If you read my most recent article, you already know why you need an outline before you can write a great law school personal statement. Now that we’ve answered the “why,” let’s dive more into the “how” and get your outline started.
The first step is to narrow down to the topic that means the most to you.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be the hobby or activity you enjoy most. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a traditional “activity” at all. A lot of times, students get wrapped up in the idea that they need to write about a sport, volunteering, or a favorite subject.
That’s simply not true.
And, in reality, writing about something other than one of those activities could actually make your law school personal statement stand out even more.
Take my student, Emily, as an example.
For her law school personal statement, she discussed how learning to speak both Spanish and English fluently helped to shape who she is today. She described how she took classes in both languages, and how having two languages helped her connect with clients as an immigration paralegal. She plans to practice immigration law after getting her JD.
Do you have a story like Emily's?
Maybe it’s not bilingualism, but perhaps you have a quality or experience that’s been meaningful throughout your life. It may seem difficult to connect that experience to a law school personal statement.
Many students feel that way, which is why I offer to help.
You should already have some ideas on what to write about from your past brainstorming sessions, but if you’re still struggling on where to begin, please contact me so I can help.
From there, we’ll get going on your outline, which will help you keep your law school personal statement focused and on course.
To start, you’ll answer the question in as few words as possible. For example, if your prompt is about a talent that played a meaningful role in your education, your answer might be “music.”
Okay. At this point, you might have a sentence or two, or perhaps just one word.
Now what?
The next step is to write out some bullet points supporting your simple answer.
Once you have your supporting idea, now think of 3-5 points to support that idea.
Before you know it, you’ll find your bullet points will have sub-bullet points, and ultimately, those experiences are the points you’ll use to form sentences and actually bring your law school personal statement to life.
Ultimately, outline-writing is just a fancy way of saying “planning.” An outline is simply a plan for your personal statement – think of using it the same way a builder might use blueprints as a guide for building a house.
And again, planning is critically important in the law school admission process.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin
That's why I use this type of planning in all my counseling, and it’s what has helped students like Brittany get into their top-choice schools. You might remember Brittany from one of my earlier articles. She wrote about how playing violin for 11 years helped her become the student she is today.
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