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How to write "the change you want to see in health care" essay

By SeventyFourImages via EnvatoElements

By Urvi Gupta

There are many ways of approaching an essay such as this one. Here are some methods that we find useful, and we hope they will be helpful to you as well.

  1. The most powerful essays are those which could not be written by anyone other than yourself. Keep this in mind as you begin your brainstorm. Finding stories which are personal and teach the reader something about you is crucial.

  2. Pull out some pen and paper. Set a 5-minute timer on your phone. Use this time to jot down every thought that comes into mind about the ways you wish our health care system was better. Try to keep your pen to the paper and keep writing throughout the 5 minutes. 

  3. Look over your list. Which ones stick out to you as the most compelling? Through your interactions with healthcare, have any of the challenges you brainstormed impacted you personally? Have you had any experiences where you worked towards any of these goals? Use these questions to pick 1-3 topics from your list.

  4. Begin outlining your essay. For each of your topics, try to include answers to the following questions:

    1. Briefly describe the topic/issue.

    2. Why is this topic important to you specifically? How has it affected you/the people around you/the world? Give concrete examples.

    3. How do you propose you can make it better? Again, be specific and try to draw inspiration from your own life. 

  5. Begin writing!

  6. Read your draft out loud to yourself or a friend/family member to look for areas that are unclear or that could be improved.

  7. Remember that it is less important as to what you pick for the change you want to see in health care and more important that you have something compelling and personal to say about it. We want to learn about you!


The views expressed here are the authors and they do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Stanford University School of Medicine. External websites are shared as a courtesy. They are not endorsed by the Stanford University School of Medicine.

 

The most powerful essays are those which could not be written by anyone other than yourself.

Urvi Gupta, BS
SASI Teaching Assistant