Personal statement critiques/advice please! Forum

[lfmorgan]

Hey everyone. This is the first draft of the second personal statement I have written. I was hoping to get some feedback on it. My worry for it is that it may be too informal. I'm not sure. Please just tell me what you think.

Thank you so much!!


Personal Statement

Well here it is midnight on a Tuesday. I sit in bed reflecting on my day and thinking about my future, but most of all, I’m waiting on my son, Jaden, to fall asleep. For a two and a half year old, a nap from 5:30 to 8:30 pm is not ideal. In fact, it is one of the most dreaded things that can happen for any stay-at-home mom! My youngest son, 20 month old Jeremiah, fell asleep at eight o’clock which means he will be up bright and early at six sharp. So when do I get sleep? I don’t. And honestly, I love every minute of every day, sleep or no sleep.

My days start out just like many others’. I wake up, change two diapers, make breakfast, and find time to get myself some coffee in between cleaning spilled milk and scrambled eggs that wind up in the boys’ hair. The day continues with reading the same children’s book ten times in a row and cleaning up messes even more times than that. By the end of the day, I may be completely exhausted, but I am always so overwhelmed by the happiness and joy my kids bring me. I feel proud and ever so grateful to have such great children and am comfortable to say that I am a good, no great, mom.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy to get to this point of happiness in my life. My childhood has been wrought with much pain and hardship. I grew up as the oldest of six children, currently ranging from myself, 23, down to my youngest brother, who is four. My parents divorced when I was less than a year old and my father was in and out of my life. My mom shortly remarried my stepdad, whom I call “dad.” Since before I was even born, my parents have suffered serious addiction problems. To this day, they still are forced to fight a seemingly never ending battle with drugs.

My parents rarely held jobs. We were what you could call “welfare kids.” Yet even with government assistance, we still never had food and were constantly moving to different homes. On numerous occasions we would go weeks, or even months, without water or electricity. As a child, it was not uncommon for my siblings and me to witness brutal, physical fights between my parents. At times, they would lock themselves in their room starting in the evening and would not reemerge until one or two the next afternoon. This left me in charge of my younger siblings from the time I was six years old and to this day I still find myself trying to intervene on behalf of my brothers and sister who are still under eighteen.

In one of those moments when I was stuck listening to one of my parents’ fights around the age of eight or nine, I remember so vividly thinking to myself that this was not normal, that I wanted so much more for my life, and that I would never be the type of parent that puts drugs and relationships above my kids. From that day on, I emerged myself into my education. I loved reading and learning as it cleared my mind and helped me focus on my future. Being able to throw myself into my schoolwork allowed me to free my mind from the pain at home and feel at ease. Ever since, I have been in love with learning. One of the greatest things I have learned in my short life time is that the more you know, the more you know that you don’t know. This constantly drives me to find out all that I can about everything I can.

Growing up with parents constantly dealing with legal issues has little to no benefits. Since we were always in economic despair, my family could never afford a lawyer and were thus assigned to public defenders. Often, my mom would look over her paperwork trying to decide her next step. I always wanted to be a part of this. Every part of the law was so fascinating to me at a young age. I wanted to know everything from what is the purpose of law down to specific codes and cases. I saw firsthand the impact having a good attorney in your corner can make.

The childhood I had rarely produces success stories. It is through great strength and perseverance by which I have made this journey. Having two children in college was difficult, to say the least. However, I am a much stronger and better person because of it. I have wanted to go to law school since I was child, but never have I wanted it more than I do now. From childhood to motherhood, I have grown to look at the world in a perceptive way. I see the injustice and suffering in the world. This is why I feel it is my duty to protect the innocent, speak up for the oppressed, and work against the injustice that is so often present in today’s society. My interest in law school is rooted in the love for the law itself, but it is also more than that. I want to be a leader for my generation. I want to prove that no matter what obstacles one is faced with, with motivation and willpower, it is possible to have that life you want. I know how difficult this part of my journey will be, but devotion to my family and the desire to help others pushes me to strive for success.

I know pursuing a legal education and career will be challenging, but I believe that the University Of Kentucky School Of Law can help me continue to reach the goals in my life. I feel as though UK is the perfect fit for me, but also that I would be a good asset to the school as I can represent a different type of young student. The energetic and vibrant atmosphere of Lexington is the perfect fit for me and my family. I look forward to beginning my legal studies and eventual career at University Of Kentucky School of Law in the fall of 2012.