International Studies Personal Statement

Throughout my undergraduate studies in the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina, I have often been asked how my majors and minors in international studies, art history, and criminal justice relate to one another and how they connect to my goal of attending law school. To most at a first glance, they simply seem like a random assortment of interests with little or no connective tissue, and to be honest, I felt this way as well at the beginning of college. I had chosen to study international studies and criminal justice because of an interest in government and foreign relations developed through high school classes and clubs. My art history minor was inspired by my love of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art
In my criminal justice classes, I've learned about constitutional rights, the court system, and different jobs available for lawyers. These essential concepts can be applied to municipal courts all the way up to international tribunals, and form a solid foundation that I believe is essential to any successful career in law. International studies has granted me a framework of the process of foreign relations and the channels through which diplomacy occurs. International law is an incredibly important part of how our global society operates and studying international studies has helped me to understand the greater role that law plays in our world. Through studying art history, I have gained a greater appreciation for different cultures and their aesthetic values. I am a large believer that studying the art of a nation can reveal a great deal about the culture and even politics of a place, maybe more than reading a retrospective history textbook about it. For anyone who desires to practice international law, an understanding of a variety of cultures is essential to a greater appreciation and leads to more successful communication. This variety of studies has helped me achieve a diverse education that will be valuable in adding a new prospective in law classes and to the incoming class of law students at the School of Law at the University of South
In criminal justice, I took a class on the American court system in which we discussed civil trials and the role of contracts. While collecting art from participants for my exhibition, I had them sign an acknowledgement of everything they turned over and that I would return it all by the end of the semester. This was an exercise in drafting contracts and business agreements that lawyers so frequently practice as well. International studies helped by providing me with a background of knowledge of international cultures and foreign relations. Using this information, I was able to write text about Japanese society and form connections that would help the audience understand the exhibition. Finally, art history granted me an understanding of the history of woodblock printmaking and resources in which to write the text