I figured some of the
uncool kids are doing it, so I thought "a
cool kid should do it too," so I'm posting this one up for you guys. It's almost three pages double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and very much targetted to the Washington College of Law at American University in D.C. This is the first draft - I'm submitting it to four of my former professors and two high school teachers/friends to look over too. It's my "Personal Statement" for my application there.
For those who are interested, the program I'm applying to is a joint program at
American University with the
Washington College of Law and the
School of International Service called for pursuing a
Juris Doctor and Master of Arts in International Affairs (I feel like a blogger). I can also choose a specialization, which will most likely be
intellectual property law.
To whom it may concern:
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you for my application to American University’s Washington College of Law. Since I first read about the details of the program, it has been my singular goal to study there, in not only the heart of our government, but also a program with unique opportunities for someone with my passions.
When I first learned about the program to study concurrently for a degree in international affairs, I was already excited – my heart was sold on the international political arena several years ago. But when I read that students could also designate an area of specialization – knowing that the Washington College of Law has faculty who specialize in intellectual property law – I could hardly contain myself. I could see myself attending other institutions, but without a doubt, this is the one that I must attend.
My focus and interest in international affairs is likely very clear, given my background; much of my political science interest was rooted in the international relations subfield, and in fact my honors thesis analyzed the effects of regime change on regional stability. My emphasis in psychology was social psychology, one of the major fields that contributes to the political psychology work in international relations as well. However, it might be less clear why I am fascinated by the intellectual property area of law.
I first became aware of this area of law when I was much younger – in high school. A software publisher pressed a lawsuit against some programmers under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, alleging that the programmers designed a product by which to circumvent a digital security subsystem. This case – Blizzard vs. Bnetd – has become a major cornerstone in the legal debate over the DMCA, and will set a major precedent for how businesses may restrict rights of their customers under such things as clickwrap licenses and end-user license agreements. As I have aged and found that I have a hobbyist’s interest in software engineering, I have found that these kinds of laws can have profound impacts on the digital world. Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have done fantastic work in the defense of user’s rights, and I hope to work for one of them some day.
Having mentioned the EFF, I would like to take the time to tell you about some of the public service opportunities of which I have taken advantage. In south Phoenix, my church sponsors the Rio Vista Center, a place people can come to for help in all sorts of areas of their life; although the primary draw for the local population is that we give away donated food and clothing, we offer a place to shower, get help with dealing with addictions, and try to do our best in getting people a fresh look on life. In my work at the Center, I have performed a variety of jobs, including cleaning, sorting and packing food in our storage area, and interviewing people who are looking for our services in English and Spanish – and, we are now launching a series of twelve-step programs. In addition to my work at the Center, I have been working in various capacities in the office, as a mediator, and as a trainer for Solve-It, the local community organization involved with neighborhood dispute resolution. Solve-It is seeing some exciting times as we move into training peer mediators at high schools, and are currently funded by five local cities. My work with them has been some of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I also recently worked as the webmaster for a political campaign against the incumbent state senator from my legislative district, which gave me the opportunity to meet many of the local politicians and see how things work behind the scenes.
However, what I consider to be my greatest accomplishment from school was that I completed school while working, with a double-major, with honors, within four years on a scholarship. It taught me diligence, the value of time, and how to prioritize, not to mention the value of attending activities such as career fairs. Disappointingly, some of these lessons came too late for me to have put them to good use, as I have had some trouble finding a job, despite my typically-strong interviewing skills. And, while I am proud to have worked throughout my time in school, it comes as a double-edged sword; because my job required I work during the week, I often did not have time to participate in many of the extracurricular activities that I wanted to. My grades also slipped during my senior year, when I was asked to work a split shift and pick up time after a full-time employee was released. Still, I cannot say that I would have not worked – as I said, it taught me an extremely valuable lesson – that of prioritization.
Thank you so much for taking the time to review my application packet, and if there are any further questions, I would be more than happy to discuss my experience with you. I cannot describe my excitement at your program, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
(--Me)
