I lived in Iran for the first twelve years of my life, at a time of warfare and brutality. Every morning on my way to school, I saw "hejles, " traditional memorials honoring young men lost in battle. In the evening, the news and even children's programs were awash with images of warfare and death. I spent many nights huddled with my family and others in bomb shelters and basements, listening to the explosions outside. It was amidst this devastation that I developed a deep respect for life and those who work to preserve it. My fear for my own life and the lives of my family and friends motivated me to pursue a career saving them. Fortunately, my parents were able to leave Iran and provide me with the opportunity to pursue this goal.

In college, I did not hesitate to select a premedical curriculum. I took every opportunity to learn and practice science. After completing my first semester at UC Berkeley, I found a research position in a geography laboratory and later started working in a plant biology laboratory. Although I was not conducting clinical research, I gained valuable insight and practical scientific experience as part of a team discovering climate changes 500 years ago -- as well as contributing to the current climate by using plants and bacteria to remove metal toxins from the environment. I contributed to the publication of two research papers and assisted with a number of others. While my laboratory work developed my analytical reasoning and thinking skills, however, it lacked the level of human interaction that I found personally important.

Fortunately, through my participation in community service organizations, I was able to complement my science education with one-on-one human contact. I volunteered at a food shelter and tutored students at a local middle school. Though my duties were as simple as washing dishes or explaining long division, I felt empowered knowing that I had the ability to help.

After graduating from Berkeley, I decided to spend a few years exploring fields beyond my area of study, knowing that I would not have the opportunity to do so while in medical school. During this exploratory period, I acquired interpersonal and conflict resolution skills that will be invaluable in my medical career. My first job out of school was with an Internet company in San Francisco. Working in technical support, I was constantly interacting with company clients. The demography of the clients varied widely -- from CEOs to programmers to those who had trouble using a mouse. Regardless of their backgrounds, I discovered that patience and good manners go a long way in resolving client issues.

Though I found my work with the Internet company rewarding, I still felt drawn to the world of medicine and finally reconfirmed my commitment while visiting my relatives in Iran. My volunteer work at the local hospital there ranged from shadowing doctors to playing games with children in the children's ward. Working at the hospital, I quickly learned that there were numerous aspects of medicine that I simply had not considered.

On one particular occasion, a man was brought in with severe head trauma and neck injury from a motorcycle crash. Taken aback by the sight of his broken skull and the amount of blood that soaked his face and clothes, I realized the difficulty of separating myself from his pain. As I witnessed more trauma situations, however, I became better prepared to deal with them.

Upon my return to the States, I took advantage of an opportunity to work at a dental office. There I had a firsthand look at how a doctor runs his own practice and treats patients. I observed treatments for various dental diseases and found the independence of a personal practice very appealing.

From my tumultuous yet inspiring childhood to the humbling scenes of a hospital emergency room, each experience has prepared me for a career in medicine. I understand what lies before me and have a realistic view of the academic and personal demands of my chosen profession.

點評：

這是一篇醫學類PS，面對不連貫的專業背景，作者用非常清晰的思路對原因進行了解釋，理由很充分，也非常感人，是一篇很好的PS。

文章可以分為四部分：

一、令人同情的經歷作為開頭，闡述申請的原因
二、大學的專業經歷及研究成果
三、畢業時去網絡公司工作的原因及收獲
四、重新確定投身醫學的原因
五、總結全文，強調投身醫學的堅定信念

文章開頭通過描述童年在伊朗度過的令人同情的經歷吸引讀者的注意力。（這種賺取眼淚的寫法使用上要慎重，因為這種寫法已經被人用濫了）然后對大學時的專業經歷和兼職經歷進行描述，同時強調自己出色的專業能力和人際交往能力。在第四段開頭呼應前面的內容，表述從事技術支持工作的原因及收獲。然后筆鋒一轉，通過一個讓其印象深刻的事例引出自己重新決定投身醫學工作的原因，論述的非常有說服力。最后在結尾段對全文進行總結，與開頭段相呼應，重申自己對未來的追求。

文章段落之間的銜接緊密，思路清晰，把曾經中斷的不連貫的經歷很好的進行了解釋。而且作者在敘述自己轉方向的經歷中，緊扣經歷中背后所體現出的自己本質上的收獲，把弱勢變成了優點，處理的非常好。

除此之外，作者在文章中很善于通過描寫非常瑣碎的小事從而提煉出個人性格和本質上的特點。例如第三段中刷盤子和解答除法算式，第五段中伊拉克醫院義工經歷等。

當然，如果能夠在第二、五、六、七段中描寫中加入一些專業性的語言從側面體現出自己的專業能力將會更加完美。因為僅僅憑借興趣是不一定能讓教授非常信服。

譯文：

從伊朗到醫學

我生命中的前12年在伊拉克度過，在那個充滿戰爭和野蠻的年代。每個清晨上學途中，我都能看見"hejles"這個紀念在戰爭中犧牲青年的紀念碑。晚上，所有的新聞和兒童節目都充斥著殘酷的戰爭和死亡畫面。我在防空洞和地下室里度過了無數個夜晚，與家人或其他人蜷縮著躲在一起，聽著外面的爆炸聲。就是在這樣的毀滅中，我學會了尊重生命和那些為了保護它而工作的人們。對自己、家人和朋友生命的擔憂激勵我從事保護它們的事業。很幸運，我父母能夠離開伊拉克了，并給了我追求這個夢想的機會。

在大學，我毫不猶豫地選擇了醫學預科課程。我利用每次機會學習并實踐自然科學。在UC Berkeley讀完第一個學期后，我在一家地理實驗室找到一份研究工作，后來又在一家植物生物學實驗室工作。雖然我沒有做過臨床研究，但是我所在的團隊發現500年前氣候變化——以及利用植物和細菌消除環境中的金屬毒素對當前氣候的影響，作為小組的一份子，我增長了很多頗有價值的見識和實用的科學經驗。我和其他組員合作發表了兩篇論文。然而，當我的研究工作提高了我分析推理和思考能力的同時，卻削弱了我認為很重要的人際交往能力的鍛煉。

很幸運，通過參加社團服務組織，我使自己的人際交往能力得到補充。我在一個食品攤做過義工，并且在當地一家中學做過教員。雖然我做的不過是刷刷盤子或者解答長長的除法算式，但是這讓我感到了自己有能力幫助別人的強大。

從Berkeley畢業之后，我決定花一些時間探索我所學范圍之外的領域，因為進了醫學院之后我就沒有機會接觸這些了。那段時間里，我學到了人與人之間如何相處和解決沖突的技巧，那將對我的醫學生涯起到不可估量的作用。我離校的第一份工作是在San Francisco的一家網絡公司就職。從事技術支持工作的同時，我不斷與客戶打交道。他們中各種各樣的人都有——從項目執行總裁到連鼠標都用不好的人都有。不論他們的背景如何，我發現耐心和禮貌在處理客戶問題時總是很有效。

雖然在網絡公司工作收益很大，但我依然沉浸在醫學的世界里，并且最終在去伊拉克探望親戚時再次堅定了自己的信念。我在當地醫院做義工，工作內容從映射師到陪兒童病房的孩子做游戲都有。在醫院工作時，我很快意識到有一些關于醫學的東西是我根本沒有想到的。

一次很特別的場合，一個男人發生摩托車車禍被送進醫院，他腦部和頸部都受到了嚴重的外傷。冷不丁地看見他折斷的骨頭和流滿臉龐浸透衣服的血，我深深地感受到了他的痛苦。然而，當我親眼見到更多外傷事件的時候，我已經為解決它們做了越來越好的準備。

剛來到美國，我就抓住了一次機會到一家牙醫診所工作。在那里我親眼見到了醫生是如何經營自己的業務，如何為病人就診的。我留心了不同牙疾的治療方法，并體會到獨自行醫的那種獨立的魅力。

從動蕩不安卻讓人激動奮發的童年，到充斥嚴肅場景的醫院急診室，每種經歷都讓我做好了投身醫學事業的準備。我明白擺在我面前的是什么，也很清晰地知道我選擇的職業對自己的學術和自身的要求是什么。