Math and Law PS-Need advice for Final Draft
Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 3:27 pm
I'm going to apply by the end of the month. This version is pretty close to what I want, and several people looked over it. I just want to improve it some more before sending it off. It's slightly less than two pages double spaced. Let me know what you all think.
Mouth slightly ajar, eyes searching my face for a sign I am joking—friends and family always react the same way when I first tell them I am studying math before going to law school. It is not unusual for them to tell me I should major in something more applicable to law—English or history perhaps. Even more often, someone will tell me I could use my math background to become an engineer or a doctor. “When will you ever need to use Calculus as a lawyer?” they object. The first few times I was asked this question, I could not give a reply. Eventually, I came to understand my affinity for the objectivity and problem solving inherent in math was what drew me towards a career in the legal field.
Math has always been a way for me to push myself. Coming from a rural Kentucky town, my high school offered few opportunities for learning math, but that wouldn’t stop me. By taking independent study AP Calculus course in high school and competing in statewide math competitions, I challenged myself to see how far I could go. That did not stop when I got to college, but all of a sudden math was not easy anymore. In fact, I started off well behind most of the students in my classes, which put me in an unfamiliar position. Well into sophomore year, the problem-solving abilities and analytical reasoning that were at the foundation of all of my upper level math courses were lacking. The further I got, the more apparent it became, until slowly but surely I almost hated what had been my favorite subject. At this critical juncture, I seriously doubted whether I had what it takes. It would have been so easy to give up, but pride, determination, and my love of learning would not let me. I know I will face similar adversity in law school, and my experience with my back against the wall will prove useful as a motivating example of what I am able to do in rough times.
I could not see it in the moment, but a big part of what was holding me back in my math classes was a lack of attention to detail, which affected everything from taking notes during lecture, to understanding my textbooks and answering problems on tests. Luckily, during my sophomore year I joined the mock trial team and took on the role of an attorney, which meant I had to be able to interpret the rules of evidence. In the beginning, I was not good with responding to objections because, just like in math, the smaller details would slip by. As the year went on, I got better by watching the other attorneys and learning to work out exactly what was being said— instead of merely assuming. It was around that time that I realized what I had been learning was applicable to my math classes. Sure enough, like a veil lifting from my eyes, when I took the time to pay attention to the nitty-gritty details, the mysteries in my math books became clear, and the “stupid mistakes” on exams were much less frequent. In law school, I will approach the problems I face, both big and small, with the heightened attention to detail because of what I learned.
Nearly two years later, I am more confident than ever in my abilities to pay attention to detail and reason through complex problems like those I might encounter in law school. I probably will not use the fundamental theorem of calculus, a proof for Euler’s formula, or my flowcharts for solving a differential equation as a lawyer, but the method of thinking I employed in all of my math classes, will help me tremendously in law school and in my career. Because I persevered when things were hard, this semester, I am taking advanced calculus, a class I simply would not have been able to take two years ago. On the first day of class, we introduced ourselves and explained our career interests. I got some weird looks when I said I wanted to go to law school, but I just smiled and said “They’re more alike than you think.”
Mouth slightly ajar, eyes searching my face for a sign I am joking—friends and family always react the same way when I first tell them I am studying math before going to law school. It is not unusual for them to tell me I should major in something more applicable to law—English or history perhaps. Even more often, someone will tell me I could use my math background to become an engineer or a doctor. “When will you ever need to use Calculus as a lawyer?” they object. The first few times I was asked this question, I could not give a reply. Eventually, I came to understand my affinity for the objectivity and problem solving inherent in math was what drew me towards a career in the legal field.
Math has always been a way for me to push myself. Coming from a rural Kentucky town, my high school offered few opportunities for learning math, but that wouldn’t stop me. By taking independent study AP Calculus course in high school and competing in statewide math competitions, I challenged myself to see how far I could go. That did not stop when I got to college, but all of a sudden math was not easy anymore. In fact, I started off well behind most of the students in my classes, which put me in an unfamiliar position. Well into sophomore year, the problem-solving abilities and analytical reasoning that were at the foundation of all of my upper level math courses were lacking. The further I got, the more apparent it became, until slowly but surely I almost hated what had been my favorite subject. At this critical juncture, I seriously doubted whether I had what it takes. It would have been so easy to give up, but pride, determination, and my love of learning would not let me. I know I will face similar adversity in law school, and my experience with my back against the wall will prove useful as a motivating example of what I am able to do in rough times.
I could not see it in the moment, but a big part of what was holding me back in my math classes was a lack of attention to detail, which affected everything from taking notes during lecture, to understanding my textbooks and answering problems on tests. Luckily, during my sophomore year I joined the mock trial team and took on the role of an attorney, which meant I had to be able to interpret the rules of evidence. In the beginning, I was not good with responding to objections because, just like in math, the smaller details would slip by. As the year went on, I got better by watching the other attorneys and learning to work out exactly what was being said— instead of merely assuming. It was around that time that I realized what I had been learning was applicable to my math classes. Sure enough, like a veil lifting from my eyes, when I took the time to pay attention to the nitty-gritty details, the mysteries in my math books became clear, and the “stupid mistakes” on exams were much less frequent. In law school, I will approach the problems I face, both big and small, with the heightened attention to detail because of what I learned.
Nearly two years later, I am more confident than ever in my abilities to pay attention to detail and reason through complex problems like those I might encounter in law school. I probably will not use the fundamental theorem of calculus, a proof for Euler’s formula, or my flowcharts for solving a differential equation as a lawyer, but the method of thinking I employed in all of my math classes, will help me tremendously in law school and in my career. Because I persevered when things were hard, this semester, I am taking advanced calculus, a class I simply would not have been able to take two years ago. On the first day of class, we introduced ourselves and explained our career interests. I got some weird looks when I said I wanted to go to law school, but I just smiled and said “They’re more alike than you think.”
