国外大学申请个人陈述部分personalstatement

1、Un dergraduate GPA: 3.0LSAT: 163Applied to Florida State Un iversity.Accepted.Sometimes, it takes years to discover what you are really good at; some folks know right away. Youve read the stateme nts of coun tless applica nts who have a story about their lifelong love of law and their desire to cont

2、inue the legacies of their fathers, but my story is not one of those. My story beg ins with a seed, a fortune cookie, which, at the time I opened it was like some kind of bad joke. You would make a good lawyer. Livi ng in bohemia n New Orlea ns as a creative writing major, I cracked open my cookie,

3、read these words, and considered it a cosmic insult. I did not recognize until years lateafter having worked several years in the legislative arenthe eerie prescie nee of the cookies message.When I could no Ion ger afford my tuiti on at Loyola Un iversity New Orlea ns, I relocated to Tallahassee, an

4、d Florida State Uni versity, in order to take adva ntage of the available Bright Futures money and in-state tuition. As a student in Tallahassee, I had not spe nt a great deal of time con sideri ng what went on in side the giga ntic Capitol buildi ng or the other bla nd gover nment build ings dow nt

5、ow n.I was a poet, trained in creative writing; however, as you may be aware, employme nt in the field is hard to come by, particularly in a tow n the size of Tallahassee, and so I accepted a positi on at the Clerks Office of the Florida House after graduation. It is dumb luck that I found an availa

6、ble editing job, as they, too, are in short supply. I considered myself in much better shape than mosl of my creative writ ing peers, in that I was being hired in to a positi on in which I would be en couraged- required, eve nto use one or two of the skills I had acquired in college. I was well awar

7、e that English majors often accepted the first salaried office job they were offered, regardless of what paper-push ing drudgery it represe nted. I was lucky.I did nt know my edit ing job would turn into anything more tha n that. At first, I considered it a placeholder. This was 2003. The position w

8、as temporary, scheduled to last for just one legislative session. The Master Plan was to earn tha paycheck while looking for a more creative position, but as John Lennon observed, Life is what happe ns to you while youre busy making other pla ns. Luckily, the Florida Legislature had several special

9、sessi ons in 2003, which exte nded my temporary positi on long eno ugh for me to realize the huge opport unity I had bee n give n and my ability to excel in the field; see ing the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing quality legislation gave me a deep respect for the good that gover nment

10、 can do, whe n en abled by capable public serva nts. Whe n a higher-level positi on ope ned up, I applied. I moved fast.I was promoted repeatedly, eventually becoming the editorial supervisor in the Office of the Clerk.My work is tedioussome might say mundan e, but I would noand requires a meticulou

11、s and an alytical mind. Supervis ing the producti on of the legal record of the Florida House, the Journ al, dema nds atte nti on to detail not com mon in most office work. I have found joy in the precisi on of my work, beco mingincreasingly fascinated with the intricacies of legal writing and resea

12、rch. My mi nd has always bee n one give n to curiosity and problem-sol ving. Crossword puzzles and word games alone once sated me; as an adult, I have grow n to appreciate statutory and con stituti onal puzzles for their complexity and for the mere fact that there may be multiple acceptable soluti o

13、n s, if those solutio ns are argued compete ntly. I have come to un dersta nd that one may express creativity and passi on in ways that have nothing to do with art.My creative writing skills have been put to good use in my career, however. In 2006, whe n Clerk xxxxx retired his positi on and the Off

14、ice of the Clerk was split in two parts, my unit was moved and housed un der the n ewly created Office of the Parliamentarian. The loss of Mr. xxxxxs leadership was a strain on the office; however, my new work situati on created ano ther opport un ity for me. My new direct supervisor, Parliame ntari

15、a n yyyyyyy, recog ni zed and employed my ability to com muni cate ideas effectively. He allowed me to participate heavily in the writing of several publications. The most daunting of these is Principles, Practices & Priorities: A Handbook on Parliamentary Practice in the Florida House of Represe nt

16、atives, which explores not only the practices of the Legislature, but also the in tersect ions the Legislature must n ecessarily have with the other bran ches of Floridas gover nment. The project required exte nsive research and fact-check ing, in additi on to writi ng and edit ing, and through this

17、 process, I expa nded my un dersta nding and appreciatio n of the Florida Con stituti on. Completi on of the Prin ciples book was pivotal for my professi onal career, because the research I did in order to flesh out this book revealed my desire to participate more fully in the process of gover nment

18、. While I had begu n my career with the Florida House in 2003 as a recent college graduate just trying to get a paycheck and ble nd in, by 2006, a larger picture had started to emerge and I bega n to see myself as a valuable part of that picture.The study of law represe nts a three-way in tersecti o

19、n at which the executive, judicial, and legislative bran ches of gover nment meet; I am draw n to this con verge nee. To better un dersta nd the work I have bee n doing for the past six years, I must approach this work from a different angle. Where I sit, at my desk, I can see some thi ngs that a la

20、w stude nt might not see: I am invo Ived in and un dersta nd the en gross ing of ame ndme nts into bills, my grasp of parliame ntary practice is sound, I have a deep respect for the necessity of preserving official documents and records, I have direct experience working with others in an office sett

21、i ng. But these qualities do not give me a complete view of how law works. I can see how a bill is perfected over time and I can evaluate the argume nts of those who have in terest in the bill, but I cannot in timately un dersta nd how the statute en acted in the bill might impact the real world. Su

22、ch un dersta nding is vital if one is to even consider drafting a bill. Repeatedly, the Representatives who impress me with their grasp of the effects and con seque nces of new laws (or cha nges to laws) are those who are attor neys or who have studied law. Yes, a Representative who is a farmer is l

23、ikely to understand the effects of a bill relating to agriculture; however, a Representative who is an attorney has a broader pictur tha n others, because he or she has had direct in teract ion with the laws previous Legislatures have en acted. I seek a broad philosophical un dersta nding of how law

24、s in teract with one ano ther and how, through their in terpretati on in courts,gover n a society.I am applying for admission to the Florida State University College of Law in order to gain the formal training required to practice law in the state of Florida in the service of the public. I believe m

25、y backgro und and experie nces make me a competitive can didate, particularly whe n compared to more rece nt college graduates. My work experie nee has give n me a solid foun datio n upon which to build. I am in timately acqua in ted with long hours and difficult work; legislative sessions are quite

26、 demanding, often requiring that I work many 16-hour days con secutively. I have achieved a high level of pers onal con fide nce by produci ng quality work on a consistent basis and have developed the maturity and focus required of a successful first-year law stude nt. Additi on ally, my experie nce

27、 in writi ng, edit ing, and man agi ng the product ion of publicati ons has caused me to value precise Ian guage as an effective com muni cati on tool. I urge you to take these unique qualities into con siderati on whe n determ ining the makeup of your 2009 first-year class.I am not superstitious no

28、r do I believe a fortune cookie has the power to predict o determine the future. An idea: You would make a good lawyer. It is a seed that I am asking you to let grow. I will do the work. I need you to allow me to plant the seed.rTop0 profile ShaggierlPost subject: Re: Pers onal Stateme nt Samples 口

29、Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:22 pmWorldtraveler: Fan tastic pers onal stateme nt. One of the more movi ng, substa ntive essays I have ever see n. Con grats on your great accepta nces and good luck in LS.offline &iljJoin ed: Tue Apr 14,2009 8:57 am Posts: 1481Topprofile HariboPost subject: Re: Pers ona

30、l Stateme nt Samples 口 Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:27 pmoffline Join ed: Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:47 pm Posts: 1528Stats: 3.68/180In: Harvard, Stanford (attending), Columbia, Chicago, Berkeley, Michiga n, Georgetow nOut: Nowhere!A lot of my accepta nee letters comme nted on my pers onal stateme nt; re-rea

31、ding it I think there are some problems, but it served its purpose. I dont think this is the final-final draft, so there may be a grammatical error or two.Maria Teresa was stirring a copper vat full of boiling, light-yellow cream. A sweet-smelli ng steam obscured her face as she expla ined how to he

32、at goat milk to make cajeta, a traditi onal Mexica n caramel. While outl ining the recipe, passed dow n from her great-gra ndmother, she hin ted at her ach ing back and the many hours she spe nds in the kitche n. Still, her face was radia nt whe n she spoke of add ing rum or van ilia to those cen tu

33、ry-old recipes to subtly cha nge the flavor. I n her words, I heard a refrain later repeated by other can dy-makers I would in terview around the globe: success requires hard work and a willingness to take risks and tweak traditional recipes for new and inno vative results.Over the past ten years, I

34、ve dem on strated these same values. At MIT and in the workplace, hard work and the ability to surmount obstacles, to think through problems, and to develop soluti ons are man datory .In college, whether wak ing up at Oh-dark-thirty for Air Force officer training courses or stay ing up all ni ght to

35、 program a ball-gatheri ng robot, there was n ever eno ugh time. Struggli ng to un dersta nd was no rmal - thermod yn amics, my krypt on ite. One dropped class, two years, and many late ni ghts spe nt finishing problem sets eve ntually led to success in a subject I thought I would n ever un dersta n

36、d.These less ons served me well later, whe n the pressure was intense to desig n, program, test and certify an operat ing system for the n ext gen erati on of gen eral aviati on cockpit displays. Avio nics software development is a bit of a tightrope walk. On one hand, you must upgrade the code to m

37、eet new requireme nts. On the other, every cha nge must be weighed with the corresp onding expe nse of certification, a costly process required by the FAA to ensure all critical aircraft software is safe. Every day, I made decisi ons that set this bala nee. Despite the challe nge, 1 was not happy. A

38、s a woma n 1 found the atmosphere difficult. In nearly four years, I worked with another female engin eer only twice. I was nt margin alized, but I was isolated.With no one to turn to for advice on bala ncing life and career and left out of many male-only bonding experie nces, the aerospace in dustr

39、y was not a perma nent opti on.dreaIn spite of these misgi vin gs, my decisi on to leave a secure job to trave was un expected to many people. Engin eers are taught to abhor risk and to desig n and test it away, in stead aiming for stability and safety. Yet, I left for 18 mon ths of un certa in ty.

40、Somethi ng Ibecame possible whe n a docume ntary film-maker chose to spon sor m on my travels. My entry was selected from hundreds in an comb in ati on essay/i nterview competiti on because my reas ons for travel -to lear n all that I can of the history, product ion, and con sumpti on of candy inter

41、n ati on ally -were in terest ing and inno vative and above all, uniq ue. My earliest memories in clude trying chewing gum for the first time and starting up an elementary school candy bus in ess; the memory of boot camp that has rema ined most inten sely alive to me is the sweet ness of an ice crea

42、m san dwich after weeks without sugar. I travel not just to see new sights and meet new people, but also to explore a fascinating, delicious, and at times un settli ng aspect of huma n history. From the use of slave labor in sugar cultivati on to intern ati onal corporati ons forcing the closure of

43、local bus in esses and pushi ng eat ing habits that lead to diabetes and tooth decay, candy can have an un savory core. However, it can also bring comfort and celebration, no matter where we are. This balance o the good and the bad has long bee n part of the history of can dy.While traveling, I focu

44、s on writing and on viewing what I see with a reporter s eye. I will have covered more than thirty countries by th time the trip is over, and each day brings forth something new to explore. In Belize, I made chocolate from the seeds of the cacao pla nt grinding the bea ns by hand and roasti ng them

45、on a roari ng fire. Seeing Chin ese and America n imports crowd ing traditi onal Nicaragua n sweets out of the market led me to a deeper un dersta nding of the effects of globalization on candy markets. In Mexico, the impact of Spanish convents on the developme nt of candy mirrors the more obvious c

46、olonial in flue nces of the past 500 years. Study ing sweets haj give n in tellectual depth to my travels and a more huma ni stic way of look ing at the world after nine years as an engin eer. Additi on ally, with solo, low-budget, i ndepe ndent travel comes patie nce, a valuable globe perspective,

47、and the knowledge that risks and innovation can pay off in big ways.Perhaps it is silly to compare the experiences of candy-makers with a future law stude nts. Still, success in any en deavor is usually brought about by a comb in ati on of hard work, craftsma nship, and finding the right bala nce be

48、twee n what has worked in the past and what should bcha nged for the future. The law is no differe nt. With my backgro und in engin eeri ng and software developme nt and a Ion g-sta nding in terest in the impact of tech no logy Internet law is a n atural fit. The laws inthis field are n ewly develop

49、 ing; the bala nee betwee n the old and the new is still being set. How do traditi onal rights to privacy and freedom of expressi on exte nd to the Intern et? Who owns the data on li ne, and who determ ines how to dissem in ate it? How can we apply laws to a medium as global as the Intern et, where

50、boun daries of jurisdict ion are un clear? I want to comb ine the tools and tech niq uesve lear ned over the past twenty-seven years with a law degree to help answer these questions. Like Maria Teresa, I want to work to set the balanee.TopR praClla 1 MMKierste n1985Post subject: Re: Pers onal Statem

51、e nt Samples 口 Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:55 pmoffline Haribo wrote:Stats: 3.68/180In: Harvard, Stanford (attending), Columbia, Chicago, Berkeley, Michiga n, Georgetow nOut: Nowhere!Joi ned: Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:36 pm Posts: 1181A lot of my accepta nee letters comme nted on my pers onal stateme nt; re

52、-reading it I think there are some problems, but it served its purpose. I dont think this is the final-final draft, so there may be a grammatical error or two.Maria Teresa was stirring a copper vat full of boiling, light-yellow cream. A sweet-smelli ng steam obscured her face as she expla ined how t

53、o heat goat milk to make cajeta, a traditi onal Mexica n caramel. While outlining the recipe, passed down from her great-grandmother, she hin ted at her ach ing back and the many hours she spe nds in the kitche n. Still, her face was radia nt whe n she spoke of add ing rum or van ilia to those cen t

54、ury-old recipes to subtly cha nge the flavor. I n her words, I heard a refrain later repeated by other can dy-makers I would in terview around the globe: success requires hard work and a willingness to take risks and tweak traditional recipes for new and inno vative results.Over the past ten years,

55、Ive dem on strated these same values. At MIT and in the workplace, hard work and the ability to surmount obstacles, to think through problems, and to develop soluti ons are man datory .In college, whether wak ing up at Oh-dark-thirty for Air Force officertraining courses or stay ing up all ni ght to

56、 program a ball-gatheri ng robot, there was n ever eno ugh time. Struggli ng to un dersta nd was no rmal - thermod yn amics, my krypt on ite. One dropped class, two years, and many late ni ghts spe nt finishing problem sets eve ntually led to success in a subject I thought I would n ever un dersta n

57、d.These less ons served me well later, whe n the pressure was intense to desig n, program, test and certify an operat ing system for the n ext gen erati on of gen eral aviati on cockpit displays. Avio nics software developme nt is a bit of a tightrope walk. On one hand, you must upgrade the code to

58、meet new requireme nts. On the other, every cha nge must be weighed with the corresp onding expe nse of certification, a costly process required by the FAA to ensure all critical aircraft software is safe. Every day, I made decisi ons that set this bala nee. Despite the challe nge, I was not happy.

59、As a woma n I found the atmosphere difficult. In nearly four years, I worked with another female engin eer only twice. I was nt margin alized, but I was isolated. With no one to turn to for advice on bala ncing life and career and left out of many male-only bonding experie nces, the aerospace in dustry was not a perma nent opti on.d dresIn spite of these misgi vin gs, my d