Personal Statement ideas.

Ideas for a Law School Personal Statement

• Answer:

  Law school admissions are numbers oriented. This means that the most important things on your application are your Law School Admission Test score and your undergraduate grade point average. Law schools, however, frequently receive more qualified applicants than they have open spots. A soft factor, like an applicant's personal statement, can help them decide between candidates with similar numbers. Make the Statement Personal Because of the sheer number of applicants, most law schools no longer require the personal interview. Instead, admissions committees use the personal statement as a way to learn about an applicant's personality and character. A personal statement is not a biography, but it should reflect your own thoughts, ideas and emotions so that it leaves the reader with a better understanding of who you are. If you decide to write about an inspirational friend or family member, don't let the focus drift to that person's life or achievements. Keep the focus on yourself where it belongs. Adversity Overcoming adversity is a popular theme in law school personal statements. In fact, many schools ask applicants to address it in a supplemental essay. When writing about adversity, word your essay carefully. Admissions committees want to know how you dealt with and overcame adversity, but more importantly, how you learned from the experience. Statements that use adversity as an excuse usually are not well-received. Instead of dwelling on the past, your adversity statement should focus on growth and moving forward. Learning Experiences Writing about a learning experience or series of experiences is a wise choice. Even if you don't focus on a specific experience, weaving lessons learned into the body of your personal statement shows an admissions committee that you relish growth as an individual. Statements that focus on a specific event or series of events can add a personal touch that causes the reader to empathize or sympathize with you. The goal of a learning experience statement is to be convincing and convey genuine personal growth. Targeted School Statements Law school applicants often apply to several schools using the same generic personal statement. Since personal statements often take weeks to craft, writing an individual statement that highlights attractions of each school would be too time-consuming. Instead, include a paragraph in your statement that's specific to the law school you're applying to. This can convince the admissions committee that your personal statement isn't a one-size-fits-all form letter. A caveat: Be sure you send the statement to the right school!