Application Essay For The UCLA Pre-Medical Enrollment Program

I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to participate in the UCLA Pre-Medical Enrichment Program this summer. I am particularly interested in this program because it is a comprehensive opportunity for me to improve my readiness for medical school and the application process, while developing skills that will improve my chances of matriculation despite my background. I became interested in medicine due to various experiences that have effected my family and I from a very young age. My family came to the United States as refugees of the Angolan Civil war in 2001. Two years later, I was the first in my family to be born in the United States. 10 months after I was born, my father passed away from pneumonia, leaving my mother, who only

In order to develop my interest and knowledge of modern medicine, I have taken interdisciplinary coursework that has exposed me to various scientific disciplines that have real-world clinical applications. An example of this is my experience taking the course Human Anatomy and Physiology. Although it isn’t a course required to be taken by the vast majority of medical schools, I decided to take to gain a better understanding of the human body, discover body systems that I found particularly interesting and could pursue research or a specialization in. Through this course, I have been able to learn so much outside of just the human body, as we explored different challenges being faced in the current U.S. healthcare system and disparities experienced by various demographics of people. Outside of coursework, I have dedicated time as officer of an organization called Access Redefined that advocates and raises awareness for various health conditions and disabilities experienced by my college’s diverse student body. This position has opened my eyes to many people’s experiences and the challenges that they have personally faced in a medical setting, which has opened my eyes to disparities present in various areas of medicine, often times being caused by health policy or accessibility. Spending time listening to my organization’s member’s experiences has helped me develop into a conscientious, passionate, and respectful individual both for them and for the world around me. Their first-hand experiences have made me aware of problems in healthcare and women’s health that are even affecting people in my campus community. In the future, I hope to gain shadowing and clinical volunteer experience, which will allow me to learn more about modern medicine from current medical professionals and/or within the institution