How to Write a Personal Statement for Law School

How to Write a Personal Statement for Law School The following piece was written by Christina Taber-Kewene. Christina has been featured in our Admissions Expert series and is the Director of Law Admissions for Admit Advantage, an admissions consulting company for undergraduate, business school, and law school applicants. Ask any applicant, What is the hardest part of the law school application? and he or she will likely respond: The personal statement. No sane person enjoys trying to describe everything important about him- or herself in a single essayor, really, in any format. Good writingand editingis always painful, and when you are the topic, that pain is at least doubled. But write the statement you must, and it is anything but a throwaway exercise. This is your chance to shine, so take advantage of it! What it isnt Before we talk about what a personal statement is, lets address what it is not. Your personal statement is not a litany of your accolades and accomplishments. Your activities, honors, and achievements will speak for themselves on other parts of your application, such as on your resume and activities list. Likewise, your personal statement is not an excuse for or an explanation of past failures like low grades in college or low LSAT scores. Should you have such to address, you may do so in an addendum to your application. What it is So, what is the purpose of your personal statement? It is to show the admissions committee your character and personality. In particular, it is a place to tell your story in a way that highlights your unique perspective. That perspective might include a very specific plan for post-graduation, or it might reflect certain values you hold that will guide you in your career choices. There is no one way to approach the statement or its content, because each applicant is different. But here are some questions to consider that can help guide you toward finding a topic for your statement: What lessons have I learned in college / professional life about myself / my place in the world? How do those lessons relate to my decision to apply to law school? What have I accomplished academically and otherwise, especially in leadership roles? What do I wish to contribute to the world professionally? How do I plan to do that? How to do it These questions are a springboard for you to examine your personal goals and past learning. They are by no means the only or last questions you should ask yourself. As you hone in on who you are and how to express that, you will be prepared to tackle the objective of the personal statement, which is to show personal growth and leadership, as well as to articulate to an admissions committee why you are well suited for admission to its law school class. There are several common topics around which a statement may center. These include: A difficult decision A passion Important moments in your life Overcoming adversity An intellectual desire The key to making your statement stand out from the crowd is not the subject matter, but how well it demonstrates who you are and where you are going. I sat on an admissions panel recently where one of the panelists said that if he reads ten statements and then meets ten applicants at a cocktail party, he should know who wrote each statement without having to ask. Yes! Tell a good story A final word of advice, and one you will often hear is: show; dont tell. This is good advice. Dont say that you have grown from an experience or achieved something without showing how you did that. A personal statement is an exercise in nonfiction storytelling. Tell your story through memorable examples, and you will be well on your way to a strong personal statement that makes a positive impression on the admissions committee. VisitAdmit Advantagefor more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.