What Reviewers Look For in the BS/MD Essays — Why Medicine
This rubric looks at whether you explain what draws you to physician work and why that work matters to you. It also looks for a clear basis for your view of medicine, such as an observation, reading, class inquiry, activity, or developed reasoning, and for writing that stays focused, readable, and responsive to the prompt.
BS/MD Essays — Why Medicine review
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What We Check
The writer’s stated reason for pursuing physician work: the activity, responsibility or problem that attracts them and why it matters to them.
The basis the writer gives for their view of medicine and what that basis establishes.
Mistakes We Flag
- Naming the career without explaining the work
- Saying that you want to become a doctor is not enough on its own. Explain the responsibilities, activities, or problems in physician work that draw you in.
- Using a generic reason that could fit any career
- Interest in science, service, security, or prestige needs to connect to the physician work you want to do. Your reason should show why medicine specifically fits that interest.
- Listing an experience without explaining it
- Naming a hospital, course, program, or professional is not the same as showing what you encountered or understood. Describe the detail that shaped your view of medicine and explain the connection.
- Taking credit for work you only observed or assisted with
- Be precise about your role. Distinguish what you did from what a clinician, team, class, or organization accomplished.
- Letting extra material crowd out the answer
- Long background, school praise, broad commentary, repeated claims, or an elaborate opening can pull attention away from why you want physician work. Keep material that directly answers the current prompt.
How this rubric reads your essay
- Built from published reader guidance — the sources are listed below.
- Scored per section against defined criteria, not general impressions.
- Calibrated for consistent scoring, so a better draft shows up in the score.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need shadowing or clinical experience to write this essay?
No. An ordinary class, library source, conversation, paid job, observation, reading, practical activity, or developed reasoning can provide a basis for your view of medicine.
Can I write about science or helping others?
Yes, but connect those interests to the physician work that attracts you. The essay should explain what about that work matters to you.
Do I need a dramatic personal story or complete certainty about becoming a physician?
No. A dramatic origin, lifelong certainty, hardship, specialty choice, award, leadership title, or comparison with other professions is not required. Honest uncertainty can coexist with a clear present reason.
How long should my response be?
This rubric does not set a universal length. Follow the limit in the prompt you are answering if one is provided; brevity can work when it completes the task.
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