PS Philosophy or Hit the softball or not

LSAT_Wrecker

Hey all, I'm beginning to brain storm my personal statement topics. I am having an internal debate. I am 45 years old and spent 25 years in the military (active duty Marine infantryman). My resume that will accompany my apps obviously will reflect a huge amount of military jobs / assignments. I am questioning whether or not to write a PS that focuses on a military scene / setting or to branch out into some other aspect of my life. If I go with "other", the topic would likely be related to my running / triathlon hobby (How you tell the Ironman / marathoner at a party? Don't worry, he'll tell you) or something related to recent volunteer service (youth coaching). With any of the above options, I feel I can make it personal / unique and demonstrate something about me and my personality.

Option A - Military (the softball / most expected option): Go with what you know. Obviously, I identify with the military and even in retirement, feel it is a large part of who I am. The most likely PS from this would be my first command experience outside my career field in which I grew by learning to work with those of varied occupational backgrounds and experiences.

Option B - Athletic or Coaching option: Personal growth through perseverance and commitment to a goal, plus learning some sacrifices aren't worth it (loss of family time vs time / physical training required for certain athletic goals) or lessons from a youth girls basketball / track coach.

I am leaning heavily towards option A, but do I run the risk of painting myself as "the military guy"? Is that even a bad thing to be worried about? I don't have a "Moses came down from the mountain and said you shall be a lawyer" story, so none of my options will really focus on the legal profession.

_oshun1_

Write both and see which one you prefer. The military topic could be a diversity statement if you choose to write your PS on the other one. Judging based on the topic is useless. They’re fine topics, see what writes better.

wnivabyfdlj

Which can be the better story? I've read that the best personal statements are well-written, fun to read, and say something about you that admissions staff may not know or easily could have overlooked from the rest of your application. I think you could keep both ideas on the table and try to fill in some details to each storyline before you make your decision.

As someone who has spent a few obsessive years in the Ironman triathlon world, I both love and hate talking about it. (Your joke was amazing, btw.) Triathlon is a great sport... you make incredible connections while training with others for such a huge undertaking, and you learn so much from both success and failure on race day and every step along the way. Training for an Ironman means you must be a dedicated, hard-working, goal-oriented person... and putting in the time and accomplishing a goal is addicting and wonderful. Sharing that with youth as a coach... all good stuff. Buuuuuut, 25 years of active duty military experience? I can't imagine there aren't some captivating life lessons in there.

Happy to read rough drafts if you need help deciding. Good luck!