Studying Abroad

Essay #1

Score: 4.0

For as long as I can remember I've known what I wanted to do with my life. Science has always been a passion of mine, and medicine in particular has interested me for some time. Dedicating my life to improving the lives of others is very appealing to me. After Michigan State, I plan on advancing to medical school to become a physician. I believe this program will offer me valuable skills that cannot be taught in the classroom.

Throughout high school and college thus far I have taken a rigorous curriculum and maintained a 4.0 grade point average. During high school I was involved in a physician shadowing program called medical mentorship. In addition, I volunteered at Sparrow Hospital this fall in patient transport. I am very familiar with and comfortable in clinical settings. I am responsible, focused, hard working and easy to get along with. I participated in a Freshman Study Abroad program this summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Studying in a foreign country was an experience unlike any I've had. The classes were challenging and thought provoking. The city was breathtaking and I met many friends who I still keep in touch with.

Although I plan on practicing medicine in the United States, I believe that studying the differences between the British health care system and that of the United States would benefit me a great deal in the future. It would be a valuable opportunity for me to shadow a British physician, and compare that experience to the clinical exposure I've had in the United States. By participating in this program I hope to eventually combine the best of both worlds into my medical education and eventual practice. I plan to learn valuable skills that will one day make me a better doctor.

Essay #2

Score: 4.0

My academic and professional goals are one as I apply to American Religious Studies Ph.D. programs. I want to study in Rome, home of the religious heart of Catholicism, to reexamine a tradition that shaped the imagination of my youth and continues to influence my approach to religious studies. I value the skills that studying in Rome would provide for looking to international religions for new ways of understanding religion in America.

In graduate school I hope to study under Dr. [name withheld], who researches Catholic mysticism at [name withheld]. My experiences near the Vatican will persist beyond next summer to influence my research on American Catholicism under [name withheld]'s mentorship.

I am seeking an undergraduate capstone experience. Before freshman year at MSU I spent thirteen months as a Congress-Bundestag ambassador in the German cities of Flensburg and Heidelberg, which included extensive travel to France, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark. From this rich period of personal growth I acquired fluency in German, an identity as a global citizen, and the skills to independently navigate life in a foreign culture. It seems appropriate to support my next leap in life with an abroad experience that will reveal the directions in which I have grown since my exchange year, as well as provide a unique context for exploring the limits of my education before beginning graduate studies.

Strengths that I will bring to my abroad experience include exemplary leadership and social skills, refined through my service to Circle K International.