Can a Personal Statement be too personal?

workandstudy

I am just beginning the brainstorm for my personal statement.
I want to write about a traumatic event from my childhood. Essentially when I was 7, my grandmother was killed in a hit and run accident. The person was never identified or convicted. My grandmother was an illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Chicago.
The reason I want to write about this topic is because it has shaped me out in every way, to be the person I am today. It forced me at young age to feel that sense of betrayal, anger and discrimination. Which as a young adult, those feelings drove me to study an undergraduate degree in International Business (focus in diversity and inclusion) because I never wanted anyone to feel what my family felt. Additionally, the situation has been a driver in my pursuit to study law because I always felt a sense of injustice with the situation.
I realize this entire explanation is very vague, and I am just beginning to truly piece the emotions with how they relate to my choices later in life but I am confident they are connected. I'm just wondering, before I really dive in, is this too personal? Is this not the route a personal statement is supposed to take?

I studied my undergrad degree for 3.5 years and graduated in Dec 2018. I have been in the workforce and at the same company for 2 years this April. So I am very open to any advice about applying to schools, studying and writing essays since I am a bit removed from the academic setting.

thank you!

lilpingling

I don't necessarily think many subjects are too taboo as long as you make sure to write more about how you handled it rather than simply dwelling on the event and/or how you were changed. You need to explain what you did and are doing to handle it. I think it's important to explain the impact of the event but more important to discuss your own strengths in overcoming and handling.

I wrote my PS on an extremely personal topic (the suicide death of my son) and I didn't hold back on the extreme gravity of the situation. That said, was careful to keep the statement central to my involvement with a grief group and how I've used that group to make positive changes and work toward a career in law.

If you haven't purchased the 7Sage admissions course, HIGHLY recommend it. It's worth far more than the $10 price tag. It will give you some good direction. I can send you a copy of my PS privately if you'd like. So far, I've received a handwritten note and two calls from admissions staff thanking me for sending it. Given the content, the praise feels both good and sad, but I know it was the right thing to write about.

Forever Addicted to Coffee

This resonates with my personal experience in life that led to the decision to go into law school. I'm currently working with resources from my university, and the thing that they continue to emphasize about the personal statement is that it's NOT an academic statement of purpose. The personal statement is a conduit to tell the admissions people who you are. So in that respect, your desire to pursue law from a traumatic experience seems to be an excellent way to do that. Therefore, I don't think that your experience is too "personal" to exclude from your essay.

Selene Steelman

As a former admissions officer, I would encourage you to tell the story that will best show the strengths of your candidacy. Ask yourself if this story/this sentence/this overall essay will encourage the admissions committee to decide "Admit" over the thousands of other applications they will be reviewing. The decision process is a comparison game, and your file will be reviewed against the strength of the applicant pool.

No matter what story you choose to share, there are things the reader wants to know after reading your essay(s):
- a clear sense of who the student is so they can determine if s/he will be a good fit for their program (information about your past and present)
-why law school is the right next step for you in your career (information about your future)

Does your writing answer the following questions: Why Law? Why Now? Why should we want you? Why do you want X School? What do you want a law degree for?

If you don’t accomplish this, you are inviting the reader to just judge you based on your numbers. Now it's true that some candidates get admitted DESPITE a mediocre personal statement because there are other features of their application that meet the needs of a particular entering class. However, I encourage prospective candidates to view the personal statement as a statement of interest in a PROFESSIONAL school. The committee is looking for a mature, self-aware, self-motivated, and knowledgable future law student.

Good luck!

workandstudy

@lilpingling Thank you very much for your input. I am going to purchase the 7Sage admissions course to hopefully get some direction. I would absolutely read a copy of your statement if you are willing to share. I'm not sure if there is a private way to share it on here or if email would be better.

workandstudy

@"Forever Addicted to Coffee" Thank you for your advice. I think I need to narrow down how the situation impacted my decisions pertaining to law today.

workandstudy

@"selene.steelman" Thank you very much for your admissions point of view. I will try to really narrow down the, "Why Law? Why Now? Why should we want you? Why do you want X School? What do you want a law degree for?" during my brainstorm and if I feel they are not compelling in comparison to what other students might be writing then I will reevaluate the topic. My GPA was not outstanding in undergrad, and since I've been in the workforce for a couple years, I feel my personal statement is going to be an important push in my application process. I really appreciate this guidance.