Medical School: College Admission Essay Sample

I was only a child when I was due for my first surgery. In France at the time, I had developed a severe nasal congestion that would not relent despite various medical treatments. My mother took me to the doctors once more, and it was then that they told her that my problem was not due to any seasonal cold or flu, but was rather due to inflammation of my adenoids. At the time I did not know what this meant; all I knew was that I would have to be in the hospital for several days away from my family for some sort of operation. I was terrified.

When I was admitted to the hospital, I remember waking up at night from nightmares about the operation to come, and as the nurses pushed my bed to the operating room I looked at them hoping to glean an understanding of what was to come. Upon reaching the operating room and seeing the doctors in masks however, I suddenly felt at ease. As they spoke to me calmly and cheerfully, cracking jokes as they gently attached strange wires to my body, I remember all my worries drifting away. Then one of the doctors invited me to blow a certain balloon and placed a strange mask on my mouth. I did so eagerly and found myself drifting into a sweet sleep, concerned only that the balloon I was supposed to make did not seem to have inflated. I then awoke to the sight of my family above me, and in my hands was a funny balloon with a smiley face. Since then, the thought of returning to that operating room lingered in my mind as I began to dream of becoming a doctor.

My interest in medicine would continue to be nurtured by my unique experience as a daughter of two diplomats. Growing up, I have had the privilege of traveling the world and living in six different countries, namely Ghana, France, Egypt, The Netherlands, the United States of America and Brazil. With each sojourn, I was presented with contrasting conditions in the state of health care. To describe a few, in Ghana, I had the first hand experience of witnessing the pain and suffering of those lacking access to effective healthcare, and also shared in this anguish when I was afflicted with Malaria. In France and The Netherlands, I saw the impact of socialized health care in providing universal medical provisions for entire populations. Lastly, in the United States, I learned to appreciate the power of advanced technology in providing effective healthcare, but also saw the disparities inherent in the health insurance system.

All these experiences combined have sensitized me to the fragility of the human condition, as I realized that all human beings, regardless of nationality or socio-economic status, have the same basic need for the healing power of medicine. It is with this epiphany, combined with my latent desire to become a doctor, that I seized my calling to medicine early in my college career. I realized that my life experiences have uniquely poised me to become a servant to humanity, and that I wanted my ability in science to be dedicated to this service through the field of medicine.

Medicine, though heavily centered on humanitarianism and community service, is also significantly driven by scientific research. As a science major, I have been very active in undergraduate research. Over the last three years I have contributed to projects in the fields of biophysical chemistry, organic chemistry and cell biology. The applications of my research span the fields of pharmaceutical production, genetic therapy and cancer therapy. In each project, I have gained a deeper insight into the connection between science and medicine, and I firmly believe that this understanding will contribute greatly to my desired future in medicine.

I believe that my experiences as a scholar in science and research, as well as my unique world view granted by my international experiences, will all contribute to my success in medical school. I now understand that as a child, my inflamed adenoids were causing a blockage in my nasal airways and that the mask the doctors placed on my mouth was used to deliver anesthesia. While the doctors knew I could not understand this at the time, they used their knowledge and empathy to make me comfortable in my situation. It is my hope that I could one day do the same for a frightened child as was done for me.