Sample Personal Statement for Medical School
Still only 21 years old, I have worked towards the goal of becoming a doctor for the last several years. As soon as I became serious about this decision, I began volunteering a few hours a week at the East York General Hospital near my home: feeding patients, assisting nurses and other staff, and helping to transport patients between wards. I also enrolled in the Health Sciences Program at York University to prepare myself for medical school. I will be graduating this coming May 2008. I have had CPR training through the St. John's Ambulance Service. My military education as part of the Canadian Army Reserve has also been influential in my life these last several years, helping me mature and achieve greater focus, determination, and discipline. I am looking for very rigorous medical training provided by XXXX that will qualify me to sit for the USMLE; simultaneously, I am very attracted to the school's setting on the island of XXXX in the Caribbean. In addition to the beauty and serenity of the place, I also very much like the idea of being part of a program in a developing country that prepares local people for medical practice and is dedicated to making local improvements in health education, research, and disease prevention for the local population.
I look forward to studying medicine at XXXX because I seek a profound intellectual achievement that is more than medical knowledge: decision-making skills and the ethical basis for the practice of medicine. Through hard work and dedication, I hope to mature into a professional who will represent XXXX with distinction. In addition to its Caribbean location, I appreciate the emphasis at the XXXX on the bio-psycho-social nature of medical practice and the solid clinical skills that facilitate a smooth transition into medical residency training. I am pleased that the XXXX is recognized by the World Health Organization and listed in the latest World Directory of Medical Schools, with its students recognized as eligible to take the U.S.M.L.E. Of all the things that draw me to the XXXX, however, primarily, I look forward to the experience of the Clinical Medicine program involving 72 weeks of clinical rotations at hospitals in the United States and abroad. I very much appreciate this hands-on approach to medical school pedagogy.
While raised in Toronto, I was born in Lebanon; thus, I am Arab and Lebanese. I am also deeply saddened by so much violence in the Middle East. Furthermore, my feelings toward the Canadian military are incredibly positive; I genuinely enjoyed my time in the military; it developed my personality to be more reliable, decisive, and a stronger team player. And I believe giving back to a country that has given me so much is essential. After becoming a surgeon, I may serve my country again, overseas or at home, considering that very few Arab-speaking surgeons are available for service in the Canadian military. I may also find my services useful for humanitarian reasons in my native Lebanon. What has inspired me to become a doctor is the reaction of people who are successfully treated, their joy, and appreciation. I have worked in various doctor's offices for the last couple of years doing data entry, bookkeeping, and research on liver disease, and I have also performed electrocardiograms on patients. This has further reinforced my determination to pursue medicine.
Sample Personal Statement for Medical School