Thank you man, I appreciate the offer, and am very grateful. Don't hold back, and let me know what you think.
Personal Statement
I stepped out of my car into the scalding South Carolina heat, staring up at what I could only describe as one of the most decrepit apartment buildings I had ever come across. The wood was rotted, the grass was overgrown, and the paint had begun to chip; making the entire scene look like a caricature of inner-city Detroit. Rather, the building I begrudgingly stood in front of was an assisted living facility. I was there to help an 80-year old veteran, Mr. Drake, prepare and fill out various medical documents before his doctor’s visit.
With sweat beading down my face I arrived at Mr. Drake’s door, welcomed by a confederate flag and a “Don’t Tread on Me” sticker that adorned the space above the peep-hole. Almost immediately, concerns about our soon-to-be encounter flooded my mind. Would this man even want help a brown-skinned Asian male like me? I knocked and waited for what seemed like an eternity, feeling a bit anxious due to our inevitable cultural differences. The door slowly creaked open and I was invited inside by Mr. Drake, who after mumbling “Good afternoon” sat back on his couch and went back to watching “World War II in Color”. I looked up at the TV, just as the documentary host began talking about Iwo Jima. “My great grandfather fought in World War II in Burma against the Japanese, would you like to hear about it?” I asked with confidence as a calculated attempt to get Mr. Drake to open up. It was as if a new soul had entered into his body, completely replacing the quiet and uninterested Mr. Drake with a new man, passionate about sharing his military background and comfortable divulging his most personable memories to a complete stranger. Even though the medical forms were filled out in the first few minutes, I sat with him for hours as he recounted everything from the birth of his son, to his wife’s suicide a few years prior. I realized that my assistance was much more than a physical presence; it was a deeper emotional connection from one human being to another. No medication was dispensed, but the love that poured between two completely different people seemed to have worked just as well that day. This experience opened my eyes to a certain facet of medicine that requires a clinician to be able to empathize with their patients regardless of their social or cultural background. I learned that by trying to understand someone who might possess a completely different paradigm towards life than me, I could find common ground in a way that earned their trust and confidence.
Despite being born to two psychiatrists, my desire to apply to medical school first materialized when I interned at the Clinical Biotechnology Research Institute at Roper Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. There I came to grasp how medicine is much more than treating the physical manifestations of pain or inflammation. It is also about ensuring good health is used as a springboard for a fulfilling, spirited life. I spoke with hundreds of Alzheimer’s patients who were receiving medical treatments at the forefront of medicine. However, these novel therapeutics were not enough to console those who, despite their healthy appearance, felt progressively lost and entrapped within their own bodies due to an untreatable disease. The magnitude of my parents’ professions as physicians was now crystal-clear; mental well-being is just as important as physical vigor.
Researching the significance of amyloid plaques in treatment of Alzheimer’s or the effects nutrition has on one’s VO2max served to increase my interest in human physiology, something that had always perplexed me after learning about my parents’ responsibilities. My position as a TA solidified my confidence, as I was able to assuredly convey my expertise to other pre-health students seeking guidance into the health professions. While research and lab work demonstrated that health is measured in metrics such as one’s white blood cell count or physical fitness, it was my hospice work and shadowing experiences (alongside other clinical contact)that illustrated how life was not about living long but living well. Physicians are vital in providing multi-faceted support that allows the patient to persevere through their tribulations, and I am confident that my past experiences have prepared me for this unparalleled role.
Shadowing a pediatric plastic surgeon at USC’s university clinics revealed the unequaled impact that one physician can have on entire families. I saw the fears and anxieties of mothers evaporate in seconds when the surgeon answered their questions in full, explaining how despite the risks he was confident in his ability to heal their child. Confidence and knowledge seemed to be the key to favorable surgical outcomes. Physicians face a dichotomy that is unique amongst the health professions, as they bear the liability for any mistakes made but also responsibility for the eventual success in a patient’s recovery. I believe the perfect profession is one that fulfills your need for intellectual growth, while at the same time letting one skillfully use their education to achieve the best outcome for the greatest number of people possible. In this regard, I believe that medicine is indeed the one path that undoubtedly satisfies these requirements.