Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Categories
- 33.4K All Categories
- 28.1K LSAT
- 17.1K General
- 5.2K Logical Reasoning
- 1.4K Reading Comprehension
- 1.7K Logic Games
- 70 Podcasts
- 191 Webinars
- 10 Scholarships
- 194 Test Center Reviews
- 2.2K Study Groups
- 111 Study Guides/Cheat Sheets
- 2.5K Specific LSAT Dates
- 31 November 2024 LSAT
- 18 October 2024 LSAT
- 9 September 2024 LSAT
- 38 August 2024 LSAT
- 28 June 2024 LSAT
- 4 April 2024 LSAT
- 11 February 2024 LSAT
- 22 January 2024 LSAT
- 38 November 2023 LSAT
- 43 October 2023 LSAT
- 14 September 2023 LSAT
- 38 August 2023 LSAT
- 27 June 2023 LSAT
- 30 Sage Advice
- 5K Not LSAT
- 4K Law School Admissions
- 13 Law School Explained
- 10 Forum Rules
- 637 Technical Problems
- 286 Off-topic
Related Discussions
Advice on using Religion/Atheism on P.S.?
Hello everyone,
Hope you guys are enjoying your weekend! I wanted to get your thoughts on using religion/atheism on my PS.
Basically, my PS's main theme is about me overcoming my fears and how they've influenced my character and confidence, which eventually enabled me to realize my purpose to become an attorney.
One of the things I wanted to briefly write about was how denouncing my faith publicly was a big step for me, since I was being true to myself and unafraid of what my family and friends thoughts were about this.
What have you guys heard, or what are your thoughts on writing about faith/religion on PS's? Thanks in advance!
Comments
This could be really controversial so I'm not sure. I think if you were to go with that topic, it would be important to show the adversity you had to overcome in denouncing your faith. i.e. being shunned by friends and family. Try to steer clear of having an "I don't care what people think, I'm just going to be myself" nonconformist tone to the essay. I think this essay should be like a job interview where it is good to emphasize that you are independent and can work alone but you also want to emphasize that you are a team player and can work well with others. If you're going to press that you're just going to be yourself regardless of what others think, maybe tie in that you've also learned to still love your friends and family even though they haven't been accepting of you.
I would be careful not to write anything that makes it look like you look down on people who are still religious or that you see atheism as the natural end point for everyone. However, if you make it about yourself, about being honest with yourself and with everyone else about your beliefs, and maybe find some way to tie that desire to reveal truth to the practice of law then I don't see it backfiring with many admissions people. Lawyers are not exactly strangers to contraversy.
If you are still worried about it after it is written, you could always split your apps between it and another personal statement.
I would stay away from religious topics on a personal statement. Also, it has to flow and how you became interested in law. I would show how the obstacle you faced led to want become a lawyer.
The law schools are in the business to make money. They want to produce lawyers that work in their own local communities even the community where the law school is.
Here is the main thing. The law schools get tons of the social justice warrior personal statements and puts them in "file 13". "File 13" is the trash can. The reason the SJW statements end in the trash can because they don't believe that the people are serious about becoming lawyers and want to start trouble. They want to know what are you going to do with a JD degree when you graduate.
If well-written, it can be a fine topic to write about. Just heed the advice of some of the other posters above me. For example, @"Seeking Perfection" gave some great tips that I'll second.
Could you elaborate more on this, @lizstokes_tx ? Various people go to law school for various things, with different goals in mind. Just because some students are not interested in corporate law doesn't mean they are not going to do something with a JD degree after graduating, or not serious about entering the field of law, would you agree? Just wanting to get a better idea of these "SJW" topics/essays you mentioned.
@"Seeking Perfection" @"surfy surf" @"Alex Divine" @lizstokes_tx thank you guys for your input very much. I understand its a risky topic to discuss, but my intention and the direction of me writing about religion/atheism was more on what @"Seeking Perfection" mentioned. I never intended to seem condescending in my essay, or show how I am not a team player.
Thank you guys again for your help!
If you can justify it and it has relevance to what is being discussed then by all means go for it but if there's a less controversial example you can give, go with that. Your personal statement is a first impression to the law school. If you don't discuss your political, religious, economic, etc views when meeting someone for the first time then don't put it on your personal statement. Best of luck!
We are all people with our biases. Keep in mind that your app could be reviewed by a devoted and highly religious individual. The chances of that happening is probably higher than someone of the polar opposite. Of course we ideally expect to be judged on an independent basis irrespective of an admission's office's beliefs, but again, we have our biases. I would put this in the same category as a PS that delves into our current political climate and debate. These are dangerous topics and frankly, a gamble in my humble opinion.
Review this book: https://www.amazon.com/Successful-Harvard-School-Application-Essays/dp/0312366116
Someone wrote an essay about their love for punctuations and got into Harvard. Like seriously. There are some incredibly boring and esoteric things you can write about, but as long as you've got the credentials, you're a serious candidate.
@cgracia12 . Well, I am for anyone that wants to go law school, and they give it a go. As far SWJ stuff in a personal statement, this is what I mean about protesting where a person end ups in jail while protesting and destroying property including beating up people. Then, a person brags about it in the personal statement. This kind of personal statement will end up in file 13 and won't be taken seriously. This is all saying on that.
I don't care if a person wants to join social justice clinic in the law school. More power to you if you do.
Here is my advice and is food for thought:
Don't read too much into things and get offend at everything. Otherwise, you could end up a miserable person and losing a lot more than winning. Also, you have to become very thick skinned and allow things to roll off. Being thin skinned, won't help. If you have to go litigate for your clients, you will have to face opposing counsel and judges who may not be nice. They won't care about your feelings and are looking out for their client's interests and court's interests. You will have to hold it together to make it successful in the legal profession and not get too angry to where you lose it. You have to put your feelings aside and advocate for your client's interest if you are to succeed. You can't use profanity and tell the judge they are wrong. Otherwise, you will end up with contempt citation with jail time that you will to have serve and a fine that you will have to pay if you lose your temper at the judge.
Law is a business. You still have to network with other legal professionals and make connections like any business person. You ARE the business and have to sell yourself to the school. No matter what area of the law you decide to practice, you still have to market yourself by making connections.
As for corporate law reference, I have no desire to practice corporate law, but I do have intent to become a criminal prosecutor after I graduate from law school. Also, I tend to retire in a couple years from the corporate world after almost 27 years working as an IT manager. I have way more gray hair than I should have because being in the corporate world for too long.
Back to Personal Statements:
You are the one to sell yourself to the school. The personal statement is an extension of yourself and your resume.The law school's point is "What do have to offer me in return if we educate you to become a lawyer.?". It is your 15 minutes of fame to shine on 1-2 pages. It is in your court to tell the school why you are more valuable than others who are competing for the same seat at the school that you are applying to.
An admissions officer is like a prospective hiring manager for the school except they are looking for the best and brightest students. Let give some my own experience as an employer and how it ties in the subject. It always annoyed me when I receive a resume from a prospective employee for my department that rattled off their whole life story and didn't tell something relevant of their job experience. I receive resumes that were 15 pages long in some cases and put them in the trash can. I preferred 1-2 page resumes with their work experience. I didn't care what part of the globe they came from and cared if they can do the work well and were honest. I hired them on the spot. Most of all, I looked for the best and brightest that could add value to the company and my department.
Moreover, you have to think that the person reading the essay may not share your viewpoint. Think of your audience and who is reading it. Also, you might to schedule a visit to the school that you are applying to and get a feel for what they are offering. Tailor the personal statement towards the school and say how your experience and commitment to the law are key to your development as a great law student and a great attorney.
Finally, keep it simple and short to the point.
BTW, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
Before I opine, let me plead ignorance. I still have not written a personal statement, and I am even less cognizant of how they are weighed by the reviewers at various schools. This being said, my intuition is that something important would be lost if you omitted the experience. Even still, I think there are some caveats. Your reasoning for leaving religion and/or God behind can matter. It seems contextually counterintuitive to say, but presenting yourself more as a judge than a lawyer would probably be more beneficial. Let me unpack that. If your decision for leaving God behind was subject to a careful review of the two positions, and you weighed evidence, logic, and reason to come to an ultimate decision (like a judge), that seems like it would be a favorable quality in a student. Such a person would thrive in a diverse, collegial environment. I think it shows you are willing to honestly consider other peoples perspectives. If it is presented in a light where you had little resistance or pullback from your family, or it was convenient for you to walk away, you might lose some luster. It would be like you were a lawyer who had every reason to build a case around what was appealing, and acted accordingly. Based on what you have said, it seems you were judicious in the process.
This may be patently obvious to you guys, but it seems to me that the purpose of the diversity statement is to show how you have grown from a difficult or marginalizing experience. As a person who, at one time, considered himself a devout believer, losing my faith was the most trying time of my life. Having my identity and preconceived notions stripped away in an instant was destabilizing. Then having to explain it to my wife, her family, my friends, and the rest of my family, felt humiliating. However, now I look back at it as one of the most exquisite periods of my life. Being lost, and having to parse through moral and social issues applying a different lens, increased my personal ability to feel empathy for others. At the risk of sounding ironic, it gave my life purpose. It is also what led me down the rabbit-hole of philosophy, logic, and now law.
I believe my experience would bolster my application. If yours has been a net positive in your life, I would be surprised if it didn't bolster your application as well. Ultimately, the intent matters most. Why was this valuable to you, and how?
Thank you for the advice, @BranTwice . Although these were the reasons I I left religion/god, I was leaning towards not writing too much into my reasoning to leave religion. Like I had mentioned and similarly to how you felt, I only meant to use this to go along with my theme as it really was a big decision in my life, and I'd say a pretty big decision for anyone in general. I definitely understand and agree with what you're saying. I just thought going into this topic is already risky as it is, and going even further may be a bit riskier.
Such a person would thrive in a diverse, collegial environment. I think it shows you are willing to honestly consider other peoples perspectives. If it is presented in a light where you had little resistance or pullback from your family, or it was convenient for you to walk away, you might lose some luster. It would be like you were a lawyer who had every reason to build a case around what was appealing, and acted accordingly. Based on what you have said, it seems you were judicious in the process.
I would think there would be more people ok with this topic being mentioned in a diversity statement, but I think most feel uncertain about it being mentioned in a personal statement. Removing all bias, I am of the opinion that this is a PERSONAL statement, and Id think there wouldn't be a problem if written as you're describing.
> At the risk of sounding ironic, it gave my life purpose.
And this right here goes along with my main theme.
This is why I would really like to briefly mention it, since it did the same thing for me and led me to law.
It is also what led me down the rabbit-hole of philosophy, logic, and now law.
This briefness is the part that sort of concerns me. How do you intend to briefly mention it?
It seems to me like it comes with the structure of a full personal statement. You explain your position as someone who was privately an athiest, why it was challenging, how you came to denounce your faith, why that was a good decision, and then how that decision led you to law.
I'm not sure what it would add as a line or two or even a paragraph since you couldn't make the whole argument.
I could be wrong though. Maybe it fits in somehow.
Good luck!
Thank you for explaining this.
Agree, I think mentioning me leaving my faith was a big decision for me. In other words, its an "extension of myself" and helped me achieve my goals and realize my purpose to pursue law.
>
This was definitely part of me being insecure about this, but I in no way was going to get into details or come off as condescending in any way.
Thank you very much for your input, I greatly appreciate it. Happy Holidays to you!
It is unfortunate that, in regards to atheism, we have to second guess whether or not sharing it will hurt our application. Even if it is well-written, ultimately we are at the mercy of the ones reviewing it. Good luck!
Exactly. I swapped a PS with a student applying to Harvard and he mentioned his and his grandmother's faith a couple times, and I thought it took nothing away from his personal statement.