Good writing is writing that is easily understood. You want to get your point across, not bury it in words. Don't talk in circles. Your prose should be clear and direct. If an admissions officer has to struggle to figure out what you are trying to say, you'll be in trouble. Also, legal writing courses make up a significant part of most law school curriculums; if you can show that you have good writing skills, you have a serious edge.
Get to the point in three pages unless there are unusual circumstances. Don't be long-winded and boring. Admissions officers don't like long personal statements. Would you if you were in their shoes? Most people who have unusual circumstances are folks who are in their thirties or forties (or fifties or sixties) who have more life experience. Whatever your story, get to the point. Be brief. Be focused.
Have three or four people read your personal statement and critique it. Proofread your personal statement from beginning to end, then proofread it again, then proofread it some more. Read it aloud. Keep in mind, though, that the more time you spend with a piece of your own writing, the less likely you are to spot any errors. You get tunnel vision. Ask friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, professors, brothers, sisters-anybody-to read your essay and comment on it. Have friends read it. Have an English teacher read it. Have an English major read it. Have the most grammatically anal person you know read it. Hire an editor if you feel it is necessary. We don't care. Just do whatever it takes to make sure your personal statement is clear, concise, candid, structurally sound, and 100 percent grammatically accurate.
Make yourself stand out. We know you know this, but you will be competing against thousands of well-qualified applicants for admission to just about any law school. Consequently, your primary task in writing your application is to separate yourself from the crowd. Admissions committees will see innumerable applications from bright twenty-two year olds with good grades. Particularly if you are applying directly from college or if you have been out of school for a very short time, you must do your best to make sure that the admissions committee doesn't lump you in with everyone else who is your age and has basically identical credentials. Your essay presents an opportunity to put those credentials in context and to differentiate yourself.
Find your unique angle. The admissions people read tons of really boring essays about "how great I am" and "why I think there should be justice for everyone." Strive to find an angle that is interesting and unique to you. If what you write isn't interesting to you, we promise that it won't be remotely interesting to an admissions officer. In addition to being more effective, a unique and interesting essay will be far more enjoyable to write.
Who are you? Why are you different? What distinguishes you from others? Sometimes, applicants want to answer this question in a superficial way. They want to say, for example, "I am an Asian American from Missouri." That's probably a mistake. You should avoid the idea of fitting preconceived notions of identity. You almost never need to mention the honors and awards you've received. After all, there's a place for those on almost every law school application. It's called your resume, and repeating anything from it in your statement is nearly always bad juju.
Instead, you want to put yourself in a genuine context by explaining how your education, your personal and professional experiences, and the world around you have influenced you and your decision to attend to law school. Give the admissions officers a real frame of reference and real insight into the person you've become as a result of the experiences you've had. Be open about yourself. Don't just ramble on with clichés and platitudes. The more personal and individualized your personal statement is, the better received it will be.
In a nutshell (and in addition to the nuts and bolts like clarity, conciseness, and perfect grammar), admissions officers want to know who you really are and what has made you the person you are today. They look for introspection and the ability to reflect intellectually upon yourself and upon the experiences that led to the formulation of your attitudes and beliefs. Admissions officers look for individuals who understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. They look for people who have an awareness of their own pasts and who have learned from their own mistakes. They look for people who have grown intellectually and professionally and who want to grow some more.
Always consider your audience. A big part of your overall strategy should be to keep in mind what it would be like to be the reader. Ultimately, you are giving a portrait of yourself in words to someone who doesn't know you and who may never meet you, but who has the power to make a very important decision about the course of your life. Remember that it's a real person who will read your personal statement, though someone with real human traits who puts on his or her pants one leg at a time, just like you. Keep this person interested. Make this person curious. Make this person smile. Engage this person intellectually. |
