Vanderbilt's Opportunities for my Personal Growth Samuel Tao

In the crowded waiting room of a medical facility, the tension was palpable. The few doctors rushed around, overwhelmed by the number of sick children. The kids’ cries and screams filled the air, while mothers competed for the staff’s attention. The saddest part of this story is that this facility was located not in a developing country, but in a working-class South Florida neighborhood.

This image has been imprinted into my mind, as if it were inscribed in stone. Healthcare is a vital component of our livelihoods, yet, miles from my house, too few doctors and too many overcrowded clinics have undermined our liberty to obtain health care. Cornelius Vanderbilt stated: “I have always served the public to the best of my ability. Why? Because, like every other man, it is to my interest to do so.” Having seen the state of urgency of our health care system, I’ve committed myself to become a physician to provide healthcare and help to contribute to alleviating the human bottleneck pervasive in many clinics.

Conventionally, students like me pursuing a career in medicine ambitiously seek to study biomedical engineering, molecular biology, or chemistry. Science courses become compasses to course selection. Vanderbilt, however, offers an...