BS/MD Program Acceptance Essay

            I could not bear to part with my grandmother on December 23, 2012. She was extremely ill, weighing in at just over 80 pounds. She was seventy-five at the time on ventilator support, starving. Pressure ulcers freckled every inch of her frail, thin body. She was a chronic type-1 diabetic with several other persistent complications. To make situations worse, three months earlier, she had a stroke and to her disadvantage, her husband was in a near-vegetable state, and my aunt was unaware of her stroke symptoms. Ever since then, life had never been the same for her, but no one ever thought she would pass away so soon after the incident. A part of me wishes I were in India months before her death to detect what her proximal family did not do and keep her alive. .
             Ever since I was a mere elementary-school student, the medical field had always interested me. Doctors fascinated me by how they were able cure anyone (I thought). Watching the news on CNN everyday , I marveled at the network's medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta. I was amazed by how he was able to balance being on television and helping his patients in Georgia as a neurosurgeon. Fostering an interest in the medical field, I decided to do my own research. I began shadowing my dad during his in-home patient visits and hospital visits when I was 12 years old. He showed me the massive amounts of paperwork he had to do and his almost-inflexible work schedule. However, this did not discourage me. I, even at that young age, was able to realize that maintaining contact with patients and possessing the ability to cure them is a reward greater than its hardships. I later decided to pursue neuroscience due to the complex nature of this branch of medicine. I felt that my dad's work as a physical therapist did not seem challenging to me and thought neuroscience was my best fit. I'd always thought the nervous system was simply fascinating. I shared my goals with my peers.