Good evening everybody!
I hope everyone is having a good start to the week. I need some feedback or guidance on how to go about my personal statement. My overall basis is going to be discussing on how I am interested in corporate law, contracts, estate planning and family law. The business side is because my degree was in accounting and I want to learn the basis behind corporations making deals but also protecting themselves. I am interested in family law because I feel a sense of protectiveness over family’s especially children. They are some of the most vulnerable members of our society and I wanna be a protector for them and ensure they get the care and support they need.
My issue comes from how I am supposed to start the statement. “Hi my name is Natalie and I’m interested in law school” or “business and family law are key interests for me”. I’ve only begun starting and I already feel like I’ve hit a wall. I understand I don’t have to write a sob story, not that I have one anyways to write, but I just wanna say “I’ve wanted to learn more about how our system works and how it’s apart of everyday life. I also wanna help people and ensure they don’t get taken advantage of” .
I also don’t have the ability to afford a tutor or someone to review my statement and give me feedback, so if anyone has any recommendations I would appreciate it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and any feedback would be welcomed. Thank you for reading! -Nat
7 comments
To be fair, you know what you want to say, just express it in the way that feels comfortable to you! I would def try a draft and maybe come back so others can provide advice seeing how your idea was actually expressed. You do want to have a hook, and maybe you can open up with actions you have taken in the past to protect kids, or what has motivated you to be that person for kids. Just make it yours, why do you want to learn about the system, is there change you think it needs? Also what kind of things have you seen where people take advantage of others, is there a specific situation that prompted that? As mentioned, reading other essays helps and maybe can help ease any nerves abt what your essay may have to look like, yes format/presentation will matter, but remember it is YOUR essay so being different is a good thing
I just don't wanna sound basic lol, I replied to the thread below this one of why I wanna do this, if you would like to read it.
Depending on the schools/ how big it is to you, corporate law and your interest might be good for a supplemental essay esp if the school you are applying to is known for that. I think both narratives are a good start, 7 sage has some similar essays in terms of media laws, if im not mistaken as well there was recently some legislature having to do with CSA content and people AI generating that. You have some strong pieces in tying that to current legislation. I hope this helps, also do not think about sounding basic, it is your story but I get the cause for concern. But I more so just want to say do not let this stress you out, the LSAT already does enough to contribute to that, so let this be a part of your application where you can just say this is why I am more than a score and gpa. Def look at other essay examples though if you just want ideas on how to capture attention or opening strong. I am sure people will also be happy to help once you feel it’s ready!
Can you think of an instance that might have led to you feeling a protectiveness over families? Or a specific moment during your degree that made you want to combine it with law? I'm definitely not an expert in writing personal statements, but my main takeaway has been to start with a moment or scene that led you to your decision to go to law school or that was a very defining moment in your life.
Like you said, it doesn't have to be a sob story or dramatic. It just needs to be something unique and attention grabbing.
For example, maybe as a kid, you experienced a time where you were vulnerable and you didn't have anyone standing up for you. Or during your business degree, you learned of a rule or regulation that you didn't think was fair for corporations and would like to pursue law to change it. Whichever idea you go with, I recommend opening your personal statement with that exact moment. I would also recommend only writing about one of the ideas. I think it's worth expanding as much as possible on one idea and how it's your motivation for law school instead of using up page space to talk about both. It is YOUR essay though and if you want to write about both, then do exactly that!!
You might have already done this, but I highly recommend reading as many examples of personal statements as you can. 7Sage has a large essay bank. They have curriculum for personal statements as well. There are also a ton of personal statement examples you can find online.
Please let me know if you would like to discuss further!
Hi!
I guess a moment I felt sorta a question about the law or protectiveness over children was when the Trial of Gabriel Fernandez was released on Netflix. I was 15 when it was released, and it opened my eyes to the cruelty children can suffer and how the system failed him. I always knew other children didn't have the life I had, but at that moment it made me very upset. "How could two people, including his own mother, do this to him? And how could he be overlooked so many times after so many people told the authorities?" A more recent example is child sex trafficking and por*. So many disgusting people have been caught either distributing or keeping photographs or videos of violating children, and it seems as if they only get a few years and are set free. The internet has become a dangerous place for children, and now with AI, all perpetrators need is a scan of their face, and then they can create whatever disgusting images or videos they want. Laws need to be implemented to combat these new technological innovations and protect the most vulnerable in our society.
With corporate law, I feel that because I have a degree in accounting and understand the importance of data integrity, I know how one person or a group of people who commit fraud and cheat can harm not only the economy but also the people who work for them. People commit fraud because they feel they deserve the money, or the company owes everything to them, or just because. However, this isn't right; they are not only cheating themselves, but they also cheat their coworkers who work very hard every day to make ends meet. Corporations also need to be held accountable when they don't uphold their promises and create misleading figures to make people buy into their company.
I apologize if this is a lot, but this is a basic overview of my feelings. I'm not sure if its unique or mind catching but it is how I feel.
I don't mind giving feedback if you would like :)
Yes of course please! I don’t have like anything written out I just have this basic outline idea. But I need to do a full outline but not sure what to include