but for others. why would any self-respecting person throw their life away to be a servant to others? it just reeks of dishonesty in my opinion. medical professionals obviously have more of an incentive via the high salary, or the "interesting" field that they are studying, than "helping others over themselves" - as that just seems really lowly or pathetic. if one of your friends did everything in life for the sake of everybody else, wouldn't you consider them a doormat? maybe I'm just expressing my own views here, but honestly, I can't get over the concept of somebody going into many expensive and straining years of education and study so they can labour for other people over themselves - that's horrific and dehumanising, surely? that's very anti-happiness in a strictly human sense

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 8

Chief Wiggum

20

Original post by Jaska

if you hate answering it then you really shouldnt be applying for medicine.

Silly post.

Reply 9

KappaDan

Original post by sleepysnooze

...how is that a reason to STUDY that kind of administration, though? the allied forces' armies saved my grandparents' lives in WWII but I'm not going to say that this is an incentive for me to become a military strategist/expert. and surely you are indebted to many more things in this sense, such as the police, the schools, the government in general, etc? so why the NHS/medical administration?

firstly, it would be a completely fair enough reason to say simply that you enjoyed the subject of medicine from what you have read to explain why you now want to study it, but you have said you love "the sciences" - why *this* science over another one?
secondly, any economist will tell you that it is not natural anthropological behaviour for people to choose career paths not for themselves, but for others. why would any self-respecting person throw their life away to be a servant to others? it just reeks of dishonesty in my opinion. medical professionals obviously have more of an incentive via the high salary, or the "interesting" field that they are studying, than "helping others over themselves" - as that just seems really lowly or pathetic. if one of your friends did everything in life for the sake of everybody else, wouldn't you consider them a doormat? maybe I'm just expressing my own views here, but honestly, I can't get over the concept of somebody going into many expensive and straining years of education and study so they can labour for other people over themselves - that's horrific and dehumanising, surely? that's very anti-happiness in a strictly human sense

I don't want to go into too much detail online, but the 'debt' to the NHS is pretty big. I do like helping others, lots of people do. Lots of joy in that, I find. Maybe it's better for me to say I find in joy in helping others.

Reply 10

Democracy

20

Original post by medicapplicant

As interviews are coming up I thought I should make this thread . This is a question which some people will have no difficulty answering or if you are like me, will absolutely hates answering this.

So how would you answer this ? any tips on how not to be generic?

My top tip for not being generic (or at least completely generic) would be to focus on what else doctors do apart from directly interacting with and treating patients.

That said, even the most well thought out answer in the world will end up being somewhat generic. But that's fine, you're not looking to give them some mind-blowing new insight on what being a doctor involves, you just need to show that you've thought about it from all angles and you've got the necessary experiences to back up what you're saying. They know you're a sixth former/college student who's never been to med school so they're not expecting unique anecdotes and philosophies, just evidence of an answer which goes beyond "because I like science and I want to help people".

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 11

medicapplicant

OP

11

Original post by Jaska

if you hate answering it then you really shouldnt be applying for medicine.

I hate answering it because I can't just pin point the reason why i want to do medicine but i definitely would love to do it, if you know what i mean. Its not like there is a specific reason as to why i want to do it but acombination of little things and i dont know how to get that across to the interviewers w/o sounding unenthusiastic.

Reply 12

medicapplicant

OP

11

Original post by KappaDan

It's not a question of motivation really, it's a question of articulation. It's like 'tell me about yourself'. I personally don't really know where to start. It's something so intrinsic and obvious to me, I feel like everyone else should know it. So because of that, it's hard to articulate.

I completely agree. Glad someone else understands that

Reply 13

gr8wizard10

21

Original post by *pitseleh*

I don't think that's particularly fair; applying to Medicine doesn't mean you're compelled to love everything about the process, any more than being a med student means you have to love all aspects of the course, or being a doctor means you have to love everything your job entails.

I've always hated questions like that - not because I don't have a good answer, but because usually whatever I've had to say on the subject, I've already said in my written application. So when someone asks me 'why Medicine?' after that, it feels like I'm expected to be effusive in my enthusiasm when I'm actually quite a reserved person by nature. So yeah - I don't think it's fair to write someone off just for saying they don't know how best to go about answering generic questions.

you're too hot to be doing medicine

Reply 14

*pitseleh*

20

Original post by gr8wizard10

you're too hot to be doing medicine

Thanks? Haha.

Bit too late to get out now; I'll be sitting finals in six months' time. Ah, well.

Reply 15

gr8wizard10

21

Original post by *pitseleh*

Thanks? Haha.

Bit too late to get out now; I'll be sitting finals in six months' time. Ah, well.

..in which case, all the best.

Reply 16

Jeena_hunt5476

16

Original post by gr8wizard10

..in which case, all the best.

Abdul Karim stop flirting

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 17

Ghotay

13

The advice I was given back when I was doing interviews: Pretty much all traditional interviews will start with this question, and a decent number of MMIs will include it at some point. The reason for this is really just to set you at ease. You know it's coming, you have a prepared answer, and you can settle into the interview a bit. The answer isn't particularly important, they're not expecting anything mind-blowing. How creative can you really get with this question anyway?

Just say something honest that sounds decent and you'll be fine.