Personal Statement: write independently, then seek help? Or, get expert advice from the get-go?

LetsHigh5

I'm very eager to ask the question below when I attend this Thursday's personal statement webinar with 7Sage's resident expert, @david.busis. But I wanted to throw it out to you all, as well, to get your thoughts on the matter.

Which approach to writing my personal statement (PS) is preferrable:

OPTION 1: Crafting my PS alone, revising the hell out of it, then obtaining PS edit(s) from David or another expert.
OPTION 2: Reaching out to David or another expert for help BEFORE I begin writing my PS so that I have assistance in selecting a topic, drafting, revising, etc.
OPTION 3: Some other ideas that you brilliant people have done that I have yet to think of.

I know which option I'm leaning towards, but I won't say because I'd definitely like an unvarnished opinion from all of you first.

Here's some helpful context: I am not taking the LSAT until September and if a December re-take becomes necessary, I won't be applying to schools until January. Yet as David says in the initial video to his awesome "PS Intro. Course", it's always a good time to "stop fucking around" get started on the PS because "revising is the essence of writing".

Moreover, law school consultant Mike Spivey says that the vast majority of people have an underwhelming PS that fails to differentiate them among their fellow applicants.

With David and Mike's advice in mind, I want to get a jump start on making my PS as strong as possible. Thanks in advance to any of you who aid me in this process.

Pacifico

Just brainstorm for a few days about a good story you have to tell. Pick one and just write it. Sleep on it. Revise it. Then get help.

stepharizona

I took Peg Chengs @prelawguru "Write your personal statement in 7 days" class and while it took my longer than 7 days, I really loved all of the brainstorming activities and advice. It was a way to get a solid PS foundation without shelling out a ton of cash. I was struggling with what to write about so I was thankful for the extra guidance.

So there is a bit of an "in between" option. Plus there are a few great books out there. I also found reading the examples that a few of the top schools share to be extremely helpful to determine the type of story to tell. You can find a ton of these in the 7Sage PS area as well.

LetsHigh5

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely take it into consideration as I move forward.