The Personal Statement should address the following prompt:

• Describe your reason for wishing to study law, which may include special accomplishments or qualifications pertinent to your application.

The personal statement is also an opportunity to share additional information about yourself with the Admissions Committee. Consider responding to one or more of the following prompts within your personal statement:

• How has your life experience shaped your aspirations and who you are today?
• Provide examples of significant events in your life, including major accomplishments you've achieved, and/or adversities you've overcome.
• Tell us about when, where or with whom you feel your most authentic, empowered self.
• What advantages and disadvantages do you perceive to have played a role in your path to success?

A concise, two- to three-page double-spaced format is preferred. Please put your name and identification number (LSAC account number) at the top of each page. Candidates may also submit an addendum to explain unusual circumstances, such as grade fluctuations or wide variance in LSAT scores.

Please attach miscellaneous or additional documents in this section.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a résumé along with their personal statement and application. In your resume, please list and share details regarding your participation in student organizations, prelaw programs, sororities or fraternities, community service organizations, and professional affiliations. Please Note: Applicants should list any and all employment (paid or unpaid) held since your 16th birthday or for the past 10 years, whichever is shorter. This will ensure consistency with the employment question on the Florida Bar application, the most common state in which Stetson graduates practice.

Please answer the following questions YES or NO. If your answer to any of the questions below is YES, attach or submit via email or mail a full statement of relevant facts. Your application will remain incomplete until we receive your explanation and relevant documentation. Failure to answer these questions may result in the application being declined for further processing. You are required to amend your application any time circumstances arise that would require a different answer to any of these questions, including while you are enrolled as a student at Stetson University College of Law.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS.

YOU SHOULD BE AWARE that multiple questions regarding criminal background and history are asked on the application for admission to The Florida Bar. The Bars in other states may ask similar questions. The information you provide on the law school admission application should be consistent with answers you provide the Bar. Inconsistencies in your answers may delay or prevent your admittance to The Florida Bar or the Bars of other jurisdictions.

In answering questions on The Florida Bar application, the Board of Bar Examiners states that applicants are warned that no statute, court order, or legal proceeding withholding adjudication, expunging the information required herein from any record, sealing the records which contained the information required herein, or dismissing, vacating or setting aside any arrest, accusation or conviction, or purporting to authorize any person to deny the existence of such matters shall excuse less than full disclosure, IRRESPECTIVE OF ANY ADVICE FROM ANY SOURCE (INCLUDING LEGAL COUNSEL) THAT SUCH INFORMATION NEED NOT BE DISCLOSED. It is further required that records will have to be unsealed and released to the Board of Bar Examiners even if sealed or expunged.

Questions on the bar application have in the past included felony arrests, reduction of criminal charges, incarceration or work release, conviction, suspended sentences, probation, delinquent acts, drug and alcohol offenses, and certain traffic offenses. For more detail, you can contact the Florida Board of Bar Examiners at http://www.floridabarexam.org/.

1. Have you ever been accused of violating the honor code, student conduct code, or other disciplinary code; warned, placed on probation for academic, residential or disciplinary reasons; suspended, requested or advised to discontinue studies; dropped, expelled, or requested to withdraw; or otherwise been subjected to discipline for academic or conduct reasons by any post-secondary school, college, university, professional school, or law school? If yes, please attach, email or mail a statement with dates and details.

2. In question #2, you should disclose each instance even though charges may have been dismissed, or you were acquitted, or adjudication was withheld, or a conviction was reversed, set aside, or vacated. If you have any charges pending or active warrants for your arrest, you are required to answer yes. This question includes periods before you turned 18. If your records were expunged pursuant to applicable law, you may not be required to answer yes, but you should carefully read the Character and Fitness Disclosure below. A Dismissal is not an expungement. You must include any traffic violations (even those you believe to be minor). Any arrest, including a written arrest, charge or conviction of driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or alcohol must be disclosed, regardless of sanctions or outcome. If you are unsure whether to answer "yes," we strongly recommend answering "yes" and fully disclosing all incidents. In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners. If you answer yes, you must attach or send us your full statement of relevant facts and attach a copy of the final court documentation (disposition, DMV record) or arrange for a copy to be emailed or mailed to the Office of Admissions and Student Financial Planning.

Have you ever been arrested, detained, or restrained; taken into custody; or accused formally or informally of a violation of law or ordinance?

3. Have you ever been subject to military disciplinary action, including non-judicial punishment or involvement in a formal court martial proceeding, as part of any military service? If yes, please attach, email or mail a statement with dates and details.

4. Have you ever been subject to disciplinary action with respect to any professional license you hold or have held?

CHARACTER AND FITNESS DISCLOSURE

Applicants should be aware that the qualifications for admission to the bar, including those related to character and fitness, vary from state to state. Prior to matriculation, applicants seeking to engage in the practice of law are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the rules of the state in which they intend to seek admission, especially those rules relating to registration, deadlines, residency requirements, character and fitness, pro bono service, and courses that may be required during law school. Applicants who are concerned about their eligibility to practice law should contact the Board of Bar Examiners (or the appropriate committee) in the state in which the applicant intends to practice. A Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, which includes coverage of character and fitness requirements and contact information for each state, is available on the website of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (http://www.ncbex.org/assets/media_files/Comp-Guide/CompGuide.pdf).