Be extremely critical. It’s a statement of purpose for college. A really good college might I add, so be completely honest.

Here’s the essay:

My great-grandmother was always considered the strong, omnipotent, and overall authoritative figure of the family. As a child, I became absolutely smitten by her, and her unmistakable “Southern” way of charming everyone around her. I lived with her up until age eleven, so she basically raised my brother and me. I can’t help but giggle when I think about the silly superstitious-minded rules we had to abide by, like eating carrots because it would make our eyes prettier, sleeping all night Christmas Eve or Santa Claus would sprinkle black pepper in our eyes, sleeping during a thunderstorm so that we wouldn’t be “blown away,” and washing the bed sheets before New Year’s Day so that the new year will be prosperous. Oddly enough, I still follow some of these rituals to this day. But all joking aside, my great grandmother was a phenomenal woman. She devoted her life to her family, making sure we recognized the important things in life and never took them for granted.
My great grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when I was seven years old. I remember the day my mother told me the new as tears filled her fear-stricken eyes. I remember having no knowledge of Alzheimer’s, or what it meant for my great grandmother. But as the years progressed, I became very familiar with this disease. I watched in horror as she struggled to place my name with my face. I watched the toll this disease took on my family. I watched perhaps the strongest influence on my life deteriorate right in front of my eyes, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. On June 29, 2005, my great grandmother passed away. She was 93 years old.
Some say you have to get knocked down before you can have the will to continue in spite of the obstacles. I know this all too well now. After I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer’s, I made a vow to find a cure for this disease, one way or another. I had no idea where to start, but I was certainly determined and driven to make sure no one else suffered the way my great grandmother and my family suffered.
I decided to become a neurosurgeon about six years ago. No not because of the glorified television shows that glamorize doctors, but simply because I want to save lives. I do believe that medicine is my calling. I believe that there is a cure, somewhere, for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Maybe it will be discovered before I even reach medical school, but if not, then I certainly will devote my life to finding one. I know the career I have chosen will not be easy in any way. The journey will be tedious, tough, and for lack of a better word, extreme. But, like I say when any obstacle crosses my path, bring it on.
My great grandmother meant the world to me. She inspired to be all that I could be. She is one of the very few people that I truly believe wanted the best for me. So in return I want to be the best for her, no matter what hardships may come or the obstacles that I may face. I will be the best, for her.

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