How to Write a Law School Personal Statement

GPA and LSAT score are the two main factors in law school admissions, but "soft factors," including your personal statement, can convince a reluctant admissions committee to take a chance on you. Here are some tips on what to write about and how to write it.

Follow each school's prompt. Most law schools accept a personal statement on any subject, but not all do. Some ask you to answer a question or respond to a specific prompt. If this is the case, do as they ask - they ask for a reason, after all.

Don't focus on law too much. It's good to tie your personal statement into law - for example, explain why you want to become a lawyer. But law schools aren't asking you to prove your desire to be a lawyer; they want to learn something about you. That's why the essay is called a personal statement. Pick your most interesting characteristic or something spectacular that has happened to you and focus, or at least start, with that. Write about something you're passionate about. If you strike the committee as an interesting character with sharp writing skills, you'll have succeeded.

Good, clear writing is important. Lawyers do a lot of writing. The personal statement shows the admissions committee if you can do a lot of writing, too. For this reason, be sure to write concisely. Don't get too wordy, and don't use language that's beyond your grasp. Short, punchy, colorful words are almost always preferable to clumsy Latinates. Pick up a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White. It's an excellent, if harsh, writing guide that will help you trim your prose into the taut sentences that lawyers are expected to produce. Another good text on writing is On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

Edit, edit, edit. Professional writers read their copy dozens of times before submitting it for publication. You should do the same with your personal statement. Read it until you know it by heart; until you're certain that every word is spelled correctly and every sentence is gramatically solid.

Don't be afraid. Don't worry about getting a little crazy. Of course, you don't want to scare the admissions committee away, but don't be afraid to be bold. Write about a fresh topic, something that's exciting. Or reveal something that you've never put down in words before - again, so long as it's not entirely negative about yourself. Impress the committee with your words and with yourself. If you don't, the personal statement is worthless, and you've sacrificed an important tool in your admissions package.