It's a conversation, really! A personal statement is the most intimate sharing of your thoughts, experiences, educational goals, dreams, challenges, and success with a real person whose job it is to bring great students to his or her law school. Once you accept that premise, writing a personal statement is like talking to a friend or mentor.

The topic of your personal statement will be unique but its structure must be clear and concise. Your personal statement is a conversation not a wandering middle of the night jam session. You need to speak seriously about your life and why that law school will be the better for admitting you.



When you are done writing, a reader should be able to make a clear outline of your points and arguments. Your prose should flow seamlessly together without skipping erratically from topic to topic. You need to tell one story no matter how complicated - your story!

And keep in mind, that your personal statement should illuminate your application in a way not achieved by your resume and transcript. Use anecdotes, examples, and from time to time you can even interject a bit of humor.

The first thing you can do to prepare the structure of your personal statement is to understand your own history. Law school applicants like to begin writing with the first paragraph. You will have a more profound and encompassing statement if you first Brainstorm the best aspects of you history. Never begin writing without first doing a little research.

Most students will be able to divide their college years into three categories: Academics, Co-Curricular Organizations, and Personal Accomplishments. Use these categories as column headings on a T-chart and then add as many bullet items describing your accomplishments and challenges in each area. Fill an entire page and do not be nervous about bragging or adding too many items. Trim the bullets that you do not need later. When you are done, ask a friend or family member to add bullets to your lists from their memory, and to read your list for items that surprise them. These bullets will be the basis for your personal statement. Look for commonalities in all three columns.

Academic Accomplishments: These are the successes and challenges you faced in classes or in your degree program. Law school is another form of higher education and admission counselors need to know that you are an active learner and that you have success in the classroom.



Co-Curricular Organizations: These are the activities that, by your choice, supported your education and integrated your classes with the larger context of society. These are not the one-time events that disappear from memory after a few hours.

These events are the ones that you committed to over numerous semesters, on and off campus, and in which you developed and demonstrated your leadership skills. Law school is tough and admission counselors need to know that you can balance your personal life, social life, and your classes without sacrificing quality or forgetting that your education is the priority.



Personal Accomplishments & Challenges: These are the moments in your life that defined your personality, your work ethic, and your interaction with society. These events can be cause for celebrations or catastrophes. Many students like to speak about "surviving" very difficult times in their lives. They spend 800 words describing the terrible incident and only 200 words explaining how they interact differently with the world because of the incident. You need to turn that ratio around.

Whether you are thinking of a wonderful semester of study abroad or a tragic car accident, do not focus on the event. Explain how the event changed you and how you apply that experience in your education and your life goals.



As you write about your personal statement, use personal stories to prove your points or examples of your success and goals. Never write about a goal or personal challenge without being able to clearly explain the steps to complete your goal or your reflections on the challenge.

Use the structure of What, So What, and Now What.
Each of your paragraphs or each component of your story can be broken down as follows:







A few attributes or areas of concern you might consider writing about include: your Educational Plan, Commitment & Dedication to a cause, and Contribution to your "community". You can write 2-3 paragraphs on each (any) topic that will go into your essay. Then, you can trim those paragraphs to meet your word limit.

Tips for Success! Incorporate these suggestions into your writing and you will have a statement that an admissions counselor will find easy to read.

1. Don't Waste Words!: Don't waste words telling the reader what you will later show them. Don't organize your statement while writing your first paragraph. Do the Brainstorming first. If you write a "mini-preview paragraph" to start the process, DELETE it when you are done. It is better to get to the point!

2. Too Many Topics: A personal statement that is "chuck-full" of memories and stories is difficult to read and will appear cluttered. Choose a theme for your statement and only use examples that support or illuminate that theme.

3. Focusing on Someone Else: A personal statement that explains your reaction to a life altering event, family experiences, or mentors in your life is ok. BUT, do not forget that this is your personal statement. When the reader is done you want them to remember you not the other people in your life.

4. Grammar, Spelling, Typos "oh my!": These are the basic building blocks of good writing; and law students write constantly. Show the reader that you understand grammar rules and they do not need to teach you remedial writing. NO GRAMMAR or SPELLING MISTAKES! And, PROOFREAD OUT LOUD to make sure you wrote what you meant to write.

5. Why you cryin'?: Don't try to explain a low LSAT score or GPA in your personal statement. You can use an addendum (a one-page memo) attached to your application for discrpancies in your scores or indiscretions that need further explanation.

6. Humor: A little levity goes a long way, but this is not a stand-up routine. Remember that the reader of your statement may not share your sense of humor or rapier wit. Be careful not to offend with inappropriate humor.

7. Engage the Reader: The admission committee member reading your statement is also reading hundreds of others. Bring them into your statement by making them think not just read. Through your writing, encourage them to actively reflect on your thoughts. Do not waste their time.

8. Read Good Personal Statements: Read personal statements from successful students. Get an idea of the type of statements you like by reading others'. You can find lots of personal statement books at your library and local book store. BUT, your personal statement cannot be a copy of someone else's with the names changed. Examples should be a guide not a crutch.

9. A Fresh Pair of Eyes: Find someone who can read your statement for an unbiased and bluntly honest critique - not your best friend. Ask your Pre Law Advisor or CLEO's Pre Law Advisor, or a neutral law school professor who understands how a personal statement should be written.

10. The Quandary About Quotes: Don't use someone else's words when your words get the job done. Originality is always better than duplication. Law schools need to know that you can express your own thoughts without relying on old and over used quotes. If you use a quote it needs to support your ideas and not vice versa.

Finally, when you apply for admission you can count on this "Rule of Thumb":

The Reader will give as much attention to your personal statement as you gave it as the Writer. Generic essays are easily spotted and ignored. Take time to understand the purpose of the personal statement questions posed by the school and the personality of the school itself.

The Reader will know that you are serious and worthy of a closer look if s/he thinks you took the time to match your interests with the attributes of the law school.


Edited: 02/13/2009 at 03:38 PM by matthewniziol