The long drive - Harvard - Medical personal statement advice
Hometown: Stoneham, Massachusetts, USA
Undergraduate School: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Undergraduate). University of Massachusetts Lowell (Graduate). Post baccalaureate courses at Harvard Extension School.
Major: Pharmacy/Biological Sciences
GPA: 3.9 out of 4.0 (First Class Honors, WES Evaluated Foreign Transcript), 3.9/4.0 (Graduate)
MCAT: 33. PS: 13, V: 9, BS: 11.
Medical personal statement advice
My mother was my only parent after my father abandoned us during my childhood in rural Ghana. We scratched out our living by subsistence farming and relied on homemade concoctions for our health needs. At eleven years old, I could not imagine that my life could become any more difficult until one morning when I saw my mother lying helpless in my uncle’s arms as she was rushed out of our home for a desperate drive to the local clinic. The day before, she had appeared free of her recent episodes of stomach pain. Now, she had whispered her last words to my older sister. My hope faded away as I watched her disappear into the distance. That was the last time I would see my mother alive. In the ensuing days, my questions about her death would remain unanswered beyond the fact that she had arrived at the clinic too late to be saved. As tragic as it was, this experience instilled in me a resolve to find ways to help curb such loss in my community.
Fortunately, my oldest aunt became my surrogate mother and gave me a fighting chance to escape the fate that many other orphans faced: ending up on the streets or becoming a victim of child abuse. Inspired by my aunt and teachers, I poured my whole heart into my education and completed high school against the odds of becoming a dropout. By the time I graduated, I had developed a strong interest in science and medicine and was accepted to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to study pharmaceutical sciences. In university, I was elected President of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Students’ Association amidst shrinking national budgets for community health programs. Still, the impact of poverty forced many rural communities to resort to self-medication with herbal concoctions, antibiotics, or a combination of these to treat their ailments. Realizing how much student efforts could help mitigate this challenge, I initiated projects to raise more than $10,000 to educate rural communities about HIV/AIDS, malaria, and safe use of medications. My interest in medicine grew as I came face-to-face with the grim picture of my nation’s healthcare system.
In my senior year of university, I served as a pharmacy intern in a small regional cancer center in Kumasi, Ghana. I also observed medical teams caring for their patients. Like my mother, these patients represented the hopes of many families plagued with the burden of disease and poverty. The folkloric belief that cancer was an irrevocable curse had left some of these patients without hope. Yet, they trusted my naïve advice and agreed to follow their chemotherapy treatment plans. Winning these patients’ confidence required both my compassion for them and my respect for their beliefs. Rising above their mythical beliefs, these patients relied upon their connections with the clinic staff for the strength to fight on. However, the glass counter that separated my cubicle from these
patients became a literal wall over time; I wanted to connect with them directly to help them in their fight against cancer. These experiences spurred me on my journey to become a physician. I desired to learn about human health and disease so that I could be able to offer help where none existed.
After migrating to the US in 2008, my journey to becoming a doctor took a few detours while I secured my living conditions, supported my family back in Ghana, and eventually, became an American citizen. I undertook graduate studies in biological sciences and internships in medical device R&D at University of Massachusetts Lowell while completing pre-medical courses at the Harvard Extension School. My inspiration to give others a fighting chance also led me to become a non-commissioned officer (NCO) and a combat medic in the U.S. Army Reserve. As a soldier, I took this opportunity to learn medical and non-medical skills to help save the lives of wounded soldiers on the battlefield. I could not be prouder to serve my fellow soldiers and protect the freedoms that make my dreams possible. These dreams now include serving in national and global medical missions. As a volunteer with the Upper Merrimack Valley Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), I serve as an emergency medical technician and assist with local disaster relief operations. With the MRC, I work with community public health programs such as screening patients for hypertension and promoting good health habits at local health fairs. These opportunities to serve in the community have reinforced my resolve to become a physician and work in clinical medicine.
Many people have believed in me, helped me, and given me the hope to overcome my challenges and become what I am today. I believe that I have a duty to give back. The burden of disease and poverty still plague Ghana and other developing countries; hope must prevail in the fight to address this burden.
I might bring this hope while caring for the sick or wounded. I might pass on knowledge to multiply the available hands in this fight. I might contribute to discoveries that provide new tools to replace disease with health. I must build my capacities first. I look forward to becoming a medical student to nurture myself and ultimately to fulfill this calling.
Analysis
Throughout this essay, Kobby’s relentless dedication, even in the face of adversity, to improving the state of health care in his home country of Ghana serves as a glowing display of his character and values.
His essay begins with an impactful moment in his life: his mother’s death. Though tragic, it allows Kobby to provide readers with clear insight into why he is so deeply passionate about serving others in his family, community, and country. The story gives the reader a window into what drives him to do what he does.
Kobby then highlights several experiences that have furthered his understanding of the inequalities and issues that permeate Ghana’s health care system. With each experience, he shows the reader not only his passion for influencing change in a broken system but also different personal qualities that help paint a more vivid image of his character. Through his descriptions, he demonstrates that he is not only critical and thoughtful but also compassionate and empathetic, ultimately signaling that he has what it takes to be a great doctor.
The conclusion of the essay returns to Kobby’s dedication to his home country of Ghana, a theme that is skillfully interwoven throughout the essay. His ability to maintain this consistent theme demonstrates how giving back is always in the back of his mind, motivating him. In his final paragraph, he ruminates about the future and the changes he hopes to bring back to Ghana. In connecting this passion to medical school, he concludes this already strong essay with a convincing case for his determination to become a doctor.
From 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays edited by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson. Copyright (c) 2020 by the authors and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Publishing Group