Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement
'Thomas...Michael...Smith!' As the hair on the back of my neck stands at attention; I cringe, paralyzed mid-stride; my chest constricts; it becomes impossible to breath. My thoughts race between the 'choice words' of an eight year old and the decisions of my recent past. In a panic-stricken state I dart through memories, desperate to recall what has invoked my mother's wrath. Only a week before Christmas, I am well aware that Santa is watching and I have been attentive to my every move. I had not recently given myself a haircut, loudly exclaimed my discontent at not receiving a 'potato chip' at church, accidentally removed one of my sister's front teeth, put a hole in a wall, or tried to bathe electronic toys. Although the reason is currently unclear, one thing is certain, I have done something wrong in my mothers eyes and I am in for it! Regardless of what I had done, the high jinks of my youth taught me valuable lessons beyond truths like Teddy Ruxben does not like baths, I have power over dry-wall and only barbers should give children haircuts. I learned how to function within the mini-legal system of my family. Seldom did I have a strong case to plead and appeals were rarely heard. Being the oldest, I could not rely on precedent and I frequently threw myself on the mercy of the court. However, each instance yielded personal growth which slowly manifested itself in self-discipline and a more healthy relationship with my parents. This is my inspiration to study law. I can appreciate the intrinsic value of a law school education and do not feel that it is merely a means to some end. Although a legal education provides many appealing opportunities, a specific career goal is not what guides my interest. In a less scathing lawyer joke, Jerry Seinfeld most accurately expresses my mind-set. He describes life as a huge board game in which lawyers are 'the only ones who have read the inside of the top of the box and know the rules." An education that teaches specifics to be used in a lab does not hold the same value for me as one that offers practical knowledge of how to function and work best within society. My undergraduate major which entails advanced philosophy and sciences has instilled in me a comprehensive picture of the world. Combining classes like organic chemistry and advanced moral problems has challenged me to adopt a unique method of approaching problems and finding solutions. The diverse philosophies I have encountered have taught me to identify, examine, construct, and rebut arguments. By synthesizing humanities and the natural sciences I have been taught to read, analyze and argue with precision; skills invaluable to any successful student. Perhaps being grounded and having my mouth washed out with soap did not seem just at the time, but my upbringing helped instill in me values essential to a good legal professional. I was taught that my actions bring serious consequences, both great and harmful. A profound sense of personal responsibility was the result. My extensive Catholic education has honed my sense of mutual respect and integrity and I have become increasingly conscious of those who do not have a voice in today's society. The true test of my values has not been in the classroom, but on the field. As a student-athlete I was provided an education far beyond what I learned in the classroom. I quickly discovered how to balance the various aspects of my life successfully. In a highly competitive environment my success has shown my superior work-ethic. My duties as captain of a division 1A sports team challenged and expanded my capacity for responsibility and accountability. My peers inadvertently taught me that true leadership primarily entails listening and serving. In addition, through serious sports injury and extensive rehabilitation I learned I have the perseverance and fortitude to face adversity. My childhood antics strengthened my character and provided valuable insight into community life. In retrospect, I can see that opening and rewrapping my presents well before Christmas is not something that would please my parents. However, on Christmas morning I did learn that there are many children who are not as fortunate as I am.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
A. Why are you interested in pursuing your legal education at Penn Law? (My essay to U Michigan and Cornell was very similar).
What first attracted me to the University of Pennsylvania Law School was its strong focus on the legal issues related to the scientific and medical fields, most notably the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program. In addition to offering a wide range of traditional coursework on intellectual property, Penn Law has unique courses like "Science and the Public Domain" and "Strategic Intellectual Property." The law school also offers opportunities to take cross-disciplinary classes at one of the top research institutions in the nation. Since I am interested in working in the pharmaceutical industry in patent prosecution or scientific regulatory law, I would like to enhance my scientific background with pharmaceutical chemistry courses from the College of Pharmacy. I enjoyed being a student representative for the Chemistry department in college and would like to continue in a similar position in the Penn Intellectual Property Group by planning and participating in their events. There are many other qualities which factor into my decision to apply. Penn Law, unlike many law schools, has a high quality first year legal writing course which encompasses essential writing, researching, and oral presentation skills. I like that the classes are taught by librarians and that the class is broken up into small sections so that I can receive personalized attention. I have lived most of my life in the New York City area and wish to practice in it, so I want to go to a school with an extensive network in the area and a great employment rate like Penn Law. When I visited the university I was impressed by the beautiful campus and the vibrant neighborhood. There is even a Ki-Aikido club if I want to continue with this hobby. Penn Law is simply an excellent fit for my academic, professional, and social goals.
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Essay Question:
In 500 words or less, please tell us why you are interested in a law school education. When you imagine the educational environment that is most likely to help you to fulfill your ambitions, what do you see?
If someone were to tell you that could think about anything but a pink elephant, you cannot think about anything else. To a starving man, food holds the ultimate fascination. A blind man will yearn to see the dullest shades of grey. It is simple human nature that to deprive a person of something will only increase their thirst for it a thousandfold. I grew up powerless in a country where laws were words on a piece of parchment, to be twisted into macabre shapes or simply ignored whenever it was convenient or desired. Everyone was subject to the whims of the few in power, with no recourse or appeal of any kind. To call it a legal system is to pervert the phrase. Therefore it is not surprising that I was fascinated by American politics and government, by the utterly alien idea of a system which had to obey its own rules. What I want from a law school is not to be provided with a black and white list of laws or a long checklist of legal wrongs. Rather, I hope to be able to spot and comprehend the million shades of grade and competing policy decisions which shape our country. I am a scientist and that is how I intend to approach my legal education. The force which drives me is the desire to know how everything functions and how the puzzle pieces fit together to create such a complex system. I need a school which will give me this understanding and push me to make the connections on my own so that I will retain them for longer than the examination period. When I leave in three years, I expect to be equipped with the ability not only to understand but also to know how to make changes to emerging scientific laws.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement
Imperial Sugar It was only 99 cents at Kroger: Imperial Pure Cane Sugar. At home in America's Kitchens Since 1843. Net wt 1 lb. (16 oz) 453 g. 126 Sugar Cubes. Little did I know how much this 2 x 4 < x 3 > inch cardboard box would come to symbolize. This thin, light-yellow box with slender white lines and such seemingly simple instructions, 'pull and tear at perforation,' serves as a reminder of life's lessons. As I enter my fourth and final year as coordinator of Wharton and Rice Mentorship (WARM), I will forever treasure those little encounters the most. Wharton Elementary has become my haven, my home, and a place where I have found solace during my college career. This elementary serves a predominately Hispanic population in the Fourth Ward and Montrose area of Houston, Texas. Perusing the school profile on paper, one could think twice about the prospects of success for these children: 100% are Title 1 (low-income students), 87% are on free/reduced lunch, 61% have Limited English, and 79% are considered at-risk. Yet, their attendance numbers are phenomenal, their promotion rate is high, and their hearts are so overpowering that one cannot help but stand in awe at this exemplary school and its families. Through WARM, we alternate between Wharton Elementary and Rice University campuses. One memorable afternoon from last Spring stands out in my mind. By 3:15, the mentors and mentees gathered to eat the strawberry cupcakes with vanilla frosting and sprinkles that I had baked the prior evening. Our focus for the day was twofold: to bring closure to the year and to unify the group. I initiated an activity in which participants could capitalize on their strengths and disintegrate their weaknesses. We sat in a circle with the famous cardboard box. The sugar activity was one that I had developed as a cabin leader at a summer camp for children with special needs. 'I fear that I will be this size in two years,' remarked Julian, an obese nine-year old boy who recognizes the health risks inherent in his size. Josh, a second year mentor, revealed, 'I am scared that my ambition to become a doctor is only a quest to make my parents proud.' 'I am scared that I will not accomplish my God-given mission. I fear that I will succumb to the pressures of being the 'best' or doing the 'best' and that I will lose sight of my mission in life.' That was what I said. One by one, we disclosed our greatest fears by dropping sugar cubes into the water. The Tupperware bowl became a reservoir of renounced anxiety. We each began with about five sugar cubes, then by the end they were all gone. Recognizing each concern as noteworthy, the children offered mutual support and respect. What came to surface that Friday afternoon in April was the trust and love that had been built among our team. By dropping the sugar cubes in water, we watched the very things that were troubling us shed and disintegrate. Finally, when there were just a handful of pieces left, I had everyone put in one cube together. We made a pact for each other. In unison, each individual dropped his or her final cube, making a wish for WARM - that we may embrace trust, hope, and love. This activity taught us to relinquish the strong, tough, survivor-like exteriors we tend to wear, to acknowledge our vulnerabilities, and to embrace hope in one another. The next week, we used the same bowl for water, but we each had one stone to place into the bowl. The goal was for each of us to identify one quality for which we were most proud. We went around the circle and declared our greatest asset. We acknowledged that these stones could and would never dissolve. While the stones may become smoother with time, having been weathered by water, they would always be impenetrable and withstand hardship. After each of us placed our stone, we reflected on the unique contribution each person, in living, makes to the world. With the basin of water before us, we each took one stone to keep. I instructed everyone not to ask whose stone they had received, but to treasure the fact that they could be empowered by someone else's strength. Each of us now, both figuratively and quite literally, carries one another's strengths with us. That afternoon, I held that my strength was to serve as a voice for others. Outsiders might not see anything magical in that day, but the symbolism of our simple game became my declaration of independence. I am committed to not letting the voices of those children, or of any people I care about, fade away. This is what has been the guiding force for my devotion to my senior thesis project for Women and Gender Studies. Since my sophomore year, I have been invested in addressing the childcare needs of Rice University and instigating a dialogue surrounding this issue. My current fight is for the working mothers and fathers who face challenges in their dual roles as parents and employees. Utilizing my psychology based research skills, I am surveying the campus faculty, staff, and graduate students, to ascertain the desire for and feasibility of an onsite childcare facility. My efforts have re-ignited a discussion left silent since 1994, when the Commission on Women last addressed the issue. My senior thesis will be a comprehensive, ten year revisited report and recommendation to the administration regarding childcare needs. As I believe Rice should support both its educative mission and the notion of the family, I am working as an advocate to realize this goal. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan once said, 'All my growth and development led me to believe that if you really do the right thing, and if you play by the rules, and if you've got good enough, solid judgment and common sense, that you're going to be able to do whatever you want to do with your life.' As a Barbara Jordan Scholar, I have been able to attend Rice University because, coming out of high school I was recognized as a student who exhibited the qualities that were an integral part of her character - the ability to build bridges across racial, cultural, and religious divides - and the will to enhance the campus environment by embracing the diverse traditions that are part of our society. It is an honor to uphold her traditions and ideals through both academic and personal endeavors. Entering law school, I want to espouse her beliefs and empower others. I want to continue to embody her goals of building bridges. In a quest for public service, I hope to emulate her work. Whether through WARM, the childcare project, or my active role in campus and community service projects, my goal is to listen to the voices of others. I hope to be able to fight for those people, who are often too tired, overworked, young, or troubled to be able to fight for themselves. I want to stand up for them, their lives, ambitions, and dreams. I believe in 10 year-old Eddie, who wishes someday he could live in a three-story house. I will, someday, campaign for his friend Martin, who wants to be a world leader. It is funny how one hundred and twenty six sugar cubes could come to mean so much. After we all placed our final sugar cube in the water in unison, I was overcome with emotion and gave everyone a tearful, heartfelt thank you. I was moved by the bravery of the mentors and children. I have carried the rock in my backpack ever since. I do not know whose talent and strength I carry with me - I am lucky enough to carry all of them with me in my heart. WARM has been at home in my heart since 2000.
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Essay Question:
Diversity Statement
That bumpy road 'Parece lavador.' These were the words my grandmother would always smile saying as we drove down the caliche roads to the ranch for family gatherings. Lavador: it means washer or cleaner, like the washboard that she used in the 'olden days.' The roads were bumpy like the washboard. That washer -the wooden exterior handle rim with the bumpy cleansing surface - like that rough road, is an emblem of my ties to my past. My grandparents, Victor and Consuelo, did not have formal education past elementary school. Instead, my grandfather learned hard work, dedication, and strength from his handiwork and labor for Duval County. My grandmother learned her role from her culture, her Catholic faith, her land, and her family. They taught their children to cherish and respect one another as equals. Moreover, they imparted their strong work value and ethic to their grandchildren. My mom grew up in a home where she and her family made everything from their own butter or soap to clothing and staple foods. In some ways, my upbringing in a technology-filled city has been quite different; other respects remain the same. Like my mom, I treasure the family-centered traditions that are the root of my Mexican-American culture. Throughout my schooling, every Sunday after mass was a family event. Much like the gatherings at el arroyo, where they would assemble at the edge of the river when my mom was young, my generation gathered at my grandma's home in rural Concepcisn, Texas. At the 'T' of the street, my mom and her siblings, extended family, and neighbors, would congregate with blankets, food, and games. My brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends, likewise, gathered to celebrate one another each Sunday afternoon. My grandfather passed away before I was born, but I continued to learn of his character from my family. In 1990, when my grandmother sustained a disabling stroke, our road was again changed, this time to Alice, Texas, where she could live with my aunt. This did not change the nature of our family gatherings, just the location. She lived there for six years before moving in with my family, and we paved a new road again. Then, several years back, my grandma's road ended. Her passing added some difficult turns in mine, but strong family ties have taught me to reinforce the values with which I was raised and to carry on traditions, even if in modified ways. The roads of the lavador continue to shape me. The caliche roads to my grandmother's ranch are in my past, but I will use those experiences to travel still more bumpy roads. Where Farm Road 1329 and County Road 208 intersect was where my mom would walk to school. This fall I will journey to law school, bringing my family over the caliche roads we now smile about and onto newly-paved streets.
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Essay Question:
Option essay on how Michigan is a good fit
Michigan and Me Race - class - gender - sexuality - disability - age - national origin. How and why do these forces influence the law and how do those realities impact oppressed peoples? In one of my first women's studies courses at Rice University, 'Gendered Perspectives on the Law,' I was introduced to the multidisciplinary field of Critical Race Feminism. As Adrien Wing points out in Critical Race Feminism: A Reader, critical race feminists are 'anti-essentialists who call for a deeper understanding of the lives of women of color based on the multiple natures of their identities' (4). By using the stories of minority women, narrative validates their experiences as a base for understanding how the law affects marginalized people. In addition, we emphasize both theory and practice. All in all, then, we can look to storytelling as a new feminist consciousness raising. When I have spoken to University of Michigan Law School representatives, I have felt a connection with this type of passion. They seem overly enthusiastic to mention Catharine MacKinnon. I can, likewise, speak back words of praise about her, having read her work. There are many places within the law school community where I would love to learn and grow. Publications such as the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law and Michigan Journal of Race & Law will fuel me, not only as forums for discussions, but as avenues for tangible change and active student involvement. Based on my interest in race and gender issues, I am intrigued by the existence of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) Reading Group, as Michigan is the first law school I have seen with such a group. Furthermore, once settled at Michigan, there are a number of programs I could participate in to continue my college involvement. I recognize, however, that to a certain extent my dedication may need to shift until I am more prepared for the rigor at the University of Michigan Law School. Perhaps in my undergraduate career, my UGPA, for example, would have been much higher had I not participated in so many extracurricular activities. Had I not done so, however, I would not have acquired the education I did, because some of the greatest education I received was what I learned outside of the classroom from the community. In light of this, I still want to be very involved, but only once I am sufficiently prepared academically to do so. In this sense, mentoring with the Volunteer Students Tutoring Association (VSTA) would be very similar to the program I coordinated for four years, WARM. In addition, by recruiting and supporting Latino students through the Latino Law Students Association (LLSA) I could continue my work from the Minority Interest Committee of the Student Admissions Council at Rice. Joining the Women Law Students Association would also definitely be a plus. Ultimately, I would like to continue my work with public interest as a career. Due to Michigan's reputation with public service, I see the law school as a perfect choice to pursue either the child advocacy legal clinic or the family law project. I believe that I can offer Michigan my passion for people and for change. Michigan can offer me the resources to make those changes.
