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I think you'd be ok using an event in high school, as long as it's written right. People obviously use childhood events (immigration, abuse, poverty, illness, etc.) to good effect. As long as it's not "I love music and wanted to be a musician until 10th grade biology class, when [X] happened and I decided I wanted to be a lawyer, and absolutely nothing else has happened since then. The End."

Your turning point may have been in high school, but your life has continued since then. You have matured since high school, and your thought processes are not the same as when you had your epiphany. Presumably your shift away from a music career track has been tested (have you been tempted by events to go back to your original goal of being a musician?) or reinforced (later events have only strengthened your resolve) or both. Talk about that, to make sure they know you're not basing your decision to go to law school entirely on the whim of a high school sophomore (or whatever you were at the time). Talk about how music is still part of your life and always will be.

Thank you, rinkrat. That is my general plan, although details are coming about slowly and difficultly

I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a bad starting point.

If I can be honest, talking about a transformation you underwent in high school is immature and shows a lack of growth in college. So what, you made a decision when you were 17 and going to PROM that you didn't want to toot the trombone anymore? How's that any bigger of a decision than Billy-Bob who broke up with his girlfriend right before he went to college even though they KNEW they would get married and raise a family, etc.?

You admit yourself that nothing notable has happened in college. That's sad. 3+ years you've done nothing that merits being the topic of a personal statement? Ad-com will see through this. Think hard, I'm sure you've done something.

High school was a huge part of my life as well and I probably "succeeded" more in HS (depends how you look at it I guess. I have notable things from college too but struggled personally a lot more in UG.) I really think that if you don't end up discussing more recent things after starting with the HS topic, adcomms will be skeptical. I might be wrong but I think the TLS consensus is that you need to show how the passion/interest/change that was sparked in HS continued and bloomed in UG/beyond.

Good luck. I hated the idea of writing a PS too and now I am writing a 3rd draft and it is still a tough process.

Thank you JJ (and mst). I understand your points. I think I'm gonna retain the music focus, but attack it with more of UG years perspective.

Thanks!

chip3341 wrote:Thank you JJ (and mst). I understand your points. I think I'm gonna retain the music focus, but attack it with more of UG years perspective.

Thanks!

This.

Chip, I hate to say it but I mostly agree with MST. From everything I've read through (and I've done a lot of research in relation to my own PS [not related to HS but other issues]), you should, for the most part, steer clear of pre-UG experiences. Obviously a death in the family or some other major experience that occurred earlier in life is important, but I would definitely say that you need to attack it from your current situation/POV and show how it has more recently affected you. As MST said, I'm sure that you could find some nugget from UG that would help you tie the PS together and make it more relevant.

Good luck!!

your profile pic scares me