Personal Statement Draft 4

Ok, so I've written 3 different first drafts of my personal statement already and I suddenly had the itching to come to this website and blog another random potential personal statement. It's 2 am in the morning. S peed on the bed, which awoke me from the unintended slumber that was supposed to be replaced by diligent studying on organic chem. Well, that's another story. For the theme of this personal statement, I chose to focus on my reasons for becoming a doctor, rather than highlight what career-related experiences I've had.

Here's my first draft:

I would be lying if I say that I did not want to become a doctor to "help" people but for the prestige or money. Wanting to help people was all that I wanted to do for the past four years since I have graduated with my bachelors from Loyola. At the time, I had done most of what typical premedical students needed to accomplish. I took all the prerequisites, volunteered at a local hospital, conducted some research, and even gained industry experience as a lab technician at a hospital. I took whatever humanity course I could that related to healthcare and even read some interesting books on healthcare and the practice of medicine. However, I held back from applying for medical school because I had not resolved the two things that really matter: my desire and confidence to become a successful doctor.

How ironic is it now that after having learned as many drawbacks as I can about a medical career as a doctor do I still want to become one?

THESIS: I made the decision to become a doctor because I feel that there are many aspects to this career that suits me.

-I am a generalist.

I am a multiskilled individual with many interests that are split between scientific and artistic interests. I love puzzels: scrabble, sudoku, crossword puzzles, programming, physics concepts. On the other hand, I am a domestic queen: I enjoy cooking cuisines from many regions (panasian, Latin American, American classics, African). I am a multicraft hobbyist: clay sculpting, knitting, crocheting, pinata making, beadworking, and drawing. However, when I think about it, my scientific and artistic pursuits will help me excel because being a doctor has much to do with art as it does with science.

-->The science of medicine: rhetorical; being able to combine multiple knowledge and come up with a diagnosis or treatment plan

-->The art of medicine: understanding that all decisions made by doctors or (perhaps should not) be based on scientific facts. Like artists, doctors will often have to defend the value of their work to others ( patients, politicians, insurance companies) and doctors have to possess the ability to absorb deep emotions (dealing with constant failures, drawbacks, personal loss, hope).

I realize that if I can pull an all-nighter making wedding pinatas for my friend, I can deal with the stress of having to work odd hours to care for people who are in need. Those are sacrifices I've learned I can live with.

DOCTORS HAVE A HIGH IMPACT SCORE:

Every career has an impact factor. The difference between pursuing a creative or clinical psychology career and a medical career was the impact scale. I realize that while being creative was "nice", it was something that I wanted to reserve for myself and those close to me. It is much more difficult to make a difference in someone's life. As a clinical psychologist, I limited the type of clients I could see. Growing up in a poor and diverse neighborhood, I wanted to make my services available to the poor and uneducated. I want my skills to be universally accessible, so that is why I decided I want to be a doctor. Additionally, more doctors than psychologists are needed.

I LOVE LEARNING

I am a self-professed nerd.I made the most of my education by filling as many classes as I could every semester. I am not the smartest person I know but I enjoy studying (when I have the time), being able to solve some mysteries with a better scientific understanding, being able to see how things come together, experiencing the gratification of solving really difficult homework problems. These personal preferences made me realize that I may not find medical school as miserable as portrayed. They also made me realize that I want to pursue an MD/PhD or MD/MPH degree because I cannot imagine a medical career without research.

I chose to become a doctor because I realize that it's a career that requires life-long learning, not in just the sciences but as a human being. As a parent, I have grown in ways that made me realize I can be a successful doctor.

1. Understand that I will never be quite prepared but my best. (This made me realize that I can cope with failures, ie death of a patient.)

2. Realizing that I have as much to learn from your patients (children) as they do from me. (I enjoy interacting with patients)