I chose to write a PS that is centered around a major change in my life. This change is not something that you would expect such as the loss of a loved one. I began studying western philosophy in class years ago and have since derived a certain view of the world that has led me to my purpose. On top of this, I visited Jeruselum during the summer and began to see an overlap between my worldview and Christian teachings. I understand that this is quite mainstream (Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro) but it is a pivotal realization in my life. Thus, it is also something that I am particularly passionate about and can see manifest in my day-to-day life. For context, I was very pessimistic and I would constantly find myself asking: "what is the point of this". My social life was dwindling away as I became more distanced and secluded. I had no structure in my life, had no long term goals, and no vision for my future. Fast forward two years and I have done a complete 180. I don't need to go into detail about me now (think fun, career-driven, and athletic extrovert). I want to write about the progress of this change and how I changed for the better as a person. I also plan on tying in (at the very end) how law school will help advance me in pursuit of my career goals.
I am having trouble structuring this. Should I place emphasis on philosophical teachings and how that in tandem with my religious beliefs shaped me? How many personal anecdotes would be appropriate for a PS like this? I would appreciate any input/feedback on what I provided. Also, sorry for the long post. Thanks
Philosophy and new worldview Forum
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Re: Philosophy and new worldview
An effective essay basically does three things: (1) reflects your personality and makes you sound interesting; (2) explains why you want to go to law school; and (3) demonstrates that you are a semi-competent writer.
You can do that with your proposed topic. Essays about your personal beliefs/faith are fine, provided you can do it tastefully and tie it back to why you want to go to law school. But I would be cautious about name dropping pundits/personalities (e.g., mentioning Peterson/Shapiro would be a distraction at best).
How you want to structure/frame it is a matter of personal choice. I'm not sure what you mean by "how many" anecdotes to use. Personal anecdotes are fine, and can be a great way of talking up your positive qualities without just rehashing your resume. But two pages is not a lot of space. You can use little 1-2 sentence vignettes to illustrate your points (e.g., as part of a more linear narrative), but I doubt you can really flesh out multiple anecdotes.
If you are stuck, I suggest picking couple books with law school application essays and skimming them. The books are largely interchangeable, but some of them have a little analysis at the end about what was good/bad in each one. At minimum, it might give you some ideas for different ways to frame things.
You can do that with your proposed topic. Essays about your personal beliefs/faith are fine, provided you can do it tastefully and tie it back to why you want to go to law school. But I would be cautious about name dropping pundits/personalities (e.g., mentioning Peterson/Shapiro would be a distraction at best).
How you want to structure/frame it is a matter of personal choice. I'm not sure what you mean by "how many" anecdotes to use. Personal anecdotes are fine, and can be a great way of talking up your positive qualities without just rehashing your resume. But two pages is not a lot of space. You can use little 1-2 sentence vignettes to illustrate your points (e.g., as part of a more linear narrative), but I doubt you can really flesh out multiple anecdotes.
If you are stuck, I suggest picking couple books with law school application essays and skimming them. The books are largely interchangeable, but some of them have a little analysis at the end about what was good/bad in each one. At minimum, it might give you some ideas for different ways to frame things.