Writing Your Personal Statement for Law

School
A personal statement for law school is different than a
statement of purpose for other
graduate programs. While essays for other graduate
programs often ask you to focus on your
past academic experiences and how they will relate to your
future in their pro
gram, law
schools view the personal statement as
an opportunity to demonstrate
your
personality
and
unique aspects of your
character
.
However, the la
w school personal statement is a contested genre due to the
lack of universal
guidelines
.
While there
is a
wealth of advice on law school
websites as well as from
third
party
sources
,
so
me of it can be contradictory.
Below are some general tips for writing your
personal statement.
1.
Think About Your Audience
Before you begin drafting your personal statement,
think ab
out who your audience will
be. While t
he admissions committee for each law school is slightly
different, they all
have a few things in common.
1)
T
he committee is made up of faculty and staff, many of whom
have a
J.D. themselves.
Keep in mind that
they are familiar with the field and
also with the qualities
necessary
for success
. Avoid generalizations
about law, explanations about what the field requires, or
uninformed
use of legal language.
2)
T
he committee sees hundreds, if not thousands, of applica
tions each
year
and does not have
a lot of time
to devote to each applicant.
With
that in mind, you want your statement to stand out,
but also not cause
the reader
un
necessary
work
.
Thus
, be sure to adhere to the school’s
requirements
and keep your statement
focused.
2.
Find
an Angle
The committee wants to know something about you beyond
your resume: find your
“angle.”
In other words:
identify something unique, genuine and
memorable about you
and us
e
that “angle”
to showcase your persona
lity.
This
can be different for each student,
but most students
use
an experience that showcases a particular character trait
and/or
viewpoint, such as a
significant hobby or
pastime
,
a personal injury and recovery, or
a
meaningful volunteer, internship, o
r other personal
experience.
Use your “angle” to
showcase a unique
aspect of you
r character
as a potential student and lawyer.
3.
Show;
Don’t Tell
The statement should tell a story and lead readers to a clear
conclusion by using
concrete
examples
to illustrate your main points
.
As you
give
examples, be sure
to show
your
rea
der your point, not just tell
them.
Try focusing on smaller narratives
,
rather than broad
,
abstract
ideas
,
to allow enough space for adequate detail.
Be sure to give all the nec
essary
and relevant information
the committee will
need to understand
the situation you are
describing and
what you want them to learn
from it.
See the example essay for an
illustration of how to use description in your examples to
show
your character trai
ts.
4.
Concentrate on Your Opening and Closing Paragraphs
Because your audience must read quickly, y
our opening and closing paragraphs
can
have
the most impact on your reader and therefore should be
a
top priority.
a.
A convincing or intriguing opening paragraph can increase
the committee’s
interest in your statement and make your application more
memorable.
While
most students choose to use an anecdote
or narrative
,
you can
adapt the approach
to match your writing styl
e
as long as it continues to support a main idea
.
Your
illustration of your
main idea
can
come in the form of a quotation, a detailed
description
of an event
, or a declarative statement
about your experiences
, among
many others.
b.
In addition to your intro
duction, your conclusion
should also be a high priority
because
your essay should move forward to a point.
Remember that the
conclusion of your statement may be the last thing a
committee will read about
you. A
st
rong closing paragraph should reinforce your overall
message and leave
the readers with a
clear
impression
of who you are as an applicant.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Should I talk about why I want to go to law school or the
practice of law?
Advice o
n this is mixed. While some sources tell students to avoid
law altogether, others
recommend
address
ing
the program you are applying to.
One
approach is to address your desire
to attend law school in the last paragraph of your essay by
applying the qualitie
s or experiences
you have discussed to this next step.
Ask your advisor which approach is appropriate for you.
If you
do
choose to address law school directly, be careful not to use
jargon
t
hat could make you
seem naïve or uninformed to your audience
–
af
ter all, the com
mittee is made up of lawyers.
2. Should I talk about the specific program?
While
other
graduate school statement
s
may ask
students to
highlight the specific qualities of the
program,
law schools generally do not ask you to discuss their
specific program in a personal
statement. Instead many law schools ask for additional,
often optional, essays about why you are
interested in the specific program. However,
you can
still subtly
tailor y
our personal statement
by focusing your “angle” on
the strengths and values of the program.
As you will see, the
example
essay
more explicitly add
resses the specific law school; however,
this is not mandatory
because
such arguments
may
be better addressed
in a
n
additional, option
al
essay.
3. Should I address inconsistencies, blemishes on my
record, etc
.
?
The personal statement is not the place to address any
academic weaknesses
or other issues with
your application. Most law schools offer a
n
optional add
endum or other essay for you to address
these sorts of issues. The personal statement should be a
positive document aimed at conveying
your personality, character, and passion to the committee.
Therefore, negative issues, such as a
low G
PA or
a poor LSAT s
core, should not ap
pear in your personal statement
–
unless it is part
of a larger narrative with a posi
tive theme (such as overcoming an
greater
obstacle
).
Example
(Adapted from the University of Chicago Law School
Admissions Website)
1
:
Below is an
example essay from the website of the University of
Chicago’s Admissions
.
This essay uses
an experience with Division I college football
to illustrate
dedication,
work ethic, and strength of character
. Regardless of what your chosen topic is, when
readi
ng the example, you should pay close attention to
the opening and closing
paragraphs, the development of the “angle”, and the
descriptions of the examples
.
The turning point of my college football career came early in
my third year. At the end of
the sec
ond practice of the season, in ninety
-
five
-
degree heat, our head coach decided to
condition the entire team. Sharp excruciating pain shot
down my legs as he summoned us
repeatedly to the line to run wind sprints.
I collapsed as I turned the corner on the final
sprint. Muscle spasms spread throughout my body, and I
briefly passed out. Severely
dehydrated, I was rushed to the hospital and quickly given
more than three liters of fluids
intravenously.
As I rested in a
hospital recovery room, I realized my collapse on the field
symbolized broader frustrations I felt playing college
football.
I was mentally and physically defeated.
In South Dakota, I was a dominant football
player in high school, but at the Divisi
on I level my talent was less conspicuous. In my
first three years, I was convinced that obsessively training
my body to run faster and be
stronger would earn me a starting position. The conditioning
drill that afternoon revealed
the futility of my approac
h. I had thrust my energies into becoming a player I could
never
be. As a result, I lost confidence in my identity.
I considered other aspects of my life where my intellect,
work ethic, and determination
had produced positive results
. I chose to study
economics and English because processing
abstract concepts and ideas in diverse disciplines was
intuitively rewarding.
Despite the
exhaustion of studying late into the night after grueling
football practices, I developed an
affinity for academia that culm
inated in two undergraduate research projec
ts in
economics. Gathering data, reviewing previous literature,
and ultimately offering my own
contribution to economic knowledge was exhilarating.
Indeed, undergraduate research
affirmed my desire to attend la
w school, where I could more thoroughly satisfy my
intellectual curiosity.
In English classes, I enjoyed writing critically about literary
works
while adding my own voice to academic discussions. My
efforts generated high marks
and praise from professor
s, but this success made my disappointment with football
more
pronounced.
The challenge of collegiate athletics felt insurmountable.
However, I reminded myself
that at the Division I level I was able to compete with and
against some of the best
players
i
n the country. While I might never start a game, the
opportunity to discover and
test my abilities had initially compelled me to choose a
Division I football program. After
the hospital visit, my football position coach
–
sensing my mounting frustrations
–
1
“In Their Own Words: Admissions Essays That Worked.”
The Record Online.
The University of Chicago Law School, Spri
ng 2011.
Web. 18
Feb. 2015.
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/alumni/magazine/spring11/intheirownwords
offered some advice. Instead of devoting my energies
almost exclusively to physical
preparation, he said, I should approach college football with
the same mental focus I
brought
to my academic studies.
I began to devour scouting reports and to analyze the
complex reasoning behind defensive philosophies and
schemes. I studied film and
discovered ways to anticipate plays from the offense and
become a more effective player.
Armed with renewed confidence, I finally earned a starting
position in the
beginning o
f
my fourth year.
My team opened the season against Brigham Young
University (BYU). I performed well
despite the
pressures of starting my first g
ame in front of a hostile crowd of 65.000
people. The next day, my head coach announced the grade
of every
starting player’s
efforts in the BYU game at a team meeting: “Mahoney
–
94 percent.” I had
received
the
highest grade on the team.
After three years of A’s in the classroom, I finally earned my
first ‘A’ in football.
I used mental preparation to mainta
in my competitive edge for
the
rest of the season. Through a combination of film study and
will power, I led my team
and conference in tackles. I became one of the best players
in the conference and a leader
on a team that reached the semi
-
finals of the Di
vision I football playoffs.
The most
rewarding part of the season, though, was what I learned
about myself in the process.
When I finally stopped struggling to become the player I
thought I needed to be, I
developed self
-
awareness and confidence in the per
son I was.
The image of me writhing in pain on the practice field slips
back into my thoughts as I
decide where to apply to law school
. College football taught me to recognize my
weaknesses and look for ways to overcome them.
I will enter law schoo
l a much stronger
person and student because of my experiences on the
football field and in the
classroom.
My decision where to attend law school mirrors my decision
where to play college
football.
I want to study law at the University of Chicago Law Sc
hool because it provides
the best combination of professors, students, and resources
in the country. In Division I
college football, I succeeded when I took advantage of my
opportunities. I hope the
University
of Chicago will give me an opportunity to succ
eed again