…before law school Goals: PI in criminal law Apps: -Personal statement about my current job and the switch to law -Diversity statement about being an immigrant -Resume with a decent amount of extracurriculars and internships but nothing fancy -Big LSAT jump from 155 to 168. No addendum -One Character and Fitness…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
58 entries matching "personal statement"
Admitted to George Washington University…in middle class white suburbia, not writing any diversity statements. Two years of work experience at a couple law firms, currently in tech finance BigLaw. Personal statement about my academic/career transition and my goals for the future, with many drafts and a lot of attention paid to developing a seamless and…
…your education, experience, or life story into a strong personal statement. As for the “Why X” essays, take time to do research, network with faculty and students, and visit your top choices to write a detailed and compelling statement. I think they helped me significantly at UNC and GMU. Finally, please negotiate…
…are in math/science (originally was a pre-med major). Personal Statement- focuses on a situation that was the catalyst for me pursuing social work, discussion of how I thought social work would help me meet my goals and an explanation of why law is actually the better path. Diversity Statement - focuses on…
If you are a splitter, apply as soon as possible. I applied in Oct but should have applied in September but was lazy. I also had subpar personal statements (if you are non-trad, focus on Why Law? and Why Now?). I shouldn’t have wasted my ED on Berk as I knew I wouldn’t get in, but it was my top choice as a Bay Area…
…and was denied. NYU - Applied to RTK, but used my personal statement as my RTK essay. UPenn - Wrote Core Values Essay. Applied for Toll PI Scholarship and was denied. UVA - Nothing extra. Really considered writing a Why Virginia, but ultimately didn’t. Duke - Nothing extra. UMich - Wrote optional essay on meeting a…
…but i did include a small paragraph why x at the end of my personal statement for every school except asu wrote optional essays for michigan (something about a group you have been a part of), gulc (top 10 list), and a pretty detailed fun fact for columbia (not an essay but in their app) sent diversity statement to…
…I really do think it is worth it. I think essays and personal statements are the strongest tool we have to sell ourselves to committees. Now, for everyone! My second advice, and this is crucial, is that one strength is enough to overcome all weaknesses. If your work experience and story demonstrate unique…
…(to an extent), focus on outcomes over rankings, and be personable in interviews. Background: I am a highly non-traditional applicant. Although I was born in the US, I spent my entire childhood and high school abroad, followed by four years of mandatory military service as a combat officer in that country’s…
A poor personal statement can overshadow your stats. Don’t overlook your written materials.
Apply early! Don’t overthink your personal statement–have a good 2-3 people that you trust review it but no more than that. There shouldn’t be so many cooks in the kitchen that it drowns out your own voice. The T-14s have plenty of students applying with great stats–those are useful but your real power is in your…
…my college years tying to my current industry. I wrote my personal statement about these work experiences, and tied it to why law, also focusing on why that practice area. I don’t know what exactly qualifies as T-2 softs. I don’t think I have anything out of the extraordinary, but I would not think too many…
…supervised work (public interest/pro bono focus) Essays Personal Statement - focused on story from childhood about parent’s job loss and how this connected to the field of law I’ve worked in/want to continue in. Made a clear point as to the why this field is important, why it mattered to me, how it connected to my…
…to law or public service, I marked with an asterisk. Personal Statement:- I am a creative writer and I believe it played to my advantage when writing my PS. I shared a very vivid story about my family and I growing up homeless and impoverished and how these experiences alongside my work in juvenile justice is what…
…to be able to write an artistic or intimate memoir as a personal statement if you don’t want to–especially if that’s not your style. Write with honesty and show schools how you got to where you are today, what your goals/values are, and why you’ll be a great lawyer. Good luck!
…which probably hurt my scholarship offers. I think my personal statement was also not what most schools were looking for. Splitters can get good scholarships, but for the schools I admitted to, the $$$+ awards seem to go predominantly to URM or above-both-median candidates (which is fair). I truly thought being 5…
Take your time building your applications and your resume and personal statement. Law schools say they issue admissions decisions on a rolling basis and that review takes 4-8 weeks, but this is untrue in most circumstances. The only school that got back to me within that timeframe was ASU. So it’s okay to take your…
I was probably hurt by having somewhat bland written materials - not poorly written, just boring to read. Make sure you have multiple people review your personal statement. Be bold and tell your unique story and perspective. If you write a “Why X,” give *real *reasons or choose a different supplemental - don’t just…
Your study break just got better: follow @lawschooldata on Follow @lawschooldata on TikTok & Instagram