Sample Essay

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At first glance, the most remarkable thing about me might seem to be the fact that I have the temerity to apply to law school in the first place. I have a blemished academic record that includes both withdrawals and failing grades, and by the time I receive my degree in May, I will have spent six years as an undergraduate. Looking beyond these statistics, however, to the harrowing circumstances of my personal life, it quickly becomes clear that what is much more remarkable is the fact that I have survived at all. In retrospect, I see that I could easily have been crushed by all that happened, that I could have lost all hope, belief in myself, and ambition. Somehow, fortunately, something within me has prevented that from occurring. With my parents and two younger sisters, I came to America from Asia when I was eight. We were poor from the time we arrived (my father first worked as a janitor, my mother as a seamstress), but I hardly knew the difference as a young child. I was aware that my mother arose each morning at five to take a bus to work, and I knew that I was responsible for taking care of my sisters in her absence. In fact, I was a virtual surrogate parent, assuming a key role in raising my sisters. Eventually my father bought a small gas station, where from the age of 12 I helped out each day by pumping gas. I would go to work right after school and not come home until midnight. On weekends I worked from nine to nine.

When I was ready to attend college, my parents had somehow saved enough money to underwrite the cost. My freshman year-when, for the first time, I did not have to work-I had a 3.8 GPA. This was more reflective of my academic potential than the grades I earned in subsequent years, when family problems made it impossible for me to concentrate on my studies. My father's business was going steadily downhill (at times he did not even have enough money to buy gas for the station), and my family needed my help in order to survive. I began working 35 to 40 hours a week selling men's clothes. Nevertheless, my family's economic picture deteriorated steadily. The five of us moved into a two-bedroom apartment because that was all we could (barely) afford. My father lost his business, and my college notified me that I was ''disenrolled'' because I was unable to pay my tuition. By the following semester I had saved enough to return to school, but times were still difficult. Occasionally we had no gas or electricity in our apartment because bills were having to go unpaid. At one point we even had to go three days without food. Then, in late April, disaster struck. My family was evicted from its apartment, with the landlord temporarily refusing (illegally) to let us back in to retrieve our possessions. For two weeks I slept in the library at my school, while my parents slept on the floor of a building that was being remodeled. (Both of my sisters were away at college.) The eviction preceded my finals by two weeks and, not surprisingly, had a devastating impact on my performance.

I realize that the poverty in my background is not unique, that other applicants have likely had to deal with similar problems. However, as the only son in an Asian family, I always had a greater-than-usual amount of responsibility on my shoulders. It is difficult for me to convey the humiliation and pain I felt over the years as I watched my parents assume demeaning roles, exacerbated by their poor command of English and ignorance of their rights. Their experience has made a deep impression on me and sensitized me to the problems and injustices which so many suffer. It is important to me that I be able to lead a life that is noble and worthwhile, and I want to do this by being in a position in which I can help others and make a contribution. I plan to do this through a career in law.

For nearly three years I have been involved with a nonprofit organization created to help preserve and protect the rights of the Asian-American community. My participation in this group has helped focus my interest in eventually applying my legal skills toward the end of serving those in the Asian-American community. In fact, I became chairman of the group's legal committee, for which I organized two free legal seminars with the Asian-American bar organization. Last year I also helped raise more than $66,000 as fundraising chairman for the group. And currently I am working with yet another legal resources group as a member of the board of directors of an association formed to protect low-income tenants from the dangers of prepayment of loans by building owners.

I realize that, given my academic record, I am going against the odds in applying to law school. However, everything I have done-including surviving, maintaining my spirit, and moving toward the completion of my undergraduate studies-has been against all odds. I am confident that I could be successful as a member of your first-year class.

Note: This essay appears unedited for instructional purposes. Essays edited by EssayEdge are dramatically improved. For samples of EssayEdge editing, please click here.

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