law school admission essay examples

law school admission essay examples

Law School Admission Essay Examples

1. Introduction

The introduction provides a vivid picture of what you expect in your whole essay. It is a chance to persuade the reader that you have what they are looking for in this case, the intellectual ability, passion for your chosen field, and anyone else the essay is aimed at. It is an opportunity for you to provide the reader with an insight of what is in store for them, and to address why your essay topic is of significance to you. The reader should be able to read the introduction and have a clear idea of what your topic is, and what you will argue in the essay. Make sure to keep it between 150-250 words to ensure that the interest of the reader is maintained. Include a thesis that is located at the end of the introduction that provides a concise summary of what you will argue in your essay, and this will enable the reader to know what to expect in the coming paragraphs.

2. Importance of Law School Admission Essays

Admission essays are an extremely important factor when determining which of well-qualified applicants will be law students. Although test scores and grades are important, the Admissions Committee has the difficult task of sifting through thousands of applicants and identifying those that are truly unique. Often times, committees will use the essays to determine applicants who are ‘on the bubble.’ For example, if a candidate has a good but not great LSAT score, an essay can make the difference as to whether or not they are admitted. Conversely, an applicant with a strong GPA and LSAT scores can be undone by a poorly written essay. This is the reason why many students find that they have perfect test scores and grades but are still rejected. An admission essay is the best opportunity to separate oneself from the crowd and to gain an advantage over other applicants. Furthermore, essays are used to judge the depth of a candidate’s knowledge, critical thinking skills, and command over his/her own writing. An applicant who demonstrates that they have strong writing skills will be able to navigate through the rigors of law school, which often demands heavy amounts of writing. A well-written essay that demonstrates strong critical thinking skills will go a long way in convincing admissions officers that the candidate has the potential to succeed in law school. Conversely, a poorly written essay is a good indication that an applicant lacks necessary skills.

3. Key Elements of a Strong Admission Essay

So, what are the key elements of a strong admission essay? A strong essay answers the questions – “why should we pick you” and “what makes you stand out”. More and more, schools are looking at our intrinsic qualities in potential students. You have to demonstrate your positive qualities providing evidence and examples. If you say that you are a persevering person, back it up with a recent example in your life when this was demonstrated in a positive light. Because knowledge of the law is not something all students will possess prior to enrolling in law school, it is key that you demonstrate a passion for the law. The legal profession requires a high level of commitment. You have to convince the admissions committee that you are the person to move through law school, and go on to become a dedicated legal professional. And most importantly, do not be afraid to write about how you have overcome adversity and have grown from a life experience. Admissions committee love reading about challenge and growth because it often can predict future success.

4. Examples of Successful Law School Admission Essays

I honestly do not recall what prompted me to begin a discussion with the odd-looking man seated next to me on the bus. In retrospect, I think the opening gambit was the result of an uncharacteristic impulse to find out whether I myself could be affected by the forces of which the man spoke during the ensuing conversation. He was a strong proponent of the view that people have little or no control over their own actions in the grip of overpowering forces. I recall that my disagreement with him was polite but absolute. At the time I could produce no solid argument to support my view, and I remained frustrated throughout the conversation, thinking that there was no way to determine which of us was right. A few months later I encountered a book which provided an excellent explanation of my position. I have read a great deal about the determinants of human behavior in various disciplines of psychology, and the passage referred me to a study in social psychology by Festinger and Carlsmith which demonstrated the effect of contrived internal and external pressure upon a subject asked to do a boring task. Required to write a series of essays taking various positions, the subject could find no internal justification for lying and yet produced essays increasingly at odds with his own beliefs under increasing monetary inducement. This first-hand impression of an exercise in self-deception was, in the light of my previous conversation, a true revelation to me. I firmly believe that the studies of the voluminous causes of behavior have done little more than to demonstrate the infinite complexity of the forces at work. The man on the bus and I were simply engaged in one the more macroscopic and clearer conflicts between the self-deception of determinism and the self-protecting belief in the existence of autonomy.

People’s behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Various websites on the internet give examples of admission essays. Most were not successful. Have a look at the following examples; the first attempts to justify an extended absence from undergraduate study, and is thus somewhat less successful, while the second achieves the clear object of demonstrating an understanding of the law through a pivotal personal experience, but still could be significantly improved. After each example we provide an explanation of what worked and what could be improved. These are real examples of essays that worked; however, they have been altered to maintain the anonymity of the applicants.

5. Conclusion

After almost 5 years working in the nursing field, I have never been around lawyers. But recently from a friend, I have heard that lawyer professions in Indonesia and all around the world are rising and in demand. It makes me wonder, are lawyer professions now have a significant role in society. So I want to find out what kind of persons that lawyers are and what they do? I want to dig deeper into all these questions so I can verify if lawyer professions suit me or not. I want to share my experiences in interacting with lawyers, what I have heard from them about their job descriptions, and their professional personalities that I have seen from them. I hope from this I can get a clearer picture whether I should step further into lawyer professions or not. During my experiences as a public health nurse, I had a chance to interact with some lawyers, especially when I had to inspect underprivileged families living in unhealthy environments. I still remember one day when a lawyer from an international NGO asked me to help children who suffered from malnutrition. He said that if it is persistent malnutrition, it can be considered as negligence. He asked me to help him gather the data of malnourished children and the general situation of the environment where they lived. He wanted to use this data as strong evidence to force the local authorities to take necessary actions to solve the problems. I was surprised that his attempt was on a giving direction to law enforcement and his effort is expected to raise law awareness for the people. From him, I saw how lawyers can fight in various ways and places to uphold justice and humanitarian issues.