Maxwell Kruse Personal Statement My eyes swelled with tears as I was overwhelmed by colorful smiles and cries of joy.

I just danced for 46 hours, and stood awe struck as I gazed at an excited crowd of 15,000 people, all celebrating Penn States Dance Marathon, affectionately known as THON. I was overcome by a humbling sense of accomplishment as I realized how many families we were helping through their struggles with pediatric cancer; all of my hard work had paid off. Working as the head THON chair for Lambda Chi Alpha has been the most rewarding aspect of my college experience, and I was honored to represent my fraternity as one of the few students who are elected to dance in the 46 hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon. Although I have always dreamed of becoming a physician, my volunteer work with THON has reaffirmed my desire for a career in medicine. As head THON chair I was responsible for coordinating fundraisers, soliciting donations, meeting regularly with the directors of THON, and most importantly, motivating the members of my fraternity. All of my work went towards providing financial and emotional support to families afflicted with cancer. Although this position held a great responsibility, I enjoyed dedicating myself to such a great cause. I feel fortunate that I was able to lead a team of my best friends in our yearlong fundraising efforts, and I am proud to say that after four years, my fraternity and I have raised over $1 million for the fight against pediatric cancer. Each year this incredible sense of fulfilment has reminded me why I love THON, and why I want to spend the rest of my life doing something that will benefit others. I have learned through my experience with THON that I covet a career that will be both challenging and rewarding, and that is a major reason why I aspire to become a physician. In addition to my passion for volunteer work, I have always had a passion for the sciences, and I have genuinely enjoyed my time as a Biology major at Penn State. Although I have valued several courses, I have been particularly fascinated by the courses pertaining to the human body. My interest in human physiology led me to become a teaching assistant for a physiology lab. As a teaching assistant, I do my best to provide a quality learning experience for my students. Each class I make an effort to remain enthusiastic in attempt to inspire my students to enjoy physiology as much as I do. I also try to make my students comfortable coming to me for help, and encourage them to come to me for advice in any other courses that I may have already taken. Teaching has allowed me to develop my ability to communicate complex ideas in a way that is easy to understand, and has also taught me how to project an aura of control and confidence in the classroom. These skills are ones that I plan to utilize in my career as a physician. My experiences as a teaching assistant and as THON chair have allowed me to develop strong interpersonal skills, and I am confident that these will allow me to work successfully with both my patients and colleagues. My interest in science and medicine also motivated me to seek out an internship in the Department of Molecular Medicine at The University of Massachusetts Medical School. Ive worked for two summers as a research intern in the Corvera Lab, which is focused on studying the relationship

Maxwell Kruse Personal Statement between metabolic dysfunction in adipose tissue, and how it relates to obesity and diabetes. My PI, Dr. Silvia Corvera, granted me a significant amount of autonomy while working in the lab, and allowed to freely contribute my questions and ideas in our weekly lab meetings. This experience allowed me to grow intellectually and developed my perspective for what medical research is like. In addition, I was able to collaborate with MDs and residents in the OB/GYN department of UMass Memorial Hospital during a study of gestational diabetes. Throughout this study, I was able to observe three caesarian sections, and was also able to converse with several physicians, residents, and medical students about their experiences in medicine. I learned about what it is like to work in a hospital setting, and also about the demands of a medical education during this experience. Although I learned a tremendous amount about research and medicine through my work at UMass Medical School, the most important thing I took away from these experiences was that every single person I worked with was passionate about their work. Although many people may not agree with the current state of our health care system, every physician I have talked to has expressed to me that they have loved their career in medicine. I envy their passion for their work, and it is my hope that I can one day emulate their success. While at Penn State I have excelled in managing a demanding course load while participating in extracurriculars such as remaining an active member of Lambda Chi Alpha, volunteering at Mount Nittany Medical Center, fundraising for THON, and fundraising for Global Medical Brigades. My ability to succeed both in academics and extracurriculars at Penn State makes is evidence that I have the intellect and work ethic required to become an excellent physician. I want to practice medicine for a multitude of reasons, including the opportunity to help people, the excitement of treating patients, my genuine interest in science, and my admiration for the passion physicians have for their work. I realize that medicine is a very demanding profession, but I know its the path I want to pursue. Medicine is a career that encompasses everything I enjoy, and Im confident that it will be a profession I am passionate about for the rest of my life.