Question by Metrollectual: Do you think this Personal Statement is well-written?
My father recently said to me, “If during your freshman year someone had offered to wager his one hundred dollars against my ten-thousand that you would be applying to law school, I would have accepted the wager confident of winning a hundred bucks, believing that law school would never be an option for you.” I shook my head and let out a burst of laughter. While it might have sounded a little demeaning to an outsider, Dad was completely justified in making the remark.
That comment sums up just how much of a transformation I have undergone throughout these past seven years. I morphed from an aimless adolescent with no long-term aspirations into a confident and focused airborne linguist doing top-secret military intelligence duties in the Mideast. I gained a fluency in Hebrew, an unquenchable thirst for learning and a vast array of character building experiences while working and traveling around the globe.
In order to understand the sheer magnitude of my transformation, one must gain an understanding of just how rough around the edges I once was. During my freshman year of college, my lack of solid goals resulted in a disastrous year that can best be summed up as a failed attempt at juggling two part-time jobs and twenty-nine hours of courses, exacerbated by immaturity and a lack of self-discipline. I couldn’t handle it all. I lost my scholarship and was placed on academic probation by the school after accruing a 0.11 GPA. Thus, despite my subsequent maintenance of a B+ GPA while serving in the states and overseas, my cumulative GPA is a dismal 2.5.
My family has quite a legacy of military service. Both of my grandfathers served honorably during WWII and they both retired with over twenty years in the U.S. Army; my Dad and his brother served in Vietnam and my Mom was a nurse in the Army Reserves. Additionally, four of my closest cousins served in the Army. While home on leave the eldest cousin, a linguist in the U.S. Army, demonstrated to my amazement his writing in a mysterious script which turned out to be Arabic. Inspired by his ability and his soldierly qualities, I began negotiations with military recruiters. I scored above the 90th percentile on entrance exams and I passed the foreign language aptitude test, which qualified me for the chance to attend linguist school. Dad, a retired Army major, swore me into the Army right out of high school and I was given a delayed entry date. I was thrilled to be embarking upon a challenging journey that genuinely held my interest while also following in my father’s and grandfathers’ patriotic footsteps.
A swift sequence of events changed my trajectory. After high school graduation, I received a scholarship to my hometown college and decided to accept it. I was subsequently discharged from the Army delayed-entry program. I then put my military aspirations on hold and decided to work two jobs while a college freshman. That year was a waste academically because I was not a serious student. I then returned to my earlier thoughts of the military, hoping to better prepare myself for higher education via the military and its challenges and opportunities for self-development.
After the Twin Towers’ attack on September 11th, 2001, Dad gave me the exact same advice that his father had given him: “Go Air Force; they have better facilities, equipment and lifestyle.” My dad urged me not to ignore fatherly advice as he had done, which landed him in the jungles of Vietnam with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division. So, after my fiasco as a college freshman, I enlisted in the Air Force, as my father advised.
A lot of hard work and persistence has paid huge dividends these past six years. After military basic training, I went to the Defense Language Institute, where I not only survived a year-long rigorous Hebrew course, but graduated with honors and scored highest in my class on the final language proficiency tests. Many other educational opportunities were also met with success. At intelligence school, I learned more about military tactics, security, teamwork and the importance of clear, concise and timely communication. Survival school provided an opportunity for me to better appreciate life’s luxuries and the fragility of much within our modern society.
Airman Leadership School was where I realized that I have great potential as a leader and that I love teaching as much as I do learning. I led my section’s study group and received accolades and personal fulfillment as I mentored struggling students through the course. This resulted in recognition from the school Commandant as I was designated a “Distinguished Graduate” for my teaching and mentoring efforts combined with superior marks on all exams. I graduated third in the class of sixty students, but I am most proud of the fact that one of my classmates was able to graduate because of my tutoring him. He told me he was dyslexic and the instructor said he was on the verge of exp
Best answer:
Answer by fifisunshineblossom
Wow…thats 1 long personal statement. :0
What do you think? Answer below!
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