OT: An essay about my love for physiology/teaching hehe...

Well I hunkered-down this evening and wrote my essay to apply for VCU's summer undergrad research program. They give you a $2500 stipend and you get to work in their lab full time. I'm planning on using it as my internship if I get it, which I really hope I do!!! That'd be awesome experience, plus I want to go to VCU, so interacting with the people there would be great. Anywho, I would like to post it to receive some feedback. I really love writing, but sometimes I worry that it gets too 'emotional'. But it's hard not to be when you're talking about what you want to do with the rest of your life!!

So if you're into English/Literature or not, feel free to tell me what you think!

Do you remember the day you realized you wanted to devote your career to physiology? I do, as it happened very recently during a study session I arranged for a large group of students in my physiology course. I was surprised when they handed me a white board and markers and began asking questions, and then I realized, I belong at the front of a classroom, and this is what I need to be teaching when I’m there. Like many of my peers, I have found my niche late in my college career. Now I feel both regret for losing out on four years of studying physiology, and excitement that I have found my true calling and can look forward to further study.

As an Exercise, Sport, and Health Education major, I wasn't required to take the intense Anatomy and Physiology course I chose; I did it because I wanted to challenge myself. Also, while I haven't always known what major would suit me, I always knew I would attend graduate school, and I wanted to prepare myself. However, as a liberal arts school, Radford University doesn’t require an entirely holistic education in math and science. Thus, I don't have the foundation I would prefer going into a graduate level of study.

I am going to resolve this issue both to satisfy my own curiosity and to become a more appealing candidate for a Master of Science--and eventually, a Doctor of Philosophy--in Physiology. Along with taking the courses I need to be fully prepared for the next level of education, I would be honored to take part in your Summer Undergraduate Research Program during the summer of 2009. It's true that I don't have the strongest background in Chemistry or Calculus--but it's this trait that makes me such an excellent candidate. I need the experience, and more importantly, I want it. I’m not simply trying to log hours in a laboratory—I want to become a better student. When I am accepted as a graduate student into your impressive Physiology program, I plan on having the most experience and knowledge I can possibly attain in the next year. I also hope to get to know the faculty and other graduate students in the department so that I may form lasting friendships and working relationships with others who share my interests and hunger for knowledge. There is no better way to learn than through sharing ideas, so this program would prove far more beneficial than a conventional summer internship as it provides a both a mentor and the opportunity to set, and reach, my own scientific and academic goals.

There may be other candidates who have more credits in various biology or chemistry courses, but I know there aren’t others with my enthusiasm for learning. I want to take part in this program to become a better scientist, student, and candidate for your graduate school, so I can become an exceptional professor to my future students.