Common App Essay Example #3

Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Patience has never been my strong suit, and while I have always wanted to be a healer, I could never imagine waiting to finish college and medical school before actually working with patients. So after a lifetime of hearing stories from my mom’s best friend about life in the ambulance as an emergency medical technician, I decided to jump in and sign up for my local training program last year. The fast-paced nature of the job made it the perfect way to fulfill my dream while I was still in  high school, illustrating a fundamental attribute: that my age does not dictate my abilities.
 
I attended class every Sunday morning for six months. Even though most of my classmates were adults, they sensed my commitment to the job and made me feel fully welcomed. After completing my training, I passed my skills exam and became a certified EMT. But despite being an ideal student in class, nothing could prepare me for my first day on call — a double car crash.

The accident involved a head-on collision between a middle-aged man driving a truck and a professional young woman in a sedan. Each was just regaining consciousness when we arrived on the scene. The senior on call, a cardiac tech, traveled back and forth between the two patients. While he was tending to the woman, the ambulance driver and I managed to strap the injured man to a backboard, where I continued to perform a medical assessment.
 
When the cardiac tech returned, he was surprised by the progress I had made. I was able to answer all of his questions so that his only job was to call and inform the ER that we were en route. This first call was a traumatic one; while no one was critically injured, the accident was certainly more than a minor fender bender. My superiors were impressed with my work and to this day they continue to encourage me to attend medical school. Becoming an EMT has been the first step in that process and one I plan to continue throughout my college education and beyond.