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Olivia Edwards Story A - The life of Paul
After first term finals, Paul finds himself at the top of his medical school class. Paul has always wanted to be a doctor. Truthfully, it was the only thing he could ever see himself doing. Good grades were what he needed. He wanted to work in Great Ormond Street Hospital but to do that you needed to be incredibly intelligent as well as recommended by the board of education. Paul makes the decision to put his life on hold until the end of university. He stays away from parties and doesn’t have a girlfriend. He shuts himself away. “It’s worth it though.” he thinks to himself when he sees the other guys going for a night out. “My hard work will pay off in the end,” he says when asked why he isn’t going to the dorm party.

It gets to the end of his degree and Paul has stayed at the top of the class throughout his entire degree. His professor, Dr Noir calls him into his office at the end of his final year of university. He has recommended him a series of hospitals including his favourite, Great Ormond Street. Paul is excited to find that he is accepted in all of them. He sends hasty replies to all of them telling them that he cannot work for them. All except Great Ormond Street. He readies himself to move to London.

Paul begun working at Great Ormond Street hospital on the 3rd of January 2006. Paul had just turned 50. After a hard days work he goes home to a microwave meal and a pile of papers to write for his interns. He is one of the most pronounced doctors in the whole of England. Yet he is not happy. He has no wife, no family, no life outside his work. He put his work before his happiness and now he has the consequences.

On Tuesday the 3rd of January 2008, Paul Withers committed suicide. His headstone reads, “Don’t give your life to work, let your work become part of your life.”

Michelle Kim
Having been at the top of his medical school class, Paul grew extremely conscious of his rank in class. Rather than studying for his desire for learning, he began to simply compete with the rest of the students for the mark, propelling himself to perform every sort of unethical act for the purpose of ranking higher than everyone else. Furthermore, with his growing competitiveness and desire to win, Paul became unable to restrain himself from conducting self-torture, every time he was not ranked first in his class. His daily-routines involved constant mood changes, and he gradually lost his ability to restrain himself from becoming extremely depressed at a moment and extremely happy at another. By his last year at his medical school, in spite of the high marks he had, he had lost all of his personal connections, acquaintances, and even friends. Still unable to realize what shift in him as a person caused this dramatic alteration in his life.

On the day of graduation, he was obliged to attend a meeting with one of his professors by the school. Being aware that his reputation as a student and an individual has not been very pleasant throughout the entire school, he chose to meet Professor T, whose class he attended the fewest times during his past years of medical school. Not having been expecting to see Paul come to set up a meeting with him, Professor T greeted him with both surprise and suspicion. Nonetheless, the two got into a discussion on how Paul had performed in class as a student throughout his school years. Paul, simply wanting to finish the meeting as quickly as possible and get Professor T's approval of "having a meeting" (for it was a graduation requirement), Paul insisted that he had to leave soon. Knowing Paul's secret desires, Professor T began writing something on a small piece of paper while Paul was going through his past class participation performance sheets. At last, Professor T handed the approval paper to Paul, along with the small note that he wrote while Paul was going through the papers. Expecting the note to be some sort of form, approving of his graduation, Paul left the room after thanking Professor T.

When Paul got on the train to the hospital that he will be working at, after graduating with one of the highest marks in his medical school, he opened up the note and found himself very surprised.

"A fast train will always get you to be on time. But that doesn't mean that it will always take you to the right stop."

At the first sight of it, Paul couldn't understand what it meant. He actually even thought if Professor T had given him the wrong note. However, reading it over numerous times, he began to nod his head. Everything that had happened to him in his medical school years passed by like a series of picture frames in his head. He couldn't understand why he had never seen this himself, realized this himself in his life. After sitting on the train, simply pondering upon his life for a while, Paul suddenly got up from his seat and got off the train before he got to the hospital he was headed to. Feeling the wind, smiling, he started walking slowly towards the exit.

Grace Lee Psychology: Gender Differences in achievement Motivation Story A

After first term finals, Paul finds himself at the top of his medical school class. Upon this accomplishment, professors always seem take the time to compliment him during those now frequent occasions he would bump into them in the hallways. His family goes around the neighborhood modestly boasting their son’s success. However, through this process, some peers alienate him in a belief that Paul no longer would look at them as friends but as inferiors.

Paul, though, had felt the corners of his mouth curl up into irresistible smile when he was first exposed to the fact he had become the valedictorian of his class, sensed a queer sensation that something was leaving him. Suddenly plunged into a state of isolation, he takes a step back from where he had tried so hard to climb up to. He now sees beyond the opaque jumble of mass confusion that had preoccupied his troubled mind for the past few days since the news of his academic success. His modesty had caused all the distortions. He had not notice the smirk on his face and the fling in his voice tone that smeared the carefree atmosphere which had surrounded him in all those years he had not been recognized for his hard work.

Learning from the close observations, Paul calls his friends to invite his friends to his house. He makes himself busy cleaning the house and adding a “Thank you and Sorry” banner across the hallway connecting the entrance door to the living room. He scurries about the house preparing a dinner menu out of the best of his abilities. Picking up his coat he goes out to lend a DVD from the nearby video store. he picks out five; each from different genres with some advice from the favorite-section. Coming back to his home, he sets the sofa and drags his bed mattress from his bed in front of the television. Smiling in satisfaction, he finds some pouches of popcorn in the pantry and sets them next to the microwave. Paul check for any last minute arrangements needed and waits nervously in front of the front door, constantly looking down at his watch.

Finally his guests enter after some strange looks at him through the peephole. Awkwardly walking into the empty, but neat house, his friends stop abruptly at the silly banner Paul had made earlier. They suddenly laugh out loud, half in guilt, half in reassurance that they were never really mad but just jealous. All of the med-students curl up lazily on the coach and mattress after a large meal, forgetting all about the pressures of school and judgments of a society which does not discriminate people based on the outer appearance or name so much anymore but only on their transcripts.

After that night, the gang is back together again in their gleeful geeky manner. They study together every evening huddled over a round desk covered with books and loose leaf paper filled with wavy handwriting in black ink. And now Paul’s friends consult him for help, instead of struggling by themselves because they feared they would look stupid. They all work together like ants in their organized community, getting the grades they need and desire. Ranking is no longer a friendship threatening issue.

When asked what helped him improve his grades so much, Paul no longer answers blankly, “The long hours of dedication to research”, like the model student in hopes of becoming the next “it” doctor in the world, but simply says,”I have to give that credit to my friends.”

There, the perfectly Disney-like ending everyone loves (not). But then, I couldn’t have said Paul committed suicide from the immense distress that strained his spirits. That just too...depressing and horrible. (I better knock wood like Mr. Bushnell says I should.)

After first term finals, Paul finds himself at the top of his medical school class. It was a very sudden and unexpected result that he never thought of. It was then, he decided that he will move on independently, for his own career. Everyone was against it at first, but due to Paul's stron mind, no one was able to stop him. After he dropped out of school, he first went back to his house in Oklahoma. When Paul delievered the news about the medical school, they were in such a shock. Paul told them about his plans and about his goal, but the face of disappointment on their face did not disappear. After his news spread through out the the town, all of his friends were starting to ignore him. He was not the old Paul that was he used to be. Everyone ignored him, he didn't understand the reaction, he was thinking to him self, why and why is everyone to doing this to him. Starting with his brother, and his parents with the disappointment, but he did not give up and continued to persuade the life he wanted. But it didn't last long, soon he suffered from depression after several failures for finding a job, living his life with a bottle of vodka. Later on 1990 November 23rd he was gone, in his own room with the necktie his mother gave him for his acceptance to collgage.


 * JI YOON HYUN**

After first term finals, Paul finds himself at the top of his medical school class. To him, he thinks it’s impossible that he’s at the top, but this was exactly when his life started to change.

Right after Paul was born his mother passed away giving up her life and saving her son. From then, Paul grew up without a mother and lived with his father. When Paul became seven, his father brought in another woman who had to be called mother. Every time Paul refused to do so he would get punished by his father or by his step-mother.

Paul, as a human, is very energetic, strong, passionate, and kind. He would have one of the best reputations at school but horrible reputations at home. One day, Paul was at school listening to the school announcements. He noticed that parent teacher conferences were coming soon. He really didn’t want to tell his parents but he knew it was wrong to not tell them what’s happening at school. After school he goes home to talk to his step-mother but what is this! His house was a disaster; clothes, books, and almost everything was all over the place. What has happened? He realized that his step-mother had ran away with almost all the money Paul and his father had. Paul gave up. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know how to solve this, and he started to have an identity crisis; didn’t really care are know who he was himself. From then, Paul started failing every tests and quizzes, and even started failing classes and grades. His friends would make fun of him of not having a mother and that would bring out a big fight between Paul and his friends.

Paul has always wanted to become a doctor because he didn’t want any mothers to sacrifice themselves just to save their baby. He didn’t want any little ones to live like him or become orphans. Paul would fail every class but what he wouldn’t fail was his medical school class.

That is why, after his first term finals, realizing himself at the top of his medical school class, he decided to work hard to become a famous doctor; for nobody but just for himself.


 * Andrew Nogamoto**

After fist term finals, Paul finds himself at the top of his medical school class.

There was a time when he wasn’t; there are always that time in life when your life feels down and miserable, and so did he. It was during winter of 1980, when the weather was cold and wet, when the days were longer. It was a normal day for Paul, after school, he went to the candy shop with his friends as he always did with his mates. The days were colder than usually, but Paul wore his favorite white coat, which kept him warm, so that wasn’t a drag. He was always poor. He lived in a one-bedroom apartment with his mom, 2 sisters, his brother, and his stepfather, who was a drunk and an ex-boxer. That day, as soon as he came home, he turned the T.V. on and talked to his father about how his day was, while his mom cooked the leftover soup for him in the kitchen. His days were normal, but it was his dream that didn’t accept him to be. He always saw the rich people on T.V. and always wanted to be like them. It was winter in 1983. After school, after hanging around the candy shop, Paul, who was 17 at that time, came home and saw his father on the floor with his beer Heineken beer bottle in his hand, half emptied. He wasn’t breathing. Paul’s mother took the daughters out for a car wash to bath them since the water in the house didn’t work, so they weren’t home to see this happen. Paul’s father, Jack, was blowing bubbles from his mouth and was wiggling on the floor. Paul didn’t know what to do, so he called the ambulance, but they didn’t have a phone, so he had to run to the closest hospital to tell them about the situation. He forgot to put on his shoes, so he was running on bear feet to the nearest hospital, which was right down the street. As soon as Paul walked in, the doctors asked him what was going on, so Paul told him the situation. The next thing the doctor said to him made Paul shed in tears without control…”I can’t help you if you don’t have money! Go home and take good care!” Paul, while crying ran home to his father. His feet were all bloody from the rocks and the sharp-ended tiles from the street, but he kept on running. When he got home, his dad was still on the floor, not breathing. ‘If I can help…’ Paul said to him self as he watched his father scream and wiggle in pain. His father stop breathing and that was the last time Paul ever saw him move. It was winter 1985, His family got over the death of Paul’s father and finally started to move on with their personal life. Paul from the day his father passed away, dreamed of becoming a doctor, but couldn’t because they couldn’t afford the money for school. He studied by the documents in the hospital and went down to a children’s aid where he got a chance to take the test for the medical school application. He failed. When he was on the down fall of his life and realized that he couldn’t become a doctor, one of his friends choked on a chicken while they were drinking in a bar. Paul gave him a mouth to mouth and saved his life. The next day, his friend’s father, who was the doctor that refused Paul when he needed help, came by to Paul’s house to say that he was sorry and gave Paul a chance to become a student in his friend’s medical school in Boston. He passed, with a perfect score, and a full scholarship. As he took the course he took multiple tests, he found him self at the top of the class Winter, 1999, Paul turned 33; he became one of the most successful doctors in the History of U.S. researching about the elements of cancer. He became a millionaire, and finally bought a gravestone for his father. Thanking god for his help. As he walked home, he shed a tear drop thinking about his past memories.

=Seung Woo Eun=

When Paul was thirteen, his father passed away due to a terminal disease, leaving Paul a burden to carry that he would have to surmount. Paul ’ s fathers ’  last words were, “ You can do anything because you have the potential. ”  Even in the existence of his father in position, Paul ’ s family was living under adversity. Now his father left, Paul was responsible for his family: mother and two younger sisters. At this point, Paul did not give up; rather, he made a promise to himself that one day he will be the best doctor in the universe. This motivation worked as a catalyst in his life, encouraging him to study more and work harder to enhance the family ’ s condition.  Paul did not really know about the cause of his father ’ <span style="font-family: 바탕;">s death until he began to study medicine in detail at college. Paul did not appease himself for his achievement of making into college; rather, he kept researching and studying for the cause of his father <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-font-family: 바탕;">’ <span style="font-family: 바탕;">s terminal disease. Due to his conscientious work throughout the course, he is confident about his term papers. Though he knew that he did an excellent job in explaining his father <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-font-family: 바탕;">’ <span style="font-family: 바탕;">s terminal disease, he did not expect anything more than his research. Paul simply did the research for his goal, not because he wanted accolades from others. <span style="font-family: 바탕;"> <span style="font-family: 바탕;">Vacation arrived, and every student members gathered up into a hall. The medical department professors praised Paul for being top of the medical course. With surprise, he could not believe it. Sometime later, his professor came up to him, and told him that he never have thought a college student would be so profound in producing a cure for a terminal disease. <span style="font-family: 바탕;"> <span style="font-family: 바탕;">After Paul graduated, he was offered jobs at the most prolific hospitals. However, he declined all of the offers, and went around the universe to cure the disease that was once called terminal disease. He did not do this for money, but for his sympathy towards his father. He never forgot his father <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-font-family: 바탕;">’ <span style="font-family: 바탕;">s last words that he can do anything because he has the potential. Now he has achieved it, Paul is happier than ever. However, deep inside his heart, he incessantly sorrows of his father <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-font-family: 바탕;">’ <span style="font-family: 바탕;">s death.