Law School Personal Statement Advice

This one's for all you 0L's out there getting ready to submit your law school applications. I was already planning on doing a post on the personal statement because mine was a disaster and I always wondered if writing a stronger one would've kept me off the waitlist, so I wasn't surprised at all when the messages came in from readers asking for help on it. Because it took me a second time to get a PS that I felt comfortable with, I sent out a mass text to some of my law school friends to get their advice too. So I guess in a way this is kinda a guest post but not really? Anyways, here's what they had to say about their own PS.

Crystal 

You should tell them something unique about yourself that they wouldn’t know by looking at your resume so that they “can get to you know you better”. Also I feel like sometimes people think they need to have a crazy story to tell to make it good and thats not the case. You can find a good meaning in something small too.

Janet

If you want a great personal statement it helps to have an interesting life. Make sure to join organizations, travel, work, volunteer, and try new things. If you’re putting yourself out in the world you will gain experiences and stories that will turn into topic options for your personal statement. People don’t want to read about how you’ve always wanted to become a lawyer because you like to argue and watch law series on Netflix.

Jordan 

I would probably tell myself that I wish I had known from the start that it was going to take numerous revisions to get to what I actually sent in and that it is impossible to put your whole self in two pages. I got too attached to some of my first drafts because I was so caught up in the story I was telling that I forgot about the purpose of the personal statement: to connect the story to why you want to go to law school. While the story is important, it can only be half of the personal statement and I got too attached to those first drafts that were story heavy and therefore I became worried that the admissions committee was not going to know the whole me. The purpose of the personal statement isn't to put your whole self in two pages, it's to convince the admissions committee to accept you based on the singular experience that helped lead you to the decision to want to practice law.

JulieAnne 

I tailored my letters to each school. I remember researching the schools online to find what unique programs/clinics they had. Then I wrote about how I was excited to get involved in that program (and went into a little more detail).

Also, if I visited the school before applying, I made sure to write about the positive impact that visit had on my desire to attend that school. For example, I wrote about the students who led the campus tour and how helpful they were and how they told me about their involvement in XYZ  organization and how I'm now interested in joining that organization and getting involved on campus and in the community.

General Tips:
- Basically, make it seem like that school is at the top of your list.

- Write about how you plan to get involved with campus organizations, advocacy programs, clinics, etc. -- especially if it's unique to that school. (This requires a bit of research for each school.) Also, write about HOW your experience in these programs would help you after school (don't just say "it will be helpful in my career as a XYZ attorney.")

Online Advice

I also did a quick search through my Pinterest and found these helpful articles on law school personal statements

Writing a Personal Statement for Law School

What in the Heck am I Going to Write About

Choosing a Topic for your Personal Statement

Four Tips for Writing the Perfect Personal Statement

How to Write a Law School Personal Statement

Law School Personal Statement Tips

Personal Statement Advice From a Past Berkley Admissions Committee Member

The Top Five Mistakes in Law School Personal Statements

Final Thoughts

Hopefully by now you'll feel a little better about writing your PS! I stressed so much when writing mine, so I really do feel y'alls pain. If you have any advice you'd like to share about the personal statement, please comment below or email me so that other readers can benefit from your insight :) Good luck out there to everyone applying!!

Choosing a Law School

As you may know, I was waitlisted at my dream school and went to one of my back-ups my 1L year. But this week I got a text from one of my friends who has the exact opposite problem—she got accepted into both of her dream schools and now is having trouble deciding which to pick. This is a difficult situation because both schools are great and she know's either one would be a fantastic choice, but she still has to choose one. Because I can't make the decision for her, I helped her think through and evaluate what it is that she wants.

Cost

I'm starting off with this because it's obviously a major factor. Tuition and scholarships should be heavily weighed when deciding, but it shouldn't be the reason why you choose a school. A lawyer explained it to me as if your mother had a heart attack, you wouldn't take her to the cheapest hospital- you'd find the best hospital. True, you don't want to be in over your head in debt, but if one school is obviously better than another, yet more expensive, choose the better school.

Related: Find out how much a law school costs and How to find law school scholarships

Reputation

When I chose to go to my undergrad school, I made that basis off of how far of a drive it would be, how the football team is, and how fun the town was. This was because I knew that a BS from one school is pretty much the same as from another. But law school, where you go is more important. While it's not everything, having a high ranking law school on your résumé will no doubt open more doors for you. 

You should also look closely at a school's bar passage rate and job ratings. If a school is struggling to have it's students pass the bar, then it's not teaching you everything that you need to know. And if a school's graduates are having a hard time finding [or keeping] a job, then it's not preparing you enough. This should be weighed pretty heavily because this is what you can count on experiencing after leaving a school. 

Related: Find out a school's bar passage rates and a school's employment rate

Opportunities 

You're going to want to look at what a school has to offer for you. Clinics are a great way to get real-life lawyering experience while also getting to add volunteering to your résumé. Externships allow you work with a real lawyer for class credit. Internships get you real-world experience to boost your resumé. Judicial clerkships are also a great resource if you're considering being a judge. 

Related: How to get into law school clinics and how to get in to a law school externship

You'll also want to look at student life opportunities such as student organizations, trial competitions, writing for a journal, or being a research assistant. At the beginning of law school your résumé will look kinda weak once you have to cut out your undergrad achievements and involvements, so you need to consider what will help you bulk it back up.

Programs

If you have an interest in a particular area of the law, some schools might just have a speciality program for that! Here's a link to my school's interactive page which lists the different practice areas and schools which have programs for those areas. It's kinda the closest thing you can get to a major in law school.

Some law schools even have dual degree programs. So for example, you could get your JD and MBA at the same time. If you're interested in doing something like this, look around to see what options are offered where.

Location and Size

As a general rule, it's advantageous to go to school in the state where you want to practice. This is because it's kind of pointless to spend three years learning what Texas law is when at the end you'll be taking the bar in New York. But if you are get accepted into a better school in a different state, you can take a state-specific bar prep class and catch up. 

Size-wise, smaller classes have been proven to be more effective because you are getting a more personal learning experience. Smaller classes also make it easier for your professors to get to know you better, so you can count on them for a more thorough reference letter. A school that is very large can also create the problem of having you compete against more students for limited internship opportunities. But, a larger class will make the curve more in your favor. And a too-small school is likely to have limited resources. 

Final Thoughts

If you want to know your chances of getting in to a specific school based off your LSAT and GPA...

1. Login to lsac.org
2. Click the Apply tab
3. On the bottom left under My Applications, click on Search for Schools
4. Click Search Official Guide
5. Enter in your raw GPA and LSAT score and click Search Now

It will give you your percentage of being accepted to every accredited law school based on your grades and score. Then you can also see how much you need to raise your grades or scores to increase your changes of getting into a particular school!

Of course, make sure to try to try to visit your top choices to get a feel for the school before making any decisions!

Related: Why you should go on a law school visit 

Click here to download a law school comparison chart

SaveSave