MD/PhD Essay

I was recently accepted into an MD/PhD program, which has has been my life goal ever since I started undergraduate research two and a half years ago. I have never been so excited about my future! My plan is to get my PhD in neuroscience.

When students apply for MD/PhD programs, they write three essays: a Personal Statement, an MD/PhD Essay, and a Research Experience Essay.

This is my MD/PhD essay, the one specifically geared towards my reasoning for wanting an MD/PhD as opposed to an MD or a PhD alone. Although it breaks several 'rules' for writing essays for medical school applications (discussing potentially controversial subject material and including a quotation), I just couldn't bring myself to make up a story about my reasoning behind wanting an MD/PhD that would 'sound better'. I simply wrote down my story, and here it is.

My MD/PhD Essay

During high school, I became an enthusiastic member at a local church. At the same time, I came to realize that my father, a former leader in the church, had lost his faith. Concerned for him, I sought to change his mind using evidence and reason. Because he is a PhD in chemical engineering, I needed to increase my intellect dramatically if I wanted to have meaningful discourse with him. To this end, I studied scientific texts and devoted myself to learning. My goal was to be competent enough to talk with my dad before leaving for college. Unforeseen to me at the time, this quest would instill in me a love for science, and motivate me to develop unbiased research skills.

At first, this search reinforced my existing beliefs. However, I reached a turning point while arguing over a theological issue with my roommate. During this discussion, it dawned on me that I might be wrong; perhaps I should seriously consider his point-of-view. After all, what were the odds that I had no errors in my thought?

This conversation changed my perspective. I was humbled, I became open-minded, and I became excited to reexamine my beliefs. I adopted a new Golden Rule: “Treat another’s arguments the way you want your arguments to be treated.” With this new mindset, I began an inquiry into many world views, learning what each thought and why. I used the same criteria for every view, including my own, to attempt to be as fair and objective as possible. After three years of study involving biology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, and history I concluded that my original beliefs might not be true. I am now in a continual process of learning, finding evidence, asking for advice, and examining new ideas to progress in my honest search for truth.

During my quest, I started conducting research with an organization devoted to fostering student-mentor relationships and collaborative learning. I found that my intellectual process had equipped me to analyze complex ideas, generate hypotheses, and develop experiments. I was well-prepared for a research environment in which reason, evidence, and precise methodologies are paramount.

What began as an attempt to have a meaningful conversation with my dad turned into a passion for science. Once I reached a certain point of understanding concerning one topic, I recognized its beauty and inherent worth and investigated further. When I was exposed to translation and transcription in eukaryotic cells, for example, I became captivated by protein biosynthesis and started learning more purely for the sake of learning more. Because I have been fascinated by many fields of science, especially ones related to mechanisms of disease, I now know that I want to pursue a career in medical research to cultivate my curiosity and improve the world around me.

“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." -Andre Gid

Blog Recommendation: The Amateur Philosopher

Hi all!

If you are interested in some excellent philosophy on the subjects of political theory, ethics, and religion, then jump over to http://theamateurphilosopher.net/.

The author is a good friend of mine, and has traveled far on his own search for truth. He grew up religious, fell away from his faith, and became a stalwart Atheist. After a season within an Atheistic worldview, he continued to reach deeper into philosophy and continued searching; not content to stagnate. Unexpectedly, as he learned more, he found that the arguments for Catholicism were strong enough to reverse his ideology once again.

What matters to me is not his current religious stance. I am impressed that his ideology is evolving, he has an extreme drive to learn more, and that he has a desire to share his journey with others.

Because of his intellectual honesty, his willingness to follow the evidence wherever it leads, his impressive intellect, and the quality of every blog post he has written thus far, I highly recommend his blog!!!

http://theamateurphilosopher.net/

The Screen Argument, Re-Explained

I will now pose the Screen Argument as a question:

Where in the physical world does the image you observe when you look at things exist?

Think about it.

Where in the physical world does the image you are looking at right now exist?

First off, its not right in front of you. If it were anywhere in the physical world, it would be in your brain. The brain is what interprets the information sent to it by the eyes.

But is the image in the brain?

In a sense yes, in a sense no.

On the yes side, there are reactions going on in the brain that correspond to what you see in a 1 to 1 fashion.

On the no side, consider this: The image you see when you look at a tree contains the color green (if the leaves are green). If we dissect a brain, we don't find the color green. We don't find a picture of a leaf. We don't find a picture of a tree.

So, what is going on in your brain corresponds to, but IS NOT EQUAL to the image you observe day to day.

That image that you see day to day exists, though. There it is, isn't it? In fact, your visual experience of the physical world is tied to and dependent on that image. It is how you are reading this sentence right now.

But this sentence does not exist (in the form that you are reading it) in your brain. But it exists. But it doesn't exist in the physical world.

Therefore, the image you experience as you read this sentence does not exist in the physical world.

The same holds true for your senses of hearing, touch, and taste. I think a similar argument can be made based on your experience of thoughts and memories.

Conclusion: The image you experience of this sentence does not exist in the physical world (although it corresponds to activity in your brain).