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I don't plan on starting my law school career until August 2015 but I need to begin writing my personal statement at the request of a couple of individuals writing my letter of recommendations. They want to read it prior to writing their letters. I am a Health Science major with a concentration in Health Services Administration and I plan on getting a J.D. and practicing Health Law. What drove me in the health law direction is growing up with Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes motor/vocal tics. I was diagnosed at seven and at that young age, I decided and was determined to use my diagnosis as a motivation to make something of myself and to be an example of how challenges in your life should not hold you back but should instead push you forward. My ten years of martial arts taught me self-discipline and endurance, which helped me get through life when it got tough. My faith was a comfort through the struggles of growing up with TS. I have always pushed through and never backed down. My diagnosis made me interested in health care and as I continued to grow older and took a few college courses, I found an interest in law as well which led me to where I am today. I would also like to write about how growing up as a Pastor's son and seeing my father as my hero has caused me to strive for a moral life and to be a man of character and principle. I would also like to include how my grandmother moved to New York from Puerto Rico with 10 children and lived in poverty and how that side of the family has taught me the importance of a strong work ethic as my mother and her siblings fought to get out of poverty to where they are today. All of these factors contributed to me working towards a law degree and the person I am today. Would this be a good personal statement?

Don't write about your father or grandmother as influences. Personal Statements are, by their nature, supposed to be about what you've done and who you are. You have only two pages (around 600 words) to convey this - don't waste space on multiple topics! Personally, I dislike PSs that end in a "Why Law" conclusion. That being said, your struggle with and triumph over TS is a great narrative and compelling material for a PS. If possible, don't dwell on childhood narratives and focus on what's happened in the past 5-7 years. My only suggestion: if at all, let the "Why Law" conclusion remain strictly that - focus your energy on how you've dealt with having TS.

I agree with the above poster.

Why Law is a very difficult topic to pull off well. You need to have supporting evidence in your resume--internships at law firms, work as a para legal/legal assistant. If you don't have the supporting evidence your Why Law PS will be pretty weak.

Moreover, in general, you should really avoid making an argument of any sort in your PS. Your PS should just be an interesting story that lets the reader get to know you as a person. That's the point of the PS.