support@accepted.com
Get Your Free Consultation!

Which program are you applying to?

  • - Select a program -
  • MBA/EMBA
  • Law School
  • Grad School, PhD
  • MD/DO, Residency
  • Other Healthcare Programs
  • College
  • About Accepted
    • About us
      • The Accepted Advantage
      • Clients Accepted At
      • In The News
    • Client Feedback
    • Contact Us
  • Meet the Team
    • MBA Admissions Consultants
    • Med School Admissions Consultants
    • Grad School Admissions Consultants
    • Law School Admissions Consultants
    • College Admissions Consultants
  • Free Resources
    • MBA
      • Free Guides
      • Selectivity Index
      • Sample Essays
      • Essay Tips
      • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants
      • MBA Deadlines
    • Med School
      • Free Guides
      • Selectivity Index
      • Sample Essays
      • Essay Tips
      • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for Med School Applicants
    • Healthcare Programs
      • Free Guides
      • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for Healthcare Applicants
    • Grad School
      • Free Guides
      • Sample Essays
      • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for Grad School Applicants
    • Law School
      • Free Guides
      • Selectivity Index
      • Sample Essays
      • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for Law School Applicants
    • College
      • Free Guides
      • Sample Essays
      • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for College Applicants
  • Services
    • MBA
      • Complete Packages
      • Essay Editing
      • Resume Services
      • Interview Prep
      • MORE
    • Med School
      • Premed Packages
      • Primary App Packages
      • Secondary App Packages
      • Essay Editing
      • Interview Prep
      • MORE
    • Healthcare
      • Postbac Packages
      • MPH Packages
      • NursingCAS Packages
      • PharmD Packages
      • Essay Editing
      • MORE
    • Grad School
      • Complete Packages
      • PhD Packages
      • Essay Editing
      • CV/Resume Assistance
      • MORE
    • Law School
      • Complete Packages
      • Essay Editing
      • Interview Prep
      • MORE
    • College
      • Complete Packages
      • Common App Package
      • Essay Editing
      • MORE
  • Blog
    • MBA Blog Posts
    • Medical School Blog Posts
    • Other Healthcare Blog Posts
    • Grad School Blog Posts
    • Law School Blog Posts
    • College Blog Posts
    • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast
Accepted

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

October 16, 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes

5 Tips to Write a Law School Personal Statement that Gets You In

5 Tips for writing a personal statement that will get you into Law School

While there’s no getting around the fact that LSAT scores and GPA matter a great deal in law school admissions, the personal statement is the one place where law school admissions faculty get to know you and your reasons behind studying law.

Below are 5 tips – based on real-life scenarios – that have successfully helped my clients get into law school, even when their scores were on the low end for their schools of choice.

1. Write for clarity – not for “literary.”

Sometimes, my clients read law school personal statements that are written like beautiful poetry. Many of those essays are successful. But, there are a lot more law schools grads who aren’t poets. It’s more important to be CLEAR and SPECIFIC than it is to write inspirational phrases.

2. Highlight your work experience – it counts for a lot.

I have had a lot of clients who are able to use their work experience to show maturity and growth beyond undergraduate. Especially if you have been working for more than one year, it’s important to talk about that work in a way that highlights the skills you gained from the job. The most successful essays show how the applicant has matured – especially in terms of working with others – as evidence they are ready for law school.

3. Think about how you would approach the law and try to integrate that into your essay.

I often explain the best personal essays in terms of talking both about internal experiences and external experiences. In other words, describing a particular experience you had is important and valuable, but the essay must also explain how that experience changed the way you thought about others and yourself. Law is about how individuals interact with society, and schools value individuals who are capable of thinking about themselves and others in that light.

4. Combine the professional and the personal.

In line with the advice above, the very best essays combine the personal and the professional. If you have a unique background, how has that contributed to your work (paid or unpaid)? How have you used your own personality or skills to help others? Essays that are most successful show connections between the applicant’s personal life and their community or professional life.

5. Be genuine.

The most important aspect of any essay is a sense that the writer is being genuine. Unfortunately many of my clients initially try to replicate the essays of others or a writing style they admire. I then work with them to restore their voice to their writing.

If you struggle with finding your own voice, try writing the first draft of your essay in the form of a letter to an acquaintance or colleague – someone who knows you, but not very well. Explain in your own words why you are interested in law school. Opt for simpler words and shorter sentences over convoluted phrasing that “sounds good.” Remember that the content of the writing is always more important than the sound of it. “Fancy” writing that is devoid of content simply turns the reader off.

Many people approach writing their personal statement with dread, even those who think of themselves as strong writers. Remember that the law school personal statement is a very specific form of writing with its own conventions – it’s not a poem, a novel, or a screenplay. It needs to be both personal and professional, providing the reader with insight into how you think and how you act.

My most important tip for every applicant is to give yourself enough time to revise the personal statement and to get another’s point of view on the content and writing.

Work one-on-one with a law school admissions expert who will guide you through the process of creating a winning personal statement. Our admissions consultants have read thousands of personal statements and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding one. Check out our admissions consulting services, work with an admissions expert and get Accepted!

New Call-to-action

Jessica Pishko graduated with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and received an M.F.A. from Columbia University. She spent two years guiding students through the medical school application process at Columbia’s Postbac Program and is a former Accepted admissions consultant. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

 

Related Resources:

• From Example to Exemplary, a free guide
• 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Law School Personal Statement
• The Miraculous 15-Minute ROUGH, ROUGH Draft

Article by Accepted / Law School Admissions / law application essays, law school personal statement

Get Accepted!

Sign up for a free consultation today!

Which program are you applying to?

Blog Categories

  • Admissions Consulting
  • Admissions Straight Talk Podcast
  • College Admissions
  • Grad School Admissions
  • Law School Admissions
  • MBA Admissions
  • Medical School Admissions
  • Other Healthcare Admissions
  • Uncategorized

Most Popular Blog Posts

1. 7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

2. 4 Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future

3. How to Write About Your Research Interests

4. Tips for Answering the Yale University Supplemental Essays and Short Answer Questions [2022-2023]

5. When Will Medical Schools Give You an Answer?

6. Sample Essays from Admitted HBS Students

7. Tips for Answering the University of Pennsylvania Supplemental Essay Prompts [2022-2023]

8. Top STEM MBA Programs: A Comprehensive List and Overview of STEM-OPT Eligible B-Schools

Sample Essays

MBA Personal Statement Examples

Medical School Personal Statement Examples

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Law School Personal Statement Examples

College Application Essay Examples

 

Home Page Services and Prices MBA Med School Law School Grad School College

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog
Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553
© 2022 Accepted

BBB A+ RatingStamp of AIGAC Excellence

Copyright © 2023 · Education Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in