PS-first draftish
Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:23 pm
There was a time when I judged individuals and ideas before I fully understood them. For example, I once thought financial irresponsibility was the only way to end up in debt. In 2008, however, as the financial crisis was beginning to affect the majority of Americans, I was fortunate enough to have the experience of working as an intern at -----, a local bankruptcy law office, which gave me the opportunity to interact with those who were forced into debt.
Hearing their stories changed my preconceptions about bankruptcy. One middle aged couple left a particularly deep impression on me: they owned a small trucking company, which was their only source of income. When fuel prices underwent a rapid increase that year, and business slowed as a result of a stagnant economy, they faced the harsh reality of being unable to pay their bills. As I spoke with them, I came to see how starkly they contradicted the stereotype I had of someone who was in debt. They had done everything right: acted responsibly, planned reasonably, worked hard to make ends meet- but now the investments they had made with their personal savings were failing, due to circumstances that would have been impossible for them to foresee.
And now here they were, in need of help. I could hear the frustration in their voices- the difficulty they were having with the complexity of filing for bankruptcy, but also their embarrassment, their worry that others would assume, like I had, that their bankruptcy was proof of financial irresponsibility. I also came to see the vital role a lawyer has: by conscientiously providing his clients with representation, -----, the attorney whom I primarily worked with, acted as an intermediary between their interests and the legal system, helping them deal with complicated issues they would have been unable to handle on their own. This was a significant experience for me: I learned not only about reserving judgment of other people, but also saw firsthand how a skilled, conscientious attorney can assist their clients.
I then started college, majoring in political science. I was interested in studying law, but uncertain about what would be required of me in law school and if I would be able to succeed there. However, I was again fortunate enough to have professors who continued to challenge both my worldview and later, my opinions about myself. One such course was on political philosophy: initially, I had reservations about a professor who praised Marx, Trotsky, Bakunin and other thinkers markedly outside mainstream American thought. Yet as my professor explained the reasoning underpinning various political theories with a level of analytical depth I had not experienced, I learned to intellectually appreciate the value of these diverse ideas even if I disagreed with their conclusions. His courses and teaching had a substantial impact on my understanding of the world, something I never expected.
Through this class, and other courses in topics as diverse as statistics, federalism in America, or law and economics, I improved my ability to think critically, and thus began to view myself in a different light. Classes went from obstacles to opportunities to challenge myself and go beyond what was required of me. For example, because I enjoyed my class in law and economics so much, I added economics as a second major. As a result, my grades greatly improved, I became engaged in classes, and developed relationships with professors.
Like I should avoid judging other people and ideas before I understood them, I realized that I should avoid judging myself before I truly knew myself, before I knew what I was capable of. Law school, I realized, was something that was within my grasp; it was something that would not only challenge me and thus force me to continue to grow, but something that would give me new opportunities to interact with society and others in ways that I would otherwise be unable to, as I had seen ------ do. For this reason, I am applying to law school for admission in the fall of 2012.
Thoughts? I know its pretty generic.
Hearing their stories changed my preconceptions about bankruptcy. One middle aged couple left a particularly deep impression on me: they owned a small trucking company, which was their only source of income. When fuel prices underwent a rapid increase that year, and business slowed as a result of a stagnant economy, they faced the harsh reality of being unable to pay their bills. As I spoke with them, I came to see how starkly they contradicted the stereotype I had of someone who was in debt. They had done everything right: acted responsibly, planned reasonably, worked hard to make ends meet- but now the investments they had made with their personal savings were failing, due to circumstances that would have been impossible for them to foresee.
And now here they were, in need of help. I could hear the frustration in their voices- the difficulty they were having with the complexity of filing for bankruptcy, but also their embarrassment, their worry that others would assume, like I had, that their bankruptcy was proof of financial irresponsibility. I also came to see the vital role a lawyer has: by conscientiously providing his clients with representation, -----, the attorney whom I primarily worked with, acted as an intermediary between their interests and the legal system, helping them deal with complicated issues they would have been unable to handle on their own. This was a significant experience for me: I learned not only about reserving judgment of other people, but also saw firsthand how a skilled, conscientious attorney can assist their clients.
I then started college, majoring in political science. I was interested in studying law, but uncertain about what would be required of me in law school and if I would be able to succeed there. However, I was again fortunate enough to have professors who continued to challenge both my worldview and later, my opinions about myself. One such course was on political philosophy: initially, I had reservations about a professor who praised Marx, Trotsky, Bakunin and other thinkers markedly outside mainstream American thought. Yet as my professor explained the reasoning underpinning various political theories with a level of analytical depth I had not experienced, I learned to intellectually appreciate the value of these diverse ideas even if I disagreed with their conclusions. His courses and teaching had a substantial impact on my understanding of the world, something I never expected.
Through this class, and other courses in topics as diverse as statistics, federalism in America, or law and economics, I improved my ability to think critically, and thus began to view myself in a different light. Classes went from obstacles to opportunities to challenge myself and go beyond what was required of me. For example, because I enjoyed my class in law and economics so much, I added economics as a second major. As a result, my grades greatly improved, I became engaged in classes, and developed relationships with professors.
Like I should avoid judging other people and ideas before I understood them, I realized that I should avoid judging myself before I truly knew myself, before I knew what I was capable of. Law school, I realized, was something that was within my grasp; it was something that would not only challenge me and thus force me to continue to grow, but something that would give me new opportunities to interact with society and others in ways that I would otherwise be unable to, as I had seen ------ do. For this reason, I am applying to law school for admission in the fall of 2012.
Thoughts? I know its pretty generic.