Applying to Medical School: My Personal Statement

How does dying feel like? I still remember the dread I felt every time I had a seizure, convinced that I was dying as I lost all sensation and control over my body, my vision going black and my thoughts turning into a blur, quickly slipping into unconsciousness. I went to sleep every night fearing that I would have a seizure in my sleep and never wake up the next morning. At the age of 17, I developed a cavernous malformation (cavernoma) in my brain, which led to constant seizures for one year until I finally underwent brain surgery to remove it. This experience is what ultimately strengthened my decision to become a doctor, as I want to help others to ensure that no one experiences the anxiety and fear I went through for an entire year of my life. I want every patient to be reassured that they will recover, and I want to give them support as their doctor to help them be as less anxious and stressed as possible.  

            My father is a physician and is the one who first instilled in me a passion for medicine. As a child I always loved to pretend I was a doctor, wearing my father’s glasses and using his stethoscope to listen to my siblings’ heartbeats. I also enjoyed flipping through his medical textbooks and having him explain to me things I did not understand about the function of the body. I found the study of medicine to be very fascinating. My older brother, who is currently studying medicine, also serves as an inspiration to me and I wish to follow in his footsteps. Throughout my school career, I have always been interested in scientific subjects and those were the subjects in which I earned the highest grades. I have recently completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, in which I studied Chemistry Higher Level and Biology Higher Level. For each of these subjects, along with the core material we also got to choose two topic options we wished to study. One of the biology options I chose is Further Human Physiology. The two chemistry options I chose are Medicines and Drugs and Human Biochemistry. In addition to that, I chose biology as the subject of my IB Extended Essay. From my choices of study it is evident that I am highly interested in the study of medicine and the study of the human body.

            I think that my most valuable experience is my experience with the cavernoma. Because of this life event, I learned so many new things. I spent an entire summer regularly going to the hospital for appointments, scans, tests, and surgery. During this time I learned a great deal about my condition and about what a cavernoma is. Although I do not have any hands-on experience as a doctor or as a volunteer at a hospital, I do have experience as a patient, and I believe that experience as a patient is very important to becoming a successful doctor. Being a doctor is all about addressing the patient’s needs, and a doctor must be able to put herself/himself in the patient’s shoes and understand them. From my experience I learned about the symptoms of a cavernoma, including seizures, weakness, and numbness. I also learned about different ways to treat cavernomas, such as neurosurgery or stereotactic radiosurgery. In addition to that, from my preoperative and postoperative appointments at the hospital, I learned about MRI brain scans, fMRI scans, CT scans with and without contrast, ECG and EEG tests, urinalysis, IV and arterial lines, and anesthesia. For example, I learned that an fMRI scan is used to measure brain activity in order to map out which specific parts of the brain are involved in certain mental processes. I also learned that arterial lines are used to monitor blood pressure during surgery. Furthermore, I learned about many different medicines administered after surgery. For example, I learned that corticosteroids are taken in order to reduce swelling in the brain, and antiepileptic drugs such as Keppra are taken to prevent the occurrence of seizures. Throughout my entire hospital stay, and during every appointment, I spoke with the doctors and nurses and asked them questions. Before every scan or test I would ask them what that particular scan/test is used for. My neurosurgeon even showed me the MRI images of my brain before and after surgery and explained them to me. Moreover, before taking any medicine I would ask what that medicine is called and what its effects are. I also asked the doctors to explain to me the procedure of the surgery. In addition, I read all my medical reports, which helped me gain an understanding of how doctor reports are written and the information that is included in them. I was greatly interested in everything that occurred at each hospital appointment, including the role of each doctor or nurse, how the different machines worked, what all the equipment was used for, and the effects of different medicines and other substances. I really enjoyed the hospital atmosphere and became certain that working at a hospital is what I want.

            I possess a number of qualities which I believe are essential to becoming successful in the field of medicine, and I have demonstrated these qualities in many activities I participated in during my high school years. First of all, I absolutely love helping others. I was a member of the Habitat for Humanity Club, which is a club that raises money in order to build houses for the homeless. Being able to help those who are less fortunate than me was truly rewarding. Second of all, I am a risk-taker and I undertook many new challenges. For example, I joined Basketball Club and Yoga Club. I am a terrible basketball player, and I had never done yoga before, yet I chose to take the risk and try these new activities. Medicine is a very challenging field of study, and choosing to study it involves taking a risk. Third of all, I have shown leadership, teamwork, and communication skills by organizing events such as the Library Fun Day for Kids and the Spring Fair. As I have seen during my experience in the hospital, it is crucial that a doctor possesses these skills in order to be able to work with other doctors, nurses, and patients. Lastly, I am an extremely caring and empathetic person, two qualities which I believe are the most important for a doctor to have. I am the type of person who cannot bear to see others in pain, and I always empathize with people. I have always helped my friends with their schoolwork. Additionally, I am very compassionate with animals and insects. I have helped cats stuck in trees and injured birds numerous times, and I refuse to kill insects that wander inside the house. A doctor must have a caring heart in order to willingly help her/his patients and genuinely be concerned about their health and well-being.

            Living a life of giving is a truly remarkable and beautiful thing. Dedicating my life to saving others and being able to make a difference in someone’s life is the path I wish to take. It truly makes me happy seeing the smiles of others. For that reason my desire is to pursue a career in medicine. Being a doctor is very difficult yet deeply rewarding. I believe that I have the commitment, motivation, and passion necessary to be successful in this field.