Many law school applicants are recent immigrants or have parents who are immigrants and plan to write about this aspect of their life in a personal statement or lived experience/statement of perspective. Certainly, having this life experience makes you distinctive and can add to your appeal at any school, but these essays often miss the mark. 

First, you must decide if you are going to write your immigrant narrative in the personal statement, a lived experience/statement of perspective, or both. You’ll want to consider a few things before making this decision. The personal statement is your opportunity to answer the questions “Why law school?” and “Why now?” If your immigrant story is part of the answer, then introduce the narrative here. If you hope to become a tax attorney, your immigrant story may be best told in the lived experience essay. Each statement should stand alone; they should be complementary, not duplicative. When using both opportunities to share aspects of your family history, tell unique stories and provide different insights in each essay.

Table of Contents:

• Show – don’t tell.
• Show grit.
• Avoid clichés.
• Don’t make Mom the focus.
• Lead your reader to a conclusion.

Here are five tips to help you best tell your story:

1. Show – don’t tell.

Merely telling the reader that you and/or your family assimilated or learned English isn’t enough; you need to show your experiences to the admissions committee. Paint a scene. Share a specific example. By presenting an arresting image, you can draw your reader’s attention and put them in your shoes. For example, did you learn English by watching cartoons? If so, where and when did you watch those cartoons? What cartoons did you watch? Can you give an example of a phrase you learned? 

Alternatively, if your story includes maintaining cultural aspects of your country of origin, describe those customs or activities. Use these descriptions to show how your customs will influence your impact on the law school and, eventually, the legal community. 

2. Show grit.

In your essays, focus on how you addressed challenges rather than the challenges themselves. For example, if you moved to the United States not knowing any English, what did you do? How did you learn the language? How did you make friends and form a new community? Are you still observing certain holidays or traditions from your native country? If so, what are they, and why? How do they influence you today?

3. Avoid clichés.

“Fish out of water.” 

“Cultural differences.” 

“Breaking down barriers.” 

“Pulled up by their bootstraps.” 

These phrases are repeated often and are therefore clichéd. Try to set yourself apart from the applicant pool; don’t employ overused phrases that cause you to blend in. You’ll benefit from explaining your situation with specificity rather than relying on hackneyed, overused, boring tropes.

4. Don’t make Mom the focus.

Often, applicants write about people they admire – usually a parent or grandparent. Loving your family is a wonderful quality, but don’t make them the focus of your essay. You need to show the admissions committee that you are a good fit – not share the life story of your father, mother, or another relative. Set a scene, but make yourself the lead character. Make sure the committee gets to know you.

5. Lead your reader to a conclusion.

Going through an experience – good or bad – means nothing if you haven’t gained insight into yourself. Law schools want people who can think critically and examine the world around them. Therefore, your essays need to show what you learned and how you can apply those skills to your studies and work. How have you grown from this experience? How does your experience help other people?

Remember that most basic failures of imagination in essay writing occur because applicants don’t want to spend time brainstorming, thinking, and writing. All that preparation is an important part of the process that will help you produce a solid finished product you can be proud of.

If you need further guidance on your law school application or the application process in general, schedule your free consultation with an Accepted admissions expert today!

Related Resources:

• Law School Letters of Recommendation: Expert Guidance and Samples
• Explaining Low LSAT or GPA Scores in Law School Applications
• Answering Character and Fitness in Law School Applications