Essay Category:
Essay Question:
MAJOR ESSAY (PERSONAL STATEMENT): Please provide a statement of your reasons for wishing to engage in the study of law, setting forth any special qualifications you believe you have. Include in your personal statement any additional facts that you believe should have a bearing on your admission to law school.
I am a competitor - I am not satisfied with mediocrity; I demand of myself nothing less than my best effort at all times. For many years, athletics provided me an opportunity to reap the benefits of my naturally competitive attitude, which fueled my assiduous labors to cultivate my raw talent. As a three-sport athlete at an intensely competitive high school, I relished every moment on the baseball, football, or soccer field. On each team, I earned a position of critical importance to the team'a visible position that was demanding and unforgiving'and I excelled at each. In baseball I played first base and batted clean-up, in football I punted and kicked, and in soccer I played goalkeeper. Nevertheless, there is something special about being a member of a team and achieving a common goal. None of my teams ever won a state championship, but we came exasperatingly closefinishing with high national rankings in football and soccer. I was recruited by a number of universities; however, my dream of playing varsity athletics at a major university would never be realized after I blew out my knee during my senior year. Rehabilitating my knee was challenging, but I learned it could never endure the rigorous training necessitated by the Division I athletics. Luckily, I found that club sports were a more low-impact option I could still enjoy. Though I still delight in playing club soccer and golf, it's not the same competition level that I used to love. Naturally, parity exists between athletic competition and academic competition. Academically, the Duke student body is competitive, but that competition manifests itself in a different, much more indirect way. After a weak first semester performance by my own standards, I challenged myself to achieve a level of excellence similar to what I used to demand on the field. I have made the Deans List every semester since the first, freshman year. Even as a freshman, I looked to my future career as an opportunity to build upon my academic talents and realize success in a competitive field of some nature. At first, medicine caught my attention. My experiences and conversations with orthopedic surgeons led me to begin college as a pre-med. I landed a great summer job (one that I would resume each summer until Junior year) in a toxicology lab with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco that afforded me the opportunity to use my science background while supplementing my learning in biology and genetics. I discovered that work in a laboratory translates into periods of intense concentration and effort when performing a test or procedure, followed by periods of ennui waiting for those tests or procedures to run their course. One of my supervisors furnished me with company documents and externally written articles explaining the intricacies of the company's legal troubles, giving me something to read during the less exciting periods. The purpose of the reading was to relate why the tests we were running on various tobacco products needed to be performed. The effect of the documents was unintended, but substantial: I became absorbed in the legal arguments comprising the lawsuits against Reynolds. I found myself researching various aspects of the cases in my spare time. As a nonsmoker, I could appreciate many of the arguments for and against the tobacco industry. The legal wrangling in these suits still captivates me. Having recognized the law as a major forum for intellectual competition, I realized that I finally found a substitute for the competitive void left by athletics. As an aspiring lawyer, I have taken every opportunity to immerse myself in activities related to law. I joined Bench & Bar, the pre-legal society at Duke, and eventually became president of the club. I even added a second major, Public Policy Studies (PPS), in addition to Economics, to refine my reasoning skills and expand my understanding of business, government, and public policy. The knowledge I have gained in my undergraduate majors should provide me with a unique perspective in my legal studies. Economics has proven a perfect complement to my innately analytical perspective, and my ongoing studies continue to whet my reasoning. In my PPS major, every class features numerous writing assignments. These writing assignments, referred to as 'memos' by the department, require the advocacy of a single viewpoint. In writing these memos, I learned successful advocacy is critically dependent upon analyzing all sides of an issue and concentrating on weaknesses or ambiguities in the opposition's argument while, at the same time, anticipating attacks against limitations in my chosen viewpoint. Moreover, I have developed a passion for scrutinizing competing arguments and a profound appreciation for the art of crafting language into a convincing assertion. Through the Public Policy Department, I have also been able to gain valuable exposure to legal issues. I was able to take a class focusing on the administration of justice, taught by a team of Durham lawyers, and intern with one of those lawyers during the summer following my junior year. As an intern, I examined the NC Supreme Courts exercise of appellate jurisdiction over the Court of Appeals in criminal cases, uncovering evidence that the Court is more available to the States appeals than the defense's. The internship experience fortified my desire to become a lawyer. My competitive nature and passion for meeting challenges fuel both my academic studies and professional aspirations. I believe Vanderbilts rigorous, but friendly academic environment will allow me to thrive as a law student, and its excellent national reputation will benefit me professionally.
