“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” the interviewer asks you, and you squirm…
An influential physician-administrator once complained to me that whenever he asked potential new faculty hires where they saw themselves in a decade they always said they were interested in global health or teaching. “They just say that because it’s sexy,” he remarked. “Many of them have nothing in their C.V.s to bolster their interest in either pursuit.”
When asked where you see yourself in ten years, consider what your accomplishments thus far support to show a clear evolution. This doesn’t mean you’re stuck with what you’ve done even if you didn’t like it. You could point out that having tried myocardial bench research, you realize that your real interest is in clinical investigations of new cardiac markers. Throwing out activities just because they sound appealing doesn’t make you look professional or your candidacy seem well-synthesized. The idea is to have a trajectory that you can back up, defend, and easily justify.
Many medical school applicants say they don’t know what field they want to go into. Of course not! And many residency applicants don’t know if they want to do a fellowship. That’s okay. Again, the point is to focus on your previous strengths and achievements and leverage them.
One more thing: If you are planning to seek mock interview help from me, please do it now. I am booking several weeks in advance.
