Many of the students I’ve helped get into their top-choice law schools are surprised to find just how much they have to “unlearn” after college. Because many colleges have lecture-style classes, professors can only give students so much room for creativity.
Nearly ALL of the college students and grads I encounter are familiar with two main types of writing: research papers and persuasive essays.
Here’s the problem: the law school personal statement is neither of those.
It’s certainly not a research paper.
It’s persuasive in a way, but it’s much more than that.
It’s also similar to a narrative essay, but it’s not strictly that, either.
Truly, the law school personal statement is its own breed. It won’t be quite like anything you’ve ever written before. And that’s why students struggle with it so much.
Nearly ALL of the college students and grads I encounter are familiar with two main types of writing: research papers and persuasive essays.
Here’s the problem: the law school personal statement is neither of those.
It’s certainly not a research paper.
It’s persuasive in a way, but it’s much more than that.
It’s also similar to a narrative essay, but it’s not strictly that, either.
Truly, the law school personal statement is its own breed. It won’t be quite like anything you’ve ever written before. And that’s why students struggle with it so much.
So, how can you conquer it? The trick is to unlearn what you know about essay-writing.
Start fresh.
You may have discovered by now that I take a unique approach to the law school personal statement. I show the students I work with how to get noticed in a good way, instead of sounding like everyone else.
Most importantly, I help my students discover how to write for an entirely different audience.
Unless you write creatively for fun, you’ve probably only written for one audience so far: your professors. The problem is, professors are not law school admissions officers.
You’re not writing the law school personal statement to receive a grade.
Instead, you’re writing to make a meaningful impact on a person who gets to decide on a major aspect of your future.
That’s why your law school personal statement has to be approached differently – because it IS so vastly different from your previous work.
How can you tackle it?
First, I’ll show you some of the things you need to unlearn. For example, unless you’ve taken creative writing classes, you’ve probably had it drilled into your head that you should never use “I” or “me” in an essay.
Well, that approach won’t really work for the personal statement, will it? After all, it’s supposed to be about how an experience has shaped you into the person you are now, and how that relates to your decision to attend your top-choice law school!
The law school personal statement is very much about you, so you can’t not say “I,” “we,” or “me!”
Start fresh.
You may have discovered by now that I take a unique approach to the law school personal statement. I show the students I work with how to get noticed in a good way, instead of sounding like everyone else.
Most importantly, I help my students discover how to write for an entirely different audience.
Unless you write creatively for fun, you’ve probably only written for one audience so far: your professors. The problem is, professors are not law school admissions officers.
You’re not writing the law school personal statement to receive a grade.
Instead, you’re writing to make a meaningful impact on a person who gets to decide on a major aspect of your future.
That’s why your law school personal statement has to be approached differently – because it IS so vastly different from your previous work.
How can you tackle it?
First, I’ll show you some of the things you need to unlearn. For example, unless you’ve taken creative writing classes, you’ve probably had it drilled into your head that you should never use “I” or “me” in an essay.
Well, that approach won’t really work for the personal statement, will it? After all, it’s supposed to be about how an experience has shaped you into the person you are now, and how that relates to your decision to attend your top-choice law school!
The law school personal statement is very much about you, so you can’t not say “I,” “we,” or “me!”
To get students thinking about themselves (instead of simply writing to get a good grade), one of the first things I show them is how to write well in the first person.
(Sure, you already know how to write using “me” and “I,” but there’s a major difference between just writing in the first person and writing well in the first person.)
Because it’s something you didn’t do often English classes, it may take a little getting used to. Don’t worry – I have lots of tricks to help you get comfortable with it quickly before you get started on your personal statement.
There are lots of other things you’ve been taught in college that you’ll probably have to unlearn to write your best law school personal statement possible. I’d love to share them with you – just reach out to me if you’re curious!
Steve
P.S. Even though I talked a lot here about “unlearning” certain things from your English classes, there are still many things you’ve learned already that WILL be very important when writing your law school personal statement. Everything from proper grammar to correct punctuation will matter, but we’ll get into details like that later on. Just keep an eye out for my upcoming articles for more tips, or reach out to me now to find out what you need to know most before getting started.
P.P.S. Check out my law school admissions coaching sessions on YouTube to see what it's like to work with me.
(Sure, you already know how to write using “me” and “I,” but there’s a major difference between just writing in the first person and writing well in the first person.)
Because it’s something you didn’t do often English classes, it may take a little getting used to. Don’t worry – I have lots of tricks to help you get comfortable with it quickly before you get started on your personal statement.
There are lots of other things you’ve been taught in college that you’ll probably have to unlearn to write your best law school personal statement possible. I’d love to share them with you – just reach out to me if you’re curious!
Steve
P.S. Even though I talked a lot here about “unlearning” certain things from your English classes, there are still many things you’ve learned already that WILL be very important when writing your law school personal statement. Everything from proper grammar to correct punctuation will matter, but we’ll get into details like that later on. Just keep an eye out for my upcoming articles for more tips, or reach out to me now to find out what you need to know most before getting started.
P.P.S. Check out my law school admissions coaching sessions on YouTube to see what it's like to work with me.
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