Born a Warrior: Medical College Admission Essay Sample

My mom says I was born a warrior. And yes, I am. On 6th Nov, a Six & half month premature baby was born in the family of doctors. Since that day my fate has been trying to meet its destination as a researcher in life sciences. As my family was full of doctors, I was undergoing the treatment from the finest doctors due to premature birth complications, but now growing up I realized that everyone in this world is not as privileged as I was and my journey begins from this point which gave meaning and ambition to my life. Later while growing up when my best friend’s mother died due to breast cancer, we both felt extremely helpless but since that day we both have decided to dedicate our lives towards exploring the field of Biology and now I am on my research journey and he is pursuing medicine.

Seeing a lot of people succumbing to cancer (especially in India, where a major population can’t afford treatment) always pushes me more towards the science of stem cells or epigenetics so that I can look for inexpensive cures for these lethal diseases. To begin with, I knew research in Biotechnology will be an important milestone for an element of innovation in the field of Biosciences. To achieve this, I need to arm myself with requisite knowledge which D. Phil in Oncology/Regenerative Medicine or D. Phil in Biochemistry from Oxford can furnish. I envision your program as the right platform to pursue my dreams and achieve my career goals.

My schooling and college education played a pivotal role in shaping my future. They fired my interest in academics and research. I was good in my academics by being in topper of the school by scoring 10 CGPA in my 10th grade and 86% in my 12th grade and I am currently one of the toppers of my batch and received an award of excellence in Academics & an award for Special Achiever at Vellore Institute of Technology (School of Bio-Science and Technology). I am currently pursuing the seventh semester of my bachelors in Biotechnology at VIT University. I have finished my program within three years instead of four and in my final year, I've got scholarships from Australian National University and MD Anderson Cancer Institute (later this year) for my short-term research projects. My college has outstanding teaching and laboratory facilities which laid primary emphasis on fundamentals and imbibed in me the practical knowledge and motivations needed for research.

I come from a very small city in India, and my journey from that city to winning the award in Australia is incredible. Currently, I have received Future Research Talent Award from the Noble Laureate Dr. Brian Schmidt and Vice-Chancellor of Australian National University which gave me a chance to acquire strong research expertise at John Curtin School of Medical Research in Cancer Biology. Before this, I worked at the Center for stem cell Research, Christian Medical College, Vellore, as a research intern for four months and worked on Genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9 projects related to Haemoglobinopathy, learning basic things which are required for stem cell culture including basic molecular biology techniques.

Now I do not take my life for granted because I was lucky enough to be trained at a reputed institute but what about those who did not even get a chance to go to school. A responsible society is one, that helps its destitute children realize equitable outcomes, which is the belief of Ayuda, a non-profit organization I’ve spent more than one and a half years in now. Being an Ed-Support volunteer at Ayuda, my role is to assist kids in shelter homes with science and build their confidence to face problems they might face later in life. Working at Ayuda has strengthened my belief that education is the tool that can transform societies and I shall always strive to advance my knowledge and serve the community.

Being a hardworking and committed student, I am certain that I will be able to cope with the rigors of an International curriculum with ease. I am inclined to do my D.Phil. under Prof Paul Fairchild whose area of focus is Stem Cells and Cancer which fascinates me since I have always wanted to explore the underlying molecular mechanism.

Also, being from Engineering background, I try to combine different fields so I am highly interested in Dr. Carolyn Carr's research in which she is combining stem cell and tissue engineering both to develop scaffolds to prevent heart damage.

I want to prove unequivocally my purpose of pursuing D. Phil at Oxford which comes on top of my priorities because it enjoys an unparalleled position in the entire world. It is my conviction that the advanced research facilities, the nurturing academic environment, and experienced faculty will fulfill my aspiration to become a scientist with important achievements in my chosen field. I would like to devote myself especially to those important projects which are just in their incipient development and enjoy tremendous potentials. I will avail myself of the ample academic activities to exchange and to learn from leading specialists. In this way, I hope to achieve some innovative research results and produce several high-quality research papers.

My ultimate aim is to work in the biotech industry where I look to eventually start my own Research & Development Company. I hope, in the future, to create an effectual technology which will add value to human life. I sincerely hope that by associating with Oxford University D. Phil Program, I will be able to give back as much as I will gain in my knowledge under the guidance of world-renowned experts from the industry.