PS Topic question? Forum

[jtb00711]

I'm struggling finding a solid topic. One I would really like to write about would be about my parents divorce, not necessarily the process but the hard times it put my mother and me threw as I grew up. Since my father was an attorney I have to incorporate that into my paper somewhere, but am afraid writing about law and a lawyer might make my paper "more typical" so to say... Anything as far as suggestions or advice on how just to get started would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

PS I didn't do too well on my LSAT (153) but my GPA (3.63) is solid, I plan on attending either UL or UK. Both being in state. Therefore I know the importance of the PS especially for someone hoping for some grace by admissions.

[jtb00711]

bump

[cubswin]

"My father was a lawyer and the long hours he had to work contributed to my parents' divorce. Now, I want to follow in his footsteps."

I don't really know what you expect anyone to tell you based on what you've told us. Nothing you wrote about sounds like a particularly compelling topic. If you want to practice family law, maybe you can swing thing into something relevant. Other than that, I don't know man.

[jtb00711]

Yeah I struggled with it too. I've kind of altered it to "the tough times I had growing up in single parent home" topic hoping that story is a little more compelling.

[Hey-O]

I think the hard times topic is overdone. I think adcoms are not looking for whining. If you're going to talk about hard times talk about how they shaped you, and less about how much they sucked.

[jtb00711]

That's what I plan on doing, talking about even though we went through hard times I faced them head on and now I'm applying for law school. I guess I'll provide with my 2nd draft for a better opinion.

When I was younger I didn’t have the slightest direction where my life would go. I lived alone with my mother who could only work part-time due to her back surgery when I was a toddler. My father, who just so happened to be an attorney, divorced my mother when I was 5 years old and moved to the county south of us. I was too concerned with what the next day held in place for me than to worry about my immediate future. I was too busy trying to understand the reasons my parents’ got a divorce and why things changed so quickly after it. I went to counseling and still never grasped an answer, but once I started elementary school I thankfully had something else to grab my attention. The changes weren’t easy for me to accept, but my mom made life for me growing up a rewarding experience.

Growing up in a single parent home is far from a cakewalk. After my parents’ divorce we moved into the rural part of Warren County and settled down in our present day home. I knew we didn’t always have the most luxurious things out there such as fancy cars or a big elaborate house, but mom made sure there was always food on the table. The divorce did not affect me on a social or academic level much at all, my school work never suffered from it. Instead it made me realize that my mother would literally do anything for me to succeed in life, not matter how much it took out of her. The time I did get to spend with my father was scarce, mostly weekends only. I knew he was an attorney and had countless friends and other attorneys that I had a chance to meet, but I knew little of his personal work. As I grew older and arrived to the “inner-city” high school I continued to thrive academically and athletically which opened doors that would lead to bigger and better things than I had seen before. For example my junior year I was chosen to be a Governor’s Scholar which ended up paying for a majority of my college expenses, this was incredible news not only for me but for my mother as well. Now we didn’t have to worry about taking out loans to pay for college, I could graduate debt free.

It wasn’t until the spring semester of my freshman year in college, when I took my first sociology class that I realized law may be the field that best suites who I am. Mom wasn’t much for me pursing the law profession constantly saying, “Jack, you’re too smart to be a lawyer”, but I never took her word to heart. Learning about the different types of criminals; juveniles, sex offenders, and even murders has really intrigued me. Why do people commit the same offense over and over again, do they not learn the first time? Why do judges and the prosecution not take into account DNA testing in some cases? The field of criminal law as you see really bothers me, I want to understand all these questions but have realized there are no set answers.

When I was younger I didn’t understand why my parents got a divorce, but in the past couple of years I have worked in the legal field and understand the difficulties dad faced in balancing the family with his work. I do not resent him or my mother for splitting up; I truly believe it helped me develop a stronger work ethic and a motivation to accomplish whatever I set my mind to. I watched a single-woman with back issues raise a family almost entirely without the help of others; she never gave up or even thought about quitting. Mom always had a smile on her face and to this day swears she will do whatever it takes for us kids to succeed. I’m here today to fulfill her dream.

[Hey-O]

See, this is all about the sadness. Make it all about the awesomeness and then work in the sadness.

Like:

I was off saving orphans in Haiti. My awesomeness abounded. This made me think about being poor. Being poor made me want to save orphans. I am awesome because I save orphans.

Not: I am sad because life sucked. Being so sad made me do stuff. Let me into law school because I was sad.

[northwood]

talk about your strengths ( sp) and what you bring to the schools. Keep it positive( work in some sadness, but do so in a way that makes you shine)

[jtb00711]

Thanks guys!