Sample Essay: Harvard Medical Essay 5
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Musician/Drummer; Religious Catholic; Science and Math Tutor; Cancer Research Experience

The beating of an African healing drum resonates throughout all corners of the Catholic church during the weekly five o'clock student mass. As I progressively increase the tempo and intensity of the resounding Guaguanca polyrhythm that I am playing, the congregation begins to sway back and forth to the beat. Soon the members start clapping in unison on the quarter notes. By the end of the hymn, they are dancing in place and singing along in high spirits. The mass is truly a celebration.

While a drumming performance in church may appear a little unorthodox, the concept of rhythm has never seemed very offbeat to me. Music has always been a motivating passion in my life. My desire to play percussion was evident as early as third grade, when I would tap my pencil on the top of my classroom desk and kick the chair in front to simulate a bass drum. Rhythm seemed so fundamental to me. Besides being bombarded with it through popular pop music, I could hear it in every tick of the clock, each person's gait, my own heartbeat. I longed to master it-to be able to manipulate it, incorporate it into my own being, and then finally convey it to others. I began drum lessons. After seven years of basic mechanical training, I developed my own style. Talent shows, parties, dances, even religious ceremonies became forums for my expression. I joined a band in high school which became the ticket to a performance in Disneyworld. As a Christian Service project, my rock band performed at various inner-city grammar schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. In college, my main band became known as Harvard's newest sensation. Soon we found ourselves performing in various clubs, parties, and school-sponsored concerts, and our recording culminated in the production of a CD. I even began to convey my knowledge to a beginner, and had the pleasure of watching him grow in much the same manner as I had. The musical frontier seemed limitless.

Concurrently, my passion for science began to crystallize. I had always participated in the annual school science fairs and after-school science-related activities, but it was not until high school that I really began to appreciate my penchant for scientific reasoning. After learning the fundamental concepts, I sought any opportunity to demonstrate them in a creative manner. Everything was a puzzle. In an extracurricular high school program, I constructed a Bausch & Lomb award-winning contraption which integrated numerous laws of physics. I took this a step further when I began to realize that I could demonstrate my love for science in a way that could benefit others. I volunteered full-time in the emergency room of a local hospital during the last trimester of senior year. It was here that I caught my first glimpse of hands-on medicine. During the next few years, I tutored high school students in science and math. In addition to the personal satisfaction obtained from observing their progress, this provided an excellent opportunity to hone my communication and teaching skills. Last summer, I worked in a cancer research laboratory in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, attempting to isolate a gene that encoded for limb development in Drosophila. By September, our team had fully mapped and cloned Chip and was preparing for publication. Senior thesis work on comparative avian, reptilian, and mammalian bone morphology also enabled me to integrate rudimentary mechanics and personal interaction with professors and fellow peers.

It has become clear that the most attractive features to me in the diverse fields of science and music are one and the same. Music is a creative art form that conveys feelings and emotions in a manner unlike any other form of expression. It is, in a sense, a fascinating language with universal appeal. Science is both an art form and an exercise in methodology. Part of its nature is strictly mechanistic, yet its application is also an exercise in expression and communication. I certainly appreciate the beauty and elegance of the underlying principles in both disciplines. However, it is the expression of these ideas and subsequent communication to others that inspires me the most. My devotion to science and music has had a complimentary effect that has served both to enhance my method of thinking and to fulfill my yearning to communicate. I hope to continue to relate with others in the field of medicine, where creative application of science and keen expression is essential. I know that my concept of the rhythm of life will help keep me grounded in the fundamentals as I strive to convey and apply my knowledge and gifts to others.

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