Law school personal statement myths

When you’re a junior or senior in college, there’s a lot of talk that goes around about law school admissions. Whether it’s your friends, teachers, or parents, it can start to seem like everyone has a different opinion on what law school admission officers are looking for. It can get confusing, and maybe even a bit overwhelming – which is why I’m here to help.

In my time helping students write law school personal statements, I’ve also met and spoken with dozens of admission officers from many different law schools (you can see our discussions on the LSAT Unplugged YouTube channel and podcast). Through my experiences, I’ve made some surprising discoveries. Most importantly, I’ve come to learn that there are a lot of myths about the law school personal statement. And, many of the students who come to me for help actually believe these myths to be true.  With so many different sources of information, it’s difficult to separate what’s true from what’s not.  Let me help by sharing some of the most common law school personal statement myths I hear: Myth #1: It’s a good idea to use big words Many students think the law school personal statement is a place to show off their vocabulary. In reality, the opposite is actually true. The more concise and straightforward you can make your law school personal statement, the better.  Why? Law school admission officers aren’t concerned with how many “big words” you know. They want to read an interesting story showing how you overcome obstacles and have a passion for learning. If you’re using too many big words, it will distract your reading from the true meaning of your law school personal statement. More importantly, many students tend to use big words where they don’t really fit. Just because you understand the meaning of a word doesn’t mean you need to use it to express yourself. If a simpler word choice fits, use that instead. Myth #2: The law school personal statement doesn’t matter much if you have great test scores This is a myth I hear fairly often. Students think that high LSAT scores and GPAs alone will be their ticket into the law school of their choice. This is absolutely false.  No matter how great your scores and grades are, law school admission officers still want to see how you’re different from other applicants. What is it about your personal journey that gives you unique value? What key characteristics do you provide that the law school would want? Your law school personal statement explains these factors, so no matter how well you’ve done on tests or in school, you still need to impress your reader through the written portion of your application. Myth #3: You can't use the same law school personal statement for each school you apply to There’s another false idea students tend to believe: you can't submit the same exact essay to every law school you’re applying to.  Not only can you start with the same general framework, you rarely need to adjust your law school personal statement for each school you’re applying to, if at all.  Always remember: not everything you hear about the admissions process is true. If something you’ve heard about the law school personal statement sounds “off,” it probably is. When in doubt, follow the instructions provided in the law school personal statement prompt, and if you’re unclear on anything, you can always reach out to me for help. Until next time, Steve P.S. Now that you’ve discovered some of the most common law school personal statement myths, don’t miss my next article. In it, I’ll share the most common law school personal statement mistake, and how I helped one student, Michelle, overcome it in her application essay.

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 phrases

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discovering ways to write a more concise law school personal statement. My last article shared some things you should do. In this one, we’re going to focus on things not to do. Specifically, phrases you should avoid. These phrases aren’t necessarily “bad” to use, but they make your law school personal statement less concise. Since short, clear phrases are what we’re aiming for, it’s best to replace these phrases with better ones if you spot them in your law school personal statement. Make every word count.

So, when you’re editing your law school personal statement, look to see if you’ve included any of these phrases, and instead replace them with more concise choices: 1. First and foremost Did you know “first” and “foremost” actually mean the same thing? Choose one to make your transition shorter! 2. At the end of the day This is actually a figure of speech, so you might want to avoid it in your law school personal statement anyway. Use a single word like “ultimately” instead. 3. In order to Does the sentence still work if you take out “in order?” Usually, students say this when they could simply use the word “to” instead. 4. With that being said Instead of saying “with that being said,” a more concise option would be “nonetheless” or “however.” 5. Needless to say You might want to scrap this phrase from your vocabulary entirely – at least while writing your law school personal statement. If something doesn’t need to be said, you probably shouldn’t be saying it! These aren’t the only phrases you could swap out for shorter ones, but this list is a good starting point. You might even find some more on your own when you look closely! And, if you need additional help, you can always read through my additional advice for reviewing your law school personal statement. Or, reach out to me. I’d love to take a look at what you’ve written so far! Until next time, Steve P.S. Here’s another hint to help you make your writing more concise: wordy phrases are often used as transitions. So, you can usually find them at the beginning of paragraphs. The simplest way to make your law school personal statement more direct is by scanning your opening sentences in each paragraph, and replacing multi-word phrases with single-word transitions.

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 - keeping it concise

In my last article, I shared with you some reasons to make your law school personal statement as concise as possible. Now, I’d like to show you how to do that. It may take a bit of effort, but soon you’ll find that it’s easier than you think to shorten sentences and make your language clearer.

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.

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 length

Law school personal statement length (or why law school admission officers want short essays) Throughout your high school and college education, your instructors have probably asked you to “be concise” with your writing. In other words, they’re looking for short, punchy language. Instead of using long phrases, they’ve encouraged you to state your point with fewer words. Sure, there’s a time and a place to be wordy. But let’s be clear: it’s not the law school personal statement.

In fact, it’s never been more important to be concise than right now. Your law school personal statement needs to get your message across as promptly as possible. Law school admissions officers want to read concise law school personal statement, for the following reasons: 1. They’re Pressed for Time Law school admission officers have deadlines, too. The reason most schools limit the word or page count for law school personal statements is so they have time to actually read each one! If your law school personal statement is too wordy, readers will become frustrated by it. A clearly-written statement should be able to be read fully within 5-10 minutes. So, the more concise you can make your language, the better. 2. They’ve Read a LOT of These In-demand schools receive tens of thousands of applications. While no single admission officer would be expected to read all of those, it’s safe to say they’re reading quite a few. They’ll appreciate yours even more if it’s easier to read! 3. Your Message Will Be Clearer When you ramble instead of choosing concise sentences, your words begin to lose their precise meaning. To make your message as clear as possible, try to say what you need to say in as few words as you can. 4. You’ll Show Your Value as a Candidate When you choose to write concisely, it says a few things about you as a student: a. You’ve done your research and know law schools look for short, concise essays b. You know how to follow directions c. You can communicate a message or idea clearly d. You respect the admission officers’ time and value the opportunity to have your essay read It’s not always easy to be concise with your writing, but with the law school personal statement, it’s definitely worth aiming for. And that’s one of the biggest things I help students with – transforming 1,000+ word law school personal statement drafts into concise and polished pieces of prose that pull no punches. Or, in other words, writing law school personal statements that admission officers can (and want to!) read. Please feel free to reach out if you need any help with your law school application essays. I’m here to help. Until next time, Steve P.S. Now that I’ve shared why it’s so important to be concise, keep an eye out for my next article. I’ll be going over how you can be more concise with your law school personal statement. In the meantime, if you’re struggling to get started, take a look at these law school admissions resources.

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 editing

9 out of 10 writers agree that editing’s hard work! (The other one’s probably lying.) You’ve already put time and effort into your law school personal statement, so spending even more time on it might feel like the last thing you want to do. But it turns out that editing is critically important. It’s the one thing that turns good law school personal statements into great ones. And, it could even be the thing that catches mistakes that would’ve led you to get a rejection letter. Sure, you know you have to edit your law school personal statement, but one thing I find many students are unsure about is when to stop editing. Something I get asked a lot is, “How do I know whether my law school personal statement needs more work?”   My answer’s typically: If you’re asking whether your law school personal statement needs more work, it probably does. At the same time, it’s easy to become obsessed with editing, and actually create more work for yourself.  Some students keep going back and forth over their law school personal statement, when it’s already perfect as is. To help solve this dilemma, I’m giving you this guide:  How to Tell Whether Your Law School Personal Statement Needs More Editing You Caught a Mistake The biggest sign your law school personal statement still needs editing is that others see it! If you’re still noticing spelling or grammatical mistakes, repeated or omitted words, or any other mechanical errors, keep editing until there’s absolutely nothing left to fix. Don’t read it through just once and submit it, either. Read it, take a break, then come back to it again until you’re 100% certain it’s your most error-free work to date. Your Readers Have Questions Whether it’s your mom, a teacher, or a friend, anyone who gets confused over a certain detail, paragraph, or sentence in your law school personal statement is doing you a favor. Things that might seem obvious to you aren’t necessarily as easy for the average reader to understand.  If one of your readers has said “I don’t get this,” or “This part confuses me,” thank them! They’ve just pointed out a place where you need to elaborate or clarify, and that’s far better than leaving your law school admission officer confused. You Haven’t Answered These Questions Every law school personal statement should answer:        • Why do you want to go to this law school?        • What do you have to offer that other students don’t?        • Do you have a passion for learning?        • What made you decide on a future in this specific field?        • How will a law school education support your future goals? You should aim to answer these questions with clear, concise answers. You Feel Like Something’s Missing If you’ve read and reread your law school personal statement, but it still seems to be lacking something, you may need to rework one or more areas. Ask yourself: where do I feel like the law school personal statement is falling flat? Does the conclusion need to be stronger? Does the opening make enough of an impact? Are there any areas that simply seem boring? If so, could you replace them with more interesting details, or leave them out altogether? You Haven’t Left It & Come Back Your entire writing, editing, and submission process should not happen over the course of one day. In fact, many students spend weeks on the planning, writing, and editing phases to write a law school personal statement they consider flawless. In order to tell whether an idea is truly working, I recommend walking away from your law school personal statement and then coming back to it 48 hours later, at the very earliest. Of course, this only works when you begin your law school application process on time! For a timeline on when you need to do everything by, visit my law school admissions resources here. Until next time, Steve P.S. Another way to tell whether your law school personal statement is at the exact point it should be (or, conversely, you could still make a few tweaks) is to have an expert weigh in. If you’d like some professional help on turning your law school personal statement into a masterpiece, you know where to find me!

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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