Applicants are required to choose three (3) essay topics, each with a maximum length of 300 words for a maximum total of 900 words, from a list of nine (9) topics. The sum of your essay choices will constitute your individual Statement of Purpose and Perspective.
There are no essay choices or combinations of essay choices that are preferable to any others. You should choose essay topics that best allow you to demonstrate your individual strengths, interests, and preparedness for law school.
Topic 1
Tell us about your interest in UCalgary Law, including specific academic interests, program offerings, and learning opportunities that resonate with you. Rather than simply listing UCalgary Law's strengths, please use this essay to illustrate your own law-related interests. Explain how studying at UCalgary would benefit you personally and how you would contribute to the UCalgary Law school community.
Topic 2
UCalgary Law values academic excellence, diverse capabilities and lived experiences that enrich perspectives, amplify learning, and foster a vibrant student body actively engaged in our learning community. These values guide our holistic admissions process. Please describe how your experiences, background, and interests have influenced you and will shape your involvement in the UCalgary Law community and the legal profession.
Topic 3
UCalgary Law strives to cultivate a student body with varied intellectual interests, perspectives, and motivations. Write about an idea or issue from your academic or non-academic pursuits, work, or lived experience that is of particular interest to you. The topic you choose does not have to be related to law. This essay is an opportunity for the Admissions Committee to learn more about your intellectual pursuits and interests.
Topic 4
UCalgary Law encourages and empowers students to advocate for meaningful change within both their own communities and those they serve. Describe a community that holds particular significance for you. Discuss what you have personally gained from your involvement in this community and describe what you have contributed. Use this opportunity to show how you demonstrated leadership, innovation, or influenced meaningful change.
Topic 5
To succeed in law school and legal practice, you must be able to demonstrate professional courtesy, candour, and civility, fostering respectful discussions across diverse experiences and viewpoints. Describe a time when your perspective on a significant issue evolved after engaging with someone you disagreed with or acquiring additional information. Discuss what you learned from this experience.
Topic 6
If you think that your academic record and/or LSAT performance does not accurately reflect your ability to succeed in law school, explain to the Admissions Committee why you believe this is true. Provide specific examples of your capabilities and experiences that demonstrate your potential for success in law school.
Topic 7
UCalgary Law values passion and persistence in realizing long-term goals and recognizes that these qualities are important to success both at law school and in the legal profession. Describe a significant obstacle, disappointment, or personal setback that you have encountered. Explain how you navigated this experience and what insights you gained from it.
Topic 8
It is important for law students to prioritize their well-being and that of others. Describe a time when you reflected on factors influencing your well-being and performance in academics, work, or your personal life. Explain the steps you took to support your own health and well-being, including seeking and accessing resources where available. Finally, outline how you would promote a healthy and respectful learning environment.
Topic 9
The Law Society of Alberta expects its members to understand the historical and current impacts that Canadian law has on Indigenous Peoples in Canada and how reconciliation can be incorporated into practice as part of the legal profession’s ongoing commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. Demonstrate your understanding, through your experience to date, of systemic discrimination and its intergenerational impacts on Indigenous principles, laws, culture, and perspectives. How could you incorporate the principles of Truth and Reconciliation into your legal studies and citizenship at UCalgary Law?
