Personal Statements are one of the most crucial elements in law school applications and also one of the hardest essays to write successfully. Their purpose is to make admissions counselors like you as soon as possible.
Utilizing a hardship story is an excellent way to show, rather than tell. The key is showing, not telling.
Page Length
Law schools sometimes ask applicants to submit personal statements of up to four pages double-spaced, although most expect personal statements of two or three pages in length.
Importantly, adhere to each school’s application instructions exactly. Many require certain formatting and length specifications that must be met; failing to do so could set back your admissions process considerably.
Avoiding cliches or colloquial language in your personal statement is also vitally important, as this type of writing will turn off law school admissions committee members and be difficult to read. Starting your personal statement off with an expository quote takes away from you as an individual; start your narrative instead by providing an interesting anecdote – such as how training for a marathon taught you the value of hard work and compassion before sharing how this passion for helping others led to your legal career path.
Word Count
Law schools want to evaluate your writing abilities and gauge how well you’d fare in an intense academic program. Adherence to page limits and refraining from flowery language won’t make you appear pretentious or ingenuine; rather, it will show that you can write effectively under tight constraints.
As with all assignments, it’s also crucial that you adhere to any instructions provided by each school. While we’ve outlined general guidelines here, make sure that you carefully examine what words/page count specifications your specific institution mandates.
At this stage, it would be wise to seek feedback from professors, mentors, and friends familiar with your writing ability. Their feedback can help ensure your statement is clear, concise, candid and structurally sound – something an unpolished personal essay could easily do! To avoid showing a lack of interest and indifference when submitting it for publication take care in editing your personal essay – including running spell and grammar checks before submission; paying particular attention at the start to avoid using cliche quotes that take the reader out of your narrative and distract them instead.
Anecdotes
An effective personal statement relies on using stories to illustrate your character. For instance, when applying to law school admissions reviewers need an anecdote about participating in political protest to understand why you want to become a lawyer.
Anecdotes can also help illustrate your leadership capabilities. Affirming your ability as a leader won’t mean much without providing examples to back it up; for instance, sharing an anecdote about when you led a group through an obstacle adds great depth to any application.
One mistake many applicants make when writing personal statements is overstating their achievements. Admissions committee members can easily spot false claims; to protect yourself and avoid being caught out using overblown adjectives like ‘outstanding, fantastic or incredible it would be wiser to avoid such terminology in your statements.
Finally, make an effort to stay within the school’s word and page count guidelines. While reducing your essay may be challenging, doing so will ensure it remains concise and easy to read.
Conclusions
A powerful law school personal statement should reflect your true self, beyond the numbers on your application and transcripts. A great way to do this is by sharing your passions and the ways they have evolved over time – for instance if there has been difficulty in your life be sure not to overstate its significance; similarly an overly triumphant conclusion may damage credibility.
Be sure to also highlight your strengths as an individual, such as intellectual and analytical capabilities, before remembering to avoid cliches and colloquial language; admissions committees see many personal statements and will quickly become disillusioned by inappropriate wording.
Lastly, when applying to multiple schools at once, ensure your personal statement reflects each. Review each institution’s mission statement, news/blog articles, social media feeds, alumni data and values to gain an idea of which ones best suit your personality, values and career goals. This can help narrow down your search.