Free Admissions Essay - From Farming to Medicine :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay - From Farming to Medicine    I heard the familiar sound of the back door closing gently. My father was returning from driving his dirty, green John Deere tractor in one of our fields. Although he begins his day at 5:00 a.m. every morning, he usually returns at around 7:00 p.m. I never really questioned his schedule when I was a child, but as I entered high school I wondered how my dad could work so hard every day of the week and still enjoy what he does. He works long hours, becomes filthy from dirt, oil, and mud, and worst of all, can watch all his hard work go to waste if one day of bad weather wipes out our crop. There have been many years when our raisins were rained on, our cherries were hailed on and our apples were literally baked by the sun. The uncertainties of farming are so great and so challenging. It never ceases to amaze me when my father wakes up every morning to start work, that he does so with gusto. The life of a farmer can be laborious and stressful, yet my father continues to do his work with passionate enthusiasm. His dedication and pride mystified me throughout high school. Only after I entered Big U, did I start to understand how he can persevere and face the challenges of farming.    I entered Big U like a small child wandering through a park. Never in my life had I been exposed to anything so grandiose and dominating. Born and raised in a rural town of 3000 people, I wasn't ready for the fast-paced life and crowds of Chicago. I eventually grew into its lifestyle and learned to adapt to my new environment. I found my bio-ethics class, in which we discussed major issues in health care, especially interesting. The physician's dilemma particularly intrigued me: Doing everything to provide the best health care possible, but constrained by limited resources when the funds just are not available.    These frustrating situations place a huge strain on physicians, and yet they persevere and continue to work long hours in hospitals, clinics and HMOs providing the best care they can.* While thoroughly aware of the long hours a physician must work and the challenges he or she faces, I am choosing medicine because of the unique satisfaction it provides - the rewards of helping a sick human being.

Culture and Cuisine Essay

Food is one of many factors that distinguishes one culture from another. It has been used for ceremonial purposes, sacrificial rituals, and some food even holds symbolic meaning based on religion. Why do people of the Jewish and Islamic faith choose not to eat pork? Why is wine and alcohol often associated with parties and celebrations? The origin of many of today’s cuisine and dining traditions can be traced back thousands of years, and often have a religious significance. Religion has influenced people’s food choices and traditions since ancient times, and much of its impact is still prominent in today’s world. In everyday life, it is easy for anyone to take note of religion’s presence in food and different types of cuisine. In grocery stores and supermarkets, foods are often labeled as â€Å"Kosher† or â€Å"Halal†; and with holidays such as Lent and Ramadan, it is clear that many traditions that began thousands of years ago are still important to people in today’s society. The ban of pork products within the Jewish and Islamic faith, for example, dates back to ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were known for having a strong dislike– perhaps even fear– of the pig. For this reason, pigs were never depicted in hieroglyphics, even though they were present. Believing that the animals carried parasites and leprosy, it was only Egyptians of the lowest social class who were swine herders, and they were banned from entering any temples or places of worship. Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat suggests that is why the pig has become a forbidden food source: That attitude could be at the root of the Jewish and Muslim prohibition of pig meat. Moses†¦ declared the animal unclean†¦ this taboo slowed down Islamic expansion into China, for the Chinese love pork as much as carp and ducks†¦ Today a certain amount of pig meant eaten in Europe, particularly ham, comes from China. (370) This shows how religion has influenced not only what a certain culture chooses to eat, but also how it has affected trade and migration patterns throughout the world’s development. It is clear that food can hold so much religious significance, that it can even prevent two cultures from integrating with each other, as shown by the lack of Islamic presence in China. With various religious beliefs, comes various opinions about certain foods. â€Å"†¦Patterns of behavior vary among followers of different religions, resulting from different norms† (Heiman, Just, McWilliams, and Zilberman). An example of clashing viewpoints is the difference between Greek, Muslim, and Chinese opinions about wine. The ancient Greeks are some of history’s greatest lovers of wine. They used wine for celebrations and believed it to be a drink of the gods as it was made by Dionysus, the god of wine. Alternatively, some Muslims forbade wine. This is most likely because of their fear of its effects, and drunkenness was looked down upon. There was, however, a Muslim mystic by the name of Nabulsi who declared that wine was the drink of divine love. Like Nabulsi, some chose to believe the Chinese proverb that states it is not wine that intoxicates– man is the one who becomes intoxicated, because he is weak (Toussaint-Samat 234). These different views of wine, or alcohol in general, is still evident today as some Muslims choose to drink it while some choose not to. In Christianity, wine is symbolic of the blood of Jesus, and holds significance particularly in the Catholic church for occasions such as communion. Symbolism, perhaps, is the most obvious connection between food and religion– it is not the food itself that is sacred or significant, but what it stands for. Michel Desjardins explores how food can be a symbol in different religions and cultures: At times, food also function symbolically– for example, when prayer before eating express thanks for divine concern, when the Passover meal commemorates mythic stories, or when the Arabic Muslim and Christian coffee ritual calls on the divine. Other times food is offered directly to deities†¦(153) Not only does religion affect what some people eat and do not eat, but also the types of meals that are made, the preparation, and the rituals that are paired with the food. Christian traditions involve praying before partaking in a meal, and Jewish customs call for elaborate feasts that are prepared by traditional methods. Another common use for food is sacrificing or offering certain foods to deities. Buddhists often present rice and or fruits to statues of Buddha– a long-standing religious tradition. Religion has greatly impacted the culinary world in the past, as well as today. The combination of religion and cuisine has proven to be deeply rooted in the history of mankind and the development of different cultures, as people all over the globe still maintain these traditions. Whether one is partaking in wine during communion, preparing Shabbat dinner, setting food before Buddha, or makes a lifelong decision not to eat pork, religion has an obvious presence in today’s society. Works Cited Desjardins, Michel. â€Å"Teaching about Religion with Food. † Teaching Theology and Religion. 3rd ed. Vol. 7. Oxford: Blackwell Ltd. , 2004. 153-58. Heiman, Amir, David Just, Bruce McWilliams, and David Zilberman. â€Å"Religion, Religiosity, Lifestyles and Food Consumption. † Ebscohost. Web. . Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne. A History of Food. Paris: Wiley-Blackwell, 1992.

Strategic Marketing - 1052 Words

Running head: STRATEGIC MARKETING PROCESS Strategic Marketing Process Strategic Marketing Process In order for an organization to reach its target markets, it must use the strategic marketing process to allocate its marketing mix resources. The marketing mix is elements, such as price, product, place, and promotion (also known as the 4 â€Å"P†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s) used in the make up the marketing process (Bayne Hardin, 2002). It is important for an organization to have a good understanding of the marketing mix. Each element is important when developing a marketing plan (Bayne Hardin). It is equally important to understand that to accurately utilize the marketing process; the organization must follow another process which consists of three phases†¦show more content†¦Customer loyalty is one of the most powerful weapons an organization has in its strategic arsenal (American Marketing Association, 2003). However, most companies do not fully understand the value of customer loyalty or realize its potential for enhancing customer relationships (Bus inessTown.com, 2003). So how does all of this affect the end customer? A recent trend focused the marketing mix directly on the customer. Instead of the 4 â€Å"P’s†, there is the 4 â€Å"C’s.† These 4†C†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s customer value, cost to customer, convenience to the buyer and communication (American Marketing Association). Customer value is how much the customer values the product; cost to the customer includes customer’s time and energy, along with the price of the product; convenience for the buyer is similar to place explained earlier in the paper; and communication which is similar to promotion, also explained earlier in the paper (American Marketing Association). Organizations must also realize the importance of using marketing strategies. Some marketing strategies have both long and short term benefits. Short-term strategies create immediate revenue (Kyle, 2001). Sales and accounting people often prefer these to long-term approach es because the results are direct and quantifiable (Kyle). The disadvantage of relying strictly on short-term approaches is the effect is temporary and they tend to be limited-time techniques that do not work well over time (Kyle). Long-term strategies buildShow MoreRelatedStrategic Marketing1098 Words   |  5 Pages Strategic Marketing Lauren Hartshorn Grand Canyon University: LDR 620 October 31, 2012 Strategic Marketing A successful strategic marketing process must be thoroughly developed prior to implementation. A strategic marketing plan according to Vega Rojas (2010) is â€Å"to assign and to coordinate effectively the marketing activities and resources in order to achieve the company’s goals or strategic mission (p. 3). 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