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Update: Thanks for your amazing responses, everyone. I’ve been pouring through them, trying to figure out how I would choose from such worthy and gripping accounts, when I finally realized I don’t have to choose. I’m going to change the format instead.
Here’s how it works now: I’ll go through these statements in order, spending five minutes or less with each person. Even in such a small window, I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to dispense some sound advice.
When it’s your turn, I’ll ask you to unmute your mic. Everyone else should stay muted.
I’ll end the webinar after an hour. If someone doesn’t show up, I’ll skip her, so it’s hard to say how far down the list I’ll get.
Talk to you tomorrow.
7Sagers,
This Tuesday, at 9 pm EST, I’ll do a live lightning consultation for one 7Sager.
What’s a lightning consultation? Basically, I’ll try to be as helpful as I can in fifteen to thirty minutes. We might brainstorm personal statement topics, strategize about addenda, or discuss LORs.
If you want a free fifteen- to thirty-minute consultation about your law school application, I’ll need you to post a few things in the comments section:
- Your three-sentence biography.Your biggest worry about your application.Two ideas for your personal statement.
I’ll choose whoever I think will lead to the most interesting consultation, and announce my choice here on Tuesday. When I’m done, I’ll take questions from everyone.
To join, just follow this link: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/710740293
- Dial +1 (646) 749-3131Use the access code 710-740-293.Use the audio PIN shown after joining the meeting.
We’ll use Citrix GoToMeeting. The meeting ID is 710-740-293.
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54 comments
@davidbusis895.busis how gracious of you to try to help everyone during the session!! I'm slapping myself because I'm not sure how I forgot about logging in?? Thank you for your assistance and I'll definitely be tuned in for the next session!
We'll do another one, probably August 15—but we didn't record it. :( Sorry!
I am so sad I missed this webinar! Could 7Sage please post this webinar online or someone please post their notes? I don't think these materials is available in the admission package and real examples from fellow 7sagers are really helpful.
Suggestion: Could David be really kind to post his comment to each PS whom he gave advices to? @davidbusis895.busis
Thanks so much for your time! This was awesome.
missed this webinar so sad
Starting shortly!
No. Admissions webinars are not recorded since most is available through the Admissions Starter course. You can pick up the Admissions Starter course here:
https://classic.7sage.com/enroll-admissions/
Will this webinar be recorded and made available for us to watch later?
1. Your three-sentence biography:
My name is Yimei Zhang and I am a senior in University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, studying History and Polisci. I was born and raised in China and have been studying in Hong Kong. I speak Cantonese, Mandarin and French.
2. Your biggest worry about your application.
LSAT. My June score was not satisfying despite I felt good with my PTs. I will study heartlessly for September.
3. Two ideas for your personal statement.
a) I have many different working experiences. Walt Disney World in Orlando, Brookings Institution in DC. I have been to 20 countries.
b) I have come a long way since I set my mind to pursue JD degree. I transferred from HK, I chose a major that is difficult for non-native speaker over majors that would be easy for me, I worked in DC for a semester, and I studied French (I want to be an international lawyer).
Thank you, David!
Hello,
BIO: I'm a 32 year old single mother to a 6 year old. I have worked in law enforcement for the last 8 years. I have wanted to practice law since I was 11 years old but I have only recently made a decision to follow through.
My biggest worry: My low GPA. I graduated college 10 years ago and was in a completely different frame of mind at that time. I need every other aspect of my application to outshine my GPA.
Personal Statement Ideas: One option is to speak about my transition from law enforcement to pursuing the practice of law and how witnessing police brutality has lit a fire in me to fight for human rights. Another option is to speak about my community service efforts and how dedicated I am to making a difference in lower income areas.
This is a great idea! Looking forward to the session tmr!
I LOVE this! Good for you all.
Hi David,
Thanks for this great opportunity!
Bio: I am first generation Mexican- American whose only family in the United States consists of my mother and sister. My older sister and I were the first people in our family (we come from a huge family, mom has 10 brothers and sisters) to ever graduate from university. I am extremely passionate about food and want to improve our current food system which is built on the exploitation of humans (mostly undocumented) and animals.
My biggest worry about my application is my GPA since I have 2 "No Passes" from classes I took just for fun (I didn't know these counted as F's btw until after the fact) which brought my cumulative GPA from 3.5 to a 3.24. However, I was approved for testing accommodations for the LSAT. Do you think that if I score a 170 my 3.24 will still make me a very good candidate at my top choice school: UCLA?
My first idea for my personal statement would be about how I came to develop a passion for what we eat (Mom became diabetic and I realized that we live in a culture that does not support our health, we are constantly bombarded with junk food advertising and weight loss pills, Big Ag has taken over leaving farmers with barely enough means to scrape by and the rest of us to figure out what to eat by chasing convenience.
My second idea would be about my Mexican mother coming to this country illegally with not even a dollar to her name, was worked like a slave, mistreated, but then was granted citizenship with farmworker papers and now provides affordable housing to low- income individuals in one of the most affluent cities in the country. She raised two daughters who also developed a passion for social justice and are advocates for positive change.
Even if I don't get chosen, I hope we can email or you can reply to my response. Thanks so much for doing this!
-Stephanie
Hi David:
I would like to know how to say that I am a Vietnam Veteran in my personal statement without making this my whole personal statement.
Heads up guys, I've changed the format. See the initial post, which I edited. I'll get through as many as I can, but I don't think I'll get to everyone!
Wow, I really hope you don’t pick me @davidbusis895.busis . So many wonderful and interesting people and I just want to hear more of their stories.
I am Moises, a father of 3. I've worked in insurance for 10+ yrs. In 2014 relocated to Brazil to care for my ill father (with cancer; well now). While here I attended law school. I'll be returning to the US in 2017 where I will pursue a JD and intend to practice law in my home state, CA.
My main worries with my applications are the LSAT since I've attended a foreign school which does not report an Undergrad GPA, and my personal statement.
As for my personal statement, I have though of writing about having to give up everything I had constructed to go overseas and help my father, and using that adverse time to reinvent myself, heading back to the US to pursue my long life dream career of becoming and attorney.
1) Your three-sentence biography.
I'm a 41 year-old former actor with a lifelong passion for environmental issues. I'm currently working as a legal intern, focusing on pro-bono environmental efforts. I have a Certificate in Horticulture from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and am about to become a Master Composter through the Master Compost Certificate Program sponsored by the NY Dept. of Sanitation.
1) Your biggest worry about your application.
My biggest concern about my application is my academic/professional record, which I'm afraid won't assure an admissions committee that I can hack the intellectual rigor of law school. I did very well in pretty much all my undergrad academics in terms of GPA, but bounced around undergrad institutions. I transferred from a good liberal arts school after 1.5 years to an acting conservatory (BFA program), then left after two years and finally finished my undergrad degree at a non-highly-rated institution with what looks like a non-rigorous major. Because of my acting transfer credits from the BFA program, I have the unusual distinction of holding a Bachelor of Science in... Liberal Arts (technically my major). My academic grades were always pretty high, my acting grades in the BFA program were all over the place, and again, I did not have what looks like a rigorous major from the institution where I finished undergrad (a B.Sci. with a concentration in 'Visual Studies').
Aside from acting, most of my professional work has been in the service industry (yes, I know this probably goes without saying).
My ideas to counter this potential weakness in academic credentials:
a) Include one or two strong high-level papers written as an undergrad (good idea?)
b) Include an addendum emphasizing my academic marks over my acting marks
c) Hopefully obtain a strong letter of recommendation from my supervisor at the law firm which will emphasize my capacity for the particular demands of legal work.
3) Two ideas for your personal statement.
First Idea: Write about going home for a year to take care of a parent undergoing treatment for brain cancer. This was a transitional experience for me which in many ways initiated my interest in environmental advocacy and law school (essentially: finding my core values, re-connecting with nature in a way I hadn't since childhood, and seeking deeper meaning in my life's work).
Second Idea: Writing about various experiences that led me to understand studying law as a way to make a substantive difference in the world vis-a-vis the environment. These include studying horticulture (the business, ironically, is anything but 'green'), becoming a master composter, and experiences in my day job (running events in NY), where I witnessed a shocking level of waste (and I realized that there needed to be stronger, smarter laws and better enforcement of statutes around recycling).
Somewhere in there I want to talk about a recent experience I had of finding myself stuck with a giant garbage pail of chicken poop, which I simply couldn't throw away (I wouldn't dream of sending all that valuable nitrogen to a landfill). Somehow that moment crystallizes my values and my understanding of my place in the world.
Three Sentence Biography
I grew up in Madison, MS- a high income suburb of Jackson with good schools- and went on to graduate with a BA in English Literature from the University of Southern Mississippi in December 2008, about three months after Lehman Bros declared bankruptcy and the whole world economy and job market went to shit; and so like so many of my friends, I found refuge in the food service industry (With a degree in English this would probably have happened anyway, lol). What was perhaps more surprising is how much I came to love it: I got the opportunity to help develop a concept for a local coffee & lunch spot which really caught on and became a local institution. As I really became a part of it, I fell in love with the little city of Hattiesburg and got to know hundreds of people who composed the bulk of its active community; but as happy as I was there, I never did feel content- I still wanted to do something big, to leave an impact- so I decided to return to school for degrees in law and public policy to position myself to advocate, as best I can, for equal access to quality education.
Application Worry
My biggest worry about my application is my GPA. There is a discrepancy over a class which I dropped but have recently discovered I received a grade which factors into my GPA as an F. The notation for the grade is NA, which I mistakenly assumed meant “not applicable” but which I have now learned means “not attended.” The professor of the class died recently and efforts to correct my transcript have so far been unsuccessful. The correction would bring my GPA from a 3.64 to a 3.75 which seems to make an enormous difference when plugged into a law school calculator.
Personal Statement Idea 1
My time as a professional poker player, and why the greatest single hand of my career was the last hand I ever played. The exact moment I knew I had what it took to really make it, I left it all behind.
Personal Statement Idea 2
My move from a progressive college town to rural North Mississippi, the culture of racial divide I found there, my helplessness to change it, and my conviction to try.
Cant wait!
My name is Hannah. I was raised in a great family, with supportive parents and siblings. My main challenges and successes have come through my experience as a pastor’s kid. Of course it came with its challenges, but the benefits have outweighed them all. Since then, I received a degree in ancient languages and biblical literature and have worked for a non-profit organization.
My biggest concern is that I will be able to express myself fully in a short and strategic way on my Personal Statement and Application.
Statement ideas: 1. About 20 years ago, my father reconnected with our Jewish family in Israel, after being estranged for years. Since his grandmother converted to Christianity, all ties were severed. My childhood dream was to find them and mend the relationship as well. I studied Hebrew for four years and prepared for the trip. Then when I was 20, I spent a month in Israel and met my cousins and aunts. I learned about the power of love that speaks universally across different cultures and belief systems.
2. It can be tough working hard for your own dreams, let alone working for dreams that are not your own. I have learned that serving the dream of my parents, at their church, has actually brought me more satisfaction and growth than I could ever imagine. Although I did not see it initially, I learned the lessons of hard work, selflessness, and the importance of relationships. In the end, working with my parents ended up giving me invaluable lessons for my future.
This is a great idea!
1.Your three-sentence biography.
Hello, my name is Tanesha. I currently work as a paralegal in the real estate industry. I've worked in the legal field in various areas for 9 yrs.
2.Your biggest worry about your application.
Not having anything interesting or unique to stand out from other applicants. I don't have much volunteering to add other than distributing sample ballots and providing a brief synopsis of a candidate's agenda at voting polls. I wasn't really active in undergrad and I'm still not. My undergrad GPA isn't the greatest so what if my LSAT score is also not the greatest?? This added to lack of accomplishments, volunteerism, etc. definitely makes me worry.
3.Two ideas for your personal statement.
Continuing to pursue law school after chemotherapy and brain tumor (I don't really know what this has to do with anything but I thought about just talking about continuing to strive for a legal career despite the curveballs life has thrown and somehow throwing work experience in there as well).
or
Discussing when and how I determined I wanted to practice law. My 5th grade teacher structured our classroom as a "city." We were all "citizens" and a few of us had extra roles. I was the lawyer. I was able to "argue" against and lower the fines imposed by the officers in the "city" to individual citizens. I was also able to negotiate "sanctions" imposed by our teacher. My proudest moment was being able to regain recess privileges for the entire class after being revoked by our teacher.
1) My name is Hakeem Muhammad, i'm from the South Side of Chicago, where I witnessed numerous social ills emanating from gang-violence, the drug economy, and poverty. This inspired for me the desire to change my community and be an advocate of social justice and activism. I have worked in the African-American Male Initiative, taught public speaking and debate at U.C Berkeley/Michigan State debate Camps, and recently delivered a lecture on protest rhetoric at Harvard Debate Council.
2) My LSAT Score, my GPA is solid and I have solid extracurricular activities, just need the lsat score to match.
3 My personal statements will be geared toward public interest/civil rights law: Joining the Urban Debate League in high-school,and becoming a National Champion, defeating elite, more economically prosperous schools, while homeless. (overcoming obstacles stories)
3.5. Lessons I learned working in the african american male initiative helping underprivileged students overcome educational barriers.
1) My name is Nader, I am the youngest of seven, left my family at the age of 16 and moved to Southeast Asia, got my MBA while working for a start-up, few years later managed to immigrated to Canada. I was born and raised in a low- income family in Middle East.
2) My LSAT score.
3) the first idea: my professional chess career from the point that my father thought me chess when I was 5 until when he forbidden me to play chess at age of 11 because of my poor results; to the point that I practiced on my own and become champion of my province youth tournament at age of 15.
3.5) The second would be how all those around me could not afford a lawyer and got shortchanged which gives me a very personal reason to become a lawyer.