Medical schools are looking for students who are problem-solvers, just like the doctors mentioned above. The leadership essay is a great opportunity to demonstrate to admissions committees that you have the potential to make a difference by reflecting on your own experiences as a leader. During my college years, I explored the narrative form and discovered medical narratives. I read a variety of books, from Manheimer's Bellevue to Gawande's Checklist and from Nuland's remarks on the way we die to Kalanithi's struggle with his own decline.
Recently, I even tried my hand at this approach by writing an article about my grandfather's emphysema. Writing allowed me to go beyond the content of our relationship and try to explore how time and youth can distort our memories of those we love. I have also supplemented these narrative explorations with an internship in clinical bioethics. Working with an interdisciplinary team of ethics consultants, I have learned by participating in care team meetings, synthesizing discussions and paths to follow in patient medical records, and contributing to an ongoing legislative debate that addresses end-of-life care challenges.
I have also seen how ineffective communication within the team and interpersonal belief conflicts can compromise patient care. Since then, I have spent years learning more about the humanities through my undergraduate studies and research, I have developed a deeper understanding of the demands and challenges of the medical profession through my various volunteer and extracurricular experiences, and although it has been difficult along the way, I have continued to foster a more intimate fascination with the field of medicine that has motivated me to apply to medical school at this juncture in my life. My concussions prompted me to accept a change in my hobbies, broadened my perspective, deepened my character and sparked my interest in medicine, which I hope to continue in medical school. We have surveyed many students over the years about whether they had an experience that immediately led them to medicine. Being close to my extended family will provide me with a great support system while adapting to the rigors of medical school.
All of these physicians are leaders in their respective fields and have created structural change in specific areas of medicine, whether through research, writing or policy. Applicants sometimes begin their essays with a dramatic moment that does not offer insight into their motivations for studying medicine. If you use a secondary template, then the only real burden is to research for each school and make a list of what you should include about them in your essays. Similarly, I found that working with underserved populations, particularly high school students in poor neighborhoods, gave me an incredible sense of joy and purpose. I could feel his relief as he left the clinic, visibly transformed, with the new self-confidence that I could take care of his health and forge a new life. While I had experienced the individual power of small acts of compassion and scientific research to bring hope to patients, a woman named Camila taught me how empowering relationships can bring all of these characteristics together.
However, when I started working at Dell Seton Medical Center, my idealism about patient-centered care was quickly put to the test when I was considered cynically because of my own identity. Watching physicians balance the impact of psychiatric medications on already sick bodies showed me that no disease affects patients in a vacuum and that every problem must be addressed within a broader context. All personal statements for medical school usually start by explaining why medicine is amazing; however, the admissions committee already knows this. I saw each team member, with specific areas of expertise, contributing to the discussion and listening actively; together they formed a holistic plan of action for patients. Through my college studies and research into the humanities, volunteer work and extracurricular activities related to medicine, I have developed an intimate understanding of this field which has motivated me to apply for medical school. My concussions prompted me to accept changes in my hobbies which broadened my perspective and deepened my character; this sparked my interest in medicine which I hope to continue exploring in medical school. Working with underserved populations gave me an incredible sense of joy and purpose; Camila taught me how empowering relationships can bring all these characteristics together. I have seen how ineffective communication within teams and interpersonal belief conflicts can compromise patient care; watching physicians balance psychiatric medications on sick bodies showed me that every problem must be addressed within a broader context.
