What not to do in your personal statement

law school admissions personal statements

Your personal statement is a critical component of your law school application. Here are the top five pitfalls to avoid when writing your personal statement:

1. Do NOT repeat your resume

Remember, you will already submit a resume or CV as part of your law school application. The admissions committee will already have all that information readily available. Your personal statement should tell a story and provide more color. This is an opportunity to get, well, personal! Let your personality shine and use this as a chance to say things that your resume won’t necessarily convey.

2. Do NOT make excuses

If you must, you can explain any mitigating circumstances in an addendum. Do not use your personal statement as a moment to explain, blame or dwell on the negative. 

3. Do NOT go crazy with the format

You want to be original, but you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. The fact is, the legal professional is still very traditional. Your personal statement should be in the form of an essay. Don’t experiment with the format – now is not the time to break into song or sonnet. 

4. Do NOT talk about high school

The point here is, you want to talk about the recent past, not the distant past. If you are a non-traditional candidate and college was 5-10 years ago, the same applies – don’t talk about college. Talk about a theme from the past 2-3 years. You want the admissions committee to have a good idea about who you are in this stage of your life, not your past self.

5. Do NOT be too cliché 

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, start your personal statement with a quote. And most definitely DO NOT start it with something like “Once upon a time…” These gimmicks are boring, impersonal and predictable. You want to be authentic and sophisticated. Having a strong opening line – most importantly, keep it original.

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills MCAT medical school admissions SAT expository writing college admissions English MD/PhD admissions GMAT LSAT GRE writing strategy chemistry physics math biology ACT graduate admissions language learning law school admissions test anxiety interview prep MBA admissions academic advice premed homework help personal statements AP exams creative writing MD career advice study schedules summer activities Common Application history test prep philosophy computer science secondary applications organic chemistry economics supplements PSAT admissions coaching grammar law statistics & probability psychology ESL research 1L CARS SSAT covid-19 legal studies logic games reading comprehension dental admissions mathematics USMLE Spanish calculus engineering parents Latin verbal reasoning DAT excel mentorship political science French Linguistics Tutoring Approaches academic integrity case coaching chinese AMCAS DO MBA coursework PhD admissions Social Advocacy admissions advice biochemistry classics diversity statement genetics geometry kinematics medical school mental health quantitative reasoning skills time management Anki English literature IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs algebra algorithms art history artificial intelligence astrophysics athletics business business skills careers cold emails data science internships letters of recommendation poetry presentations resume science social sciences software engineering study abroad tech industry trigonometry work and activities 2L 3L Academic Interest DMD EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD MMI Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python STEM Sentence Correction Step 2 TMDSAS Zoom acids and bases amino acids analysis essay architecture argumentative writing brain teaser campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets cell biology central limit theorem chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum demonstrated interest dental school distance learning electricity and magnetism enrichment european history executive function finance first generation student freewriting fun facts functions gap year genomics harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law induction information sessions institutional actions integrated reasoning intern international students investing investment banking lab reports logic mandarin chinese mba mechanical engineering medical physics meiosis microeconomics mitosis music music theory neurology neuroscience office hours operating systems organization pedagogy phrase structure rules plagiarism pre-dental proofs pseudocode psych/soc quantum mechanics resistors resonance revising scholarships school selection simple linear regression slide decks sociology software stem cells stereochemistry study spots synthesis teaching technical interviews transfer typology units virtual interviews writer's block writing circles