Also, keep in mind – it’s not easy to write concisely from the very beginning. Instead, I encourage many of the students I work with to write as they normally would for the first draft.
Then, during the editing stages, they can make their language more precise and shorten up some phrases.
Here are five tips to keep in mind to make your law school personal statement more concise:
1. Begin with the subject.
Starting the sentence with the person doing the action will help you avoid adding unnecessary words. This will also help you make sure you’re using the active voice instead of the passive one, which brings us to our next point…
2. Use the active voice.
Writing in the active voice instead of the passive voice always leads to shorter writing. Most writers also find the active voice easier to read and understand. Here’s an example of how they’re different:
a. Passive voice: The test was failed by half of the students.
b. Active voice: Half of the students failed the test.
Do you see how the first sentence seems a little unnatural? A little awkward? Usually, students who write in the passive voice don’t even realize they’re doing it. This is one of the many reasons why editing your law school personal statement is so important.
3. Skip adverbs.
These words end in “-ly” and are used to describe how something was done. Many readers and writers feel adverbs weaken a law school personal statement.
4. Replace with complex words with simple ones.
The law school personal statement is not the place for showing off your vocab skills. Even if you fully understand how to use complex language, keep it simple. Your readers will appreciate it.
5. Avoid repetitive phrases.
Don’t keep saying the same thing in different ways. State your point, then move onto the next one.
Sometimes, students repeat the same thought over and over to make their message more powerful. Unfortunately, it usually has the opposite effect. Your message will sound desperate ,and you’ll distract the focus from what you’re actually trying to say.
Avoid sentences that are way too long. Remember, concise law school personal statements include short sentences. If you’re using lots of semi-colons and commas, you’re probably making your sentences too long!
After reviewing this advice, have you found any areas in your law school personal statement where you could be more concise? It may take a few glances, but after some time, you’ll start seeing how you could shorten sentences to become clearer and more direct. And, the more direct your language is, the greater your odds of making a strong impact on your reader will be!
Until next time,
Steve
P.S. Looking for even more tips on becoming more concise in your law school personal statement? My next article will have the best advice yet. I’m going to share some phrases you can avoid in your law school personal statement to make your language more precise.
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