Completing Your STAR 2.0 Program Application
Examples and information that will help you complete your STAR 2.0 Program Application
SECTION 1
Questions you will have to answer on the electronic application form:
• Tell us why you are interested in the field of healthcare and/or medicine and science.
• What makes you enthusiastic about learning?
• Please state some examples of you being a team player.
• Why are you interested in the STAR 2.0 Program?
• How do you think your attendance in this program will impact you?
Tips for answering questions: Be as detailed as possible. Your answers should tell a story about who you are, what is important to you, your beliefs, and why a career in medicine and research is important to you. Refrain from giving one- to two-sentence answers that are short on detail. It is best to write more sentences that complete a total story of who you are.
SECTION 2
Essay example: You will be asked to complete an essay that answers what does medicine and research mean to you. Your response should be about one page. DO NOT use Google Docs or screen shots when uploading your essay to your application. You may upload your essay onto your application submission as either a Microsoft Word document or a PDF.
"What does medicine and research mean to you?"
-by Mikyla Stamps STAR 2.0 Program Student Class of 2021
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” This quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. greatly explains what medicine and research mean to me. According to The NCBI, black women are 2 to 6 times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than white women. There is no real explanation on why this is; however, it is believed by the American Medical Association that the quality of prenatal delivery and postpartum care, along with interaction between health-related behaviors and satisfaction with care, plays a major role. These justifications all fall back on medicine and research. Could a change in our current medical practices improve these statics? It seems as if prenatal and postpartum care should be equal amongst every woman. The care for these women should not change based on their race and this is where the flaw of medicine comes into play. Treating a woman as less than is inhume and could possibly be the cause of complications while giving birth. If flaws in our medical practices could be improved the world would indeed be a better place. To discover the true explanation to this research is needed. Medical work is not just a job to me. Medicine is working to reduce those statistics and health disparities. There are many health disparities within the African American community. Overall, African Americans have a lower life expectancy as in comparison to other races. The ongoing death rate for stroke, heart disease, cancer, asthma, influenza, pneumonia, diabetes, HIV, and aids are significantly higher amongst the black community (Minority Health). I feel as if the root to health disparities is research. There's a reason why these diseases and health conditions are more common within a race. It could fall back on their background, genetics, or even the concept of unfair medical practices. In my eyes research isn't just finding the cure to cancer. Research is discovering the root of health discrepancies and coming up with a solution to put them to rest. Research is our building blocks of life and it's up to us to use our skills to continue our structure of life.
SECTION 3
References: You will be asked to list two references (you cannot use relatives) who will answer the following questions within a reference form that will be emailed to them once you complete your application. You will be asked to provide full contact information (home address, email address, phone number) for each reference listed. Ideally, applicants should ask permission from the person being listed as a reference to be sure that they are willing and will be able to serve as a reference. Please be sure to inform anyone listed as a reference that you have listed them and that they will receive an email from us requesting that they complete the reference form.
Questions that your references will answer on the form we send them will include:
- How has the student demonstrated an interest in the fields of medicine or science?
- What characteristics would make this student a good fit for the STAR 2.0 Program?
- Have you observed this student in a group setting? If so, how do they operate when working as part of a team?
- In what ways do you think this student would benefit from the STAR 2.0 Program in the long term and short term?
- What else do you want us to know about this student?