Hi, I am applying to the MPH program in two universities and I need help in my personal statement, which need to state my prior education, related experience and my thesis research. One is unlimited words and one require only 250 words. Below is my final draft, which is 846 words. Please help me to review it and see how I could rewrite it in 250 words for second PS.
Thank you very much.
It began when I had finished my first year university. Like most of students, eager to gain experience, I decided to join the student club and participate in different school events. I went to help all school events, from talking shows to ceremonies and parties, but not too enjoy them. After all, I "thought" that this was more about social experience, not much related to my study. Since I was studying Pharmaceutical Management, I thought that I was going to work in drug companies. In fact, I was still unsure about what I need to focus and what I should do.
Then come to the day I visited Children Aid Home as part of school event for orphanage. Like most of my classmate, However, I found very difficult to reach to children here. I do not know which disabilities they have and shy to ask the caregivers. In the first time, I had a thought that I was underestimate what is called "volunteer".
At the time when I started to give up, I met couple of exchange students from Kenya and New Zealand. I was surprised to see that they could communicate with disability children though they did not study in specialty healthcare and even more, they did not remember how many work and project that they have joined. A truly volunteer would not bother how many project that they help. They just come to do all what they could help. Two different countries with two different economic level, I never thought that they were so alike in opinion. Each minutes talking with them, I feel that I was so naïve. I started to remind myself and realized, how careless and robotically I am during volunteer. Volunteer is giving a hand willingly, but I had made it like a duty to fill up my resume. It does not mean that volunteering in NGOs or public health would not be benefit to a Pharmaceutical business student. The minor subject in business management is also a big help if I could know how to use it. I have a board interest in many field: healthcare, nutrition, diet, gardening, art and music. Why would I not use it? Rather than looking in one way, I started to open my eye and see what I could learn and what I could achieve based on my own knowledge.
I started to go hospital, clinic, nutrition department, not as "duty volunteer" or "experience seekers", but as an individual student who need to learn. I met different doctors and nutrition experts, asked to shadow the process of clinical interview to watch the reaction of participants. I went to the gym to listen and to know how people maintain their health and control their disease with diet and activities. I asked for the advice from volunteers, from a third world country to a developed country, to know the health problems occurs in real life. I joined in the business trip of my family company in furniture production, to see with my own eyes about what is behind the glory words about worker healthcare and benefit. Not all information were needed for my graduation research, but the knowledge I gained was far more than in the books.
Time goes by, I had become a different person. I went to volunteer as Science explainer in Science Centre Singapore. It was not an easy work as I thought. Half of the visitor here could not communicate in English, most are children. I met the similar problem, but I was not merely a "CV filler" before. This time, I was not only a listener, but also a guilder. I presented my knowledge in chronic disease to visitor, give them a guide in healthy eating and show the kids how to grow their vegetable at home. At the time I saw their sparkling eyes while listened to my talk, their laugh when harvested their own plan and their eager to find answer for their childish question, I feel that I found my real way.
It is not about interest or hobbies, it is what I can do it. Public Health is not only about cure the disease in poor country. It's also include making a good foundation in human and economy resources for building a better healthcare system and guiding people to live better in their environmental conditions. To do this, I cannot only go to volunteer several hours a week and sit in front of the laptop for freely online course. I need to study in system and a guide to learn how to use my knowledge in correct way.
"Better late than never", I may not study Public Health from the beginning but that would not stop me to go for healthcare way. By applying the Master Degree in Public Health in a developed country with modern healthcare system, I will have a great opportunities to develop my knowledge, as well as to be trained to gain necessary skills to successfully work and develop healthcare and nutrition project for worldwide population.
Thank you very much.
It began when I had finished my first year university. Like most of students, eager to gain experience, I decided to join the student club and participate in different school events. I went to help all school events, from talking shows to ceremonies and parties, but not too enjoy them. After all, I "thought" that this was more about social experience, not much related to my study. Since I was studying Pharmaceutical Management, I thought that I was going to work in drug companies. In fact, I was still unsure about what I need to focus and what I should do.
Then come to the day I visited Children Aid Home as part of school event for orphanage. Like most of my classmate, However, I found very difficult to reach to children here. I do not know which disabilities they have and shy to ask the caregivers. In the first time, I had a thought that I was underestimate what is called "volunteer".
At the time when I started to give up, I met couple of exchange students from Kenya and New Zealand. I was surprised to see that they could communicate with disability children though they did not study in specialty healthcare and even more, they did not remember how many work and project that they have joined. A truly volunteer would not bother how many project that they help. They just come to do all what they could help. Two different countries with two different economic level, I never thought that they were so alike in opinion. Each minutes talking with them, I feel that I was so naïve. I started to remind myself and realized, how careless and robotically I am during volunteer. Volunteer is giving a hand willingly, but I had made it like a duty to fill up my resume. It does not mean that volunteering in NGOs or public health would not be benefit to a Pharmaceutical business student. The minor subject in business management is also a big help if I could know how to use it. I have a board interest in many field: healthcare, nutrition, diet, gardening, art and music. Why would I not use it? Rather than looking in one way, I started to open my eye and see what I could learn and what I could achieve based on my own knowledge.
I started to go hospital, clinic, nutrition department, not as "duty volunteer" or "experience seekers", but as an individual student who need to learn. I met different doctors and nutrition experts, asked to shadow the process of clinical interview to watch the reaction of participants. I went to the gym to listen and to know how people maintain their health and control their disease with diet and activities. I asked for the advice from volunteers, from a third world country to a developed country, to know the health problems occurs in real life. I joined in the business trip of my family company in furniture production, to see with my own eyes about what is behind the glory words about worker healthcare and benefit. Not all information were needed for my graduation research, but the knowledge I gained was far more than in the books.
Time goes by, I had become a different person. I went to volunteer as Science explainer in Science Centre Singapore. It was not an easy work as I thought. Half of the visitor here could not communicate in English, most are children. I met the similar problem, but I was not merely a "CV filler" before. This time, I was not only a listener, but also a guilder. I presented my knowledge in chronic disease to visitor, give them a guide in healthy eating and show the kids how to grow their vegetable at home. At the time I saw their sparkling eyes while listened to my talk, their laugh when harvested their own plan and their eager to find answer for their childish question, I feel that I found my real way.
It is not about interest or hobbies, it is what I can do it. Public Health is not only about cure the disease in poor country. It's also include making a good foundation in human and economy resources for building a better healthcare system and guiding people to live better in their environmental conditions. To do this, I cannot only go to volunteer several hours a week and sit in front of the laptop for freely online course. I need to study in system and a guide to learn how to use my knowledge in correct way.
"Better late than never", I may not study Public Health from the beginning but that would not stop me to go for healthcare way. By applying the Master Degree in Public Health in a developed country with modern healthcare system, I will have a great opportunities to develop my knowledge, as well as to be trained to gain necessary skills to successfully work and develop healthcare and nutrition project for worldwide population.
