Loma Linda University Value - Essay Example

number Tell us what characteristics of Loma Linda are particularly attractive and meaningful to you and why you have chosen to apply for advanced education. I knew I wanted to be a nurse even when I was still a small child. Perhaps this decision was influenced by my family background. My father is a doctor who has a strong spirit and an ardent love for his job. Since I was five years old, he often brought me to the nursing home where he was a volunteer. I was his partner – his nurse. Days at the nursing home are still some of my fondest memories because I spent time with my dad and I became part of a loving community – some things many kids today are lacking. I never knew why my dad brought me with him when he volunteered. Perhaps there was no one else who can take care of me, or maybe he simply wanted to teach me a lesson about compassion and caring, I haven’t really asked. But as a dreamy child, these visits at the nursing home brought me a different understanding of people’s needs and my own purpose in life. For one, I realized that people who referred to medical professionals are human beings and must be treated with love and respect in order for them to get better. I saw that by genuinely caring for the patient’s well-being, it gave them the will to fight off their own ailments. I also saw that being a health practitioner, one is not superior to his patients. In fact, superiority should not be an issue. My observations led me to understand that the patient is half the solution. Without the patient’s cooperation, the doctor cannot be successful. Hence, I realized that the medical profession is really about building relationships with patients, rather than the prescription of medicines. Working with my father at the nursing home made me understand that the health profession is not about earning good income for one’s self. Instead, it is about helping others in need, without waiting for anything in return. We needed money at home, but this did not stop my father from giving his own time and effort to serve other people. It was his own way of thanking the community which helped make him into the happy and content man that he is. I am aware that my own view of the medical profession is not common, and it became important for me to choose schools that will not only provide me the skill to become a better nurse – I needed a school that supports my own view of how health services should be rendered. Any school could teach me to become competent in my career, but there are only very few schools that can help sustain the fire inside me. I know for a fact that there are nursing schools that bombard one with so much information that one can forget why they chose to become a nurse in the first place. I didn’t want this to happen to me. I knew Loma Linda University was the school for me when I read your mission statement which says, Loma Linda University…seeks to further the healing and teaching ministry of Jesus Christ "to make man whole" by: Educating ethical and proficient Christian health professionals and scholars through instruction, example, and the pursuit of truth; Expanding knowledge through research in the biological, behavioral, physical, and environmental sciences and applying this knowledge to health and disease; Providing comprehensive, competent, and compassionate health care for the whole person through faculty, students, and alumni. “To make man whole” captivated me. It held so much meaning for me. How does one make another person “whole”? If I were to become a nurse, I needed to know the answer to this question because I knew that one can only “whole” when one is healthy enough to experience everything that life has to offer. By reading your mission statement, I felt that I found an ally in my belief that the medical profession is a sacred task. I knew that by working with professors and school staff who understood this, I can become, not only a great nurse, but also a great person as well. I want to learn how to help other people become “whole” and I know this is only possible if I am involved in a school that has a holistic view of education. Another thing that struck me about Loma Linda University is your method of teaching which underscores the “pursuit of truth”. When I first read this, I asked myself, “what does that mean?’ and then a light of understanding flooded me. The “pursuit of truth” became very real for me in an instant, and that was pretty exciting. If I ask myself that question after reading your mission statement, I am sure I will ask it many times more when I am in one of your course offerings. And I look forward to that. I am excited to keep asking that question, and I am even more excited to know that answers will come along the way, and that those answers cannot always be found on a textbook. This for me is real education. When I am able to experience knowledge, when it is no longer a theory that resides in the mind, but rather, it becomes so practical and real, I can almost touch it, is my own measure of learning. If I received so much stimulus after reading a simple mission statement, then I know, I will get even more when I am starting to learn about my chosen career, a career I have put my whole heart and mind into since I first stepped into the nursing home with my father. 2. Discuss how your spiritual experience has influenced and been integrated into your daily life. I am hoping that from the first few pages of this application, you can already get an idea of my thought process and beliefs. I tend to think deep about simple things because my father believed (and I share this too) that one should not waste time on unimportant things. Deep contemplation through meditation and prayer has enabled me to make difficult decisions and discard the unimportant and focus on the important only. For me, this is an important process, because it puts me in a close encounter with the divine, an intelligence that knows more than I will ever know in my lifetime. A spiritual experience, for me, is a conversation with my God, a tapping of the source, an expansion of awareness. Sometimes when I am deep in the experience, I ask questions about the role of man’s existence on earth and the inner workings of the universe. What intelligence designed man so that his heart beats and his blood flows? Why, of all the planets, was earth the only one that has life? Is there a meaning behind this design? I have discovered that everything created by God has a purpose, and as such, must be regarded as “important”, regardless of what value judgments we have of it. And because everything important has a purpose, it must be sacred, or else God would not have bothered with it. This has a lot of meaning for me. For one, when I realize, through deep contemplation, what is important, then I have to commit to it. I may doubt about it some time, but then, I will remember again the entire process I had to go through before I made any decision so it becomes easier to remember why I chose to make it a part of my life. Moreover, because I have decided that something is important for me, then I need to do it with extreme care and love. I cannot do it haphazardly. Because of this, I discover that I am happy and proud of my own achievements since I poured my whole being into it. In short, whatever I have done contains a part of me, a part of my heart, so whether people think it is excellent or not is no longer important. When I know I did my best, praise from other people is just the bonus, because the real reward is self fulfillment. Perhaps this is also the key to success – when one does not need to prove anything to other people, people excel because they are no longer afraid. I tend to look at things in a larger perspective, which makes it easy to see interconnections, as well as become patient and considerate. For example, if someone did me wrong, I will first look at how such incident has affected everyone else, and then I think about what it means for my life in general (i.e. what lesson is it trying to teach me?) before I get offended. I believe this is only possible because of my spiritual practice. I feel that because I find time everyday to pray or meditate, I am in a more peaceful state and am not prone to stress. We all know the adverse effect of stress to the human mind and body. When a person is stressed, he is unable to think straight. He is prone to mistakes and misunderstandings. Moreover, stress can lead to serious diseases if not handled properly. Through my spiritual practice, I am able to prevent stress, how many people can say that? But more than the gift of stress prevention, my spiritual experiences have led me to a greater respect for the other, and the lesson he or she has for me. I recognize that every person is a blessing to my life, and whatever the result of our interaction was, there is a hidden treasure for me to uncover. Looking at my interactions this way, I am able to learn new things every day – a beggar shows me how beautiful life is, a small child reminds me to laugh and smile, an adult can lead me into a contemplation of my own purpose. These things make me excited to be alive – because I learned that no matter how old I am, there is always something new for me to discover. Through my spiritual experience, I have discovered the difference between “living” and “existing”, and that is something I will always be thankful for. In summary, my spiritual experience is my daily experience. It is not just a moment of my day when I am in deep prayer. Instead, the sense of peace I get when I pray extends throughout the day which makes it so much easier for me to navigate the daily complexities of living. I am able to appreciate many things about myself and my life. I am easily satisfied, and I’d like to think that I am content even when I only have the simplest things. There is no cause for me to stress myself over things that don’t matter. This heightened self-awareness helps me in dealing with other people and enables me to appreciate being in a community. Some people comment that because I mainly peaceful, I am able to resolve conflict even without saying anything. While I am not so sure about this last statement, I know that I don’t usually get into conflict with other people, or if I do, it doesn’t escalate into a shouting match. I’d like to think that I make conflicts easy to resolve because I am willing to listen and understand what the other is saying. I have also gained greater respect for people because of my spiritual experience so I know that everyone is a good person, it is just a matter of understanding their unique gifts. Perhaps one of the most glaring impact of my spiritual experience is that I see no disconnect between science and religion. Because I am able to bring my spiritual life into the realm of the practical, I look at science as way to answer the “what” and “how” while religion provides the “why”. This makes it easier for me to enter the medical field (which is highly scientific) since I know I wont need to question my own beliefs in the process of learning to become a nurse. My spiritual experience has helped ground me and provided me with a sense of purpose so that I know I am doing this (studying) because I have the passion for it, not just because I want to earn income. 3. Tell us the desirable qualities that you see in yourself that you believe would aid us in considering your application. If I feel that Loma Linda University is the perfect school for me, I also think that I am a perfect candidate for you. On your website, you said: We encourage personal and professional growth through integrated development of the intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of each member of the university community and those we serve. We promote an environment that reflects and builds respect for the diversity of humanity as ordained by God. We seek to serve a worldwide community by promoting healthful living, caring for the sick, and sharing the good news of a loving God. Everything you wrote here reflect of my own passion, which is my benchmark for doing anything. For me, integrated development is important because it is the way towards the future. Since the industrial age when specialization was mainstreamed, man has forgotten the purpose of economics, politics and culture in the overall health of the society. It is my belief that the problems we are facing in the society right now were caused by man’s short sightedness and disconnectedness – a by-product of so much specialization. Climate change happened because man thought he needed to clear forests and destroy the environment to give way for progress. Recessions happened because man thought he needed to compete with others. Wars happened because he wanted what was his, without thinking of what he might be taking from others. The problems we are encountering now is because we were educated in a school system that did not consider the larger whole. If we are to change the story of the earth into a prosperous future, you need to educate students who think like me, students, who might not have a place in schools that are still propagating the old methodologies which are already obsolete. I believe that only by finding people who already have the impetus for change, and then bringing them together, can real change happen. Integrative development is no easy feat. Even people who have been striving for it for so long cannot say for sure that they have already achieved it. I think this is because integrative development is a process – not an end goal. One has to learn continuously in order for integrative development to happen. It is an everyday thing, rather than a goal. Having said that, one must also be ready for integrative development – he must be ready to change. I can say that not everyone is ready to that because it is so much easier to stay in their comfort zone. Change is like a cliff, you’ll never know when you’ll slip and fall. When we say that one has to be ready for change, it is like saying that one must be ready to jump from the cliff. One needs to have a higher threshold of pain in order to overcome this feat so that he can survive the challenge. And I know I have that. The best part is that as my journey progresses, my threshold increases, and I am ready to accept more changes, ready to accept new developments in the world. 4 .LLU believes deeply in integrating spiritual values into the educational experience. As a result, religion courses and chapel attendance are part of the curriculum. Tell us why you believe such a faith-based education would be of special benefit to you.  I believe that religion was created because God has a special message for mankind to discover. Founders of the world’s religions have found a truth they want to share. Whatever that truth is, I want to discover it as well. In so doing, it is necessary to incorporate key aspects of religious observance and religious practice into the curriculum within the university so as to present a well balanced cultural and spiritual experience within which the student is able to grow both in knowledge of the core details of medicine as well as the core details of the spiritual self that defines the greater and more important aspects of this life. I have to say however, that for me, there is a difference between religion and spirituality. Whereas spirituality refers mainly to the connection of man to the divine (higher intelligence, God, etc.), religion is typically institutionalized and community-based. While I am wary of “religious” people who bad mouth other religions, I have no issues in learning the various doctrines offered by each religion. I feel that every Holy Book, whether it is the Bible, the Qur’an, etc., contains a message for man to discover. And it is only through the study of various religious doctrines can man discover the real meaning of the message. However, this being said, it does not mean to imply that there can be little if anything to learn from alternate viewpoints or different ways of approaching faith and understanding within the current religions that exist within the world. Ultimately, it is necessary for the student and for the nonstudent as well for that matter, to seek to weigh truth based upon the available evidence and draw an opinion based upon these facts as a manner of deciding what path is best to pursue in this life. The fact that the Seventh Day Adventist message combines the directives to keep one’s body pure from the known pollutants of drugs, alcohol, and an immoral life with known medical science that confirms the same provides a powerful level of duplication for the teachings and message of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. As the world is constantly evolving, man has to evolve too. I feel that the evolution of humankind is spiritual in nature, hence, it is important that man understands the various doctrines of religion because it holds the key to our own evolution. I have read various spiritual books already, and in my own study, I have seen similarities in many of them. Most books use different terms, but they refer to the same thing. For me, incorporating spiritual values into the educational system will help me discover archetypes, and hopefully, this will provide me with new clues as to my own purpose in life, as well as direct me to the right path. Like I said in my previous essay, I have discovered that anything important is sacred. Because I do not want to waste my time over things that do not matter, I only want to do what is sacred. In order for me to do this, I had to choose every single thing that I want to bring into my life. My choice of applying for Loma Linda University was carefully made, and I have full faith that this is the right choice. I doubt if I can say such things in an application essay to other schools, but I can do it with Loma Linda, because your faith-based educational system has set me free to be myself. If you are able to do that for me who is simply applying to your school, what more for your own students who have been with you for some time? 5.As a Seventh-day Adventist institution, Loma Linda University has lifestyle expectations which include abstinence from alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs/substances in all forms while enrolled. If you are accepted to Loma Linda University, are you willing to abide by the lifestyle policies of the University (http://www.llu.edu/central/apply/lifestyle.page) while enrolled? Yes, I will abide by the lifestyle expectations of the school, not just because I want to be admitted, but also because I too, believe in the need for a healthy lifestyle. I believe that the physical body is the “Lord’s temple”, it has to be clean so He can enter in peace. If my physical body is weak because of alcohol, tobacco or drugs, I will have a hard time using my faculties and I will be doing myself a disservice. Additionally, the fact of the matter is that health science has come a very long way since these doctrines were introduced into the Seventh Day Adventist message. As such, with each and every discovery, it has been definitively noted that each and every one of these prohibitions exists for a definitive reason as they are ultimately destructive to the body and wellbeing of the individual engaged in such a practice. Also, because I’ve been living with a medical professional all my life, I am well aware of the negative effects such substances have on the body. I have seen so many young people succumb to diseases because they did not take care of the kinds of food they put in their mouths. I saw how families were broken because of illness caused by these harmful substances. If I am to make other “whole”, I must also be “whole”, spiritually and physically. After all, one cannot give what one does not have. I cannot make someone get well, if I am not well myself. I always have to be healthy, so I can bring health to other people. Hence, avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs is a must for me, even without this school provision. With the wide body of extant literature that exists with regards to the damaging effects that such a lifestyle ultimately inflict upon the user, it is actually of no small surprise to this applicant that so many people continue to engage in such harmful practices. As such, it is not only the view of this applicant that such behavior is destructive to the individual but that it should be discussed in the doctor patient/nurse patient relationship wherever applicable; not from the religious perspective per se but rather from the perspective of an informed and caring healthcare provider who seeks to lessen the impact that such destructive elements can effect on an individual’s health. In this way, both a religious and medical appreciation for the detrimental and long-lasting effects that such a lifestyle choices can inflict upon the individual are necessary not only to apply to and be admitted to a Seventh Day Adventist University; but rather, these precepts are common medical knowledge which should be utilized in each and every situation as a means of better integrating health knowledge and understanding within the patients which are dealt with. Read More