Law School Personal Statement

I thought I'd give you some more of my writing to read. Aren't you so excited? I'm going to blog about this weekend later today or tomorrow for those who want an update. But for now, here is my personal statement for law school. When you apply to law school you are asked to send in a personal statement because they don't interview candidates, you get two pages to write just about anything you want to try and convince them that you're a better candidate than somebody else. This is what I wrote:


I can still remember the day when I decided that I wanted to know everything. It was the same day I decided I was going to change the world. On a cold in November 2002, I walked down an empty street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. I was working there as a missionary for my church and as I headed to my next appointment, I thought about my future. I thought about the plans I had made. I was going to study computer science. After all, I had already held several jobs as a computer technician and I was good at it. But I realized then, as I walked down that street, that I would not find fulfillment in that field. I needed to improve the world, to directly benefit the lives of others. As a missionary, I primarily did two things: learn and help people. And walking down that empty street, I realized that was all I really wanted to do. I realized that by doing those two things to the best of my ability, I would find fulfillment; I could change the world for the better.
Experience has taught me that knowledge truly is power. Even the most trivial knowledge can influence others and enhance relationships. I’ve made many friends simply by referring to some obscure movie or TV show. While trivial knowledge can be power, I recognized greater power in practical knowledge. As a missionary, I learned to speak both Spanish and Portuguese. Subsequently, I have also learned to speak Russian. I hadn’t realized how much I was missing until I learned a foreign language. Speaking a foreign language does so much more than allow communication, it opens doors to parts of the world you don’t even know are there. As I saw the influence language could have, I decided to pursue the study of linguistics.
While studying linguistics, I learned a great deal and saw the power of practical knowledge but something was lacking. Luckily for me, I also took a course in the history of philosophy and there found an even more powerful form of knowledge. I began to learn how to think. Knowledge is most powerful when we know how to apply it, when we know how to think. For a time I pursued a double major in philosophy and linguistics but I soon realized that philosophy was where my heart lie. While most of my friends and family don’t understand what I study, the lessons I have learned from philosophy have provided me with knowledge that helps me change the world.
Many people think that changing the world is a lofty goal. I disagree, I think we change the world merely by our presence in it. We can’t help but change the world; the real question is how we change it. We often think that it takes some great thing to influence our world, but the small things are what make the difference. No newspapers reported when my teenaged sister gave her baby up for adoption because she could not provide a home for her. But she changed the world for a young couple who couldn’t have children, and for that baby girl. No cameras have been present when teachers and professors have stopped to teach me, nor when they have taken the time to stress the importance of learning. But those men and women have changed my life and my world. They have changed the lives and worlds of many others, and will continue to do so. As I pursue a career, I hope to do those small things that will truly improve the world.
I want to know everything and I want to change the world. The first, I will never accomplish. The second, I have already done and will continue to do without even trying. The trick is to get as close to the first as possible, and to make sure that I do the second in such a way that it makes the world a better place. Helping and learning, that’s all I really want to do in life. Fortunately, they work well together. As long as I take the power that comes with learning and use it properly, I can help other people. I have pursued these two goals since that day in November of 2002, and I will continue to pursue them. Right now, I’m taking the next step in that pursuit.