Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement
As I rested on the summit of Mount Falourde in the Alps of southern France, I looked out over the surrounding countryside and saw the tiny peasant villages that have existed for hundreds of years practically untouched by the passage of time. I began to think that for all of that time, many men have sought to change the face of this environment and searched for a way to make a lasting impression in this world, yet the continuous march of nature has quietly erased all existence of their endeavors from the planet. I realized that the only lasting impression that a person can truly make in their lives is by touching the lives of those around them. This philosophy is what makes me strive to become a doctor, which for me is the profession that allows an individual to make the greatest impression of all: to help others live a healthy and pain-free life. After working this summer at l'Hopital Archet in Nice, France, I was able to closely view the workings of the French medical system as well as improve my French language skills. I shadowed Professor Dellimonica in the Infectious Disease Unit, witnessing the power that a doctor exercises over the lives of his patients. By seeing the course of treatments during my 6 week internship, I saw that the physician's mere presence instilled so much hope and comfort in all of the patients, forever ingraining his work in their memories. My work at the hospital only further solidified my desire to eventually become someone like Professor Dellimonica, a physician who is conscious of the needs of his patients and takes the time to comfort them emotionally as well as physically. Every time that I gently held a patient up for an exam or just lent them my arm to lean on for support, I cherished the little smiles or the simple 'merci' that showed that they valued the aid that I gave them. By empathizing with these patients, I developed the bed side manner that is imperative to the establishment of a healthy doctor-patient relationship. After fully immersing myself in this medical environment, I formed the commitment and passion for medicine that motivates all members of the health profession. Direct interaction with the patients is not the only way that a person can change their lives for the better; the research performed in the laboratory generates information that is the basis for every innovative treatments. Last summer I worked with Dr. Thomas Ferguson in the Department of Ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis, researching the effects of blood sugar levels on the development of diabetic retinopathy. This disease is extremely common in many individual affected by diabetes, making it an area of intense interest. Using an animal model, we looked for methods to inhibit the growth of vascular tissue in the eye that eventually leads to the blindness. I analyzed antibody levels in the animals after laser incisions in their eyes induced the growth of the blood vessels. I learned the value of perseverance through the countless trials, knowing that my successes as well as my failures would lead to further understanding and hopefully a cure. This experience taught me to look beyond my personal project and to view medicine as a worldwide institution, integrating knowledge from every corner of the planet for the benefit of all mankind. By reading dozens of journal articles, I became more informed on the status of my area of research and developed the craving for learning. This characteristic inspires me to search out the answer in every aspect of my life, especially those that are the most elusive, and will benefit me greatly as a physician. My summer of research also taught me to evaluate every question from multiple angles, not simply to attack from the first available pathway. While the appreciation that a patient develops for their doctor is a positive consequence of the physicians work, the desire to change the quality of life for that patient remains the physicians principle motivation. This innate characteristic initiated my interest in the field of medicine and my subsequent experiences only solidified my desire to continue helping others. For me, the capacity to ameliorate a patients illness seems a worthier endeavor than trying to make a lasting mark on the entire planet. My aspiration to become a physician is firmly rooted by my desire to touch the lives of all my future patients, thus positively changing their world.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement
I remember thinking that it was a miracle he could even move his toes. The 19-year-old had been catapulted through his windshield and landed on his head. His spine absorbed most of the shock, cracking each of his vertebrae in half from his lower neck to the lumbar region. Though his spinal cord was not severed, extensive bleeding from his spine threatened to cause paralysis. The young man, who was my age, lay on the CT table, his body tattered and his mind in shock, unable to comprehend what had happened to him. Scanning him from head to pelvis took over an hour, during which I imagined with horror any one of my friends, or even me, in his place. During the summer after my freshman year of college, I explored the world of medicine to see if it suited my passions and abilities by working the second shift as a radiology assistant in Bronson Methodist Hospital's CT sector. The majority of patients I saw were from the ER. This car crash victim and many others faced incredible tragedy, but I learned the most from these emotionally taxing experiences because they not only revealed the dramatic and tragic aspects of medicine, but also showed me how medical expertise helps injured people. The CT technicians' response to victims' needs exemplified, for me, the dedication of medical professionals to their patients. I aspired to this level of dedication but was uncertain whether my contribution to medicine would be in a hospital or a research laboratory. The next summer, I found myself working in Dr. Sidney Altman's lab at Yale, one step further on my journey to answering that question. I was honored to take advantage of this opportunity after having been selected as one of Yale's two Edward Bouchet Fellows that year. In certain ways it seemed as though very little had changed from the previous summer. The sterile white surfaces were familiar; it merely seemed that the salty smell of CT contrast dye had been substituted with the pungent odor of LB Broth. Although I do not encounter life-or-death matters on a daily basis, as in the hospital, my time in Dr. Altman's lab has often been similarly emotional. The hardest but most meaningful part of my research came from frustration when my research stalled. Analyzing how certain nucleotide deletions in the E. coli M1 gene affect the functionality of the ribonuclease RNase P, I became stuck for months attempting to clone my gene into a plasmid vector. Although incredibly frustrating, this experience has helped to cultivate my critical thinking and analytical skills. I now understand that in the lab, as in the hospital, perseverance, problem-solving, asking for help and occasional setbacks are essential to success. My lab work helped me to finally realize that pursuing a career in clinical medicine is the right choice. Research offers its own rewards, but the human element inherent in hospital work is an aspect of medicine that I love. I have come to realize how fulfilling it is for me to feel that, through my efforts, I can directly improve the lives of people in need of care. Even the time I spent outside of the lab and hospital has inspired me to pursue a career in clinical medicine. Throughout college, I have been an active leader in my singing group, Shades. We take pride in our unique repertoire of African American music and our ability to show audiences that minority students can succeed in college. Through performing in a cancer ward at a Puerto Rico children's hospital, seeing the smile on a disadvantaged child's face at a medical center in Austin, TX, or sharing the joy of gospel music with patients at a New Haven HIV clinic, I have witnessed first-hand the healing power of music. Most rewarding has been watching how minority audiences see a reflection of themselves in Shades and hear their own lives being sung. I've come to appreciate my African-American heritage as an asset in my future career addressing the health needs of disadvantaged people. I know these experiences will be valuable when I help heal people through medicine instead of music. Singing with Shades has developed my team work and decision making skills - enabling me to realize my potential as a leader - and has reinforced my belief that my career must touch the lives of others. With my desire to become a physician affirmed and the next step - medical school - ahead of me, I have learned much about why I want to become an excellent doctor. What draws me to the profession is the human element at the heart of clinical medicine. At Bronson Hospital, the injured and sick patients I saw were not merely "cases" but people in need. Throughout my college career I have yearned to play a larger role in the healing process; I want to help patients from start to finish and am committed to working hard to learn how to do so to the best of my ability. My memories of the car crash victim will forever be incomplete; I don't know the end of his story. However, I do know the time I spent imagining myself in his place was not entirely unlike the experience of the doctors who later treated him. The capacity for empathy in a doctor-patient relationship is essential, and I hope to use this tool, among others, to relate to my patients and give them the attention and care they need and deserve.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal statement
My first realization that I wanted to become a doctor came in grade school. I wanted to live the life of my family pediatrician, Dr. ____________. A suburban pediatrician, he had a home practice, and treated half of my classmates. I wanted to be him, to be the older man who handed out lollipops with my yearly physical. While I still aspire to be a pediatrician, my reasoning for applying to medical school has surely changed from when I was six. It has developed to more than a superficial desire to be a well-respected professional who gets to wear a white coat and stethoscope. I have realized that a career in medicine provides an ability to satisfy what I have identified as the main desires and interests of my life. As a pediatrician, I will be working with children- a major passion of mine. To achieve the health of my patients, I will be using the passion of my undergraduate years: biology and biochemistry. Finally, as a physician, I will forever remain a student: one is ever studying and learning in the field of medicine, from the moment one starts medical school, to the last patient one ever sees. Truth be told, I cannot see myself doing any other kind of work. I expect my work as a physician to provide me with opportunities to do what I love, in synergy with effecting positive change in the world through health. I will be able to continue my study of biology, and use these studies to heal patients. I will be able to work to improve the lives and health of children. I have a five-year-old brother, and the prospect of using that which I love - immunology, microbiology, biochemistry - to directly improve his health and the health of those like him, is what draws me to medicine more than any other career ever could. I currently run a program that works to effect change in the lives of underprivileged children that have been diagnosed with morbid obesity, through teaching them nutrition and exercise. It is by far the most satisfying of my extracurricular activities, dealing with kids and improving their health with what knowledge I have at hand, and have learned. This is only a small part of what I can achieve with a medical degree. With more knowledge, and more training, I will be able to give these and other children the help they need, as profoundly as possible. In this endeavor, I will gain immense satisfaction from the combination of my two main interests: helping children, and study of the life sciences. Thus, while my goal remains to be the pediatrician, treating kids and handing out lollipops, my logic has changed. I more fully understand why it calls me with such strength, and why I pursue it with such ardor.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What has been one of your most formative experiences?
Being in Shades has been a formative experience, allowing me to pursue my passion for music and develop as a leader. As Business Manager, I have learned to lead in difficult situations, to make decisions under pressure, and to act as a team player in order to be a more effective leader. For instance, it is always difficult to plan travel for 18 people, but last winter Shades' tour was especially trying. Leaving campus at 3AM, we were exhausted, shivering, and struggling to load up the van for a cramped ride; it was chaos. I quickly sorted out the confusion and convinced people to squeeze into the van by communicating that sacrifices were necessary, that their efforts were appreciated, and that I was doing my best to help. In countless situations like this one, I have led this group of talented and strong-minded peers. I now know that a leader must take control and ask for help with equal ease. I have emerged from my experiences with deep respect for the meaning of team effort.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What is your most meaningful achievement?
My most meaningful achievement was being named a Bouchet Fellow my sophomore year. The Mellon/Bouchet program is dedicated to increasing the number of minority students in graduate and professional schools. I have met with my fellow Mellon/Bouchet recipients twice a month to present my research and discuss their projects, as well as attend seminars about graduate and professional opportunities. Most importantly, however, the Bouchet program has helped me gain invaluable research experience under the guidance of a professor of my choice, Dr. Sidney Altman. While analyzing the effect of specific mutations in the M1 gene of the ribonuclease RNase P, I have mastered many important laboratory techniques including DNA sequencing, and cloning of vectors. I have also learned that it is only through problem solving, critical thinking and perseverance that genuine progress can be made. I do not doubt that these skills will prove imperative in my medical training and future clinical practice.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Which area of medicine are you most interested in pursuing?
Although my clinical experiences have been limited to radiology, after having researched many different areas of medicine, I find the prospect of working in surgery to be an exciting and welcome challenge. Surgical work has hands-on and visual components that I think would be both stimulating and rewarding. I believe that I have developed the type of skills necessary to become an excellent leader and team player in the operating room. I find the academic aspects of the field stimulating and exciting, and I am even more eager for the unique daily challenges, testing and sharpening my critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I am ready and willing to work hard to face these challenges, and I see them as part of an ongoing learning process. Of course, I want to keep an open mind about choosing a specialty; I am eager for the opportunity to gain clinical experience as a medical student to inform my decision. However, for now, surgery is at the top of my list of clerkships that I am looking forward to exploring!
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement
I awoke anguished, with one foot severely swollen while the other had a week
old, acute pain alleviated by wearing sandals in winter's frost. Foolishly I
ignored both problems thinking that they would pass with ice and rest. Yet after
my morning classes, the swelling of my foot became unbearable and required a
physician's attention. Suddenly I heard, '[my name]!' A sincere elder friend, S,
inquired about my foot. S was one of many friends I had made at Lafayette Urban
Ministry. As a weekend coordinator at the homeless shelter, I built up a
personal
relationship with my 'guests'. So I joked, 'It's gonna take five years to walk
home,' and he replied, 'Why don't you take this change and catch the bus?'
I was speechless.
His generosity overwhelmed my pain. Although I had served others without
expecting anything in return, it was then that I knew I had impacted another's
life so deeply that he, who could not afford much, offered generously the change
he had to benefit my well being. In time my doctor provided an anti-inflammatory
for one foot to treat the swelling and removed the ingrown toenail on the other
foot to ease the pain. I chose to initially be passive about the pains due to
lack of time, but what about those who may be forced to remain inactive due to
lack of health care or money? Fortunately the government provides healthcare for
those in S's class, yet many that are above the poverty level cannot afford
health insurance for their families.
Events like these and ones far more severe can truly diminish the quality of
one's life and should be treated and prevented in the future. After
deliberation,
this event reinforced my decision to become an active physician in an urban
underserved area instead of a medical research professor. In addition, it
inspired me to pursue a Masters in Public Health. Having both a MD and MPH will
best qualify me to treat the underserved while also striving towards my ultimate
goal of improving healthcare.
Although a medical degree over professorship may have been an easy choice for
others, it was not for me. I internally wrestled between these choices. Since I
was more service oriented, I first challenged myself by immersing myself in
research. After being treated as a graduate student and given my own project, I
was still confused. To help with my dilemma, my advisor and I discussed the
option of a leave of absence to investigate my other choice. Torn between two
sides, I questioned the relevance of research in my career. Hoping to gain
insight into my situation, I conversed with Dr. R, a clinical practitioner,
teacher, and researcher in neurobiology. Our discussion broadened my vision to
encompass further possibilities available with a MD. I changed focus and
explored
my other career choice of a doctor to see if it would fit with my goals. I
pursued my passion for service work by volunteering often, assisting teaching,
becoming involved with various organizations, and writing motivational songs.
These experiences have shown me that medicine is the marriage of science and
people as it requires fantastic academic and social skills to excel as a
physician.
It is this career path that I would like to explore, as I feel more inclined
towards using my abilities to gain trust and persuade others for the betterment
of urban healthcare. Being a product of an urban environment then relocating to
the suburbs made me realize that although the need for health care is universal;
there are salient differences in health care provision between the two
environments. While working with an urban healthcare organization, I observed
many opportunities for progression. To be able to treat disease is an honor, but
I feel that prevention is also as vital to keep health from deteriorating to
that
point. I note the healthcare attitudes and policies of today and am saddened as
healthcare is a financial, and not civil, right for some as I remain hopeful
that
they can be reformed. As our population ages, a shift towards prevention is
crucial. I firmly believe that if we improve how our minds and laws perceive
medicine and healthcare, our quality of life can also improve. I actively
engaged
in an attitude change course and will enroll in healthcare systems and urban
sociology classes to broaden my knowledge base. Education occurs in the
classroom
and the street. Since I adore learning, I avidly will pursue teaching with an
MD/MPH whether educating patients, society, and/or medical students. What is the
purpose of learning if one cannot teach others?
I further explored the role of a physician by shadowing and volunteering at an
urban clinic and cancer unit of a hospital respectively. I see the importance of
the patient as an individual and effect of attitudes on healing and quality of
life. I am confident that an MD/MPH fits my personal and professional goals as
it
allows for intellectual and social excellence while serving society. My
enthusiastic, creative, and committed leadership all signify my potential to
become a professional. Yet it is my optimism, passionate, mature, quick and
critical thinking that qualify me to become a successful physician. Regardless
of
the hardships of medical school and beyond, my dream to be a physician would
still shine as brightly.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement for AMCAS application
When I left to spend a semester at sea, I was well along on my way to becoming a doctor. From the earliest moments of my life I had been surrounded by science -- my father was an engineer, my mother was a nurse, and my sister was becoming a physicist. Somewhere along the way I decided that medicine was my calling. I chose to save lives because I could not stand to see the aftermath when a loved-one passed away. When my Aunt Barbara died from cancer, I had no way of alleviating the pain my mother and grandmother felt. I personally did not know how to handle the emptiness that consumed me. Years later, when I spent the summer working for a veterinarian, I experienced the pain of death again. This time, the sorrows rained through the tears of dog owners. Because I too have a dog that I have grown to love like a family member, I could understand their emotional loss. My first clinical experience with death came as a shock. While holding a small dog, Buffy, in my hands for an x-ray, she suddenly died. The second time I encountered death at the veterinarians office, I was holding Thor, a cancer-ridden German Shepherd, while the doctor delivered euthanasia. These events solidified my mission. I wanted to save lives. But if this were twenty-five years ago, I would not be saving lives. I would be destroying them. I would not be relaxing on a ship, listening to Dave Matthews Band, and studying Primate Biology. I would be at attention, listening to an officer, and studying my gear. I would have been checking that I had my flack-jacket, my M-16, and the requisite supply of hand grenades. Instead, I was checking that I had my bug spray, my cameras, and an adequate supply of film. Moments like this, contemplated while navigating the Saigon River, could only have taken place aboard the SS Universe Explorer, a unique vessel that afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and evaluate my interest in medicine. During Semester at Sea, I intended to search for the similarities and differences between the practice of medicine at home and abroad. As an unexpected side effect, I discovered lessons on how I might become a better doctor. One of the first things that dawned on me was the importance of language. Upon first reaching foreign soil, I realized that I only had two words -- konichiwa and sumimasen -- in my vocabulary. Amazingly, I could still communicate. In the future, I anticipate encountering patients who possess little fluency in English and might have as much difficulty in communicating their needs as I did while wandering through Japan. For many patients, Spanish will probably be their main language. Interaction with them in Spanish would permit me to better understand their conditions and hopefully will allow them to place greater trust in me. I plan to supplement the two and a half years I have already taken Spanish in order to improve my success as a doctor. While abroad, I not only renewed my interest in learning Spanish, I also began to think differently about medicine. When I was working for the veterinarian, I thought only of treating illnesses with drugs and surgery. But in Hong Kong, I reconsidered my feelings towards Eastern medicine while attending an acupuncture demonstration. When the acupuncturist twisted the needles in my hands, removing all sensation from my thumbs, I realized that acupuncture and Eastern medicine might really work. And while perusing the herbal remedies flooding the markets of Hong Kong, Fez, and Marrakech, my curiosity grew. In order to satisfy this curiosity, I want to combine the empirical methods of Western science (of which I have become familiar through summer research experiences at the US Department of Agriculture, Hampton University, and Brandeis University) with the mysterious nature of Eastern medicine. Without ever undergoing acupuncture myself, I doubt that I would now possess this interest in alternative medicine. These experiences continue to influence my perspective about medicine and health care; daily, I search for the lessons to be learned from them.
