How I got into Stanford University as an out-of-state student (by Thinzar Htwe)
Upbringing and High School:
I was born in Burma, a country in South East Asia but originally of Chinese-Central Asian descent. I came to the United States of America in 2007 and began my life in Maryland as a 5-year old. I grew up with my parents and one younger brother in the quiet and comfortable suburbs of Maryland. My extended family was also located throughout Maryland and the greater East Coast. Throughout elementary, middle and high school, I was a very studious child with dedicated parents who held my academic achievements highly. Although they were not “helicopter parents” they still kept a good eye on me and ensured that I stayed focused. When high school came around, I was torn between attending my district high school or to go somewhere else. After much consideration, I took a placement test for Eastern Technical High School (ETHS), a magnet school that was and is the #1 public high school in the state of Maryland. The most unique feature of this school was the addition of trade/career training on top of rigorous academics. There were multiple career majors and I accepted the offer to ETHS in the Academy of Health Professions Allied Health Career Major. I had inklings about wanting to pursue a career in STEM and medicine but this ambition solidified during my time in the Allied Health Career program. I absolutely loved what I was learning: anatomy, medical ethics, CPR, First-Aid techniques, disease pathology, suturing, and clinical skills. The school also instilled the tradition of Allied Health students wearing scrubs on practical/test days, where each grade had their own scrub colors (my grade was Maroon), further solidifying how I envisioned myself in the field.
Maryland/Washington DC are areas notorious for focusing on college readiness and education. It was as if every household had their kids doing stellar extracurriculars, competitions, and sports; I was no different. Growing up, I was involved in swimming, basketball, volunteering at refugee camps, and attending STEM conferences. Key extracurricular activities in high school included volunteering at hospitals like Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center where I witnessed loads of blood and gore during my time in the surgery operating room and emergency department. I accumulated a few hundreds of clinical hours showcasing how serious I was about pursuing a clinical career. The most standout activity which I believe propelled me in the college application process was my summer research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine the summer after my junior year. I conducted research in the Department of Cell Biology and did a poster presentation at the end of the summer. My involvement in the project included cell culture, pipetting, creating chemical stocks, and data analysis. The details of the project in simple terms was as such: taking a mystery protein and performing tests to determine the function of it in the larger cell mechanics scheme. This particular protein was crucial in the fields of biophysics and cancer biology. After speaking to my district admissions counselor at Stanford, he stated that my research was a standout component of my application leading to my admission. Research is not just for science, despite common misconceptions. I always advise students to reach out to nearby colleges and their faculties for research opportunities ranging from chemistry to music theory. By the time I applied to college, I was certain that medicine and research was for me.
College Admission:
My original ambitions for college application was not the Ivy Leagues or any of the top universities. I wanted to stay in Maryland and at the very least the East Coast and attend a small school where I could get a good education while staying close-ish to my family. I applied to a total of six schools, two of which being state schools like the University of Maryland College Park and University of Maryland Baltimore County, specifically for the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. Other schools I submitted applications to include University of Miami, Temple University, Penn State, Princeton University, MIT, Yale University, and Stanford University. The last four were complete toss-ups where I submitted the application “for fun” as many students do. At the end of November, I received a phone call from a Palo Alto phone number, which turned out to be from a Stanford University admission counselor who was asking for more information regarding one of my documents. On December 2nd of 2019, I received a portal update about my admission to Stanford University. I never expected this and was very shocked upon reading the first line on the admissions letter. Upon hearing this, I accepted the offer in a few weeks and denied my acceptances and retracted my application from the other schools. I concluded my college application process before the end of December.
Stanford University:
I started my first quarter of college at home in Maryland. Between September to December, my “college experience” was Zoom calls and canvas notifications. Contrary to the crowd, I did not mind online-school at all as I saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with my family and catch up on hobbies I had put off. I stepped foot onto campus in January of 2021. Only about 15% to 20% of people were on campus while many were still at home. The people I developed the closest friendship with were the ones I met on campus in January of 2021. The campus was indeed beautiful, with breezing palm trees and California sunsets in the evening. Throughout college I was on the premedical track meaning taking some of the most rigorous classes the school had to offer. My major at Stanford was “Science, Technology, and Society (STS)”, which was an interdisciplinary major that combines science, policy, social science, and history. I found that the coursework provided me with a holistic education regarding my career in medicine, and it offered me knowledge beyond the unidimensional science courses that only focused on the technical sciences. Some of my favorite classes at Stanford include History of Scientific Revolution, Human Anatomy and Physiology, a Cadaver class, and a networking class within primary care medicine. I spent most of my four years juggling courses, research at the Stanford School of Medicine, studying, and allocating time for myself and my friends. I graduated in June of 2024 and am very grateful to have gone to Stanford despite the challenges and rigor throughout the four years.
Oxford University (Study Abroad):
I cannot mention my Stanford Experience without mentioning my study abroad experience at Oxford University during the Fall of 2023. I knew I wanted to incorporate study abroad into my college education but was unsure of whether it would fit into my busy schedule as a premed student and full time college student. But alas, I spent four months in Oxford, England studying medical anthropology and osteoarchaeology (archeology through the assessment of bones) where I got a chance to apply the science I was learning in my biology and chemistry class to archaeological research. Tasks I performed include radioactive decay, isotopic analysis, dentine analysis where you estimate the characteristic of the person through their teeth, and LOTS of literature review. Although this opportunity was adjacent to medicine as many know it, I thought it was a cultural experience that everyone should experience.
In addition to science and medicine, it’s worth mentioning that reading and writing were second-nature in my life. I had always kept a journal throughout high school and college. Writing was an efflux of knowledge from my brain onto paper whereas reading was the influx of knowledge back into my brain- a perfect cycle. Some of my favorite works include Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin, White Nights by Dostoyevsky, and The Picture of Dorain Gray by Oscar Wilde. My love for writing has made the challenging aspect of essay writing in applications and reading comprehensions in standardized testing much easier and enjoyable than the average person. I have multiple manuscripts I have written which I plan on querying for publication.
Future Direction:
I am currently on a gap year living at home in Maryland. My future plans are amorphous despite my certainty for attending medical school. Many ask me what specialities I wish to pursue within medicine and the short answer is, I am not sure as I am not yet a medical student. However, I would like to work within emergency medicine and critical care as I believe it is very applicable to areas of need. I plan on applying to medical school this upcoming spring and in between I plan on pursuing research opportunities abroad in the United Kingdom and greater Europe.
Some advice I will end off with include to continue saying yes to opportunities even if they don't seem to align with what you think you want to do. Life has a very strange way of routing people and opportunities to you and instead of viewing it as a labyrinth of uncertainty, view it as an exciting stream of adventures. During college, I embraced the idea of taking a break when I feel I need to and believe that taking small, well-deserved breaks is better than crashing and burning out. With that being said, persistence, diligence and hard work is the bedrock of success but it’s crucial to be open minded and curate an end goal that is unique to your interests! You can do anything you want and there is so much out there and more to life than boxing oneself into what you think you want to do.
Further Reading: How to get into selective universities (Our Coaches share their stories)
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