Response To Pepperdine Mission Statement Forum

[S de Garmeaux]

I am not religious but don't really have anything against religion.

Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.

I'm having a lot of trouble responding to Pepperdine's mission statement...

I feeling writing along the lines of 'The Bible/Jesus says X, Pepperdine teaches X and X so relevant in today's society moreso than ever before, and I believe in X.' wouldn't be a very good approach

I though about writing about how I like Christianity's generally deontological moral framework and how... but this doesn't really address the 'values' angle at all

Having a lot of trouble thinking/writing about Christianity w/o criticizing it

anyone who wrote this essay have any ideas on how to break ground?

thanks

[savesthedayajb]

I am not religious but don't really have anything against religion.

Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.

I'm having a lot of trouble responding to Pepperdine's mission statement...

I feeling writing along the lines of 'The Bible/Jesus says X, Pepperdine teaches X and X so relevant in today's society moreso than ever before, and I believe in X.' wouldn't be a very good approach

I though about writing about how I like Christianity's generally deontological moral framework and how... but this doesn't really address the 'values' angle at all

Having a lot of trouble thinking/writing about Christianity w/o criticizing it

anyone who wrote this essay have any ideas on how to break ground?

thanks

+1

I started to take an "I'm not religious but believe in the importance of certain Christian values" approach. But I couldn't get past the first couple of sentences.

[lawgirl99]

Well I don't think you need to specifically address Christianity or your views in the context of religion to answer this prompt. You could focus more on the aspect of "lives of purpose, service, and leadership" in your life at present and how you feel that the environment and values at Pepperdine will contribute to and enhance those values in your life.

I agree is a difficult question to answer if you are not religious. It is exactly the reason I chose not to apply to Pepperdine

[arhmcpo]

Well I don't think you need to specifically address Christianity or your views in the context of religion to answer this prompt. You could focus more on the aspect of "lives of purpose, service, and leadership" in your life at present and how you feel that the environment and values at Pepperdine will contribute to and enhance those values in your life.

I agree is a difficult question to answer if you are not religious. It is exactly the reason I chose not to apply to Pepperdine

Correct. If you put a strike through "Christianity" (no offense God), what is the question asking you? Its very simple, its asking you to show how you are a leader, how you serve your community or help others, why you want to learn the law (hint: don't say to get rich, say to help the poor or to promote some sort of social awareness).

The Mission Statement is a chance to brag about your accomplishments that you couldn't fit in your PS; just fit them under each adjective category (i.e. Leadership, Service, Purpose). They want to get you to talk about law in an enlightened way, after all, the mission statement is simply a philosophy of practicing the law; like all law schools they want students who will at least say there going into law for good reasons, to serve the greater good etc, not to afford a new Camaro.

I said I wanted to help people in my home city, which has a lot of poor people, by doing pro bono work in communities that can't normally afford legal representation. Simple, no? better yet I wasn't even lying.

[1ferret!]

do you really want a new camaro?

[Pearalegal]

Correct. If you put a strike through "Christianity" (no offense God), what is the question asking you? Its very simple, its asking you to show how you are a leader, how you serve your community or help others, why you want to learn the law (hint: don't say to get rich, say to help the poor or to promote some sort of social awareness).

However, I'd be wary about striking out any part of a question a law school is asking you to write an essay on.

Also, why would God be offended by crossing it out in the first place? Fairly certain God knows there are good people who aren't Christian out there if He does exist.

[aquaman]

much of our country's law is based on judeo-christian values so there is a good chance that you agree with much of it. Just talk about that and find some specifics like treat thy neighbor as thy want to be treated etc.