College Admissions Essay: A Career In Medicine

“To go forward you have to come back to where you began.” So much has changed since that warm summer night when I read the last pieces of advice Cal had to offer. Often my personal self feels like a collection of different pieces – the me from the border, the me as next of kin, the me rediscovering hope, perhaps even the me of the future. Being a doctor encompasses much more than just technical skill and amassing information. It is an outlook, a passion, a question and state of mind. My experiences have taught me that without a genuine drive to change people’s lives and the courage to stand tall in the face of uncertainty, even the best academic is just a mediocre physician. A social worker once told me, “A career in medicine is what you make
of it.” So whether it is catching those patients who fall quietly through the cracks, like my father, or providing real care and compassion, I am inspired to become a physician who makes a difference. And I dream that someday I’ll have the privilege of walking into the patient’s room to extend my hand and say, “Hello, I’m Doctor Park. What brings you in today?”