Law School Personal Statement Topics - Brainstorming
Students often ask me, “How can I decide what to write my law school personal statement on? What do schools want in the law school personal statement?”
Another way of asking this is, “How do I write a story which would allow me to show law school admission counselors a full picture of who I really am?”
If you've wondered about this, let me encourage you:
Law schools really do want to know who you are as a person. They don’t want to read something pretentious.
Rarely will a law school reject you for choosing a topic that shows vulnerability or talks about failure.
But there are some things you should consider when brainstorming your law school personal statement topic.
I advise students to avoid overly-negative law school personal statement topics, especially those that involve bad-mouthing your college, professors, or something that could be viewed as offensive or come across as angry.
Let me be clear, I have nothing against being honest and expressing who you are. However, it’s important to avoid any topics that could be considered “generic.”
When law school admission officers review personal statements, they find it difficult to connect with:
1. students who write law school personal statements on tragic or negative topics
2. students who simply list impressive things they've done
Instead, it's really worth taking the time to choose a topic that will make it easy for you to write unique law school personal statements. Statements that stand out from the thousands of other applicants.
The best way to write an effective law school personal statement, one that will give you a competitive edge in admissions, is to demonstrate how you’ve grown from difficult experiences, not how you’ve let them affect you. There's a big difference in how you frame these types of law school personal statements.
What do law school admission officers look for?
They look for statements that show that you are honest and mature, with the ability to reflect on your past experiences.
Does this mean that poor writing skills will prevent you from writing a persuasive and focused essay?
Maybe...but not necessarily.
The rule of thumb with this:
Ultimately, you’re responsible for your own success.
Bottom line: choose a topic that presents you in a positive light, yet shows your ability to reflect on your past self. Don’t choose a topic simply because your parents or teachers tell you it’ll make you look good.
That’s a sure-fire way to end up with a topic that looks like everyone else’s, which means you won’t stand out, even if the person reading it is impressed by your accomplishments.
Another tip:
A great way to set yourself up for law school personal statement success is to have LOTS of people review your multiple drafts to offer feedback and constructive criticism.
That was one of main reasons I started my law school personal statement early – so I had time to show it to friends, family and teachers. I wanted to give them time to provide feedback. While this sort of feedback helps a lot, but it comes with its own set of problems. It's sometimes hard to say no to them if you don't agree with the changes they want you to make.
I really recommend getting feedback from people you don't know, or at least people you don't know well. This way, you'll feel more comfortable disagreeing with their suggestions if you don't like them.
So, where do you find these people? One thing you could do is ask friends of friends to "exchange" law school personal statement - you know, you review mine, I'll review yours.
Or you can reach out to me for expert help on writing the law school personal statement possible. Find out more here ---->
YOUR ACTION STEP
List five potential law school personal statement topics and write a paragraph on each. See which flows most naturally. The one that does just might be your best topic.
And if you have ANY friends applying to law school, share my articles with them. Tell others about my free resources, that there is another way to write your law school personal statement. A way that makes it EASY.
Best,
Steve
Students often ask me, “How can I decide what to write my law school personal statement on? What do schools want in the law school personal statement?”
Another way of asking this is, “How do I write a story which would allow me to show law school admission counselors a full picture of who I really am?”
If you've wondered about this, let me encourage you:
Law schools really do want to know who you are as a person. They don’t want to read something pretentious.
Rarely will a law school reject you for choosing a topic that shows vulnerability or talks about failure.
But there are some things you should consider when brainstorming your law school personal statement topic.
I advise students to avoid overly-negative law school personal statement topics, especially those that involve bad-mouthing your college, professors, or something that could be viewed as offensive or come across as angry.
Let me be clear, I have nothing against being honest and expressing who you are. However, it’s important to avoid any topics that could be considered “generic.”
When law school admission officers review personal statements, they find it difficult to connect with:
1. students who write law school personal statements on tragic or negative topics
2. students who simply list impressive things they've done
Instead, it's really worth taking the time to choose a topic that will make it easy for you to write unique law school personal statements. Statements that stand out from the thousands of other applicants.
The best way to write an effective law school personal statement, one that will give you a competitive edge in admissions, is to demonstrate how you’ve grown from difficult experiences, not how you’ve let them affect you. There's a big difference in how you frame these types of law school personal statements.
What do law school admission officers look for?
They look for statements that show that you are honest and mature, with the ability to reflect on your past experiences.
Does this mean that poor writing skills will prevent you from writing a persuasive and focused essay?
Maybe...but not necessarily.
The rule of thumb with this:
Ultimately, you’re responsible for your own success.
Bottom line: choose a topic that presents you in a positive light, yet shows your ability to reflect on your past self. Don’t choose a topic simply because your parents or teachers tell you it’ll make you look good.
That’s a sure-fire way to end up with a topic that looks like everyone else’s, which means you won’t stand out, even if the person reading it is impressed by your accomplishments.
Another tip:
A great way to set yourself up for law school personal statement success is to have LOTS of people review your multiple drafts to offer feedback and constructive criticism.
That was one of main reasons I started my law school personal statement early – so I had time to show it to friends, family and teachers. I wanted to give them time to provide feedback. While this sort of feedback helps a lot, but it comes with its own set of problems. It's sometimes hard to say no to them if you don't agree with the changes they want you to make.
I really recommend getting feedback from people you don't know, or at least people you don't know well. This way, you'll feel more comfortable disagreeing with their suggestions if you don't like them.
So, where do you find these people? One thing you could do is ask friends of friends to "exchange" law school personal statement - you know, you review mine, I'll review yours.
Or you can reach out to me for expert help on writing the law school personal statement possible. Find out more here ---->
YOUR ACTION STEP
List five potential law school personal statement topics and write a paragraph on each. See which flows most naturally. The one that does just might be your best topic.
And if you have ANY friends applying to law school, share my articles with them. Tell others about my free resources, that there is another way to write your law school personal statement. A way that makes it EASY.
Best,
Steve
Recommended Resources:
1. Law School Admissions Coaching
Get personalized 1-1 help on every aspect of the law school admission process -- or just the law school personal statement.
2. Law School Admissions Guide
I've written a concise guide to the law school admission process with tips on completing every aspect of your applications from start to finish. It's a small price to pay for a whole lot of guidance, and it's short enough that you'll actually read the whole thing. 3. Law School Admissions Cheat Sheet Quick-reference guide for the law school personal statement, the "Why X?" essay, and the law school résumé. (You can also get it with the LSAT Cheat Sheets.) |
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