sample law school personal statements

Writing Law School Essays without Ripping off Sample Law School Personal Statements

Roughly a hundred thousand hopefuls apply to law school each year, but only a few of them make it to America’s top institutions. Their secret? It’s not a spotless transcript or exceptional LSAT scores. What sets these applicants apart, in most cases, are their law school personal statements. Some schools refer to it as your statement of purpose, while others call it the admission essay or application essay.

Law school personal statements are basically short essays where you describe yourself and justify your intent to go to law school. A typical statement is two to three pages long, double-spaced, and submitted along with your resume and transcripts. There aren’t any solid rules on writing law school personal statements, but there are certain admission essay formats
that most law schools look for. To get an idea, read various sample law school personal statements.

Tips on how to write effective law school personal statement essays

1. Proofread. You’re applying to a field where accuracy and attention to detail can make or break your job. Admissions panels expect you to write persuasively and have a good grasp of spelling and grammar. So take the time and proofread your admission essay until you more or less know it by heart. Looking up sample law school personal statements can help you get started.

2. Write a compelling intro. Many perfectly good law school personal statements have been put to waste by a poorly written introduction. Your opening paragraph sets the tone for the rest of your application essay, so it’s important to start it off right. Check out some existing sample law school personal statements to get ideas on what makes a good intro.

3. Don’t reiterate your resume. Resumes, grades, and LSAT scores can only tell so much about a person. Law school personal statements are meant to fill in the gap and show officials who you are apart from your grades and employment history. Talk about your family, your goals, significant experiences—anything that you can sensibly relate to your application and anything that sets you apart from other law school applicants. You can also use law school personal statements to justify any weaknesses in your application. For more tips, read various sample law school personal statements.  Check this blog often for samples that we post.

4. Avoid opinionating. Law school personal statements are supposed to be about you, not your personal opinion. According to Professor Steven Baron, alumni of Boston College, law school admissions officials aren’t impressed by legal jargon or discussions on legal and social issues. It’s a statement of purpose, not a display of knowledge. Browsing sample law school personal statements can help you write essays that focus on your goals.

Law school personal statements are serious essays that are meant to impress, and more often than not, they can make or break your chances of entering the legal field. So put a lot of thought into your law school personal statements, and make that first step towards a successful legal career. To make things easier, you can look at various sample law school personal statements.

Using sample law school personal statements

Sample law school personal statements can help you write your own essay. However, make sure that you don’t copy ideas from sample law school personal statements. These sample law school personal statements should only serve as general guides. As much as possible, read several sample law school personal statements so that you can get various ideas on how to write your own. When looking for sample law school personal statements, you can also visit the official site of the law school you are trying to apply to and see if they have sample law school personal statements that can serve as guides.