TIPS ON WRITING A LAW SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT

Here are a few tips to consider when writing your personal statement.

1. Start Early.
2. The essay establishes an application theme – what is your theme? 
3. If you have varied experiences which seem scattered, find a common thread.
4. Make it personal – let your personality shine. Ask yourself: what diverse characteristics do you bring to law school? 
5. Do not recapitulate your resume. The Admissions Committee has that in your file. Include anecdotes and stories. 
6. What passion do you bring to law school? What will you do at Quinnipiac and beyond? (What will you get out of a Quinnipiac education?) 
7. Weaknesses may be mentioned – but do not dwell on the shortcomings. They are best left to be addressed in a brief addendum to the application. Your personal statement should highlight your strengths. Mention weaknesses to the extent that you faced an adversity and that you learned from and overcame it. Show how it helped you to mature.
8. Avoid fancy vocabulary, avoid legalese. Lawyer jokes and stereotypes can be a cliché in law school personal statements. Focus your writing. Do not ramble. Try not to cover too many subjects. Humor can be effective – do not be afraid to be funny, as long as it is used for illustrative purposes.
9. Tailor the statement to each law school.  Make sure to answer the question that particular school asks and be certain that the appropriate statement goes to each school!
10. Brevity and conciseness are the hallmarks of good (legal) writing – practice them early! Write clearly and coherently. Do not repeatedly make repetitive remarks that are duplicative and redundant.
11. Use standard font (12 point, Times New Roman). Don’t make the committee work harder by having them read your essay in comic sans serif or curlz at font size 8. Stay within 1.5 – 2 pages or approximately 1,000 words. If your essay is longer than that, condense.
12. Imagine you are the reader – is your final statement interesting, unique and reflective of who you are? If not, revise.
13. Proof read, proof read, proof read! Have multiple people review your personal statement. Include several who know you personally and several who do not know you at all. Those who know you will be able to determine if your statement is a true and complete reflection of who you are. Those who do not know you will be able to give you feedback based strictly on reading the essay.
14. Keep in mind of the big picture. You are writing to sell yourself to a group of people who do not know you, who are reading your personal statement in order to get to know you better as a person. Make sure that all spheres of your life that make you unique are highlighted in your essay.