First draft for my PS - all advice/criticism appreciated :) Forum

[Anonymous User]

If someone told the 18 year-old (my name) that he would someday apply to law school, he would have scowled, jumped on his long board, and hightailed down the street. Growing up with a corporate lawyer for a father, he viewed the profession as a pool for pretentious sharks in suits to reap fat paychecks from long hours of dull, yet avaricious work. At 18 years-old, his main interests were playing hockey and attending local punk rock shows. His future was the last thing on his mind.

Looking back on who I was at the time, I regret not only my “edgy” clothing and Kurt Cobain-esque haircut, but my lack of desire to pursue any substantial goals. “Late bloomer,” is perhaps the best phrase to describe me, for now at 24, I am entirely driven by my goals. While I have matured in many regards over the past few years, one facet of my personality has remained solid throughout my life; I have always fought for the underdog. In elementary school, after experiencing torment for requiring assistance from an aid in class, I made it my personal responsibility to stand up for the targets of bullying- which I was disheartened to find increasingly infused with homophobia and sexism as the school years passed. My most valuable, and also rewarding experience in my youth was volunteering as a swim coach for children with special needs, a position that later influenced me far more than I ever anticipated.

After high school, I began what I thought would be a tedious journey to a degree in whatever my parents told me to major in at Capilano University. However, my life took a turn during my second year when I enrolled in a class called, “Sociology of the Global South” which analyzed the debt issues of impoverished nations. Suddenly, the frustration I had always felt against racial, class, and gender struggles were presented to me in an academic format: sociology. Discovering a professional outlet for the issues I had always cared about turned my aimlessness into passion. Consequently, I put my effort into transferring to UBC, a school I grew up believing to be too prestigious for my standards. Receiving my acceptance letter in the spring of 2010 was one of my proudest moments as an adult.

At UBC, I realized that the career path I spurned so early in life was in fact, the best route for me. Through my major, I developed a detailed understanding of social welfare, and how to use critical thought and well-constructed arguments to promote it. A law degree from (x university) will undoubtedly provide me with the best tools to turn my knowledge of social justice issues of which the law is core into legal practice. I am highly impressed by the many graduates of (x law school) who have gone on to successful careers with CLAIHR and CELA, and feel entirely positive that I have the ability and the drive to someday be one of them. I will never be a shark in a suit, and I admit that my visions of being a white knight for the underprivileged are idealistic; it does take more than one person to bring about mass social change. However, what I can promise to be is an honest, righteous man in a suit devoted to using his Juris Doctorate degree to make strides of any size for both justice in Canada and human rights around the globe.

[Anonymous User]

To put this in context, my grades aren't great (3.3 CGPA, 3.5 last/best 2 years) and not much volunteer experience/internship work, so I wanted to take a different approach to the PS.

[CanadianWolf]

Enjoyed reading your PS. Apply to Victoria. Visit http://www.lawstudents.ca

[Anonymous User]

Enjoyed reading your PS. Apply to Victoria. Visit http://www.lawstudents.ca

Thanks, and I frequent that website often, great resource centre for all Canadian schools.
Victoria is my first choice in schools, but my chances are pretty slim.