Describe a time you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not feel like doing.

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example

The grind of a four-year medical school curriculum can be overwhelming at times for most students. With a large load of coursework and clinical rotations, you will be continuously prioritizing your work. Your interviewer wants to know that you will still get the job done, even when some of your work isn't interesting to you.

Tell the interviewers about a specific situation in which you completed something you didn't feel motivated to do. Outline the situation, describe your responsibility, and explain why you were not excited about it. Be sure to tell the interviewer that even though you were not enthusiastic about the task, you did it promptly and with care, knowing it would help you in the end. Give as much detail as you can about your actions to reach the finish line. If your hard work made a measurable impact, talk about this accomplishment.

"I think to just a few months ago when I was finishing a semester loaded with 17 credits and a major project in Physics. With approaching finals in every class, it was honestly hard to find that extra juice to put the finishing touches on the project because so much of my time was dedicated to my finals. The motivation to push forward and give my best effort came down to staying focused on the end goal and using that as motivation to succeed. It came down to a mindset where it would have been easy to coast at the end of the project. In the end, I received a great weighted grade on the project and passed all of my finals with flying colors, and this made all of the effort worth it in the end."

"During college I took an 18th century literature course. Students were tasked with reading challenging pieces of literature and then writing 3-5 page papers about a particular prompt. The catch, however, was that the literature was not reviewed in class prior to the paper submission. In order to receive the best grade possible, I forced myself to be proactive and meet with my professors prior to the assignment's due dates. Ultimately, my desire for academic success and pursuit of medical school admissions motivated me to work extra hard and earn an A in this course."