Personal Statement

sabrina333

Hi everyone,
I took a day off and wanted to start working on my personal statement but I'm confused about how that whole process works? Is there a prompt we get from each law school we are applying to? This is probably a stupid question but I haven't really looked into it ...

emli1000

I think it's mainly about YOU and what you want the school to know about you besides your GPA and LSAT score(s). Also, 7Sage offers a PS Bundle which was helpful in writing my PS. Some schools if you go to their website they tell you about things you could write about in your PS

Here's an example of what one of my schools have on their website

"The personal statement must be no more than two (2) pages; typed (Times New Roman, 12 pt, double-spaced); and be a concise and well-drafted document. The personal statement should be the applicant’s own work product. It should feature the applicant’s words and thoughts; and highlight unique characteristics, which may include:

Your educational experiences;
Your occupational experiences;
Any economic disadvantages;
Your significant or extracurricular activities;
Your talents and special interests;
Any involvement in community affairs or public service;
Your course of study;
Any grade trends;
Any post undergraduate studies;
Any significant work experience; and
Any other personal experiences that have influenced your life.
It should also include:

The reason(s) you want to go to law school;
The reason(s) you are interested in this
School of Law; and
What you want to do with a law degree.

sabrina333

@emli1000 thanks! that makes more sense and I just got the PS Bundle so that should help...

Pacifico

Additionally, if you have anything that you bring to the table that allows for you to write a diversity statement then make sure you don't use that topic for your personal statement. For example, if you were homeless for four years when you were a preteen, while that could make for an excellent personal statement, it would qualify for bringing a diverse perspective and in that case I'd take advantage of having the opportunity to write both a personal and a diversity statement.

@emli1000 is right in that most schools will post something like that on their website and it is visible even when the applications are not open, but most of them read like the one she cited. However, if you are applying to 10 different schools, it is worth it to make the effort to check the requirements of each one. The example posted above is about the strictest you will encounter. Some can be up to 4 pages, while 2 pages is the probably the most common upper limit so if you don't want to write multiple personal statements, just be concise and write a 2 page personal statement.

For most schools the personal statement does not have to mention anything about law school, that particular law school, or law in general. I wrote one about culinary school and made no mention of law school at all. Just make sure it's something that shows something unique and different about you, or else how you were able to overcome an obstacle, or even failed to overcome an obstacle. It's your chance to give them a window into your life and personality beyond the numbers and when done right can function like a strong soft would.

And finally, check to see if each school has a "Why X law school?" optional essay. If they do, go ahead and write one for that school and then you won't have to waste space in your personal statement to say the same thing when it might be totally unrelated to what you're writing about. Somewhat related to this notion is that you should not use the personal statement to write GPA/LSAT/C&F addendums and instead should write short simple statements to address such matters separately. Hope this was helpful and good luck!

V/R,

~Pacifico

emli1000

I could also send you mine if you would like to read it/get an example

sabrina333

@emli1000 That would be great and really helpful! Thank you!