Personal Statement Advice and Critique would be appreciated Forum

[Anonymous User]

According to statistics, I should not be here in the position I am today applying for law school. Instead I should have dropped out of school, started abusing drugs or alcohol, committed suicide, exhibit violent behavior or be in jail. You see, while I appear to be a normal 24 year old male, I am in fact a young man who grew up without his father. My biological father abandoned us when I was only five years old, and for the first few years I expected him to return. Periodically I would ask my mother if he had called, or emailed. As I grew older, I came to the realization that he was gone and I would be one of those kids who never played catch with their dad in the backyard, never asked his dad for advice when he was in a tough spot and never could say “my father taught me how to drive.” In contrast to many of my friends and schoolmates, when I went home every day I dealt with an obstacle that does not fit neatly on a piece of paper. I came home to a hardworking and passionate mother, and a loving and caring set of Grandparents and an emptiness that is filled by a father for most people.

I did not live with my grandparents, as it was just my mother and I in our household. However, we lived so close to them that I was able spend time with them after school until my mom picked me up after work. Soon after I graduated high school, I moved in with my grandparents as my Grandpa’s Alzheimer’s was becoming noticeably worse. This ability to be very close with my Grandfather as a child, teenager and young adult was crucial in helping me to overcome the obstacle of a fatherless home and keep me on a good path. Due to my lack of a father, my Grandfather became my father figure, best friend and role model, on top of being a Grandfather. He attempted to fill the void in my life by teaching me many of the same things a child would learn from his father. From him I learned how to drive, honed my baseball skills, and witnessed the importance of generosity, humility and kindness towards others. This close relationship is one of many reasons why I chose to help provide significant care for him as his illness grew worse and he was confined to a wheelchair (as referenced in my Transcript Addendum).

While the relationship with my Grandfather was the most important factor in alleviating the impact of a fatherless home, organizations I was a member of also provided me skills and experience that many sons would gain from their dad. The most notable of these are the Boy Scouts of America, Youth Group and Collegiate Fraternity. My years in the Boy Scouts of America and eventually becoming an Eagle Scout, helped me overcome an absent father household by interacting with, and learning skills from other male figures that would normally be taught to an adolescent by his father. These skills included things such as fire safety, auto repair, outdoor survival skills, swimming, finance and time management, as well as numerous others. Beyond joining the Boy Scouts, I was also very involved in my church youth group. Whereas the BSA provided me with some of the skills that a father would normally teach, the youth group gave me spiritual guidance, resolve, and was a pillar of strength for me, similar to that of a father being one for his son. While most teenagers in my position might have turned to alcohol or drugs in the face of problems, the close group of friends from youth group allowed me to turn to my church family and friends for guidance. The pastors and youth group leaders provided spiritual guidance and advice when I was faced with issues as a teenager. These individuals and the group as a whole were a foundation to fall back on, which provided strength during times of need, analogous to what a father would be for his son during rough times. During my undergraduate education, I joined one of the final organizations which helped me to overcome growing up without a father. This organization was the fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. During my time in this organization, the bonds I built with other men my age allowed me to break out of the ‘shell’ I had entering college. Getting involved in this organization helped me to develop leadership skills and allowed me to be more comfortable asserting myself. The kind of confidence necessary for these skills would normally have been instilled and promoted by a father in the household, however this is a skill I lacked as I grew up without one.

Most who grow up in households without a father lack important skills for success in life; but for me, this obstacle allowed me to become a better-rounded person. Due to my situation, I had an especially close relationship with my grandfather and was involved in multiple organizations which aided in my growth. The close relationship with my Grandfather served as the foundational male relationship to substitute that of one between a father and son. Meanwhile, the involvement in each of the three aforementioned groups served as an extension of this foundational relationship where I was able to gain knowledge and skills one would from his father. Overall, facing this obstacle and subsequently overcoming it, makes me an ideal and better candidate for law school. It has made me a hard worker, who does not retreat in the face of adversity. While some male applicants may have better baseline numbers than I, do these applicants really know what it is like to overcome being at a disadvantage from the start, as I do and have done? Are they prepared to face the many tough challenges that law school will throw at them from experience in overcoming even tougher challenges that life has thrown at them, as I am? Make no mistake, there is no task or obstacle that law school can put in front of me that will be more difficult to overcome than the one I have already overcome of growing up without a father. Due to growing up with an absent father, I have become a better man who has the tools and experience to face the pressures of today and challenges of tomorrow. For this reason I would make an excellent addition to your incoming freshman law class and would contribute to the abundance of diverse and unique backgrounds that make up your institution’s student body.

[LSATclincher]

I like the overall topic, but there are some serious flaws here. In the intro, you really put down other folks who grew up with 1 parent. Then in the conclusion you put yourself down!

I got a sense of honesty from you in the PS, but it needs a lot of work. Keep thinking and keep working on drafts.