My personal statement; what do you think?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:56 pm
“I honestly cannot imagine you being successful in life”. I sat stunned and devastated as I heard one of my friends tell me this. It was the final week of my senior year in high school and I was particularly eager about moving on to the next period of my life, going to college, meeting new people, and crafting a path for the rest of my life. I was sitting at the same table for lunch that I always had, with the same seven friends as always. My friend may not remember what he said, but I will always remember how it made me feel. On that otherwise unremarkable day, my life changed. I wanted to be extraordinary; I wanted my life to mean something. Contention was prevalent throughout the first seventeen years of my existence, and I would be ill-fated if I kept it up any longer.
When I arrived to college at the State University of New York at Oswego, no matter how cliché it sounds, I wanted to be extraordinary; I wanted to be proud of myself. I changed my major from accounting to political science during orientation because I wanted to challenge my political background. The world and its inner workings are seemingly dominated by the political culture of the United States, and I sincerely wanted to study that precise subject. I had no idea that political science was a gateway into law, nor did I have any idea what career I wanted to go into with my new major, I just wanted to know more about how the world spins. I was beginning to find the path I so desperately desired.
Scholastic opportunities and success were not the only part of my journey. I am so fortunate in the opportunities afforded to me throughout my life. After my freshman year, I desperately wanted to become a Resident Assistant solely because I wanted to pay my fortune forward. After what can only be described as a grueling interview and hiring process, I received the most proud position of my brief life. While my job can be difficult, it’s well worth the trouble. Last semester, during a confrontation late at night, I dealt with a student who told me he wanted to end his life. Rather than simply recommending him to our health and counseling center, I told him my story as a means of empathy. I told him that at one point my life was not where I wanted it to be, but that never stopped me from trying. That resident now comes to my room every Sunday at noon to watch football with me. While I may have helped him, he will never know the shear sense of elation I receive from him. He makes me believe that one person can make a difference, no matter the size of the person or the challenge.
So here is what I’ve learned from the most important four years of my life, and these values are nothing short of the most proud accomplishments of my life. The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. No matter how special or extraordinary one believes they are, that talent can only persevere if you work to allow it to. I’ve learned that leadership can benefit the leader as well as those one intends to benefit. It’s safe to say the people I’ve affected have affected me more than they will ever know. I’ve seen, through my own eyes, that one individual can make a difference. What that one friend said to me on one of the last days of high school career is now the most important foundation in my life.
The reason I want to become a lawyer is not because of the pay check or the recognition. It’s because I find the law as a gateway into a field that, in many ways, forms society’s structure. No other entity in modern society can take away freedom as easily as it can enhance them. I want to use my law degree as an entity that can conform my personal skills, attributes, and experiences into a profession that can efficiently utilize them. I want to become a role model and a leader for Puerto Ricans as well as all races throughout the world who feel as if, because of their ethnicity or life situation, have a success ceiling. I want to use my law degree to motivate others into action. My life experiences always seemed so difficult and unfair when I was younger. In the end, however, they have shaped me into the individual that I am today; they are the structure of my moral foundation. I am positive that ¬¬________ law school has the same foundation and principles as I hold so dearly to myself. If accepted into ¬¬¬_______ law school, I’ll be able to continue my journey for the rest of my life.
When I arrived to college at the State University of New York at Oswego, no matter how cliché it sounds, I wanted to be extraordinary; I wanted to be proud of myself. I changed my major from accounting to political science during orientation because I wanted to challenge my political background. The world and its inner workings are seemingly dominated by the political culture of the United States, and I sincerely wanted to study that precise subject. I had no idea that political science was a gateway into law, nor did I have any idea what career I wanted to go into with my new major, I just wanted to know more about how the world spins. I was beginning to find the path I so desperately desired.
Scholastic opportunities and success were not the only part of my journey. I am so fortunate in the opportunities afforded to me throughout my life. After my freshman year, I desperately wanted to become a Resident Assistant solely because I wanted to pay my fortune forward. After what can only be described as a grueling interview and hiring process, I received the most proud position of my brief life. While my job can be difficult, it’s well worth the trouble. Last semester, during a confrontation late at night, I dealt with a student who told me he wanted to end his life. Rather than simply recommending him to our health and counseling center, I told him my story as a means of empathy. I told him that at one point my life was not where I wanted it to be, but that never stopped me from trying. That resident now comes to my room every Sunday at noon to watch football with me. While I may have helped him, he will never know the shear sense of elation I receive from him. He makes me believe that one person can make a difference, no matter the size of the person or the challenge.
So here is what I’ve learned from the most important four years of my life, and these values are nothing short of the most proud accomplishments of my life. The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. No matter how special or extraordinary one believes they are, that talent can only persevere if you work to allow it to. I’ve learned that leadership can benefit the leader as well as those one intends to benefit. It’s safe to say the people I’ve affected have affected me more than they will ever know. I’ve seen, through my own eyes, that one individual can make a difference. What that one friend said to me on one of the last days of high school career is now the most important foundation in my life.
The reason I want to become a lawyer is not because of the pay check or the recognition. It’s because I find the law as a gateway into a field that, in many ways, forms society’s structure. No other entity in modern society can take away freedom as easily as it can enhance them. I want to use my law degree as an entity that can conform my personal skills, attributes, and experiences into a profession that can efficiently utilize them. I want to become a role model and a leader for Puerto Ricans as well as all races throughout the world who feel as if, because of their ethnicity or life situation, have a success ceiling. I want to use my law degree to motivate others into action. My life experiences always seemed so difficult and unfair when I was younger. In the end, however, they have shaped me into the individual that I am today; they are the structure of my moral foundation. I am positive that ¬¬________ law school has the same foundation and principles as I hold so dearly to myself. If accepted into ¬¬¬_______ law school, I’ll be able to continue my journey for the rest of my life.