Undergraduate / 'the Wonderland my mother had tucked away' - Premed essay [5]

Ahh so im applying to weill-cornell in qatar, and the essay prompt is: You may write a story about yourself that provides us with deep insight into the type of person you are or strive to be. Your story could involve a personal experience, a situation in which your character was tested, a humorous anecdote, or a significant academic situation. You may also include your most significant accomplishments to date and what inspired you to want to pursue a medical career. (800 words or less).. Im pretty good with the word limit, im at 764, so s'all goodd, but i feel like this is VERY rough, ANY help is appreciated THANK YOU :)

My Time in a Hospital

I was Alice discovering the Wonderland my mother had tucked away in her closet. In hushed tones, I caressed the tattered edges of her college textbooks. I had always found some sort of pleasure as I indulged into a world I never thought could exist. At seven years old, I had already picked out the brushes that would eventually paint the passions I have today. Just like Alice painted the roses red, I painted the love of biology onto my personality.

Page 113 was my favourite. My fingers had manipulated the book so many times that opening to that page came naturally. It depicted three strange, abstract shapes concealed in sacs; carefully cut so that I could see the inside. I would read the caption, my finite vocabulary struggling to comprehend what these beautifully mysterious images were. Upon asking my mother, I was struck with a shock so powerful, I can still feel the repercussions of it today: "This is you, my love." These words breathed life into the inanimate shapes I so longed to understand. The pictures were of three babies in different stages of pregnancy, and the fact that this was how I was formed, drove me crazy. I started asking about everything I saw in myself: Why do I have two eyes? Why are my legs shaped that way? What am I? As I grew up, I took every opportunity I was given to learn the answers. Honours and AP Biology classes, the Discovery channel, and anything dealing with the human body became my love, as strange as it sounds. But the one thing that brought me the closest to what I believe to be my calling was volunteering at the Aramco Hospital during the summer of 2011. I finally knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a doctor, because it is the single thing that merges my fascination with the human body and how it works, with my sociability and passion of meeting new people.

In the hospital, I was Alice once again. I thought I had reached the peak of my intrigue when I was immersed in my biology textbooks, but I was missing out on a whole other level. My time in the day-surgery sector of the hospital proved that to me. I was in charge of dealing with the patients before and after their surgeries; this included asking them important questions such as what medications they were on, calming them down, aiding the doctors, and more. In addition, the nurses all spoke either only English, or only Arabic. Thus, I was also in charge of translating between the eclectic group of patients, and the nurses. This put me in a position of responsibility I did not think I would be granted until after I graduated college. For that, I am genuinely thankful. When I opened the grandiose doors of the hospital every morning at 7:00, I could feel myself being greeted by images of my future; I wasn't looking at a series of desks and chairs, I was looking at myself. Needless to say, I sincerely believe that this thirst for medicine is in my blood. It floods the web of veins that make me who I am. Though it may sound exaggerated, it is the same answer you will get when you ask the people closest to me about 'my passions'.

I tend to look the world as if I am staring it through a magnifying glass, as Alice in Wonderland had to do when she grew three times her size. I scrutinise the details, and it has been that way since I was a child. I do not look at the houses, but the rooms. Not the body, but the cells. In order for medicine to be effective, one must be able to do exactly that. Knowing this, I have found a way to work this awkward quirk I was cursed with to my benefit; I have found yet another thing that makes me and medicine a perfect match.

My time at the hospital lasted only 2 weeks, but its effects on me will last a lifetime. I know I am still Alice, barely stepping foot into the boundless world of medicine, but someday, I hope to have tread miles into it. Knowing that I could delve into depths not many people even think to explore, knowing that I could be the cause for the smiles on patient's faces, and knowing that I will be doing what I love, is my definition of ecstasy. And I want it, so badly.

Undergraduate / 'beautiful haunting experience' - UF Application [2]

Lebanon Experience

It was big, red, and shiny. I looked at it with a wide-eyed wonder, and hopped on it as soon as I could. Riding a bicycle was a new concept to me, and I was extremely eager to learn. My exuberant elation, however, led to my dismay as I fell countless times onto the unforgiving concrete floor. A spiteful hatred built within me and I refused to get back on what was then considered to be my enemy. That was until my father uttered those same words that resonate in my head today: "Darling, the darkness doesn't do anything but give you the chance to light a candle." And that is what I did everyday from then on. I lit a candle.

When life gives me an opportunity to cry, whine, and groan, I give a complacent shrug and do something about it. One time this has taken place was during the summer of 2006. My family and I were in Lebanon, completely oblivious to the cataclysm that was about to take place. When the first bomb was dropped, panic engulfed the nation, and took hold of my family. Yet, just when I was about to lose hope, that familiar song chimed in my head: "light a candle". We moved fast and found a safe place to stay, and I made it my goal to help at least another family make it through the darkness that held the country in shackles.

While driving around the broken streets of Lebanon with my family, I ran into the Nassers, a family whose home had been destroyed by a bomb. I invited them to come live with us for a while until they found a place to stay. They had a daughter my age named Renna. Not only has she become my best friend, but we now look back on what should be the most terrifying days of our lives, and smile. I found a feeble sliver of light in one of the darkest of situations, and turned it into an omnipotent ray.

I am stronger now. Because of that beautifully haunting experience, I know I am capable of anything. When people ask others about a girl named Manar, they get the same answer: Oh, she is the one that is always smiling. Whether I have strenuous exams, projects, or homework, I continue to walk around with a smile on my face and do all I possibly can to thrive through these times. In fact, I see them more as opportunities rather than burdens. I am also more responsible now. Though somewhat unorthodox to think about, I do believe I have gained intellectual competency, integrity, and assiduousness from this incident due to figuring out all the things in this world I have yet to learn. After all, these are what I consider to be the most important traits in a student.

With every task I receive, a soft shadow of my experience in Lebanon is cast over me, reminding me that even through the most difficult of situations, there is a way. This shadow, I know, comes from the candle I have learned to light every day of my life. I am a changed person. These experiences have made me the student I am today, because now, despite all the agonizing pain and stress that school perpetually lays upon me, I know that there is always a reason to smile.

AHHH its supposed to be 400-500 words and this is wellllll over 500 hahaha, and i feel like i talked way too muchhh. And i used "I" too much. And i'm just kinda meh about the whole thing ahhh :(. Anyway, ANYY suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much in advance :)