The 5 biggest law school personal statement mistakes - and how to avoid them

In my experience helping more than 1,000 law school applicants prepare their personal statement, I’ve seen my fair share of mistakes. In fact, I tell each new student I work with NOT to worry about making errors at first, because I’m 99% certain I’ve seen it before – and we can always fix it. One of the earliest mistakes students make is overthinking their law school personal statement. When we first start working together, I find many students have too many ideas and struggle to pinpoint just one. How can you narrow down the best one? Sometimes, it helps to get an outside point of view. Even if we haven’t met before, I’ve helped many students focus on the subject that matters most to them. Here’s why that matters: the topic that means the most to you will also work best to get the attention of admission officers. Take my former student Brittany, for example -- Brittany chose to identify a background, identity, interest, or talent that was so meaningful to her, that her application would seem incomplete without it. Brittany knew she wanted to write about her experience with the violin. The problem was, she had 11 years’ worth of experiences to choose from on her résumé! It was difficult to focus on one meaningful instance in particular. After working together, we were able to identify one key turning point that helped her become the person she is today. The end result was a well-written and moving law school personal statement. Does this sound like you? Do you have a general idea for a topic, but still don’t know where to start? If so, send me a message and let’s bounce some ideas around. I’d love to help. Because the #1 BIGGEST mistake I see students make is trying to squeeze too many ideas into one law school personal statement. Here are some other “don’ts” to avoid: 2. Talking about how you want to go to a school because it has a great reputation. Many students want to go to a top school, be successful in their careers, and make lots of money. I’m sorry to tell you this, but no one cares. Well, that’s not 100% true. Law school admissions officers do indeed care that their school is great, but they already know this. Set yourself apart by expressing your desire to take classes in subjects that interest you. If you’re not sure what you want to study, make it clear that you want to expose yourself to a wide range of ideas. And by all means, DON’T do this: “X Law School is well-renowned, and many famous people like _____, ____, and ____ graduated from there. With a law degree from X Law School, I’ll be sure to be a success in life and make my friends and family proud.” 3. Using “cute” techniques to stand out. Don’t be gimmicky! Sometimes, you’ll hear stories of super-creative approaches that worked. When they do, people take it as proof that the creative approach is a great idea. Here’s the risk: Some law school admission officers are old-school, and some are open to new approaches. You don’t know which type will be reading your application. So, it’s better to be safe and avoid gimmicky approaches. 4. Starting your law school personal statement with a famous quote Law school admissions officers want to hear from you, not from famous people. The first voice that the admissions officer reads should be yours! If you really do feel a strong connection to a quote, try pulling only a single phrase. Then write something about why it’s important to you right away. (Several of the law school admissions coaching sessions I've done have featured students that initially made this mistake.) 5. Including careless grammatical errors, overly wordy phrases, and clichés. You know the stakes are high. Show them you care enough about this to write an amazing law school personal statement by proofreading. Also, you should avoid clichés like the plague. (See what I did there?) Seriously, though, clichés could separate your personal statement from the rest, but not in a good way. One law school admission officer I interviewed talked about how just 10% of the statements he read could be considered “excellent,” while a mere 1% were “outstanding.”  The commonality among those personal statements? They never featured clichés. Here are some common clichéd phrases and expressions to avoid: • One day at a time • Dream come true • To make a long story short • Outside my comfort zone • Live and learn • Shed some light on • One in a million I’ll be sharing more lists and tips like this in future articles. Stay tuned, Steve P.S. Now that you know what not to do in your law school personal statement, you’re probably wondering what you should do. If so, be on the lookout for my next article, which will share some of things a killer law school personal statement MUST have.

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...and how to answer them

The key to a strong law school personal statement isn’t just writing well. It’s also about preparation. You already know law school application time is approaching. So, the smart thing to do is to think ahead and prepare for the most commonly asked questions. I always tell the students I work with one-on-one to approach the law school personal statement like a job interview. You may not know for sure what you’ll be asked, but you probably have a general idea of the most common questions. Prepared jobseekers take it a step further and brainstorm answers to those questions so they’re confident on the big day. The same concept applies when you're preparing to write an outstanding law school personal statement. You can become a prepared student and increase your odds of acceptance by getting ready for essay writing in advance. Even if you get a curveball and a question pops up that you didn’t prepare for exactly, you’ll still be way ahead of your competition. Common Law School Personal Statement Topics (and Advice for Answering Them) Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of students write powerful law school personal statements. These students tend to fall into two categories: students with a list of schools they’re considering, and students who are still unsure.  You might think only the students with target schools in mind can get started on their essays early. Not true! I’ve worked with undecided students AND students who have a list of top-choice schools in mind.  Both can use the same essay prep and writing techniques. Here’s how. I’ll let you in on a little secret: Most schools will let you write about anything. No two questions will be exactly the same, but usually, they'll keep it open-ended, allowing you to think about a talent, background, or interest that’s meaningful to you. To get a head start on writing your law school personal statement, you can begin thinking and brainstorming now about how you'd answer this. If you followed the advice from my last article, you already have some material to pull from. For examples, check out my law school admissions coaching sessions on YouTube. These students know that although their LSAT scores are the most important factors, law school personal statements can impress admissions officers. To truly stand out, you want to show how you're a well-rounded student with passions and interests outside of academics. The students I’ve worked with have had all sorts of influences. It may not always be obvious to them right away, but after we work together one-on-one, the best topic always finds a way to stand out. Maybe you’re struggling to figure out which passion, interest, or background you should write about. If so, that’s okay! Just get in touch, and we’ll come up with the perfect material for your essay.  Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of simply listing all your accomplishments.  Instead, choose something unique – something the admissions committee won’t know just by reading the rest of your application. You can reflect on a hobby, an aspect of your personality, or an experience that is genuinely meaningful. An honest, personal statement about who you are will draw them in. In upcoming articles, I’ll dive a bit deeper into each type of question on its own, so make sure you keep an eye on out. ‘Til next time, Steve P.S. In my next article, I’ll give you some mistakes and cliché phrases to avoid at all costs! Even the most honest and captivating essays can get turned away with these mistakes, so be sure to look out for this list!

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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Will LSAT Logic Games Be Removed?

Lots of changes these days in LSAT land - it's hard to believe, but news reports are suggesting LSAC has agreed to remove LSAT Logic Games from the exam as part of a settlement agreement with blind law school applicants. (Note: this would not impact current applicants.) I've been sharing news on Instagram and inside the LSAT Unplugged Facebook Group (join for future updates and more). Is it true? Will Logic Games be removed in the future? Things may actually be more complicated than reports suggest. I've spoken few times with the plaintiff's attorney and was quoted in the National Law Journal about this: LSAC has been characteristically vague about the changes, further adding to the confusion. I taught a Digital LSAT prep class where I started by clarifying my current understanding of the situation and taking questions. Digital LSAT Prep Class -----> The focus of the class was on Digital LSAT prep specifically - not just the potential removal of Logic Games in the future, but I opened by addressing the recent news. *** I've also been experimenting with a new group coaching program over the past few months. And I'll expanded and integrate it into the LSAT courses. In the meantime, please let me know - What are your biggest questions about group coaching? And what would you hope to get out of a group coaching program? Let me know, and I'll address your questions in the future. *** In the meantime, I'll share some individual coaching calls I've done recently: Specifically, I've released new LSAT coaching sessions on: -Logic Games -Logical Reasoning -Reading Comprehension -Retaking the LSAT (In other news, a law school professor recently interviewed me for her podcast about LSAT prep.)

LSAT Group Coaching

My LSAT courses now include a unique opportunity to work with me directly. Over the past few days, I haven't just told you about group coaching, I've also shown you what group coaching is like in a real full-length coaching session:

Here's a video from Jocelyn (pictured above) sharing the impact our 3PC LSAT Mastermind group coaching program had on her LSAT prep journey:

I've also shown you 1-1 calls with students in the group coaching program, where I walk through exactly what group coaching involves. In short, it's an experience we co-create together on live video calls. And after experimenting with group coaching over the last few months, I'm now integrating it into my LSAT courses, which I've redesigned for the Digital LSAT. If you join now, you'll lock in these prices for as long as you're a member. Join now and improve your LSAT score today. -Steve P.S. The LSAT courses are 100% risk-free. That means you can try one, then decide if it's right for you. If you don't love it, just show me you did the work, and I'll refund 100% of your money. But I'm confident these will help you improve your LSAT score.

Will LSAT Logic Games Be Removed? (and clever sales pitch mixed in)

The mainstream media is reporting that LSAT Logic Games will be removed from the LSAT: In truth, this is a failure on the part of the mainstream media to carefully read the joint press release from LSAC and the plaintiff's attorney, which is far more open-ended. The National Law Journal was far more cautious in its reporting: Over the past week, I've engaged in detailed analysis of statements from LSAC, the plaintiff's attorney (whom I've spoken with several times), and reporting in the mainstream media. Then, I showed my students the results of my analysis in a recent online LSAT prep class ---> That's the kind of LSAT prep instructor I am. I apply LSAT-style thinking to everything, including real-world events. And I even get "meta" and relate LSAT-related news to LSAT-style thinking.  That's the kind of LSAT nerd I've become. Because once you get the LSAT mindset, it never goes away. And that's exactly what I teach in my LSAT courses and coaching. There's a reason you've chosen to invest your time in reading my articles and using my other resources, whether it's the YouTube channel, the podcast, the blog, or any of the other countless places I release my free material. Speaking of which -- quick reminder -- I've now added group coaching to my LSAT courses. Yes, this clever sales pitch is happening. And, yes, I've been posting a lot of articles about this. That's because I'm excited about these LSAT courses I've redesigned for the Digital LSAT. And I don't feel bad about letting you know. After tomorrow, you won't hear about this for a while. In just 1 month, you'll improve your LSAT understanding more than you have over the past year. You've already seen that I love to teach. And you've seen the results my students get. No tricks. I'm not saying it's easy, but it works. I've already shown you what it looks like to work with me in the hundreds of hours of free LSAT material on the LSAT Unplugged YouTube / podcasts, whether it's recordings of classes and coaching sessions, bite-sized lessons, interviews, discussions....or the thousands of articles I've written on LSAT Blog over the past 10+ years. Your LSAT score is the MOST important factor in law school admission process. Too important to entrust to "anonymous_wrist_licker45" on Reddit. And you probably spend way more on Starbucks and nights out at bars than you do on your LSAT prep. Call me krazy, but that doesn't seem very lawgical... But I can't fault you too much for it, because I did the same thing I went through the pain of learning how to study for the LSAT myself. Which books to use...which techniques work (and - more importantly - which don't)......how to review...and even how to keep momentum going when it gets tough. Then I compressed it all into a jam-packed course. Down to an actual step-by-step process you can copy and paste. And I've now added the 3PC LSAT Mastermind group coaching program to the LSAT courses. If you join now, you'll lock in the current monthly prices for as long as you're a member: Join the LSAT courses now -----> Join now and improve your LSAT score today. -Steve P.S. The LSAT course packages are 100% risk-free. That means you can try one, then decide if it's right for you. If you don't love it, you can cancel anytime. And If you show me you did the work, but you're not getting results, I'll refund 100% of your money for the month. But I'm confident these will help you improve your LSAT score. Remember, I'm teaching new classes all the time and don't want you to miss out on the opportunity to get your questions answered. Get started now.

Group LSAT Coaching - The Biggest Questions I Get

I hope you had a chance to watch some of the LSAT coaching videos I shared. If not, you can check them out here -----> But today I want to shift focus and share more on group coaching - I've experimented with it over the past few months, and it will soon become part of my LSAT courses. Yesterday, I solicited your questions on group coaching - the two biggest ones were: -What Does Group Coaching Look Like? -How Do I Know Whether Group Coaching Is Right For Me? -What Does Group Coaching Look Like? Rather than tell you, I'm going to show you by sharing a private video just for students in the LSAT Unplugged community of a real full-length LSAT group coaching call so you can see exactly what it's like.  (This video is unlisted - it's NOT going public on my channel. It's just for students in the LSAT Unplugged community.) I'm also sharing TWO individual calls with students who were part of the 3PC LSAT Mastermind, where I share more about what group coaching can look like. You can watch them here and here, or by clicking the link below: The truth is that group coaching is a community experience that I co-create with the students live on the call. It can't be fully experienced just by watching the replay. -How Do I Know Whether Group Coaching Is Right For Me? I've put together a page specifically about my group coaching program - the 3PC LSAT Mastermind, so you can find out more about exactly what it involves and decide whether it's right for you. Click here to find out more about the group coaching program -------> I also invite you to watch the group coaching call and the shorter calls linked above. And feel free to reach out with any questions Very truly yours, LSAT Steve

LSAT group coaching

I'm going to take a step back for a second - you've heard plenty about my LSAT courses and group coaching from me. Instead, I'll share a few of the results my students have gotten, in their own words: And there are now over 100 videos in that playlist where you can see live coaching calls with real students. You can see them experience those *lightbulb* moments - when they have that ONE key insight that changes everything.  (You can also see a real group coaching call.) No one else in LSAT prep is doing ANYTHING like this. More student feedback: "Just wanted to say thank you. I've made breakthrough after breakthrough thanks to your Logic Games course, and all the material you have available. It was all worth its weight in gold, and I truly admire you and appreciate what you are doing! I could not afford a Kaplan course, but even if I could have, I would have been crazy to choose it over your study plans/guides/posts etc. I will be recommending you to anyone and everyone I know that is taking the LSAT. Thank you again!!!" - Miranda C., 159 to 167 on LSAT retake “I did the video courses before deciding if I needed tutoring, and the LR course (one I was focusing on) bumped me up from 167 average to 172 average over 2 weeks…I pulled a 179, 177, and 172 this weekend. Your videos have helped a ton! Thanks for all you do!” –Travis C. "I got a 170!!! I'm very happy and relieved. Again, thank you for all of your help - It was a huge gift to have your support and guidance while studying for the LSAT!” – Allison P., mid-150s to 170 Join and improve your LSAT score today. -Steve P.S. The LSAT courses are 100% risk-free. That means you can try one, then decide if it's right for you. If you don't love it, just show me you did the work, and I'll refund 100% of your money. But I'm confident these will help you improve your LSAT score. Remember, this is your last chance to get these before the price increase. P.P.S. Considering that it's a minimum of $5,000 to work with me one-on-one, this is a no-brainer. And when you consider that my LSAT course packages have a 30-day money-back guarantee, it's really a no-brainer. I honestly don't understand why anyone wouldn't take me up on this. Part of me thinks I'm crazy for making such a generous offer. But I love doing group coaching calls, and I love working with students like you. So it's worth it. Join now and improve your LSAT score today.