Sample Med School Application Essay

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This medical school application essay follows the personal statement of a doctorate student studying medical physics. The student gives an overview of their skills and experience in an attempt to be accepted into a prestigious university. This admissions essay was written as a sample for the Ultius blog.

Personal Statement: Application to the Medical Physics Program

22 months ago, I was listening to a presentation about medical physics with no ultimate goal, but the presentation unequivocally changed my life by motivating me to pursue my doctorate in medical physics. Before I had applied myself to this decision, I was majoring in biomedical engineering, a degree I already felt unsure of pursuing but nonetheless remained in, in order to respect my parents. I am the first in my family to attend college, and because my parents supported me the in the endeavor, I did not want to let them down. Accordingly, I felt that it was my duty to succeed to the best of my ability in my academic pursuits regardless of my devotion to this degree.

As I experience to this medical physics PowerPoint presentation, I became more and more fascinated about the profession and it became much clearer to me that that is where I am meant to be. My research experience has also demonstrated to me that I have a strong affinity for the medical field as a whole, and in this regard, I believe that I will be most true to myself in achieving a doctorate in medical physics.

Minor setback

Unfortunately, I was tardy in deciding to pursue my doctorate in medical physics, which caused several problems on its own. For one, since my educational goals changed in my junior year, I was forced to take a number of extra credits in order to graduate on time. Thankfully, though, because I thrive under pressure, I was able to achieve these credits.

Experience

During my senior year Multiple Sclerosis project, I learned some startling facts about the disorder, such as the fact that the total number of people that have been diagnosed in the past years has been increasing dramatically; a similar trend to cancer. There is a gaping hole in the treatment of MS – one that I vow to dedicate my entire time and research to while obtaining my doctorate.

In terms of specific research proposals or independent research that I have already pursued myself, I have a few experiences that I believe reference my strong desire for learning and discovering. For instance, I acquired the coveted Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities, or URECA fellowships, which recognizes exceptional research performances. This research focused on finding unconventional solutions to incorporate patent microvascular networks throughout the tissue engineering construct in order to allow for the growth or design of large-scale organs. This filled existing gaps in current research.

Another of my research experiences involved being accepted into one of the research labs in the department of radiology - Radiological Society of North America, or RNSA - at Stony Brook University. This experience also helped me realize my own strengths and weaknesses within medical physics, including my natural inquisitiveness and creativity, in addition to my ambition and determination to succeed despite numerous obstacles.

I understand that my GPA is likely lower in contrast to other applicants, but there is a valid reason for this. As mentioned before, I did need to take a larger course load than my peers as I needed to meet my prerequisites for medical physics. Concurrently, I was involved in a campaign for Undergraduate Student Government senator, partook in a dance group, applied for the URECA fellowship, and underwent the interview process for conference assistance in order to ensure that I had summer housing, all of which required me to stay up until midnight on a daily basis. I persevered, though, and was able to not only graduate, but also accomplish all that I had set out to do, becoming a USG senator, achieving the URECA fellowship, and becoming a conference assistance and orientation leader. Despite the course load and my other responsibilities, I also earned A's in three of my seven classes. In addition, I learned and understood my own limits here, and strongly believe that I will be able to improve them, and my focus, in my graduate studies.

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Conclusion

I am applying for this University in particular because of its well-developed graduate medical physics program. It has over fifty faculties that are affiliated with medical physics programs, from numerous areas and majors, allowing for the provision of countless research opportunities. This university is also extremely prestigious internationally and domestically, providing me with a boost to my resume simply by virtue of its presence there. I believe that these sorts of relationships are a two-way street, however. As such, I, being an international student, would be able to reflect a more concerted adherence to diversity on the part of the University, which would additionally aid in terms of the overall cultural competency of the student body of the University, especially considering more than thirty percent of students in medical physics programs come from other countries. I am equally as excited about attending this University as I hope it is about receiving me.