First Serious Draft: Please Rip it to Shreds
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 1:08 am
My back aches. My forehead is sweating and I am hungry. It has been four hours since I started unpacking the boxes and I am still furiously at work on my project. It appears that I am finished. Everything is in place, and after hours of work it looks like it is finally time for me to see if my hard work has paid off. With baited breath I press the power button. I hear a single audible click and wait to see if I will scream in joy or agony. The chassis lights up, fans start cycling air, and most importantly - the boot menu appears on my computer monitor. I am successful. I have just succeeded in building my own desktop computer.
To many, computers are complex and mysterious. It is not uncommon for anyone using a computer to say a short prayer to whatever god they believe in in the hopes that the command they entered will be carried out correctly. What many people don’t know is that to the inquisitive individuals who have the desire to learn, computer can be simplified into an intricate but comprehensible system of interconnected parts all designed to communicate with each other and perform their own unique function in order to achieve the task that is commanded by the user. Computers are capable of functioning as a surprisingly compelling analogy to the law.
Much like the desktop computer; the legal industry is mysterious to the most. Just as someone will nod their head and pretend to know what they are talking about when asked a question about a computer, so too will people do the same for law. The difference here, however, is that one of those scenarios could have dire consequences for anyone foolish enough not to obtain access to a trained professional. There were many paths that I could have pursued, but I firmly believe that my skill set is best used in the legal industry. I thrive under pressure and in competitive environments, I want to earn a skill set that not only utilizes my strengths but also increases my personal and societal value. I have planned on attending law school for nearly a decade now. I am excited to begin my “real” schooling and to apply myself, and am excited by the prospect of facing challenges that I have never experienced before.
Law school has proven to be so firmly entrenched in my plans for my future that I have accelerated my undergraduate studies by one year and will be graduating with a bachelor's degree from a Big Ten university after a total three years of study. This was entirely intentional; I firmly believe that my time, money, and mental energy are best used in pursuit of a quality legal education and I want to begin that process as soon as is practically possible. This is an impactful and significant decision, and it will be life changing for me just as it is for many others.
Often, prospective law students are encouraged to take a “gap-year” to really think about why they want to go to law school. I have been thinking about why I want to attend law school for nearly a decade now and unlike many of my fellow candidates I do not have a flowing inspirational narrative that divinely guided me to the law school path. My reasons are simple: I am and have always been a natural problem solver. I am a “fixer”. I articulate well, negotiate well, and above all else do everything in my power to be the most credible person in the room. When I started building computers I had no idea what I was doing. I could not tell the difference between a processor and a can of shoe polish. But I practiced, researched, learned, and went from knowing almost nothing about that topic to managing the computer hardware and network of a high school campus that contains over 1200 computers.
Law school is the beginning of my end-game. I have always been inclined to challenge myself. I am not growing as a person if I am not solving new challenges and problems each and every day and I am beyond excited to begin my journey to become a practicing attorney. I know that the path I have chosen is challenging one, but I also know where I belong- and I have abundant faith that a legal education will put me where I need to be in life.
To many, computers are complex and mysterious. It is not uncommon for anyone using a computer to say a short prayer to whatever god they believe in in the hopes that the command they entered will be carried out correctly. What many people don’t know is that to the inquisitive individuals who have the desire to learn, computer can be simplified into an intricate but comprehensible system of interconnected parts all designed to communicate with each other and perform their own unique function in order to achieve the task that is commanded by the user. Computers are capable of functioning as a surprisingly compelling analogy to the law.
Much like the desktop computer; the legal industry is mysterious to the most. Just as someone will nod their head and pretend to know what they are talking about when asked a question about a computer, so too will people do the same for law. The difference here, however, is that one of those scenarios could have dire consequences for anyone foolish enough not to obtain access to a trained professional. There were many paths that I could have pursued, but I firmly believe that my skill set is best used in the legal industry. I thrive under pressure and in competitive environments, I want to earn a skill set that not only utilizes my strengths but also increases my personal and societal value. I have planned on attending law school for nearly a decade now. I am excited to begin my “real” schooling and to apply myself, and am excited by the prospect of facing challenges that I have never experienced before.
Law school has proven to be so firmly entrenched in my plans for my future that I have accelerated my undergraduate studies by one year and will be graduating with a bachelor's degree from a Big Ten university after a total three years of study. This was entirely intentional; I firmly believe that my time, money, and mental energy are best used in pursuit of a quality legal education and I want to begin that process as soon as is practically possible. This is an impactful and significant decision, and it will be life changing for me just as it is for many others.
Often, prospective law students are encouraged to take a “gap-year” to really think about why they want to go to law school. I have been thinking about why I want to attend law school for nearly a decade now and unlike many of my fellow candidates I do not have a flowing inspirational narrative that divinely guided me to the law school path. My reasons are simple: I am and have always been a natural problem solver. I am a “fixer”. I articulate well, negotiate well, and above all else do everything in my power to be the most credible person in the room. When I started building computers I had no idea what I was doing. I could not tell the difference between a processor and a can of shoe polish. But I practiced, researched, learned, and went from knowing almost nothing about that topic to managing the computer hardware and network of a high school campus that contains over 1200 computers.
Law school is the beginning of my end-game. I have always been inclined to challenge myself. I am not growing as a person if I am not solving new challenges and problems each and every day and I am beyond excited to begin my journey to become a practicing attorney. I know that the path I have chosen is challenging one, but I also know where I belong- and I have abundant faith that a legal education will put me where I need to be in life.