Theme	Sub-theme
Student characteristics	Geography
	Parental profession
	Personality
Needs to be satisfied	Personal needs
	·        career counselling
	·        career options
	·        lifestyle
	·        location/type of practice
	·        opinion of others
	·        parental preferences
	·        status
	·        working hours
	·        work-life balance
	Societal needs
	·        altruism
	Content interest needs
	·        characteristics of team and colleagues
	·        intellectual satisfaction
	·        interesting nature of work
	·        patient characteristics
Perception of speciality characteristics	Experience with the specialty
	·       experience before study
	·       experience in courses & rotations
	·       extracurricular experience
	·       experience with role model or mentor
	·     personal experience
	Information about the specialty
	·       representation in the media
	·        student-initiated information collection
	Market dynamics of the specialty
	·        chances to obtain a residency position

Int J Med Educ. 2018; 9:332-339; doi: 10.5116/ijme.5c14.de75