Law school personal statement stress

For as long as it has existed, the law school personal statement has been a source of stress for students planning to continue their education. Unfortunately, as more students have their sights set on top law schools than ever before, competition to get into those law schools is increasing. That means the law school personal statement will probably always be a stressful process. But aside from the fierce competition of getting into, say, a top-14 law school, what else makes the process so mentally and emotionally challenging? In my experience, many applicants find the law school personal statement more stressful than even the LSAT! Why?

Because the law school personal statement is unlike anything most applicants have ever written before. It’s not a persuasive essay, nor is it a research paper. It’s certainly not the five-paragraph essay you’ve been writing since grade school, nor is it simply a creative writing exercise. Doing something completely new for the first time can make us nervous. But when you’re doing something new for the first time that also has such a significant impact on your future, it can be terrifying.    But there’s good news. Although the law school personal statement is indeed important – perhaps even the most important component of your application -- after your LSAT score and GPA, of course -- it may not need to be as stress-inducing as you think. One way to alleviate some of the stress of the law school personal statement is to remember admission officers are just people, too. (You can see that from my discussions with them on the LSAT Unplugged YouTube channel and podcast.) And here’s what one undergraduate admission officer had to say about the process: “Sometimes, the fear or the stress out there is that the student thinks the essay is passed around a table of imposing figures, and they read that essay and put it down and take a yea or nay vote, and that determines the student’s outcome. That is not at all the case.”   This quote comes from Tim Wolfe, an associate provost for enrollment and dean of admission for the College of William & Mary. Wolfe further clarifies that he simply views the essay as “one more way to learn something about an applicant.”   He also says that while he’s seen well-written essays, they don’t always send a powerful message about the student who wrote them, and they wind up being forgotten. On the other hand, essays that convey student’s personality and experiences are the ones that truly stand out. Ultimately, the process of writing the law school personal statement will always be stressful. But as long as you’re delivering a clear and powerful message that can really resonate with your audience, you may not have to be as worried as you’d think. Until next time, Steve P.S. Part of making as powerful an impact as possible with your law school personal statement starts with choosing the right topic. While many topics are similar in nature, selecting the general theme that best aligns with your unique experiences is important. Find out how to do that with these guides.

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 review

You’ve been following my advice, and you think you’ve written the best possible law school personal statement you can. You’ve used the “show, don’t tell” writing technique, checked for grammatical errors, and used spell check. You’ve also made sure your law school personal statement answers the 7 most important questions I’ve listed here.

Maybe you’ve printed out your law school personal statement, since reading it on paper can help you find mistakes that are easy to spot on the screen. Maybe you’ve even read your law school personal statement out loud, which is something I recommend to all of my students. (It allows you to identify any awkward phrasing or areas that might be a little unclear.) By this point, maybe your law school personal statement looks absolutely flawless to you. Think you’re ready to submit it? Not just yet.   Why not? There’s one final – but critically important – thing you must do before you send it off. You absolutely must have someone else read your law school personal statement.  See, when students write their law school personal statements, they may assume that their reader will understand their thoughts. This happens to all of us, and it’s because we’re the ones writing. If it makes sense to us, we just believe it will also make sense to our audience. The problem lies in the fact that there are sometimes things you may know that your reader will not. The only way to tell for sure whether you might have an issue like this in your law school personal statement is to have someone else read it. Who could read it? That’s completely up to you. But sometimes, it may help to have someone who isn’t super close to you take a look. If someone knows you too well – say, a best friend, sibling, or parent – they, too, might fall into the same trap. They might understand things about you that won’t be obvious to a law school admission officer, who doesn’t know you at all. For this reason, you might seek out a professor, mentor, or classmate who’s a friend (but perhaps not your best friend) whose input you value. Of course, you could also come to me, too! Just why is it so important to have another set of eyes look over your work? Let me share a story as an example: Lauren, a student who came to me with her law school personal statement, lacked some details in her first draft, making her essay a bit difficult to follow. Her goal was to study both business and law (dual-degree JD/MBA). She explained in her law school personal statement how having both business and legal skills would be useful for her career goals. Yet, she needed to clarify how her educational and work experiences experience led her to value these two very different subjects.  By encouraging her to dig a little deeper, I helped Lauren share her business and legal experiences in her essay (including participation in a startup incubator). The end result was a much clearer personal statement that was easy to follow and made a more powerful statement about her educational passions. What could a second set of eyes do for your law school personal statement? Until next time, Steve P.S. Have you ever wondered what law school admission officers have to say about the stress caused by the law school personal statement? Check out my discussions with them on the LSAT Unplugged podcast and YouTube channel.

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 versions

Over the years, I’ve seen countless drafts of law school personal statements. As you might imagine, there’s been a broad range in terms of talent, skill, and readability. But the reason students come to me is always the same: they want to get into their dream school, and they know a thoughtful, well-written law school personal statement can help their odds. Unfortunately, writing the law school personal statement isn’t easy. Attempting to put some of your most important qualities or achievements into just 650 words might even feel impossible.

I typically categorize the law school personal statements I see into three main classifications, listed below. Which one does yours fall under? 1. “Complete Disasters” Fortunately, I can say with honesty that the law school personal statements written by students I work with do not fall into this category. Filled with grammatical errors and confusing writing, these law school personal statements are not just lacking skills; they’re lacking any degree of care whatsoever. The reason I don’t ever see these types of law school personal statements is because the students who come to me actually do care – in fact, very much so – about the law school application process. This means that they’ve at least put some level of effort into their law school personal statements. So, no matter how much help you think you may need, I promise this: if you’re concerned about the quality of your law school personal statement, then you’re already above this level. Anyone who cares has an application essay that can be perfected, and by no means is it a complete disaster! And, while the authors of the article say that law school personal statement with such extreme mistakes must either be “totally rewritten or scrapped completely,” I’d like to argue that there are almost always great ideas hiding in any PS which can be reshaped to build the perfect PS.  2. “Needs Improvement” Law school personal statements in this category can be fixed, but they’re deeply flawed. Most first – and even second or third – drafts of law school personal statements fall into this category. The foundation is there, but there are some adjustments that must be made.  For instance, many students approach the law school personal statement in the same way they would a normal English paper. They’ll include a thesis, main paragraphs, and a closing. However, this is not your typical five-paragraph essay. By seeing examples of exceptional law school personal statements, getting input from a professional, and incorporating some “show, don’t tell” writing techniques, students can take their law school personal statement from this category to a level of perfection. 3. “Great First Draft” On some rare occasions, students may ace the law school personal statement on their first draft. Maybe they’ve taken a few creative writing classes and have exceptional storytelling skills. Or, perhaps they’ve always been waiting for the opportunity to share this experience with the right audience. In any case, sometimes magic simply happens on the first draft. Still, even a law school personal statement that may appear perfect on the surface can always use a bit of fine-tuning. For one thing, another set of eyes can pick up on mistakes that may have been overlooked by the writer. For another, the expertise offered by someone who understands exactly what admission officers are looking for can provide new insights about how certain sections of the law school personal statement could be even further improved. Of course, you’ll never know if yours could use just a few tiny tweaks unless you ask for help. So, which of the last two categories does your law school personal statement fall into? No matter which, I’ll bet it could be even better. If you’d like help taking it even a step further – to the level of perfection – just reach out. Until next time, Steve P.S. If you’re confident that your law school personal statement is already perfect, keep an eye out for my next article! I’ll share the one thing you absolutely MUST do before submitting your law school personal statement. I’ll also feature another example from a student I’ve worked with, so don’t miss this one!

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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BIGGEST law school personal statement myth

If you’ve been reading my articles, by this point you can probably guess that I’m pretty passionate about the law school personal statement. After all, excellent law school application essays have helped many of my students get into their top-choice law schools. So, if you were to ask them how important the law school personal statement is, they’d probably agree that it’s very important! But many students still wonder, just how much does the law school personal statement really matter? If it were a test, for instance, how much of the overall application would the personal statement “count for?” How much does it matter compared to your GPA and LSAT scores?

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to answer that question. That’s because the law school application is unlike the LSAT or any normal “test” you’ve ever taken. In fact, it’s not a test at all. It’s something far different. Instead of trying to put a precise value on “how much” the law school personal statement matters, I’m here to help you discover for yourself how much it should matter to you. I’ll share some of my most interesting findings with you: It answers questions the law school application doesn’t ask, but admission officers still need to know.    The general law school application can only ask so many questions. Yet, admission officers still need to know more about you to decide whether you’re right for their school (and, whether it’s right for you, too!). The law school personal statement gives you the chance to answer questions like, “Do you take initiative?” and “Can you overcome difficult circumstances?” (Click here for my full list of questions every law school personal statement should answer!) The BIGGEST myth about law school personal statements is… that no one reads them! FALSE. In fact, admission officers love reading them.    Many have told me that the law school personal statement is their favorite part of the application! Since the decision to accept you falls on them, don’t you think it’s important to work extra hard on their favorite aspect of the application? The idea that they “don’t matter as much as you think” is a lie. And I’ve repeatedly heard the same from law school admission officers I’ve interviewed and worked with at schools like Harvard, NYU, UChicago, and UCLA. (You can see our discussions on the LSAT Unplugged YouTube channel and podcast.) No, a law school personal statement can’t make up for poor academic performance or extremely low LSAT scores. But it definitely showcases your unique abilities and goals as a student. And, this might just be enough to supplement average performance. After all, it's worked for the countless students I’ve helped. Until next time, Steve P.S. Know what else is extremely important in the law school application process? Giving admission officers the “complete package.” In addition to your law school personal statement, including supplemental essays is always a good idea, since it gives them the broadest understanding of you and your academic goals. For my next article, I’ll share some examples of supplemental essay questions, along with a sample from a student I’ve worked with.

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

In my years of experience helping students write the best law school personal statement possible, I’ve encountered many of the same questions. Most students all have similar concerns when they’re applying to law schools. If you’re looking for answers, you’re not alone.

Luckily, I’m here to help. I know there’s a lot of information out there, but you can find all of the answers you need to the most commonly asked best law school personal statement questions here in one place. These are the answers I usually share with my own students when I work with them, so enjoy some of the sneak peeks to my best answers, below! 1. How Do I Start? Most students can’t just sit down and write their entire law school personal statement. Unfortunately, it’s simply not that easy! Instead, I encourage students to start by determining their goals. What is it you want to highlight in your law school personal statement? What’s the most important standout quality you want admission officers to know about you? Then, you can select a topic, brainstorm, and develop an outline. Finally, you’ll write your first draft. (If you’re interested, I share more detailed step-by-step tips for getting started here.) 2. When Should I Start? Ideally, you should start as early as possible! For most students still in college who want to go directly to law school, the summer before senior year is a good time to start thinking about the law school application. Most college students still complete their applications during the autumn of their senior year. Yet, you can start brainstorming about the law school personal statement as early as five to six months before you submit your application. Three to four months before you submit it, write your first draft so you can leave ample time for editing. 3. How Personal Should It Be? This is about you, so don’t be afraid to get too personal. Very few topics are considered “off-limits.” Your law school personal statement should make the reader feel like they’re there with you, experiencing your memory. You’ll probably have to do some serious brainstorming to dig into your emotions and thoughts. Your law school personal statement might include some things that most people may not know about you, and that’s okay. Allow your reader to see the truest version of yourself. 4. Do I Need to Write a Different Law School Personal Statement for Each School? Simply put, no. All law school personal statement prompts are essentially asking for the same thing, something like "Tell us about yourself." It's hard not to answer the question asked on the application. 5. What Are Supplemental Essays? Supplemental essays have become more popular in recent years. They’re designed to give you an extra opportunity to share more information about yourself. Some schools might ask questions along the lines of, “Why do you want to go to this school?” Many allow you to submit a "diversity statement" as well. While these law school application essays are sometimes optional, answering them allows you to paint the fullest picture about yourself as an applicant. Hopefully, I’ve answered most of your questions about the law school personal statement essay. If not, you know where to reach me! Simply reach out and get in touch. Until next time, Steve P.S. Just because these are the most common questions doesn’t mean there aren’t other very good questions to ask. Many students who come to me with genuine concerns about their law school application essays or another aspect of the law school application process are surprised by the answers I give them.  If you have a question you think might sound strange or silly, I encourage you to ask it anyway. It might just help another student who’s wondering the same thing, 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.)

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Optional law school application essays

Options can be overwhelming. So far, you might have decided between many different options in the law school admissions process. Whether to go to law school at all. Your top-choice law schools. Which professors and employers you’ll ask for letters of recommendation.

Now that you’ve made your way to the law school personal statement, you might think most of the options are behind you. Aside from choosing a law school personal statement topic, what else is there to think about? This is where optional law school application essays come in. Usually shorter in length, the optional essays are just that – “extra” elective pieces of writing you can submit to show another side of yourself. It seems easy – you can either write it, or you don’t have to. It’s simply up to you.  Yet, many students struggle over what to do. On the one hand, will you appear lazy if you don’t write it? Will it look like you don’t care that much about getting into the school? On the other, what if you look like you’re trying too hard by writing optional essays? Most law school admission officers I’ve spoken with publicly claim they don’t prefer applications one way or the other. If a student submits the optional essay, they’ll read it. If not, that’s fine, too. Of course, this answer doesn’t make the decision any easier. While this dilemma understandably tends to make applicants a bit nervous, I always tend to encourage the students I work with to submit them.  Why? It gives law school admission officers the opportunity to learn even more about you. The more you can show your uniqueness, the better your odds are of standing out. Ultimately, the decision is completely up to you. But when you’re given the opportunity to possibly increase your odds of submitting a stronger, more complete application, I always say: Go for it!   Until next time, Steve P.S. If you’re like most of the students I’ve worked with, you probably have some other questions about the law school personal statement, too. Look for my next article, where I’ll share five of the most common questions I get asked and provide answers for each.

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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