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Recs, Resumes, and Essays

Personal Statements

Your personal statement is your opportunity to give law schools a reason to say "yes" to your file. Don't be afraid to take risks in it. Remember that a mediocre personal statement is wasted paper in your file.

What does a law school look for in a personal statement?

First of all, good writing; anything less than perfection counts as a negative. If you're not sure how good your writing is, look at my by-now-extensive list of pet peeves.  Secondly, the admissions officer is looking for diversity. Any information you wish to provide about ethnic or socioeconomic background is most likely to appear here. Any personal obstacles you've had to overcome will also be addressed here. To the extent that you're not the "mainstream applicant," this is your chance to show it.

Beyond these two factors, answers varied somewhat from school to school. Many admissions officers stressed that this is your opportunity to address any weaknesses in your file. Some said they look for leadership, others for community involvement, still others for maturity and seriousness in applying to law school. Many look for "what makes you unique," your diversity in more personal terms; it could be an Olympic medal or your skills as a gourmet cook, nature photographer or quilt-maker. Many schools also look for "personal growth and development," a category which frequently overlaps the one above.

The best overall instruction I've seen comes from U. Wisconsin's application:

"Don't be afraid to talk to us about an unusual experience. It is often these experiences, and your recounting of them, that can speak volumes to us about you, your level of self-reflection, your imagination, how you understand and engage the world around you, and what you could bring to the Law School. We also encourage you to write your personal statement in a narrative tone so that more of your personality and who you are comes through in the writing. You should envision the personal statement as your opportunity to have a "conversation" with the Admissions Committee...."

Should I write about why I want to be a lawyer?

No. Very few  admissions officers look for your motivation for studying law. They know that very few applicants have a good reason for choosing it. Those who do ask don't want to hear "I like to argue." They also don't want to hear "I want to save the world" unless there is substantial evidence in your file supporting this: extracurricular activities and internships in the field you mention, for instance.

They do want to hear something thoughtful about how you decided law will enhance your life's goals. As in all other parts of the application, honesty will serve you best.

How do I choose my topic?

I find that the best approach is to first choose something interesting to tell them -- why you decided to take up stained-glass making as a hobby, the time you met a bear on a mountain trail, an event that helped teach you humility, independence, or self-confidence. Write a story -- 500 words or so -- about this topic. Then explain the events in this story by reference to the background you need to show. "Having grown up in West Philadelphia's ghettos, mountains were new experiences to me." "Until I got to college, I had never needed to study; my first year grades showed me I needed to adjust my approach to school." The finished essay should have the story as its central theme, but a lot of other parts of you interwoven.

Finally, a good essay has to have a point -- some insight, some moral, etc.  "I did X" is meaningless.  "What I learned from X" is good.  The story should be half the statement, the moral the other half.  Stories without points are good for laughs, especially if the story is about body parts or foolish behavior.  

But I've never done anything interesting!

Most students have no idea what is interesting or unusual about their lives. They see themselves as a part of their environment, and don't realize that it is the environment itself that makes them different. That's why it is essential to get outside help on your personal statement: you need someone to look at your life experiences objectively.

Family members and close friends are not good choices for this task. They often come from the same background that you do, and make the same assumptions. Your prelaw advisor can be helpful, or if your school does not have a full-time prelaw advisor, members of a prelaw club could help each other out.

If there's anything in your file too personal to share with a prelaw advisor or other students, you should seriously consider hiring a professional. Professional admissions consultants or personal statement editors routinely handle sensitive topics with confidentiality. Moreover, since they don't know you personally, they have no reason to gossip about you over dinner.

If you'd like to have me help you with your applications, you can e-mail me. Or you can investigate a number of personal statement editors I've seen on the web. Not all of these services will help you choose a topic; investigate their services carefully before you commit to spending money. Here are the links to some personal statement editors I've found:

• Linda Abraham at Accepted.com -- a professional editor who specializes in graduate school essays; flat rate or hourly.
• AdmissionsConsultants.com -- complete application service not limited to law schools.    

Bad and Good Advice

Bad personal statements are much easier to describe than good ones.  If you want to see examples of how to lose your reader, click here.