Desire and the Drive Always

¶ … desire and the drive always to learn more. I am unlikely ever to refuse an opportunity to do something new, whether an exciting trip, an experimental film or an unfamiliar social setting. This ambition to better myself by gaining greater knowledge in all areas is a quality that I anticipate will help me navigate the community at BU, where new opportunities abound.

In addition to making me an active part of the campus community, this quality combines with a natural intuition to make me a constructive part of an already excellent academic tradition. I am a fast learner, an innovative thinker and an individual who takes pride in a certain intellectual perspicacity that drives my scholastic focus.

I am also, however, as humble as one should be through the process of education. This means never being afraid to ask for help where this is needed, to recognize that I can always improve my abilities in any area of life and that admitting my mistakes means learning from them. I have the proper balance of confidence and modesty to make myself a standout individual and a member of a thriving community such as that at BU.

Boston University 2:

The provision of healthcare requires patience, compassion and dedication. In addition to possessing these qualities and desiring to share them with those in the greatest need, I am well-suited for the emotional and practical rigors of a distinctly challenging occupation. Though I am driven by professional ambition, academic achievement and a degree of healthcare experience, I am also inspired by the deeply personal experience of witnessing a loved one in a battle against a serious health crisis.

I observed that this family member was surrounded by a staff of healthcare professionals that worked tirelessly to extend his life, to mollify his pain and to ease his suffering. I had long been moved by the warmth, devotion and personal conviction exhibited by the healthcare staff, conditions all of which would contribute to my own aspirations to help others. Grounded by sound judgment, strong communication skills, a comforting bedside manner and a growing expertise in providing the emotional care which should accompany practical treatment, I would make my presence a valuable one in any healthcare facility. Focusing on quality of service, the expression of compassion and the fostering of stronger relationships with my fellow healthcare providers, I anticipate great reward in making myself readily available to a team of qualified nurses and physicians.

The relationship between a student and an academic institution is one which may be integral to both parties. As a student, I have prized above all else the positive and engaging environments in which I have been privileged to learn. Textbooks and information can be generic and very easy to come by. Gaining knowledge, on the other hand, takes dedication, aptitude and a proper fit. Rochester University and I are well-matched, with its storied history, its picturesque backdrop and its cultural richness serving as the ideal location for my pursuits as a person, as a student and as a professional. I plan to begin my engagement of a degree in the healthcare profession at Rochester this coming fall semester, guided by the desire to gaining knowledge and experience in a demanding but vital field.

My experiences in coming to understand the challenges inherent to the healthcare profession will be a compass as I seek my future path. The symbiotic relationship between the brain and the body is not only fascinating in its dynamic but is also a crucial element of our increasingly more powerful capacity as a species to treat human illness, both physical and neurological. An extremely potent agent of circumstance, the mind's well-being is as relevant a part of one's willingness to endure and recover from malady as is the body's responsiveness to medicine, treatment and other healthcare measures. The effective medical practitioner of the future will be equipped to take into consideration both the body and the mind when helping to shepherd individuals through the rigors of ailing or failing health. Through a combination of my life experiences, my undergraduate academic coursework and a medical degree from Rochester University's graduate program, I hope soon to play my part in bringing closer together the values which possess both the fields of physiological and psychological medicine. Such will be the mantra of my career as I proceed with a keen awareness of the psychological ramifications of healthcare provision.

New York University 1:

I have long been an admirer of Sandy Koufax, the Brooklyn Dodgers great who played for the whole of his short but storied career pitching the working class borough of New York. Perhaps the best-known story about Koufax is the decision to withdraw from play during a critical playoff game that fell on the first night of Yom Kippur. As an observant Jew, Koufax felt that it would be in derelict of his faith and his duty to his people to play.