Any comments would be appreciated!
Select one experience from your list in part B (Non-Academic Activities) and describe in a brief essay how it impacted on your decision to go into medicine. Do not exceed 1500 characters (about 250 words).
During the year I spent taking premedical courses, I worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital with the Director of Interventional Neuroradiology on a number of projects. These projects included innovative stent designs, acoustic aneurysm detection, and the development of rapid prototyping techniques to enable a physician to practice difficult cases. Although I had decided that I wanted to work in the medical field, I had not fully decided on whether I wanted to work as an engineer developing medical devices, or provide direct patient care as a physician. While I found the technology this doctor utilized in providing treatment fascinating, I realized that, as an engineer, I would never have the personal experience of directly caring for others. Watching these physicians perform intricate procedures to heal their patients, I became aware of the compassion these doctors exhibited. Additionally, I was excited by how these doctors integrated manual dexterity, medical knowledge and technology into patient care. I realized that I did not wish to perform research isolated from clinical medicine, and that I would obtain considerably more satisfaction working directly with patients. This is not to say I have lost all interest in research. Instead, I wish to combine a medical education with my knowledge of engineering, so that I may act as a bridge between these disciplines and assist in creating innovative medical technologies.
At the University of Michigan Medical School, we are committed to building a superb educational community with students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions, and backgrounds. What would you as an individual bring to our medical school community? Do not exceed 1500 characters (about 250 words).
I bring to the University of Michigan Medical School a student with a strong electrical and biomedical engineering background, a background based on problem solving both as an individual and as part of a team. My time as an engineer has matured my ability to plan and think analytically. I have also cultivated great flexibility in dealing with changing problems or when a colleague has a better approach. I am excited to exchange insights with my peers, knowing that there is so much to learn from an educational community as diverse as Michigans. My current research combines electrical engineering, cellular biology, material science, and physiology into a field where a working knowledge of many subjects is vital to achieving success. Integrating information from multiple disciplines has become natural, and has allowed me to create a novel electrode design for interfacing with the peripheral nerves of amputees. Beyond the engineer, I am an individual who is known to crack a smile during times of stress, who loves to cook, play hockey, snowboard, and holler Go Blue on football Saturdays. I have a passion for teaching, and understand my students frustrations. I also very much enjoys sharing in their successes. In fact, I hope to someday share my knowledge and experience with the next generation of medical students. I bring a committed student, who hopes to contribute to, as well as draw from, the wide variety of knowledge that exists among Michigans medical students.
