Personal Statement

Signora Ferro lay heavily on the gurney which threatened to succumb to her enormous body. The air

smelled of fresh sweat, unwashed bodies, and rotting flesh. The doctor to my side shook her head at the site of the

gangrene on her foot which now seemed to be taking over her entire leg. Signora Ferro was likely in her late thirties,

but homelessness, poor hygiene and even poorer nutrition had begun to take a toll and had changed her appearance

to that of a fifty-year old woman. Her condition was so severe that her entire foot was amputated and even this

drastic measure was not enough to guarantee her condition would not worsen. I will never forget the look of utter

desperation and hopelessness with which her gaze met mine.

I was born and raised in Europe until the age of thirteen (my mother is German and my father Italian) and

during my semester abroad, I decided to utilize the opportunity to explore healthcare in Italy. My jobs included

shadowing and assisting the doctors at the clinic as well as on a motor home transformed for the purpose of traveling

to locations such as the central stations to cater specifically to illegal immigrant patients, who otherwise, had no

access to medical care. Signora Ferro was no exception to this rule.

Being a doctor encompasses much more than being intelligent and having achieved expertise in the field.

Without a genuine drive to make a difference in another’s life, and the courage to stand tall in the face of

uncertainty, the best academic is just a mediocre physician. When I was twelve, my mother and step-father decided

to leave Germany and move to a small town in northern California. As a teenager, it was difficult enough to leave

my home, my friends, and ...

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... personnel. The constant intellectual challenge is at the core of my desire to become a doctor and upon

graduating from medical school, I hope to continue to be an active part in the research field. In fact, during the year

between graduation from college and entering medical school, I plan to volunteer at a hospital in Honduras after

which I hope to be doing research at the University of Duesselforf in Germany.

At times, being a doctor requires incredible emotional strength and a continuous devotion to serving others

while providing a constant challenge to think critically and improve oneself intellectually. Through experiences I

have had, I can think of no other profession that is so fulfilling and rewarding as that of a doctor. Every new person

is a new chance to make a difference in another person’s life and help someone less fortunate than I am.