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.
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