PS 1st Draft: content/subject matter ok? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm looking more for advice on flow and content but grammatical proofing would be greatly appreciated too!!


“So, where are you from?” The most common question after “what is your name” and yet it is the hardest for me to answer. I am not from one specific area; born in Texas to parents who met and were married in Turkey, living in India, Qatar, and South Korea all while spending time in Boston with extended family during the summers before moving to Oregon for high school then Virginia for college. Because I don’t consider myself from a specific town or country, picking a single locale is often difficult and limiting. I have taken something from every place I have lived and visited and incorporated it into who I am and the future I see for myself.
Growing up overseas I encountered many cultures, attitudes, and environments that made a profound impact on who I am today. While other kids my age were riding bikes, going to camp, and participating in Little League, I was camping in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, playing with slum kids in Bombay (now Mumbai) and running through the crowded streets of Seoul. This transient upbringing enriched my life in countless ways: knowledge and acceptance of different cultures, a varied and broad worldview, not to mention some decent camel riding skills.
I saw first-hand the oppression of women in the Middle East and the horrific consequences of extreme poverty in India. I know what it is like to wear a burqa in 100-degree heat, physically and psychologically suffocating. Some of my playmates had never gone to school living in the slums of Mumbai while my access to education was certain.
While my unique childhood enriched my life in a multitude of ways, it was also extremely hard at times. Growing up without a permanent home, school, or friends was taxing. It necessitated an ability to adapt to new situations swiftly and with confidence. I also had to learn the importance of respect within the context of global interaction, for other people, cultures, and countries. Whether or not I agreed with someone’s beliefs or a country’s legal system, I had to give it some level of respect; wear a burqa though it rankled me or not chew gum while in Singapore.
Having the privilege of living in so many different countries greatly influenced my academic and extracurricular choices. Living in diverse environments allowed me to experience numerous climates, flora, and fauna, all unique to particular parts of the world. Waking up at four in the morning to observe sea turtles hatch on the Omani coast and cautiously watching rhinoceros’ make their way through camp on the Kenyan grasslands are some of the profound moments that instilled a deep love of nature in me. My appreciation of science and the living world guided me towards a Biology major at ******. While I loved the biology track, I found my experience lacking. I realized that the biology I loved with was one viewed within the context of the surrounding culture and I quickly added History as a secondary major to supplement my all science curriculum. Due to the differences in my majors, my coursework varied from organic chemistry to history of the modern Middle East to cellular and molecular biology. However, while biology and history differed in subject matter, they supplemented one other well in other ways. Both studies required advanced research skills, high logical and analytical abilities, and
My life abroad inspired my extracurricular interests as well. My junior year at university I became a Global Ambassador, an orientation leader and general guide for international students. Knowing how difficult adjusting to a new culture could be I wanted to assist in the transition of other newcomers. Many of the questions and trepidations the incoming students had were the same as mine when I moved to America. “Is it safe to drink the water?” “Where do I go to get groceries?” “How do I relate to the American students?” Utilizing my own prior experiences I was able to ease their transition into a new and unfamiliar culture. And because I had experience with a multitude to cultures, I found I could relate to a variety of international students.
My nontraditional upbringing instilled in me a love of the world, biotic and abiotic, environmental and social. My biology and history degrees, due to their disparities/differences, have prepared me well for the multifaceted and rigorous law profession. In a world that is only getting more connected, an ability to interrelate with a variety of different people with ease and comfort is extremely beneficial. As a student at **** Law School, I will continue to build on the skills impressed on me during my experiences abroad and at university.