Personal statement block tangent ?

christinagomez7738

I still have to brain storm but trying to pick a topic for my personal statement has been something I’ve been putting off for a long time because I feel like I don’t have anything unique !!

I don’t have any clubs or extracurriculars I was heavily involved in, I’m just normal. I can’t put my finger on any life changing experiences I’ve had. The only reason/excuse I have for that is throughout college I worked full time to pay my bills as I’ve always been independent like that. I didn’t have time to be involved like that because I worked a lottttt (bartending really late nights). I barely slept to do assignments and whatnot.That’s one of the only things I can think of when it comes to being a little bit different because most of my peers had roommates or lived at home or had someone paying their rent but still it’s not like I’m an anomaly in that respect.

Maybe I just need to think of my past and qualities in a different light but right now I’m having a block. Has anyone been in this situation when it comes to a personal statement? Were you able to figure something out? Any advice? Anyone in the same boat who maybe wants to chat to help each other come up with some kind of game plan? I don’t really know anyone irl who knows about law school stuff to give me some pointers or mentoring, this is the only community I have for that soooo if anyone has something to add or something you would like to talk out yourself if you’re dealing w a similar issue comment below or my inbox is open I don’t really have much going for me lately with COVID and the fact that I’m done studying for the lsat now so I’ll answer lol

VerdantZephyr

I am a bit different but felt similarly. I have a lot of international work experience and study experience, but I did not feel like there was anything particularly interesting. I brainstormed a few different angles but none seemed good. Recently I was required to proctor exams at work and had several hours of silent pacing around a room full of test takers. That gave me time to think. Maybe take a pen, a pad of sticky notes, and go for a walk.

By the way, while I have not done a lot with my topic, it synthesized both my extensive international experience, my status as a non-trad student, why I want to go to law school, and an area of research interest I have which highlights my grad school experience. It works really well for me as a topic, though I still need to write, edit, write, edit and edit more. I have a plan for my DS and addendums as well and was even able to come up with a scholarship negotiation letter angle.

Take some time with literally nothing to distract you and think. Talk it over with people. Have you done the admissions course on 7 sage? That was instrumental in helping me even though at first it frustrated me because these people had such unique experiences. There is something in your life that qualifies as unique and compelling and important for law school ad coms, but finding it may take a lot of thinking. There is no such thing as normal.

ALLCAA123

I like Verdant's advice, but ultimately, you need to do introspection on why you're applying to law school. Start writing about something, ANYTHING, and eventually you'll get an idea of how to put your career aspirations into words. I spent two months writing mine, and I finally wrote something that I was happy to send to law schools.

You don't need a life-changing experience or fancy extracurricular activities to write a good paper. Do some introspection- what got this, "I want to take the LSAT and go to law school" ball rolling? Surely you have a reason aside from making more $$$ than you do right now Is it because you did high school debate and you enjoyed reading/writing/arguing? Maybe it was a personable experience that motivated you, and one that you think is "too ordinary" for your paper (no such thing, btw. If there was an experience like that, talk about it!) Start writing a couple of sentences on paper, and something will come to mind. I promise!

christinagomez7738

@VerdantZephyr thank you for your response !!

christinagomez7738

@ALLCAA123 thank you for your thoughtful response/encouragement ! You’re absolutely right, I should just start typing at least to get the ball rolling.

shira2385

Maybe you could write about how you worked throughout college and how it was a bit of a challenge but you still managed to persevere and still graduate. Play up your strengths and let them know that you're able to commit to law school and all the works that comes along with it.

kesmith820

@christinagomez7738 I had SUPREME writer's block until I finally just gave into writing about exactly what my mind kept coming back to. I didn't have a narrative yet for why that connected to the question of wanting to go to law school/why I would succeed compared to my peers, but I just allowed myself to write about it and it led me to find a personal statement topic. So my advice is, start with anecdotes that stick in your mind when you think about your motivation for going to law school, especially really emotionally charged ones. Even ones that didn't make it into the final essay helped me with introspection!

Side note - I am someone who actually did have a "life-changing experience," and that did not make it any easier to write my statement...it's hard to write about something that feels like it's impacted everything in your life, if that makes sense. I ended up writing about something completely different, and incorporating it as a detail rather than the main topic anyways, so don't feel like you're at a disadvantage for not having an obvious topic.

christinagomez7738

@kesmith820 I really love this response. This is great advice. Thank you!!

christinagomez7738

I'm really enjoying hearing about everyone's experience with their personal statements and the different steps they took to get it started/finish it !! Thanks for all the wonderful responses

AJindal96

I am facing a similar problem. I keep coming to different topics but decide against it because I read an article in new york times about over sharing in college essays and how it can be viewed negatively by Adcoms.
So I am finding it hard to strike proper balance between oversharing and still being able to share personal stories.