This admission essay traces the personal journey that led one college junior to commit to a career as a surgeon in rural China. Beginning with childhood observations at a physician father's clinic, the author describes how witnessing patient suffering and relief shaped a deep sense of purpose. A formative family trip to the Chinese countryside, where "barefoot" doctors served remote communities with minimal resources, crystallized the author's goal. The essay reflects on how these early experiences transformed into academic dedication and a long-term career vision centered on serving underserved rural populations.
It is often said that very few people are fortunate enough to be clear on their life's purpose from an early age. If this observation is true, I believe I am one of those lucky few. From the time I was thirteen, I have been certain that my life's calling is to work as a surgeon in rural China.
The desire to work as a practicing surgeon in rural China first formed when I was about ten years old. It was at that time that my father, a doctor by profession, decided I was old enough to be taught about the importance of health care in people's lives. He began to introduce me to the world of medicine through what he called experiential learning. He achieved this by adopting the simple but highly effective method of allowing me to observe his interactions with patients during vacations and school holidays. After each session, my father would explain in simple terms the nature of the patients' problems and how they could be treated. He also encouraged and patiently answered the endless questions that inevitably form in a child's curious mind.
This kind of experiential learning — learning by doing and observing rather than by reading alone — proved to be far more influential than my father may have anticipated.
My father's objective at that time may have been simply to teach me about the importance of health care. However, he succeeded in achieving far more. The time I spent with him gave me a real glimpse of just how satisfying it could be to work in a field so focused on the healing and nurturing of life. I may have been just a child, but even that child could not fail to notice the expressions of pain and suffering on the faces of so many patients who visited my father's clinic. Perhaps what made an even deeper impression on me, however, was the way that pain would so often transform into relief or hope after the patients received treatment and advice from my father.
That experience led me to conclude that there was nothing I wanted more from life than the chance to work as a surgeon. The practice of surgery — with its direct, life-altering impact on patients — seemed to offer exactly the kind of meaningful work I had witnessed firsthand.
"Rural trip inspires goal of serving underserved communities"
"Early experiences fuel focused academic and career drive"
You’re 60% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.