Personal Statement Topic Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey guys! I had a topic in mind that I think is a little different but I hope could work. When I was 8 I started bowling in a league and as I got older and improved I started taking it very seriously and bowled competitively from ages 13-18. The lack of females in the sport caused great struggle when it came to tournaments as I found myself frequently competing against males who were older than me. While this was not fair it was something I loved and would never give up. It taught me not everything is fair but it also motivated me more than anything to get better and persevere so that when I inevitably had to compete in the boys division I could hold my own. I think I learned a lot here and it could highlight some good characteristics about myself. Any feedback would be great! I just want to make sure this is going in the way of a personal statement.

[guano]

Assuming you're a girl, it's a fine statement. Just avoid being preachy or über feminist

[ArtistOfManliness]

Hmm... It sounds like you are upset that there were not separate men's and women's leagues? Kinda the opposite of gender equalness... I mean - it's bowling, not football. Just be careful cuz I am kinda taken back in today's era of progress in gender relations that you are kinda complaining about competing at rolling a ball against boys. Honestly, I'm not sure that I see the struggle/adversity. It's bowling. No real gender advantage. I totally could be wrong, but this is just my gut reaction since that is kinda what you asked for.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the honest advice! I am actually not upset about it at all. I think at the time I was but now looking back on it I am happy it happened the way it did. If I were to do this topic it would not be in a complaining way at all. And you're right its not football but bowling is more than rolling a ball down a lane so there is actually a significant gender difference. Do you think it would have to be a struggle/adversity PS? I think it would work better as a personal narrative and maybe tone back on the gender deal?

[jselson]

If I were an adcomm, I'd be thinking, "You haven't had anything happen more recently that was more important than bowling during high school?"

[Anonymous User]

It is that bad that it was mostly during high school I learned these lessons? I kind of think that since I learned some valuable life lessons early on it helped me as a person later in life. If its really taboo to write about high school things then I will totally be done with the topic

[jselson]

It is that bad that it was mostly during high school I learned these lessons? I kind of think that since I learned some valuable life lessons early on it helped me as a person later in life. If its really taboo to write about high school things then I will totally be done with the topic

Definitely get a second opinion on this, but my thoughts on this are manifold:

1) Doesn't everyone "learn some valuable life lessons" in high school? And yet, most people don't mention them, at least as the primary focus of their PS. Why? I'd imagine because they don't necessarily give a good portrait of who you are now. Contribution to who you are now could work - lots of PS's talk about who the writer was when they were younger. But as the whole topic? It seems to imply, rightly or wrongly, that nothing's happened since. (Unless the PS is a particularly well-written, literary kinda essay, but those can be dangerous and the same rules don't really apply.)

For example, I played percussion for six years during middle and high school, and I probably had a minimum of 20 hours each week after school of practice with the drumline. Obviously, it was a major influence on me, and I still play music on the side. But I didn't write about any of that in my PS. There are lots of other things that I've done and that give a clearer portrait of why I want to go to law school/why I should be accepted.

2) My second thought is: If bowling was such an important thing, why'd you stop? Usually sports PS's are all about the lifelong dedication. And it's always an awkward transition (see Asha's blog post on this) to move from what a person learns during sports to applying it outside that framework. If you didn't keep playing in this capacity, isn't there a better, more recent event that exemplifies these "values"?

[Anonymous User]

I definitely see your point there. I think I am just stuck cause I cant think of anything thats happened recently that would make for a good PS. I have a parent with a disability but I feel like that is so overused. I doubt it would help but I havent stopped completely I just toned it down to more of a hobby as I transitioned from youth status to adult. And thank you very much for your help it means a lot!