Friday, October 7, 2011

Personal Statement

I have had a number of different ideas for my personal statement for law school applications but can't seem to put any of them on paper without thinking, "there's more to me than what is in that statement." How to I write a statement about how I learned to not be a victim of circumstance without sounding heartless? Can I throw in that I'm also the girl who saves kittens out of gutters and stops in the ghetto for a lost dog with a collar and call their owner?
How do I write a statement about how mock trial helped to show me leadership and also include how I was captain of teams in high school and a supervisor at work?
How do I write a statement about overcoming hardship when there's a C and a W on my college transcript the semester my dad died? "Hey, at least I didn't drop out" does not quite seem fitting.
How am I supposed to tell anyone in two pages that my dream is to go to a good law school, get a good education, prosecute criminals, understand the justice system, then do my best to help those who are victims? How to I tell a school in just two pages that my passion is standing in front of people who are judging every word I say and knowing that I am saying it in a way that will make me victorious? How do I tell a school that my just above average LSAT score does not reflect how much I will focus on being a law student? How do I tell that school that my college GPA is not as stellar as my high school GPA because I worked, I loved my job, I loved my friends, and I chose to participate in life in addition to academics.
How do I tell an admissions counselor who doesn't get to meet me that since 7th grade, I have wanted to be an attorney. How is it that I can have any amount of time in front of a jury to plead a case but I get two pages to tell someone why I should be able to follow my dream? How do I tell them that, if accepted, I will make it my mission to be the prosecutor who helps to put a huge name behind bars and who makes new policies to allow victims rights and to aid in their hardships. How do I tell a school that I will succeed, without a doubt, at whatever I set my mind to.
Perhaps I should tell them my goal is to be filthy rich and give gobs of money to whichever school admitted me first.
What a pain.

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