Undergraduate / Personal Statement for Application to Undergraduate Bionengineering Program. [7]

I'm new so please forgive any errors I make (or already have made) in ignorance. Not sure if this is even the right place for this but didn't see anywhere else that looked more applicable.

Prompt:

"Your personal statement should explain your interest in Bioengineering, your motivation to join our program, and your goals for the future. Please include a paragraph explaining how the research in the department matches your interests. If you have work or volunteer experience related to the field (for example research or internship experience), please tell us about it. If you have applied previously to the department, please discuss what has changed or improved since your last application.

Essay:

While the last year of high school is often reputed to be a time of carefree relaxation; those who have experienced it know this to be untrue. It was during this hectic time when, in the midst of applying to colleges, studying for AP exams and completing my senior project, I was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a congenital heart defect which can cause tachycardia and, rarely, sudden cardiac death. Fortunately, WPW Syndrome is one of the few causes of sudden death which can be cured and recent advances in medical technology have transformed the treatment from risky open heart surgery to minimally invasive catheter ablation. Catheters had recently introduced newer catheters utilizing cryo energy as opposed to more traditional RF energy in the US and were used in my surgery. Had these cryo catheters not been available and RF catheters used instead, the accessory electrical pathway's proximity to my heart's AV node would most likely have left me with a permanent pacemaker at the age of eighteen

Though discovering that I had a heart defect requiring surgery added tremendously to the stress of an already challenging senior year I also benefitted from my experience. I enjoy the challenges of math and science in general and biology and physics in particular and have known from an early age that I would like to combine these interests in a career. My experience with WPW Syndrome impressed upon me the critical nature of medical advancement and provided a vision of how I could employ my passion for biology and physics. Pursuing a career in medical research would satisfy two of my primary career goals; working in a field which combines the two areas or science I enjoy and working to provide advanced medical solutions so that others can benefit as I have. I am considering two paths to achieve these long-term goals, the first being to apply for admission to medical school post-bachelors, and the second to continue with my studies through a PhD program. I am applying for admission to the Bioengineering Department because I believe the strong course of study the college offers will assist me in the development of the tools and knowledge necessary to achieve my goals.

My respect for the College grows as I investigate the research being done in the Bioengineering department, all of which is extremely exciting to me. I am especially drawn to the research being performed by Dr. Crum on the uses of ultrasound in a wide variety of medical capacities. Applications such as Acoustic Hemostasis, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy, and Ultrasound-Enhanced Drug Delivery are all scientifically fascinating and strongly remind me of the technologies that allowed my WPW syndrome to be treated safely, effectively, and as noninvasively as possible. Medical advancements such as these benefit people who would otherwise require invasive procedures or, worse yet, have no options for treatment at all. Being afforded the opportunity to participate in research projects ongoing in the department would be of great pleasure to me. I believe I not only would gain valuable experience and insight, but also make a positive contribution to the advancement of research being performed.