SJD in Environmental Law, Personal Statement Example

My ambition in attaining my graduate degree from Pace Law School is based on more than one aspiration, yet it is also essentially single-minded.  This is a structure I have carefully considered, and one that consistently reflects what I perceive as nearly a mathematical equation; more exactly, each time I review my needs and what opportunities exist, Pace is the conclusion invariably reached.  If there are areas of areas of study in which I must devote my energies and abilities as fully as possible, I prefer to do so in the best possible learning environment.  Similarly, I believe that excellence is determined by the standards wherein it is attained, and I am intrinsically motivated to learn and work where excellence is the acknowledged standard.

There is little point in approaching an institution like Pace in a way not fully candid, and to that end I wish to immediately refer to the reality that my LL.M GPA was not what it should have been.  I openly admit that I experienced certain obstacles during this period of study which affected my ability to commit as I needed to.  Within my family there arose health issues which in turn placed strains on finances, and I did my utmost to balance these stressful elements without impairing my studies.  I did not succeed as I desired, yet I wish to emphasize that I do not refer to these issues as acceptable excuses.  I am gratified that I was able to persevere, but I still did not achieve what I sought, and this was and is my responsibility.  At the same time, I also wish to stress that this experience, if troubling, altered my perspectives. Simply, having nearly stalled my legal education, I have since been all the more committed to moving forward in it.  If it is a cliché that we value most what we almost lose, I can assert that there is truth to it, and my focus today is more determined than at any other point in my educational career.

I am aware that my desired course will be demanding. This I welcome, and on a visceral level.  In my eyes, the worth of a graduate degree is created, not by the school’s standing or the opportunities it affords, but by what has been given to achieve it.  I have already gained a pragmatic sense of how this process works; my scholarship from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, for example, is an impetus to me rather than a reward.  Similarly, the studies in which I have thus far engaged, such as Human Rights and the Environment, literally excite me.  Mastering English was not easy, but the challenge itself brought out in me the necessary drive and abilities.  Now, as I survey what is needed to go further and attain my doctorate, I feel again that elemental motivation to confront, adapt, learn, and ultimately succeed.  With Pace as both foundation and goal, I can imagine no more valuable encouragement.