Last updated on December 18, 2024 by College Financial Aid Advice.
Yale University
This college essay about medical careers was written by Hunter from Arizona.
“KaBOOM!” An uneasy rumble through the floor shakes bystanders’ hearts to the pits of their stomachs. After an eerie five seconds of silence and confusion, a woman screams, “That’s my kids! That’s my kids!” Just then, time begins to race at its terminal velocity. I soar out the door, fly over the wall between me and the calamity, and race up the gunpowder-smelling staircase—knowing not what lies ahead.
I am inspired by everyday heroes.
Like Dr. Edward Diethrich, a heroic cardiovascular surgeon, I aim to evolve my skills for the betterment of medical technology. As the modern hero rids himself of cowardice for the sake of others’ lives, I will rid myself of fear of danger and of fear to pursue the most demanding degrees— the Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Philosophy. Aiming to succeed, I prepare my body with arduous exercise and my mind with earnest study.
I dream to overcome the impossibilities of today, and I will succeed.
Staggering like zombies, a group of six boys, with chunks of clothing and flesh blown from their bodies, meet me on the staircase. The first, a boy my age, no longer possesses his hands. The second, a twelve-year old boy, barely maintains consciousness while his arm dangles barely connected to his shoulder.
None of my state championship swim races compare to the race I face against time—a race for these boys’ lives.
Death’s footsteps creep to the tick of a metronome. As disease and tragedy increase death’s tempo, I feel the need to counter death’s momentum. To cheat myself and my education with laziness would mean to cheat the lives of my future patients. Although I will lose some patients in my care, I will do everything I can to better their chances of living by pushing myself in each challenge I encounter, by concentrating my focus in the most rigorous education possible, and by opening my mind to as much knowledge any one man can encompass.
As blood gushes from the first boy’s mangled hands, adrenaline rushes through my mind. From his groin, mutilated genitalia hangs as burnt meat. I wrap my belt around his wrists as a tourniquet and comfort him until two men take over care. Instinctually, I move my full attention to the second boy, elevating his legs as to maintain majority blood-flow to his vital organs and applying pressure to his almost-completely severed shoulder. Determined, I think to myself, “I will NOT lose my first patient.”
I wish Superman was here to fly around the world at the speed of light, turning back time so that I could warn these boys to not build a gunpowder bomb.
But Superman does not exist. Only the modern hero challenges time and death; only the modern hero will dedicate his life to be an ever-growing tool for medicine; it is only he who will disregard his own safety to save the lives of others— the modern hero I must become.
This pre-med college admission essay was written by Jasmine from Texas.
For my career path I have chosen the pre-med track. What led me to this decision was my father. Every time I said I wanted to be something other than a doctor he would say, “You should be doctor because that’s where the money is and you’re more guaranteed to keep that job since it’s an important field.” After that, I thought about what he said and decided to make the medical field a part of my interest. Another thing that led me to this decision was that I wanted to be the first in my family to become a doctor. Both of my parents were on their way to being a part of the medical field until they joined the military.
Before I chose this path I wanted to be a firefighter, professional basketball player, police officer, ballet dancer, or a lawyer when I was in middle school and my freshman year of high school. As I got older and learned more about the body and how it functions I became interested. During my sophomore year of high school I chose to take a Health Science Technology class. Taking that class only increased my interest of being in the medical field. My interest also made it easy for me to retain the information and helped me during my tests. I would make short rhymes or songs to assist me in remembering information that I thought were too difficult for me to remember.
I have not yet come to a decision on what type of physician I want to be. However, I am certain I want to be a physician. The female reproductive system is the most interesting to me because of the fact that a “little person” can grow inside a female- which of course is weird, but yet amazing. I cannot say it is my favorite, but I can say it interests me the most. The respiratory and circulatory system interests me as well. Since I am still in the process of deciding my field of interest I hope my college experience will assist me in that process.
Entering into the medical field brings about two questions for me: do I want to be a physician in a hospital or do I want to start my own clinic? I was thinking I should work in a hospital for a couple of years then start a clinic instead of starting a clinic first. I am also still in the process of that decision since I have more time in deciding what I would like to do. I am excited about what college and medical school have in store for my future.
Not only am I doing this for me, but I am also doing this for my family. My parents are always telling me that they want me to do better than they are so I can enjoy the finer things in life.
Another one of our College Essays about Medical Careers, this one is written by Itia from Alabama. Itia says: "This essay not only helped me to gain admission into Birmingham-Southern College, but it also earned me over $20,000 in scholarships annually".
What to be? That is the question. Pursuing higher education at a liberal arts college like Birmingham-Southern will aid me in making a solid career choice. Currently, my interests lie in science and politics; my hobbies are baking and reading. Since my interests are quite diverse, making a good decision for my future may be a difficult one. Since liberal arts colleges are known for their well-rounded educational opportunities, I would be able to be exposed to my current interests, thus better enabling me to make a sound decision about my future.
Primarily I am interested in the medical field. Since childhood, I have always found the design of the human body to be a fascinating subject, from the way that messages are received and transmitted between neurons to the processes of mitosis and meiosis. While my mother was studying to be a nurse, there were always many medical books for me to read. It was common to find me with my head buried in a human anatomy book, thoroughly engrossed to the point where I would read for hours on end. Because of this I thought of pursuing a career in the medical field for a long while, but even then I was unsure.
I was chosen as my school’s representative for Girls’ State. Participating in Alabama Girls’ State opened my eyes to some of the things that really happen in our government. I noticed that the way our government works is often not in the best interest of the people. I was motivated to implement change on the local level, as well as on the national level. It seems that those in government today are often arrogant, self-serving, and self-centered. I know very few answers to our various political problems, but I know action needs to be taken. At first, thoughts about government simply simmered in my mind, but lately, in preparation for We The People, I have found that this immense feeling of wanting to do something is being shoved to the forefront of my mind more and more each day. Because of this, I have considered becoming something akin to a state legislator--maybe the two could be combined.
On the other hand, my hobbies are quite different from my career interests. I love to bake--cakes, cookies, brownies, pies. People have demanded my sweets and my hobby became a little business. So I have also considered becoming a pastry chef, for I truly enjoyed learning about new techniques, trying them out and tweaking them to fit my preferences and then researching further until I perfected a recipe.
With these considerations in mind, I believe that Birmingham-Southern College would serve as a vital stepping stone in achieving my goals and becoming a better person, by providing a well-established foundation upon which I could build my future, knowing that I have received the absolute best preparation for success.
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