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Weird Personal Statement Topic

Harmmanb-1Harmmanb-1 Alum Member
edited February 2018 in Law School Admissions 126 karma

I was expelled from high school for getting into a physical altercation - it was in self defense and there were racial elements involved. I think this can be an interesting personal statement that shows growth; I am also thinking about getting into some of the psychological aspects of this event. However, this specific situation may be a rare one for the people reading personal statements in admissions, so I don't have a lot to reference it's appropriateness off of. I don't know what type of impression this will give off. I think I can pull it off, but I am unsure due to its novelty.

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Comments

  • PearsonSpecterLittUpPearsonSpecterLittUp Alum Member
    588 karma

    I AM NOT AN EXPERT, but from what I was told, your personal statement should be about something you did / achieved relatively recently. I think that law schools want to see what you have done throughout your undergrad and not just hear about your high-school career. However, your topic is certainly aberrant, and maybe you can work in something about how that affected you and what you have done / learned since then?

  • Harmmanb-1Harmmanb-1 Alum Member
    126 karma

    I was not planning on making it my whole topic, but I wanted to put it in the first paragraph purely for context, to show how and why I developed a certain perspective/attitude. The rest of my personal statesmen would be about the things I did recently to change that perspective/attitude. I agree that an event in high school should take up the whole essay.

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited February 2018 3652 karma

    I think it is a great starting point for your PS. One of the PS examples that are in the 7sage admissions course began with a girl being made fun of in elementary school for eating sushi at lunch while everyone else was eating PBJs (or some similar foods I don't remember exactly). I think it is a good idea as long as it's brief and leads up to how you have changed as a person/grown/learned from it and you include more present day examples. I didnt get into Harvard or anything but I did get into schools in the top 30 range and my PS was chronological --in middle school: people assumed I couldn't speak English, I had an identity crisis, present day example: I found my own peer group in the US based off of sports, I consider them my American "family", conclusion: I learned to embrace my biculuturalism, I have a more diverse perspective on life, I am more able to adapt to diff groups. Some of the drafts I wrote it may have come off as angry or anti-American so I just made sure to keep it positive and focus on growth and not turn it into a political thing.

  • Harmmanb-1Harmmanb-1 Alum Member
    126 karma

    @"surfy surf" said:
    I think it is a great starting point for your PS. One of the PS examples that are in the 7sage admissions course began with a girl being made fun of in elementary school for eating sushi at lunch while everyone else was eating PBJs (or some similar foods I don't remember exactly). I think it is a good idea as long as it's brief and leads up to how you have changed as a person/grown/learned from it and you include more present day examples. I didnt get into Harvard or anything but I did get into schools in the top 30 range and my PS was chronological --in middle school: people assumed I couldn't speak English, I had an identity crisis, present day example: I found my own peer group in the US based off of sports, I consider them my American "family", conclusion: I learned to embrace my biculuturalism, I have a more diverse perspective on life, I am more able to adapt to diff groups. Some of the drafts I wrote it may have come off as angry or anti-American so I just made sure to keep it positive and focus on growth and not turn it into a political thing.

    Thank you guys, this is what I needed to hear. I feel comfortable using it now.

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited February 2018 3652 karma

    p.s. this could also make a fantastic diversity essay. if you ever decide to write on a different topic for your personal statement, don't throw your original idea away as it could fit into essays other than your personal statement.

  • westcoastbestcoastwestcoastbestcoast Alum Member
    3788 karma

    I agree with @"surfy surf" . Especially because of the racial elements, this would make a good diversity essay and an unique one at that. While alot of law schools don't require it, there are schools like Boston University that ask for a Why Law component. For the Personal Statement, it might be more resourceful for you to choose a topic that would help you answer that directly or indirectly.

  • Harmmanb-1Harmmanb-1 Alum Member
    126 karma

    Thank you guys, really appreciate it. I was unsure about this. This has helped me a lot.

  • Stevie CStevie C Alum Member
    645 karma

    since you got expelled, this is also a Character & Fitness issue. at a bare minimum, you'll be required to address this incident in a short addendum

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited February 2018 3652 karma

    @"Stevie C" said:
    since you got expelled, this is also a Character & Fitness issue. at a bare minimum, you'll be required to address this incident in a short addendum

    This is inaccurate. You do not need to disclose academic disciplinary action before university, they only care about anything that happens post secondary school. The apps I submitted only asked if you were placed on academic probation (which occurs when you fail too many classes in college/university) and if you've gotten in trouble through your college (i.e. if you were formally disciplined for plagiarism)

    Most apps say something along the lines of:

    1. Have you ever been the subject of any disciplinary action taken by any college or university?

    2. Have you ever been placed on academic probation?

    http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=217757 if you want to see all the t14 C&Fs.

  • Stevie CStevie C Alum Member
    645 karma

    @"surfy surf" said:

    @"Stevie C" said:
    since you got expelled, this is also a Character & Fitness issue. at a bare minimum, you'll be required to address this incident in a short addendum

    This is inaccurate. You do not need to disclose academic disciplinary action before university, they only care about anything that happens post secondary school. The apps I submitted only asked if you were placed on academic probation (which occurs when you fail too many classes in college/university) and if you've gotten in trouble through your college (i.e. if you were formally disciplined for plagiarism)

    Most apps say something along the lines of:

    1. Have you ever been the subject of any disciplinary action taken by any college or university?

    2. Have you ever been placed on academic probation?

    http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=217757 if you want to see all the t14 C&Fs.

    If you read the thread that you linked to, you'll see that getting expelled from high school triggers a "Yes" on a couple of T14 C&F sections.

    Harvard refers to "any educational institution"

    NYU makes reference to "any school" and "any academic institution."

    OP should read every application carefully and make sure he discloses when required.

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