Zoology Personal Statement

I first realised I wished to study law whilst reading a newspaper, when it suddenly occurred to me that every article was somehow related to the law. I remember thinking how amazing it was that such a diverse range of issues could be linked back to a single word. This truly unique quality of influencing all aspects of life (although I am sure there are plenty of economists who would question its uniqueness) has prompted me to read law as an undergraduate. It intrigues me because it is continually evolving over time, faster rate than anything I have met in my current studies, in order to remain a true reflection of an ever-changing society.

I built upon my initial interest by avidly reading "The Law Machine" by Marcel Berlins and Clare Dyer; it provided me with a firm grounding in the essential principles of the British legal system and highlighted its apparent weaknesses. To further consolidate my knowledge I read "Learning the Law" by Glanville Williams and have kept myself informed of current legal events printed in the "The Times", I have also attended a law seminar at King's College, University of London.

I thought it a wise move to pursue an insight into how the law works in reality. I successfully applied to become a Berkshire Witness Service Volunteer and thus embarked on an in-depth training course. This incorporated an introduction to the functions of the Crown Prosecution Service and discussions of the skills required to work with people from many social backgrounds. My responsibilities mainly involve providing emotional support for witnesses throughout their trials, this has helped me develop an appreciation of what the law represents to someone from outside the court system and how deeply it can impact on their lives.

In order to gain a different perspective of the law, I obtained a work experience placement with a local solicitor's firm. My work evolved from basic office duties, such as filing, faxing and answering telephone calls, into accompanying solicitors to court and liasing with barristers on behalf of the firm. The opportunity to work alongside people who have dedicated their lives to the law has strengthened my resolve to study law and given me the confidence to make a well-informed decision.

Throughout my school life, I have maintained an independent, self-motivated approach to my studies. Having studied a broad range of A Level subjects, I feel I have acquired a wide variety of skills: from Mathematics and Physics I have learnt the art of questioning the world around us and developing a keen sense of intellectual curiosity; from English Literature and General Studies I have understood the importance of expressing myself clearly and concisely through words; whilst from ICT I have developed a sound understanding of an area which is playing an increasingly important role in society.

My role as Deputy Head Boy has helped me gain a sense of responsibility and maturity; tasks such as organising large numbers of people, arranging important school events and making speeches to large audiences have helped me develop strong personal and communication skills. These have been further strengthened through my duties as a sixth form mentor for the lower school pupils, where I provide support and advice for younger pupils who are struggling to cope with the pressures of school life. I have also held positions on the student council, presenting my views and those of my peers to the senior school staff. Above all else, I have learnt the rewards of making a positive contribution towards school life in more than an academic sense and think I can take this understanding with me to university.

Aside from schoolwork I have a strong passion for rugby, representing and captaining my school and district at all levels as well as participating in a sports tour to South Africa. My other interests include football, cricket and I am a keen chess player, competing during the tour to South Africa.

I believe I can contribute a genuine passion and enthusiasm for reading law; I am hoping to study at an institution which presents law as an intellectual discipline in its own right, one which will allow me to develop the skills of analysis, reasoning and discussion required to be successful beyond undergraduate level.

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Change has been the one constant in my life. While staring out at the bleak Wisconsin winter, I think back to my beginnings on a warm tropical island. The biggest change was probably the first — moving from that buzzing Spanish-speaking isle to the sleepy sea-side town that was Tampa in 1978. It took me some time to realize that the other pre-schoolers could not understand my native tongue. Before long, I too was speaking their language.

Five years later I, an excited eight-year-old girl, boarded a school bus in New Jersey. The excitement quickly turned to fear as I heard rampant swearing in the back of the bus. I was truly shocked when the bus driver did nothing to stop the vulgarity. In my schools in Florida such behavior would have met with a bar of soap and a visit to the principal’s office. A year later, I had a "Jersey" accent, and had started swearing too.

After nine years my family then moved to a place called "a whole ’nother country": Texas. I discovered that everything is bigger in Texas, from the size of a glass of ice tea to the distances on the road. My mother added barbecued brisket to the regular menu of turkey and Idaho potatoes on Monday and arroz con pollo on Tuesday. The incredibly friendly Texans, wearing cowboy boots and going to high school football games on Friday nights, seemed a totally different breed from my friends in New Jersey. A slight drawl entered my speech.

In two years time, I found myself in the mountains of rural Bolivian. As part of a team of doctors and students researching hypertension on a group of African-Bolivian villagers, I quickly learned a new vocabulary that included medical and anthropological terms. The greatest test of my linguistic abilities came when a villager accused me of drinking blood samples in some kind of vampire-like witchcraft ritual. I had to bridge a vast cultural gulf to explain a DNA isolation and analysis protocol in Spanish to someone who had never heard of a gene much less a double helix.

A year later I stood in a line at a McDonalds outside Buenos Aires asking for a sorbeto with a Puerto Rican accent and receiving a blank stare in return. I did not realize that in Argentina the word for straw was papote. Working at the U.S. embassy, I could clearly see the obvious differences between the U.S. and Argentina, but being out among the people and actually experiencing the culture helped me begin to understand and appreciate the subtle differences which, when taken together, make up a people.

Each place I have lived has its differences, from the obvious distinctions of Wisconsin and Texas weather, to the regional variations of the Spanish language. I bring with me wherever I go a part of those places and the impact they have had on my life, most evident to others by the variations in my speech. Beneath all the accents, however, lies something more significant, for I believe who you are is immeasurable more important than where you were. When I was younger, I could not clearly discern between situations where I should or should not adopt the ways of those around me. With maturity however I have come to understand the crucial difference between adaptation and assimilation. I have chosen to reject the vulgarity of the New Jersey school bus; I have also adopted the Texans’ warm and friendly manner. Having experienced frequent moves to very different surroundings, I can adapt without compromising what is important to me while learning from each new setting.

A sign hung in my garage for many years that said, "Home is where you can scratch where it itches." To me this means that home is wherever you are comfortable and secure with yourself and your surroundings. I will be at home and prepared to meet new challenges wherever I am. Starting over so many times has taught me not to fear failure, but rather to embrace opportunities for change.

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该作者从她本人参加志愿活动的经历和其他生活经历出发自然阐述她在public interest law的兴趣。 结论和导语、正文部分紧密相连。

The last thing I remember is falling asleep during a late night rerun of the Twilight Zone. So when it happened, it was especially eerie, like I had stepped into a lost episode, but Rod Serling was nowhere in sight; for moment, neither was anybody else. At 4:31 AM a merciless shove pushed me off my bed. I crawled on the floor, trying to escape the cruel, uncontrollable shaking, but it followed me. It followed me down the stairs and underneath the dining room table where my family joined me. Little did I realize that before the morning sun rose again, I would see everything differently.

My world changed. The 6.7 earthquake which crippled the Northridge area on January 17, 1994 rattled and ripped apart the fibers of security in our neighborhood. Our home was ruined; smashed glass, crumbled walls, and the lack of electricity, gas, and water made it uninhabitable. Without basic utilities, we slept and "lived" in our car for nine days while guarding our home from looters.

The damage was everywhere. A personal landmark, the Granada Hills Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, collapsed. The site where I had volunteered as a teen advisor — lobbying for and improving the quality of the teen health clinic while working one-on-one with underprivileged, problem teenagers — no longer existed. Only an empty lot and the memory of a valuable and productive medical and psychological outreach program for troubled youth remained.

As much as Northridge and its surrounding regions changed externally, so did the lives of the victims internally. Following this traumatic experience, I developed a keen awareness of the fragility of life and a newly restored appreciating for the simplest of my old comforts. As vulnerable and edgy as I was with every aftershock that rolled through the area, I consoled myself with reminders of how we were spared.

With a profound sense of gratitude for our relative good fortune, within weeks of the initial quake I volunteered at the American Red Cross Earthquake Relief Center. As my family and I rebuilt our home and our lives, I translated for Iranian earthquake victims and performed various clerical tasks. Yet, my most valuable contribution to the earthquake relief team stemmed from the moral support I was "qualified" to provide. With my earthquake experience, I was able to comfort the teary-eyed victims who approached us for help. I gave them the hope and understanding they sought from a primarily out-of-state staff. I benefited too: My work for the Red Cross aroused my curiosity in public interest law.

I had the opportunity to explore this new interest in the summer when I interned in Washington D.C. for Congressman Howard P. ("Buck") Smith of California. That summer I was responsible for attending meetings and informing the Congressman's staff of the issues discussed. One of the issues I followed dealt with a proposed guideline to prohibit religious expression in the workplace due to its allegedly offensive nature. Defining such acts as wearing a Star of David or praying silently before a meal as "religious harassment," the bill attempted to equate these acts with verbal or sexual harassment.

Still the most fulfilling experience of my internship was serving the Mr. Smith's constituents when they wrote, called, or visited our Washington office. Their concerns covered many issues, including city maintenance and the enforcement of FCC regulations on local radio stations; yet, most cries for help grew out of the January 17 disaster.

My experience in the earthquake proved to be useful in my internship. After all, I was working with Mr. Earthquake himself. As the only intern from Northridge, I was assigned to the Earthquake Project. I acted as a liaison between constituents and the Small Business Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other governmental agencies that handled quake reconstruction monies. Because of my experience, I was again able to empathize with victims in a way that neither the staff nor the other interns could. As a result of my work, I gained a more profound grasp of the legal process and how it was able to help Northridge residents with their post earthquake problems.

The January 17 earthquake dramatically changed my world — both inside and out. In the Red Cross shelter and in Congressman Smith's office, my career ambitions took shape: Public interest law grabbed me. Now I want to help those who cannot purchase legal services, not only by providing the empathy gained during my own trying experiences, but also by using the skills and knowledge I will acquire at the ABC Law School. With this preparation, I look forward to helping others escape their legal or bureaucratic "twilight zones."

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注意：作者是如何成功解释转专业，如何突出职业成就的。
Fourteen grumpy doctors stare across an enormous oak conference table at me. It is seven o'clock in the morning, and most of the group are still wearing wrinkled green scrubs indicating they worked through the night. None of the doctors looks ready to digest the extremely technical information contained in the eight studies stacked neatly in front of them. My job is to present each study, review all relevant economic data, and answer any questions in such a way that the audience will conclude the new drug I am selling is better than the one they have been prescribing. One of the physicians gruffly informs me, through a mouthful of Danish, that he is leaving in ten minutes so I had better start my pitch.

During my two years as a representative for ABC Pharmaceuticals, I have found myself in this unenviable position hundreds of times. To overcome the often negative attitudes of my audience, I learned to clearly state my position and support it with persuasive evidence, usually gathered from extensive research in the scientific literature. I also learned to ask probing questions and analyze the answers on the spot. Although I was one of the only inexperienced representatives ABC ever hired, I was named their Rookie of the Year, the highest possible award for a first-year employee.

I originally took this position because I thought it would be intellectually stimulating and take advantage of my scientific and business background. For the first year, I was right--it did. However, in an industry where new products are developed infrequently, I soon exhausted the issues to debate with my physicians. My job became less challenging as I had to repeatedly remind the doctors of what I had already discussed with them. Now that I have become one of the industry's top representatives, I am looking for a new, more-lasting intellectual challenge.

My goal currently is a career in medical law. I feel that my successful work experience and rigorous scientific training will allow me to debate with the best attorneys. Since medical technology and the law in this area are developing rapidly, I am also confident that this field will be constantly challenging. Although I will miss my grumpy physicians, I look forward to the time when, groggy from a late night at the law library, I will stare at my professor across a crowded lecture hall.

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As sweat dripped down my nose and mixed with the dirt, I yelled, "I found glass!" Glass is considered a rare find, and upon hearing my announcement the excavation team stopped digging. Later, as I sat under the overhang on the laboratory roof patiently brushing dirt off a pottery shard and reconstructing a pot from the shard, I realized that archeology parallels the process of producing a paper, piece by piece and note-card by note-card. I came to Mallorca, Spain because of my passion for Egyptology and archeology. I was determined to excavate, and although Mallorca is not Egypt, this was my opportunity to do so. I love solving puzzles — discovering pieces, analyzing their importance, uncovering relationships and then utilizing the information to produce a final work. An archeologist discovers an object; draws on knowledge of the culture, materials available, and history to analyze the object; deciphers its role and determines its value. Writing, research, legal study, and legal practice share this process with archeology. Instead of finding a pottery shard in soil, the discovery is information and requires research and analysis.

The challenge of researching and analyzing an unknown subject is the most enjoyable part of academic life. An honors thesis I wrote on Colombian environmental policy allowed me to study a topic about which I had been ignorant. I chose Colombian environmental policy because my Latin American Politics class did not cover Colombia, and I was interested, after writing about French and American environmental policy, in continuing my study of different countries' environmental policies. Colombia, however, presented a greater challenge than the other two countries due to the paucity of available material. After the Colombian consulate was unable to help me, I located one of the few experts in the field who directed me to relevant material. I threw myself into a provocative topic, formerly unknown to me, and transformed it into something about which I was knowledgeable. The process is like discovering a shard, or if lucky, a piece of glass.

The Colombian paper also stands out as one of my favorite projects because of the analysis and interpretation it required. The class analyzed events using a matrix comprised of political, social, international, and domestic factors. The environmental articles offered no obvious examples of reasons for the events; my analysis relied solely on my interpretation. Just as archeology or a research paper require analysis, so too does the law. It requires the generation of arguments and analysis of relationships, facts, and precedents. The interpretive aspects of law and legal practice attract me.

Writing is much like replicating the clay pot; it conveys your conclusion. Just as when the archeologist spends more time constructing the bowl from a shard, the more effort and patience the writer devotes to writing the better he/she conveys the conclusions. The paper I wrote for a politics and business class best demonstrates this point. For this paper, research material was abundant. The challenge was to persuasively present my arguments as a Ford Motors representative whose job was to fight environmental legislation. All the information was provided; the true test was analyzing perspectives, best utilizing and manipulating the facts, exploring various ways to approach the situation, and convincing the reader to accept my policies.

In addition to my affinity for research and writing, my work experience has confirmed my desire to learn more about the law. Currently, I am working at an Internet firm that focuses on the real estate industry. One of my assignments, researching the possible expansion of the company into the art industry, required delving into a field I knew relatively little about. Through researching similar Internet art-related services, interviewing presidents of art associations, compiling a list of artists and galleries, and developing sales material, I was exposed to a new area. I enjoyed learning about this unknown industry. The law and the Internet share constant variety. Since both are evolving, they require constant research and learning.

Through my various jobs and internships, the breadth and variety inherent in the law has impressed me. Especially at my current job, where my employer prepares for heavier regulation of the Internet and new legislation regarding copyright, privacy rights, and pornography, the law's omnipresence is looming. My work at John Smith's law office exposed me to some of the realities of law such as the legal atmosphere, the commitment and initiative required, and the diversity of the work. Whether helping research, correcting dictation, or watching Mr. Smith in court, I was glad to have participated in the legal process.

The thrill of discovery that I so enjoy in my academic and professional life partially stems from my travel experiences. Whether traveling on a dirt road in Kenya taking a pregnant women to receive her malaria medication, observing the species Darwin studied, visiting my grandfather in Italy, or submerging myself in French culture, my travels expose me to different facets of humanity. My experiences on foreign soil allow me evaluate daily situations as well as academic works from a unique perspective. It was a trip to Egypt that fostered my interest in Egyptology which led to my reconstructing a pot and drawing parallels between archeology and the law.

Three pillars of law school and legal practice--research, analysis, and writing--are activities I enjoy. Whether organizing hard-to-come-by research on stacks of note-cards or compiling data on dealers, art magazines and the like, I like discovering and embracing a subject, learning about it in depth, and then applying what I have learned through school, work, and travel. Law requires a constant commitment to learning new precedents and digging deeper. Law will allow me to find the pottery shard, analyze its location and markings, discover its purpose, reconstruct the pot, and complete the puzzle.

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Personal Statement

I am a person keen on challenges. Law will provide me with the kind of constant challenge I have always craved, while helping me to improve my analytical, practical & communication skills. Also my concern and curiosity about society and its people inspired me to pursue this subject for my higher education, as I believe Law plays an essential role in the changing nature of society.

My upbringing has honed my perception of society and people leading me to be acutely aware of social injustice, inequality, exploitation, discrimination, and religious fundamentalism, especially in a society such as the one I come from - Bangladesh. I possess a desire, to struggle if necessary through my life in establishing a society which will be free from exploitation and inequality. As such, I have chosen to study Law, for I believe the proper implementation of Law is the only potent weapon to obliterate injustice. I believe throughout the history of the world, working classes have been deceived by the upper class bourgeoisie and the elites - my ultimate goal in life is to establish the rights of the socially deprived classes. I always have wondered why Law has not been used to raise the voice of the working class, and why it has been used to safeguard the interests of people who are exploiting. I seek a new definition of human rights – the true definition, without exploitation and corruption colouring the notion. My greatest wonder is why our society and the legal system, do not point out economic exploitation as an abuse of human rights; for it is the root of poverty, which elicits crime. If the creation of Law is to curb injustice, why has it not been used to eradicate this injustice? Taking law as a subject for higher education will hopefully help me find answers to my questions, and will teach me the proper method of implementation.

I am someone who is passionate to evaluate problems. I am not an extremist but I do not hesitate to resort to radical measures if the situation forces it. I believe, in a society, co-operation is more desired than competition; competition doesn’t necessarily bring rapid prosperity. I adhere to a socialistic political ideology, and aim to devote myself in establishing true socialism. I am from a country, which has been subject to military dictatorship for over twenty years after her independence. My political consciousness grew during the time, when my father was imprisoned by the military just because he was a leader of a political party who opposed military regime. Police and military jointly ran a brutal campaign throughout the country to repress politicians, where they imprisoned and sometimes killed thousands of students, politicians, professionals, workers, and even soldiers. These incidents severely affected my family, making my childhood a turbulent time. After the military regime failed, a western style democratic political structure was set up, which gave nothing, yet increased the discontent of the masses, and created some elites, who virtually control the country. Wealth and power both are centralized to them, law is a puppet in their hand, and they control everything, from economy to politics. Millions of people live below the poverty level, and there is nobody, not one strong and resilient political party to represent them. Extreme form of capitalism has taken over our country’s social and human values, and morality is at the brink of extinction. Corruption is everywhere, human rights abuses are innumerable, political repression is paramount, money is power and power is everything. This indisciplined violent condition of my country created a rebellious nature within me that is why I have set my ambition to restructure the socio-political structure of my country in a radical way. I would like to utilize the knowledge I acquire from my life at university and beyond to clarify and show me the proper way of implementation of my thoughts.

I have proved myself as an efficient and responsible student through primary and secondary school, I have been able to maintain and improve my grades, which are consistently good. Currently I am undertaking A’ levels in History, Government & Politics, and Bengali. Being an ambitious and inquisitive person, even after completing a Foundation Programme with an overall A grade, I have chosen to do three A’ levels in one year to study in one of the top British universities. History has always fascinated me; though this is the first time I am studying this subject in detail. In Government & Politics, I am learning about the procedures of law making and the system of politics and government in different countries. Languages have always been of interest to me, and my favoured loyalty is to my mother tongue - Bengali.

I have spent my time productively on extra curricular activities. I have keenly taken part in debating, student politics and acting in television dramas. I headed my school’s debating society for one year and independently achieved many prizes in speech competitions at local and national levels. My hobbies include reading, playing cricket and table tennis, web browsing, etc.

The principal reason for my desire to study at UK is the quality of teaching here and particularly in my chosen subject, Law. I also find exciting the prospect of joining a university hee with international flavours and exceptional research facilities. I believe University is a place for accumulating more interests, for meeting people, for working hard, for finding a niche in life. I feel I have the commitment and confidence of giving my best during my university career and afterwards。
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Academically, I have always been a very determined and studious individual, hence why I knew that a degree at University would be the definite next step. I have a broad interest in many subject areas yet feel drawn towards a law or business orientated degree. With regards to Business, the reasoning behind my choice is the complex and intriguing nature of the subject. I particularly enjoy the way business so appropriately blends in with everyday issues. Since taking the subject at A-Level my interest has grown and matured and I am able to view many businesses analytically and make suggestions regarding possible improvements. Law is an area which has interested me from an early age. I enjoy extensive reading and recognise that this is essential in studying law. I consider myself to be well suited to a career in law as I pay much attention to detail and take pleasure in undergoing work which raises social issues in today’s society and requires the skill to manipulate evidence and present persuasive arguments. I also believe that the Psychology A-Level I have has aided me in observing the actions of others and how their opinions and memories are influenced by external factors. This area of work requires much confidence which I believe I posses and can use to my advantage in order to gain recognition in this competitive field of work.
My work experience is very broad due to a variety of positions I have held in differentiating working environments. My experience working for Royal Worchester & Spode in the Debenhams’ department store has been the most influential. The up-market company requires a confidant disposition from a Sales Advisor such as myself and a proficient memory in order to ensure product knowledge is to an optimum standard. I was also given the responsibility to train a new employee which displays the high degree of trust my employers have for me.My educational experiences have been of great use to me from a position of form captain in Secondary School to aiding the organisation of mass celebrations in College. Responsibilities such as these have helped me to mature and take my positions seriously so that I am respected by staff. My position of English Prefect in Year 11 required a large portion of my time as I was in charge of aiding the entire English department. My interest in the Italian language has also led me to have an article I wrote regarding the exploitation of women on Italian Television published in ‘L’Italiano’ newspaper, to which I was very content to have my views expressed.During Secondary School I also attended evening Italian classes where I was presented with ‘The Student of the Year Award’ due to my excellent standard of work. The class required me to organise my time efficiently so that other schoolwork did not suffer as a result of my extra GCSE. As a result of these classes and of my Italian parents I now speak the language fluently.Sport and leisure also interests me and during college I decided to use this interest to do charity work for RNIB where I raised ￡250 and abseiled 120ft down Westminster University. I played Netball for the Harrow Netball Team and competed in the OGI UK Games for the Harrow and Wembley team where I was awarded several trophies and a gold and bronze medal for long jump and javelin.