But the law school personal statement is particularly dreadful for many students. It’s almost too open-ended. If you tend to approach assignments in a systematic, organized fashion, you might wish you could just answer a series of questions and be done with it.
Here’s a little secret: in a way, you can.
Don’t get me wrong – you’ll still have to do some writing. But answering a few specific questions can give you the starting point you need to craft your law school personal statement.
Let’s find out how.
Instead, I’m going to share three that I feel are particularly important and show you how to answer them in more detail:
1. Do you have long-term goals of some kind that require higher education? (It’s okay if these goals might change.)
In other words, why are you going to law school in the first place? It shouldn’t be because your parents are encouraging you to go. What do you want to become, and how will law school help you achieve that? And, more importantly, why do you want to become that type of professional?
2. Are you able to overcome difficult circumstances and distractions in order to succeed?
This is what we sometimes refer to as “grit,” or strength of character. Don’t just say you have it, show them how you developed it. What set of circumstances have you had to overcome? How have those circumstances shaped you? Did they impact your values, or inspire you to pursue a certain career path?
Admission officers want to see an applicant with resolve. This shows them that you’ve worked hard and truly deserve to be a student there. At the same time, it also shows that you’re still willing to work hard, even after you get accepted.
There will be times when law school is going to be difficult. Admission officers want to see proof that you won’t run at the first sight of a challenge. In fact, they want students who embrace challenges.
3. Do you have something unique to offer X Law School that another applicant won’t?
Lastly, you must show how you’re different. What distinct set of values, characteristics, or circumstances are you bringing to the campus that sets you apart from other students? (Hint: it’s not your LSAT scores or GPA they’re talking about. It’s something that goes deeper than that.)
Yes, your law school personal statement needs to do a lot. And will simply answering these questions give you a perfect, polished law school personal statement? Unfortunately, no. But it will give you the framework for one, and that’s the most important part!
If you need help with your law school application essays, no matter where you are in the process, just reach out and let me know what’s giving you the most trouble right now.
Until next time,
Steve
P.S. Sometimes, even after students have all of the basic information they need to write their law school application essays, they still struggle with putting it all together. A tip I recommend is writing your intro and conclusion last. And remember: you can always walk away from it and come back with a fresh perspective the next day.
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