A Scientific Method

YEAR 2 

THE 2013-2014 ADMISSION CYCLE

 

 

 

 

My grades and test scores paint a picture of me, an incomplete picture. Looking at my transcript I likely appear as an average student. Yes, academics are important, but numbers alone cannot explain me as a candidate.  Instead, it is my character that stands out and exemplifies my strengths and successes. 

 

I am dependable. I am passionate. I am prepared. 

 

My entire life I was the prepared child. In middle school I made a list of all of the different things I wanted to be when I "grew up." I spent the rest of my middle school career and the first few years of my high school career testing these different jobs, as best I could.

 

My Government and Economics class was the litmus test for my potential career as a lawyer while my Clothing class allowed me to dip my toe into the pool that was the fashion world. I knew I never wanted to be a doctor or a primary school teacher, but science appealed to me, particularly the life sciences. My Biology class confirmed my passion for the life sciences, and the thought I had swimming in the back of my mind ever since Mrs. Frank's seventh grade genetics unit, taking my interest in genetics and turning this into a solid future.

 

College was a different story. I came into college with the singular goal of becoming a Human Geneticist. After watching a special on Primordial Dwarfism in high school, I decided to devote my life to studying the smallest people on the planet on the smallest level I could imagine, their genetic make up. Life, however, had a different plan for me. The Biology program was full at MY SMALL STATE SCHOOL so I had to select a different major. Chemistry wasn't for me, nor was pure Physics or Mathematics and I wouldn't dare stray from the sciences. I selected Biomedical Engineering on a whim, to gain admission to the only state school I was willing to consider.

 

It turned out that this last minute decision was one of the best I could have ever made. It took a few years, but I finally realized just why things hadn't fully clicked during my high school career exploration.

 

Over the past four years I found myself excited to learn about Biomedical Engineering. Each day became a new adventure, with my passion and excitement growing with each new course. There were challenges along the road, but each helped to develop and strengthen my character. Without my summer research, I would not have fully understood electronics or bioinstrumentation. Without my Pharmacokinetics course, I would not have fully understood statistics. Graduation was the pinnacle of my collegiate career. It solidified my determination to attend graduate school and to continue studying Biomedical Engineering.

 

The Biomedical Engineering Class of 2012 decided to do something different for graduation, something just for our class, Senior Superlatives.

 

We nominated our classmates for various superlatives both serious and silly, from "The Smartest Boy/Girl" to "The Least Likely to Show up to a Group Meeting." I did not expect to get a superlative; I did not feel like any of the superlatives really "fit" me. Surprisingly, I received one, and the superlative I won seemed like it came right out of left field. “Most school spirited.” Absolutely not. How am I school spirited? Yes, I was the president of a professional society for two years, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and I increased membership activity from 8 to 30 women. Yes, I initiated STEM outreach programs and fellowship activities within SWE but I never thought of it as school spirit.  To me it was a statement of my drive and passion.

 

Alright, so I also was involved in the Office of Residential Education and Housing. I supervised a staff of 10 and ran a Residence Hall Office in conjunction with the Resident Director, a professional staff member. I also started a School of Engineering tutoring center with another student leader. There was also my position on the Catholic Campus Ministries executive board, running the Music Ministry and scheduling special events. My weekends were not spent at the football games, but maybe my constant involvement actually meant that I was school spirited just not in the conventional or traditional sense.

 

My time at MY SMALL STATE SCHOOL was never idle; it was never dull and uninteresting. Due to hard work on my part, I was able to take a decreased course load my senior year. In traditional MY NAME fashion, I had to make things just a little more complicated for myself. Instead of taking three courses and two no credit seminars I opted to develop an independent study in order to supplement my core courses and further my understanding of Bioregenerative Engineering, the subset of engineering that most interests me. Through this course, I was able to read relatively current literature (2010-2012) regarding Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering ranging in subject from the mechanical properties of cardiac patches to chemical properties of the tissue scaffolds to the effectiveness of cell seeding within different scaffold structures.

 

Since graduation I have spent my time establishing who I am and exactly what my goals are. When I applied to graduate school last application season, I thought that I deserved a spot in a PhD program. I thought that because I wanted this, because I knew I was ready for this, someone would ignore the weaknesses in my application and recognize my drive. Now, I understand that I needed to work hard and truly express my passions and my interests. I understand that drive alone cannot be recognized without knowing the person. The past six months have afforded me the opportunity to reevaluate my goals and to open my mind to the opportunities around me.

 

Who am I? I am a team player and a leader. At MY SMALL STATE SCHOOL, I worked with teams on the development of two smart jackets, one geared towards detecting changes in biosignals due to music performance and another geared towards detecting vitals for neonates without the use of adhesive electrodes. Since MY SMALL STATE SCHOOL, I worked with a team to develop a Young Adult group based at my home church. Though this group is only six months old, we hold weekly meetings and have about 15 different members that attend our events. I am also a Collegiate Leadership Coach (CLCC) for SWE. As such, I travel to various colleges within THE NEXT STATE OVER and MY STATE, presenting modules dealing with everything from leadership burn out to preparing for the college/corporate transition. My team in the CLCC consists of five other women in Region E, the Mid-Atlantic states, and another 30+ throughout the rest of the continental United States.

 

Who am I? I am dedicated and excited. One of my major goals at MY SMALL STATE SCHOOL was to develop a STEM outreach program for SWE especially since outreach is a large goal of the national organization. Towards the end of my term as president, we were able to host two different outreach events and I was able to leave plans and contact information for nine additional events. Since MY SMALL STATE SCHOOL, I have volunteered to teach religious education at my local church. I am working with six students twice a month, trying to bring some levity and fun to their last year of religious education while still presenting the information accurately. I am also working on a contract basis for an internet start up, reviewing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) related to Bioengineering and Biotechnology. As such, I have had the opportunity to review course information from Public Health to Chemistry to Tissue Engineering and everything in between.

 

TARGET UNIVERSITY is one of the opportunities that came from this time of reflection. It provides a fantastic opportunity to develop my skills within the field of BIOENGINEERING/BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING/RELATED TOPIC and apply these skills to my ultimate goal, as a researcher in the field of Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering. In the future, I hope to complete a PhD with my research focused upon Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering. With this degree, I intend to remain in the research field and currently am leaning towards a career in academia as opposed to industry. My experiences in college as well as my experience with STEM outreach and other volunteer teaching positions help to strengthen my interest in educating collegiates.

 

Though I am extremely focused on my ultimate goal, I recognize that there are many complex aspects of tissue engineering and many opportunities to deepen my understanding. Successful tissue engineering incorporates many different aspects of engineering and medicine ranging from the mechanical properties of a tissue to the materials and structure of the scaffold to an understanding of the underlying physiology. MY BRITISH UNIVERSITY’S MSc in BIOENGINEERING/BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING/RELATED TOPIC offers an opportunity to further my understanding of Tissue Engineering. I could gain practical knowledge of Chitosan based scaffolds versus Collagen based scaffolds versus synthetic polymer based scaffolds.  I could look at the viability of cells within scaffolds of these different materials. I could even look at the proliferative ability of cells within the tissue as well as the differentiation of stem cells into the ideal cell type. BIOENGINEERING/BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING/RELATED TOPIC offers a range of subjects to explore; I am ready and excited for the exploration.

 

Not only does TARGET UNIVERSITY provide a world-class education, but it also feeds into a life long interest in international travel and all things United Kingdom related. A large majority of my childhood was spent reading novels by English authors, set throughout the United Kingdom. I have imagined Jane Austen's world, imagined Tudor England and Stuart Scotland. I imagined myself Hermione living in Hogwarts, I have imagined it all, and now is the time to stop imagining and begin my own adventure in the land I have imagined for so long.

 

I have always believed that things happen for a reason, that the challenges in life are meant to direct one’s focus towards whatever was meant to be. The past six months were the hardest for me, emotionally and physically. I needed to move past the failure mentality and use my lack of success in the graduate school application process as a building block.  I was able to reevaluate my self and my goals. Though my path may be slightly different than planned, my goals and drive are clear. In the end, I am stronger than I was a year ago today. I know that I will go to graduate school. I know that I will study biomaterials/tissue engineering and that I will use the knowledge I gain to ultimately further the field of Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.