A Beginner’s Guide to the Personal Statement
Personal Statement Basics:
The personal statement is the centerpiece of your law school application - not because it’s the most important part (it’s not, sorry), but in the sense that it sets you apart as an applicant and an individual, not just a set of numbers.
Almost every school asks for a personal statement, so you’ll want to prepare one amazing essay that you can send to every school. You can tailor your personal statement to each school, but that’s not expected or required. There is no prompt - you can write about anything you want.
I have seen personal statements about everything from being a UN observer to baking cookies get people into law school. There is no “right” topic - just make sure you’re authentic, engaging, and weave in something about why you’re interested in the law. That’s it!
How do I write a law school personal statement?
A good PS, like any good essay, starts with a brainstorm. Think about:
Formative experiences from childhood through today
Unique accomplishments and experiences
Unique elements of your identity (race, immigrant background, sexuality, interests/hobbies)
Recent jobs or internships you had
Your first brainstorm should be unfiltered - get the ideas out on paper before you judge and eliminate them!
Cut your list down to experiences that you think would be part of a good story and/or connect to the law/law school
Pick a topic, or several, and write a rough draft that weaves them together into one story. Don’t worry too much about grammar or even coherency - the goal, for now, is to see which topics could become a good story. Length doesn’t matter either, since you can always trim it down later.
Create a couple of rough drafts and see which one you like best, or combine them. If you’re stuck, just write! It’s much more productive to get something on paper that you can then edit than to overthink every word and sentence.
Once you have a rough structure that you like, revise and cut it down until you have a two-page final draft!
How should I format my personal statement?:
You’re usually going for two pages, double spaced, although some schools have their own requirements - 12-pt times new roman (or 11 if you need to squeeze).
How long does it take to write a personal statement?
This will take at least 1 month to write from brainstorm to final draft, and that’s if you’re really rushing. Expect 2-3 months on a more relaxed timeline.
A good personal statement should:
Tell a compelling, engaging story
Talk mostly about you and your experiences
Make you look good! (duh)
End with how your background has lead you to law (“I’m going to law school to become an investment banker” doesn’t usually fly anymore)
A good personal statement should NOT:
Be primarily about anyone other than you. “My mom is so amazing and inspiring and also she’s a lawyer” is not a good PS topic!
Simply list your accomplishments or experiences (that’s what the resume is for!) It’s fine to mention impressive things you’ve done, but you should always accompany that with additional insight that can’t be found on a resume - how did the experience make you feel and what did you learn?
Cast you in a negative light. Telling a story where you own up to and learn from mistakes is great! Telling a story in which you mess up and learn nothing from it is not. If you mention a personal mistake or personality flaw, make sure you also mention how you’ve changed or worked on it.
Watch out for:
Some schools (like Berkeley) have different length or content requirements for their personal statements. Make sure you’re aware of these.
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