Applying to Medical Schools in the North East

Essay 2: In what collegiate extracurriculars did you engage? (400 characters)
As Vice President of Phi Kappa Sigma, I co-managed the annual $30k budget, participated in 100+ hours of community service, volunteered for the Rutgers Dance Marathon, raised funds for the Embrace the Kids Foundation, and organized the annual Phi-Esta fundraiser for the Eric Legrand’s Foundation with several other fraternities. I also volunteered for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Essay 3: Did you work for compensation during college during the year or the summer? (300 Word limit)
Yes, every summer I worked full-time. During the summers of my undergraduate career, I worked at Selco Associates, a distribution and warehousing company. There I coordinated with management personnel to provide high quality customer service. I also managed apparel and footwear inventory for major companies and assisted in opening new accounts. This experience helped me to develop communication, organization, and problem-solving skills that I expect to be useful in many areas of medicine, such as patient care, diagnosis and treatment. I also gained teamwork skills that are essential for team-based approaches to medicine.
Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I worked for Acertec Enterprise where I am presently employed. At Acertec, it was my responsibility to coordinate in overseeing project schedules, procurement, staffing requirements and logistics. Additionally, I helped design and give project presentations to potential clients.
Currently, I am still with Acertec and am the sole manager of a 12-building project, which requires me to manage payroll, purchasing material, and budget allocation. I also oversee daily tasks which include but are not limited to supervision of workmanship, conferencing with architects to ensure proper installation, working with vendors to properly order material, and maintaining general site safety and compliance with OSHA safety standards.
As an employee of Acertec, I have deepened many skills that I feel will be critical in my future medical career—such as communication, adhering to commitments, and solving problems. Working with a team of individuals with different backgrounds and formal education levels showed me how important clear, concise communication is to promoting greater productivity and preventing relationship strain from developing among colleagues. Additionally, as a project manager, I was often presented with seemingly unsolvable problems—and I learned to never accept failure, but rather to work towards solutions or compromises.
Essay 4: If you have graduated from college, please briefly summarize what you have done in the interim. Word limit (300 characters)
I participated in an NIH-funded study on heart rate variability biofeedback, presented the results at an international conference in Seattle, and headed a meta-analysis research team. I also shadowed at outpatient surgical centers where I observed an oculoplastic surgeon and anesthesiologist.
Essay 5: What challenges do you expect to arise from living and working in a complex urban environment? How will you meet them? (300 words)
As I have grown up in North Jersey and am familiar with NYC, I do not expect any challenges to arise from living and working in a complex urban environment. I am quite used to the various conventions of city life and enjoy being part of that environment. In fact, I should admit that the phrase “complex urban environment” sounds odd to me since I have been immersed in this environment for my whole life. It has always seemed rather well integrated to me. I do not view New York as a foreign place and if I might give my own humble opinion on the matter I would count it as one of the greatest cities in the world—such is my admiration and affection for the city. One of the things I like most about it is the opportunity to experience humanity in all its different forms: there is such range in social and cultural expression—it is truly wonderful to behold and I count myself lucky to have been able to grow up in such proximity to it.
Therefore, I do not see any challenges in this environment. I expect to adapt rather well to using the subway system (in Jersey I use a car but in NYC I appreciate the fact that the subway is a more suitable mode of transportation for a student). Living in a smaller space and operating with the urban system is something I look forward to as I embrace it all as part of the NYC experience.
Essay 6: Is there anything else you would like us to know? ( 300 Words)
I would only like to reaffirm my commitment to medicine. Since May of this year, I have been heavily involved in assisting with my father’s business, which had been struggling substantially with many debts prior to my involvement. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from a beating I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy. I look forward to achieving this goal and thank you for your time in considering my application.
Essay 7: Please describe your parents’ occupation (100 characters)
My father owns Acertec Enterprise, a commercial construction company. My mother is in sales.


Duke:
Have you ever been accepted or deferred admission to any medical school?
I applied to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School through an accelerated application opportunity that was offered through my Master’s Program and was deferred. I have never applied to medical through a traditional cycle.
Essay 1: Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics. What core values did you receive and how will these translate into the contributions that you hope to make to your community as a medical student and to your career in medicine? What improvements do you think might make the described community better? (600 Words)
I was raised in a culturally diverse area of North Jersey. There were many different ethnicities in the area and this diversity was always viewed positively in my schools, in my family and in my community. The values I received were based on ideas of respect, empathy, and consideration. In my family, we would never do anything that we judged to be inconsiderate to our neighbors, such as hosting loud parties late at night, or leaving our home in a state of disrepair or neglect. Respect for others started with respect for oneself, in this sense. At the same time, we were taught to understand others and make sense of differences instead of judging and condemning people because they expressed an uncommon view or because they were outside the norm. I believe that my small town upbringing instilled in me values that are consistent with caring and showing compassion for those around you, which could apply to medicine in many capacities. Quality care depends upon providers showing consideration to patients, empathizing with them, and respecting their beliefs. I feel that my upbringing has perfectly suited me to a patient-centered type of approach.
Growing up in North Jersey has also been good for me because while I received a dose of small town community values, I was also in close proximity to NYC, which allowed me to maintain a still broader view of people and cultures. By being in and around NYC, I was able to see how important culture, identity and ethnicity are to people.
Improvements that I think I could make to help better my community would be to promote more cultural awareness as part of a health literacy program. I feel that the more people understand other cultures, the more ability they will have to be respectful towards that culture. Ignorance does not foster quality care; knowledge and consideration do.
Essay 2 Advocacy: Describe a situation where you have chosen to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate? (600 words)
Recently, I joined an organization called One Spirit in Action (OSIA). This is the service arm of an Interfaith Seminary in NYC, One Spirit Learning Alliance. While I am not particularly religious, this organization piqued my curiosity when I heard about it in passing. What attracted me was their strong stance on social justice issues—and so I decided to volunteer.
To me, advocacy means showing in public your support for a cause. It is important that it be public because shining a light can have a positive impact on a community, and that is the goal of advocacy. That is why, when I heard about OSIA, I wanted to get involved: social justice is a cause I support.
Some of the issues OSIA addresses are Islamophobia, homophobia, violence and misogyny. There was one event I attended where several of these issues were the main focus. The panel had multiple, high profile faith leaders from NYC – among them were two rabbis, one male and female, a female Islamic scholar and male imam, a Native American chief, and a Catholic priest. Not only was I impressed with the diversity in the panel but the solidarity in their message of non-judgment, tolerance and love. As you might imagine, there were some angry people in the audience who were aggressive and outright hostile in their approach. I was amazed by one of the rabbis in particular who defused tension caused by an irate woman simply by letting her speak, deeply listening and addressing her with extraordinary kindness and compassion. He did it right there, in the middle of the room, in front of an enormous audience. That particular moment taught me a lifetime’s worth of lessons. As a doctor, I have no doubt that I am going to be faced with numerous challenges throughout my career. When we advocate for something, we put ourselves directly in the line of criticism, opposition and possible hostility. However, OSIA made me realize just how important it is to stand up, to be a voice, and to open the door to dialogue. This is the only way we can create meaningful, positive change—the only way we can advance and evolve as a society. Thanks to my experiences with OSIA, I know what it means to listen and to hear rather than reacting without thinking. Whatever my future in medicine may hold, it will be imbued with that same emotional intelligence, genuine compassion and kindness.
The risks I see being linked to acting as an advocate are similar to those that the rabbi faced: aggression and hostility may crop up and cause tension—but being able to defuse the situation through emotional and social intelligence, kindness, respect, and equanimity can be a great help in reducing these risks.
Essay 3: Humbling experience: What has been your most humbling experience and how will that experience affect your interactions with your peers and patients?
My most humbling experience would be the past 3 months of my life. I went from scoring in the 95th percentile and interviewing with a medical school to being forced to start at square one and learn how to manage a construction business.
Since May of this year I have been assuming a greater role in my father’s business in an effort to prevent its collapse. This has been a tremendously humbling experience for me as I have been thrust into the world of commercial construction in a baptism by fire type of way. A little background info on my father’s business will help explain my situation.
My father has successfully been in business as a commercial contractor for my entire adult life. It has been his life’s vocation, how he has supported his family and provided us the life that we have enjoyed. My mother has also always worked—and, quite frankly, my achievements are not only the fruits of my labor, but theirs as well.
Somehow, I didn’t fully grasp this until about three months ago. Having always excelled in academics, I have spent the majority of my adult life in the pursuit of higher education to achieve my long term goals. I scored very well on the MCAT, and fully anticipated enrollment at Robert Wood Johnson in August 2017 via accelerated application. However, much to my surprise, I was waitlisted on June 1st.
During this time and through no fault of his own, my father’s business was teetering on the verge of collapse. The combination of his company failing and my being waitlisted led me to assume a leadership role in his company as Operations Manager. The immensity of the work surprised me. It’s not that I didn’t have an appreciation for my father’s work – I just never fully understood it. Now being immersed in it, I see what a high pressure, deadline driven position he was in—one that required concise communication skills, strong business acumen and skillful diplomacy. Adherence to commitment is vital in this industry as the failure to follow through often results in contractual fines. This pressure causes a great deal of energy to be spent on ensuring timely project completion, which usually presents an entirely new and different set of problems that need resolution. You have to work within these parameters to seek alternative solutions and master the art of compromise. I know that this experience will be highly beneficial for me in my future medical endeavors; however, I had no idea how challenging it was, and I was deeply humbled to be part of it. It was like going back to 1st grade all over again and having to relearn everything.
Stepping out of my academic bubble into the real and intense world of a pressure laden business has allowed me to see my father through new and reverential eyes. Not only am I humbled by both of my parent’s dedication to provide me every opportunity that I could ever dream of, I am privileged and proud to be their son. My success truly stems from their leadership and example.
Essay 4: Qualities: What qualities will you bring to the practice of medicine.
The most valuable qualities I will bring to the practice of medicine are my commitment, care, knowledge and communication skills. In my experience, communication is one of the most important qualities an individual can possess. The example of the rabbi, who listened, heard and calmed is one that deeply impressed me and taught me to practice the same type of effective listening and communicating.
I see tremendous value in a high level of emotional intelligence and radical compassion. However, I also understand the need for professionalism and to maintain healthy boundaries, as my time in my father’s business has shown me. My life experiences have created a solid framework for me to work within the parameters of all of these attributes without being excessive to a fault in any particular area. I have a strong personal belief that we, as human beings, are inextricably connected. For that reason, I am committed to the well being of those around me as well as those to whom I will tend in my medical career.
My quality of commitment has enabled me to dedicate my life to contributing to the healing of others. Additionally, I am highly proficient in fostering teamwork, open and empathetic communication, problem recognition, resolution and compromise. All of this in conjunction with a deep love for what I do is what I have to offer to my chosen field.
Essay 5 Coping with Failure: Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn from the experience? Describe at least one functional impact of the experience.
At the end of the 2015-2016 academic year, I had planned on finishing the entirety of my Master’s degree course work and then taking my MCAT and going to Europe with my family shortly after. I had made a gross miscalculation in the amount of time it would take to adequately prepare for the MCAT. I attempted to prepare as hard as I could and then take the exam, but I failed miserably when taking practice exams. When I failed in my attempt to earn a competitive MCAT score I was forced to cancel my family vacation and restructure the next year of my life. This failure greatly impacted me and made me question if I could be successful in the field of medicine. My family was disappointed, I was angry with myself, and my friends did not understand my need to devote more time to a seemingly impossible task instead of “hanging out” with them. Nonetheless, the functional impact of the experience was that I learned how to embrace resolve. After a brief bout of self-pity, which I overcame by recognizing it as self-defeating, I dusted myself off and determined the correct path to success—study and hard work. Over the next year, I prepared as much as I humanly could and earned a 95th percentile score. This experience taught me that when faced with failure, one can quit and go home, or one can recognize where one went wrong and work on correcting that mistake so that in the next round success is possible. I will always be motivated by this experience so as to properly assess the situation, plan accordingly, and devote myself to the necessaries.
Essay 6 What role has research had in your preparation for medicine?
Research has allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of how new innovations in medicine and science come to fruition and have an impact in the field. Techniques, theories, ideas, interventions—all of this must be tested and researched so that health care providers can treat patients using evidence-based practice. Research is so crucial to the life of the provider and to the successful treatment of the patient—and that is the sense I have obtained through my experience with research in the field. Particularly after working with others on two research projects focusing on biofeedback, I have gained a new found respect for those who work in researched based fields.
My experience in research has also made me realize that my true interest in medicine lies in the clinical aspect of treating patient. I love the idea of taking what I learn and applying it to practice. To me, research and evidence-based practice are cornerstones in medicine and part of the toolset that health care providers should have in place.
Essay 7 Additional considerations
Since May of this year, I have been heavily involved in assisting with my father’s business, which had been struggling substantially with many debts prior to my involvement. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from a violent beating I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy. My recovery from those injuries gave me a deep and abiding gratitude for medicine and medical practitioners, and ever since then I have wanted to be part of that world. I look forward to achieving this goal and thank you for your time in considering my application.
Essay 8: Tell us who you are
I am a single, adult male, born to a first generation middle-class Italian family. I was born and raised in Northern New Jersey and spent the last 6 years of my life in pursuit of higher education in New Brunswick, NJ. I appreciate diversity of all kinds and feel that my family and ethnic background support this appreciation. Italy is a European country that has been at the center of history for hundreds if not thousands of years. I feel this appreciation for the world’s wonderful complexities and differences is good for society, good for work, and good for life in general.


NYU:
Essay 1: If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application
N/A
Essay 2: If you have taken any time off from your studies, either during or after college, please describe what you have done during this time and your reasons for doing so.
Since May of this year, I have been heavily involved in assisting with my father’s business, which had been struggling substantially with many debts prior to my involvement. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from the beating I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy. I look forward to achieving this goal and thank you for your time in considering my application.
Essay 3: The Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to evaluate a wide range of student qualities and life experiences that are complementary to demonstrated academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills and leadership potential. What unique qualities or experiences do you possess that would contribute specifically to the NYU School of Medicine community?
Working in my father’s business has provided me with a great deal of experience as a leader and as a strong facilitator of communication. I realize the immense value and importance that communication and leadership both play in the medical field. Physicians must act as team members and engage in interprofessional and collaborative practice. As a team member and manager at Acertec Enterprise, I have helped oversee accounts, work towards business solutions and compromises with stakeholders to ensure that business could continue, and have assisted in outlining a way forward for the company in its present distressed situation.
My own academic career was marked early on by struggles, which resulted mainly from a lack of inspiration to attain my academic goals. I did not have a vision or firm desire within myself: I lacked a sense of the power of the field that I had entered into. Only after personally suffering and recovering from an accident in which I feared my sight might never return did I fully appreciate the power of medicine. This appreciation has driven me ever since to succeed in my studies and manage my personal responsibilities so that I can attend to the priorities I have set for myself.
Additionally, I have spent much time working and interacting with a variety of cultures and personalities as a result of my extended path to medical school and these interactions have given me a deep appreciation for the value of diversity.
Essay 4: The ultimate goal of our institution is to produce a population of physicians with a collective desire to improve health of all segments of our society through the outstanding patient care, research and education. In this context, where do you see your future medical career (academic medicine, research, public health, primary care, business/law, etc.) and why? Your answer need not be restricted to one category. If your plans require that you complete a dual degree program, please elaborate here.
I do not plan on pursuing a dual degree program. Rather, I see myself working either in a hospital or private practice setting as a surgeon. I have watched many surgeries and I am fascinated by the level of skill and care surgery requires. The first time I was in an outpatient OR I remember it being the fastest day of my life because it was one intricate procedure after another.
What especially draws me to NYU is its environment and location in what I believe is one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world. This diversity has a great allure for me, as I aim ultimately to pursue philanthropic efforts either in a pro bono clinic in America or in another location around the world.
I want to devote myself to the needs of patients of all ethnicities and backgrounds because I know what it is like to be “on the outside.” I myself have experienced personal attacks because of my ethnicity and to turn the other cheek on this kind of behavior and give back to the community and to the world in a positive way is—for me—a great demonstration of the kind of values that societies of all kinds commonly seek to nourish and promote. I aim to be part of that positive process because I have felt first hand its power and nourishment and it would deeply gratify and honor me to play a role in paying that nourishment forward to those of this generation as well as the next.
Essay 5: Describe a situation in which working with a colleague, family member or friend has been challenging. How did you resolve, if at all, the situation as a team and what did you gain from the experience that will benefit you as a future health care provider?
One of the main challenges I faced working with my father was that there was no way to separate business from family. We discussed work in the morning before going to the company site and in the evening when we returned home. It was a challenge because there was no escaping work, in a literal sense. However, the problems that the company was undergoing had to be faced. Instead of running away from these problems and turning my back on my family, I stayed and accepted the situation and made an effort to understand what was going on and be part of the solution.
I accomplished this by listening with the intention of hearing. So often in communication there is no real flow of information. I knew that in order to help my father address the issues of his business, I had to actively listen and hear what was going on without making judgments and without responding. In this way, I was able to process a great deal of data and help my father to alleviate some of the stress that was building up inside him. He could offload his concerns to another person he could trust and I could assist in the solving process by helping him to identify the best course of action going forward. I would simply repeat back to him what he said and ask questions and together we would lay out all the possible options.
I feel that this type of interaction was really helpful for me in terms of being a future health care provider because, if I think of my father as a patient who is in need, I was already acting like a physician. Quality care depends so much upon the care giver’s ability to empathize with the patient. By committing myself to an empathetic course of action, I was able to empower my father to make the right decisions that he himself was willing to make based on the ideas and options we discussed together. When it comes to diagnosing and treating patients, I aim to have the same kind of relationship with them—one in which I listen, understand and help provide solutions that fit with the patient’s own sense of care. I see a patient-centered approach to medicine being crucial to providing quality care—and that is something I learned from helping my father with his business.

Mt. Sinai:
Essay 1 If you are currently not a full time student, please briefly describe the activities you are participating in this academic year ( 100 Words)
I am currently working on publishing an academic research article on heart rate variability biofeedback, composed by a team of researchers which I helped to lead. However, since May, I have had to work with my father to stabilize his business, which has been struggling. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor.
Essay 2 Were there any circumstances which you feel might have adversely affected your academic performance during college? 
In my early days as an undergraduate, I struggled with Organic Chemistry. I was not properly motivated and lacked the inspiration to succeed. On the eve of Superstorm Sandy, I was jumped and violently beaten. Because of the storm, I had to wait days before surgery on my eye could be completed. I took a W (withdrawal) in the class that semester—but following my surgery and the complete recovery of my eye, I was so relieved and impassioned by my doctors’ abilities that I vowed to return to my studies and become a doctor too.
Essay 3 How did you learn about the program you are applying to? 
I was raised in Northern New Jersey so I am aware of how prestigious the Program at Mt. Sinai is. It is well-respected in the community and, whenever I speak of attending medical school, many ask if I will be attending Mt. Sinai.

Essay 4 If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity or a commitment to a particular community, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Aspects might include, but are not limited to significant challenges in or circumstances associated with access to education, living with a disability, socioeconomic factors, immigration status, or identification with a culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine. Completing this section is optional.
N/A
Essay 5 Please tell us about a passion (professional or personal) you have had thus far in your life.
A personal passion of mine is skiing. Nothing in my life has ever given me as much joy as skiing. While my professional passion is for medicine, my personal passion is to be on the slopes and I make it a point to get out at least a few times a year to the mountains. I believe taking time for yourself to recharge your batteries and be refreshed by being out in nature is good for the body, mind and soul. I love skiing because it requires a combination of mental and physical agility and calls upon you to be able to make immediate decisions about how you face what comes up at you from just around the bend. You must always be on your toes—and I love that.
Another one of my favorite aspects of skiing is the pure escape from the pressure of daily life and the ability to experience nature in its raw untouched form. I was fortunate enough to experience cat skiing 80 miles north of Salt Lake City this past winter. It was the pinnacle of my skiing experience. I could confidently say that it was one of the best, most memorable moments of my life and I love to discuss skiing with others!
Essay 6 Please tell us about a situation in which working collaboratively with others was challenging
Working in my father’s business Acertec Enterprise has provided me with a great deal of experience as a leader and as a strong facilitator of communication. I have never viewed collaboration as a challenge but rather as a natural process through which team members must work to ensure that goals are reached. I realize the immense value and importance that communication, leadership and collaboration play in the medical field, and I have acquired these qualities through my work experiences.
As an employee at Acertec, I have deepened many skills that I feel will be critical in my future medical career—such as communication, adhering to commitments, and solving problems. Indeed, working with a team of individuals with different backgrounds and formal education levels showed me how important clear, concise communication is in promoting greater productivity and preventing relationship strain from developing among colleagues. Additionally, as a project manager, I was often presented with seemingly unsolvable problems—and I learned to never accept failure, but rather to work towards solutions or compromises by collaborating with other workers and stakeholders in my father’s business.

Cornell:
Essay1: if you are not attending Cornell in the coming academic year what are your plans? ( less then 200 words)
Since May of this year, I have been heavily involved in assisting with my father’s business, which had been struggling substantially with many debts prior to my involvement. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from the beating I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy, wherein I realized the wonderful power of medicine and the role that medical providers play in helping to save lives.
Having helped my father stabilize his business, my plan for the coming school year is to get back to working my way towards becoming a medical professional. I look forward to an exciting new school year and am gearing up for another round of hard work.
Essay 2: Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Weill Cornell Medical College. Please limit your statement to less than 200 words.
Weill Cornell Medical College is known for its positive learning environment and its commitment to ethics, community, and the overall medical field. I would also love the opportunity to study in Manhattan because of the diverse and eclectic environment, which greatly appeals to me.
Additionally, I think that the curriculum at Cornell puts students in a better position to succeed in regards to obtaining a desired residency, and one reason for this is that the curriculum allows for areas of concentration. Focusing on an area of concentration gives students the chance to become “semi-experts,” which is a terrific opportunity for anyone looking to enter into the field. This area of concentration aspect of the Medical College is very appealing to me
Essay 3 Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it. 
Please limit your statement to less than 200 words.
One challenge I have faced was in the middle of my sophomore year. I was jumped by 12 men and suffered an orbital blowout fracture, which caused me to temporarily lose the use of my right eye. This occurred at the same time that I had been performing poorly in Organic Chemistry. Following my surgery and full recovery, I was so impressed by the medical staff that treated me that I was inspired to return to my studies with complete dedication so that I could one day be a medical professional like them. I returned to school the next semester and earned a 4.0 and aced Organic Chemistry.
Another challenge I faced came when I took the MCAT upon completion of my master’s degree course work. I had planned to apply to medical schools with this score and to go on vacation with my family shortly after. However, I did not correctly anticipate the amount of time needed to study for the test and my subsequent poor performance caused me to put all my plans on hold. I determined to do better next time, worked hard, took the exam again and triumphed earning a 95th percentile score.

UConn:
Essay 1: Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?
Insights I have gained about potential problems that I will face as a physician have come from my shadowing experiences in the health care field. Working with Dr. Champey at the Champey Pain Group in Verona, New Jersey, I was able to meet and greet patients and see first-hand the daily occupations of a physician interacting with a full-load of patients. One of the challenges I observed was that a physician must constantly be aware of the patient in a holistic care sense. It is not enough to simply see the patient as a problem that needs a solution or treatment: the patient as a person is what is important—and helping that person means listening to him or her, asking questions, showing empathy, all while keeping a physician’s eye on the patient’s health—stats, monitors, heart rate, etc. I saw how Dr. Champey himself set about administering to patients with a particular treatment in mind but stopped it immediately once he saw the negative effect it was having on the patient. In this way, I learned the importance of awareness to detail and mindfulness of the myriad variables that allow a physician to understand a patient and what is going on with the body.
I also witnessed some challenges associated with surgery and the constant need to be attentive and precise at all times. The outpatient surgical center where I shadowed nurses, an anesthesiologist and a surgeon gave me the opportunity to see how crucial it is to be focused and trained as a health care professional: so much is riding on the line for the patient, and the health care providers must step up to the challenge every minute of every day and deliver with quality care. My respect for this type of dedication increased exponentially when I saw it with my own eyes.

Essay 2: How will the University of Connecticut School of Medicine best serve your needs of becoming a physician or physician scientist?
I believe that the M Delta Curriculum is superior to the traditional medical school curriculum because it integrates team-based learning with clinical exposure at an early point. This type of exposure and integration supports greater retention and can help build confidence in medical students. I love this type of support and feel that an institution that offers it is one that will give its students all the help they need to move forward towards their goals. At the same time, I recognize how empowering the M Delta Curriculum is and I fully appreciate the desire of the School of Medicine to want to effectively supply its students with the right tools to become medical professionals.
A team-based approach, instead of a lecture-style approach, is also very appealing because it emphasizes a style of learning that correlates with on-the-job types of training. Learning from one another and with one another while in a clinical setting is a perfect way to ensure that classroom knowledge carries over to clinical practice. I want to be able to use evidence-based practice in my work and the M Delta Curriculum appears to be set up to ensure just that.
Also, the setting of the school is geographically desirable as I would like to stay in the north east and eventually practice medicine here. This region is, after all, one I call home and I love being here.

Georgetown:
Essay 1 The Georgetown University School of Medicine strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the Georgetown University School of Medicine community and bring educational benefits to our student body.(1000 Characters)
Holistic care is really an important part of medicine. It is not enough to simply “treat” a person or offer continuous treatments. Patients should be educated about preventive medicine; health literacy should play a big part in caring for individuals; and taking into consideration such things as cultural or ethical values and beliefs when providers see patients can play a significant role in delivering quality care.
I believe that emotional intelligence is important to have when treating patients and my own experiences have born this out. Patients want to be heard and understood and I have a strong personal belief that we, as human beings, are inextricably connected. For that reason, I am committed to the well being of those around me as well as those who I will tend to in my medical career. I am dedicating my life to contribute to the healing of others, and this will surely extend beyond the physical. This in conjunction with a deep love for what I do is what I have to offer my Georgetown community and student body.
Essay 2: Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application? ( 1000 Characters)
I would only like to reaffirm my commitment to medicine. I scored very well on the MCAT, and anticipated enrolling at Robert Wood Johnson in August 2017. However, I was waitlisted on June 1st. During this time, and through no fault of his own, my father’s business was teetering on the verge of collapse. The combination of his company failing and my being waitlisted led me to assume a leadership role in his company as Operations Manager.
While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from a beating I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy. The doctors who helped me to a full recovery inspired to want to be a doctor. I look forward to achieving this goal and thank you for your time in considering my application.
Essay 3 formal application essay: Why have you chosen to apply to the Georgetown University School of Medicine and how do you think your education at Georgetown will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (1 page, formatted at your discretion)
Clinical practice is one of the most important things for me going forward. There is a great confidence that comes with being able to practice in a clinical setting and utilize what one has learned in the classroom in clinical practice. At Georgetown, the possibility of having access to clinical practice is a major attraction. The integrated learning center aspect of Georgetown University’s Medical School allows for the kind of preparation that I am seeking. I want to have some experience under my belt as I move into the real world of practicing medicine. Transitioning to the clinical setting is something that can occur with greater ease the more that students have practice and experience in that setting. Therefore, for me, this is one of the most important aspects of my training that I desire to have—and at Georgetown I see this as one of the school’s strongest suits when it comes to preparing students for their careers in medicine.
I likewise appreciate Georgetown’s ethical approach to medicine and teaching. Ethics are essential to growth and development, not only in a school setting but also in a communal setting. A health care provider is one who must imbibe a good and solid ethical foundation so that his or her approach to patients can lead to the highest quality care. At Georgetown, I fully expect to receive the kind of ethical guidance that would enable me to interact with and treat patients at this level.
Georgetown offers students a great opportunity to learn under the tutelage of the some of the brightest teachers in an environment that is highly supportive of student needs. The school’s strong reputation has led me to want to be part of that atmosphere, and as I always seek out the best Georgetown has presented itself to me as the premiere place of learning while I ready myself to enter into my chosen profession.

Baylor
Essay 1:
Following the 2015-2016 academic year, I planned to take the MCAT and proceed on to medical school. I was excited to be finished with my graduate level classes and was even planning a vacation to Europe with my family. With my thoughts and plans getting ahead of the here and now, I failed to comprehend the scope of the MCAT and as I began preparing for it I realized how unready for the exam I actually was. After numerous attempts at practice tests revealed the actual extent of my lack of preparation, I broke the news to my family: Europe would have to wait—I was not going to take the MCAT. I needed more time to study.
I devoted the next year of my life to preparing for this test. I likened it to a great mountain that climbers wish to conquer; I understood that in order to succeed, you have to plan, practice, train, and mentally ready yourself for all the challenges that might come your way. I dug in and went to work—and in the end I took the MCAT and scored in the 95th percentile. I was elated and felt like all the hard work I had put in over the course of the year now paid off: I was atop the mountain of my goals and ready to keep going higher.

Quinnipiac
Essay1 If you will not be enrolled as a f ull-time student, how will you be spending/intend to spend your time during your application year? 
Since May of this year, I have been working in my father’s business to help solve some of the company’s problems. My father owns Acertec Enterprise, a construction company, and I manage a 12-building project, which requires me to oversee payroll, purchasing material, and budget allocation. I also manage daily tasks which include but are not limited to supervision of workmanship, conferencing with architects to ensure proper installation, working with vendors to properly order material, and maintaining general site safety and compliance with OSHA safety standards.
The reason I have stepped into this position is that my father’s company began to suffer from a number of issues and it became clear to me that I should take a little bit of time off from school to assist my father in righting the ship. Together we have made great strides in restoring efficiency in the business; communications have improved and risks have been reduced. I am now ready to get back in the saddle again with regard to medical school and am looking forward to being a full-time student again.
Essay 2 What area of medicine do you envision yourself working in at the end of your training? What is shaping your vision? ( 150 word count) 
At the end of my training, I envision myself working either in a hospital or in a private practice setting as a surgeon. The reason I have this vision is that I would love the opportunity to have a career that allows me to work with my hands. I have watched many surgeries as part of my shadowing activities, and I admire and am inspired by the level of skill and craftsmanship surgery requires. The first time I was in an outpatient OR I remember being it being the fastest day of my life because it was one intricate procedure after another. A desire to have many such days for myself in the future is primarily what shapes this vision at the moment.

Essay 3 Please tell us something about yourself that is not captured in your application. 
One thing about me that I did not describe in another area of my application is my love of skiing. I love the outdoors and can think of no better way to experience nature than to be on the slopes. Skiing is both challenging and refreshing: it forces you to be on your toes in a physical way—which is a nice change from having to be on your toes in an academic way. Having a love like my love of skiing allows me to keep a good balance of fun and work in my life, and I believe such a balance is really important because it helps people from getting burned out or from becoming overworked. One important aspect of life is to remember to always recharge the batteries!—and for me, recharging comes by way of skiing.

Option 3 
One personal role model for me is Mark Schuster, the Dean of Students at Rutgers University. The reasons I view Mark as a role model have to do with his social activism and his display of character on a daily basis. He is consistently good-hearted, fair-minded, and principled; he advocates for a many different issues, from minority rights to environmental care and so on. I view him as being extremely compassionate and genuinely concerned with the improvement of the well-being of those around him and those he meets. He profoundly impacted my life in a positive way mentoring me after I was jumped and beaten by a small gang many years back. As a result of his help, he has ever since been a mentor and positive role model in my life. I have tried to emulate his compassion and activism for others in my own life. 

Option 5 
If I could give my younger self non-academic advice it would be to face the fact that unexpected failures and set backs are part of life. Challenges are natural, and a life without obstacles would surely be a sign of a life that is not moving towards a high enough goal. When facing obstacles, I would say: do not allow them to have a lasting impact on you emotionally. As all those aspiring to be physicians or any kind of professional whose job is demanding undoubtedly have experienced at one time or another, unexpected set backs are bound to happen. Stressing or becoming overwhelmed due to failure not only detracts from future efforts it blinds you to opportunity.  The biggest thing to remember is just that: obstacles are opportunities for growth—100% of the time.

Option 7 
My most humbling non-academic experience has come recently: The unstable state of my father’s business necessitated that I assume a managerial role on a large construction project. I had minimal experience—but I knew my father could use my assistance, and I went in knowing that I had a lot to learn. Added to this was the stress of realizing that if we did not succeed, my father’s business faced almost certain bankruptcy. While I have done my best to assume this role and have encountered many missteps and failures along the way, it has been extremely humbling: I never before appreciated to such a great extent the hard work and tenacity with which my father labored every day. Now I know and I believe that this taste of real world work experience will allow me to better to relate to patients of all walks of life. 

UMass
Essay1 
Option 2 
As a result of assisting in my father’s currently distressed company, I was part of a very dysfunctional team that included myself and others who had little to no construction experience. We were tasked with managing a large 12-building construction project: tensions were very high and the way I addressed this was by educating myself about the requisite background information in order to be a more effective manager. An important take away from this situation for me was that in high pressure situations tempers and emotions easily fly off the handle, and in order to effectively address issues it is important to not respond emotionally, which can easily add fuel to the fire. Communication and respect are qualities that help form the bedrock of any effective team and these qualities must be demonstrated every day so as to build a strong team relationship.
Option 3 
I spent a considerable amount of time shadowing at High Mountain Health in Wayne, NJ. During my time as an assistant in the office, frequent patients began to recognize me as I prepped them to be seen by the physician. One such patient was an elderly veteran who lived on his own and saw his appointments as a way to get out and stay active. A few times when the office was busy I had relatively lengthy conversations with him and heard all about his deployment in Germany and learned bits and pieces of his life story. I thoroughly enjoyed our many conversations and saw them as a way to brighten up both of our days.  He enjoyed having a listener and I enjoyed hearing about his life and history.
Option 5 
A prime example of thinking outside the box was a problem I solved last week. I am currently managing a 12-building construction project where we are removing and replacing the exterior EFIS system. One of the complex issues I was tasked with was removing and replacing the hard coat stucco and EFIS system while still allowing the residents of the building free access to their garage. This was a particularly difficult problem to solve because the budget did not anticipate traffic flow. Although I have minimal construction experience I have seen scaffolding designs in cities like New York and Philadelphia that allow pedestrians to use the sidewalks beneath scaffolding. I called scaffolding distribution companies from all around the country and ordered separate components to keep the cost down. Eventually the components came in and the design worked allowing traffic flow whilst preventing damage to vehicles entering and exiting.
Option 7 
I have advocated for others as part of my leadership activities as vice-president of my fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma by raising funds for a variety of charities. My most recent experience in advocacy comes from my work with One Spirit in Action, a social justice group that promotes equality and opposes Islamophobia, homophobia, misogyny and many other problems that negatively affect our society. As a member of One Spirit in Action, I have advocated for minority groups by attending lectures and conferences, participating in marches and rallies, and handing out literature.
Essay 2 
N/A 
Essay 3 
I desire to attend UMASS SOM because it offers a great medical education and coming here would give me the chance to pursue my dream, which is to have a successful clinical career. I love the region, I love the North East, and I love what the school has enabled its students to accomplish. It has a great reputation among educational leaders in the U.S.
My extended path to medical school has given me the opportunity to experience diversity in a multitude of settings—from research fields to classroom settings to student body groups and real world environments. I want to bring my own real world, academic, and personal experience to SOM and share with the members of the community there my own story, which I believe will offer support for others who are looking to achieve their dreams. I enjoy fostering positive relationships and being part of a team, and my goal is to be part of a united SOM community—one that celebrates the strengths of its individual members while aligning one and all under the same vision: to improve our world and ourselves one step at a time.

Drexel
Essay 1 Please share with us how you plan on contributing to our college 
I bring many and varied life experiences that I believe will be good to share with the other students at the college. I love to interact with others, share ideas, and promote a positive culture. I believe strongly in the power of the medical community and I want to see everyone who shares in that dream do well. By working together, encouraging one another, and offering supports to one another, we can be better equipped to see our dreams come to fruition. I look forward to being part of this environment at Drexel and am optimistic about spreading good will among the community. Similarly, as social justice is a very important to me, I look forward to continuing with my advocacy work at the college. Recently, I joined an organization called One Spirit in Action (OSIA). This is the service arm of an Interfaith Seminary in NYC, One Spirit Learning Alliance. My time with One Spirit in Action has really helped me to want to make a real difference in the world by helping the disenfranchised and the oppressed. In my eyes, we are all connected and in need of help.
Essay 2 Optional:
Since May of this year, I have been heavily involved in assisting with my father’s business, which has been struggling substantially with many debts recently. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from a violent beating I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy. My recovery from those injuries at the hands of a dedicated medical team is what gave me a deep and abiding gratitude for medicine and for medical practitioners as a whole. Ever since then I have wanted to be part of that world. I look forward to achieving this goal and thank you for your time in considering my application.

Boston University
Essay 1
I completed my Master’s degree in biomedical science at Robert Wood Johnson’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences from 2015-2016. From 2016-2017 I focused my efforts on research: I participated in an NIH-funded study on heart rate variability biofeedback, presented the results at an international conference in Seattle, and then headed a meta-analysis research team. I also pursued shadowing opportunities in an effort to broaden my clinical experience: I observed an oculoplastic surgeon and anesthesiologist and spent a number of weeks at an outpatient clinic in New Jersey.
I am currently employed full-time at Acertec Enterprise, which is a construction company owned and operated by my father. Since May of this year I have been helping him by serving as manager of a 12-building project. This departure from medicine is only temporary and came about primarily because my father required my assistance with this building project, as he was running behind schedule with several other works and needed someone he could trust to oversee it. I am fully prepared to return to medical school this fall and look forward to the opportunity to continue my education at Boston U.
Brown
Essay 1
In the first few months of this year, I focused on finishing up a research report on heart rate variability biofeedback written by a team of researchers that I headed. Preparing this report for publication received the majority of my attention in the first part of 2017. I also took part in several shadowing activities at outpatient clinics in New Jersey.
Since May of this same year, I stepped away from academic pursuits for familial reasons and assumed a managerial position in my father’s commercial construction company. While I have been pursuing a career in medicine over the years, my father’s company has come under severe hardship. Having passed the MCAT and achieved that goal, I saw that my father now needed some assistance from me. Therefore, for the past few months I have been overseeing a 12-building project with an inexperienced crew, the objective being to ensure that the deadline for completion is observed and the project is brought in under budget. It has been a very demanding past few months but equally rewarding as well, for I have witnessed and experienced first-hand the type of dedication and perseverance needed for real world work in high-stress situations. I am happy to have had this chance to help my father bring his business back from the brink of collapse by assisting with this important building project, and I look forward to returning to medical school this fall.
Essay 2
My own life experience has been considerably diverse. Growing up in New Jersey with such close proximity to NYC, I have seen a wide range of cultural and ethnic representations, all of which I feel have informed my sense of interconnectedness with all people. Because I believe deeply that we are all connected, I see myself as having a duty and responsibility to others to help them whenever I can. For this reason, I advocate for social justice issues and have become a member of I have One Spirit in Action (OSIA). This is the service arm of an Interfaith Seminary in NYC, One Spirit Learning Alliance.
On top of my devotion to social justice, I have what I call a combination of business acumen—which has allowed me to help my father with his construction company—and good people and leadership skills. The latter are informed by my social and emotional intelligence—two traits I developed to a great extent over the years. Part of the reason I was able to develop these traits was that I received demonstrations of them from a good mentor at Robert Wood Johnson following an attack that left me with severe injuries and the possible loss of the use of my eye.
Having overcome my own academic and personal hurdles that prevented me early on from achieving my goals, I know what it means to persevere. My life experience and work experience have allowed me to mature in ways I never really anticipated—and I look forward to the opportunity to pay forward what I have learned and received from those around me. Thanks to my experiences, my appreciation of diversity, and my devotion to others, I expect to contribute to the community at Brown by engaging with teachers and the student body in a positive way that reflects the values I have accumulated over time.
Essay 3

My aspirations for my medical practice are admittedly high—but I believe that without high goals we do not push ourselves to reach our utmost potential. Therefore, I envision myself to be working either in a hospital or in a private practice setting as a surgeon.
The primary reason I have this vision is that I would love the opportunity to have a career that allows me to work with my hands. I have watched many surgeries as a result of my shadowing experiences, and I am fascinated by the level of skill and craftsmanship surgery requires. The first time I was in an outpatient OR I remember it being the fastest day of my life because it was one intricate procedure after another. Never before did I realize the enormity of a day in the life of a surgeon: it was thrilling and humbling to be part of—and I’ve desired to pursue such a career since witnessing it first-hand.
Thus, were I to fast-forward 15 years into the future, I see myself in the same position as the surgeon I shadowed: operating on a patient, helping that patient to have a higher quality of life, assisting the needs of the community through the use of the skills I have obtained and acquired via my time in medical school. I see myself being a successful surgeon, one who is respected and who respects others—one who is part of a team, a community, a working group. I see myself as a leader but also as a servant, and I feel that servant leadership is a style that a surgeon can really embody in the operating room. I fully expect to be that individual—the one who is called upon to help others in a time when careful measures and skilled hands are absolutely needed.

UPenn
Essay 1
After completion of my undergraduate degree at Rutgers New Brunswick I enrolled in Robert Wood Johnson’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. I completed the course from 2015-2016 and focused on research opportunities in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Earlier this year, I assumed a managerial role in my father’s commercial construction company to help his crew meet a deadline. I have also continued working toward publication of research results and expanding my clinical shadowing experience.
Essay 2
The Perelman School of Medicine offers medical students the chance to obtain a world-class education with access to the kind of clinical training and experience that is so crucial to having a successful career in health care. The Perelman School’s program is tailored to meet the needs of a diverse set of students, and it is known for providing the support that students need in order to excel.
I am also very fond of the North Eastern region of the U.S. and I would love to advance my academic career in this area. It is close to my own home in New Jersey and the respect and reverence that people in my community hold for UPENN and the Perelman School of Medicine has also given me a desire to attend this university.

Harvard
Essay 1:

After obtaining my undergraduate degree at Rutgers New Brunswick, I immediately enrolled in Robert Wood Johnson’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. I completed the entirety of the course work from 2015-2016 and focused on research opportunities in the 2016-2017 academic year. These opportunities allowed me to be part of two research projects. The first was an NIH-funded study on heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVBF). I assisted in the presentation of the results of this study at an international conference in Seattle. The second project was one in which I headed a meta-analysis research team focusing again on HRVBF.
Since graduation, I have pursued several shadowing opportunities at clinics near my home. I shadowed at outpatient surgical centers and observed an oculoplastic surgeon and anesthesiologist. These experiences helped to enrich my appreciation of the medical community and its amazing teamwork when it comes to treating patients.
Since May of this year, I have been helping my father overcome some obstacles that his commercial construction company has been facing. As of now, I am managing a 12-building construction project and helping to see that it is brought to completion on time and under budget. This is currently my full time job and has necessitated a temporary hiatus from my academic pursuits. However, now that my father and I have managed to stabilize the company, I am looking forward to returning to medical school this fall.
Aside from the major responsibility of overseeing the construction job, I have also been working toward publication of the HRVBF meta-analysis research results and expanding my clinical shadowing experience.


Stony Brook
Essay 1:
Yes, my education will be continuous. After obtaining my undergraduate degree at Rutgers New Brunswick, I immediately enrolled in Robert Wood Johnson’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. I completed the entirety of the course work from 2015-2016 and focused on research opportunities in the 2016-2017 academic year. These opportunities allowed me to be part of two research projects. The first was an NIH-funded study on heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVBF). I assisted in the presentation of the results of this study at an international conference in Seattle. The second project was one in which I headed a meta-analysis research team focusing again on HRVBF.
Since graduation, I have pursued several shadowing opportunities at clinics near my home. I shadowed at outpatient surgical centers and observed an oculoplastic surgeon and anesthesiologist. These experiences helped to enrich my appreciation of the medical community and its amazing teamwork when it comes to treating patients.
Since May of this year, I have been helping my father overcome some obstacles that his commercial construction company has been facing. As of now, I am managing a 12-building construction project and helping to see that it is brought to completion on time and under budget. This is currently my full time job and has necessitated a temporary hiatus from my academic pursuits. However, now that my father and I have managed to stabilize the company, I am looking forward to returning to medical school this fall.
Aside from the major responsibility of overseeing the construction job, I have also been working toward publication of the HRVBF meta-analysis research results and expanding my clinical shadowing experience.
Essay 2:
An obstacle I overcame recently was my experience with the MCAT. At the end of the 2015-2016 academic year, I had planned on finishing the entirety of my Master’s degree course work and then taking the MCAT and going to Europe with my family for a vacation. However, I had made a gross miscalculation in the amount of time it would take to adequately prepare for the MCAT. I thought that I would quickly prepare as hard as I could and then take the exam—but I failed miserably when taking practice exams. When I failed in my attempt to earn a competitive MCAT score I was forced to cancel my family vacation plans and restructure the next year of my life. This failure greatly impacted me and made me question if I could be successful in the field of medicine. My family was disappointed, I was angry with myself, and my friends did not understand my need to devote more time to what many viewed as a seemingly impossible task instead of “hanging out” with them. Nonetheless, the functional impact of the experience was that I learned how to embrace resolve. After a brief bout of self-pity, which I overcame by recognizing it as self-defeating, I dusted myself off and determined the correct path to success—study and hard work. Over the next year, I prepared as much as I humanly could and earned a 95th percentile score. This experience taught me that when faced with failure, one can quit and go home, or one can recognize where one went wrong and work on correcting that mistake so that in the next round success is possible. I will always be motivated by this experience so as to properly assess the situation, plan accordingly, and devote myself to the necessaries. Overcoming the obstacle that the MCAT presented to me has given me more confidence than I ever imagined I would have. I am proud of myself for never giving up and look forward to meeting and overcoming new challenges.




SUNY
Essay 1:
After obtaining my Master’s from 2015-2016, I focused my efforts on research: in 2016-2017, I participated in an NIH-funded study on heart rate variability biofeedback, presented the results at an international conference in Seattle, and headed a meta-analysis research team. I also pursued shadowing opportunities in an effort to broaden my clinical experience: I observed an oculoplastic surgeon and anesthesiologist and spent a number of weeks at an outpatient clinic in New Jersey.
Since May of this year, I have been employed full-time at Acertec Enterprise, which is a construction company owned and operated by my father. This summertime departure from medicine is only temporary and came about because my father required assistance with a substantial building project. I am fully prepared to return to medical school this fall and look forward to the opportunity to continue my education at SUNY.
Essay 2:
I grew up in North Jersey 25 minutes outside of Manhattan. I am in New York regularly and am very familiar with the city. As far as having a support network, many of my high school and college friends live and work in New York. In addition, much of my family is located nearby in North Jersey—so I feel quite comfortable and at home in NYC.
Essay 3:
I would very much like to go to medical school and practice as a clinician in the New York metropolitan area. I have lived in this region my entire life and would love to continue to do so. I believe SUNY down state will afford me the opportunity to receive a great medical education whilst living in one of the most culturally diverse areas of the world. The combination of rich diversity and excellence in education is what mostly attracts me to SUNY. I believe both of these factors will likely have a positive impact when it comes time to matching to a residency here.

Tufts
Essay 1:
I do consider myself a person who would contribute to the diversity of the student body at Tufts. I have enjoyed diverse life experiences. I have immense business acumen, as a result of managing a mid-size construction company. I was also raised in a culturally diverse area of North Jersey. There were many different ethnicities in the area and this diversity was always viewed positively in my schools, in my family and in my community. The values I received were based on ideas of respect, empathy, and consideration. In my family, we would never do anything that we judged to be inconsiderate to our neighbors, such as hosting loud parties late at night, or leaving our home in a state of disrepair or neglect. Respect for others started with respect for oneself, and I would bring this same value to Tufts. I would share my experiences with others and seek to understand others as well by interacting with them on a daily basis. We are all part of the same community ultimately.
Essay 2:

The only withdrawal on my transcript can be explained by the incident mentioned in my personal statement. In the fall of 2012, I was brutally jumped and beaten by a gang of 12 men. My injuries kept me from completing my studies for an extended period of time (they also temporarily prevented the use of my right eye making it difficult to be effectively productive following my actual return to school). That semester I was forced to withdraw from Organic Chemistry due to a combination of my injuries and lost time. However, I returned the next semester and earned A’s in both Organic Chemistry 1 and 2.

U Maryland
Essay 1:
Currently I have been forced to share the responsibility of running my father’s commercial construction company as it had been teetering on the verge of collapse. As of now, this is my full time job and has necessitated a temporary hiatus from my academic pursuits. Aside from this major responsibility I have also been working toward publication of research results and expanding my clinical shadowing experience. I look forward to attending medical school once I am accepted.

Essay 2:
I would say that my most important exposure to clinical medicine was actually as a patient. In the Fall of 2012. I was brutally assaulted by a gang of 12 men and temporarily lost the use of my right eye. Thankfully I was surrounded by an amazing team of doctors who were able to not only restore the full use of my eye but do so without lasting scars. This experience profoundly changed my life for the better as it acquainted me with the wonders of modern medicine. I have been inspired to want to be part of that medical world ever since. The clinical expertise with which the doctors and nurses treated me and demonstrated their skill left me in awe and to this day it has been the single most impactful clinical experience I have ever had.
Essay 3:
I have had many different roles in varied community service efforts. My most satisfying experience was the time I spent volunteering with assisting seniors at home. I volunteered with a paid co-worker and aided with meal planning and clean up, checking medications, assistance with walking, and basic homecare. I returned to clients’ homes multiple times and built lasting friendships with many of them. As time progressed I realized that the mental stimulation and conversation I offered were needed just as much if not more than assistance with daily tasks. I thoroughly enjoyed brightening up their days while they did the same for me.
Essay 4:
To me entering a profession is a major life milestone. I feel this way because it becomes the main focus of an individual’s time. For this reason it is important to pursue careers that are interesting and mentally rewarding. My recent work has shown me now more than ever that for me the most stimulating and rewarding career is medicine. Working a professional job has made me realize that satisfaction from work stems from interest and the joy one finds in doing the job. I am always joyful to be part of any medical experience, and I look forward to having a career in this field.

U Miami
Essay 1:
Aside from the incident discussed in my personal statement I would say that I have been impacted profoundly by my shadowing experiences of doctors in a clinical setting. Witnessing an oculoplastic surgeon profoundly impact a patient’s quality of life in the space of a few hours gave me immense respect and appreciation for the job of the surgeon. It also inspired me to want to pursue this line of specialized care. The situation in reference was when the surgeon I was shadowing removed a gold prosthetic eye that was bulging from a patient’s socket and causing the individual discomfort and replaced it with a modern plastic prosthetic greatly improving the patient’s quality of life.
Essay 2:
I believe that the University of Miami provides a quality medical education and environment that will allow me to reach my goals of obtaining a surgical residency. I have also lived in the Northeast my entire life and would love the opportunity to study in another part of the country and see the world outside of my native New England region.
Essay 3:
A situation where I had to use my leadership skills occurred recently. I am currently the sole manager of a 12 building construction project and faced a difficult situation where I was forced to manage a multicultural team of individuals to complete construction of a building under heavy budgetary restrictions. I was able to use my emotional and social intelligence skills to relate to the people on my team and help them to overcome issues that they themselves were facing. By uniting us all through this bonding technique, I was able to motivate them and direct them towards embracing the vision we needed to get the job done on time and under budget.
Essay 4:
I have been part of two research efforts. The first was a multi-site, NIH-funded study on HRVBF’s effects on asthma. I worked extensively on this project and presented the results at an international conference in Seattle, Washington. This was a great first-time exposure to research and I enjoyed it so much that I stayed onboard with the same research leader and headed a meta-analysis study on HRVBF the following year. I am currently in the process of publishing these results.
Essay 5:
Photography is a hobby I enjoy very much. I instantly became interested in it after my first time shooting with a film camera. I still prefer film cameras to digital as I thoroughly enjoy developing negatives and exposing photo paper the old fashioned way. There is something tremendously cathartic about being so intimately involved in the process of development: I enjoy it very much.
Essay 6:
I participated in many organized sports growing up but currently the extent of my athletic activity is skiing. Skiing is a passion of mine that I never plan on giving up. Aside from the obvious rush that skiing brings, I love escaping to the edge of civilization and experiencing nature in its natural raw form.
Essay 7:
Growing up near New York City in a multicultural environment, I very much enjoyed exploring different cultures and customs whilst traveling. My most memorable travel experience was a stark contrast from this, however, as it was completely devoid of any semblance of human society: This past February I went cat skiing two hours north of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was amazing to experience those mountains in such a pure, natural, untouched state. Aside from the group I traveled with and a few others there was no one else around for miles. The beauty of the scene will stay with me forever.

Penn State
Essay 1:
I applied via accelerated application through my Master’s program to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School this past May for enrollment in the 2017 class. Considering that this was recently not much has changed on my application apart from the fact that I am now a full time employee at Acertec Enterprise.
Essay 2:
After completion of my undergraduate degree at Rutgers New Brunswick I enrolled in Robert Wood Johnson’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. I completed the course from 2015-2016 and focused on research opportunities in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Earlier this year, I assumed a managerial role in my father’s commercial construction company to help his crew meet a deadline. I have also continued working toward publication of research results and expanding my clinical shadowing experience.
Essay 3:
I would say that a unique aspect of my application is the fact that I have more business acumen than most traditional applicants. Since May of this year circumstances necessitated that I take a managerial role in my father’s company. I faced the complex task of managing a 12 building construction project with limited construction knowledge and strict budgetary restrictions, but I quickly succeeded in making progress early.
Essay 4:
I believe that Penn State College of Medicine provides an excellent educational opportunity which will allow me to pursue my ultimate goal of obtaining a surgical residency.
Essay 5:
One significant experience I have had in a team setting is when I headed a meta-analysis on Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback. I encountered many challenges during this time: one that was reoccurring was the need to keep my research partners accountable for their responsibilities. At times it was difficult to get them to show up at lab meetings, and even when they did some of them made attempts to cut corners. In some of these instances I picked up their slack while in others I remained firm. This experience taught me that the bedrock to any working relationship is trust and reporting.
Essay 6:
Recently I have been challenged with the task of managing a 12 building construction project with minimal construction experience and a restrictive budget, as I mentioned earlier. In this experience failure was not an option as it would have meant the downfall of my father’s company and livelihood. There are many qualities required to persevere in such a high-pressure environment. Chief among them is the ability to quickly address complex issues. Many times I was faced with tasks with no obvious solution and was forced to think outside the box to come up with a creative solution. Another attribute necessary for success is keeping a level head in emotional situations, and thanks to my emotional and social intelligence skills I was able to focus my team on the work at hand and defuse situations before they escalated into outright conflicts.

USF
Essay 1:
I enrolled in the Graduate School of Biomedical sciences at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School upon completion of my undergraduate degree from Rutgers New Brunswick. The curriculum was designed to mimic the M1 curriculum at Robert Wood Johnson. I immensely enjoyed the curriculum and this is reflected in my performance. I completed the entirety of the course work from 2015-2016. Due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to apply for the 2017 application cycle. However, this delay allowed me to obtain my graduate degree and pursue additional research opportunities from 2016-2017.
Essay 2:
I see myself eventually involved in a private practice scenario. I feel that my work experience has afforded me the opportunity to develop strong business acumen. This will certainly be useful in a private practice where entrepreneurial skills are just as valuable as medical knowledge.
Essay 3:
I would use the concentration program to deepen my knowledge of an area of medicine that I would plan on practicing in. I feel that the concentration program presents a unique opportunity to further my knowledge and resume making for a more competitive application for residency.
Essay 4:
I will add my diverse life experience and business acumen to the USF class and the field of medicine. My non-traditional path to medical school has allowed me more time to experience interactions with different cultures in a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. This, coupled with my managerial work experience, will allow me to better function in my role as a medical student and eventually a clinician.
An example of my experience working with people from different backgrounds is best demonstrated in my recent work in my father’s construction company. Many of the workers I oversaw spoke broken English. Their native languages ranged from Polish to Creole, so there was not even any uniformity in terms of where they were from. Being in an environment like this taught me the beauty of people coming together in spite of their differences and working towards a single vision.
Essay 5:
Disparities in healthcare are the result of a complex eco-political system. I believe that medical practitioners can help to alleviate this disparity by taking a more pro-active stance and having more of an open dialogue with legislative bodies. A better system could be designed with greater practitioner input and there are many organizations devoted to exactly this cause. This input could really be valuable as legislators seek to understand how all stakeholders are impacted by healthcare legislation. Providers are responsible for providing quality care to all patients, and assisting in the resolution of the healthcare issues that our nation faces is one step in achieving that aim.
Essay 6:
Early in my academic career I lacked vision and focus and wasn’t properly acquainted with the wonders of modern medicine. I struggled especially with one class in particular—Organic Chemistry. Following an incident wherein I was jumped by 12 men and badly beaten, I received care from a team of highly trained medical specialists. My sight was restored thanks to the help of this team of doctors. Their expert help changed my life and gave me the vision I needed to properly see the value of the medical field. I returned to school with more inspiration to succeed than I had ever had in my life. I applied myself academically with the proper dedication and have experienced tremendous academic success ever since.

University of Illinois at Chicago
Essay 1:
One challenge I faced came when I took the MCAT. I had planned to apply to medical schools with this score and to go on vacation with my family shortly after. However, I did not correctly anticipate the amount of time needed to study for the test and my subsequent poor performance put me in a difficult position. At the time I was under the impression that I was applying to medical schools for enrollment in August of 2017. Under this assumption I had set up a paid scribe position in New Brunswick and planned to continue to live there. When I realized it was impossible to earn a score representative of my academic abilities in the allotted time I had to change my life plans. I could not afford to live in New Brunswick without paid employment and I could not be successful on the MCAT whist working full time. I was immensely stressed about the uncertainty of my medical career. I ended up taking some time to decide the best way to approach this problem and decided to move back in with my parents so that I could dedicate the necessary amount of time to studying for the MCAT and the new research project I was involved in. From this experience I learned that unexpected setbacks arise all the time in life. It is important to not allow obstacles to deter you from your ultimate goal no matter the circumstance.
Essay 2:
I would choose Global Health and Innovation. My reasoning for this is based on the fact that I took a global health course during completion of my Masters degree at RWJ Medical School. I found global health to be tremendously interesting. It was eye opening to learn about the state of medicine around the world and how various NGO’s from the United States operate and how their impact on underserved areas of the world can make a big difference in the lives of so many. Global Health is an aspect of medicine that interests me tremendously and I plan on being involved with this cause in some capacity in both medical school and eventually as a practicing clinician.
Innovation is another area of study that I feel will influence my medical studies. We live in a time where there is more rapid advance in technology than ever before in human history. Since medicine is an ever changing science I believe that it will be important to keep up with the technological innovations that are sure to come.
Essay 3:
Currently I have been obliged to share the responsibility of running my father’s commercial construction company as it has been teetering on the verge of collapse. This is my full time job at the moment and has necessitated a temporary hiatus from my academic pursuits. Aside from this major responsibility I have also been working toward publication of research results and expanding my clinical shadowing experience.

Thomas Jefferson
Essay 1:
Currently, I am a 12 building project manager with Acertec Enterprise, which is a commercial construction company owned and operated by my father. I have assumed this role because my father needed a dependable leader to help him bring this major project to completion on time and under budget. The crew working this job is very diverse and consists of workers who speak little English (their native languages range from Polish to Creole). It is my job to manage payroll, purchase material, and oversee budget allocation. I also manage daily tasks which include but are not limited to supervision of workmanship, conferencing with architects to ensure proper installation, working with vendors to properly order material, and maintaining general site safety and compliance with OSHA safety standards.
As an employee of Acertec, I have deepened many skills that I feel will be critical in my future medical career—such as communication, adhering to commitments, and solving problems. Working with a team of individuals with different backgrounds and a range of formal education levels showed me how important clear, concise communication is to promoting greater productivity and preventing relationship strain from developing among colleagues. Additionally, as a project manager, I have often been presented with seemingly unsolvable problems—and I learned to never accept failure but rather to work towards finding solutions or achieving compromises.
Florida Atlantic
Essay 1:
The only withdrawal on my transcript can be explained by the injuries I received on the eve of Superstorm Sandy. In the fall of 2012, I was brutally jumped and beaten by a gang of 12 men. My injuries kept me from completing my studies for an extended period of time (they also temporarily prevented the use of my right eye making it difficult to be effectively productive following my actual return to school). That semester I was forced to withdraw from Organic Chemistry due to a combination of my injuries and the time that I lost during recovery. I had also been struggling with the class prior to this incident, as I lacked vision and inspiration to succeed. However, following my recovery, I was so inspired by what my doctors had done for me that I was more determined than I had ever been in my life to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor. I wanted to be just like them, able to make a difference in people’s lives. I returned the next semester and earned A’s in both Organic Chemistry 1 and 2.
Essay 2:
My aim is to be a full-time student. My activities during this year have not been entirely academic, however. Since May of this year, I have been heavily involved in assisting with my father’s business, which had been struggling substantially with many debts prior to my involvement. While it was necessary for me to help my family for a few months and take time away from my academic pursuits, I am now ready to re-enter the academic environment and continue towards my goal of becoming a doctor. This is a goal that has been deeply planted within me for many years now—ever since my recovery from the incident described above.
The academic/career-related activities that I have pursued this year include: continuing to engage in shadowing experiences at clinics near my home, and working towards the publication of research that I oversaw as a research head on heart rate variability biofeedback.
Essay 3:
I would like to be admitted to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU because I have an intense desire to become a medical practitioner and nothing can derail me from achieving this goal. While setbacks and obstacles may arise, I continue to be determined to follow the path before me that stretches to the medical field.
The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU is a respected medical school with a reputation for fostering growth and the development of skills for diverse medical students. School environments are different from one place to the next, and choosing the right school means examining them individually and assessing what they offer to see if it is the right match for what you want to achieve. At FAU, I see a strategic plan designed to help students obtain their white coats and gain experience in clinical settings. This experience is so essential to becoming a good doctor that I cannot imagine receiving medical training without it.
FAU also offers a new atmosphere and environment for me to experience. Having spent my whole life in the New England region, I would love to see another part of the world and interact with new people in a new place. FAU presents itself as a stimulating educational environment where I can be part of a class of students all working together towards making a difference in the world.