The Intro ..

[ILoveNY]

I need help!  I've actually alredy written a "personal statement" of sorts that I'm really only going to be able to use as the optional essay for many schools because it explains a hardship overcome, while many of the schools I'm applying to want to know why I want to be a lawyer.  My problem isn't necessarily the stating WHY I want to be a lawyer, but it's the introductory paragraph of the statement.  I refuse to use anything along the lines of "I've want to be a lawyer since I was..", obviously, but I can't really come up with anything that will likely get the attention of the reader without sounding cliche and boring.  I really need help with the intro .. please!!!

[Chesperito]

If you can tie in your hardship to your motivation for becoming a lawyer, maybe you can tell a related story that illustrates your motivation, instead of just stating it.  That might help you from coming across as cliche or unimaginative.


V

[ILoveNY]

That's actually been a big problem for me. There is a relationship, but I'm not sure it's significant enough to write a whole essay.  The original essay is really more about the lessons I have learned about myself because of what I overcame rather than how I discovered I wanted to be a lawyer (I don't know when that actually happened). I was hoping to write a completely different essay aside form the hardship one.  My reasons for wanting to be a lawyer are very traditional: the respect and prestige, the intellectual challenge, the helping people deal .. and while they all sound cliche, they are all very true.  I just need some way of introducing the reader to those ideas without coming of as "this is why I want to be a lawyer" and then juts list them.  does that make sense?

[elisel]

I don't think most schools want your whole ps to be "why you want to be a lawyer" because they realize most people's ambitions are somewhat amorphous heading into law school.   They want you to demonstrate qualities that show you would be a good lawyer.  It sounds to me like you could modify the first essay to be your ps if you tie in  your ambitions to law.  Or even if you don't want to, it seems ok to write something else that is more about how you have grown, learned, etc. as a person as long as you somehow relate it to law school/being a lawyer in a convincing way.  Even if those are your reasons for being a lawyer, I'd focus more on the intellectual challenge part.  You always hear not to say "I want to help people".