"‘WHY THIS MEDICAL school?’ is a popular question asked as part of secondary essays and during medical school interviews. It is an important question that can differentiate an applicant from thousands of other students applying.
The key to giving a great response to this critical question is to be specific in three ways:
Be specific about your interests in clinical medicine and health care. You can talk more about a specialty you are interested in pursuing or you can discuss your desire to work with specific patient populations, such as children with disabilities or homeless individuals.
Link your response to the specific activities you want to pursue in med school. In your essay, cite specific classes, clinical rotation electives, volunteer opportunities, research projects, student organizations and professors you want to work with.
Align your response to the medical school’s specific mission and culture. Some med schools value research while others value social justice. Keep a lookout for specialized programs within medical schools like the University of California’s Programs in Medical Education, also called UC PRIME. These special programs have a curriculum designed to address specific needs of varying patient populations.
Below are hypothetical essay responses of three med school applicants with different interests. …