Self-study
Hi, as I start thinking about my personal statement- I wanted to get some opinions about mentioning mental health, it would be mentioned in the least dramatic way possible I promise and it would not be the main theme, just a small touchpoint within the broader picture. I just wanted to see if admissions officers would read about struggles with mental health and see it as a drawback (again nothing debilitating), is there a stigma? Thanks!!!
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3 comments
Good question, @k13lawwwwww!
So, my professional opinion is that the goal of a personal statement is to explain why you want to go to law school and be a lawyer. To that end, I usually point people toward's Harvard's prompt as a good "baseline" PS:
"Statement of Purpose: What motivates you to pursue law? How does attending law school align with your ambitions, goals, and vision for your future?"
If your rationale for wanting to be a lawyer and/or the kind of law that you want to practice is somehow rooted in or connected to mental health issues, then it's totally ok/relevant/germane to bring up those issues. On the other hand, if your rationale for wanting to be a lawyer is something totally unrelated ("And that's why I want to work in patent law!"), then talking about mental health issues would seem like an aside to the larger point.
But even if that's the case, there are other docs where you could talk about your past if you think it's relevant:
Maybe in the addenda if your mental health issues had an impact on your academic work at some point.
Maybe in your diversity statement / statement of perspective. The goal of those docs is more to explain where you're from, your background, and the essential things that admissions officers need to know about you in order to "get" you.
I'll leave you with this just to end on a good note and make sure this is very clear - there is NO STIGMA in bringing up mental health issues in your application. None. Zilch. But just like any health issue, or family issue, or personal setback, I'd want to understand what happened, how this shaped you, and - ideally - how it's in your past so I don't have to worry about issues arising while you're in law school AND that you're equipped to handle issues in case they arise.
@JacobBaska Thank you for your response- yes, I did not want to bring up mental health as a "roadblock" or something I had to overcome. It was going to serve as a segway into my purpose! This was a very helpful response- thank you!!!!!
I think as long as you show how you've overcome / learned to manage your mental health and how overcoming those struggles makes you a good candidate for law school, it should be okay :-)