"My dream practice coming out of residency training and throughout my career stems from my motivators to become a physician. Having grown up in a very rural part of our country, I want to give back by helping provide care in a rural and underserved area of our country where access to care is difficult. I want my future practice to include general family practice, obstetrics, and urgent care services, and I want my training path to prepare me for all aspects of this."

Before your medical school interview, put some serious thought into what your ideal practice looks like. While you may not know the medical specialty you will pursue at this point, that is okay. If you do, that is great. Discuss your preferred plan for training and what your ideal practice looks like. Consider discussing the patients you want to work with, any research you want to be involved in, and any teaching opportunities you'd like to be a part of down the road.

"My dream job would be to work in a large academic institution where I could see a large variety of clinical pathology and teach residents and medical students. No day would be the same. I would be able to closely collaborate with colleagues from different specialties and learn about areas of medicine beyond my own expertise."