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Related Discussions
Personal Statement consulting
mariposita
Free Trial Member
Hey guys,
I have been trying to write my personal statement for the past few weeks, but I feel stuck. I know more or less what I want to write about, but I feel pretty overwhelmed considering the fact that I'm supposed to 1. grip the reader within the first sentence 2. make myself sound likable, thoughtful, unique, etc, person that makes admissions officers want me at their school 3. tell a story about overcoming an obstacle, and how I grew because of said obstacle 4. discuss my reasons for pursuing a legal education and my goals for the future..... all in less than 3 pages.
I suppose I do have a decent athlete/injury story to tell that conveys my perseverance, but I am honestly still kind of bitter about it, and I am quite self deprecating and pessimistic, so drawing out the "how I grew from what happened/ why I am a better person now" part is a struggle, and composing something about how I'm so awesome is just agonizing. I'm also having a ton of difficulty with the intro, as well as narrowing down my explanation of what happened (I am trying to use one event in my athletic career to summarize the numerous years of injuries). Also, I do not have much on my resume to back up my reasons for going to law school, since I decided that I wanted to go to law school when I was in my senior year of college.
So yeah... I want some guidance/ help, but I can't afford to pay someone $200 an hour. Are there any more affordable options in terms of personal, one on one guidance/ counseling? I know there are free resources on the web, but I want something a bit more personalized.
Thanks for your help
Comments
" I do not have much on my resume to back up my reasons for going to law school,"
Neither did I. Don't worry about that.
If you're still in school, chances are you have access to a free writing center. For less than $200, you aren't going to find a professional that will guide you through the process. I'm sure you'll be able to find people online that will critique your paper at no cost, but to me it sounds like you need someone to look over your shoulder.
Also you may have access to a pre-law adviser. Mine never responded to me, but hey maybe you'll have better luck.
It took me over a year to figure out a solid personal statement topic and finally got the whole thing finished over the course of a month. All I can say is you're not gonna get it done in a few weeks. Just set out a few hours a week or just an hour every so often to brainstorm and try to write and complete an entire PS and just sit on it for a few days and get back to it. You might end up completing a bunch of PSs and throw them away until you finally feel like you have a solid topic and structure.
I read this book when I was writing my applications for college (https://www.amazon.com/Writing-College-Application-Essay-Anniversary/dp/0062123998) but honestly, I've returned to it since nearly every time I've had to write that kind of essay for a scholarship, fellowship, whatever. I think it's really good because it's not grounded as much in "how to spin things" but really focuses on the craft of writing and includes some great essays by masters. It really helped me to see that what makes a good essay for an applications is what makes a good essay period. It also has a lot of great tips that I think would apply for admissions-type things regardless of law school or undergrad. I couldn't recommend more!
I would say you don't have to hit all 4 points. Yes a compelling intro can help but it needs to be genuine.
There are a lot of great, free examples out there and the 7Sage admissions course does a good job. You might also find pre-Law-gurus website and free info/videos valuable.
A good thing to try is just start writing without thought to page limit, a free write... you might be surprised how you can edit things down or find you're PS in the middle of it.
Why do you think that? I got my PS done in exactly two weeks. I'm not an experienced writer either.
I think if you give yourself sufficient time, and have someone looking over your shoulder a PS shouldn't take months.
I think that giving yourself a few week time constraint is stressful. It’s an important part of your apps and there’s no reason to put a time constraint on it.
OP said they* are having trouble figuring out how to write about how they grew from this injury bc they are bitter about it. It takes a lot of inner reflection to write about overcoming a struggle. I also came off angry at times writing my story and it took many drafts and much reflection to 1) really figure out how I grew and 2) write it in a way that people generally would enjoy reading and 3) apply it all specifically to law school.
Props to you for getting yours done early but if someone is struggling they just need to sleep on it and take their time with it.
I also do not believe you need “someone looking over your shoulder.” I had a recent law school graduate go over my PS and I ended up using pretty much what I originally wrote bc his changes made my PS sound impersonal. I think other people should only be involved in the beginning stages for brainstorming a topic, and then when you’re done just for spelling and grammar check, checking the tone, and checking the structure.
OP, Yale Law has a blog where they do a P.S. Bootcamp that would be really helpful. It shows things from their perspective, so you'll know how to say your truth without running the risk of it misconstrued or misvalued.
Totally agree with free writing!! Handwriting on paper is a good idea too bc you won’t be worried about page limits or structure or spelling. Once you like a free write or some quotes from it, type it out and eventually structure it.
I also think it’s kind of overrated to “grip the reader” with the first sentence. It can sound really fake and cliche. Just dive right in to your story and if you later on think of something gripping to use as the first sentence, then go for it. As your story is unique, your first sentence will likely just naturally be compelling to the reader.
Agree hand writing can be good or just type it out freestyle. I got this advice wrote 14 typed pages single spaced and found my PS/DS and PI essay amongst the pages.
We don't know when the OP is applying to schools. I fast tracked my PS because I wanted to get my apps out. I would say if you're applying late in the game, that's one reason a time constraint is warranted.
My word choice might have been confusing. I don't mean someone sitting with you the entire time you write it. In my case, I was referring to the PS consulting package I purchased on 7sage. It was helpful for me to have someone providing feedback throughout the writing process.
Asha's blogs helped me out with my essays, no question.
Regarding how long it should take you to write your essays: I spent 3-4 months crafting a solid 1750 words or so for my PS, DS, Y250. That was with the help of 1-3 volunteer editors at any given time, usually 2. I brainstormed for a while before that, too--there were at least a couple months where I regularly jotted notes down on sticky notepads, my phone, and in journals. (I had a lot of 'unique' experiences to draw from, admittedly, but I'm not sure if this would make my process easier or harder.)