Finding Myself in the World by Karielle

Finding Myself in the World by Karielle - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

As a college student in an intense and accelerated 6 year Doctor of Pharmacy program, I am constantly left wishing I took a year to myself before I dove wholly into my future career. Reflecting back, now starting my fourth year of college, I often think about how moving directly from high school to college wasn’t the best decision for me. This conclusion arose when I came to the realization that I did not get the chance to explore the world and spend time with those that matter to me most when I still had the opportunity. I believe it is easy to get wrapped up in a world where we are always focused on the future, and that is exactly what happened to me. I had never known anyone who was interested in college to take a break before starting their higher education; however, I would like to write this essay to let everyone else know that taking a gap year is not only a totally viable option, but also an option that may be beyond perfect for you.
So how would I make the most of a gap year? To start, I would spend my “last summer” with my friends back home. I know that after high school it is hard to stay in touch with friends when everyone goes to different schools and makes new friends, so I would make it a priority to make the most out of the simple nights where we all enjoy each other’s company.
After summer ends and everyone heads back to school, I would take a trip to travel the world. Although most people dream of luxurious trips, bouncing from country to country in Europe, I dream of traveling to countries that are underserved and practically untouched by tourists. First, I would start in Thailand, where I dream of exploring the villages, learning from the locals, and having the opportunity to try something new each and every day. Next, I would move to traveling through different countries in South America, where indigenous people live their lives just as their ancestors who inhabited the land hundreds of years ago. I find the culture in countries like Peru, Venezuela, and many other places in South America to be beyond fascinating. There is so much to learn, not only about others, but most abundantly about yourself. Traveling to these places would teach me, first-hand, the best way to interact with those who live very different lives than I do. One of the most important parts about being a healthcare professional is being able to be empathetic to patients who have gone through things unimaginable to myself, and I seek to gain this ability to provide the best care to my future patients. Being able to see first hand how different countries approach medicine, healthcare, and tragedy will allow me to be a caring pharmacist and friend.
Spending a few months traveling the world would help me to find myself and define exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. I think it is imperative to have an adequate amount of time to make one of the largest decisions of your life, what career path you want to follow, and the gap year would provide me just that. Next, I would apply for the colleges/universities I have researched, being confident about the positive impact these schools would make on me. I can only imagine how easy it would be to write the admission essays with all of the great memories I had made and stories I could tell.
Finally, I would spend my last few months with my family, making time to show them how important they are to me. If I have learned one thing while in college, it’s that I definitely took being surrounded by my biggest supporters for granted. If I had an extra few months to spend with my favorite people, I would undoubtedly make the most of every day. Overall, I think taking extra time to discover the world before entering the next chapter of my life would not only make me a better person, but would make my impact on the world so much greater.