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Law school personal statement - writer's block

Law school personal statement - writer's block

As corny as it sounds, the journey of a 1,000 miles really does begin with a single step, so I'll help you get started by breaking the whole thing down into small pieces.

Because, like I've said before, it really does help to begin with the end in mind.

Of course, every Law school personal statement - writer's block has to be different and unique to the individual, but I've put together loose template for how to write essays, so that you can structure effective law school admission essays.

In this lesson, I'm giving you a 7-step plan to take you from staring at a blank document to hitting "submit" on the final draft of your Llw school personal statement - writer's block:

Step 1: Decide your goals.

Before starting any big project, it's necessary to know what you're trying to accomplish. The law school personal statement is about showing off your personality...those qualities that don’t come through in the rest of the application. Think about what you want to emphasize. Is it your determination in the face of challenges? Your creativity and quirkiness? Your loyalty? Make a list, and keep the goals in mind when planning the law school personal statement.

Step 2: Choose a story to tell.

Law school personal statement topics are just meant to be jumping-off points - you can really write almost anything. Either way, you'll always get to decide what you write about.

In my opinion, it's best to tell some kind of story about yourself. Choose which story or experience is most interesting and significant, and would allow you to best accomplish the goals you laid out in step one.

Step 3: Outline the structure.

Before you start writing, decide how you'll structure your law school personal statement. One common and effective structure is to start with a paragraph about yourself, then tell the story, then talk about the significance of the story. Another option is to start with the story, then connect it to your personality. Of course, there are other potential structures that you might decide to use. Deciding the structure FIRST will make writing the law school personal statement less intimidating and make the final draft more organized and coherent.

Step 4. Outline the content, step-by-step.

Now that you have the structure, you can outline each part. To do this, just write bullet points in chronological order, covering what you want to say and remembering how it relates to the goals laid out in step one. You can write just a few words for each bullet point, but the more detailed your outline is, the easier the next step will be.

Step 5: Write it!

You knew this part would come eventually! You already have the outline, now put it in full sentences. Vary your sentence structure, add transitions, similes, descriptive words, and all that other stuff English teachers (and admissions officers) love!

Step 6: Trim it down or bulk it up.

Now that you have a rough draft, it's time to think about length (word count).

If the law school personal statement is too short, make sure that it's accomplished all the goals you laid out. If you're convinced that it's already complete, add more descriptive details and anecdotes. While this will obviously make your essay longer, but it'll also make it more readable and interesting.

If the rough draft of your law school personal statement is too long, go back and trim the fat. Do you have any sentences that are redundant or that don't introduce new information? Depending on how many words you're over the limit, you might have to make some difficult decisions. If all else fails, get a trusted friend or parent to read the essay over and tell you what is essential, and what needs to go.

Step 7: Edit, edit, edit!

I can't stress it enough! Edit it 1,000 times, and get your teachers, parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends to do the same. Even if you're the next Shakespeare and think your law school personal statement is perfect as it stands, keep editing. You'll be glad you did.

While feedback from people you know can be useful, as I've mentioned before, it comes with its own set of drawbacks. It's hard to say no to feedback from people you know and respect if you disagree with the changes they want you to make. And it's sometimes hard for people you know to be 100% honest about what they think.

Feel free to reach out to me for help and feedback from me, personally.

YOUR ACTION STEP

If you've been facing writer's block, whatever point you're at in this 7-step plan, move on to the next step!

For example, if you haven't yet chosen a story to tell (Step 2), choose one using the strategies I've given you in previous articles (like the free-writing technique or the writing prompts).

Talk soon!
Steve

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.)

Law School Personal Statement: Getting Started

Law School Personal Statement: Getting Started

"Where do I start?!" is one of the most common questions I hear about the law school personal statement. It's not like anything you've written before. It's not a tweet, and it's not an essay about "Great Expectations" or "Romeo and Juliet." It's something in-between: personal AND professional.

How do you start writing a law school personal statement that shows admission officers who you really are?

It might seem surprising at first, but one of the most effective ways I've found to finally start that law school personal statement is:

Don't start at the beginning.

Just write any random ideas as they come to you. You can work on connecting them, and editing them later.

If there's an anecdote or detail that you think might work well for your law school personal statement, just write it down.

Most students are end up writing the best sentences of their law school personal statement only after a LOT of what I like to call "free-writing." You can use any style that works for you at this point - it can be bullet points, an outline, or even just a word or two.

Your goal is just to get as much down on paper as possible.

Another strategy that really works is to use writing prompts. Just filling in the blanks can help you overcome writer's block.

Here are just a few:

"I like ____ because it makes me feel ____."

"A global issue that excites me is _____ because ______."

"I enjoy learning about ____ because ______."

Writing prompts are a great tool to help you get started and make it easier. They're almost like Mad Libs. (Does anyone else remember those?)

Anyway, I've put together a TON of writing prompts to help you jump-start your law school personal statement if you're having trouble getting motivated or are unsure of what to write about. They're just one of the many tools and resources in a premium course I’ve created to help you write effective law school personal statement

You can get access to these resources as part of my LSAT and law school admissions courses here ----->

YOUR ACTION STEP

Spend at least 30 minutes free-writing, and fill out the writing prompts above. Get at least a few hundred words down on paper. You can invest 30 minutes on this now, right? It'll be much easier to get motivated and inspire yourself to write the best law school personal statement possible once you've written something down.

Until next time,

Steve

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.

Law School Personal Statement Topics - Brainstorming

Law School Personal Statement Topics - Brainstorming

Students often ask me, “How can I decide what to write my law school personal statement on? What do schools want in the law school personal statement?”

Another way of asking this is, “How do I write a story which would allow me to show law school admission counselors a full picture of who I really am?”

If you've wondered about this, let me encourage you:

Law schools really do want to know who you are as a person. They don’t want to read something pretentious.

Rarely will a law school reject you for choosing a topic that shows vulnerability or talks about failure.

But there are some things you should consider when brainstorming your law school personal statement topic.

I advise students to avoid overly-negative law school personal statement topics, especially those that involve bad-mouthing your college, professors, or something that could be viewed as offensive or come across as angry.

Let me be clear, I have nothing against being honest and expressing who you are. However, it’s important to avoid any topics that could be considered “generic.”

When law school admission officers review personal statements, they find it difficult to connect with:

1. students who write law school personal statements on tragic or negative topics

2. students who simply list impressive things they've done

Instead, it's really worth taking the time to choose a topic that will make it easy for you to write unique law school personal statements. Statements that stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

The best way to write an effective law school personal statement, one that will give you a competitive edge in admissions, is to demonstrate how you’ve grown from difficult experiences, not how you’ve let them affect you. There's a big difference in how you frame these types of law school personal statements.

What do law school admission officers look for?

They look for statements that show that you are honest and mature, with the ability to reflect on your past experiences.

Does this mean that poor writing skills will prevent you from writing a persuasive and focused essay?

Maybe...but not necessarily.

The rule of thumb with this:

Ultimately, you’re responsible for your own success.

Bottom line: choose a topic that presents you in a positive light, yet shows your ability to reflect on your past self. Don’t choose a topic simply because your parents or teachers tell you it’ll make you look good.

That’s a sure-fire way to end up with a topic that looks like everyone else’s, which means you won’t stand out, even if the person reading it is impressed by your accomplishments.

Another tip:

A great way to set yourself up for law school personal statement success is to have LOTS of people review your multiple drafts to offer feedback and constructive criticism.

That was one of main reasons I started my law school personal statement early – so I had time to show it to friends, family and teachers. I wanted to give them time to provide feedback. While this sort of feedback helps a lot, but it comes with its own set of problems. It's sometimes hard to say no to them if you don't agree with the changes they want you to make.

I really recommend getting feedback from people you don't know, or at least people you don't know well. This way, you'll feel more comfortable disagreeing with their suggestions if you don't like them.

So, where do you find these people? One thing you could do is ask friends of friends to "exchange" law school personal statement - you know, you review mine, I'll review yours.

Or you can reach out to me for expert help on writing the law school personal statement possible. Find out more here ---->

YOUR ACTION STEP

List five potential law school personal statement topics and write a paragraph on each. See which flows most naturally. The one that does just might be your best topic.

And if you have ANY friends applying to law school, share my articles with them. Tell others about my free resources, that there is another way to write your law school personal statement. A way that makes it EASY.

Best,

Steve

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.

Law School Personal Statement - Begin With the End in Mind

Law School Personal Statement: Begin With the End in Mind

I love working with law school applicants. I always get a kick out of learning what drives students to go that extra mile and shoot for their reach schools. I've heard it all. I once worked with a student who told me:

"I'd cut off my thumb if it meant I'd get into a Top 14 Law School..."

???!!!

Maybe you're not that committed to this, but that's ok. Stick with my law school admissions articles, and we'll get you there without losing any body parts along the way.

You've successfully started your journey towards getting into your reach schools.

Millions of students struggle while starting their law school applications, but now that you’re over that bump in the road, you can move on.

However, I want you to know that wanting to get into your reach schools is one tiny step.

A more complicated decision is to choose a specific law school personal statement topic.

You're at the beginning. In order to truly set yourself up for a successful law school personal statement, you must have a clear picture of where you want to go.

Without a clear end goal, you’ll likely make decisions that will side-track you.

No race can be run without a finish line.

The finish line is known before the race even starts.

Imagine a race without a finish line. There would be runners all over the place, some downtown, some at the movie theater, some near the finish line, and others who gave up.

The runners didn’t know where they were going, so naturally they didn’t end near the finish line.

You've got to have a clear purpose.

If you have an idea of you want to become and where you want to go, you’ll make better decisions based on the desired end result.

This is a concept coined by Stephen Covey; he calls it “Living with the end in mind.”

Concentrating on end goals allows you to be single-minded in your purpose. You won’t make decisions that jeopardize your end goal.

Think about it, if you know that you want to get into your reach schools, you’ll make decisions now that will support your end desire.

Instead of wasting time on Facebook, you’ll focus on learning what you need to know to write a killer law school personal statement.

Knowing your end goal helps to shape your everyday decisions.

For example:

When faced with the decision of staying out after midnight or spending that time on law school personal statement, the student who's committed to getting into reach schools chooses to focus on apps WAY before the deadlines... and parties later ;)

Considering this question now will better shape your law school personal statement. Having a clear idea of what you want provides more opportunities to be bold.

I had a student named Michael who knew he wanted to get into a top-14 law school . Because Michael knew what he wanted, it seemed like the world was his oyster.

This world opened for him in ways it didn’t for other students. He had multiple internships, research opportunities, and glowing letters of reference from teachers and mentors.

Because he was single-minded in his goal, he didn’t get distracted with questions like:

-Do I have enough extracurriculars?

-How many law schools should I apply to?

-Should I be worried that my LSAT score / GPA is not too great?

Opportunities would fall into his lap continuously. These opportunities supported his goal to get into a top law school where he is today (at NYU Law).

When it comes to legal careers, it’s hard to define your goals. I completely understand this because I didn’t always know what I wanted to do either!

Some of my later articles will address how you can use your experiences to choose a law school personal statement topic that will help you stand out from the crowd of other apps:

YOUR ACTION STEP

Define your end result.

To help you do that, start by answering this question:

“What do I want my reach schools to know about me?”

I suggest writing this on a piece of paper. When you write down your goals on a piece of paper, your chances of actually completing the goal increase significantly.

If your answer is, “I don’t know,” don't worry. I'll be helping you more with this in the coming weeks.

-Steve

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.

#lsatunplugged #lsat #lsats #lsatflex #lsattips #lsatprep #prelaw #prelawadvice #lawschooladmissions #lawschoolthings #admissionscounselor #lawschool

How to explain why you’re transferring in your application

Any student applying to a new school might feel nervous about writing their law school personal statement. Finding the right words to express the ways you’re unique can seem challenging at best, and sometimes, even overwhelming.

But for transfer students, writing the law school personal statement may feel especially scary. After all, you might feel as if you’re risking it all by leaving a great opportunity behind.

However, if you’ve thought about transferring, it’s probably because you know there’s an even better opportunity out there for you elsewhere.

Are you thinking of transferring? You’re not alone.

1. Acknowledge the Change
You might feel compelled to downplay the transfer, but you should instead use your essay as an opportunity to acknowledge the change. Transfer admission officers will need to know why your previous institution didn’t work for you to help them decide whether their school will be a good fit.

2. Use Supplemental Essays to Explain
If you choose not to highlight the transfer in your main essay, definitely mention it in a supplemental essay. The “why this law school” supplemental essay provides transfer students a special opportunity to explain their decision to switch schools.

3. Don’t Criticize or Expose Weaknesses
While you should provide a clear reason for transferring schools, you don’t want to shame another institution or expose any personal weaknesses. Avoid talking badly about professors, student body, or any other aspects of a law school, and don’t cite any of your own flaws or shortcomings as the reason for the change, either.

4. Consider Listing One of These 4 Reasons
Oftentimes, students choose to transfer for one of the following four reasons:
a. A specific program
b. Social environment
c. Available internships
d. Class size

If one of these reasons applies to you, be sure to explain it in your essay. Show the admission officer why this particular aspect has such an impact on your law school experience.

5. Learn from Examples
A great way for transfer students to develop well-written law school application essays is to view some examples from students who have already done it successfully. Take a look at these law school personal statement examples.

If you’re a transfer student seeking guidance with the law school personal statement, remember you’re not alone. In fact, you might even have an advantage over some other students. After all, you already got into one school and have some idea what admission officers are looking for!

Of course, everyone can benefit from a little extra help. If you’re in need of assistance, just reach out.

Until next time,

Steve

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.

Law school personal statement rumors

There are a lot of rumors about the law school personal statement going around. Alumni, other law school applicants, and yes – sometimes even pre-law advisors – are guilty of spreading information that might not be entirely true.

For students applying to law school, it can be difficult to determine what’s true and what’s not.

While some mistruths are more innocent than others, there’s one lie about the law school personal statement that’s seriously dangerous to believe:

Your law school personal statement doesn’t matter if you have a good GPA and LSAT score.

Yikes! This is totally untrue. And think about it: not only is it false, but it doesn’t really make sense, does it?

If all law schools looked at were LSAT scores and GPAs, then why would there be a law school personal statement in the first place?

An extraordinary law school personal statement can increase your chances of getting into a school – especially if you don’t have remarkable grades and LSAT scores. But even if you do, the law school personal statement is still important. You can bet that admissions officers will still certainly read it, so not putting effort into your law school personal statement will backfire.

Some of the students who have come to me for help have outstanding GPAs and LSAT scores, as well as a wide variety of extracurricular activities. When they first reach out to me, they typically think these factors are enough to get them into their top choice law school, and that the law school personal statement is really only supplemental. Yet, for students with their sights set on top-notch schools, the law school personal statement is much more than that.

Take my student Michelle, for example. She wanted to get into Yale, which was certainly a “reach school” for anyone! Between her grades, LSAT scores, and work experience, it certainly seemed like she had strong-enough credentials to have a decent chance at getting into her top-choice school.

When she came to me for help, I had to explain to her that the law school personal statement was more than just a “supplement” to her application. It was her opportunity to show admissions officers something more than just numbers and facts. It gave her the chance to showcase a bit of her personality, and what made her unique as an applicant.

With that new perspective, Michelle wrote an outstanding essay that helped her get into her top choice, Yale Law School!

So, no matter what, don’t believe the lie that the law school personal statement isn’t important. It’s important for everyone, even if you have excellent grades and LSAT scores.

Until next time,

Steve

P.S. Now that I’ve shown you just how important the law school personal statement is, you can make sure you’re on track to writing an excellent one of your own. Take a look my list of the questions every law school personal statement should answer for a little extra help from 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.

Want to increase your LSAT score? Get my free Easy LSAT Cheat Sheet today.

LSAT Blog: LSAT Unplugged YouTube / Podcast

Pages

Law school personal statement - writer's block

Law School Personal Statement: Getting Started

Law School Personal Statement Topics - Brainstorming

Law School Personal Statement - Begin With the End in Mind

How to explain why you’re transferring in your application

Law school personal statement rumors

About Steve Schwartz