Personal Statement

This is the personal statement that accompanied my law school applications. According to everything I've read, it probably played a very small role in my eventual acceptance, but I like to think it helped.

Seven hundred dollars. That’s how much money I paid for my first car- money earned from working at a fast food restaurant where the smell of grilled steak seeped into my clothes with a tenacity that no detergent could ever hope to match. It was a 1982 Toyota Corolla hatchback. The parts not covered in rust were a dull battleship gray. The windshield sported numerous cracks and there was a hole in the gas tank.

Needless to say, I loved it.

I quickly found myself ordering repair manuals and learning as much as I could about my car. I changed my own oil and tried to camouflage the rust spots with a poorly matched silver spray paint- aesthetically hideous, yet somewhat effective. Whole afternoons were spent cleaning and waxing, then cleaning and waxing again. I happily and proudly drove it to school until someone blindsided me and I found myself in a ditch. I wanted to try and repair it, but my father suggested that I find something more reliable.

My first semester in college was marked by an abundance of eagerness- and a sore lack of direction. In my immaturity, I equated wealth with happiness and success and pursued a degree in biology, intent on becoming a physician. After a few weeks of classes, the only thing I learned is that I would rather swallow hot nails than become a doctor. Academically, I could do the work; emotionally, I felt drained. So I switched to a major in English, and I have never regretted the decision. Given the choice, I will choose passion over power every time.

By the time I enter law school, I will have taught high school English for three years. A great parallel exists between education and the legal field. Whether I am teaching the fundamentals of reading to remedial students or the major themes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to twelfth graders, my goal remains the same- to foster the acquisition and application of knowledge. Every case in the legal world, no matter how simple or complex, boils down to a similar archetypal search for the truth.

I will treat law school the same way I treated my first car, my first ill-planned college schedule, and every teaching assignment I have ever received. When I make a mistake, I will quickly realize my error and find an appropriate remedy. I will not blame my parents or the latest pseudo-psychological ailment. Perhaps most importantly, I will never give up or allow my goals to wither away in the setting sun.

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not a terribly idealistic person. Life for me has been too difficult and my perception too clear to make the mistake of harboring beliefs that do not function in a pragmatic world. When I say that I want to be a lawyer, I do so with open eyes. I can see the 14-hour days and the overbearing amounts of stress that sometimes come with the profession. And still I say- give me my chance.

It is a dangerous fallacy to assume that imperfect beings can create a perfect system. As such, I realize there are flaws in the legal system that need to be addressed. Complaining endlessly about these problems, however, will not help the situation. The rust spots on my Corolla were not repaired that way. They were corrected with determination, hard work, and ingenuity. Grumbling played no part in the process.

I enjoy teaching, yet at the same time I feel compelled to become a lawyer. It is the same compulsion I felt before proposing to my wife and while writing my first novel- a feeling of desire and destiny culminating into a fixed point. For this reason, I urge and implore you to grant me the opportunity to join your program- and one day become a full-fledged caretaker of the law.