Prompt: Founded on a spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community) and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)
Essay:
Bring your kids to work day, a chance to finally figure out what my dad does when he disappears for 8 hours each day. My passion for medicine started April 28, when I woke up, hopped in the car, and drove down to Johnson and Johnson instead of Oak street Elementary school. I didn’t have a good idea on what my Dad did, all I knew was our cupboards were always stocked with Band-aids and baby powder.
Walking in I was greeted by many of my dad’s colleagues, they had planned a whole day for us, to ensure we were not sitting in offices staring at white boards listening to conference calls all day. From using the instruments they create, to a long boring powerpoint on the history of J&J. It was an entire day of science filled fun. Towards the end of the day, we got to go into a fake OR. Staged with a foam body and all new gadgets being developed. Within the foam body there were mechanical arms and a screen. Alongside were instructions with challenges to complete using the arms. Grabbing each controller and peering at the screen, I was picking up little beads and threading them with string with tiny pincers. It was like playing a video game. I felt like I was actually in surgery. I had the realization that this could be my job if I continued to work hard in school.
The joy I felt on that day, experiencing something I had never experienced before and learning about all the cool gadgets created to aid in surgery has stuck with me up until senior year of High school. That day showed me what I wanted to do in life and the career path I wished to follow. It shaped me for who I am today.
Tips for Writing:
Some tips that I wish I had known before writing my college essay would be that my essay should focus on what I learned and what makes me interesting, not just a recount or summary of my life. The essay is to show the admission counselors who I am as a person, to tell them something they would have never known looking at my application. Another tip I wish I had known was to not focus on the length of the essay while beginning to write it. It’s better to write everything I want in the essay and then go back and cut information out, in order to make it flow better.