Quite mature for twenty-two, I am a young woman who is very dedicated to my scientific studies. I see biology as the queen of the sciences and my fascination with the study of life, especially human life, has grown enormously over the last few years. The more that I learn about biology, the more I realize how much I love learning, feeding an addiction that I intend to cultivate for the rest of my life, remaining dedicated to my studies
Growing up in a farming town—rapidly aspiring to become a city—on the outskirts of Detroit, it has a great school system. Thus, I was able to acquire a solid foundation early on with respect to love of community and civic responsibility and this has motivated me to want very much to contribute to my larger society, especially the scientific and academic communities.
My first choice for graduate study is the University of XXXX where I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology. While I love Michigan, I want to experience other parts of the country and I am most attracted to the vast academic and cultural resources of the Research Triangle. As a lover of history, I also deeply respect the historical importance of your academic community. Furthermore, I am most impressed by the scientific resources of your department, its laboratories, and innovative approaches to the study of modern cell biology. I see your program as the ultimate preparation for me to have a chance to become the most creative and productive scientist possible. I could find no greater satisfaction in life than to contribute to the overall scientific picture, to make a difference in the human situation by fighting cancer. Convinced that an eclectic research background is essential for my educational research progress, I seek to be admitted to a well-rounded program that appreciates diversity and interdisciplinary undertakings, the kind of research that becomes possible only through communication and collaboration.Â
Most specifically, since my long-term dream is to participate fully in cancer research, I especially look forward to studying cell regulation, particularly the eukaryotic cell cycle and coordination between mitotic exit and cytokinesis. I see my acute scientific curiosity as my greatest gift in life. I even use my spare time to stay abreast of developments in biology that have been deeply invested in the fight against cancer since I was little. Both of my grandmothers, my mother, two of my aunts, and several friends have all had breast cancer. Some survived; others we lost. This goes a long way to account for my passion for biology—seeing the fight against cancer as perhaps the noblest undertaking on earth, and the way in which I want to make my own contribution to humanity. Preparing myself to enter graduate school in this area, I spent two consecutive summers doing a cancer research internship in Tennessee.Â
A global citizen and looking forward to research on an international level, I have a trip planned for the Galapagos in the summer of 2009 and I am also setting up another research trip to Nicaragua with a rain forest conservation group. Most importantly, I have a lot of research experience for my age, and I am in love with the laboratory. As a team player, collaborating with my partners is my greatest joy. I even took a year off from my studies to pursue a co-op position in an industry-based research center to make certain that professional research was for me. This also helped me to understand that I prefer academic research and development over industry and pharmaceutical research.
Thank you for your consideration of my application.
PHD Cell and Developmental Biology Personal Statement