Law Sample Essay - Personal Statement

All applicants must submit a personal statement with the application form. This is your opportunity to present yourself, your background, your experiences, and your ideas to the Admissions Committee. You may want to write about your intellectual interests, your career goals, your achievements, your family background, or your involvement in your community.The TransitionOnce in a while I am approached by past research associates who heard that I got out, as several of them put it, and who want to know how I handled the switch. Some of them have no idea that people with science backgrounds have options other than research and teaching, and many are discouraged by the thought that they would have to leave their beloved science in other to engage in those activities. Several of them have called me from home to ask these questions, for fear of being overheard at the laboratory.The first thing I tell them is that there is far more to science than the bench. I myself entered the science fiel d as an undergraduate, when I chose to study veterinary microbial genetics. I worked in the laboratory of Dr. William Sischo, an epidemiologist who specialized in number-crunching but who needed technical assistance with field sampling and laboratory work to generate the data. Dr. Sischo instilled in me a strong desire to learn and experiment in genetics. I was fascinated by the many ways genetics can be used to help understand how or why certain biological functions occur, and I wondered how I could use my knowledge of genetics to benefit society.After I obtained my bachelor of science degree, I went on to graduate school earning a master of science degree part-time while working full-time jobs in a couple of well-establish research institutions. I enjoyed both graduate school and working in the laboratory. I also learned the correct career path — an academic position at a respectable research university — was what we were supposed to want out of life. More specifical ly, academic laboratories were acceptable, but working in industry, even to do research, was generally looked upon as selling out. I believe this attitude has relaxed somewhat since then, since grants and jobs have become harder to secure and tenured positions lack the security they once possessed.It was during my graduate studies that I began to question my goals and the assumptions they were based on. I was becoming increasingly unhappy with the direction my career was heading, and I began to question my abilities and motivation. Finally, when I heard myself mutter out loud I dont want to do bench work forever, I sat up and took notice. I decided that in spite of my training, and even though I still loved science, research was not right for me.I wanted a career, or at least a job for starters, that valued my graduate degree and training, and that was a better fit for my skills and future ambitions. I decided I would do best with a job that was externally driven either by deadlines or by the needs of others; in addition, I wanted to talk, write, and/or evaluate science as a whole rather than focus on one particular aspect of a research project.As a molecular geneticist, I had occasionally interacted with the patent department at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals in support of my supervisors patent applications. They worked on a variety of intellectual property issues in a number of scientific disciplines that were of interest to the company. I realized then that I could make very good use of my science background as a patent attorney.Earlier this year, I accepted an offer to work as a patent agent in the Corporate Intellectual Properties Department at SmithKline Beecham. The job involves writing and prosecuting patent applications, which in turn requires broad knowledge of both science and law. I soon realized that, in order to become an effective patent practitioner, I must become intimately acquainted with U.S. patent law. Because SmithKline Beecham is an international corporation, I have also learned a great deal about international patent law so that I can assist in foreign prosecution of SmithKline Beechams patents. When I first started the job, it occurred to me that my learning curve was a cliff with an overhang, and I was at the bottom looking up.I was extremely lucky to find a job almost immediately following graduation last January. However, this opportunity was not trouble-free, there were additional risks to consider at the time I made the decision to change. Our company was in the middle of negotiations to merge with another international pharmaceutical company, GlaxoWellcome Pharmaceuticals. As details of the merger were released, we were informed that the majority of the money saved in the merger was going to be invested back into research and discovery. In other words, because of the patent applications that I draft and prosecute, my job as a patent agent will play an essential role in the inventive process in the new c ompany. Daily interaction with inventors keeps me up-to-date with cutting-edge technology in the biotechnology field. As my work progressed, I knew I had made the right decision, and I have never looked back.In October, I took the complex patent bar examination. My determination to take the examination straight away was to become a registered patent agent before entering law school, so that my academic studies will not suffer while I attempt to balance a career and my education. I am now hoping to complete the career transition over the next four years by attending law school at Villanova University and becoming a patent attorney. A few weeks ago, I was offered the opportunity to move to our new research facility in North Carolina, but declined the offer in hopes of attending Villanovas law program, which is well respected among the various pharmaceutical companies on the East Coast for its intellectual property education.Intellectual property is a crucial asset to our company, and I take generating and protecting these assets very seriously. A considerable part of my job involves translating science for attorneys and patent law for scientists. I also have to be able to understand a new result quickly enough to grasp what the specific invention is and ask further questions which allow me to distill the invention down to its bare essence. Organization is also key — this is something I learned as a matter of self-preservation, since this is a deadline-driven, and sometimes crisis-driven, job.I now believe that my job as a patent agent is not a break with the past; rather, it is an exciting, alternative continuation of my career as a scientist. The patent applications that I draft and prosecute make me a critical part of the inventive process at SmithKline Beecham. Furthermore, my interactions with inventors on a daily basis keep me up to date with the latest technology. Not so long ago, when I began research as an undergraduate, I wondered what impact I w ould have on the development of new scientific knowledge. Through my work as a patent agent, I know that I am a key participant in the promotion of scientific progress.I still run into acquaintances from my research days who ask me why I left science. I am quick to set them straight. I may not get my hands wet, but I use far more of my education and training than I ever did at the bench, and I am very much still in science. I firmly believe my experiences in science and patent prosecution will allow me to be a creative and contributing member of Villanova University, both as a student and as a future attorney representing achievement.

Michael Porters Strategy Essays

Michael Porters Strategy Essays Michael Porters Strategy Essay Michael Porters Strategy Essay Michael Porters Strategy Michael Porter is the University Professor (the highest honor in Harvard University) in Harvard Business School. He is acknowledged as the father of competitive strategy. He has two main theoretical perspectives; one is â€Å"the five forces model of competition†, and the other one is just the â€Å"three competition strategies† (Michael Porters Strategy). The three competition strategies are cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and segmentation strategy. These strategies are used for people to achieve, maintain and even increase their competitiveness of their business. Porter thought that the purpose of these strategies is to make the business of the enterprises better than their competitors: some of the enterprises can gain higher revenue in some industries; however, in some other industries, the success of one of the strategies may just give the enterprise a little bit profit. Porter also said that the possibility could be very low that the basic goal of an enterprise may be more than one. Because enterprises need to try their best to achieve one strategy and they also need organizational arrangement to support the strategy. If the enterprise has more than one goal, these resources will be dispersed. Cost leadership strategy. This strategy asks the enterprises to establish efficient production line, decrease the cost on the basis of their experience, and control the cost of management and production cost, so as to reduce the costs of RD (research and development), service, marketing, advertising, etc. In order to reach these goals, management need to be highly concentrated. If the enterprise has low cost, it means that this enterprise can earn more value when other enterprises lose profit in competition. Enterprises need to obtain high relative market share or other strength, such as good communication with raw material suppliers, to get the good status of the lowest total cost. This status is very attractive; because once an enterprise wins the status, they can get higher marginal profit, as well as invest to new equipment and modern equipment to keep their leading position of cost. This kind of re-invest is the precondition of keeping the condition of low cost. Differentiation strategy. Differentiation strategy is to make the products or service differently to make them special. There are many ways to achieve this strategy: design the brand image, make technic unique, perform distinctive, provide customer service, build business network and make other aspect unique. The best way is that the enterprise has many differentiation characters. If this strategy implemented well, it can make the enterprise get high level of profit. Porter thought that building differentiation strategy means that the enterprise needs to think clearly because of the exclusiveness of it. The strategy cannot stay with increasing market share. Enterprises need to spend high cost when establishing this strategy. Though clients know clearly about the special strength of the enterprise, they may not have the ability or they are not willing to pay for the high cost the enterprises asked them to pay. Segmentation strategy. This strategy focuses on a special client group, or a small area of the production line or a special market. Segmentation strategy focuses on better service a special target, while the other two strategies focus on the whole industry. The precondition of this strategy is that the business of the enterprise can provide better service and higher efficiency to its special strategic target, so as to exceed other competitors in broader area. Porter said that this strategy could both achieve differentiation and low cost. However, this strategy means that the market share is limited. Segmentation strategy cannot increase both profit rate and the amount of sales. Porter indicated that enterprises need to make sure about the three strategies and they should make a fundamental strategic decision to close up to the three strategies, but not hesitate at the crosswords. Once the enterprise does not make the decision, they will spend much money and time. Using these strategies one by one will be failed, cause the requirement of them are totally different. Baike, 2013, â€Å"Michael Porter†, Biaduoedia, viewed at March 12th 2013, http://baike. baidu. com/view/431563. htm Wiki, 2013, â€Å"Porter’s generic etrategy†, wiki article, viewed at March 12th 2013, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Porters_generic_strategies;