| Going to law school requires time, money, and | | | | relevant to your goals. Although one of your |
| commitment. A half-hearted effort just | | | | objectives for writing your personal statement is to |
| wouldn’t cut it in law school, which is why | | | | stand out from thousands of other applicants, keep |
| passion for the field is an important aspect of a law | | | | in mind that you are applying for law school and not |
| school personal statement. This is one of the three | | | | a creative writing course. Be concise and keep the |
| most important items in your application to law | | | | flow logical and well-organized. |
| school, along with your LSAT score and GPA. Your | | | | How do you go about writing a law school personal |
| personal statement, or the admission essay, can spell | | | | statement? |
| out the difference between getting into the | | | | Before getting down to writing, learn more about the |
| “rejected” pile and the | | | | law school that you would like to study at. Take |
| “accepted”—or at least | | | | note of the principles and achievements that it |
| “waitlisted”—list. | | | | considers very important. This is a crucial step, |
| Why is a personal statement a big deal? | | | | because you need to explain to the Admission Board |
| Writing your admission essay is the one thing that | | | | why you are suited for the law school’s |
| you have total control over in the application process. | | | | culture and environment. Highlight personal qualities |
| Even if you have outstanding scholastic records and | | | | that match the values which the law school upholds, |
| excellent recommendations from your mentors, there | | | | such as leadership and service. Go beyond |
| are considerable factors that the Admission Board will | | | | motherhood statements and mention concrete |
| not be able to evaluate through them. Passion and | | | | examples. For instance, you may discuss how you |
| dedication are immeasurable, so there is one thing | | | | organized an outreach program and what you |
| that the Admission Board would consider a | | | | accomplished during your term as president of the |
| deal-breaker: your purpose. The first thing you should | | | | student council. |
| do is to check your motives. The clearer your | | | | Your personal statement should allow the Admission |
| motivations for pursuing law school are to you, the | | | | Board to know you as a person, so they can |
| easier it will be to write your personal statement. | | | | determine how much pressure you can take. Use |
| What are the characteristics of an effective personal | | | | sample law school personal statements only as a |
| statement? | | | | guide to help you get a better idea of what to |
| A good personal statement should clearly explain why | | | | include in your own essay. It would be a big mistake |
| you want to take up law. This is why outstanding | | | | to substitute the contents of the sample essays with |
| admission essays often focus on the | | | | your own information. That would be plagiarism, and |
| applicant’s motivation in its discussion. Be a | | | | it might jeopardize your chance of getting accepted. |
| storyteller and walk the reader through your personal | | | | Also, avoid padding your essay with achievements |
| experiences which prompted you to want to become | | | | that you do not really have. As long as you know |
| a lawyer. Make sure that you cite specific examples | | | | your reasons for pursuing a degree in law quite well, |
| of activities that you participated in which are | | | | writing them down would not be too difficult a task. |