How to Approach Optional Essays to Strengthen Your Law School Application
Beyond the personal statement, many law schools invite applicants to share more about themselves through one or more optional essays.
For example, in a previous application cycle, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School provided the following optional essay prompts:
- These are the core strengths that make Penn Carey Law the best place to receive a rigorous, collaborative, and engaging legal education: genuine integration with associated disciplines; transformative, forward-looking faculty scholarship; highly-regarded experiential learning through clinics and our pro bono pledge; innovative, hands-on global engagement; and a manifest commitment to professional development and collegiality. These qualities define Penn Carey Law. What defines you? How do your goals and values match Penn Carey Law’s core strengths?
- Penn Carey Law is committed to achieving an expansive and inclusive law school community that brings a diverse range of ideas, experiences, and perspectives to our classrooms. Tell us how your lived experience informs who you are today.
- Describe a significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge.
- What strength or quality do you have that most people might not see or recognize?
- What don’t we see in your application file that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee?
- If you do not think that your academic record or standardized test scores accurately reflect your ability to succeed in law school, please tell us why.
Are these essays truly optional? Technically, yes, they are; it says so right there in the name. However, for the most part, I would recommend you submit optional essays – with a few caveats. If a diversity or adversity statement prompt is optional and you don’t think it applies to you, it’s okay not to do the essay. But over the last few years, many diversity statement prompts have been broadening into statements of perspective or lived experience statements that cover a wide range of experiences. If that’s the case with the schools you are applying to, I would recommend that you consider writing one.
The other kinds of essays that are truly optional aren’t technically essays at all; they are GPA or LSAT addenda. If you feel that your academic record or standardized test scores don’t reflect your ability to succeed in law school, take the opportunity to explain why in an addendum. If you believe your grades and standardized test scores are a good measure of how successful you’ll be as a student, by all means skip that prompt (and others like it).
Now, back to these “optional” essays. You are investing a great deal of effort (and money) into applying to law school, so it makes sense to take every opportunity to tell the admissions committee more about yourself. If you fail to respond to the “optional” essay prompts, it can seem as though you are saying you have nothing else interesting to offer to the law school community. At the same time, brevity is appreciated; don’t feel like you have to utilize every word. For schools that say something along the lines of “Submit one to two pages for one or two of the following prompts,” it’s okay to submit just one essay. If you want to write two essays, make them each one page long.
Some of the optional essays and short answer questions are super easy. I’ve never understood why someone would fail to answer Columbia’s “fun facts” short answer question; it’s just an easy way to show a new side of yourself.
So, the bottom line is that you should submit most optional essays but not necessarily every single one. Here are a few tips for making your optional essays more impactful:
1. Brainstorm before you write.
After you read the schools’ optional essay prompts, start by brainstorming all possible ideas and situations that might be good content for an essay. Think about your college career, volunteer work, employment, and family and personal life. Which events, experiences, and achievements would you like the school to know about that aren’t discussed elsewhere in your application? Then, decide which of those events, experiences, or achievements make the most sense for each essay.
2. Follow the directions.
Optional essays are of varying lengths – from the 250-word essay (think Yale, Stanford, Georgetown), to a double-spaced single page, to two double-spaced pages. Be sure to read each school’s instructions carefully, and don’t exceed the word or length limit. In my mind, the length of your optional essay should not rival that of your personal statement. Therefore, even if the prompt allows a length of one to two pages, I would aim for around one page.
3. Have fun where you can – in an appropriate way, of course.
Most elements of the law school application are pretty serious – the resume, the transcript, the recommendation letters, and many personal statements – and that’s to be expected. But some of the supplementals offer a chance for some lightness and fun. If you can, take advantage of that and offer the reader something light-hearted. Be careful not to venture into the inappropriate – and definitely steer clear of anything that invokes the “yuck factor” – but some levity could be appreciated.
4. Don’t repeat yourself.
Don’t write about the same things you shared in your personal essay or elsewhere in the application. This is your opportunity to continue your narrative, not repeat it. The examples you offer can be from your personal or professional experience.
Optional essays give you an opportunity to share more about yourself with the admissions committee. Investing the time necessary to answer the optional essay questions effectively will serve you well by adding more depth to your application. Make good use of them!
Looking for guidance on how to write an optional essay that will boost your chances of acceptance? Schedule a free consultation to discuss your law school application.
Brigitte Suhr spent 15 years traversing the globe in an international human rights law career before starting a consulting business that included evaluating more than 2,500 applications to the University of Virginia School of Law. She developed a clear sense of how to create a strong application that connects the applicant to the admissions officers and that frames the applicant’s story, strengths, and weaknesses in the most authentic and constructive light. Brigitte holds a BA from an interdisciplinary honors program at UT Austin and a JD from UVA Law. Alongside her admissions work, she consults with foundations and nonprofits on human rights law–related programs and research, covering issues such as justice reform, LGBTQ advocacy, and antislavery initiatives. Click here to get in touch with Brigitte.
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