St. James School of Medicines, Admission Essay Example

 My life has been marred by traumatic events ever since I can remember. My father died of heart attack during the war in Liberia from gunshot wounds when I was very young, prompting my mother moved to Sierra Leone as a refugee where she raised my siblings and me as a single parent without very much money or help. Access to education was limited, especially for members of the refugee community. I felt as though I had a very slim chance of becoming something great as a result. Seeing the pain and suffering of other refugees on a quotidian basis cultivated a desire in me to become a doctor in order to help others in need. 

 My fascination with medicine burgeoned out of my interest in Science and my fascination with the way in which the human body functions at a cellular level. Now, as I reflect, my passion for medicine runs deeper than a mere interest in physiology. When I was young, my uncle suffered from a heart attack, which he sadly did not survive. This memory became ingrained in me as I remember feeling so helpless when the ambulance took over an hour to arrive and help my uncle. My mum and I, a twelve year old boy, quickly  went straight over. I remember most specifically being in his living room, on the phone with the 999 operator relaying instructions to my mum, who was in another room with my unconscious uncle. I blamed myself for a long time, thinking that he might have lived if I had given the instructions more clearly and had the capacity to help and save him. 

 No one in my family is a doctor, and I never thought I would get an opportunity to become one. Yet, my family has suffered from illness and disease which has spawned trauma and tragedy time and again. My younger sister died in my arms due to an unknown illness. My older brother as well died at the age of 25 due to an unknown illness as well. Unfortunately, the majority of my immediate family members have died of unknown illnesses, and I felt so helpless. My mother and I are the only surviving members of my immediate family. All of these people who I cared so much about extirpated in the presence of me yet I was not able to help. Such circumstances left me feeling helpless, and time and again I wished I was doctor who could help my family members and keep them alive even in the most dire circumstances. This experience has driven me to want to be involved in a medical profession. I view medical school as an opportunity to help others from having to go through the trauma and pain that I went through due to inadequate medical care and lack of resources. 

 In addition, medical schools offers me a lifelong tenure of learning, the opportunity to teach and impart my skills to others who are less fortunate, and mostly, more than any other profession, a profession in the medical field foments a true sense of being able to make a difference to the community for individuals such as myself who have not been blessed with the opportunities to pursue such a professional career. I have learned that in life it is important to learn from life challenges and use those events to become a much better and stronger person. Overcoming obstacles and such profound adversity exhibits how a person retains the capacity to rise to various life challenges and meet deadlines despite dealing with a litany of external pressures that may be affecting an individual.