Planning your law school personal statement

When you’re lost somewhere, what do you turn to? Chances are, you use your phone’s GPS to get you where you need to be. Just like your GPS, your outline can keep your law school personal statement on track (and get you where you want to go – your top-choice school!). As you may have noticed, I’ve shared a lot about preparing to write your law school personal statement. The outline is the final preparation step. It takes place after brainstorming, and there may even be a few versions of it. I usually work with students to come up with an outline together, and it’s a great way to keep their law school personal statement focused and on course. But a lot of students want to skip this step and just get to the writing. Here’s why that’s not a good idea: A lot of writers may not tell you this, but they usually don’t just sit at the computer and let the words “flow.” In reality, writing a great law school personal statement requires planning. Even the best novelists, journalists, and essay writers have at least some sort of framework before they just start typing away. I understand that writing an outline might feel like extra work. So, let me take a few moments to share with you why the outline isn’t actually an “extra” step; it will actually save you time and effort in the long run. 3 Reasons You NEED an Outline for Your Law School Personal Statement: 1. It Gives You a Starting Point One of the most common challenges the students I’ve worked with have faced is simply not knowing where to begin. (If this sounds like you, don’t feel bad; this is something that professionals who write for a living struggle with all the time – it’s called writer’s block!) Outlines take the guesswork out of writing so you won’t just be staring at a blank computer screen. Outlines also remove the pressure of having to “sound good,” since they’re just a list of ideas. Once you have them on the screen (or paper – whichever you prefer!), you can then begin to organize them. You can add, remove, or reorder them as you see fit. What matters most is that writing your first draft will seem much less intimidating, because your outline will be there to guide you. 2. It Helps You Focus After the creative juices start flowing, it’s easy to get caught up in a story or idea. Before you know it, you might find that your law school personal statement has veered off in a direction too far from the original point to reel it back in. Again, your outline is your “map:” it’s the list you can look at when your ideas start to run wild. One thing I tell students to do is to look at their outline at the end of each paragraph. If your points are still relevant to your original supporting ideas, you’re on the right track. Which brings me to my next point… 3. It Means Fewer Revisions  Yes, outlines require you to put more work in upfront. But in the long run, they’ll save you time. By planning out your law school personal statement, you’ll stay on track with your writing so your first draft will be better than it would have been without following an outline. This means you’ll spend less time on revisions – and more time thinking about how you’re going to decorate your dorm after getting accepted to your dream school. Outlines remove the stress students feel leading up to the essay-writing process. The process is already stressful enough, but by getting your thoughts down ahead of time, you’ll feel less pressure when it comes time for writing. The problem is, some students don’t even know where to start with an outline, even after doing some brainstorming. They get stuck, and even though they have great ideas and experiences, it’s difficult to organize them. That’s where I come in: the law school application process is what I do best, and I’ve been helping students get into their top choice schools for years. Check out my law school admissions coaching sessions on YouTube for examples.

Are you feeling stressed about your law school personal statement? I can help. Let’s work together to get you into your top-choice school – just shoot me a message to find out more. And let me know if you have any questions about outlines. I can’t reply to every message, but I do read them all myself. Steve P.S. My next article will have some more outline-writing tips, so if you want to learn more about getting your ideas out, keep an eye out for it in the next few days.

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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What every law school personal statement must have

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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If you’ve been reading my articles, you've probably noticed by now that there’s a PRECISE formula for writing the perfect law school personal statement. The problem is, all students have different experiences. So, while the must-have components of writing a fantastic law school personal statement are the same for everyone, not all students can approach it the same way. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. After all, you don’t want to sound like everyone else. Until we begin working together, I won’t know the right approach for you. Your law school personal statement should show why the experiences you’ve had set you on this path, but in order to make that connection, we need to first determine what those standout experiences are. In other words, it will require some reflection. This is the first must-have item for every law school personal statement: reflection. You can use the law school personal statement as an opportunity to answer these questions: “Who have I been?” and “Who am I now?” Those are broad questions, and they’re not easy to answer. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of a back-and-forth exchange with someone else to answer these questions. The good news is, I know exactly how to do that. You know who you are… but your identity isn’t easy to put into words. That’s where I can come in. Here’s an example of how the process works: A student I worked with recently (I'll call her "Sarah"), was a confident and ambitious college graduate, but she wasn’t always that way. When she began college, she was shy and afraid to speak up. It wasn’t until she joined a feminist society that she found her voice. Not only did she become more comfortable sharing her views, but Sarah also became more driven to make a positive change in society. When we worked together, I encouraged Sarah to reflect on key moments in her feminist society that had the greatest impact on boosting her confidence and helping her become more of an activist. After we identified these moments, Sarah was able to write a moving law school personal statement about how feminism developed her into the person she is, and how it will continue to play an important role in her education and future. Do you see how Sarah's statement was both reflective and personal?  It worked. Her mother emailed me to share the good news: she had been accepted to Cornell Law!

Dawn may have thought her family's dreams of her daughter attending an Ivy League Law School were a long shot, but that was before we started working on her law school personal statement together. What about you? Are you shooting for a top school, but you’re not sure if you have what it takes? I’d love to hear all about it. Reach out and let me know where you’re at. I’ll do whatever I can to help. Because we can do the same thing with your law school personal statement. If you want to get started, just get in touch and let me know. If not, that’s ok, too. I’ll be sharing more resources in the coming weeks to able you identify these potential topics, whether we work together or not. All I ask is that you reach out and let me know: “What’s your #1 struggle with the law school admissions process?” I’ll use your responses to help me decide what to share more about in future articles. And check out my law school admissions coaching sessions on YouTube for more. Talk soon, Steve P.S. Usually, the students with the best law school personal statements don’t just sit down and begin writing. Unfortunately, it’s not some magical process that just “happens” on its own. It requires a lot of planning, including writing an outline. If you’re wondering how you can use an outline as a tool to get you started on your law school personal statement, be sure to watch for my next article.

 

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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The 5 biggest law school personal statement mistakes - and how to avoid them

In my experience helping more than 1,000 law school applicants prepare their personal statement, I’ve seen my fair share of mistakes. In fact, I tell each new student I work with NOT to worry about making errors at first, because I’m 99% certain I’ve seen it before – and we can always fix it. One of the earliest mistakes students make is overthinking their law school personal statement. When we first start working together, I find many students have too many ideas and struggle to pinpoint just one. How can you narrow down the best one? Sometimes, it helps to get an outside point of view. Even if we haven’t met before, I’ve helped many students focus on the subject that matters most to them. Here’s why that matters: the topic that means the most to you will also work best to get the attention of admission officers. Take my former student Brittany, for example -- Brittany chose to identify a background, identity, interest, or talent that was so meaningful to her, that her application would seem incomplete without it. Brittany knew she wanted to write about her experience with the violin. The problem was, she had 11 years’ worth of experiences to choose from on her résumé! It was difficult to focus on one meaningful instance in particular. After working together, we were able to identify one key turning point that helped her become the person she is today. The end result was a well-written and moving law school personal statement. Does this sound like you? Do you have a general idea for a topic, but still don’t know where to start? If so, send me a message and let’s bounce some ideas around. I’d love to help. Because the #1 BIGGEST mistake I see students make is trying to squeeze too many ideas into one law school personal statement. Here are some other “don’ts” to avoid: 2. Talking about how you want to go to a school because it has a great reputation. Many students want to go to a top school, be successful in their careers, and make lots of money. I’m sorry to tell you this, but no one cares. Well, that’s not 100% true. Law school admissions officers do indeed care that their school is great, but they already know this. Set yourself apart by expressing your desire to take classes in subjects that interest you. If you’re not sure what you want to study, make it clear that you want to expose yourself to a wide range of ideas. And by all means, DON’T do this: “X Law School is well-renowned, and many famous people like _____, ____, and ____ graduated from there. With a law degree from X Law School, I’ll be sure to be a success in life and make my friends and family proud.” 3. Using “cute” techniques to stand out. Don’t be gimmicky! Sometimes, you’ll hear stories of super-creative approaches that worked. When they do, people take it as proof that the creative approach is a great idea. Here’s the risk: Some law school admission officers are old-school, and some are open to new approaches. You don’t know which type will be reading your application. So, it’s better to be safe and avoid gimmicky approaches. 4. Starting your law school personal statement with a famous quote Law school admissions officers want to hear from you, not from famous people. The first voice that the admissions officer reads should be yours! If you really do feel a strong connection to a quote, try pulling only a single phrase. Then write something about why it’s important to you right away. (Several of the law school admissions coaching sessions I've done have featured students that initially made this mistake.) 5. Including careless grammatical errors, overly wordy phrases, and clichés. You know the stakes are high. Show them you care enough about this to write an amazing law school personal statement by proofreading. Also, you should avoid clichés like the plague. (See what I did there?) Seriously, though, clichés could separate your personal statement from the rest, but not in a good way. One law school admission officer I interviewed talked about how just 10% of the statements he read could be considered “excellent,” while a mere 1% were “outstanding.”  The commonality among those personal statements? They never featured clichés. Here are some common clichéd phrases and expressions to avoid: • One day at a time • Dream come true • To make a long story short • Outside my comfort zone • Live and learn • Shed some light on • One in a million I’ll be sharing more lists and tips like this in future articles. Stay tuned, Steve P.S. Now that you know what not to do in your law school personal statement, you’re probably wondering what you should do. If so, be on the lookout for my next article, which will share some of things a killer law school personal statement MUST have.

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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Law school personal statement questions...and how to answer them

The key to a strong law school personal statement isn’t just writing well. It’s also about preparation. You already know law school application time is approaching. So, the smart thing to do is to think ahead and prepare for the most commonly asked questions. I always tell the students I work with one-on-one to approach the law school personal statement like a job interview. You may not know for sure what you’ll be asked, but you probably have a general idea of the most common questions. Prepared jobseekers take it a step further and brainstorm answers to those questions so they’re confident on the big day. The same concept applies when you're preparing to write an outstanding law school personal statement. You can become a prepared student and increase your odds of acceptance by getting ready for essay writing in advance. Even if you get a curveball and a question pops up that you didn’t prepare for exactly, you’ll still be way ahead of your competition. Common Law School Personal Statement Topics (and Advice for Answering Them) Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of students write powerful law school personal statements. These students tend to fall into two categories: students with a list of schools they’re considering, and students who are still unsure.  You might think only the students with target schools in mind can get started on their essays early. Not true! I’ve worked with undecided students AND students who have a list of top-choice schools in mind.  Both can use the same essay prep and writing techniques. Here’s how. I’ll let you in on a little secret: Most schools will let you write about anything. No two questions will be exactly the same, but usually, they'll keep it open-ended, allowing you to think about a talent, background, or interest that’s meaningful to you. To get a head start on writing your law school personal statement, you can begin thinking and brainstorming now about how you'd answer this. If you followed the advice from my last article, you already have some material to pull from. For examples, check out my law school admissions coaching sessions on YouTube. These students know that although their LSAT scores are the most important factors, law school personal statements can impress admissions officers. To truly stand out, you want to show how you're a well-rounded student with passions and interests outside of academics. The students I’ve worked with have had all sorts of influences. It may not always be obvious to them right away, but after we work together one-on-one, the best topic always finds a way to stand out. Maybe you’re struggling to figure out which passion, interest, or background you should write about. If so, that’s okay! Just get in touch, and we’ll come up with the perfect material for your essay.  Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of simply listing all your accomplishments.  Instead, choose something unique – something the admissions committee won’t know just by reading the rest of your application. You can reflect on a hobby, an aspect of your personality, or an experience that is genuinely meaningful. An honest, personal statement about who you are will draw them in. In upcoming articles, I’ll dive a bit deeper into each type of question on its own, so make sure you keep an eye on out. ‘Til next time, Steve P.S. In my next article, I’ll give you some mistakes and cliché phrases to avoid at all costs! Even the most honest and captivating essays can get turned away with these mistakes, so be sure to look out for this list!

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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Will LSAT Logic Games Be Removed?

Lots of changes these days in LSAT land - it's hard to believe, but news reports are suggesting LSAC has agreed to remove LSAT Logic Games from the exam as part of a settlement agreement with blind law school applicants. (Note: this would not impact current applicants.) I've been sharing news on Instagram and inside the LSAT Unplugged Facebook Group (join for future updates and more). Is it true? Will Logic Games be removed in the future? Things may actually be more complicated than reports suggest. I've spoken few times with the plaintiff's attorney and was quoted in the National Law Journal about this: LSAC has been characteristically vague about the changes, further adding to the confusion. I taught a Digital LSAT prep class where I started by clarifying my current understanding of the situation and taking questions. Digital LSAT Prep Class -----> The focus of the class was on Digital LSAT prep specifically - not just the potential removal of Logic Games in the future, but I opened by addressing the recent news. *** I've also been experimenting with a new group coaching program over the past few months. And I'll expanded and integrate it into the LSAT courses. In the meantime, please let me know - What are your biggest questions about group coaching? And what would you hope to get out of a group coaching program? Let me know, and I'll address your questions in the future. *** In the meantime, I'll share some individual coaching calls I've done recently: Specifically, I've released new LSAT coaching sessions on: -Logic Games -Logical Reasoning -Reading Comprehension -Retaking the LSAT (In other news, a law school professor recently interviewed me for her podcast about LSAT prep.)

LSAT Group Coaching

My LSAT courses now include a unique opportunity to work with me directly. Over the past few days, I haven't just told you about group coaching, I've also shown you what group coaching is like in a real full-length coaching session:

Here's a video from Jocelyn (pictured above) sharing the impact our 3PC LSAT Mastermind group coaching program had on her LSAT prep journey:

I've also shown you 1-1 calls with students in the group coaching program, where I walk through exactly what group coaching involves. In short, it's an experience we co-create together on live video calls. And after experimenting with group coaching over the last few months, I'm now integrating it into my LSAT courses, which I've redesigned for the Digital LSAT. If you join now, you'll lock in these prices for as long as you're a member. Join now and improve your LSAT score today. -Steve P.S. The LSAT courses are 100% risk-free. That means you can try one, then decide if it's right for you. If you don't love it, just show me you did the work, and I'll refund 100% of your money. But I'm confident these will help you improve your LSAT score.