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ihhwap1 wrote: 1. Write about my relationship with my twin sister, and how we struggled to mold separate identities while attending the same college
c) Also, my sister and I are complete opposites in every way (physically and personality-wise) so I think it would be interesting.

ihhwap1 wrote:Wow, thanks for the quick responses everyone! I agree with most of what has been said, and I suspect I will indeed have to go back to the drawing board.

If it helps, I already started a (really primitive) rough draft for option 1 just to see where it would go. Let me know what you guys think:

When I disclose to acquaintances that my sister, Mary [not her real name for the purpose of TLS], and I are twins, the information usually elicits one of two responses: “Wow, that’s so cool!” or “Holy <expletive>, you’re kidding, right?”

Inappropriate language aside, the latter response is certainly justified; Mary and I are only 11 minutes apart (I’m older), but the gap may as well be 11 years. Not only are we not identical twins, but we barely even look related. I’m about 5’6” with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin, while she is about 5’1” with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. The running joke is that one of us was either adopted or wrongfully taken home from the hospital 22 years ago. In short, Mary and I look about as related as Marsha Brady and Wayne Brady.

And our differences don’t end at our appearances; our personalities are also inverted. I enjoy athletic and sports, while Mary would rather do less intensive activities. Mary enjoys the natural sciences (her major is Meteorology), while I’ve always enjoyed the humanities and liberal arts. More noticeably, I’m the more outgoing, gregarious one, while Mary is introverted and shy around strangers.

This brings me back to the first response, which declared how “cool” it is being a twin. In my early childhood, I would have agreed with that statement. Indeed, having a twin is like having an automatic best friend who knows all the same people you do and is going through the same life events at the same time.

It wasn’t until I was about 17 years old that I began having doubts about this whole twin thing. When parents have a set of twins, guidance counselors usually advise them to split the kids up in separate classes. This allows them each to form their own identity. This is exactly what happened for a decade of my schooling until 11th grade when, as fate would have it, Mary and I had every single class together. Mary was ecstatic, but I was skeptical. Despite our mountain of differences, we were collectively known as “The Johnsons” [again not my real last name for TLS]. As an 18-year-old kid trying to find her place in the world, that was not the identity I wanted to mold for myself.

Now, fast forward to my freshman year of college. I’m finally on my own and get my first sweet taste of independence. In my first week at State University, I made friends almost immediately in my dorm. Mary, however, was struggling to adjust. Her roommate had spent the summer at State U and seemed to have already filled her friend quota. Similarly, all the girls on her floor were intimidating and many involved in sororities.

(Faced with tough decision: do I incorporate Mary into my group of friends or do the tough love thing and let her find her own way? Etc. etc. etc.)

I think I agree with you guys that this seems kind of blah, and I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. Plus I focus too much on high school, I think. But before I completely write it off, is there any hope for me to turn it into something more interesting? Or more importantly, something that is useful for admissions officers? Thanks for your honesty!

Flips88 wrote:I would say find an option 3. The one about your twin runs the risk of being too much about you in relation to her, when the PS should be about you alone. Writing about abortion is a touchy subject and may turn off some schools and like you said, you haven't done anything worth writing about with that club yet.

Also, it's important to note that while most people do connect their PS to their desire to go to law school, it is by no means required.

Lucky for you it's June and apps don't come out for 2 months. Back to the drawing board!

Flips88 wrote:I concur with the above. It's pretty blah and, well, I don't and adcomms won't care to learn about your sister.