If you were enrolled in fewer than 12 units/credits for more than 1 semester/2 quarters during

your undergraduate education, please provide a brief explanation below.

During my final semester at the University of Texas, I needed only 6 more credit hours to graduate. I have been
a full time student for three years and will be graduating a full semester early. Despite only needing 6 more credit
hours, I wanted to continue to enhance my education and challenge myself academically. Because of my
involvement with a medical internship in Germany this past summer, I wanted to pursue German language studies
for an additional 5 credit hours. As a result, I am taking 11 course credit hours during my final semester at the
University of Texas.

Sometimes it is necessary to work in unsettled or rapidly changing circumstances. When have

you found yourself in this position? Tell us exactly what you did.
Going to college can be quite an eye-opening experience in terms of the exposure to real life situations without
having the security of being near home. As a freshman, I was forced into adulthood, resulting in learning how to
handle unexpected and urgent situations in a responsible, mature manner. I also learned how to prioritize my
responsibilities and more effectively manage my time when handling difficult situations. In one particular situation
involving, I learned to respond in an ethical manner despite facing opposition.
Late one evening, I received an urgent phone call from my friends to come downstairs to the dormitory
immediately. I rushed outside to find my severely intoxicated friend squatting near the curb, throwing-up. She then
unexpectedly fell forward towards the curb and gashed her forehead, resulting in profuse bleeding. I immediately
stated that we needed to call emergency services, recognizing that head injuries combined with her intoxicated state,
could result in serious medical consequences. Her boyfriend and some of her friends immediately opposed my
suggestion because of the fact that she was under-aged and as an international student, could potentially jeopardize
her student status. They argued that the best thing to do was help her back to the dormitory and try their best to
control the bleeding even though she could potentially face more serious repercussions from the head injury. The
situation was precarious because of her medical injury which we wanted to responsibly address without jeopardizing
her standing with the University. Despite understanding their reasoning the risk that they were willing to take, I
disagreed with their decision because we were not experienced healthcare providers that could reliably assess her
condition. Despite mounting objections, I decided to call 911, causing some in the group to leave because of the fear
of the penalties of under-age drinking. I believe my actions were the ethical and responsible response to this chaotic
situation and the decision to best ensure my friend’s health and safety. EMS services dispatched an ambulance while
guiding me to handle simple steps to stabilize my friend. As a result, EMS came and took her to Brackenridge
Hospital to stabilize her dehydrated state and provide an adhesive glue to close her gaping head wound. Fortunately,
she faced no serious medical complications, but having her medically evaluated I believe was the best and most
responsible way to handle it. The only thing I would handle differently is to be more persuasive to others in the
group to handle the situation more responsibly and ethically. I learned that remaining calm in a situation of chaos is
crucial when making important decisions, particularly if the situation requires clear and independent thinking.
Although it was difficult to make a decision amidst heavy opposition, I prioritized acting ethically and in the best
interest of my friend.

If you were working on a small group project and you thought that another student wasn’t
meeting his/her responsibility, how would you feel about this situation and how would you
handle it?

Throughout college, I have learned to delegate, lead, compromise, and work collectively with others to
achieve a common goal. In small groups, when one individual is unable to fulfill his or her responsibility, I would
first address the student directly, instead of complaining about this student’s lack of effort to others. Slander is not
only detrimental, but unhelpful and impractical to handling the issue. My fellow group members and I may not have
the full story or know what other factors may be affecting the student who is unable to meet team expectations. After
addressing the student directly, I would ask if there is anything that I can do to help support this individual’s
responsibility. Frustration and annoyance would be my initial reaction, but I have been trained as a resident assistant
to learn to empathize and keep an open-mind with regards to working with other people. If necessary, I am willing
to put in extra effort myself in the collaborative process to ensure that we maintain a project with high standards.
There was one major educational project done in collaboration with fellow Resident Assistants that taught me about
the importance of collaboration, communication, and achieving goals collectively.
“Kin’s Thrift Shop” was a program started to bring awareness to the needs of the local homeless
community and to encourage my residential community to make a difference. After two months of planning and
coordinating with the Central Texas Food Bank, we set up a donation station at the front desks where fellow college
students could donate clothes for the homeless. Afterwards, a program was organized to sell the clothes and baked
goods for donations to provide a sizable clothing donation and provide over 700 meals to the homeless. Although we
achieved a successful outcome, I learned many lessons about how to effectively delegate and work with team
members who were not holding up their responsibilities. It was not uncommon for team members to forgot to fulfil
their responsibility. These were valuable lessons in delegating and communicating where I had to learn to lead the
team to successful completion of a project. Learning to effectively collaborate and inspire others to take pride in this
program ultimately led it to be recognized as the “UT Program of the Year” for two successive years. In the end, I
ended up taking on more responsibilities than initial delegated, but as a leader recognized that I ultimately was
responsible for the successful implementation of the program.
Being able to create such a meaningful and gratifying project made me realize how much we could
accomplish when working collectively. I worked to ensure that each component ran smoothly by strategically
delegating tasks and communicating with my team. I believe the collaborative working skills I learned from this
extensive project will help me work well with others in medical school.

If given the opportunity to attend medical school where would you see yourself in ten years?

Ideally, my vision would be to bring medical care to underdeveloped and underserved

communities both in the United States and abroad, specifically in places where there is a dire
shortage of physicians. During my travels and medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic
and Sri Lanka, I recognized the urgent need for healthcare professionals and the impact that a
competent physician can have on a patient’s life. This combined with the immense satisfaction
that I derived from helping people is what motivated me to pursue a career as a physician.
Through my experience of shadowing various physicians, a couple of medical fields have drawn
my interest. After shadowing both a cardiac surgeon and a cardiologist, I became intrigued by
how seemingly simple procedures could return blood flow into previously ischemic areas of the
body. Seeing an open-heart surgery made me realize the sophistication and significance of the
heart in relation to other organs. Also, because I am an athlete, orthopedic surgery and sports
medicine interest me because I would enjoy helping athletes and patients with bone injuries to
regain their mobility and achieve optimal performance. As an intern at the University of
Heidelberg Hospital, I have been introduced to new and exciting technological advances in
laparoscopic surgery that optimize patient recovery time and improve outcome. I was impressed
with the sophistication of surgical techniques and recognized the drastic difference a skilled
surgeon can make by using laparoscopic procedures while causing minimal tissue damage. My
research in surgical skill transfer between robotics, laparoscopic, and open surgery has made me
strongly consider the possibility of being a surgeon. Although I have been exposed to a variety of
fields I am fascinated with, I continue to be open to other options. Simply having the opportunity
to make an impact on patients’ lives as a physician is ultimately my objective and what I would
consider to be a great privilege and honor.

Diversity comes in many forms. How do you think you might contribute to the diversity of the class?

Growing up as a minority in Corpus Christi, TX where Asians constitute only 1.8% of the population and
Hispanics over 60% allowed me to understand the Mexican culture, language, and heritage through both work and
school. Additionally, I was exposed to the public health issues of diabetes and obesity that was endemic to my local
community. As a result, a group of students and I co-organized a non-profit organization to promote healthier habits
and awareness of health risks in the local community. We did this by implementing educational and exercise
programs in the local elementary schools and underserved communities and by sponsoring an annual 5K run. These
programs sought to promote lifelong healthy habits and work towards the prevention of future chronic diseases. The
experience of being an Asian American growing up in a distinctly Hispanic community provided me a uniquely
culturally assimilated childhood and helped me cultivate an open-mindedness to other cultures.
Once I started attending university, I was able to independently subsidize my travels overseas to over 15
different countries, including to the Dominican Republic for medical missionary work, to Spain for a biological
study program, to Heidelberg, Germany for a medical internship, and to other countries to experience different
cultures. My trip to the Dominican Republic gave me the unique opportunity to set up medical clinics in rural
communities. Studying in Spain allowed me to immerse myself in the Spanish culture, while studying evolutionary
studies. I also witnessed the disparity in the quality of healthcare in countries like Sri Lanka. This past summer I
gained first-hand insight and experience in the latest techniques in laparoscopic surgery at the University of
Heidelberg Hospital. Through these experiences, I have been fortunate enough to meet people of different
nationalities and cultures, and come to an understanding of the universal need for healthcare. All of this has
reinforced my desire to become a physician. I believe my unique experiences will meaningfully contribute to the
diversity of the class and help me better serve my patients.