21-gun salute - Harvard - Medical statement advice

November 24, 2020 Joelle O'Hanrahan

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Undergraduate School: Public, The United States Military Academy

Major: Environmental Science with Honors

GPA: 3.87

MCAT: 512. CP: 128, CARS: 127, BB: 129, PS: 128.

Medical statement advice

My macho Mexican father told me in a serious tone, “Son, you are only allowed to cry once in your life and that time is when your father dies.” I was in third grade and I had just witnessed my father cry for the first time at my grandfather’s funeral. I do not remember what was said at the services, but rather I remember the 21-gun salute, a military member folding an American flag into a small, perfect triangle and the rows and rows of evenly spaced white tombstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Following my grandfather’s death, my father expressed his distrust in the cardiologist’s decision to implant a stent into his father’s artery. Mr. Vallajo, my grandfather’s lifelong neighbor, jokingly told my father, “That’s a dead man walking,” he had a friend who had died after a stent collapsed. Seven days later my grandfather suffered a massive heart attack. On his last breath he called our house and left a harrowing message asking his son, my father, for help. My family did not ask for an autopsy to check if the stent had failed or not, because quite frankly, it would not bring back our loved one. I now question the reasoning for the stent and why not another course of treatment. Perhaps then my grandfather, who I am named after, would have been able to see me swear an oath to the same Constitution he swore an oath to when he joined the United States Army to fight in Korea. However, I am not a physician so I do not have the training, experience, or authority to question that cardiologist’s decision, yet.

The second time I saw my father cry was when he unwrapped a Christmas present I had hoped would explain why I wished to serve. The gift was Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq. As a Plebe, I flipped through the glossy pages of this collection of images and was spurred to act. I wanted to reach into these photos and wipe the dried blood off an Iraqi child’s face. I wanted to lift the Soldier being dragged through the mud off the battlefield. I wanted to cover the burnt bodies lying next to an explosion site. I simply wanted to act. The chaos and inhumanity that I witnessed in these photographs will forever be etched into my soul. I did not see American or Iraqi, Christian or Muslim, nor Soldier or Terrorist. I saw casualties of war who deserved the highest quality of care regardless of their nationality, religion, or affiliation.

I naively joined the Army because I wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to right the wrongs I had seen broadcast on the nightly world news. The more I have read and reflected, the more I have come to realize the complex and colossal nature of the issues facing the Middle East and the world. The Army’s purpose of maintaining and establishing security will never be solely accomplished by kicking down doors and taking hostages. Violence will not win over the hearts and minds of people who have been subjugated to violence their entire lives. However, genuine care through humanitarian efforts will foster a stronger relationship between the Army and those who oppose us. While at West Point I have been asked how I will balance my duty to the Hippocratic oath to “First, do no harm” and my Oath of Commissioned Officers to “uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” I have come to terms with this inner conflict of values by realizing that my role as an Army Physician will be as a noncombatant who treats all casualties of war. I want to deliver the highest quality care to those beyond the veterans like my grandfather, to those photographed individuals in the remote and forgotten corners of the world.

Analysis

Throughout the essay, Francisco aims to show, not tell, the reader that he is a qualified applicant. He successfully accomplishes this by cleverly structuring the essay so that it tells the story of how he realized medicine was for him while also showing the reader he is a good fit for medical school. He captures his curiosity in an anecdote about his grandfather’s death, questioning the reason for the medical treatment his grandfather received. He remarks that he does “not have the training, experience, or authority to question that cardiologist’s decision, yet,” emphasizing that he is intent on pursuing knowledge.

Francisco also demonstrates his caring nature and desire to help people regardless of background, necessary qualities for a good physician, through vivid imagery when he discusses the photography book he gifted his father. He employs repetitive sentence structure, beginning with “I wanted to . . . ,” which highlights his eagerness to effect change.

Francisco nicely ties the essay together by explaining how he views his role as an Army Physician, stating that it is the individuals like those in the photographs he desires to care for. This both gives a conclusive ending to the essay and shows his confidence that medical school is the right path for him.

*The views expressed by Mr. Ramos are his own and may not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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