An impressive law school personal statement illustrates your motivation and suitability for legal profession. Admissions committees read thousands of these each admission cycle!
An effective personal statement should reflect your unique voice, steer away from overused topics, and be clear, concise, and well edited. Typos, inconsistent margins and other errors signal carelessness on your part.
Page Limits
General guidelines suggest limiting your personal statement to two pages double-spaced when double-spaced. But be sure to follow each school’s requirements; some schools may require different page limits or word counts and prompts for answering specific statements.
Personal statements provide an opportunity to offer more details than can be included in a resume and application, while demonstrating your writing ability. When writing your personal statement, be wary of adding extraneous language or going off topic just to meet a page limit – admissions committees want concise yet thoughtful writing that captures their attention.
Be mindful to avoid using cliches or lawyer jokes in your personal statement, and language that sounds overly formal or academic. Furthermore, avoid recounting all aspects of your life story in detail as this will likely bore admissions professionals reading your application; instead, find an overarching theme to tie together all your experiences into an interesting narrative that presents yourself as an ideal candidate for law school admissions.
Word Count
Your personal statement gives law school admissions committees an opportunity to learn more about you beyond LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA. It also showcases your writing talents.
Personal statements typically fall between two and four pages in length; however, there’s no universal rule as to how long your statement should be.
At first, brainstorm all experiences relevant to your application. Select several that have special meaning to you as the basis of your personal statement.
As part of your personal statement, it’s best to avoid repeating what has already been mentioned in your resume. Instead, focus on discussing aspects about yourself which weren’t addressed elsewhere on your application form.
Formatting
Your personal statement provides the admissions committee with an opportunity to gain more insight into who you are beyond standardized test scores and GPA. Furthermore, writing skills play a key role in succeeding in law school and legal practice.
Personal statements should read like stories, with an identifiable beginning, middle and end. Merely listing off your accomplishments without providing context does not impress admissions committee members – instead it simply confirms what’s already written on your resume.
Focus on one or two experiences that highlight your strengths and character traits, then describe their influence in shaping your decision to pursue legal education. Finding a common thread between all your experiences is key – but don’t exaggerate or falsify. An admissions committee can quickly detect dishonesty! Begin your essay with something eye-catching like an anecdote or surprising fact while avoiding cliched phrases that might detract from its impact.
Writing Tips
Writing your first personal statement can be an intimidating challenge, especially on your first attempt. Don’t try to write the perfect essay instantly; rather, get all your thoughts onto paper as best as you can.
Cliches and colloquial language should be avoided in your statement to law school admissions committee members as this type of language could turn them off. Make sure your personal statement conveys professionalism while showing your writing abilities by creating a solid first impression with admissions committee members.
Avoid repetitively repeating your resume in your personal statement; use this opportunity to focus on topics not addressed by your resume, such as community involvement or volunteer experience. Create a cohesive narrative from stories, values, achievements and lessons learned that relates to why you wish to pursue legal profession. Doing this will convince admissions committee that you are the ideal student for their school.
