Many students do not know what to write about when it comes to their personal statement. Or they get distracted and end up writing statements that don’t help them, and don’t accomplish the goals of a personal statement. Maybe you don’t even know what to write about in the first place. If so, you have found the right page!
To get started, sit down and take some time to reflect on the below questions. Take notes on the answers. Your responses to these questions should form the foundation of your personal statement. You won’t write your answers directly into the statement of course, but use a story from your life to explain the reasons underlying them Someone who reads your personal statement should be able to answer every single one of these questions without even speaking to you!
1. Why do you want to go to law school, specifically?
One helpful way to think of this question is as “why law school rather than the next best alternative?” many people say they want to go to law school to help their community, or change the world, or help people get better healthcare/get out of poverty etc. But there are a lot of ways to do that, and many of them are better, cheaper, and easier than law school. Why not med school, or social work, or working for a nonprofit, (Etc.) So… why law school?
For example: many students write about some illness that they or a family member experienced and talk about how this motivated them to go to law school. But.. wouldn’t med school make more sense? Maybe, maybe not. The key is to think about law school as opposed to every other alternative.
2. When did you start thinking you’d like to go to law school? What inspired you? (Pick the top 1-2 reasons)
Again, as you’re thinking about this consider why law school and not med school, or social work, politics, or anything else. What about the law appeals to you, and why?
3. What work have you done to investigate whether law school really is the right path?
Have you taken law classes? Done an internship at a law office or with a judge? Attended talks by legal experts? Worked as a paralegal, or legal assistant? Mention it!
Don’t be an un-serious applicant. Law schools are on the lookout for students who want to go to law school but haven’t really thought about it or done the work. Many students think they want to go to law school to make money or because they don’t know what else to do. Do NOT be one of these students.
4. What makes you a good fit for law school? Why do you think you’ll do well in law school / as a lawyer?
This isn’t what you “bring to the school” but the skills, traits, and work that you have/have done that will enable you to succeed. What evidence do you have that you possess these things?
You need evidence that law school is right for you. Lawyers work extremely long hours, most of which is spent in legal research. Reading and writing about cases. This is hard, academic and intellectual work. It’s not enough to just say you’ll enjoy it or be good at it. You need to show them you’re cut out for this and you’ve put the work in. If you don’t enjoy the reading and work of undergrad law classes, or haven’t taken any, why are you going to law school? What can you show an admissions official to show you’re not jumping in blind?
5. Why this law school?
This doesn’t need to be a long part of your statement, but you should have 1-2 sentences customized for every law school you’re applying to that explains why you’re applying to them. This is especially necessary for schools that are (1) far away from where you live/grew up, (if you’ve lived your whole life in Georgia, why are you applying to a school in Texas? Make sure you have a reason) and (2) schools that are ranked lower. (Harvard knows why you want to go to Harvard. Syracuse might not know why you want to go Syracuse).
Do you want to live near where the school is located, or do you have a connection to the area? Do you have a connection to the school? Do they have a particular expertise or area of study that is somewhat unique? Etc.