When can I find video of David's webinar about PS?

yimei

I missed that webinar, unfortunately, but I really want to see the recording.

Alex

Hey @yimei,

Unfortunately I don't think it was recorded... The good news is David is doing a Live Lightning Consultation + Q&A on Tuesday night at 9pm. So if you have any specific questions you can ask him there.

https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/8085/webinar-live-lightning-consultation-q-a-tues-april-2nd-9pm-est

Sprinkles

@yimei David's webinars aren't recorded so they won't be uploaded anywhere where you can watch later on. The good news is he does these webinars quite often so be on the lookout for those. Plus I see you have the ult.+ pack which means you have unlimited access to the Admissions Starter pack (and this is where all the info of his webinars can be found).

David Busis

@yimei I don't record the webinars, but all the content—aside from the questions I answer at the end—is available in the Admissions Starter course. Just scroll to the bottom of the syllabus for videos and written lessons about personal statements.

yimei

@david.busis @montaha.rizeq @"Alex Divine" Thank you for your responses! I will not miss the Tuesday's session!

Alex

@yimei No problem. I'll see you tomorrow night at 9

Burt Macklin

In lieu of there not being any recordings, here are my notes from the webinars..

A good personal statement topic finds a good center between What Matters to You and What is an Interesting Story (where there exists the most overlap is what you should write about)
-In additional, a good personal statement where there exists an intersection between what Matters to you and What is an Interesting Story AND doest make you look like a douche
-A really good writer can make almost anything an interesting story (I am not a good writer thought....)
-Tells your life story, or a thin slice of your life's story

Do you have an incredible story (something that could be made into a Lifetime movie?)
-If yes, then you want to use that
-If no then DON'T use that --> Brain storm, general rule is that 1 in 10 ideas are good ones

Personal statement should have an internal before and after, should be a lesson that reflects a small journey you made

Questions to ask yourself to find a good topic
1) When did you change your mind, your beliefs, or your goals? Anywhere in your life where you took a new direction, a big inflection point. Maybe it is smaller than significant change, such as a psychodrama.
2) What is the most challenging thing that you've done? What is your mountain? This might be a really good topic because it presents movement 1- the challenge and movement 2- the solution
3) What contributed to your identity? What shaped you or what made you, you? Might be about how you grew up, such as had to raise your siblings. Maybe you were a parking lot attendant and had a bunch of time to focus on something, like reading.
4) What is most surprising about you? It forces you to dig deep about something that will be memorable. Maybe its a hobby, a skill that most people don't have, or an interest most people don't have.
5) (Most powerful statement) What 5 seconds changed your life? Doesn't necessarily have to be actually 5 seconds. Might be easiest to write because you have an identifiable changing point and have a before and after.
6) What made you want to be a lawyer? This is a good topic for anyone who has a good and sincere interest in becoming a lawyer, not a boring reason such as a stable or respected profession. Don't pretend you want to be a lawyer for some abstract reason because your resume will flush out that your interest isn't actually sincere. If you have some use for your UG degree.

Topics can meld together, such as a 5 second change that drove you to want to be a lawyer.

Dudes favorite essays:
1) Tourettes essay - about a time someone who has tourettes his whole life, seemed ordinary from his POV, but from someone else POV its pretty interesting
2) Defending a Neo-Nazi - a African American who ends up defending a Nazi in court
3) Coffee Shop - A 5 second change in this girls life, who normally didn't stand up for herself, but was a pivotal movement for her
4) Paper Cranes - Korean student who moved to Japan who had an inherent distrust for Japanese culture, while making paper cranes in a park
5) Max's Death - An VETs story about an Iraqi Soldier who died while trying to get his Green Card, focus's more on his relationship between the two NOT ABOUT MAX
6) Tourne - Someone who could make a type of food, tourne, and his struggle
7) Women like you - About a woman who was harassed in a police station in South Korea, turns that moment about being harassed into what are her core beliefs

The best personal statements touch on the MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE


Things to ask:
1) Do you play an active part in this story? If you're not active then the topic probably doesn't work
2) Can you illustrate the point with specific anecdotes and details? These are the "bricks" that build your essay. If you can't remember specific details about the event, it might be a shitty essay because it will be vague
3) Is the topic important to you? Can you write about it sincerely?
4) Is it "the time that"?

Things to NOT DO:
1) Don't say what you're not sincere about because you think its what they want to hear, the admissions will flush out your bullship

Bad Essays topics:
1) The time I witnessed injustice essay, unless you were wronged or people you were connected to were wronged, then this is not going to seem sincere. Did you try to, or actually, do something about it? Did you actively act on that cause?
2) The Blah Business School Essay
-Did this experience working at the internship, or working at your job, matter to you? Did it change you? If not then it will feel like blah.
-Is your accomplishment something special, or was it just doing your job? Sometimes just doing your job can have a sense of nobility.
3) The essay about the obstacle that's not really an obstacle.
-Disappointments are not real obstacles
-Is this an actual obstacle or is this a disappointment?
4) The Two-Headed Essay
-Writer doesn't really know what he wants to write about and morphs into something weird
-Do I have more than one topic?
-Is every paragraph part of the same story?
5) The Headless Essay
-People writing about their resume or writing about
-Can you explain what this essay is about in one sentence or less? If you can't then you probably don't have a good essay


Notes from Admissions webinar on Personal Statement:
Personal Statement (600 - 850 words, easier to overwrite and cut)
-Make them remember who you are, do not brag about what you've done as that what your resume is for
-Diversity Statement only if you can write a really really good one, should generally be shorter than personal statement, if it wants to be longer than personal statement than maybe use that as personal statement
-Wont make up for low LSAT scores or low GPA, but could help put your application into the "Yes" pile
-Stories stick in peoples heads more than facts, remember you as the guy who "Locked keys in car, broke into own car, got arrested for breaking into own car"
-If you have a really good reason to be a lawyer, then write about it, otherwise DONT


Useful resource for examples of PS that worked-
University of Chichago School of Law Admissions Letters: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/alumni/magazine/spring11/intheirownwords
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/node/1451



Sorry for the long'ish post.

yimei

@"Burt Macklin" Thank you! This is great!