So now that you’ve decided to send in an application for law schools, here comes the gritty stuff: the actual writing process aspects of the application that are required for all ABA-certified law schools. When beginning this process, I’m sure that you’re dealing with a deluge of questions, such as: Where to begin? How do you condense a lifetime of experience into a few short pages? How do you write professionally and succinctly without sounding over-the-top? These were some of the questions sifting through my mind when I started my applications last year. More than anything, though, how do you make your application stand out and avoid being just another student cliché?
The hardest part about the written section of the application, in my opinion, is the fact that the questions typically ask how the applicant can “bring something to” or “enrich” the law school if they are accepted. This kind of question is way out there, and the worst part is that the vast majority of applications are going to answer the prompt in very similar manners.
How do you create a response that’s unique and telling of your character?
For peer writing tutors, one excellent qualification is the ability to collaborate and work well with others both during appointments with writers and as peer collaborators within the community. Having this expertise, peer writing tutors are then able to truly convey how they “communicate” with others, and I have found that talking about my peer writing experience has given me a sea of instances and examples that I can think about when I’m beginning to write a statement.
Despite having these examples under your belt, law school personal statements are hard, truly, and that’s because you might have no idea where to start. What angle could you take to show why you’re interested in a particular school while not simply restating that they are “highly” ranked and thus the most desirable?
Generate originality. Length or word count are trivial in the grand scheme of things. The biggest thing I believe admissions committees are looking for is memorability. Can you stand out from the other thousands of applications that are answering the same question, essentially? Keep in mind that while doing this, you’ll want to have both memorable and meaningful content; make sure that the admissions committees remember your paper for a good reason.
Brainstorming Meaningful Ideas
What helped me figure out what to write was brainstorming events and moments that I thought most inspired me to pursue a career in law and creating a list. I sat down and wrote out a list of questions that I could consider, ranging from “What subjects was I drawn to?” to “Who inspired me to go down this path?”. Eventually, my list produced ideas such as discussing my interest and extended studies in human rights and genocide prevention, my love to converse and work with others, and how I was inspired by my maternal grandfather, who was a persecuted civil lawyer in Communist Romania.
Brainstorming is just as important of a step in the writing process as drafting and revising. Peer tutors have long been taught at the UCWbL that anyone who writes, at any step, is a writer. Rather than looking to get the personal statement done and out of the way, I encourage potential law school applicants to internalize this idea and take the time to really come up with a meaningful and insightful idea. You will be a writer once you put your pen to paper, but first you’ll want to ensure that you have an idea worth talking about.
To further flesh out your ideas and ensure that they’re as complex and nuanced as you may need, talk with your professors over coffee and jot anything down they might say about you as a student. Talk with your family and friends and consider how they describe you. Glance back at some old writing samples; was there a heavy research paper in your history course that you nailed and thoroughly enjoyed learning about? Did you go above and beyond for a political science presentation, and were you able to create something meaningful out of what you researched? These are all great ways to start developing a tangible list that could generate “answers” to some of law school’s most generalized questions.
Outlining
Depending on who you ask, outlining papers is either a key must or a total waste of time. Since it worked well for me when I was under pressure to get these personal statements sounding professional and enthusiastic, I would highly recommend doodling an outline that branches through the beginning, middle, and end of your statement. Sorting through the details and writing out the main “points” you want to cover in a comprehensible manner can be challenging. However, once you’ve mapped out what you want to say in your statement, the rest of the writing should be easier if you follow the sketch you set up for yourself.
What are the characteristics you feel most define you? How can you relate them to the skills needed to be a successful lawyer? For tutors such as myself, I would recommend taking the general route and looking at the transferrable skills learned as a peer writing tutor, such as collaboration, working with multi-dimensional writing and information, exceptional communication between co-workers and writing clients, maintaining transparency, and building rapport. These were some of the topics I discussed in law statements which wanted me to demonstrate why I would be able to work well as an attorney, regardless of the field I want to specialize in. Upon jotting things down initially, other ideas will come to you as you write; during my applications process, I constantly referred back to my outlines to give me direction and to serve as a reminder of details or aspects that I might have forgotten. In this way, I was able to add layers of relevant information to my application that were closely associated with one another and gave the impression of having a well-rounded character.
Take a Break from Your Writing
Another piece of advice I’d like to offer is to take breaks often and away from your drafts. After composing an initial draft, I’d revisit it a few days later and re-read what I had so far; looking at the paper with a fresh set of eyes really helps prevent tunnel vision that would come with staring at a draft for hours on end. As such, I found that taking a break helped and continues to assist me in identifying global concerns with my statement; and from there I can adjust what I have and continue writing.
Moving Forward
Personal statements are stressful; they can make you sound like a bragger and make you sick of hearing your own accomplishments over and over again. But in the end, only you know yourself best; you can figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are, and you can cultivate a general picture of yourself through the work of a personal statement. Don’t be afraid to tell the law school admissions committees who you really are. Don’t shy away from the truth. Lawyers are meant to be individuals who come from a variety of liberal arts backgrounds, but above all, they’re writers just like us. You may not be familiar with all the legal jargon in a deposition or negotiations plea yet, but you do know how to cite, support, analyze, and argue, and you know how to spot these things in academic writing.
Go for it – the world is your courtroom.