Law school personal statement inspiration

One common law school personal statement theme is writing about someone who inspires you” I often recommend against this because it takes the focus away from you - and this is supposed to be a personal statement.

Even if this won’t be your final topic, it might be helpful to play around with some ideas. In fact, you might be surprised by what you discover when you do some brainstorming on this topic.  Let me share some tips to help you get started: 1. Think about the word “inspire.” Oftentimes, students who choose this topic lose focus and begin to think only about a person. But remember: inspiration is an action. Whether you’re writing about your mom or a public figure, focus on the way that person has impacted your actions or beliefs. Cite specific examples to back up your claims. 2. Choose someone who means something to you. Just because someone has won a Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t mean they’ve made the greatest impact on your life. It doesn’t matter if the name of your “someone” will be recognizable by admission officers. As long as you can illustrate how that person has truly changed your life in relation to your goals for the future, that’s all that matters. 3. Remember, this is about you. Here comes the tricky part. While you may want to write about someone who’s inspired you, the overall law school personal statement should still remain focused on you. It’s easy to get caught up in all of the wonderful things you’d like to say about this person, but you’re the person applying to law school. Admission officers want to read about you. Jasmine, the student whose law school personal statement I featured in my most recent article, handled this masterfully. She dedicates only one paragraph to the designers who have influenced her, saying: “The Chinese fashion designer Anna Sui has inspired me a great deal. Her style provides me with a sense of direction that modern Chinese fashion can take. Her mysterious and exotic collections make use of Asian styles in a rich and luxurious manner.” Then, in the next paragraph, she returns the focus to herself, saying: “As an attorney focused on fashion, I will go to China in order to seek out and develop native Chinese design and fashion talent… With my background in business management and a year of study in design, combined with a degree in fashion merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology, I will be uniquely positioned to assist China in its development as a center of global fashion. Do you see how Jasmine wrote about how the actions of the designer inspired her, instead of just the person herself? Then, she redirected the law school personal statement to bring readers’ attention back to her own goals and future plans. So, if you skipped this topic because you can’t imagine writing an entire personal statement about someone else, it’s time to revisit it! It would actually be a bad idea to focus your whole essay on another person. However, writing about the impact someone has made on you is an excellent way to showcase your love for learning and inspiration – which is precisely what admission officers what to see. In my next article, I’ll share a potentially surprising law school personal statement topic that can work very well – if you do it the right way. Stay tuned, Steve P.S. If you don’t love the idea of writing about someone else, no problem! (It’s not for everybody.) Check out my articles on law school admissions to help you get some ideas flowing. And if you have trouble coming up with ideas for your law school application essays, just reach out and I’ll do what I can to help.

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.)

Free Stuff | YouTube | Podcast | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Books | Courses

Law school personal statement - digging deeper

If you’ve never seen the phrase “dig deeper” written in the margins of one of your papers, consider yourself lucky. It seems as if it’s something every professor always says, and for most students, it just sounds like more work.   You might not want to hear this, but your professors are actually right. In order to produce an excellent essay, you really do have to dig deeper.

But what you don’t have to do is make it harder than it has to be. Yes, “digging deeper” requires a bit of extra thinking, but you won’t need to scrap your law school personal statement idea altogether if someone prompts you to dig deeper. Instead, it might mean taking an existing idea and expanding on it. Let’s find out what “digging deeper” actually means with an example from one of my recent students. Jasmine began her law school personal statement with a story about how she helped a Chinese-American friend pick out clothes for an important job interview. On the surface, this anecdote illustrates Jasmine’s interest in fashion. It shows how she enjoys helping others feel confident through their clothing choices. But it’s not enough.  You see, the anecdote is only one part of a larger story. After reading about her experience, we might still have questions, such as: Why is fashion so important to her? What does she find exciting about the world of fashion? What are her future plans for pursuing a career in fashion law? Instead of simply stating that she likes fashion and citing an instance when she used her passion to help a friend, Jasmine transforms her law school personal statement into a much more compelling story by answering those questions.   Her Chinese-American friend, she says, is like many other Chinese immigrants. They have ambitious career goals, but typically don’t pay much attention to details like appearances. Yet, Jasmine argues that appearances can go a long way in helping someone gain the respect and opportunities needed for success. Jasmine also notes that although modern Chinese fashion has gained popularity in Western culture, countries like the U.S. still have only had a small glimpse of what Chinese designers can do. So, Jasmine’s goal in pursuing fashion law, is to “assist China in its development as a center of global fashion.” In doing so, she also hopes to help people like her friend embrace Chinese fashion and all of its benefits, including dressing the part for important professional events. As you can see, Jasmine took just two elements – a love for fashion and a tale about helping a friend – and turned them into a law school personal statement that would make a major impact on admission officers. Believe it or not, you can do the very same thing. All you have to do is dig a little deeper to get there. In my next article, I’ll share how to write about someone who inspires you with examples from Jasmine’s law school personal statement, so stay tuned!  Until next time, Steve P.S. In the meantime, you can find out more about what to include in your law school application in these articles.

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.)

Free Stuff | YouTube | Podcast | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Books | Courses

Law school personal statement - best time to start

Law school admissions is conducted on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply, the better. However, your goal application submission date is not be the only date you should be concerned about when applying to schools. Instead, it’s a good idea to focus on when you should start everything. This gives you plenty of “buffer room” to take your time and really do your best on every part of the application. It also allows you plenty of time to reach out for help if you need to.

This is especially important for the written part of your application. The last thing you want to do is put more stress on yourself when you need to write an exceptional law school personal statement. So, what’s the ideal time to begin writing the law school personal statement? The answer may not be what you think. The general time frame I recommend for the students I work with to start their first draft is 3-4 months before they plan to submit their law school application. But that doesn’t really answer the question of when the best time to write the law school personal statement is. So, while the perfect time is different for everybody, here’s how I help my students discover the best time for them:   • It’s After You’ve Done Some Brainstorming One thing that doesn’t work for most students is diving right into the law school personal statement without first doing some brainstorming. It’s a good idea to sit down and come up with some creative ideas about personal experiences you’ve had that impacted your education or outlook on life. Do this days or even weeks before you actually plan to write your first draft to give yourself ample time to build on your initial thoughts.  • It’s When You Have No Other Obligations Pick a time when you have no looming responsibilities weighing on you. Finish your school, any necessary chores, or other obligations before sitting down to write. Some students even find it helpful to clean their whole rooms before getting started, because they need a clutter-free environment to focus. If that’s what it takes, fine – but be sure to recognize the differences between procrastinating and supporting the creative process. • It’s After You’ve Completed The Rest of the Application Your law school personal statement needs to say something different about you than what’s listed in other parts of your application. Tell admission officers something they won’t find out about you from your LSAT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation. Doing these portions first will help you to avoid repeating yourself. • It’s DEFINITELY Not Right Before the Due Date Lastly, but most importantly, it’s absolutely imperative to avoid putting your law school personal statement off until the last minute. If you find the deadline is quickly approaching, ignore all the recommendations I shared above and simply sit down and write. Even if it’s not the best writing you’ve ever done, you’ll at least have a starting point you can work with. Ultimately, the best time to write the law school personal statement is the time that’s right for you. If possible, I recommend blocking off at least a couple of hours and telling family members that you’ll be busy for that period. (Hint: turning off the Internet connection might help with distractions.) Your first draft might not take several hours, but in case you find yourself on a roll, you’ll have plenty of time to keep going after you get started! Until next time, Steve  P.S. If you feel like you’re doing well while writing your law school personal statement and then all of a sudden you become stuck, don’t panic. Walk away from your laptop or computer for a while. Give it a few minutes, hours, or even a couple of days before you come back to it again. The advantage of starting 3-4 months before you have to submit your application is that you can take a few “mini breaks” without worrying about your deadline. P.P.S. If you’re not an “early bird” with your law school applications, that’s ok, too. I can still help in the final months and weeks (even the final week). Just reach out. I’d love to help you get into your dream school, even if it means working on your law school application essays at the last minute.

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.)

Free Stuff | YouTube | Podcast | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Books | Courses

Next steps after the LSAT

For those of you who took the LSAT, I hope you rocked it! If you didn't, I know how frustrating that can be. I've been there, too. And if that's you, I'm sure you're wondering where to go from here, and what to do next. If you're planning on October, November, or beyond, and you're wondering what to do  before your next exam, I've got something special for you I recorded after the last LSAT. 15 LSAT Retake Strategies in 15 Minutes It's a live LSAT class I taught after a while back. If you didn't make it to the live event, and you didn't listen to it before, check it out so you can find out what to do differently next time around: If you're thinking about retaking, and you're wondering what to do differently next time around to prep for Test Day, I've a few goodies for you, including a bunch of videos on YouTube about: - how to decide whether to retake - how to prep for a retake, including - - what to do differently this time around I made an entire playlist of them all to keep everything organized. Here's the link ----> I also had a few great coaching sessions recently on the LSAT Unplugged YouTube channel with some very impressive students. I coached Michelle on her June LSAT study schedule: And I coached Dylan on preparing for the June LSAT (+ Logic Games): Both coaching sessions contain insights you can apply to your own situation whether you're retaking or not. But if you are retaking, I've also got a ton of articles on preparing for an LSAT retake, including: Should you retake the LSAT? LSAT retake study schedules Day-by-day LSAT retake study schedules How to study for a retake On the other hand, if you're feeling good about it, that's great! Reach out and let me know, and let me know when you get your score, too - I love hearing success stories.  But I also love helping students who are struggling - whether it's with an LSAT retake or law school applications. Either way, send me your questions about what to do next. Wherever you're at, I'll do what I can to help. Looking forward to hearing from you. Steve P.S. Seriously, message me. I love hearing from all of you. It keeps me going - and motivates me to create more resources that will help everyone studying for the LSAT and applying to law school. P.P.S. Reach out to be coached by me on the LSAT Unplugged YouTube channel and podcast.

Law school personal statement rules you should break

Rules, guidelines, tips, and instructions: they’re everywhere for law school applicants, and I’ve even shared a few of my favorite ones with you in some of my previous articles. Now, it’s time to break them.  Okay – we won’t actually break any rules per se, but you can at least forget them for a little while. Think of it as a “mini” rule-breaking exercise to get your creative juices flowing. Because truthfully, raw creativity can’t be confined by rules. So, sometimes, the best way to tap into it is to forget what you’re “supposed” to be doing and just do what works for you. To begin a thoughtful, well-written law school personal statement, all you need to do is just sit down and write. Yes, we’ve discovered lots of ways you can improve your writing. Some are more important than others – “show, don’t tell” is one you should always keep in mind. Another top strategy is telling a story that shows how you’ve become the person you are today – and how it will shape your future. But if you’re struggling just to get started on the law school personal statement, I encourage you to rethink the rules. Many of the ones you may be obsessing over can probably be forgotten – at least for now – especially if it means getting started on your law school personal statement. Here are a few rules you can put aside in order to begin writing: 1. The Prompt Here’s a little secret most law school admission officers won’t tell you: the majority of law school personal statement topics are so broad that you can tell virtually any story about yourself – as long as it’s truly meaningful. So, if you’re struggling with writer’s block, one trick you may wish to try is just skipping over the prompt entirely. Skipping the prompt may seem counterintuitive. But, most topics offer a lot of freedom. Typically they’ll ask you some variation of these law school admissions questions, which are very broad and can apply to almost any important experience you’ve had. So, once you’ve begun and are actually getting words out to form a first draft, then you can go back and look at the prompt. Chances are, your law school personal statement will be right on topic. 2. The Word Count Stressing over the word count is something I see students do way too much. It’s a shame, because some very skilled writers limit themselves knowing they have to meet a certain word count. That’s why I recommend ignoring the word count at first. By doing this, you’ll probably wind up writing more than you have to. However, it’s always better to go back and condense than it is to add more “filler.” 3. Your Major Another thing students worry about is figuring out how to tie their chosen major into their specific story. So, why not alleviate that stress and put it aside for now? Focus instead on a larger theme – such as how your experience has made you realize how you want to help people, or how you want to make a difference in the world. Then go back and try to tie in future plans for your education accordingly. Of course, it’s not a good idea to ignore essay-writing rules altogether.   But hopefully, by putting some stressors aside for the time being, you’ll be able to focus your attention fully on writing a creative, though-provoking law school personal statement. And if you’re still feeling stuck, just reach out, and I’ll be in touch.  Until next time, Steve P.S. Are you worried you’re falling behind in the law school application process? It’s ok. You could still be right on time. In my next admissions article, I’ll share some thoughts about the best time to write your law school personal statement. P.P.S. I also work with many students in the final weeks before they submit their applications. Although my schedule does tend to fill up as the cycle progresses, I’ll still do whatever I can do help. Just reach out and ask. If I can’t help you, I’ll refer you to someone who can.

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.)

Free Stuff | YouTube | Podcast | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Books | Courses