1497 Forest Brooke Way, apt 393
Delaware, OH 43015
740-244-6760
Conley.474@osu.edu
Dear P.E.O. Sisterhood of Ohio,
Transi+oning from high school to college has been much di0erent than I expected. I went into
college my 3rst day thinking I had everything planned out. Boy was I wrong. I planned on majoring in
Radiologic Sciences and Therapy, which would take three years to complete. I then planned on
completing a one year radia+on dosimetry program which would cer+fy me as a dosimetrist, the career I
planned on pursuing. Early in the fall semester, I did two observation of two di0erent prac+cing
dosimetrists at the James Cancer Hospital on campus. During my observa+on, I was given the
opportunity to also see a medical physicist work. I had never heard of a medical physicist before, but
a8er being introduced to one and learning what a one does, I realized that this is exactly what I want to
do with the rest of my life. A medical physicist oversees the work of the dosimetrist, creates treatment
plans, con3gures treatment machines, and completes other tasks.
With my new career plan comes a new college plan. To become a medical physicist, one must
obtain either a Master’s degree or a PhD in medical physics and complete a two year medical physics
internship. For an undergraduate degree, students typically major in physics if they plan to go to
graduate school for medical physics, but my plan is di0erent. Medical physics graduate programs are very
difficult to get into. The minimum GPA requirement to apply for many programs is 3.7, and the typical
program receives over 100 applica+ons, but only has one or two openings. Because of this, I have
decided to major in actuarial science and minor in physics. The actuarial science major will allow me to
meet all of the math requirements for graduate school, while the physics minor will allow me to meet all
of the physics requirements. additionally, the actuarial science major will allow me to enter a ful3lling
career as an actuary immediately a8er obtaining my Bachelor’s degree. I believe it is important to have a
good back–up plan in place. Having a back-up plan does not mean I have any doubts in my ability to
achieve; I just feel that it is necessary to be realis+c. I know I am smart. I know I am dedicated. I know I
am mo+vated. But the reality is, space in medical physics graduate programs is very limited, and there
are many other smart, dedicated, and mo+vated students that I will be compe+ng against.
My family is struggling with their own expenses, and they cannot contribute anything to my
college educa+on. This is my reality, and I greatly appreciate any help I can get from scholarships.