let's write: PERSONAL STATEMENT ESSENTIALS - DOs And DON'Ts

PERSONAL STATEMENT ESSAY

PERSONAL STATEMENT AS A THEME OF YOUR ENTIRE APPLICATION.

GENERAL:
-       GIVE IT AT LEAST 3 MONTHS TO WRITE.
-       LET A REASONABLE NUMBER OF PEOPLE READ YOUR ESSAY AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS. DON’T BE CARRIED AWAY BY EVERY SUGGESTION EVERY READER MAKES.

PROOFREADING:

1.     LET AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR REVIEW THE ESSAY SOLELY FOR WORD CHOICE AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES.
2.     DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON SPELLCHECK. ALWAYS RELY ON HUMAN EYES TO PROOFREAD YOUR ESSAY AND MAKE SURE IT IS ERROR FREE.

BRAINSTORMING IS CRUCIAL!!!

1.     If you are having a difficult time deciding on a topic, think of stories first.
2.     Try focused free writing.

ESSAY DON’TS:

1.     Avoid the Resume Approach
A.    Avoid “I have always dreamed of becoming a lawyer”
2.     Avoid the “Why I Want to Go to Law School” Essay
3.     Avoid the “I Want to Save the World” Essay
4.     Avoid Talking about Your Negatives
5.     Don’t Be Too Personal
A.     Be careful with protestations of high ideals. If you can’t back them up with hard evidence, they’re bound to come off sounding empty and insincere
6.     Watch the Use of Fancy Vocabulary
7.     Don’t Discuss Legal Concepts
8.     Avoid Immature Subjects
9.     Don’t Put Down Lawyers or the Legal Profession
10.  Shy Away from the Bizarre
11.  Don’t Try to Cover Too Many Subjects

ESSAY DOS:
1.     Tell Stories
2.     Make It Interesting
3.     Be Funny-If You Can Pull It Off
4.     Start with a Great Lead
5.     Be “Unique”
6.     Have a General Theme
7.     Don’t Be Afraid to Express Opinions
8.     Tailor Your Statement to a Particular Law School
9.     Open Up a Little