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I grew up in a small town in Hawaii. As a child, I was always playing tennis. Both my father and my mother play, and their love of the sport was passed down to my brother and me. After a day at Punahou School, where I received my primary and secondary school education, a tennis court is where you would undoubtedly find me. The thud of a ball across strings; the heat of your opponent’s stare; a drop of sweat slipping down the handle of the racket, these were sensations I craved. Competing in tournaments weekly, I became a top-ranked junior tennis player. I have never measured my achievements in tennis by the outcome of my matches, but instead on whether I had been personally improving. This was instilled in me by my father, who would remind me it was about what you could gain from the experience, win or lose. The sense of pride I have over my amateur tennis career came from successfully executing what I had practiced for hours. Though I have long left my competitive tennis career behind me, the mentality of constantly working to improve myself remains alive within me.

This continued in college, where I strived to be become the best version of myself. With very little preparation in the subject, I decided to major in Biology at the University of California Irvine (UCI). As what many of us do when faced with an unfamiliar situation, I took to the internet for answers where I discovered an introductory biology course online taught by Dr. John Johnson from UCI. With a little more confidence, I stepped into my first day at UCI and was shocked to discover that one of my professors was Dr. Johnson. I recall approaching her to tell her that it was like seeing an old friend. In many ways, this set the stage for my fascination with the biology that underlies human disease and my desire to pursue a career in medicine. From various extracurricular activities such as participating in the MathBioU Program, joining the Student-Run Free Clinic Project, and tutoring as part of the UCI Biological Sciences Peer Tutors, I have and will continue to take every opportunity to better myself as an aspiring physician.

After my sophomore year, I transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for both academic and personal reasons. Academically, I believed UCLA was the place for me to be. Not only was there a world-class department for molecular and cellular biology, there was also an abundance of undergraduate research opportunities that were not available at UCI. I saw research as the most compelling way to augment my undergraduate education. In addition, my mother had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. With family living in the Los Angeles area, I reasoned that this would allow me to have a stronger support system in these trialing times. After transferring institutions, I took advantage of the research opportunities available and immersed myself in an independent research project as part of the Feigon Lab. Initially, I reasoned that this experience would explicitly serve as a foundation for the critical thinking skills and understanding of research necessary to be a doctor. However, this opportunity has inspired to pursue a career in research that I had previously not considered. Thus, I no longer desired to simply be a physician. I want to combine my interest in biology with my commitment to patients as a physician scientist.

Since graduating in 2018, I continue on this path in pursuit of physician scientist training. In preparation, I have opted to continue my research in the Feigon Lab as a research technician, where we investigate the structure of ribonucleoproteins. This opportunity to fully immerse myself in research has allowed me to enhance my training as a scientist and become involved in various projects within the lab. We are currently preparing two manuscripts that I have contributed to for publication in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, I am shadowing Dr. Jeffrey Lowe at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii for approximately 50 hours during July 2019. This time has allowed me to reflect on the kind of physician scientist I aspire to be. Human life expectancy has grown rapidly largely due to improvements in technology, public health and medicine. However, this dramatic increase does not necessarily come with a proportionate increase in quality of life. The all-time high prevalence of age-related diseases are direct evidence of this. From my past research experiences as well as recently auditing a course focused on the biology of aging, I am resolute in my desire in enabling people to live not only longer but also healthier lives.

At the heart of a vibrant research community, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Science Training Program (MSTP) is the ideal setting to complete my training to become a physician scientist. First, UCSD physicians and scientists work at the forefront of biomedical research. In this vein, science informs medicine. As a MSTP applicant, this has guided my goal of translating findings into interventions that delay the onset of or even prevent age-related diseases. However, addressing the research problems that limit translation requires expertise from many disciplines at the cutting-edge of biomedical research – which UCSD possesses in abundance. In particular, UCSD’s strength in basic science and translational research are an ideal foundation for me to work toward this goal and present an unrivaled environment for my medical, as well as graduate, education. Finally, I believe I would be fully engaged in community outreach UCSD has to offer, which includes the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic. From UCSD’s culture of discovery to the exemplary faculty in the field of aging research available for graduate mentorship, I am convinced that there is truly no better place to fulfill my dream of becoming a physician scientist.

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I grew up in a small town in Hawaii. As a child, I was always playing tennis. Both my father and my mother play, and their love of the sport was passed down to my brother and me. After a day at Punahou School, where I received my primary and secondary school education, a tennis court is where you would undoubtedly find me. The thud of a ball across strings; the heat of your opponent’s stare; a drop of sweat slipping down the handle of the racket, these were sensations I craved. Competing in tournaments weekly, I became a top-ranked junior tennis player. I have never measured my achievements in tennis by the outcome of my matches, but instead on whether I had been personally improving. This was instilled in me by my father, who would remind me it was about what you could gain from the experience, win or lose. The sense of pride I have over my amateur tennis career came from successfully executing what I had practiced for hours. Though I have long left my competitive tennis career behind me, the mentality of constantly working to improve myself remains alive within me.

This continued in college, where I strived to be become the best version of myself. With very little preparation in the subject, I decided to major in Biology at the University of California Irvine (UCI). As what many of us do when faced with an unfamiliar situation, I took to the internet for answers where I discovered an introductory biology course online taught by Dr. John Johnson from UCI. With a little more confidence, I stepped into my first day at UCI and was shocked to discover that one of my professors was Dr. Johnson. I recall approaching her to tell her that it was like seeing an old friend. In many ways, this set the stage for my fascination with the biology that underlies human disease and my desire to pursue a career in medicine. From various extracurricular activities such as participating in the MathBioU Program, joining the Student-Run Free Clinic Project, and tutoring as part of the UCI Biological Sciences Peer Tutors, I have and will continue to take every opportunity to better myself as an aspiring physician.

After my sophomore year, I transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for both academic and personal reasons. Academically, I believed UCLA was the place for me to be. Not only was there a world-class department for molecular and cellular biology, there was also an abundance of undergraduate research opportunities that were not available at UCI. I saw research as the most compelling way to augment my undergraduate education. In addition, my mother had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. With family living in the Los Angeles area, I reasoned that this would allow me to have a stronger support system in these trialing times. After transferring institutions, I took advantage of the research opportunities available and immersed myself in an independent research project as part of the Feigon Lab. Initially, I reasoned that this experience would explicitly serve as a foundation for the critical thinking skills and understanding of research necessary to be a doctor. However, this opportunity has inspired to pursue a career in research that I had previously not considered. Thus, I no longer desired to simply be a physician. I want to combine my interest in biology with my commitment to patients as a physician scientist.

Since graduating in 2018, I continue on this path in pursuit of physician scientist training. In preparation, I have opted to continue my research in the Feigon Lab as a research technician, where we investigate the structure of ribonucleoproteins. This opportunity to fully immerse myself in research has allowed me to enhance my training as a scientist and become involved in various projects within the lab. We are currently preparing two manuscripts that I have contributed to for publication in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, I am shadowing Dr. Jeffrey Lowe at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii for approximately 50 hours during July 2019. This time has allowed me to reflect on the kind of physician scientist I aspire to be. Human life expectancy has grown rapidly largely due to improvements in technology, public health and medicine. However, this dramatic increase does not necessarily come with a proportionate increase in quality of life. The all-time high prevalence of age-related diseases are direct evidence of this. From my past research experiences as well as recently auditing a course focused on the biology of aging, I am resolute in my desire in enabling people to live not only longer but also healthier lives.

At the heart of a vibrant research community, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Science Training Program (MSTP) is the ideal setting to complete my training to become a physician scientist. First, UCSD physicians and scientists work at the forefront of biomedical research. In this vein, science informs medicine. As a MSTP applicant, this has guided my goal of translating findings into interventions that delay the onset of or even prevent age-related diseases. However, addressing the research problems that limit translation requires expertise from many disciplines at the cutting-edge of biomedical research – which UCSD possesses in abundance. In particular, UCSD’s strength in basic science and translational research are an ideal foundation for me to work toward this goal and present an unrivaled environment for my medical, as well as graduate, education. Finally, I believe I would be fully engaged in community outreach UCSD has to offer, which includes the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic. From UCSD’s culture of discovery to the exemplary faculty in the field of aging research available for graduate mentorship, I am convinced that there is truly no better place to fulfill my dream of becoming a physician scientist.

Character Count (with spaces): 5911

Click to go back to UCSD secondary essay prompts and sample essays.

If you’d rather seek our help with medical school application review click here.

I grew up in a small town in Hawaii. As a child, I was always playing tennis. Both my father and my mother play, and their love of the sport was passed down to my brother and me. After a day at Punahou School, where I received my primary and secondary school education, a tennis court is where you would undoubtedly find me. The thud of a ball across strings; the heat of your opponent’s stare; a drop of sweat slipping down the handle of the racket, these were sensations I craved. Competing in tournaments weekly, I became a top-ranked junior tennis player. I have never measured my achievements in tennis by the outcome of my matches, but instead on whether I had been personally improving. This was instilled in me by my father, who would remind me it was about what you could gain from the experience, win or lose. The sense of pride I have over my amateur tennis career came from successfully executing what I had practiced for hours. Though I have long left my competitive tennis career behind me, the mentality of constantly working to improve myself remains alive within me.

This continued in college, where I strived to be become the best version of myself. With very little preparation in the subject, I decided to major in Biology at the University of California Irvine (UCI). As what many of us do when faced with an unfamiliar situation, I took to the internet for answers where I discovered an introductory biology course online taught by Dr. John Johnson from UCI. With a little more confidence, I stepped into my first day at UCI and was shocked to discover that one of my professors was Dr. Johnson. I recall approaching her to tell her that it was like seeing an old friend. In many ways, this set the stage for my fascination with the biology that underlies human disease and my desire to pursue a career in medicine. From various extracurricular activities such as participating in the MathBioU Program, joining the Student-Run Free Clinic Project, and tutoring as part of the UCI Biological Sciences Peer Tutors, I have and will continue to take every opportunity to better myself as an aspiring physician.

After my sophomore year, I transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for both academic and personal reasons. Academically, I believed UCLA was the place for me to be. Not only was there a world-class department for molecular and cellular biology, there was also an abundance of undergraduate research opportunities that were not available at UCI. I saw research as the most compelling way to augment my undergraduate education. In addition, my mother had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. With family living in the Los Angeles area, I reasoned that this would allow me to have a stronger support system in these trialing times. After transferring institutions, I took advantage of the research opportunities available and immersed myself in an independent research project as part of the Feigon Lab. Initially, I reasoned that this experience would explicitly serve as a foundation for the critical thinking skills and understanding of research necessary to be a doctor. However, this opportunity has inspired to pursue a career in research that I had previously not considered. Thus, I no longer desired to simply be a physician. I want to combine my interest in biology with my commitment to patients as a physician scientist.

Since graduating in 2018, I continue on this path in pursuit of physician scientist training. In preparation, I have opted to continue my research in the Feigon Lab as a research technician, where we investigate the structure of ribonucleoproteins. This opportunity to fully immerse myself in research has allowed me to enhance my training as a scientist and become involved in various projects within the lab. We are currently preparing two manuscripts that I have contributed to for publication in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, I am shadowing Dr. Jeffrey Lowe at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii for approximately 50 hours during July 2019. This time has allowed me to reflect on the kind of physician scientist I aspire to be. Human life expectancy has grown rapidly largely due to improvements in technology, public health and medicine. However, this dramatic increase does not necessarily come with a proportionate increase in quality of life. The all-time high prevalence of age-related diseases are direct evidence of this. From my past research experiences as well as recently auditing a course focused on the biology of aging, I am resolute in my desire in enabling people to live not only longer but also healthier lives.

At the heart of a vibrant research community, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Science Training Program (MSTP) is the ideal setting to complete my training to become a physician scientist. First, UCSD physicians and scientists work at the forefront of biomedical research. In this vein, science informs medicine. As a MSTP applicant, this has guided my goal of translating findings into interventions that delay the onset of or even prevent age-related diseases. However, addressing the research problems that limit translation requires expertise from many disciplines at the cutting-edge of biomedical research – which UCSD possesses in abundance. In particular, UCSD’s strength in basic science and translational research are an ideal foundation for me to work toward this goal and present an unrivaled environment for my medical, as well as graduate, education. Finally, I believe I would be fully engaged in community outreach UCSD has to offer, which includes the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic. From UCSD’s culture of discovery to the exemplary faculty in the field of aging research available for graduate mentorship, I am convinced that there is truly no better place to fulfill my dream of becoming a physician scientist.

Character Count (with spaces): 5911

Click to go back to UCSD secondary essay prompts and sample essays.