law school personal statement

law school personal statement

Crafting a Compelling Law School Personal Statement

1. Introduction: The Importance of the Personal Statement

One of the most critical elements of law school applications is the personal statement. It provides an opportunity for applicants to show an admissions committee that they are capable of succeeding in law school. An applicant is evaluated not just on academic abilities and extracurricular achievements, but also on how well they can craft an argument in a specific amount of space. As law school admissions committees see countless applications each year with near-identical academic histories and extracurricular participation, the importance of the personal statement cannot be emphasized enough. Many admissions professionals believe that a poorly executed personal statement can immediately take an applicant out of the running. On the other hand, a powerful personal statement can bolster an applicant’s file. Choosing a strategy for the personal statement may be a challenging task in itself, but some solid general guidelines can point an applicant in the right direction.

“A Compelling Personal Statement” does exactly what a law school personal statement is supposed to do – it builds a case for the author’s admittance to law school. Instead of detailing achievements and academic progress not already included elsewhere in the application, the author chose to tell a compelling story. This strategy helps the admissions committee develop a more complete impression of the applicant as a unique individual. The admissions committee will want to meet the protagonist – and admit the student – because it believes that the applicant can do something real with a legal education. This is the primary purpose of the personal statement.

2. Identifying Your Unique Story and Voice

When choosing a law school personal statement topic, you have to make sure the story is so remarkably you that no one else could have written it. The members of an admissions committee will be reading hundreds or thousands of these essays, so yours will need to stand out. Ask yourself: what sets me apart from my peers? What’s one event, person, or experience that I could talk about for hours on end? You may be contemplating their recently deceased grandmother, their sublime violin technique, their foreign exchange experience, or the unique way they’ve organized their yearlong community service project for children.

And of course, the deeper the personal growth, the greater the emotional power. A personal statement isn’t the time for a political power land, especially in the overly shrill tenor of the internet. Admissions committees are not looking for a gripe session or need to be persuaded that immigrants and refugees experience economic, political, and linguistic barriers. You should describe any formative or investigative experiences, or apprenticeships, internships, or research opportunities that have shaped your interests in the law, this event is worth explaining. Finally, it’s not necessary to disclose mental health issues or other highly personal matters. It’s entirely possible to present as a creative, dedicated, hardworking, and empathetic individual without laying your pain or trauma out for all to see. Juris doctor programs want to feel as though they’re admitting living, breathing human beings—that they are more than their test scores and resume bullet points. They want to know why you’ll leave and what kind of lawyer you’ll be. Encourage them to think outside the box with the career in mind, not merely your admittance.

3. Structuring Your Personal Statement for Impact

In crafting a compelling personal statement, the first step is to consider its structure. The personal statement of an ideal law school applicant opens thoughtfully and moves with purpose to a close, all the while engaging and holding the readers’ attention. It trades in recitations of scores for revealing the contours of a character.

All personal statements, regardless of topic, should tell a story from introduction to ending. Do not begin with a formal history (i.e., “I was born in Akron, Ohio, on a warm, sunny day in 1982.”). Instead, set an interesting scene, like jumping into the middle of a conversation or a situation. Novelists do it all the time (with great success). You can do it, too. Personal statements for law school should still be primarily about work, but in a well-crafted one, an author can weave a more personal tie-in with their professional history. And seeing as how many of the personal statement topics that schools have passed out over the years have been about overcoming adversity or difficulties in your life, it’s important that your personal statement reach a conclusion in which the reader can believe that you are a better person for the experience. After all, that’s the whole point of the personal statement!

4. Showcasing Your Skills and Achievements

Crafting a compelling law school personal statement that effectively showcases your skills, achievements, and experiences offers admissions officers a side of you not shown elsewhere in the application. By identifying unique characteristics in the applicant’s background that are clearly valuable to the practice of law, writers can include the following: could-be counselors; problem-solvers; creative innovators or reformers; leaders; scholars; helpers; taskmasters; or team players. Furthermore, if writing a statement on a special commentary topic (OPTION), these authors should use the Personal Statement Advice approach.

Many successful personal statements identify important background information, such as relevant academic, research, or work experience, and include at least some information about the writer’s learning and growth through such experiences. By doing so, the writer will naturally feature concrete accomplishments and advice about how to present qualifications in a statement. For example, the ability to organize, prioritize, and meet deadlines is important enough to list in a resume, but without concrete examples, the statement would be weak. When looking for concrete examples, applicants should reflect on class and group assignments and projects, community or volunteer work, work experiences, and other activities. Regardless of the approach taken, effective personal statements connect the writer with the reader through a combination of original or unique, even creative stories, insights, opinions, and interpretation. Many applicants find that they can lead into the body of the statement through a personal story or anecdote that provides a context or setting for the discussion that follows.

5. Editing and Refining Your Personal Statement

Editing: Read your statement with fresh eyes and consider it from an admissions committee member’s viewpoint. If the writing concerns you or is confusing, consider changing it. Additionally, be mindful of grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Have someone else read your drafts to catch any typos. Make sure to use the active voice whenever possible because it makes the statement more compelling. Authenticity cannot be faked, so it is vital that this is your unique statement. That being said, do not divulge an intimate confession or spill your darkest secrets. Keep in mind your audience while writing.

Refining: Make sure you are getting to the point efficiently, rather than setting the scene for an anecdote or idea. Use vivid, concrete examples instead of generalities. Qualities like “I am an excellent writer and communicator” should not simply be stated; you should provide an illustrative example. Use linking sentences and paragraphs to create a narrative. Elaborate on an experience rather than simply summarizing it; avoid building up suspense. Lastly, make sure your statement is concise and does not contain unimportant details. Ask for feedback. Because you are basically the most invested in this process, seek some outside opinions. Peers, teachers, mentors, and tutors are all great resources to utilize. Furthermore, look for additional opportunities for revision. These can be especially beneficial! Meticulous editing is necessary if it is not uncommon for them to require a drastic alteration. In fact, my personal statement was completely different than my first draft, so don’t put too much stock into perfecting your working draft.