Application for law school comes with a long list of paper requirements: transcripts, college admission essays, application letters, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and so on. You write some of them on your own and let other people write the rest.
The personal statement is one of those that you write on your own. This is the application requirement where you are allowed to put in as much of yourself. In trying to compose an effective personal statement, you might sometimes find yourself hanging, unsure of what to say and how to say it. Now don’t fret. Just read on.
What is a Personal Statement for Law School?
First, you have to know what a personal statement is. A personal statement is simply an essay about you. Law schools would, of course, want to know the applicant as a person. As an image of you, the personal statement is one of the most crucial application requirements. What you write in your personal statement speaks of your choices, values and priorities. How you write the essay tells the evaluators about your style.
How Should You Write Your Personal Statement?
Now, are you ready to write your personal statement? Here’s how to get started:
Get the right motivation. Look for an inspiration if you have to. Think of why you want to go to law school, and make sure to show a strong commitment to it.
In writing your personal statement, remember the following tips:
-Always think of your essay’s readers. Do not bore them. Write only the things that the other requirements haven’t “said” about you.
-Anticipate cross-examination in crafting your arguments. Remember: you are persuading your reader to admit you into the school so you have to carefully draft an effective argument. You may opt for any or combination of the following strategies:
—use of reason/logic/facts
—appeal to emotions
—emphasis of credibility, competence or character
—use of belief and value patterns of the reader
-Keep your focus. Do not forget what your personal statement is for and what purpose it serves for you and your law school application.
-Do not put a title to your personal statement.
-Don’t use it to explain your grades or special test scores.
What Should You Write About?
Your personal statement is about you, so you may use it to tell your application evaluators about:
-your interests in relation to law,
-your travel experiences,
-the challenges you’ve been through, how you got past them and what you’ve learned from themselves,
-your triumphs or successes and how they changed you as a person,
-the significant people in your life and how they inspired or affected you,
-your experiences in college or at work,
-or any other thing that could tell the evaluators of who you really are as a person.
Photo Credit : Chris is blown
