Journaling Club Essay #4 Notes & Prompt

Prompt: When has your mind changed about something important? This could be a core belief, something about an important relationship, or a realization that you’ve had.

This prompt helps you understand more about how you think and how that might influence your actions. Changing your mind is often a process of growing up, and being mature enough to put aside old ideas or beliefs is essential to growing as a person.

Does every life matter? Because it seems like certain lives matter more than others, especially when it comes to money.

I was in eighth grade when a medical volunteer group that my dad had led to Northern Thailand faced a dilemma of choosing between treating a patient with MDR-TB or saving $5000 (the estimated treatment cost for this patient) for future patients. I remember overhearing intense conversations outside the headquarters tent. My dad and his friend were arguing that we should treat the woman regardless of the treatment cost, whereas the others were arguing that it simply cost too much to treat her. Looking back, it was a conflict between ideals-one side argued that everyone should receive treatment whereas the other argued that interventions should be based on cost-effectiveness. I was angry for two reasons. First, because my father lost the argument. Second, because I couldn’t logically defend what I intuitively believed: that every human being has a right to good health. In short, that every life matters.

Over the next four years I read piles of books on social justice and global health equity in order to prove my intuitive belief in a logical manner. I even took online courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. But I failed to find a clear, logical argument for why every life mattered. I did, however, find sound arguments for the other side, supporting the idea that society should pursue the well-being of the greatest number, that interventions should mitigate the most death and disability per dollar spent. Essentially, my research screamed, “Kid, it’s all about the numbers.”

But I continued searching, even saving up pocket money to attend a summer course on global health at Brown University. It was there that I met Cate Oswald, a program director for Partners in Health (PIH), an organization that believed “the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.” It was like finding a ray of light in the darkness.

Refueled with hope, I went back to find the answer, but this time I didn’t dive into piles of books or lectures. I searched my memories. Why was I convinced that every life mattered?

When the woman with MDR-TB came to our team, she brought along with her a boy that looked about my age. Six years have passed since I met him, but I still remember the gaze he gave me as he left with his mother. It wasn’t angry, nor was it sad. It was, in a way, serene. It was almost as if he knew this was coming. That burdened me. Something inside me knew this wasn’t right. It just didn’t feel right. Perhaps it was because I, for a second, placed myself in his shoes, picturing what I’d feel if my mother was the woman with MDR-TB.

Upon reflection, I found that my answer didn’t exist in books or research, but somewhere very close from the beginning-my intuition. In other words, I didn’t need an elaborate and intricate reason to prove to myself that health is an inalienable right for every human being-I needed self-reflection.

So I ask again, “Does every life matter?” Yes. “Do I have solid, written proof?” No.

Paul Farmer once said, “The thing about rights is that in the end you can’t prove what is a right.” To me, global health is not merely a study. It’s an attitude-a lens I use to look at the world-and it’s a statement about my commitment to health as a fundamental quality of liberty and equity.

Tip: This student had a full narrative arc from a sparking incident to a conclusion about future goals, which is one of the strongest college essay formats. However, it is better to discuss activities in which you are an active participant, rather than a listener or observer, when possible.

Notice how the student’s thinking changes over the course of the essay. They begin with a belief they feel deeply but cannot defend logically, then move through research, doubt, renewed reflection, and finally a more mature understanding of their values. The progression is clear: moral question → personal memory → intellectual search → self-reflection → future commitment.

When writing about a changed belief, avoid making the essay only about being “right” or “wrong.” The more interesting story is usually how your thinking became more layered. A strong essay can show that growth does not always mean abandoning your original belief. Sometimes, it means understanding it more deeply.

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