Hello All!
I have written a personal statement that is 4 pages long, which I am extremely proud of but most schools only accept 2 pages. I have no idea how to cut it down. Any thoughts or advice trying to get it down? Is anyone available to possibly review mine for me?
Thank you!
1
7 comments
My professional two cents from working both as an admissions counselor and an admissions consultant - hone in on your main point. Why do you want to go to law school and be a lawyer. Everything in the PS has to serve that point. If you're at four pages, chances are that you're either going on a few tangents that aren't necessary (eg, describing the color of the sky outside prison walls as you were visiting a client in jail) or you're giving me material that isn't necessary. It may also help to know that admissions officers aren't reading reading the PS - they're power reading it. So with that in mind, consider if there's any material that may be too complex/convoluted for inclusion in a personal statement.
I hope that helps!
I feel your pain — just had to shorten mine from 3.5 to 2 pages:( I’d be happy to take a look at yours!
I had the same issue and realized that most of my writing space was taken up by filler. The schools dont necessarily care about the background of the story you just want to give them enough to know what happened and how it relates to you wanting to go to law school. I can help and read yours if you want because I did just go through something similar with mine!
I'll read it!
I have the same problem 😭 I paid for an essay service and in conclusion, they told me I use too much fluff and that I need to cut down on my descriptions/imagery. Not sure if you have a similar issue in your writing but could be helpful!
Split into personal statement and some form of an addendum if you can
Kill your darlings. Or make an outline, review the schools criteria and what they value (can use AI to speed this part up if applying to multiple schools) and outline the role of each paragraph. Then only use from your master PS what is relevant. Essentially using it as an idea bank.