Hey Tailgator! I'm happy to give you some of my own insight on the topic. I have pretty strong opinions on the personal statement
, so I'm always happy to talk about it.
Any ideas when I should start working on my personal statement?
There is no "ideal" time to start working on your personal statement, but the rule of thumb is definitely going to be the sooner, the better. Ideally, you should give yourself AT LEAST a month to work on your personal statement, if not more. A lot of my admissions counseling clients seem to think a month is three weeks too much, but you have to think about this: your personal statement is the one place on your application where you have complete control over what you're saying, what you want to say, and how you're going to say it. In fact, I consider the personal statement the most valuable "application real estate" in your whole file. It's the only place where you have free rein to talk about yourself, and what you consider important. Schools and admissions committees knows this, too, and often take the personal statement as an interview substitute (for the students they are unable to interview), or an interview addendum (for those they are). Think of it this way: You're basically allowed to write the transcription of your law school interview, highlighting aspects of your personality that you consider important, positive and beneficial, and presenting stories that bolster these traits. When considered this way, a month may not seem like enough time to get the personal statement done. It's not just "some essay" that people don't read. It's the cornerstone of your application, and should be treated that way.
How important is it anyway and what do they want to hear?
The University of Chicago actually says this best (and most honestly), and I'll put up what they say here: "The personal statement is an important part of every application and your opportunity to demonstrate what you will contribute to our community. In general, a personal statement with a narrow focus on a personal attribute or experience is far more helpful to the Committee than either a broad statement about the law or a restatement of your resume." I couldn't say it better myself. You need to put the PERSON in the personal statement, and you need to be individualized and specific. Your personal statement shouldn't meander through five different stories, superficially touching on each one and not really connecting with any. You need to approach the essay with a central idea, a specific theme, and definitive experiences that support both your central idea and theme. The idea here is to give a human voice to the paper application, and not just provide a perfunctory essay. U Chicago also says a couple more great things, which I'll share here, highlighting a few things that I think really hit the mark:
Personal statement DOs►
The personal statement is your chance to go beyond the numbers of your application. Think about what you would want to convey in an interview and what you can contribute to the Law School. You may discuss your background, unique experiences, and the things that interest and motivate you.
► Be straightforward. We do not need a poem, haiku, DVD, or verbose piece of writing that we cannot follow. We simply want a candid essay that helps us learn about you and your story.
We just want to know who you are.
► Proofread, proofread, proofread. Your personal statement must be free of errors - this is a sample of your writing and
you must put your best foot forward or the Committee will have some serious questions.
► Remember that we read thousands of these each year and you want to keep the Committee interested.
You do not have to have overcome adversity or want to save the world. If you have, or you do, that is fine, but we really just want to understand who you are and what you can add to our student body.
Personal Statement DON'Ts► Do not restate your resume or anything else that is readily available in your application -
we want to learn something new about you that is not already stated in your application.
► No typos or misspellings.
► Remove "track changes" (yes, we see this more than one would expect).
► Upload the correct personal statement into LSDAS.
If we are "school x", we do not want to receive an essay about how much you want to attend "school y".
► No legalese or Latin phrases, and
do not feel that you must discuss the law or tell us what type of law you want to practice. Remember your audience - your readers have already been through law school and practiced law. If your readers are already familiar with the topic, you do not want your personal statement to sound naive or to be inaccurate or uninteresting.
Topics can range from childhood travel experiences to deeply personal life lessons. It doesn't really matter as long as you convey your story clearly, have a crisp storyline, present your information in a positive way, and
truly speak to who you are and what's important to you. Always remember (particularly for those students who write about negative topics or experiences) to find a moral to the story, a "lesson learned." Don't let your personal statement be a regurgitation of your résumé--as mentioned above, anything that can be found elsewhere in the application should not be gone over again in the personal statement. Always put yourself in the AdCom's shoes and ask: What more would I like to hear about myself? What questions do I have unanswered, what traits do I want to know more about? Those questions are great brainstorm starters.
And, most of all, write multiple drafts, walk away from your work (for at least a few days) between drafts, and have other people read your essay and provide criticism--and
listen to what they have to say. If they're thinking it, the AdComs will think it, too.
Phew! Long winded, but I think it warrants it. The personal statement is incredibly important, and not taking it seriously is a huge affront to your law school application.
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