My in-person and distance LSAT students often ask me to read over their personal statements.When giving feedback, I try to place myself in the position of the admissions committee. I look to see whether the personal statement answers the following questions:
1. Do you have the discipline, focus, stamina, and commitment to successfully complete the law degree?
2. Do you take initiative and have a proven aptitude for self-motivation?
3. Have you demonstrated the ability to work under difficult conditions or through obstacles, hardship, or other distractions that might arise and potentially hinder progress in law school? (It’s not required, but share your story if you have.)
4. Do you have long-term plans (even though such plans can and probably will change more than once during your time in law school) that require a law degree? Do you aspire to become a leader in society and/or in the chosen specialty (again, even though the current chosen specialty might change)?
5. Have you become involved in extracurricular activities because these opportunities have supplemented the college/post-college experience and/or strengthened leadership abilities, rather than just making you look busy and providing padding for a law school application?
6. Why are you interested in this particular law school, rather than the many other excellent schools out there?
7. What will you offer this particular school that they wouldn’t get if they selected someone else instead?
For further personal statement advice, see these:
Books:
Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement
Law School: Getting In, Getting Good, Getting the Gold
The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert
The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions
Other Law School Admissions Book Recommendations
Links:
Nim Batchelor's Law School Personal Statement Approach
Ann Levine's Law School Personal Statement Tips
Anna Ivey's Law School Addendum Tips
Writing an Effective Personal Statement for Law School (PDF)
Personal Statement (PDF)
Tips on Writing Your Law School Personal Statement
Law School Personal Statement
Tips and Tricks: The Personal Statement
Becoming a Lawyer: Personal Statements from BU Law's Entering Class
Law School Applications 101: Writing a Resume for Law School (PDF)
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Do you only give personal statement advice to in-person and distance LSAT students (those that I assume pay for your services) or are you willing to give advice to those who use your site as well?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but I receive a lot of emails, and my students' needs and questions must take precedence. I also write blog posts each week, which will help everyone who reads and subscribes to the blog.
ReplyDeleteAs such, I'm not able to offer personalized advice, explanations, or information to the general public. Writing such emails would take more time than I have.
If you'd like tutoring or paid personal statement advice(I do offer distance tutoring, so it's okay if you're not in NYC), please let me know, and I'll send you more details.
Thanks for understanding.
Understandable, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I get the picture of someone just sitting there checking off the boxes of the personal statement. It would seem difficulty to spin certain topics that way.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I would like to write about overcoming childhood obesity. I weighed around 180lbs when I was 9 and lost over 80lbs. Not easy to spin that into extracurricular excellence in college.
Niccolo, if I may, I don't think Steve means that each and every one of those items must be included in every personal statement; you're right in that some themes/topics just aren't going to fit all those things in. FWIW I think your topic could definitely work if you focus on the determination and discipline it took to not only lose the weight but also to keep it off -- that is, what have you been doing since you were nine years old to maintain? This is certainly a testament to your character and certain "law school qualities," so it could work. It's all in the execution though! Good luck :)
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