why northwestern law essay

why northwestern law essay

Writing a Persuasive Northwestern Law Essay

1. Introduction

Through a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning, the writer will attempt to convince the reader to agree with the claim he or she is making. Inductive reasoning first presents evidence and then wraps up with a conclusion or generalization based on the evidence. Deductive reasoning starts with a generalization and then applies it to a specific case. Imagine a writer is arguing that the foreign policy of the current U.S. government is ineffective. The writer may start with the generalization that a strong nation is supposed to help the world beyond its borders and create a peaceful and stable international environment. Then the writer looks at U.S. foreign policies from the recent past and compares them to other nation’s actions as well as results and consequences to test the generalization. In the end, the writer will have provided plenty of evidence that has compared and contrasted U.S. actions and the results of other nations to the status quo the generalization presents. This will suggest to the reader that U.S. foreign policy has not been beneficial to the U.S. or the world.

Persuasive Communication Research studies are frequently persuasive, arguing that one finding or theory is more accurate than another. Argument is a specific type of persuasive writing in which the writer chooses a position on a topic and uses reason and evidence to convince the reader. As discussed earlier, because the audience is the main concern in persuasive communication, research writers must be very conscious of their purpose and audience when constructing a persuasive argument. Even though research writing is more objective and less personal than other types of writing, a writer can still appeal to logos (logical appeal, providing the audience with relevant and concrete evidence such as statistics, facts, and examples), pathos (emotional appeal), and ethos (ethical appeal, establishing credibility and authority) when attempting to persuade.

2. Highlighting Your Academic Achievements

While your personal experiences and anecdotes are certainly crucial, they should not come at the expense of a solid explanation of your academic qualifications. While admissions committees are certainly interested in well-rounded students, they are most interested in those who are, first and foremost, qualified for law school. So, be sure to devote a significant portion of your essay to explaining your academic credentials. Be sure to explain the concrete details of your academic accomplishments. What degree(s) do you have? Have you ever received any awards for your academic work? If you had to overcome any obstacles or interruptions in your education, you should always address them head-on. It is best to use your academic accomplishments as the evidence for your passion and intelligence for the field of law. While it is certainly possible to overplay your accomplishments to the detriment of the rest of your essay, it is still a noteworthy fact that, for some individuals, your academic qualifications may indeed be the deciding factor for your admission to the law school of your choice. So, be sure to make them clear and unambiguous.

3. Demonstrating Your Passion for the Law

Write a short essay that implies what you think passionate or energized love for law means and then talk about what you are doing that involves law and your accomplishments there. A personal statement is a general statement of your background, preparation, and goals for graduate study or law school and specifically has a direct correlation to the accomplishments and requisites of the school. Oftentimes, your personal statement may be used for deciding if a specific candidate will be given special consideration for scholarships and other honors. It is evident that your personal statement will be evaluated best when it is directly correlated to the immediate questions of the school in concern and the philosophy of the school. It is vital to have a general personal statement that can be modified to correlate with the specific questions of the school. Your first chance to market yourself is the law school personal statement. High standards, market demand, and individual competition for the best legal positions have turned law schools into a cerebral minefield, where the only ammunition available is superior performance. A personal statement helps award admissions committees the ability to differentiate between the well-qualified candidates and those who have both the qualifications and insufficient commitment. With the information you present in your personal statement, the admissions committee should be able to see real evidence of your dedication to the pursuit of a law degree.

4. Showcasing Your Leadership and Extracurricular Activities

3. You foster change in an existing activity – This can be anything from a small change. Maybe you convinced your coach to have more intense practices to prepare for the upcoming season. Any change or new implementation shows leadership.

2. You start something – Joining an activity at its inception is a good way to lead. Colleges frequently see that students are very committed to the activities that they began. For example, a student that starts a volunteer program at their school would have a strong commitment to community service.

1. You wear a leadership role in the activity – Any time you have the title of president, vice president, captain, secretary, or treasurer, you are in a leadership role. List the activities where you hold these titles first on your resume. Next to the title, should be the dates that you held the position. This helps colleges see that you have been committed to a particular activity for a significant amount of time.

Some applicants mistakenly believe that activities and leadership are separate and different things. What colleges are looking for is how a student led others and what the student took from the experience. So one student may count the hours they spent feeding the homeless as an activity, but it is in a leadership role that they are questioned about. The following are ways to show leadership and activities in each section of the extracurricular resume.

5. Conclusion: Conveying Your Fit with Northwestern Law

In conclusion, for the reasons stated, I am confident that my experiences, skills, and traits, and Northwestern Law’s unique strengths make a perfect match. I am enthusiastic about the possibility of contributing to the law school throughout on-campus involvement and making an impact in law and policy through the Journal or one of the legal clinics. At Northwestern, I can further build credentials to be successful both with corporate clients and in pursuit of pro bono work. I will relish the opportunity to take advantage of the flexible, world-class curriculum, especially through the LLM/Kellogg certificate, and work my way into a career in academia, making any necessary stops in Chicago biglaw and clerking along the way. Combining my experiences and my future aspirations, I believe I offer a valuable viewpoint to my peers both inside and outside the classroom, and I hope that I can have the opportunity to attend Northwestern and, at the same time, learn from and with them. Thank you for your consideration.