Extracurricular Activities
There are four questions that are required to be answered for this personal statement. I have provided all four questions and the answers for each question including the character limit for each question. In total it will come out to be 6 pages. Please answer each question separately and in a unique way. Please call for further clarification.
1. Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum).
I have volunteered at Encino Medical Urgent Care from September 2010 for a total of 2050 hours. I have gained hands on experience dealing with patients and learning the job criteria of a physician. I volunteered as a medical assistant and during the course of my volunteer work at Encino Medical Urgent Care, I was responsible for several tasks that varied in nature and difficulty. I aided with tasks such as intakes and taking vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, height, and weight. I assisted with minor surgeries and procedures, in aIDition to having one on one interaction with patients. I also observed and assisted with ECG Dysrhythmia Interpretation. By the same token, I also dealt with tasks in the front office, such as filling documents, taking patient history as well as answering phones and organizing charts. Overall, I was able to establish a strong rapport with patients demonstrating professionalism and respectful behavior with responsible attitude toward the patient care. I have learned about various ailments, observed clinical procedures, and realized appropriate diagnosis, including several of rare abnormalities. I also had the opportunity to engage with people of various backgrounds, whose conditions varied in kind and severity. Volunteering at this urgent care I became more and more interested in the medical field and it rooted my passion and desire to become a physician.

2. Please provide a statement (appr. 250-500 words) that aIDresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.
In my family, there was a certain level of reverence for occupations in the sciences. As a young person I could see that my parents valued this type of knowledge and I believe that this helped draw me towards it. At the same time, I was not doing it to please others, but rather because I found it truly compelling. As I began to mature I developed the goal of becoming a doctor. Indeed, my long-term goal is to attend medical school and receive a Ph.D. as well as an M.D. In order to reach this goal, I have to attend college and reach my dream.
€¢ Please elaborate on this idea and aID any more information necessary to make it a well written one to two page essay.

3. Please upload a document here if you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application.
Moving from Iran, I had to overcome the language barrier that slowed me down from reaching my ultimate goals. However, with the help of teachers and my family’s support I was able to overcome this obstacle faster. As time passed, I developed my studying skills, and English wasn’t something that slowed me down anymore. Outside of my high-school work and studies I had private tutors to aid me with English and the subjects I was not able to understand on my own. With the hard work and effort I put into my studies and the English language I was finally able to exceed and reach great heights. I started college in the year 2010, and from that point on I have put in all my effort into achieving good grades. I have received an honors award for accomplishing a full-time semester with 3.5 GPA or higher. Not only did I excel in my own studies, but also I have become a tutor at Pierce’s EOP&S office aiding other students who are in need. I also privately tutor students outside of college with the subjects I am good at such as, chemistry, math and statistics. Therefore, although I had a tough background filled with great obstacles both financially and educationally, I was able to overcome them all with flying colors. With this sense of great satisfaction, I know that I will always be able to pursue my dreams and goals no mater what blockage is put on my way. Indeed seeing the great sacrifices that my parents have made and the long hours they work to pay for the education of my brothers, I have felt a certain pressure to help out however I can. One step I took in this regard was to leave high school early, skipping my senior year, in order to get started on my college education so that I could move closer to getting a job and helping my family. At Pierce College I have started this process and have been working very hard to move towards my degree. At this point, I have reached a stage in my life where I would very much like to be independent and self-reliant. I believe that my decision to skip my senior year at high-school was a great choice for me in order to get a head start in my college education and just one step closer to my dream goal and career.

In approximately one paragraph, please aIDress the followig prompt:
4. Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at USC. Please feel free to aIDress your first- and second-choice major selections.
My intended major at USC is Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. My interest in the field developed naturally over time, due to my inherent curiosity about science and the encouragement I received from my parents. In my family, there was a certain level of reverence for occupations in the sciences. As a young person I could see that my parents valued this type of knowledge and I believe that this helped draw me towards it. At the same time, I was not doing it to please others, but rather because I found it truly compelling. As I began to mature I developed the goal of becoming a doctor. Indeed, my long-term goal is to attend medical school and receive a Ph.D. as well as an M.D. From a practical perspective, I realize that Health Promotion and Disease Prevention will prepare me well for medical school. From an intellectual perspective, I know that I will gain fulfillment and satisfaction from immersing myself in a subject I love. In fact, I can make this statement based not just on speculation, but based on past experience. Over the last several years I have made a concerted effort to explore the fields of science and medicine in several different ways. I have immersed myself in core science courses at Pierce College, excelling in the process. I have worked as a tutor, both at Pierce and on a private basis, in the fields of math and science. I have shadowed a series of doctors at Providence Tarzana Medical Center, including cardiologists and anesthesiologists. I have also been volunteering for over a year at an urgent care facility in Encino, working under the tutelage and mentorship of Dr. Hedvat. Through this combination of academic study and work experience I have been able to make connections between the intellectual and practical sides of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. I have the benefit of working under established experts and the professionals, which has strongly confirmed both my desire to work in the medical field and my choice of major at USC.