Crafting a Winning Law School Personal Statement

GPA and LSAT scores are not all that matter. Eamon Ledewski, Associate Director of Admissions at Michigan State University with seven years of admissions experience at Notre Dame Law School, and Karen Buttenbaum, member of the Harvard Law School Admissions Committee for over 12 years, would say that writing a solid personal statement is a critical part of the application process that can put applicants in a strong position of admission to their school of choice. In a webinar entitled “Crafting a Winning Law School Personal Statement,” both Eamon and Karen discuss the personal statement in detail and highlight the common mistakes that applicants make.

Personal statements are often the most neglected part of the law school application because most applicants believe a high LSAT score and high GPA guarantee entry to a top law school. Karen, however, disagrees and says that personal statements can make your application shine in a situation where you have similar LSAT scores and GPA as someone else. The personal statement is your chance to show your own voice and define your traits, judgment, personality, and the type of person you would be like in a law school classroom.

There are many mistakes that an applicant can make while writing a personal statement, and Karen lists the most common mistakes that she found while reading what she calls bad personal statements, as well as the key factors that made a personal statement stand out. The following table provides a list of tips for what you must or must not do while writing your personal statement:

• Do not pick a topic based on what you think the audience wants to hear

• You do not have to write about why you want to go to law school; application as a whole should indicate why law school is a necessary next step

• Do not write a statement that could offend the person reading the application (i.e. controversial issues in which you slam the other side)

• Proofread and have someone else who knows your personality proofread

• Should reflect who you are/your personality and your voice should flow freely through it

• Have a pre-law advisor review your statement

• Do not restate resume; instead, you may talk about one part of resume as main point of statement to show how you have grown from the experience

• Do not write about someone who inspired you if you end up talking more about the person than yourself

• Do not make something out of nothing and stretch a topic if it does not apply to you

• Do not focus too much on career plans; focus on accomplishments to date

• Do not declare a love for one area of law without actually knowing anything about it first

• It is evident when a person uses a thesaurus; use your own words

• Do not start personal statement with a quote unless it is your own quote

• Write something that tells a story, something you are passionate about; story with a beginning, middle, and end

• The story can be introspective; you do not need to write a novel

• Write something such as a story which has a flow and a purpose; something to catch the reader’s attention

• Be compelling

• Do not think your life is boring; the reader has not met you so try to leave the reader with a fond impression of you

• Do not start two consecutive paragraphs with an “I” (but may work for some people)

• The more introspective or more maturity you show while talking about an accomplishment or experience is what improves a statement

• Humor is great but only include it if you are confident and are usually generally funny

• Write about something the admissions committee cannot find on your resume

• Do not explain bad grades, a low LSAT score, or personal hardships; describe those in an addendum if need be

• Read the law school application instructions

Overall, Karen and Eamon discussed that most people miss the point when writing their personal statements. They try to write about why they would like to attend law school or why they would be a good lawyer. However, these are all topics that everyone should avoid. A personal statement should show your passions and your personality; it is your only chance to talk to the admissions committee and let them know the person you are. It is your opportunity to show personal growth, maturity, and put a face to the numbers on your application. Although it is usually one of the least important parts of an application, the personal statement should be given more emphasis and more time. It could be the deciding factor that makes your application stand out and helps you gain entry to the law school of your choice.

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