Grad's guide to graduate admissions essays - Colleen Reding 2015
Vanderbilt university school of medicine
Medicine/nursing/health
In 1985, my abuela Marta Pérez, for whom I am named, died from complications resulting from pneumonia. She was born in Havana, Cuba, and when Castro’s regime took over, she and my abuelo decided to flee the country. They left a comfortable upper middle class life for the freedom of the United States. When they arrived in America, universities would not recognize my grandmother’s Ph.D. She went back to school and earned two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. while raising six children. My abuela said that the Cuban communist regime could take material things from her, but could never take her education. Her strong emphasis on education was accompanied by a desire to enrich the lives of others, which is why she taught as a university professor. I have spent many moments in my life wondering what my abuela was like and many members of my family have told me she would be very proud of me for my hard work and dedication. Her life, values, and early death help explain why I have chosen to participate in research and to become a doctor.
Research can use scholarship to improve the lives of others. I work as a research assistant in the Children’s Digital Media Center at Georgetown University. I study the effects of media on children in a physical health, educational, and developmental context. I have worked on a study examining if the Wii gaming system can be used as an exercise tool for low-income middle and high school students, a population in which obesity is prevalent. I also explore how infants can learn how to perform a cognitive motor task from either a live or screen demonstration. Since children have no ability to learn from screen media if they do not actually watch it, I am also assisting on a study to understand if infants attend better to high- or low-paced video vignettes. Currently, I am preparing to write my Honors Thesis on an original research endeavor dealing with the effects of media on children.
Participating in the research process has informed my decision to pursue a career in medicine. Conducting research has taught me how to interact with participants in an informative, ethical, and caring manner while preserving their confidentiality. I think the researcher-participant relationship has many similarities to the doctor-patient relationship and these lessons will help me to be a good physician. Once data and results have been collected and published, the researcher moves on to a new study. However I have found that my greater passion lies in applying the discoveries of research to the community. Doctors have the unique ability to use education, dedication, and research performed by others in the medical and academic community toward the goal of extending and bettering the lives of individuals. While research has allowed me to develop skills to be a good physician, it has also helped me decide with certainty that my future lies in medicine.
As an ocean rescue lifeguard for three summers in Neptune Beach, FL, I was able to develop many skills that will help me to be a great doctor. Acute observational skills are required to watch for dangerous situations and prevent beachgoers from entering into them. In the event of emergencies, which were not uncommon, I was able to think quickly and use emergency medical techniques I had learned as a First Responder to make important decisions under high-pressure situations. Whether a swimmer had been rescued from a riptide, broken a wrist, or received a jellyfish sting, patient care was of the utmost importance. In many cases, the patients were scared or in shock and helping them to calm down, understand the problem, and to determine the best choice of treatment helped me learn important patient care skills. Finally, as a lifeguard on duty on a busy beach, I acted as responsible for the lives of the swimmers and people on the beach. In these ways, my extensive experience as a lifeguard exposed me to important decision making under pressure and working as a first responder gave me insight to patient care.
At Georgetown University, I have improved my leadership skills through my involvement in New Student Orientation and Blue and Gray Society. These leadership experiences are meaningful to me because I believe getting to know peers and faculty and being an active member of the campus community are very important parts of student life. When I become a doctor, I do not plan to limit my career to the inside of a hospital or office but instead to integrate myself into my community through leadership. I have already begun to do this in my home community of Jacksonville, FL, through the Leadership Jacksonville organization. Participating in LJ programs for high school and college students, I have seen the impact that concerned citizens have on their community. Most importantly, these experiences have shown me some of the areas in my community that need the most help and where I could make an impact as a doctor such as prenatal care for poor mothers, preventative treatment for heart disease and breast cancer, and education about fitness and nutrition to fight obesity. These leadership and educational experiences have helped confirm my decision to be a physician and given me insight into possible specialties to pursue.