Is this any good, or is it garbage? I have no clue.
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 11:49 am
This is for CU-Boulder, obviously. I have edited the first draft and re-posted the new copy here. Please let me know if this attempt is any good.
For better or worse, I have had a great deal of experiences in my life that have been formative. I was orphaned at age 6 when my mother was killed by a drunk driver; my father died before I was born. I was raised by my grandmother, who neither wanted nor expected to raise me, in a low-income household. I am a proud veteran that served in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged due to an injury for which I have had several surgeries since. All of these experiences have had a profound effect on me. The most profound experience, however, was becoming a father. Becoming a father has helped bring clarity to my goals and has given me the extra motivating force I need to pursue my dreams.
When I was single and had no children, my life was all about me and what I wanted to do. Of course, when you ask a single man what he wants out of life, the response is almost unequivocally short-sighted and often times ridiculous. I had grandiose ideas of what I was going to do later in life, but I never thought about how to bring to fruition those ideas and I am pretty sure I did not care, either. I was blissfully ignorant and loving every minute of it. I would hear stories of social injustice on the news that would bother me, but then I would realize I was late for a hiking trip and I would forget all about them. Then, I got married and had kids.
I knew my life would change when I found out my wife and I were going to have a baby. I could not have imagined, though, how my life would change. Almost immediately after my first child was born, I felt as if I were a whole new person with completely different priorities. My life changed, inexplicably, the minute I was able to hold my daughter for the first time. It was as if my life flashed before my eyes and I realized my life was no longer about me or my wife, it was about my family, my daughter. Just a short 13 months later, the sense of change only became stronger when my son was born.
After my children were born, when I heard stories of social injustice on the news, I no longer forgot about them. I began to ask myself how I would react if it were my child that was wronged. I realized how important it was for me to ensure my children grow up in a safe, fair environment that would not prevent them from succeeding due to circumstances beyond their control. I began wishing I had the knowledge and abilities to help the victims in the stories I would hear. It helped me realize that, although I did not have the knowledge and abilities at the time, there was nothing stopping me from obtaining the knowledge and abilities necessary to help others.
I decided to enroll in an undergraduate degree program so that I would be able to apply to law school upon completion of the program. I started my degree program a few months after my daughter was born and I will be finished in June of 2011. I have been working full-time for the entirety of my degree program, frequently working well over 40 hours per week. I will graduate in less than 3 years. My children have given me a focus and determination I did not know I had. They are the motivating force behind me and I can accomplish anything with them on my side. The character my children have revealed in me is a gift.
I am a non-traditional student in every way: I am quite a few years older than the average student, I am married with children, I am working full-time while finishing my undergraduate degree, and I believe I am much more focused on what is important than most. I believe I can positively contribute to the CU Law community because I have a broad range of experience that most do not and I am very willing to help others as much as I can. I love the state of Colorado and I want to raise my family there as a productive member of the community. I know that a law degree from CU Law will enable me to help others as best I can and raise my family in a manner they deserve.
For better or worse, I have had a great deal of experiences in my life that have been formative. I was orphaned at age 6 when my mother was killed by a drunk driver; my father died before I was born. I was raised by my grandmother, who neither wanted nor expected to raise me, in a low-income household. I am a proud veteran that served in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged due to an injury for which I have had several surgeries since. All of these experiences have had a profound effect on me. The most profound experience, however, was becoming a father. Becoming a father has helped bring clarity to my goals and has given me the extra motivating force I need to pursue my dreams.
When I was single and had no children, my life was all about me and what I wanted to do. Of course, when you ask a single man what he wants out of life, the response is almost unequivocally short-sighted and often times ridiculous. I had grandiose ideas of what I was going to do later in life, but I never thought about how to bring to fruition those ideas and I am pretty sure I did not care, either. I was blissfully ignorant and loving every minute of it. I would hear stories of social injustice on the news that would bother me, but then I would realize I was late for a hiking trip and I would forget all about them. Then, I got married and had kids.
I knew my life would change when I found out my wife and I were going to have a baby. I could not have imagined, though, how my life would change. Almost immediately after my first child was born, I felt as if I were a whole new person with completely different priorities. My life changed, inexplicably, the minute I was able to hold my daughter for the first time. It was as if my life flashed before my eyes and I realized my life was no longer about me or my wife, it was about my family, my daughter. Just a short 13 months later, the sense of change only became stronger when my son was born.
After my children were born, when I heard stories of social injustice on the news, I no longer forgot about them. I began to ask myself how I would react if it were my child that was wronged. I realized how important it was for me to ensure my children grow up in a safe, fair environment that would not prevent them from succeeding due to circumstances beyond their control. I began wishing I had the knowledge and abilities to help the victims in the stories I would hear. It helped me realize that, although I did not have the knowledge and abilities at the time, there was nothing stopping me from obtaining the knowledge and abilities necessary to help others.
I decided to enroll in an undergraduate degree program so that I would be able to apply to law school upon completion of the program. I started my degree program a few months after my daughter was born and I will be finished in June of 2011. I have been working full-time for the entirety of my degree program, frequently working well over 40 hours per week. I will graduate in less than 3 years. My children have given me a focus and determination I did not know I had. They are the motivating force behind me and I can accomplish anything with them on my side. The character my children have revealed in me is a gift.
I am a non-traditional student in every way: I am quite a few years older than the average student, I am married with children, I am working full-time while finishing my undergraduate degree, and I believe I am much more focused on what is important than most. I believe I can positively contribute to the CU Law community because I have a broad range of experience that most do not and I am very willing to help others as much as I can. I love the state of Colorado and I want to raise my family there as a productive member of the community. I know that a law degree from CU Law will enable me to help others as best I can and raise my family in a manner they deserve.