It's not just a journey story.

"Why medicine?" How many times have you been asked that? By your aunts? Professors? PI? Your date? It seems like an innocent enough question. I'm sure those entering the teaching profession are faced with similar curious questions, but when it come to pre-meds, why medicine is a bit more loaded. There's a lot of value placed on that question, and with that value comes fear and insecurity.

I have found over the years that many people know they want to be doctors. How do they know? They just do. Whether they've known since they were three years old or after high school biology, they know. Some people have a profound moment in time where everything clicked, but the majority of applicants do not have such a story. Becoming a doctor just makes sense to them. They love science. They like people. They like to feel helpful. They like the feeling of being important. For others, they want to solve a large systemic injustice. Maybe for some it's the money. Unfortunately, there are still some that are doing this because it was expected of them by their families, or worse, because they declared it out loud and now there is no going back because of pride. No matter what anyone's reason for starting this path, it's not my place to judge. It is, however, the medical school's job to discern one applicant's "why" from another.