Writing an attention-grabbing law school personal statement can guarantee your success in the law school admissions process. Before you write, you have to consider some rules that could guide you. Career Center gives useful pointers.
Rules from a notable sample law school personal statement
Write a concise story with one or two points. Go for quality over quantity.
In order to grab the attention of the readers, you have to write with depth. You should give importance to depth rather than length. You can just focus on one or two things and then add your reflections about those things.
You can write about any activity that shows off your best qualities. Review your classroom, student organization, work, and personal life for material.
The topics found in sample law school personal statements are varied. They can be as serious as the economic situation or as light as your favorite movie. The point here is to discuss something with depth. Another rule is to:
Please don’t write about your philosophy on the law. For now, law school admissions officials are the law experts; you are the expert on YOU.
Discussing the law would make your essay sound superficial. Remember that you are not yet a legal expert, so just concentrate on how you can introduce yourself to the readers.
Keep the focus on YOU, not an ill relative, remarkable client, or inner workings of an organization where you worked.
This one is very important. You have to keep in mind that the essay is all about you and not about other people. You should not waste the page praising or describing somebody else.
What you need to keep in mind
You have to remember that the rules mentioned above are not binding. The rules can vary depending on you and the school where you are applying to. According to Butler’s Law School admissions advice page:
There is a wealth of information on writing personal statements but some of it is contradictory. This is not necessarily because the information is misguided but because there is no correct way to write a personal statement.
You can consider the rules mentioned above, but if there’s a better way to present your essay then break the rules. The important thing is that you impress the admissions panel.
Again, the rules are not binding. But if you are a newbie on writing personal statements, sticking to them can be quite helpful.
“Where do I start?” You may be asking yourself this question now that you’re at the point of writing
your personal statement. Sure, the many ideas in the sample law school personal statements are
helpful but what’s the best line to start your essay? For guidance, here are tips you can follow to
come up with a personal statement that is not just effective, engaging, interesting and unique but is
also sure to get you accepted into your preferred law school.
Tip 1: Spare enough time to write.
Cramming the writing of a personal statement is a big no-no. You have to spare enough time to
write so that you will be relaxed and will be able to express your ideas as clearly and concisely as
possible.
Tip 2: Think about and list down your ideas about significant moments in your life.
People often have a lot of ideas that they initially want to include in their essays. While many of their ideas are interesting, many are unnecessary for the theme of a personal statement. You may
experience this longing to say many points about yourself in your personal statement but you should
remember to focus on the essentials.
List down your ideas first then sort them out later. Choose the ones that are relevant to the essay
such as what makes you different from most applicants. Are you an immigrant or part of a minority?
What are your career plans? What are your achievements or weaknesses and how have you learned
from them?
Tip 3: Cite reasons for wanting to be accepted to law school.
Make sure that the reasons you cite are yours, are genuine, and are out of a reasonable realization.
Perhaps you may say that your experience as an intern in a legal organization or the legal classes
you have attended made you desirous to pursue a legal career. You may also say what you know about law and law school after reading materials about the field. In addition, you may state what aspect of law is appealing to you.
Tip 4: Organize and outline your ideas.
There is nothing more important than organizing and outlining ideas when writing. Especially in a
persuasive essay like a personal statement, organized and outlined ideas bring the point clearly to
the readers. So focus and arrange your ideas logically. Make every word count in your personal statement because law schools require a maximum number of words. In addition, the first sentence or paragraph of your personal statement must get the reader’s attention and sustain it until the end.
Tip 5: Edit and revise.
To show the admissions committee how much of an expert writer you are, you must edit your personal statement. Typographical and grammatical errors are unacceptable so edit with a keen eye. Ask a writing expert, a friend or a teacher to read your essay and provide constructive criticism. Finally, if you have to rewrite, do so to make your personal statement satisfactory and pleasing to read.
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