Law school personal statement lies

In my experience helping students write law school personal statements, I’ve heard just about everything from applicants.
I’ve also worked with dozens of law school admission officers, so I’ve heard a lot from the recipients’ side, too.

 But there’s one thing that stuns me again and again every time I hear it.
It’s a lie, and it’s a dangerous one to believe.
Maybe you’ve heard it around the hallways of your high school. Perhaps you’ve read it somewhere online. But it’s time to finally expose this lie, once and for all.    


The biggest lie about the law school personal statement is that no one reads it.
I know what you’re thinking: Are you sure they read every law school personal statement?

How is it possible to read them all?  


It’s not only possible, but in some cases, it’s the very thing that gets a student into their top-choice school!

Yes – law school admission officers receive many, many personal statements. But they read each and every one of them with care.



Admission officers want you to write the law school personal statement, because they want to learn something about you that your grades and test scores alone won’t tell them. It could just be the very thing that makes you the perfect student to attend their school.


I know it’s challenging. I know there’s a lot of pressure on you to write a great law school personal statement. But you must believe it will be read. That’s why I provide so much law school personal statement advice to help you and countless other students.


If there’s anything you’ve learned so far from me, please let it be this:
Your law school personal statement will get read. Believing it won’t be is dangerous, because you won’t put your full effort into it.  


So, approach your law school personal statement as if it’s the most important piece of writing you’ve ever done – because in many cases, it truly is!

Until next time,

 Steve




P.S. You may be wondering, “What about optional law school application essays?” Yes, admission officers read those, too! But are you struggling to decide whether you should include it in your application? If so, keep an eye out for my next article. I’ll share my insights, as well as an example of an optional essay from a student who was accepted to her top-choice school!

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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Writing your law school personal statement

In my last article, I shared a strategy for overcoming writer’s block. I also mentioned how many students experience this frustrating problem when writing the law school personal statement because they know it’s so important to their future.
Here’s another reason students get caught up before they can even begin their law school personal statement: they have too many ideas.

I’ve shared some useful tips on how to pick a law school personal statement topic with you in the past.
What I haven’t shared yet is the one simple rule you can follow to make the law school personal statement much less complicated and easier to write.
It’s all about focus. The one simple rule is to focus on just one aspect of yourself in the law school personal statement. Really, that’s it!


Here’s the issue: so many students I work with are overwhelmed by the law school personal statement because they feel like they only have a few hundred words to make a great impression on admission officers.


While that’s true, you only need to share one aspect about yourself to win over your readers.


But what many students try to do is share all of their best qualities in their law school personal statement. The result is a chaotic law school personal statement that’s hard to follow because it goes all over the place.   


If you’re having this problem, it’s an easy fix. Narrow your focus and choose one aspect of yourself to write about.
Let’s look at one student I worked with, Rachel.
Rachel had many different topics she wanted to write about, ranging from career goals to educational experience. Ultimately, she decided on an entirely different topic, because it had the greatest impact on her life: identifying as Chinese-American.


Her law school personal statement shows how she came to appreciate her Chinese heritage, including a story about how she witnessed her father's kindness first-hand during a trip to China. Yet, it still remains focused on her quest to find greater meaning in her Chinese-American identity.
By staying focused on just one topic, Rachel writes a law school personal statement that’s concise but thought-provoking. Her law school personal statement also shows how she overcame a challenge: she now knows the stereotypes she’s always heard about Chinese people are simply ignorant remarks made by people who fail to appreciate the value of different perspectives and ethnicities. 


So, if you’re struggling with the law school personal statement, it could simply be a result of trying to fit in too many ideas. Choose to highlight one aspect of your identity, and dig deeper until you’ve told a complete story.

Until next time,

Steve


P.S. Any time you feel like you might be veering off in too many different directions, take another look at the topic you’ve chosen. Sometimes, I even encourage my students to print out the topic and tape it somewhere visible so they can keep looking at it while writing their law school personal statement. A good rule of thumb to follow is to take another glance at it after you finish every other paragraph to make sure you’re focusing on the same key idea. 


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.)



Posted by Steve Schwartz 0 comments

Law school personal statement + writer's block



Writer’s block is never something students want to experience. If you’re writing your law school personal statement, it can be especially frustrating.

There are many different tips you can use to beat writer’s block. But maybe you just need an entirely new approach. 
Many students stress over the law school personal statement for a number of reasons. For one, they know just how important it is to write a thoughtful, concise law school personal statement to help them get into their top-choice school. Truthfully, the law school personal statement is one of the most important pieces of writing you’ll ever do.
For another thing, many students just don’t know where to begin. Even after reading their prompts, discovering useful tips and advice, and doing ample brainstorming, they’re still stumped for an idea. 


Here’s a secret strategy I share with some of my students: pretend you’re writing a letter instead.   


While it won’t leave you with the final version of the law school personal statement you’ll send off to your schools, it will generate some useful ideas.


Here’s how it works: Instead of focusing on writing a law school personal statement that admission officers will read, instead pretend to write a letter to your new law school roommate. (Believe it or not, Stanford and Harvard have actually included similar topics to this one in their undergraduate college essay prompts!)


Brainstorming about the most important aspects your future roommate should know about you may lead to some interesting insights about yourself. For example, this exercise helps some students develop a deeper understanding of why their favorite books have made such an impact on them, how they’ve developed a passion for their favorite past times, and which shared values are most important to them when making new friends. Exploring these and similar subjects a bit deeper might just help you write a complete law school personal statement!

Even if it doesn’t produce the perfect law school personal statement, at the very least this exercise will help you uncover some new ideas about yourself. 



Until next time,
Steve

P.S. If you’re still struggling just to get started, be on the lookout for my next article. In it, you’ll find out how following one simple rule can make the law school personal statement-writing process much easier (and how my student used this rule to write her perfect law school application essay). Stay tuned!

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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Great law school personal statements - what it takes

Students often come to me because they can write a good law school personal statement, but they need help writing a great law school personal statement to get them into their dream school.


A law school personal statement that impresses admission officers could be the one make-or-break factor that gets you into your top-choice school… or doesn’t.
So, it’s not surprise even students with strong writing skills seek out a little extra help to find out: What makes a law school personal statement incredible?
It’s not so easy to pinpoint. If you’ve been reading my articles, you may know by now there are always new tips and strategies for me to share with you, because the law school personal statement is complex. That’s mostly because each student has a different story to tell.


With that being said, there are a few standout qualities all amazing law school personal statements have. The way you present these qualities is what makes your law school personal statement special.


Here, I’ll share with you the three things you can include to take your law school personal statement from good to outstanding:



1. The “Unique” Factor
Some portion of your law school personal statement should be unique and unexpected. This could include the way you tell it, the story itself, or even the structure of your law school personal statement.

In other words, even after reading hundreds of law school personal statements, admission officers need to be surprised by something in yours. 

That may seem challenging, but it’s not impossible. 

Your law school personal statement doesn’t have to include the most unbelievable or extraordinary event to ever happen. Instead, you just need to include something unique to set yourself apart.



2. A Turning Point
Something all great law school personal statement include is an “aha” moment. Usually, this happens when the writer overcomes a challenge.

The whole purpose of your law school personal statement is to demonstrate a challenge you’ve overcome, how you’ve been influenced by a meaningful experience, or a similar way you’ve changed. Your reader must see how that change took place. 

The turning point can be subtle. You don’t have to make it too obvious for your reader – they’ll already be looking for it.



3. An Ending That Makes Your Reader Think 
Lastly, every excellent law school personal statement has an ending that leaves its reader with thoughts or questions. A well-thought-out law school personal statement should be wrapped up succinctly, but still leave room for additional thinking. 



Creating a law school personal statement with these three elements can take some time and careful planning. But the good news is that anyone can transform a good law school personal statement into an incredible one with a little bit of extra effort. If you think yours could use a little extra polish to become outstanding (or you’re just beginning), reach out and let me know– I’d be happy to help.



Until next time,
Steve



P.S. Even though these are three must-have qualities for a superior law school personal statement, there are a few other factors every law school application essay should have. You must also make sure your essay is answering all of the right questions. Find out which questions yours needs to answer by taking a look at my list here.


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.)



Posted by Steve Schwartz 0 comments

Law school personal statement mistakes to avoid



You might remember that, in my last article, I shared the most common law school personal statement mistake I see students make. (In case you missed it, it’s forgetting to show how you’ve overcome a challenge and become a better, more determined student.) Although this is an important mistake to avoid, there are others you should also be aware of.
The problem is, these mistakes are very easy to make.
And, although they’re simple for students to overlook, law school admission officers will definitely notice if you’ve made them.

To prevent your law school personal statement from being tossed aside by your reader, make sure you’re not making any of these simple mistakes:


1. Restating what’s on your application

Your law school personal statement is your one opportunity to show something other than test scores, grades, and extracurriculars. It should describe a unique experience that your reader wouldn’t know about you from reading the other parts of your application.


2. Skipping over detail

 The law school personal statement should bring your reader into your world and make them feel as if they’re really there. The way to do that is to write using details. If you’re not sure how to include the right amount of detail in your law school personal statement, take a look at my previous “show, don’t tell” article for some helpful advice.
3. Using clichés

 Clichés are overused, which means law school admission officers have read them more times than they can keep track of. Your goal should be to state your message in your own unique way. Don’t use someone else’s words to tell your story.
4. Having a weak intro or conclusion

 Too many students overlook the importance of a strong introduction. It should grab your reader’s attention and make them feel like they’d be missing out on something amazing if they didn’t keep reading. A powerful conclusion is just as important. It should leave your reader with a meaningful thought or image so you stay in their minds! 
5. Misspellings, improper grammar, or other mechanical errors

 Remember, this is one of the most important essays of your entire life. There’s no room for simple mistakes you could easily fix through proofreading. Don’t just glance over your work quickly. Read it, leave it, then come back to it. And, make sure you have a trusted source – whether it’s a parent, teacher, or me! – look at your work to make sure it’s absolutely perfect.



While these mistakes are simple to make, it’s worth taking the extra time to go back and ensure you’ve avoided them. A few extra minutes could make or break your ability to attend the law school of your dreams.

Until next time,
Steve




P.S. Sometimes, even when students check over their own work, they could still be missing some mistakes. Certain errors are just that easy to miss. If you ever want to be 100% certain your law school personal statement is entirely mistake-free, you can always reach out to me. My law school admissions counseling services have helped countless students get into top-14 law schools, and they can help you, too!


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.)



Posted by Steve Schwartz 0 comments

Law school personal statement mistakes

There are many different mistakes you can make when writing the law school personal statement. Yet, in working with students for more than 10 years, there’s one in particular that stands out to me.
Why?

 Because it’s the one I see most often.
It’s an easy mistake to make, which is why it happens so commonly. In fact, you might be making it in your law school personal statement – without even knowing it.


It may sound simple, but it’s a very important mistake to avoid. In fact, making this mistake could cost you your admission to your top-choice law school.
So, here it is… 


The most common mistake students make is forgetting to show how they’ve changed, evolved, or grown.


It’s easy for students to get wrapped up in writing about their past experiences, what they want to do in the future, and why they think the school would be such a great fit for them. But by focusing so much attention on these key points, they forget one of the most important points the law school personal statement should show: how they’ve overcome an obstacle.

In other words, your law school personal statement needs to show that you have grit. Determination. Willpower. 


Whatever you’d like to call it, it has to be there.


The reason it’s so important is because it shows admission officers that you’re able to get past challenges. It shows them that you deserve to go to their law school, because you won’t give up if the coursework becomes difficult.


In order to wow law school admission officers, your law school personal statement should do the same. You need to share an experience you overcame to become the student you are today.  


If you’re struggling with getting started, I have plenty more tips I could share with you. My articles about getting started on your law school personal statement are a great place to begin.

Until next time,

Steve




P.S. As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, the mistake I described here is only one of the possible errors you can make while writing your law school personal statement. While it’s the most common, there are other important errors to avoid. In fact, many of them are very easy to make. In my next article, I’ll share a few more law school personal statement mistakes to be on the lookout for.

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.)




Posted by Steve Schwartz 0 comments