Personal Statement:Medicine 76

 

Medicine Personal Statement

I have many reasons for wanting to pursue a career in medicine, one of which is my family’s history of disease. It has given me a personal insight into biological sciences and motivated my search for knowledge. This combined with my values and experiences make me confident that Medicine is the career in which I can bring out my potential in the most meaningful way in the society.

One particularly intriguing condition that runs in my family is Alzheimer’s disease. Hoping to understand its causes, I researched the prominent risk-factors. Yet soon I realized that the brain is such a complex organ that a complete understanding of this disease’s origin is beyond our grasp. This led me to appreciate that the human body is so intricately linked in anatomy and function that diagnosing and treating diseases remain immense challenges, and it is precisely these challenges that motivated me to choose to study Medicine.

My intellectual curiosity is not my sole stimulus for wanting to study Medicine. My mother was once hospitalized for knee surgery. In the subsequent days her doctor visited daily and this initially reassured me that my mother was receiving good care and would make a full recovery. Yet at the same time insecurity crept in as the doctor displayed impatient and apathetic manners. This greatly puzzled me – where was the kindness and care in the doctor who had just operated impeccably on my mother? This event really made me appreciate the importance of a doctor’s personal interest in his patient, and I feel that it is almost impossible for me to follow this doctor’s example after the impact of this experience on me.

Studying at an international school gave me a wider range of perspectives and beliefs. I realized the importance of language after becoming fluent in English and Chinese – often, there are connotations in one language that are absent in another. My beliefs and values are also affected by internationalism due to my education, yet at the same time I retained valuable principles originating from my Chinese background. I am ambitious in nature, yet I value the importance of friendship and cooperation at all times.

My school also provided me an invaluable learning experience. In IB Biology and Chemistry at Higher Level I embraced knowledge linked to Medicine and I learned to balance under demanding schedules. Mathematics Higher Level refined my logic, and my several UKMT Maths Gold Certificates reflect my keen interest in problem-solving. With IB History I applied critical thinking on the wealth of knowledge provided by Biology and Chemistry. Yet I longed to expand my skills to of practical use. Thus, I decided to gain experience by working in the local community. Volunteering at St. Anne’s Home for Physically and Mentally Disabled children provided me with experiences of insight into interaction with patients suffering from terminal illness.

By engaging in extracurricular activities I developed vital skills for a medical career. In the Peer Mentoring Programme, I taught younger students in various subjects. I learned to communicate in accessible language and to make them feel at ease in my presence. My five years of piano accompaniment for musicians ranging from violin soloists to more than two hundred singers taught me to adapt, communicate and work as a team under all situations. I also participated as a pianist in Music FOBISSEA and a Choir Festival in Malaysia, as well as in the musical, Oliver. House-building in Cambodia, my role as Student Representative in the Student Council and the International Award all engendered in me the value of commitment, initiation and team effort.

I am motivated by my belief that applying my medical knowledge to helping the well-being of the society is the most worthwhile way to pursue my passion in medical sciences. Thus, I conclude with the hope that in my future in Medicine I will abide faithfully by John Wesley’s words, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can”.

 

 

Universities Applied to:

  • University of Cambridge - Offer (IB HL 776, 40 total) Firm; Accepted

 

Grades Achieved:

  • IB Biology HL - 6
  • IB Chemistry HL - 7
  • IB Maths HL - 7
  • IB Chinese A2 SL - 6
  • IB English A1 SL - 7
  • IB History SL - 6
  • TOK + EE - 3

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