I got in!

Today, I feel like a certified nerd.

"Dear Andrea, It is our great pleasure to inform you that you have been recommended by the joint UC Berkeley/UCSF Master of Translational Medicine (MTM) Admissions Committee for admission to the MTM program for Fall 2013. Congratulations!"

Wow, words truly cannot describe how excited and uplifted I am because of this! I mean, to be honest, even for all my past achievements, I was not really expecting this. I was surprised that they even asked for an interview. UCSF is a top 5 medical school in the world and Berkeley is a top 5 bioengineering school. I had to muster up as much confidence as I could and convince myself that I belonged with the best of the best (so as to convince my interviewer). That's hard considering I have always felt so incredibly small at HKUST, a school that makes many bright students feel a little bit jaded about themselves (what competitive school doesn't?). And despite it all, an opportunity has suddenly been thrown my way. I am incredibly blessed and privileged and I am especially grateful to all the people that helped me get to where I am. And of course, I thank God for everything.

The big question of course is "So are you going to go?" Well, I am 90% sure yes. After some prayer and consideration, I will probably make a final decision by next week. Turning down a PhD offer with funding has suddenly become a difficult decision. Especially since I love the UC Riverside environment and the enthusiasm of the professors.

For now--Reflection time!

A basketball teammate of mine were studying in the library one day when she came across this slide in her lecture notes for Consumerism and Happiness. Finding it a tidbit I might want to know about, she decided to share it with me. This is where I got stuck on the concept of deviance and it's how it became one of the 3 words I use when I explain why I studied in Hong Kong.

Deviance explains how people interact with the two primary standards of society: (1) the means and (2) the end goal. And I was somewhat flattered that she saw me in the "Innovation" category: someone who tries to do things differently but still tries to achieve culturally sought-after end-goals.

This brings me to article I recently read in the NY Times (The Creative Monopoly by David Brooks) which really highlighted the innovator kind of person I strive to be. Brooks stressed that competition at every level can be a hindrance to creativity and progress because institutional means require that you follow a set path and excel at it. However, creative people are able to find success by forging their way through an unconventional path, something I've tried to do for myself.

I like to think I have many good starting characteristics for creativity/passion:

• Independence
• Longing to be different
• Ability for reflection and learning
• Desire to make the world a freaking better place!
• A small measure of book smart

Seriously, the world needs passionate people (after reading the article, I also happened to research Peter Thiel who supports a lot of young social entrepreneurial work, which is also very interesting!). It's something I've believed ever since I wanted to enter into healthcare-- passion is what creates change. It's a catalyst, a fuel, something that all people can obtain.

I've seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the deficits in the world. The truth is, there are deficits in everything--in healthcare, in education, in research methodology, in energy technology. Something can always be made better. In HKUST, the concept of innovation was almost brainwashed into my subconscious, with the twist towards business, business, business. Innovation isn't as simple as hard science or recognizing a problem or even simply advocating something. Society is a delicate thing and it requires a certain type of person to implement change based on innovation!

Maybe that's what drew me to the MTM program and maybe that's why the MTM committee believed I am a fit for their program. If anything, my background prepared me and put me in a position where I can take all the things I've seen and learned in life and piece it all together. I am ready to be groomed and it's very likely that the MTM program can do just that for me. San Francisco has so much to offer...

Maybe I'm being naive but I've been naive for much of my life and I think that's part of what keeps passion alive. I don't need to care about being inadequate or incompetent. The door--to a creative career in healthcare/medicine and leading others to having passionate lives--has opened. I may not have the specifics down, but here I am, eager to make a difference.

Well, it's the final sprint in my undergraduate life, guys. Can't burn out now. It's time to win this race.

My boy being a weirdo during our last Berkeley visit :).

Creative people don’t follow the crowds; they seek out the blank spots on the map. Creative people wander through faraway and forgotten traditions and then integrate marginal perspectives back to the mainstream. Instead of being fastest around the tracks everybody knows, creative people move adaptively through wildernesses nobody knows. -- David Brooks (The Creative Monopoly, NY Times)