My parents told me that I was a naturally curious baby. I loved to run around and play with as many toys as I could, talk to as many people as I could, and do as many things as I could. I didn't like to focus on one thing at a time. When this behavior carried on into my older chlidhood, they were worried this was a sign of Attention Deficit Disorder.
During my dark, dank, and dreary teenage years, my tendencies changed. I would shut myself in my room and focus on one thing for hours: video games. In one sense, they were probably relieved that I didn't have ADD, until I told them some news in college that shocked and devastated them: I wanted to triple major.
I entered the University of Washington wanting to study neurobiology. To me, brain science is one of the final frontiers of human medicine. On a relative scale, we know close to nothing about how the brain works, and I want to be part of a field whose research is accelerating every day. I would have to bide my time for two years while I finished the pre-requisites to apply for the major.
In the meantime, I chose biochemistry as a backup plan in case I would not be accepted into the neurobiology major. Since I had to take biochemistry for medical school anyways, I decided to take the long-series biochemistry courses for majors. Unexpectedly, I fell in love with it. The level of detail in biochemistry is magnificently satisfying, for I knew I could hardly ask for more detail even if I wanted to. A research position in the department of biochemistry happened to fall into my hands around the same time, and I could not stay away. There was no way I would not be a biochemistry major.
One summer, I decided to take the introductory course to medical anthropology to fulfill humanities requirements. I did not expect it would be taught by one of the most dynamic, thought-provoking, and gripping professors at our university. Dr. Rachel Chapman showed me everything there is to love about medical anthropology, and I left the class only wanting more. After taking a class taught by her husband, I was hooked. A bit surprised that I was interested in something other than science, I went with it anyways. I applied to the department of anthropology and the medical anthropology track.
It was finally time for me to apply to neurobiology, so I did. Around the middle of the quarter after applications were due, other students got their acceptance letters. I still hadn't received one. I was concerned, so I went in to the neurobiology adviser, Tom Freng. He pulled up my application file, and saw that it had been placed in the "maybe" pile. He read the attached note, which said "Unsure whether student can fulfill requirements for three majors within four years. Also unsure of student's motivation for doing three majors if his career interest is just medicine and not research." "Can you explain this?" Tom asked me. I told him I had a great explanation, and that I would need a day to gather my thoughts.
I didn't have any explanation at all, really. Even though I had picked up an interest in two other fields, my interest in neurobiology hadn't waned. I simply hadn't finished the pre-requisites in order to apply to the program. After a lot of thought, I was able to delineate the benefit of each major individually and in combination with each other. Biochemistry made sense for me to complete because my research was in the biochemistry department, and I wanted a solid foundation in the principles of biochemistry in order to fully understand my work. Medical anthropology kept me connected to the human side of medicine, and it brought me back down to earth whenever I got caught up in biological technicalities of health and illness.
And neurobiology? It offered such a wealth of experience. The classes are designed to train students to develop a diagnostic mindset, thinking of the clinical implications of neurobiological systems and illnesses. The faculty are some of the most accomplished and inspirational research scientists and physicians I have ever met, and they have influenced my outlook on medicine and the human body. The small cohort nature of the program emulates a medical school class, promoting collaborative study and close personal bonds.
Why all three? I figure that once I enter medical school, my class will lose one more degree of diversity. What I mean is that in university, I've learned so much from people who have vastly different goals and outlooks on life. But in medical school, regardless of the diversity in the backgrounds of my peers, everyone has the same goal of becoming a doctor. I don't want to miss out on any opportunities to have the most diversified, yet focused, education I can possibly have before I go to medical school. That is why I wanted to major in three very different fields.
And so I did. But my time in college was not just about classes. Take a look at my profile and see what I learned both in the classroom and out in the real world!
During my dark, dank, and dreary teenage years, my tendencies changed. I would shut myself in my room and focus on one thing for hours: video games. In one sense, they were probably relieved that I didn't have ADD, until I told them some news in college that shocked and devastated them: I wanted to triple major.
I entered the University of Washington wanting to study neurobiology. To me, brain science is one of the final frontiers of human medicine. On a relative scale, we know close to nothing about how the brain works, and I want to be part of a field whose research is accelerating every day. I would have to bide my time for two years while I finished the pre-requisites to apply for the major.
In the meantime, I chose biochemistry as a backup plan in case I would not be accepted into the neurobiology major. Since I had to take biochemistry for medical school anyways, I decided to take the long-series biochemistry courses for majors. Unexpectedly, I fell in love with it. The level of detail in biochemistry is magnificently satisfying, for I knew I could hardly ask for more detail even if I wanted to. A research position in the department of biochemistry happened to fall into my hands around the same time, and I could not stay away. There was no way I would not be a biochemistry major.
One summer, I decided to take the introductory course to medical anthropology to fulfill humanities requirements. I did not expect it would be taught by one of the most dynamic, thought-provoking, and gripping professors at our university. Dr. Rachel Chapman showed me everything there is to love about medical anthropology, and I left the class only wanting more. After taking a class taught by her husband, I was hooked. A bit surprised that I was interested in something other than science, I went with it anyways. I applied to the department of anthropology and the medical anthropology track.
It was finally time for me to apply to neurobiology, so I did. Around the middle of the quarter after applications were due, other students got their acceptance letters. I still hadn't received one. I was concerned, so I went in to the neurobiology adviser, Tom Freng. He pulled up my application file, and saw that it had been placed in the "maybe" pile. He read the attached note, which said "Unsure whether student can fulfill requirements for three majors within four years. Also unsure of student's motivation for doing three majors if his career interest is just medicine and not research." "Can you explain this?" Tom asked me. I told him I had a great explanation, and that I would need a day to gather my thoughts.
I didn't have any explanation at all, really. Even though I had picked up an interest in two other fields, my interest in neurobiology hadn't waned. I simply hadn't finished the pre-requisites in order to apply to the program. After a lot of thought, I was able to delineate the benefit of each major individually and in combination with each other. Biochemistry made sense for me to complete because my research was in the biochemistry department, and I wanted a solid foundation in the principles of biochemistry in order to fully understand my work. Medical anthropology kept me connected to the human side of medicine, and it brought me back down to earth whenever I got caught up in biological technicalities of health and illness.
And neurobiology? It offered such a wealth of experience. The classes are designed to train students to develop a diagnostic mindset, thinking of the clinical implications of neurobiological systems and illnesses. The faculty are some of the most accomplished and inspirational research scientists and physicians I have ever met, and they have influenced my outlook on medicine and the human body. The small cohort nature of the program emulates a medical school class, promoting collaborative study and close personal bonds.
Why all three? I figure that once I enter medical school, my class will lose one more degree of diversity. What I mean is that in university, I've learned so much from people who have vastly different goals and outlooks on life. But in medical school, regardless of the diversity in the backgrounds of my peers, everyone has the same goal of becoming a doctor. I don't want to miss out on any opportunities to have the most diversified, yet focused, education I can possibly have before I go to medical school. That is why I wanted to major in three very different fields.
And so I did. But my time in college was not just about classes. Take a look at my profile and see what I learned both in the classroom and out in the real world!