Applying to Northern Ontario School of Medicine - Essay Example

1. Why are you applying to Northern Ontario School of Medicine? I am applying to northern Ontario school of medicine because I believe that this isthe best institution that could help me in the fulfillment of my hopes to practice in underserved or disadvantaged communities in my future as a physician. Coming from a disadvantaged community myself, I am aware of the disparities these communities experience daily. Residents in these communities do not fully experience all the attention required from doctors or health care professionals in general. The reason is that these communities have limited amount of health care professionals on duty at certain times. For example, in 2007, a friend experienced a sudden severe sharp pain from his abdomen that he could not breathe without crying in pain. We took him to the emergency but when we got there were only two doctors on duty in the entire hospital. My friend had to endure waiting for 6 hours before he could see a doctor. Even then the doctor saw him briefly which puts into question the extent of attention they were able to provide. I intend to practice in these underserved communities where my services could hopefully contribute in easing the long periods at the waiting rooms including the reduction of the other problems patients may encounter in their daily lives. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to become a doctor but I wanted a school that shared my ideas and dreams. After extensive research, I found that Ontario Northern School of Medicine is devoted in helping health professionals and students like me in focusing on these types of communities. Thus, I aspire to have the privilege of being part of the institution. 2. How have your academic, work and life experiences prepared you for being a student at Northern Ontario School of Medicine and for studying and working in rural, remote and/or northern urban communities? I was born in Ghana, an under-developed country where majority of the population live in poverty. People had little to no access to resources such as good schools, libraries, computers, tutoring, and activities pertinent to health care. My family migrated to Toronto in 1994 when I was 13. Being a minority my parents had to settle for low income jobs. As the oldest child, I was compelled to work odd jobs to contribute to the household earnings while in high school. We were forced to live in ‘ghettos and remote areas,’ with very poor housing and health care services. Many of my peers dropped out of high school, became pregnant and some turned to selling drugs. While growing up, and to some extent today, I lack the basic resources needed to develop academically and professionally. Despite all of this, I acclimatized very well into my environment and have been successful in my educational choices. The hardships that I have overcome have only made me a better person and I would not be here today if it were not the same. With my diverse background I believe I am ready to study and to work at rural communities where I could give back in some way. 4. List activities and interests outside academic and work environments not detailed elsewhere in the application. I have always wanted to do research on medical systems in different countries and compare the difference between them. I believe research like this would help different countries benefit substantially. Because of lack of funding, I have the ideas but I am not able to push through with my desired research. 5. Entrance to medical school is highly competitive. What plans have you made in the event that you are not admitted this year (or ever)? Describe any specific actions you have taken as part of this planning I’m aware of the competitive nature of medical school. If I am not granted the opportunity to enter medical school this year, I would still apply next year and those subsequent to that. While waiting, I will work on my weaknesses so that the following year I would be competitive enough to gain entry to medical school because medicine has been my childhood dream. I know most medical schools require research position before entry which admittedly is among my weak spot, not because of inability but due to inherent deficiency of opportunity. Currently, I am seeking a position as researcher, hence, I surmise this experience would enhance my chance in getting admitted to medical school if it were to be denied to be at the moment. 6. From the past 2 years, please give an example of your most enjoyable and productive learning experience. The most enjoyable and productive learning experience I had for the past two years is going back to school to complete my undergraduate degree. Completing undergraduate degree gave me the opportunity as a stepping stone to be one step closer to reach my dream of becoming a medical doctor. It is imperative that in order to be admitted to a medical school the requirement of a bachelor’s degree must be met. My eligibility gives me greatest joy because not everyone has a college diploma to be proud of. I am fortunate to have this opportunity. Finally, having this degree reinforced the ideas that I am getting closer to achieving what I always wanted in life, and that is becoming a medical doctor. 7. If you answered "Mature Student" for "Type of application" under the supplementary information section. please answer the following. Please describe how your work and life experience contribute to your ability to successfully complete the Medical Program at Northern Ontario School of Medicine. The life that I am living is not one of pleasure. There have been trials and tribulations that I have to go through which only made me stronger. Our financial impediments, though difficult, has only equipped me with the determination to push through with what I want to achieve. I believe I am a mature student in that I know what I’m about to face in medical school. I have conditioned myself to understand that the fruits of my labour will form its way into having the best achievement of all, and that is becoming a doctor. This has been my lifelong dream. The years that I had to wait made me want it more instead of making me second guess. And although there had been hindrances that halted me from it, I am now more prepared than ever to that dream. Sometimes it is easy to get in over your head. Describe a situation in which you were in over your head and how you dealt with it. The time I was way in over my head was when I was in college. I was working full-time and studying full-time. Being naïve, I thought I could handle both work and my course rigorously. But by the second week of the semester, I realized that the work load was too much for me to handle because I was spending less time on each class in order to get my work done on time. More than that, I was not grasping the concepts of my course fully. I had to make a decision that something has to give, so for the first time in my life I had to withdraw from a class. I had to drop physics. It was imperative that at that time I have to choose to give up a subject for my work. I had to sustain maintaining a job to be able to support myself. Today, I’m glad that I made that decision. Otherwise, I would not have been successful in satisfactorily completing three classes while continuously working full time. Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of others. In 2007, a friend was going through life problems where attempted suicide by taking a whole bottle of Tylenol. At that time he needed to someone to care for him. People to give him advice that life was going to be alright and that we all have problems but the key is having a positive outlook and being able to handle them. Together with a friend, we were able to encourage him and make him realize that life is not perfect and that’s okay. You do your best and leave everything to God. Put your faith in yourself and trust that things will always turn your way. Now, my friend is back on his feet completing his last year in the accounting program of New York University. It gives me levity to think that somehow I had been a positive influence in his life. Describe a time when your active listening skills really paid off. What was the outcome? What might the outcome have been had you not actively listened? In October 2007, my mother and father were killed instantly in a motor vehicle accident. A truck was on the wrong side of the road and collided head on with the car in which my parents were travelling in. At this time of my life I had to make the difficult choice of continuing college or stopping to take care my younger siblings. After consulting with my uncle, my only relative in Canada, I came to realize that the circumstances of my parents’ death brings tremendous emotional and financial burden. It was something that I had to deal with courageously as the new reluctant head of the family. I had to put my ambition in life on hold to work and support my siblings. I opted to work and attend to the needs of my siblings. Now I’m proud to say that my sister has finished her Nursing degree and my brother is entering Law school. Hence, if I did not listen to my uncle and stubbornly pursued my personal wants, my sister and brother could not have made it this far in life. Some people consider themselves to be big picture people and others are detail oriented. Which are you? Give an example that illustrates your orientation. It depends on the situation, sometimes I consider myself to be a “big picture person” and sometimes I am more detail oriented. For example, when my parents died in 2007 the big picture that I was focusing on was how I can ensure that my siblings become successful in life. I had to be steadfast in seeing that they stay in school and that they complete their education. But this also involves the need to be detail oriented. I had to analyze every aspect of the whole situation which includes our financial status. This involved having to quit school and working persistently. It also meant looking into the minute details in their lives that my parents had previously done so that they would not be led astray. Read More