My Stats and extracurricular activities

I applied to Emory with a 3.72 GPA and test-optional. I didn’t need to submit TOEFL or DET since I had been studying in an English-based school for a long time.

My first extracurricular activity was being a representative of North America in my school council. I was part of the communication team with STUCO, sending emails, working closely with the administration, and hosting meetings with the student body for them to express their concerns.

Secondly, I was the leader of “ Philosophy for Kids”, where a group of students and I used to go to a local elementary school once a week to read to first graders. We helped them to think outside the box and analyze each reading deeply; also, since most of them were international students, we assisted them regarding the cultural shift.

My third extracurricular consisted of a fellowship I did years ago in an organization called “World Affairs”, where I was their Global Careers fellow. There, I would set up large meetings for teenagers in the local Pittsburgh area where they would get to learn about varied careers. Furthermore, I would find people from all over the world to express their experiences in a specific career, such as journalists, photographers, or ambassadors to share this information with local young people and help them to choose their major.

Essays

I’m really into creative writing, so making my essays was a process that I liked a lot! My personal statement was about me moving to the US. I started the essay by mentioning that was I supposed to be named Vanessa instead of Beatriz because it’s simpler to pronounce it in English. Then, I tell the story of my life, how moving out felt, and the struggles I had to go through. Finally, I ended up recognizing that I didn’t have to change just because I moved to another country and I was proud of my name Beatriz, which reminded me of my Brazil.

On the other hand, Emory requires two supplemental essays, one about an academic interest and another free prompt to choose from.

Regarding the academic interest essay, I wrote about how my interest in human health had been influenced by my grandmother who was in the field, and how she helped me to get exposed to it. Moreover, I explain how I built my own path in this area by taking anthropology and environmental science in school, a mix of courses that made me choose public health as a major. Also, I mentioned a summer program I did at Brown on public health to verify if it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life and how it impacted my hopes regarding the field. Finally, I added my aim to go into policy, work in government agencies, and change policies that affect public health internationally.

Then, for my second supplemental essay, I had to pick a book character I saw myself in. I chose Louisa from “Me Before You”, who is so energetic and loves to take care of others. I linked her personality and purpose with my interest in public health. I also highlighted her dedicated care to the guy, since I have always wanted to care for somebody else. (Honestly, her bumblebee socks were my favorite thing)