Your personal statement can be the one piece of paper that gets you accepted into law school. While your academic records seem to be a cold and impersonal reflection of your academic life, you can turn your personal statement into just the opposite. Showing your audience a part of your life and development as a person is a good way of getting them to know you. The personal statement gives you the chance to convince decision-makers in the law school to accept you as one of their students.
How effective is a well written personal statement in your law school applications?
Personal statements are effective at getting you into law school if you are on the borderline of being accepted. If your application package is acceptable, but the law school is not yet decided on accepting you, the personal statement may be the one document that will make them decide to accept you. This is because your personal statement should reveal to the reader who you are as a person. Your motivations, aspirations and personality should all be apparent through your personal statement. This will give them an idea of what kind of student and lawyer you would be. In the end, the personal statement may be strong enough to persuade them into accepting you.
Another strength of the personal statement is that it usually allows you the freedom to choose the topics that you want to write about. If you feel that there are certain parts of your record that you need to explain or elaborate on, the personal statement is a good instrument for doing so. It should be remembered, though, that you should not focus on any negative aspects. Instead, mention these factors in passing and focus on how you have become a better person through the experience. This will help readers to assess your situation with better knowledge and understanding. By addressing your weaknesses and not dwelling on them, it shows that you are mature enough to face these negative aspects and emerge a better person through the experience.
The personal statement is the only part of the application package that allows you to introduce yourself to the law school/s that you apply to. Try to get everything you can out of your personal statement and make sure that you do your best when writing your essay. After all, it could mean the difference between your acceptance or rejection from the school.
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