so for the very first time due to popular requests I'm going to reveal my statement of purpose that got me into all the schools I applied to in 2018 Harvard Colombia Yale University Emory the Johns Hopkins University and the rest of the top schools so let's Dive In [Music] hi there my name is Dr Vanda Khalifa and I'm a PhD student at the world's number one school of Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as a dual master of Public Health and muscle business administration so much color alumni on this
channel I talk about ways to help you break through academic and personal development barriers if you just found this channel Please Subscribe like and share so that other people can benefit let's get ruled it so your personal statements or statement of intent or statement of purpose it's like your marketing pitch to the admissions committee a powerful statement must tell a compelling story and it's one of the most significant pieces of your application process and in in summary you want to let your personal statement tell a story that highlights your academic and professional experiences and be
able to convince the admissions committee that you are the right candidate all right you are the right applicant right you should you should talk about your your current interest your future career goals and it's indirectly a way of you know assessing your written communication skills so let's dive into a statement of purpose that I used when I was applying for masters in 2018 to get admission to Harvard Yale Colombia and Johns Hopkins University let's dive into my statement of purpose so this is how the introduction reads right as a former primary and secondary school student
from one of Ghana's most underserved communities where poverty and infectious diseases and protein energy malnutrition and endemic I always wondered how I could contribute to mitigating The Perennial effects of poverty and disease among the populates becoming medical doctor has always been my dream since childhood however attending a poorly resourced Secondary School in a deprived rural community in Ghana was a significant stumbling block having topped my district during our final secondary school examination I was able to overcome these impediments and had the privilege of attending the nation's best medical university university of Ghana legal let's break
this down so that was the intro to my 2018 statement of purpose for my Master's Degree as you can see the introduction of your statement of purpose is your chance to help the admissions committee remember you don't be afraid to express yourself creatively and don't be ambiguous demonstrate your agility and your story talent right it's a means of showcasing your exceptional resilience and your record of the extinction so let's dive into the body or the contents of my statement of purpose right so this place kind of gives more detail into my introduction and lays out
all the uh all the essential elements that I would like to talk about so let's roll in qualifying into medical school from the community where I come from was beyond the bounds of possibility nonetheless I was selected after I clearly contested biological science Pre-Med program out of 300 about 300 applicants are secured one of the available slots for the regular medical program as a student from a marginalized community in West Africa I knew that my training would better I knew that with the training I would better understand empathize with and improve the health status of
my patients becoming the first ever medical doctor from my community puts me in an ideal situation to be able to improve the health status of majority of people in deprived communities and serve as an asset to the World At Large during my years at the University of Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry I was an active Advocate and participated actively in public health Outreach programs like Hepatitis B screening HIV AIDS screening and numerous health seminants so that is the first is the first paragraph in the body let's let's go while undergoing my medical intention in
one of the original hospitals in Ghana I realized that clinical practice alone was not the sum and substance of efficient Healthcare delivery most of the cases are encountered in Pediatrics in a medical Unit were preventable I was equally perplexed to realize that most mortalities in a hospital were as a result of communicable diseases like tuberculosis HIV AIDS malaria and seasonal outbreaks of Cholera it was again intriguing about the incidence of Lifestyle related illnesses like obesity diabetes and hypertension was high although I love clinical practice the lack of variety and the over emphasis on Creative care
makes it appear somewhat mundane with my passion for public health activism advocated for regular health screening in the community and health education sessions for all patients this small intervention resulted in a reduction in patient admission dermatologists from both communicable and non-communicable diseases with effective Public Health interventions which emphasizes preventive and promotive Health Care the incidence of these conditions was significantly reduced apparent benefits of measures above are one of my motivations to pursue Public Health at this stage of the career significant number of people in my country continue to suffer from preventable infectious diseases superimposed with
lifestyle related illnesses the double bedding of disease and the financial implications on the individual and the nation as a whole are enormous and will be ameliorated in clinical Health if clinical Health delivery is coupled with effective Public Health policies and practices this drives home the point that public health should be giving the necessary attention it deserves if the medical community aspires to improve the health status of many by interest in public health the agenda as some of medical intention and soon after I enlisted a Ghana Armed Forces when I was awarded the chief of Defense
staff price in October 2014 as the overall best commission officer among the professional AIDS for February 2015 to February 2016 I was deployed as Ghana's medical officer within the aviation medical unit to take part in the United Nations operations in La Cordova my deployment took place during the aftermath of the Civil War and the time that the dreaded Ebola pandemic was winning needless to say the health delivery system in Cote d'Ivoire was not in an optimal state as the leader of my units medical team in charge of the United Nations level one hospital I ensured
our facility was accessible to both local and U.N personnel additionally in collaboration with other United Nations Health Facilities we instituted practical measures to Aid early case detection and implementation of preventive measures against infectious diseases in our camp these measures resulted in zero incidents of infections in Ghana's Aviation camp this was when I realized public health is my purpose last about two paragraphs in the body in September 2016 I was deployed again to save the United Nations multi-dimensional integrated stabilization peacekeeping mission in Mali as an officer in charge of the medical division of the aviation team
as a leader of the team I collaborated with other medical doctors from more than 10 countries with diverse backgrounds and instituted necessarily help prevent the measures to improve health and prevent the incidence of communicable and non-communicable diseases in the camp this was realized by a way of weekly health education lectures on topic topics such as habitation diabetes and obesity as well as infectious disease preventive measures these Public Health interventions resulted in significant reduction in the number of hospital visits and admissions the Practical experience of accumulated both as a practice as a practical medical doctor in
Ghana Cote d'Ivoire and Mali has highlighted has enlightened me on some practical factors that forestorm proper Health delivery in West Africa the paucity of medical personnel with substantial Public Health background coupled with the lack of devoted leaders continues to limit efficient Quality Health delivery to enhance the health status of people in the sub-region and the world in general we need to invest we need to invest more in public health contributing to Global Health has become the ultimate inspiration for me to pursue the joint master's degree in public health and Master's Administration the remarkable exposure I
have had from attending primary and secondary schools within the margins of society coupled with my medical background has incorporated in me a strong sense of purpose and enthusiasm to pursue this unique program the Dual degree of mph and MBA will equip me with essential leadership skills sharpen my critical thinking ability and provide me with a health economics needed to handle today's Byzantine Global health challenges and will enable me to make a real difference in the health of the majority of people around the globe yeah so this was the body of my statement of purpose I
must say that it's a bit lengthy because internal Shopkins requires not less than 1500 words so you have to dig so nobody of your sop lays down your background your drive how you have prepared yourself for this program um any research experiences you have or Publications you have especially if you're applying for a PhD program um by the way comment below if you would like me to review my phd's personal statements um yes your statement of the body also highlights how the program aligns with your background and the unique competencies that you are bringing to
that program don't forget to add extracurricular activities um uh and to explain whether there are some gaps on your CV that needs explanation so let's go to the concluding remarks so the last two paragraphs should elaborate by you're applying to that specific program and the possibility of working with a certain Professor if if you've indicated or if it's required finally you should also State your future career goals um and let them know your intention of your career objectives okay so I'm going to read my uh conclusion um The Prestige and the uniqueness of the Bloomberg
School of Public Health are inimitable and therefore becomes my obvious choice the ability and freedom to customize the elective coursework by choosing from more than 200 courses will benefit me immensely again the distinctive feature of being able to personalize half of the curriculum says the Bloomberg's School of Public Health apart from its competitors I am encouraged that The Eclectic nature of students with diverse backgrounds would help me eventually become part of a strong aluminum which will support my passion for training to become a better Public Health practitioner my Paramount priority after completion of the program
is to work closely with public health division in my country to improve the health situation of the publics and ameliorate the impact of communicable and non-communicable disease barriers their prowess skills and knowledge applied from your renowned institution will set the state for me to achieve my ultimate desire of improving Health on a global scale and become a successful leader in any health related organization both local and Global so this was a conclusion of my statement of purpose okay so the bonus tip 4. writing a statement of purpose is that before you finish your statement of
purpose you your statement should demonstrate at least two of these key attributes exceptional grades and resilience a record of the extinction or Excellence unique projects and volunteerism leadership potential or experience and should demonstrate overall Fitness for the program so if you enjoyed this video don't forget to subscribe give a thumbs up and see you on the next one thank you bye [Music]
