Please Tear Apart My PS
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:27 pm
Hello all, I would just like some help with my PS. It is my first time doing this, I did well on the LSAT and have an addendum, but at the same time I really want to nail this. Any help would be appreciative.
"The early years of my life were the happiest I would ever have- though I would not know it at the time. Having divorced parents is common in America, one would even say very common. In that regard I am not remarkable. I still remember the summer after First Grade my mother drove me back home. I was excited to see my father after having been with my grandparents for two weeks. I ran inside looking everywhere for him- my mother had said he “might not be home.” That was the end of their marriage, he had moved to an apartment. While of course I was sad the next few years of my life would be absolutely terrible, and I would barely smile until college.
My mother insisted on keeping me. She made a decent salary and received child support. And yet she squandered it. Living in Texas in the summer she never paid for childcare- because of this as she was a home health nurse she would lock me in her car. When it was 100 degrees outside it would be far worse inside. Once I urinated, having drank as much as possible as I was sweating horribly. I was yelled at for days. Once I managed to get out- she forgot to lock the car. I was yelled at for almost costing her her job… at the time she said because kids could not travel to patient’s homes, but later because as I found out she was scared of the ramifications of leaving a six year old in a car in the middle of summer for two hours. My possessions were often lost in the frequent moves- including when we lost a storage shed with all my memorabilia I had collected. Fast forward to my Senior year and I was fully rebelling- this meant getting C’s instead of A’s as I was grounded for a year for my first B, not smoking or drinking! I had nonetheless managed to survive and thrive for 12 years by this point- and am proud of that.
And so, I finally escaped from her. I was so happy- ecstatic. I did well in college and truly loved life. I finally was able to talk to and see my dad more than once a month, and she no longer got to dictate what we did. Teachers had previously asked about abuse and I always denied it, but in hindsight… regardless I enjoyed life. I excelled in all my classes and joined the Debate Team which I adored. And then, three months after escape, my mother got cancer. So, I dropped everything to take care of her, skipping even finals, to take care of the women who I honestly hated at some points as I believed it the right thing to do. Emotions should not trump morality- something I believed then and now.
I know that story is long- but it is at the core of who I am. Because of my own history I want to help others. Originally, I merely wanted to teach History- to reach out to young minds and help mold them. At UTSA and as a child History was always a release from the struggles of day to day life. However, around 2020 I realized this was not enough- seeing the virus spread so far and the administration do nothing… I realized if I wanted to help, I could not just be a teacher or a professor. I needed to take an active role in the world. And so, I decided on Law School. I switched my studies my senior year and completed two years of studies in one. I decided I had to do well- so even while working, I also attended school and studied for the LSAT. I had only June and July to study- during which I was also, as said, doing both work and school- and I got a 172 from an original 154. I have done and will do everything necessary to excel at Law School because I have a reason- to make the world better. I want to help children yes- but I also want to help adults, the elderly, the infirm and the disabled against anyone who has the power to control their lives. Against anyone who, with the power to protect them, leaves them to struggle and actively harms them."
"The early years of my life were the happiest I would ever have- though I would not know it at the time. Having divorced parents is common in America, one would even say very common. In that regard I am not remarkable. I still remember the summer after First Grade my mother drove me back home. I was excited to see my father after having been with my grandparents for two weeks. I ran inside looking everywhere for him- my mother had said he “might not be home.” That was the end of their marriage, he had moved to an apartment. While of course I was sad the next few years of my life would be absolutely terrible, and I would barely smile until college.
My mother insisted on keeping me. She made a decent salary and received child support. And yet she squandered it. Living in Texas in the summer she never paid for childcare- because of this as she was a home health nurse she would lock me in her car. When it was 100 degrees outside it would be far worse inside. Once I urinated, having drank as much as possible as I was sweating horribly. I was yelled at for days. Once I managed to get out- she forgot to lock the car. I was yelled at for almost costing her her job… at the time she said because kids could not travel to patient’s homes, but later because as I found out she was scared of the ramifications of leaving a six year old in a car in the middle of summer for two hours. My possessions were often lost in the frequent moves- including when we lost a storage shed with all my memorabilia I had collected. Fast forward to my Senior year and I was fully rebelling- this meant getting C’s instead of A’s as I was grounded for a year for my first B, not smoking or drinking! I had nonetheless managed to survive and thrive for 12 years by this point- and am proud of that.
And so, I finally escaped from her. I was so happy- ecstatic. I did well in college and truly loved life. I finally was able to talk to and see my dad more than once a month, and she no longer got to dictate what we did. Teachers had previously asked about abuse and I always denied it, but in hindsight… regardless I enjoyed life. I excelled in all my classes and joined the Debate Team which I adored. And then, three months after escape, my mother got cancer. So, I dropped everything to take care of her, skipping even finals, to take care of the women who I honestly hated at some points as I believed it the right thing to do. Emotions should not trump morality- something I believed then and now.
I know that story is long- but it is at the core of who I am. Because of my own history I want to help others. Originally, I merely wanted to teach History- to reach out to young minds and help mold them. At UTSA and as a child History was always a release from the struggles of day to day life. However, around 2020 I realized this was not enough- seeing the virus spread so far and the administration do nothing… I realized if I wanted to help, I could not just be a teacher or a professor. I needed to take an active role in the world. And so, I decided on Law School. I switched my studies my senior year and completed two years of studies in one. I decided I had to do well- so even while working, I also attended school and studied for the LSAT. I had only June and July to study- during which I was also, as said, doing both work and school- and I got a 172 from an original 154. I have done and will do everything necessary to excel at Law School because I have a reason- to make the world better. I want to help children yes- but I also want to help adults, the elderly, the infirm and the disabled against anyone who has the power to control their lives. Against anyone who, with the power to protect them, leaves them to struggle and actively harms them."
