Sorry I haven't updated in a while; I haven't had a computer, or the time. As many of you may know, I am applying for law schools currently. The following is a copy of my personal statement. I have been working long and hard on it and it's pretty special to me, so I hope you all enjoy:
I stepped through the front door of my apartment soaked from the rain that had been lashing down on me. I gripped a carton of milk in my hand and hurried into the kitchen to make a bowl of a cereal. With the treacherous thunderstorm that was coming down on the city, and no food in my apartment except for dry cereal, I had briefly contemplated ordering takeout. However this idea was quickly nixed, as my rent was due at the end of the week, and I was trying to save every dollar I had so I would not have to call my father and ask him for money. I pride myself on having been as independent as a full-time college student could possibly be, and though I had to resort to asking my parents for money on rare occasions, I tried to avoid it at all costs. I was not afraid to ask them for money; I knew that they would almost certainly oblige with the best of their ability, and would rather make sacrifices for themselves than see their son cut corners. My unwilligness to ask my parents for money stems from a deep-seeded feeling inside of me that I already owe them more than one could ever possibly repay, and that I should do anything in my power to keep that debt as low as possible. I need only take my father and what he has given to me in his own life to realize how much I really owe him.
As an immigrant to this country, I always suspected that life was difficult for him on his initial arrival. He had just married my mother and had a son, myself, and was faced with the prospect of providing for his new family in a foreign country where he had a strange accent and no college degree. My early memories of my dad consist mainly of him relentlessly and persistently on the telephone. Later, as I searched for employment following college, my mother would tell me about my father’s determination, and how he would sit at home on his time off making cold calls to potential customers while at his first job. As I grew older, I would realize even more the work ethic with which my dad approached life. He would never leave the house any later than 8:30 every morning, but would also rarely come home any earlier than 7:00 each night. All of the positions my father held over the years were commission based, and he did absolutely everything in his power to make sure that he made enough sales each day to support me, my mother, and later my younger brother as well. Eventually, my father became a loan officer with a small bank. Obtaining this job had always been a dream of his, as he had worked in a bank while in Ireland, but in the United States the banking industry was far more selective and it took him years to gain the experience necessary. On a car ride to Boston one afternoon with my dad he told me at length of all the banks that had turned him down while he was searching for jobs, including banks that then tried to offer him jobs years later once he had established himself. He laughed about it with me in the car that day, and said to me that it was “all about persistence.” He never gave up on his dream of working in a bank, and eventually he caught the attention of someone that was willing to take a chance. Although his original bank has been bought out and has a new name, he still works as a loan officer today and has not shown any signs of slowing down.
I am eternally grateful for my father’s decision to put me through college. In Ireland, he was one of six children, and my grandfather was the only source of income. My father grew up with modest means, sharing a small bedroom with all of his siblings, and sleeping in the same bed as his two brothers for many years. With not enough money for beds, college was certainly not an option. However, my dad still made the best of his situation. When I asked him about his childhood, my father praised my grandfather for everything he had done for him. It was my grandfather that had allowed my dad to develop into the person he was, and although he did not have money for college, he helped my father in his studies throughout secondary school, and always pushed him toward success. My grandfather provided for all six of his children to the best of his ability, and opened up the door for my father to be able to achieve even higher than himself. By putting me through college, my father has now opened the door for me to achieve even higher again.
The debt that I owe to my parents does not have monetary value, it is an understanding that they have invested much of their own time and effort into my success. It is now my duty to walk through the doors they have opened, and seize every available opportunity. For myself, repaying this debt to my parents lies in law school. A Juris Doctor represents one of the ultimate pinnacles of education, and now that it is within my grasp I owe it to myself and my parents to pursue it. From local solicitors to the Supreme Court, lawyers are the people responsible for shaping the rules of our society and how we will progress as a people. Being a part of this elite group of individuals is a privilege that people like my dad and grandfather could only dream about.
In the past year the study of law has become my main interest. While studying Audio and Media Technology in my undergraduate college, I have realized the importance of intellectual property laws and the protection of the rights of inventors, musicians, and publishers. A historical race for the White House has opened my eyes to the affairs of this nation, and constitutional law has also entered my mind as a fascinating aspect of legal study. Also, my recent year living in Ireland has intrigued me in international law as I learn about the legal differences between nations, and how it effects everything from the structure of the government, down to the individual people and culture of a nation. There are many aspects of law which I have become increasingly interested in, and I could see myself excelling in a variety of different areas.
My passion for pursing a higher education, my deep interest in law, and the values of hard work and determination that have been instilled in me by my family over the years are all contributing factors as to why I am applying to your law school. There is nothing I would enjoy more than working in a career that I have passion for, and most importantly, being able to completely capitalize on the life my parent’s have paved for me. This has become not only my dream, but also my obligation.
