During a class meeting in my third year of medical school, we were handed our personal statements from our medical school application to remind us how far we have come. It was a cringe worthy moment as a lot of us realized we were no longer the wide eyed idealist who wanted to save the world. As I read through my statement; however, I was reminded why I sat in this medical school classroom. I wanted to be a psychiatrist. Growing up in Hong Kong, I was required to narrow our academic focus early in high school and I spent my years studying the physical sciences. At the age of 18, I had the opportunity to study In the US. I embraced my newfound freedom and took advantage of the diverse course offerings and abundant research opportunities at the University of California, Berkeley. Determined to be interdisciplinary, I did not limit myself to my major in Economics, but instead participated in research in diverse areas such as political science and business. Of all my academic endeavors, it was my research in Bipolar Disorder that grabbed my attention. Our work included studying the triggers and treatment for the manic state of bipolar disorder. I was excited not only to contribute my ideas to this research, but also to have the opportunity to organize experimental sessions and …show more content…
I took advantage of a rare opportunity to work alongside a psychiatrist with other medical students in Hong Kong. The time I spent behind those locked doors put faces on the devastating mental illnesses I had only read about in textbooks. As I interacted with patients who stared into space or observed others on a psychotic rampage, I not only empathized with their tragic predicament but was also intrigued that the human brain could go so awry. Despite the chaos, I also witnessed the most trusting and genuine relationships among physicians and patients. I was moved by this healing art, and I desperately wanted to be a part of