This sample essay outline and excerpt is based on information sent in by a reader of our blog network. If you’d like your own free custom personal statement essay outline and excerpt, please read the terms and conditions and fill out the form to the right.
Outline:
I. Introduction
A. “A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.” – Plato
B. The importance of this quote to me
C. Humility, man’s calling to fight idleness, human experience (what one has accomplished and experienced)
D. Motivation to become an “accomplished one”, able to handle the challenges that life throws at my way and be able to help as many as I can as a lawyer.
II. Discussing being “accomplished”
A. I believe that being “accomplished” is not necessarily measured by one’s achievements.
B. More than one’s achievements, being “accomplished” also has to do with one’s ability to overcome obstacles, seize opportunity, and act or react in an appropriate manner.
III. Overcoming obstacles and my path toward becoming an “accomplished one”
A. The most difficult thing for me to overcome was the death of my mother caused by cancer when I was 19, as she was my biggest inspiration.
B. Another difficult time that I had to deal with was aiding people during the recent disasters in South America.
C. Losing my best friend to an unfortunate incident and breaking my back in a fight
D. Growing up with a non-verbal learning disability
E. My experiences as Director of Fundraising for St. Jude Children Research Hospital
F. A new obstacle to overcome in law school
IV. My drive to become a lawyer
A. As an idealist, I believe that being a lawyer is one of the most active roles toward helping society achieve a state of justice and goodness.
B. I believe that this school has the best law school system to help me achieve my aspiration of becoming a lawyer.
C. It is through my experiences growing up that I have learned to be resilient, that I have forged my own human experience, and reached my own achievements along my journey toward becoming an “accomplished” person, and it is through my position as a lawyer that I seek to achieve my highest levels of accomplishment as a human being.
Excerpt:
“A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.”
– Plato
To me, this is one of the most poignant quotes in all of the recorded human experience. To me, these words speak not only of man’s calling to fight idleness, but it also speaks words of humility and the significance of the human experience. This quote of Plato’s has long been an inspiration to me. It has taught me to appreciate my own human experience: all of the achievements I have striven for, all of the circumstances (good and bad) that have helped mold me into who I am. Above all else, this quote from Plato is a great motivation for me to continue my human experience, not so much as to become a hero or a wise man, but perhaps as an accomplished one with riches of knowledge and experience to help others around me.