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My interest in science and medicine started when I was five when my mother, a

Professor of Physiology, bought me a set of science encyclopedias with colourful

pictures and large print. The books awoke an avid curiosity in me, but it was only

after I began studying biology and chemistry in school that I started to appreciate

these subjects and develop a genuine fascination for them. I began considering

Medicine as a suitable career path as I was attracted to an intellectually andemotionally stimulating career, and as a sociable, optimistic person, I would thrive

in a career involved with people.

Having registered for A-levels with a view to pursuing a medical degree, I was

attached to a general practice as an assistant nurse. I helped with the dispensing of

medicine, observed the doctor conducting basic procedures (such as diagnosing,

suturing, and treating minor wounds) and organised patient records. Above all, I

realised the virtue of being courteous especially with patients.

I also saw the importance of communication when I volunteered as a teacher at a

kindergarten. There, I taught six year olds reading, writing, arithmetic and art andlearnt how good communication could gain a child's trust. I also discovered

firsthand the rewards of having a great deal of patience!

More recently, I was attached to a teaching hospital, where I witnessed Caesarean

section, a hysterectomy due to advanced ovarian cancer, fibroid removal, a large

lobe excision of the transformation zone of the cervix, laparoscopy of a patient with

endometriosis and the unblocking of a patient's tear ducts. I endured seven

continuous hours of standing in the 16 C operating room (outside the building, the

temperature was 35 C), but I hardly noticed the time pass. The experience afforded

me the opportunity to observe the surgical teams in their element and further

confirmed my desire to be a surgeon.

I am aware that to be a doctor one has to have the intellectual capacity to learn the

technical aspects of the profession, and the perseverance to complete the course

over at least five years. I have proven to be a top student, as not only did I gain a

double promotion to skip one year of school, I have also achieved straight A's for

my public examinations and 10 A1's for SPM despite being a year younger than

most of my peers. Recently, I also attained a perfect score for the AS Mathematics

Statistics paper which I sat for last June.

I have been an active participant of extracurricular activities and have held various

positions of responsibility, among these being the International UnderstandingDirector of the Interact Club and Vice President of the School Cadets. I was also

involved in sports, as I was the silver medallist for 3km competitive walking in the

Malaysian Sports District Competition for two years running and competed at state

level. While I have chosen to take a science-related career, my hobbies are more

artistic. My passion for writing led me to be the fifth place winner of the Malaysian

Oxford and Cambridge English essay writing competition and a member of my

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college's Editorial Board. I also played a lead role in my school English drama team

which became District Champions, studied piano for 10 years and attained a ballet

qualification that allows me to teach.

In my current college, I have been appointed as a school prefect as well as member

of the Sixth Form Committee. The fact that I have been a prefect throughout myentire school life shows the degree of trust and responsibility placed on me by my

teachers and peers. I was offered three scholarships for my pre-university study,

two of which I declined. I believe these offers were made because of my

achievements and potential, and strongly believe that I have the qualities and

conviction to be a doctor, and ultimately a neurosurgeon. When this is realized, I

shall be one of the few women in Malaysia to achieve this highest honour.