Law School Admissions: Tackling the Personal Statement (Part II)

Last week we initiated a two-part series on the law school personal statement. Part I focused on the art of positioning and answering the reader's biggest question, Part II will describe the five law school themes as well as some thoughts on creating entertainment value in the personal statement.

The Law School Themes. In addition to your primary positioning, you also want to try to round out the key law school themes. They are:

1. Intellect (both intellectual curiosity and intellectual horsepower).
2. Motivation.
3. Discipline.
4. Collegiality.
5. Leadership.

For most applicants, two or three of these themes are readily apparent from the academic profile and resume. Most commonly, things like leadership, collegiality, and discipline jump off the page – evidenced by a long history of getting involved, being part of groups and organizations, and staying committed to tasks.

(Quick note on leadership: this aspect is not as important in the law school process as it would be on, say, the MBA side. Seeking applicants with strong leadership skills is mainly a self-serving proposition as law schools simply want to ensure that they have enough “leaders of men” to run their student programs. Okay, that sounds cynical, but producing leaders and putting them in the work force is just not a major priority.)

For many clients, the big themes that remain at issue are motivation and intellect. Let me discuss them each in turn.

Motivation – This has become an important issue this year as applications are up and MBA types have turned their attention to law school. A JD from a top program offers a bit more job security and, frankly, the program lasts longer, making it easier to ensure riding out a recession. So not only are you competing with more applicants this year, you are also competing against a “type” that is more common now than in previous admissions seasons. The best course of action is to “backdate” your interest in law school and then really spell out your motives for attending law school in the personal statement. It can be secondary to explaining your abilities, but it needs to be there. Another way to look at the issue of motivation is to consider the big three unasked questions on every law school application: 1) Why law school? 2) Why this law school in particular? and 3) why now?

Intellect – This breaks down into both intellectual curiosity and horsepower. Many applicants are fine on the former, but weak on the latter due to a low LSAT score (“low” being a relative term based on the 25th-to-75th percentile ranges at their schools of interest). Even if the GPA and LSAT components are fairly strong, they are often not indicative of a candidate’s true potential.

Entertainment Value. Considering the entertainment value of the personal statement does more than just provide relief for the weary application reader – it also aids in the framing of your writing sample, especially if there is a risk of the personal statement reading like a laundry list or a glorified resume. Listing everything out in that way is obviously to be avoided, but sometimes candidates must drive home accomplishments or events in a way that starts to resemble a list. A great way to do it is to embed a hook and frame the personal statement in that way. One solution is to build the narrative around “challenges” or “accomplishments” or any other device that gives it a thrust and a thread. Then you can create a setup in the intro, 3-4 exemplary paragraphs, and a conclusion that brings it home. Be sure to get right to the point, stating the big takeaway point in the very first line – then work from there.

Overall, the personal statement is not the place to cover everything. You simply want to triage what is most important and then build a compelling and detailed narrative to support that position. Confront your issues head on and tell the reader what he is dying to know and you will be leaps and bounds ahead of your competition.

For more on how to draft fantastic personal statements, take a look at our law school admissions consulting services, including our personal statement assistance service.