Got dinged cuz of PS. Help me revise PLEASE
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:56 pm
Mich just rejected my ED app. Pretty sure its because of my underwhelming ps. Now i'm sending in more apps.
Should I revise this or just trash it?
At first the prospect of writing this personal statement intimidated me. Writing has always been a hobby of mine but applying to law school gave me a case of writer’s block. I couldn’t find an anecdote from my past that truly describes me as a person and there isn’t one specific reason that I want to practice law. Then I began thinking about the bigger picture. I realized that my educational experiences actually provide a great explanation of my personality and aspirations.
My education was important to me because no one else in my family had ever gotten an undergraduate degree. Although I wanted to attend college, I was naïve about all the options at my disposal. After high school I hastily enrolled at an art institute to study photography. One week before classes started, however, I found out that the school’s accreditation was in jeopardy. Community college suddenly seemed like a better choice than taking out loans for a potentially worthless degree. It was difficult to rearrange my plans at the last minute but I’m glad that I made that decision. I got to maintain my interest in photography while exploring other courses that an art school just does not offer. Thankfully this allowed me to develop interests that would greatly influence my future academic endeavors.
Then an unfortunate event almost stopped me from studying photography completely. One day my camera and lenses were stolen. Although I couldn’t finish my favorite class, I decided to enroll in others that piqued my interest. I turned this setback into a new opportunity. That was the turning point when I became actively engaged in my education. But I still did not have a clear focus, which made choosing a major a long, drawn out affair. I have always prided myself on having a large range of passions and talents, which unfortunately made my selection process all the more grueling. Philosophy, economics, music, political science, literature, sociology and psychology courses left me feeling enriched but just as lost as before, if not more so. Each time I received a phone call from a relative asking about college I would have a different major in mind. I became quite discouraged by my indecision and realized that I would have to reevaluate my priorities if I wanted to be a productive student.
When I sat down and thought about, not only what interested me, but also what I was passionate about, one major stood out among the rest. I wanted to study Political Science because it seemed like a practical synthesis of all my favorite subjects; economics, philosophy, sociology, et al. After I figured out my major, my academic aspirations increased tremendously. Some local state schools had already accepted me as a transfer student, but suddenly I wanted to test my intellectual prowess in a more competitive environment. I decided to study for an additional year so that I could apply to a research university.
Eventually my plans came to fruition. I was finally living the university experience at UCLA but not everything turned out the way I imaged. Strict degree requirements had me taking lower division courses that I was eager to put behind me. Although I initially thought that I would spend most of my time in small seminars, I instead found myself surrounded by freshmen in large lecture halls. But I didn’t let this discourage me. I strayed outside my required courses and enrolled in a class on public policy. The class was small, intimate and opened my eyes to the more practical side of political science. Soon I became more interested in congressional legislation than the writings of Plato. My intellectual curiosity grew enormously during this first year but there were plenty of remedial classes I still had to complete. It became clear that I couldn’t finish a minor in public affairs and still graduate on time so instead of studying public policy I resigned myself to fulfilling bureaucratic requirements. And while there were some stimulating classes here and there, I really feel like I only scratched the surface of my academic potential.
These experiences may not be spectacularly diverse but they give a clear impression of who I am. I am decisive, dedicated and open to exploring different opportunities. Things may not always go according to plan, but I feel like everything happens for a reason. That cliché probably explains how I’ve found myself applying to law school. The courses that once merely filled the holes in my class schedule actually sparked the curiosity that now drives me to seek a law degree. I didn’t write this personal statement to tell you why I’m different because I believe that everyone is special in his or her own way. I also didn’t want to give a list of my achievements and qualifications because I know I’m not entitled to anything in this world. Hopefully I have convinced you that I’m able and willing to achieve my goals, because a degree from the University of Chicago would help me do that.
Should I revise this or just trash it?
At first the prospect of writing this personal statement intimidated me. Writing has always been a hobby of mine but applying to law school gave me a case of writer’s block. I couldn’t find an anecdote from my past that truly describes me as a person and there isn’t one specific reason that I want to practice law. Then I began thinking about the bigger picture. I realized that my educational experiences actually provide a great explanation of my personality and aspirations.
My education was important to me because no one else in my family had ever gotten an undergraduate degree. Although I wanted to attend college, I was naïve about all the options at my disposal. After high school I hastily enrolled at an art institute to study photography. One week before classes started, however, I found out that the school’s accreditation was in jeopardy. Community college suddenly seemed like a better choice than taking out loans for a potentially worthless degree. It was difficult to rearrange my plans at the last minute but I’m glad that I made that decision. I got to maintain my interest in photography while exploring other courses that an art school just does not offer. Thankfully this allowed me to develop interests that would greatly influence my future academic endeavors.
Then an unfortunate event almost stopped me from studying photography completely. One day my camera and lenses were stolen. Although I couldn’t finish my favorite class, I decided to enroll in others that piqued my interest. I turned this setback into a new opportunity. That was the turning point when I became actively engaged in my education. But I still did not have a clear focus, which made choosing a major a long, drawn out affair. I have always prided myself on having a large range of passions and talents, which unfortunately made my selection process all the more grueling. Philosophy, economics, music, political science, literature, sociology and psychology courses left me feeling enriched but just as lost as before, if not more so. Each time I received a phone call from a relative asking about college I would have a different major in mind. I became quite discouraged by my indecision and realized that I would have to reevaluate my priorities if I wanted to be a productive student.
When I sat down and thought about, not only what interested me, but also what I was passionate about, one major stood out among the rest. I wanted to study Political Science because it seemed like a practical synthesis of all my favorite subjects; economics, philosophy, sociology, et al. After I figured out my major, my academic aspirations increased tremendously. Some local state schools had already accepted me as a transfer student, but suddenly I wanted to test my intellectual prowess in a more competitive environment. I decided to study for an additional year so that I could apply to a research university.
Eventually my plans came to fruition. I was finally living the university experience at UCLA but not everything turned out the way I imaged. Strict degree requirements had me taking lower division courses that I was eager to put behind me. Although I initially thought that I would spend most of my time in small seminars, I instead found myself surrounded by freshmen in large lecture halls. But I didn’t let this discourage me. I strayed outside my required courses and enrolled in a class on public policy. The class was small, intimate and opened my eyes to the more practical side of political science. Soon I became more interested in congressional legislation than the writings of Plato. My intellectual curiosity grew enormously during this first year but there were plenty of remedial classes I still had to complete. It became clear that I couldn’t finish a minor in public affairs and still graduate on time so instead of studying public policy I resigned myself to fulfilling bureaucratic requirements. And while there were some stimulating classes here and there, I really feel like I only scratched the surface of my academic potential.
These experiences may not be spectacularly diverse but they give a clear impression of who I am. I am decisive, dedicated and open to exploring different opportunities. Things may not always go according to plan, but I feel like everything happens for a reason. That cliché probably explains how I’ve found myself applying to law school. The courses that once merely filled the holes in my class schedule actually sparked the curiosity that now drives me to seek a law degree. I didn’t write this personal statement to tell you why I’m different because I believe that everyone is special in his or her own way. I also didn’t want to give a list of my achievements and qualifications because I know I’m not entitled to anything in this world. Hopefully I have convinced you that I’m able and willing to achieve my goals, because a degree from the University of Chicago would help me do that.