Personal Statement: From Med School To Law School

Recently, I participated in a campus tour that was led by Ms. Keli Huang. The visit provided me with a better understanding of what Cardozo Law School has to offer. Cardozo Law undeniably has an outstanding reputation among legal institutions, along with brilliant professors who are truly invested in their student’s studies. However, the inviting community is what really sets it apart from other law schools. Ms. Huang raved about the supportive and friendly environment among the students. The welcoming atmosphere at Cardozo Law offer the students an unparalleled legal education that cultivates energetic strong class of attorneys; it is a community I would be honored to be part of.

At the age of ten, I read a book, “Gifted Hands” by Dr. Ben Carson, which inspired and begin to motivate my interest in pursuing medicine as a career because I could identify with his discovery of the joy of reading and his fascination with science. When I was 14, I had an epiphany at the doctor’s office. This event occurred a little after I had finished my final exams in school and the next step was to go to senior high school. But, I thought the preliminary chemistry and physics classes of junior high school were daunting and went on to convince myself that a career in medicine might not be right for me.

I am fascinated by the complexity of many legal issues and this has drawn me to consider law as a career. The documentary ‘Common’ for example opened my eyes to the controversy surrounding the law of joint enterprise. I particularly enjoy watching such documentaries and following current affairs and my interest in contemporary issues led me to take Law as one of my AS subjects. I live in a rural, agricultural area and land law is an area I would like to study further and having studied Sociology for GCSE, I am also particularly interested in family law.

I define myself as a curious researcher and reflective practitioner who perceives legal education as a combination of passion and practicality. Whereas my idealistic side wants to thoroughly understand the development of global legal ethics, my pragmatic side asks what actions should be taken by lawyers to solve international legal problems. Hence, Penn Law’s core strengths in providing a remarkably interdisciplinary learning experience and the program of Legal Practice Skills will be the bridge to my academic and professional aspirations.

While growing up, there are innumerable decisions to be made and paths to take. As I am approaching the ending point of my high school career, I have finally found the correct one for me. I have known from a surprisingly young age that I wish to pursue a job in the medical field, and have taken a number of steps to help achieve this dream. I show tremendous passion for both my educational and career goals, and how to reach them. My future is incredibly important to me because through doing my job, I will also be achieving my biggest goal: saving lives.

From my father, who has dedicated his life to developing community through ministry, to my mother, who despite being raised as a transnational migrant worker, pursued public education and now advocates for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, a strong sense of community has always been a part of my value set. I believe that my life experiences serving disadvantaged and often systemically oppressed minority communities have led to my desire to pursue the profession of law. My time spent interning at a law firm only reaffirmed my belief that the practice of law is right for

It’s not always case-breaking finds at one o’clock in the morning, exhilarating oral arguments or massive jury trials. Instead, days are spent crafting discovery plans, drafting and editing briefs, receiving criticism from colleagues, outlining arguments and reading filings from opposing parties all while trying to balance the multitude of other aspects of daily life. A Civil Action addressed this truth. It addressed the financial difficulties certain career paths can take and also addressed the effects a legal career can have on personal relationships. It is, of course, difficult to generalize the application of one story to the entire field, but a realistic understanding is more useful than ideas of grandeur. Knowing this reality prior to really beginning my undergraduate career allowed me to remain focused, develop the skills I needed, and maintain a realistic understanding of how to prepare for law school. Every class I completed, every group I participated in and every job I’ve held has been in furtherance of my goals to become an attorney. This lesson from A Civil Action helped provide a necessary

Two decades and many existential crises later, one single aspect of my life has pulled me through: that passion I experienced as a child. I have questioned the source of this motivation more than once, and have sought out to put myself in all possible situations that would predict how I would feel later in my life as a doctor to make sure this passion was not mere infatuation.

I started participating in medical prep programs in middle school, dissected my first cadaver in high school, and attended the top university for preparing undergraduate African American medical doctors. My ten year goal for becoming a doctor was on track, there was only one problem; I wasn't excelling in the pre-med program. My university's pride lies in its science core and specifically designed courses to train medical students. This triggered my existential crisis, I became depressed and it showed in my academic work. My future plans were as tarnished as my grade point average, how can I work in healthcare if I can't pass anatomy and physiology?

The concept of social justice is the driving force of my passion for the legal system and has drove to want to pursue justice-oriented career as I would like to expose the existence of systemic inequities and advocate for the need for progressive social change. I also see my education and my involvement within my campus and community as another drive for my passion in legal and political studies. While maintaining a full course load in Political Science, I was the president of the Political Science Student Association. This allowed me to further nourish my political curiosities, and to utilize and expand my analytical skills through organized debates and political discussions. When leading my executive team, it has given me the capacity to assess situations and act accordingly in making decisions on behalf of the course union. Also, my role as an Undergraduate Teacher’s Assistant, I was able to share my passion with students for logic and critical thinking by working alongside students in their academia of philosophy. Not only did I exemplify honesty and integrity, as well adhering to the confidential and ethical code of the University of British Columbia, but I also further developed an attention to detail with the significant responsibility of making decisions on

Before writing this assignment, I have asked myself many times the unsettling question that aside from wanting to be a defender of the realm and a ‘slayer’ of bigots and dictators, what kind of lawyer would I want to be putting aside emotions and the idealistic notions of a young mind. In truth, since I am only at the beginning of my journey in law, my final destination may change as time goes by even though my

I went into college as a pre-med student, intending to apply for a healthcare profession after graduation. The healthcare profession carried a sense of responsibility, moral gratification, and prestige that few other careers could offer. Therefore, I was drawn to it. I took all the classes in college that I would need to take in order to apply to medical school. But I always felt like there was something missing, something I wasn’t thinking about. Maybe it was something I didn’t want to think about. The plan was to go through four tough and grueling years of medical school, then an even more stressful residency. That combined with the long hours worked by physicians made the field still rewarding nonetheless, but less appealing to me. It

From my greatest academic disappointment arose the strength to pursue my career goals. During my senior year of college, I applied to medical school. I initially planned that I would go straight to medical school after undergrad. Luckily, I didn’t get in. Admittedly, it sounds weird to say that I’m fortunate to not meet a milestone in which I put forth much effort towards. But in retrospect, it introduced me to my own inequities, which I had to address before I could even consider myself ready to tackle such feat.

At the beginning of the second semester of the first year, a select group of high performing students would be chosen to participate in Law Center I, and assignments would be consistent with the assignments completed in the first semester. Thus, in Law Center I, students would interview and screen potential clients, and perform research. In doing so, Law Center I provides students with the opportunity to transfer skills learned in the prior semester to a new legal context – and on behalf of a real client. This approach would be followed in each subsequent semester, with students building upon the skills acquired in doctrinal and skills courses, and faculty gradually increasing the complexity of work and level of responsibility.

Today, more than ever before, the legal profession offers a unique opportunities to dedicated individual to make a significant contribution to the society. This post is aimed at help you evaluate law as a career. It should give you a clear understanding of what to expect in your educational path to a law degree and the very significant financial expenses associated with obtaining a law degree.