Admissions personal statement writing guide

Admissions, Personal

The optometrists are one of those categories of people that perform quiet miracles. Perhaps not as well-known and acknowledged as the ophthalmologists, the optometrists may, at times, have an even greater role than them, mainly because of a deeper involvement in the patients' problems and a larger spectrum of solutions to solve them.

Life has given me the possibility of experimenting different activities and of having many experiences, which have taught me a great deal. A cheerleader and track runner in my early days, I took contact with life in Mexico and Italy, where I participated in different activities, including construction. However, my cultural needs and expressions were not neglected, as I joined the choir and played in different musicals, such as Peter Pan or Music Man.

My passion for optometry became quite obvious to me later on and I joined the Pre-Optometry Club, in parallel with Kappa Gamma. The pre-optometry club taught me what helping others is all about and what personal satisfaction you have when somebody you have helped is doing better because of your very own contribution. I worked for several health- related companies, including Healthy Habits, where I operated as an executive assistant, Diabetes Walk and the Advance Vision and Achievement Center.

It wasn't however until my trip to China that it became clear that my goal in life was to become an optometrist. China is a unique experience. No storytelling and no travel account can actually described a country that has 1.2 billion souls, thousands of years of history and customs and traditions that make us, Westerners, sometimes blush. In terms of medical experience, the Chinese teaching is priceless.

Eastern medicine and Chinese medicine in particular encompass nutrition, aromatherapy and acupuncture to complete and complement the scientific approach to medicine. The Chinese experience taught me that experimental and traditional medicine can sometimes solve problems even better than the normal approach we are used to in the Western world.

The trip to China was an experience that came about in the summer of 2004, when I was nominated by one of my professors to travel to China with the international Mission on Medicine. I knew this would be perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity, a period during which I could accumulate and learn, so I took no moments to decide and swiftly accepted the challenge.

The trip to China also convinced me that being an optometrist is my vocation. Indeed, during my period spent there, I volunteered at an office for 12 hours a week doing vision therapy with children. Children are perhaps the best example of patients that make you understand the importance of your profession. For example, the case of an eight-year-old that had a focusing problem is most relevant.