Law School Personal Statement: Begin With the End in Mind
However, I want you to know that wanting to get into your reach schools is one tiny step.
A more complicated decision is to choose a specific law school personal statement topic.
The finish line is known before the race even starts.
You've got to have a clear purpose.
If you have an idea of you want to become and where you want to go, you’ll make better decisions based on the desired end result.
This is a concept coined by Stephen Covey; he calls it “Living with the end in mind.”
Concentrating on end goals allows you to be single-minded in your purpose. You won’t make decisions that jeopardize your end goal.
Think about it, if you know that you want to get into your reach schools, you’ll make decisions now that will support your end desire.
For example:
I had a student named Michael who knew he wanted to get into a top-14 law school . Because Michael knew what he wanted, it seemed like the world was his oyster.
This world opened for him in ways it didn’t for other students. He had multiple internships, research opportunities, and glowing letters of reference from teachers and mentors.
Because he was single-minded in his goal, he didn’t get distracted with questions like:
-Should I be worried that my LSAT score / GPA is not too great?
Opportunities would fall into his lap continuously. These opportunities supported his goal to get into a top law school where he is today (at NYU Law).
When it comes to legal careers, it’s hard to define your goals. I completely understand this because I didn’t always know what I wanted to do either!
Some of my later articles will address how you can use your experiences to choose a law school personal statement topic that will help you stand out from the crowd of other apps:
YOUR ACTION STEP
Define your end result.
To help you do that, start by answering this question:
“What do I want my reach schools to know about me?”
I love working with law school applicants. I always get a kick out of learning what drives students to go that extra mile and shoot for their reach schools. I've heard it all. I once worked with a student who told me:
"I'd cut off my thumb if it meant I'd get into a Top 14 Law School..."
???!!!
Maybe you're not that committed to this, but that's ok. Stick with my law school admissions articles, and we'll get you there without losing any body parts along the way.
You've successfully started your journey towards getting into your reach schools.
Millions of students struggle while starting their law school applications, but now that you’re over that bump in the road, you can move on.
A more complicated decision is to choose a specific law school personal statement topic.
You're at the beginning. In order to truly set yourself up for a successful law school personal statement, you must have a clear picture of where you want to go.
Without a clear end goal, you’ll likely make decisions that will side-track you.
No race can be run without a finish line.
The finish line is known before the race even starts.
Imagine a race without a finish line. There would be runners all over the place, some downtown, some at the movie theater, some near the finish line, and others who gave up.
The runners didn’t know where they were going, so naturally they didn’t end near the finish line.
You've got to have a clear purpose.
If you have an idea of you want to become and where you want to go, you’ll make better decisions based on the desired end result.
This is a concept coined by Stephen Covey; he calls it “Living with the end in mind.”
Concentrating on end goals allows you to be single-minded in your purpose. You won’t make decisions that jeopardize your end goal.
Think about it, if you know that you want to get into your reach schools, you’ll make decisions now that will support your end desire.
Instead of wasting time on Facebook, you’ll focus on learning what you need to know to write a killer law school personal statement.
Knowing your end goal helps to shape your everyday decisions.
For example:
When faced with the decision of staying out after midnight or spending that time on law school personal statement, the student who's committed to getting into reach schools chooses to focus on apps WAY before the deadlines... and parties later ;)
Considering this question now will better shape your law school personal statement. Having a clear idea of what you want provides more opportunities to be bold.
I had a student named Michael who knew he wanted to get into a top-14 law school . Because Michael knew what he wanted, it seemed like the world was his oyster.
This world opened for him in ways it didn’t for other students. He had multiple internships, research opportunities, and glowing letters of reference from teachers and mentors.
Because he was single-minded in his goal, he didn’t get distracted with questions like:
-Do I have enough extracurriculars?
-How many law schools should I apply to?
-Should I be worried that my LSAT score / GPA is not too great?
Opportunities would fall into his lap continuously. These opportunities supported his goal to get into a top law school where he is today (at NYU Law).
When it comes to legal careers, it’s hard to define your goals. I completely understand this because I didn’t always know what I wanted to do either!
Some of my later articles will address how you can use your experiences to choose a law school personal statement topic that will help you stand out from the crowd of other apps:
YOUR ACTION STEP
Define your end result.
To help you do that, start by answering this question:
“What do I want my reach schools to know about me?”
I suggest writing this on a piece of paper. When you write down your goals on a piece of paper, your chances of actually completing the goal increase significantly.
If your answer is, “I don’t know,” don't worry. I'll be helping you more with this in the coming weeks.
-Steve
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Great readingg your blog post
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