Hi everyone. I have been racking my brain for months trying to come up with a topic for my PS and I keep hitting a wall. I don't have a "x happened that changed my mind and thats why I want to go to law school/by a lawyer".
If anyone has any tips for coming up with their PS that would be very helpful. I've used AI for brainstorming, I've written down boatloads of ideas and I don't think any of them are strong enough for a whole essay.
Thanks guys!
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12 comments
I got advice from a 7Sage writing tutor that your essay should be “why you can’t NOT go to law school”. It should seem like the obvious next step to admissions because you cannot achieve what you want to in a career without it. For example, if you write that you want to help people, or make a certain policy difference, or you were inspired to follow the career of a mentor you met, these may not be strong enough “why law” reasons because you could technically still achieve those dreams without law school.
(Kind of sycophantic, I know.)
Now that you know what may not be a strong enough topic, think about the best stories that differentiate you from your peers. Connect a real life experience you had with an injustice, the personal effect law had on you, or a pivotal moment that made it difficult to imagine feeling fulfilled in your life without becoming a lawyer.
Really show not tell your discovery in this story. My 7Sage tutor also recommended I skip the “when I was a child” and “it’s always been my dream” or “sob story of trauma” tropes. He said the admissions counselors want to know that as an informed adult you still believe you want to be a lawyer 😅 and that you have proven evidence of being dedicated enough to finish.
I like the advice of asking friends or family because they know your story and may remember cool parts about your life that you forgot. I also found it helpful to read other student’s successful essays to brainstorm. Or go through your own resume and think about a story from each time in your life that you find compelling and applicable to why law and pick the strongest one. ☺️
@sufam001 Thank you!
They don't always recommend mentioning a specific type of law that you want to go into, but I decided to include it because I was frankly uninterested in most types of law and couldn't find a compelling broad-reaching reason to go to law school (but don't mention that lol). It also aligned with me pivoting career paths during undergraduate and gave me space to write about how my personal interests would be better served in law school.
You can also sit down and have a mock interview with a friend or family member and have them ask you questions while you record it. I find that it's easier to speak casually about these things than having the pressure of writing an essay from start to finish. If you yourself cannot answer 'why do you want to go to law school,' then you may need to ask yourself that first before writing your PS. I think most of us have many reasons (perhaps some less admirable than wanting to serve our communities or pursuing law from a standpoint of a victim) in pursuing this specific career, but it's about highlighting the one reason that will make you stand out and be attractive to admissions.
@haena thank you so much. I think my reason for wanting to go to law school and become a lawyer is so different than what a lot of people write them about and what people have told me to think about or focus on and that is a big reason I am struggling. I have been thinking about writing it around the area I want to go into but I keep hearing different opinions. Thank you for the help!
@megdillman Different is good! I think people generally recommend against writing about a specific area of law if the schools you are applying to don't support that area whatsoever or if it's a highly competitive and popular branch of law (which I think can still provide niche and interesting topics that aren't necessarily going to affect your applications negatively). But I'm of the belief that being genuine about a specific interest can be a stronger essay than a generic 'why law'. Wishing you luck!
@haena Thank you!
For what it's worth, you don't have to have an "x happened and that changed my mind" or "x happened and it was revelatory" explanation for your personal statement. The key is letting your audience understand why you want to go to law school and be a lawyer. So my tip/trick is to start with that ending vision ("this is the legal job I want to do in four years") and then work backwards from that to give you audience a sense of why that legal job makes sense for you.
I hope that helps!
@JacobBaska Yes, that helps so much, thank you!
i started using voice notes on my phone to note down literally every thought i had throughout the day. bonus points if you remember to note down what you're thinking when you zone out in class or smth. end of every day i took notes, and i realized there was a particular thought i kept returning to. now im writing my ps about that thought
@MasonEdwards Thanks, thats a great idea! I graduated this past May and I wish I could still access all my notes from class. I know there were so many things I always thought about in regards to the law and I wish I still had those!
you need to actually brute force yourself into writing something out. writing is a process of thinking. youll understand through writing. thinking abstractly doesn't help as much
@zunair Thank you!