You have an excellent academic record, a list of extracurricular activities and internships that showcase your varied interests and abilities, a few willing recommenders, and a list of your dream law schools. What you need now is a personal statement, but you can’t seem to put words to paper. Don’t worry, getting started is the hardest part.
First, step away from your computer. Before you ever begin drafting text, we recommend that you invest some time in a brainstorm. Take a walk down memory lane and think about the moments that have inspired your path to date. Pay particular attention to those experiences that prompted an evolution in your perspective and reinforced your interest in the study of law, as well as those that could show the reader your intellectual curiosity, integrity, perseverance, and abilities in critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration.
Write these stories down using as much detail as possible. This will not only benefit you as you draft your personal statement, but it will also be a great reference as you write additional essays or prepare for interviews. Keep in mind that the stories you will use in your personal statement should go deep rather than wide, which is in contrast to the general overview of your experiences that you will provide in your resume.
Once you’ve spent time brainstorming and documenting memories, put together an outline for your personal statement. You’ll want to select a few key anecdotes that will show the reader who you are and demonstrate some of the attributes that will help you to succeed in law school and beyond. You’ll also want to consider how the stories you select will work within the broader context of your application. For example, if you’ve majored in history and feel confident one of your history professors will reference the thesis you wrote and group project in which you thrived in his Letter of Recommendation, it may be worthwhile to take a deep dive into the substantive quantitative and analytical work you did for that non-profit organization over the summer.
Now, you are ready to begin your first draft. Good luck!
Related Blogs: