Personal Statement length

ddakjiking

For those applying this cycle or are already in law school, what is your take on the personal statement length. The majority of the schools I'm applying to either doesn't list a specific length or says 2-4 pages max. With my current draft, I believe I could finish out at around 3 pages.

nicole.hopkins

It depends on the school. UT is a hard 2 page limit.

LaFranca

Do it in 2 pages if you can and don't write about why you want to go to law school, that is the biggest mistake people make. They just want to see you can write a coherent essay. The most important thing is to stand out and be original

Nilesh S

its a school to school thing... when I was applying I had a 2 page template and then an expanded version for some schools... have a basic two page template that you can edit - and tailor it to the institution you are applying to imo.

danielznelson

If the desired length is "around two pages," do schools look down on statements slightly longer than two and/or view favorably those right at or under two? My current draft (which is close to my final) is just a few sentences over two pages, if that.

NYC12345

You can change the font from 12 to 11

danielznelson

I already did, haha.

Pacifico

I think 2 full pages is the best way to go because it's often the limit for many schools, a minimum for others, and I think it's a length that gives you 700 or so words to show what you can do with the space provided. I think it's better aesthetically to have full pages, so if you go beyond two you better be able to fill those pages and it better be substantive. I think sticking with 2 pages is best because it shows you can be concise while still allowing enough space to tell a full story. I started with 4 pages and whittled it down to 2 full pages and I'm very happy with how it turned out. The only drawback is one of my safety schools has a 500 word limit (only place I've seen that low a hard cap), so I will have to make a shorter version for them, but otherwise my PS is good to go for a dozen or so schools as is.

I also think 4 pages is really extreme. Just because schools allow for something doesn't mean it's advisable. And if you don't have the writing chops to keep someone entertained for that long then it's probably going to hurt you to send in a 4 page PS. Also, you can always whittle it down no matter what. You might need a second set of eyes because you get too attached to the material, but there is always something that can be taken out.

@decamillisa said:
don't write about why you want to go to law school, that is the biggest mistake people make.

I think the biggest mistake people make is that they write about this and then make it boring. The problem with these essays is that they're by and large a dime a dozen. And if the general consensus is that only ~5-10% of personal statements are actually good enough to really help the applicant then I'd guess that 1% or less of those kinds of essays are really helpful. However, just because you don't write about this topic specifically and exclusively, it can still have a place in your PS if you can tie it in without it being cliche.

danielznelson

I agree with your point on full pages being more visually appealing, which is a secondary reason as to why I noted my few lines on my third page. And I also agree that they can always be whittled down (mine was at about four as well). I had it just at two pages before I thought of one more thing...