First draft of PS - please critique! Pretty nervous.
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:18 am
I was really unsure what to write about, and so I threw this together. Tell me what you think, how I should develop it, or if I should try something else. My worry is that I don't have any "unique" experience or characteristic to write about. I was grasping at straws here. Especially the ending -- I'm afraid it might be too sappy. Anyway, here goes:
My experiences growing up were nothing out of the ordinary. I have never faced any serious adversity or been in an environment where I felt out of place. I was, however, obsessed with learning, especially things foreign and seemingly worlds away. Perhaps it was because I wanted to reach out and experiences things beyond the familiar. The earliest memory I have of this appetite was around the first grade. I had a collection of story books from Disney detailing the journeys of Mickey Mouse and friends to all corners of the globe. As a curious first grader I read those books what must have been countless times. I read about India, China, Japan, and Russia and their different customs, ways of dressing, and cuisines. It was around this time that I resolved to learn Spanish. I had my parents buy a tape that taught children Spanish through songs. I would sit in my room, pop in the tape, and sing along to jingly choruses of “Como Estas” and “Que Tal” while trying to sound the words out.
My favorite part of the elementary school library was the international section. I remember reading a pair of books that told a story of intrigue and mystery while simultaneously teaching Spanish or French—I read both. During the 4th grade, I wrote various entries in my class journal about how different and interesting Judaism and Islam were, and how I was thinking about converting one day. My interests were not limited to language and culture, though. I read a biography on Bill Clinton, and afterward wrote a letter to the president thanking him and the Democrats for Social Security, because without it my grandparents would be poor. I think it was also in the same 4th grade journal where I listed my favorite book as being a physics book on Einstein. I actually had not read far at all into the book because it was baffling, but at the time it seemed fascinating and worth mentioning.
By the time I had entered high school, my curiosity became more mature. I still had interest in foreign cultures: this time it was Asia. I taught myself how to read Korean and became fully entrenched in all things Japanese. Joining the debate team broadened my interests to politics, economics, and societal issues. The case writing and arguing turned out to be an eye-opener. One of our first topics questioned whether a government’s obligations should lie foremost in economic development or environmental protection. Previously, in my wise musings as a sophomore, I would have claimed that all environmentalists were radical tree-huggers who were not to be trusted. However, my coach made me leave my close-minded universe and consider all the nuances and implications surrounding the topic. After all, we did have to debate both sides at tournaments. I suspect for most of the time I was in the minority on my team regarding our opinions on the topics, but I learned to evaluate my thoughts beyond a superficial level, and then to defend them vigorously.
When I came to college, my focus shifted to economics and China, where it has stayed since. Perhaps the most intellectually satisfying class I have taken in college was Comparative Systems in the economics department because it fused the two halves of my academic and personal interests: economic and political issues that take place in international settings. In this class and a subsequent one taught by the same professor, I was able to indulge my interest in China on an academic level. I studied small village elections, and the effect of name branding on production quality in one of China’s original centers of the reformed economy. I was also able to explore the impact of China's agricultural reform as well as the extent of foreign telecom access to China after its WTO ascension as research for final class papers.
One Chinese writer in my classes that I read and with whom I identified is Confucius. Describing his dedication to learning, he wrote, “At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I was firmly established. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, I was ready to listen to it. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without transgressing what was right.” Comparing learning to the joy of seeing a faraway friend, he thought it was a lifelong process to be loved. While I'm still young and have barely begun my life’s journey of learning, I have carried the same love of knowledge with me since I was small, and I hope to continue the journey further as a student at [BLANK LAW SCHOOL].
My experiences growing up were nothing out of the ordinary. I have never faced any serious adversity or been in an environment where I felt out of place. I was, however, obsessed with learning, especially things foreign and seemingly worlds away. Perhaps it was because I wanted to reach out and experiences things beyond the familiar. The earliest memory I have of this appetite was around the first grade. I had a collection of story books from Disney detailing the journeys of Mickey Mouse and friends to all corners of the globe. As a curious first grader I read those books what must have been countless times. I read about India, China, Japan, and Russia and their different customs, ways of dressing, and cuisines. It was around this time that I resolved to learn Spanish. I had my parents buy a tape that taught children Spanish through songs. I would sit in my room, pop in the tape, and sing along to jingly choruses of “Como Estas” and “Que Tal” while trying to sound the words out.
My favorite part of the elementary school library was the international section. I remember reading a pair of books that told a story of intrigue and mystery while simultaneously teaching Spanish or French—I read both. During the 4th grade, I wrote various entries in my class journal about how different and interesting Judaism and Islam were, and how I was thinking about converting one day. My interests were not limited to language and culture, though. I read a biography on Bill Clinton, and afterward wrote a letter to the president thanking him and the Democrats for Social Security, because without it my grandparents would be poor. I think it was also in the same 4th grade journal where I listed my favorite book as being a physics book on Einstein. I actually had not read far at all into the book because it was baffling, but at the time it seemed fascinating and worth mentioning.
By the time I had entered high school, my curiosity became more mature. I still had interest in foreign cultures: this time it was Asia. I taught myself how to read Korean and became fully entrenched in all things Japanese. Joining the debate team broadened my interests to politics, economics, and societal issues. The case writing and arguing turned out to be an eye-opener. One of our first topics questioned whether a government’s obligations should lie foremost in economic development or environmental protection. Previously, in my wise musings as a sophomore, I would have claimed that all environmentalists were radical tree-huggers who were not to be trusted. However, my coach made me leave my close-minded universe and consider all the nuances and implications surrounding the topic. After all, we did have to debate both sides at tournaments. I suspect for most of the time I was in the minority on my team regarding our opinions on the topics, but I learned to evaluate my thoughts beyond a superficial level, and then to defend them vigorously.
When I came to college, my focus shifted to economics and China, where it has stayed since. Perhaps the most intellectually satisfying class I have taken in college was Comparative Systems in the economics department because it fused the two halves of my academic and personal interests: economic and political issues that take place in international settings. In this class and a subsequent one taught by the same professor, I was able to indulge my interest in China on an academic level. I studied small village elections, and the effect of name branding on production quality in one of China’s original centers of the reformed economy. I was also able to explore the impact of China's agricultural reform as well as the extent of foreign telecom access to China after its WTO ascension as research for final class papers.
One Chinese writer in my classes that I read and with whom I identified is Confucius. Describing his dedication to learning, he wrote, “At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I was firmly established. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, I was ready to listen to it. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without transgressing what was right.” Comparing learning to the joy of seeing a faraway friend, he thought it was a lifelong process to be loved. While I'm still young and have barely begun my life’s journey of learning, I have carried the same love of knowledge with me since I was small, and I hope to continue the journey further as a student at [BLANK LAW SCHOOL].