Hi. Below are my short responses to Johns Hopkins. Please help correct my grammars or provide comments. Thank you :)!
Briefly describe your most rewarding experience or some achievement of which you are particularly proud (900 characters).
Last summer, I was sponsored by the UC Berkeley Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships to conduct my independent project titled "DNA Repair Pathway in Heterochromatin" in the Karpen Lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Using molecular techniques such as cloning and immunofluorescence, I deeply engaged in the study of how the cells recognize and repair DNA double-strand breaks in their genomes. Within the SURF community, I met and learned from other student scholars who were pursuing interesting projects, from excavating Neanderthal remains in Russia to exploring HIV transmission in Malawi. Moreover, I had a rewarding opportunity to give a PowerPoint presentation of my research to principal investigators, postdoctoral scholars, and other SURF fellows. This was an intellectually stimulating experience, and I truly enjoyed the creativity and innovation in self-directed research.
Are there any areas of medicine that are of particular interest to you? If so, please comment (1100 characters).
Of the many dynamic fields of study in medicine, one particularly stands out for me: surgery. I developed a fervent interest in surgery while studying at UC Berkeley, where I dissected human cadavers in an anatomy course and performed biweekly dissections on anesthetized rabbits in the Forte Lab. My interest is further heightened through my volunteer work at SF General Hospital. There, I have shadowed physicians as they performed preliminary surgeries to stabilize trauma patients before transporting them to the OR. On two occasions, I was given the opportunity to help stitch up a deep laceration across a man's head and cast a patient's left foot with a broken tibia and fibula.
Surgery is a stimulating and interactive branch of medicine, one which will allow me to engage in extensive communication and collaboration with a team of surgeons to carry out successful operations. It will be truly rewarding to develop the skills and knowledge to help patients recover from life-threatening traumas or diseases. I look forward with great enthusiasm to learning the tools of the surgeon's trade.
Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity; include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician (900).
When I first immigrated to the US, I struggled to learn the English language to adapt to American schools and to be able to tutor my younger siblings. My parents spoke no English and were busy toiling from dawn to dusk to support their seven children. Because of my family's limited means, I took full advantage of different public resources, from attending after-school homework clubs to engaging in the local library's summer reading programs, to improve my English. My painstaking effort and diligence have paid off as I am now finishing my double major at UC Berkeley with high honors.
In overcoming my adversity, I have learned to consider each challenge a life learning experience and undertake it with determination and perseverance. As a future physician, I will encounter many challenges in my practice of medicine, and I will always approach each with great confidence and assiduousness.
If Applicable, describe a situation where you were not in the majority (1100).
I first stepped foot in the US when I was nine. All through elementary and middle school, my cultural and language barriers hindered my education and assimilation. I was regularly teased by other kids for mispronouncing words or speaking in a foreign accent. Growing up, I was very self-conscious of my minority background and often kept to myself.
In high school, I volunteered to be a youth leader at the Vietnamese Educational and Cultural Association, where I currently teach introductory Vietnamese to children in my community. Working with the youth has helped me to take pride in my identity as a Vietnamese American and to embrace the richness and beauties of both cultures. At Berkeley, I was able to share my Vietnamese customs and traditions with other undergraduate students through teaching a course called "Vietnam and Vietnamese Culture through Films."
My upbringing has instilled in me a deep empathy for the minority and inspired me to become a compassionate physician who will utilize my multicultural background to provide effective care for patients from all walks of life.
Thanks vietfun2k :)
In your second answer, I thought that the introductory sentence was a bit of a cliche, and I think that is the lamest way to start the answer because if the first sentence already bores the Admissions Committee, then that is not always a good thing.
I remove the surgeon's trade part because it is understood from your answer that you want to become a surgeon. I thought that the way you ended that answer was also a bit cliche-ish and not that impactful or enlightening about yourself.
That is why I removed those two parts. However, other people may think otherwise, but my suggestion is to remove it.
