I am stucked with the last part of essay, the scholarship. How can I say that I am fit for so and so scholarship? Can anyone help me with this? Thank you for every kind of feedback. Its probably my last essay so I am trying my best to make it up to the mark. Every help is greatly appreciated. also, word limit is 600-800 and it is already crossing 800 :/.
Your personal statement is intended to give you the opportunity to submit a tailored narrative which will describe your education, experience and professional career objectives. Your personal statement should describe your:
Reasons for interest in public health
Reasons for interest in program of study and/or concentration
Reasons for interest in the school
Career goals
Applicants are encouraged to indicate their interest and fit with a specific scholarship in their personal statement.
'We don't just assess the public health, we do the public health.' This is the ideology which came out as I listened to and interacted with the faculty of Dornsife School of Public Health. I am particularly fascinated by their commitment to public health whether it's initiative of youth engagement to health awareness by ****** or work of ***** on women's health. Faculty members like ******seemed great mentors whom students aspire to have. Dornsife School will not only educate me but provide me with rigorous training and ample hands-on experience in public health field. I felt elated at the prospect of having found the launch-pad to achieve my goal of preventing health disparities in developing nations.
My immediate goal will be to gain extensive knowledge of the course and through its 8 month community masters project and 120 hours of practicum, I will learn to apply that knowledge in field area. Along with this, my purpose is to get through global health certificate program or Dornsife Global Development Scholars Program to get international health experience. I aspire to start my own volunteer organization in India to advocate the health issues. So, I will keep myself associated with multiple non-profit organizations running in NY, NJ and Philadelphia along with my studies to prepare myself for diverse culture of communities. After moving to US in March 2015, I volunteered in the environmental projects carried out in New York Battery Park as farm volunteers. Currently, I am rendering my services in nutritional education courses for kids and teenagers as a volunteer of City Harvest, New York and will continue to do so.
I chose a medical career because I was moved by the doctors working in hospitals caring for myriad patients. But when I participated in dental camps as a dental student at Swami Devi Dyal Dental Hospital and College, at Haryana (India), I realized that the patients I saw in hospitals were just the tip of the iceberg. The doctor to patient ratio in rural areas was abysmal with too far apart, ill equipped and under staffed medical centers. It disturbed me when I saw communities are suffering with thyroid disorders, vitamin deficiencies, malnourishment, anemia, TB, etc. which can be prevented. All that is required is to follow simple health measures like maintaining hygiene, clean water usage, no tobacco use, balanced nutritious diet, sex education, physical exercise, regular medical checkups and taking advantage of the free vaccination programs. This changed my perspective of medical care and intrigued me to work for the causes and prevention of diseases fostering the need of becoming a public health worker.
After undergrad education, I was offered a job in a renowned private hospital on the condition that I would bring a high number of patients to that hospital. I instead chose a state-sponsored Government hospital for observer ship. There I witnessed patients with traumatic injuries, severe infections and disabilities, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, etc. I assisted dental surgeons and learned how to effectively work in a team in emergency accident cases wherein inter-disciplinary doctors need to co-ordinate and treat the patient. These grim situations expanded my world view and steeled my decision to become a public health worker.
Due to dearth of quality public health institutions in India, I enrolled in and completed a 2 year distance education program in healthcare services along with my practice. It helped me to develop insight into mechanics of health facility through subjects like strategic management, hospital organization and research methodology. I want to cement that with MPH from a renowned institution like Dornsife School known for its vigorous approach of learning. It dawned on me that medical treatment is costly, does not have many active volunteer agencies and has low governmental focus and weak policy. As a consequence health checkups are mostly reactive rather than preventive and marginalized people do not have access to doctors and health care facilities. The doctor can only help those who come to them, but a public health worker can educate the uninitiated to help themselves. I volunteered in my community by becoming member of Dharmyog Foundation (India) to organize health camps, attended by hundreds, to help people incorporate healthier lifestyle. Many participants lost weight, lowered blood sugar and felt improved overall health with daily practice. I also took part in theatre meant for inculcating the good habits and not to get trapped in ills like drunken driving or suicides in urban areas.
My eagerness to learn about cause of diseases and how they could be prevent at the first place frames my interest in Epidemiology. I seek to support my passion for betterment of societies through MPH by enhancing my skills in research on prevention and control of human disease. My ultimate goal is to work with WHO to bring a change in lives of people through health promotion.
