How to select personal statement examples for law school

Congratulations for finally making the decision to go to law school! Having the tenacity to pursue your goals is already its own reward. However, if you want to get accepted into the law school of your choice, you have to communicate to the admissions board how suitable you are for their program. This is where you need to make your personal statement work for you. Here are some ways to get started:

Choose personal statement examples written by successful candidates

In sports, if you were to become a champion, you should train with the winning coach. You want someone with experience, particularly one who has gone through and overcome the same obstacles that you are just about to face. By reading personal statements by different applicants who have gone through the admission process successfully, you will know the standards as well as the different types of motivations and writing styles that merit approval from the selection committee.

Check out the website of the law school you are eyeing

Sometimes, you need not look further than the official page of the school you are planning on applying to. Usually, on pages where they post information on their admission process, you will also find personal statement examples written by students and alumni. There are a couple of advantages to limiting your search to your dream school’s website. For one, it helps you save time. As requirements and preferences vary from one law school to another, you can use time more efficiently because you will be studying samples written by those who have been or are in the institution where you also want to be. It will also guide you into a more focused preparation, because you have the assurance that the contents of their essays are already compatible with the culture, vision, and goals of the specific academic institution. Now, if you don’t find such examples on their website, don’t give up! Get in touch with someone from the school’s career assistance center, who may just furnish you copies of these statements.

Chances are that somebody in your circle of influence is studying or has studied law. If so, ask whether they could share with you personal statement examples—theirs or those of people they also know. The good thing about seeking help from people that you personally know is that they will be around to clarify things or answer questions that you may have before getting the writing process started.

How to select among examples of personal statements

Match It Up: Your School, Your Skills, Your Statement

There could be hundreds, thousands and even millions of samples you can from the internet and from your friends who have made the same personal letters in the past. But when selecting among examples of personal statements, it is imperative to consider a number of things. First is whom this is for, what college you are trying to enter, and what among your qualifications you wish to put emphasis on.

These considerations are vital in choosing the best example to pattern your personal statement because you do not want to spend a year or so reading through all the samples and finally giving up without getting one that best suits you.

You have to consider the institution you are trying to enter because these schools, universities, colleges, etc. impose different requirements and standards. Websites offering samples of personal statements are aware of this that’s why many of them categorized their sample personal statements into names of schools.

When you are certain which school you want to enter, you now have to choose the course you wish to take. Your application which includes your personal letter will be sent to the college where your course belongs and they will be the one to assess your application. It is thus necessary to know what you are planning to take up so that you can meet the specific requirements for a personal statement in this college.

The last thing you have to consider is what about yourself you wish to focus on. You may have a remarkable educational background, having been part of the honor roll since grade school; or you may be the president of many clubs including the school’s student body; or you may be one of the people who never held back with their opinion, challenging everything that needs to be challenged; or may be the average type of student who is a genius in one aspect, may that be in literature, math, science and the like.  You need to know what you want to focus on in consideration of what you wish to apply for. If you are applying for a spot in the school of political science, then you might want to focus on your being a well-spoken, opinionated and fearless student, heading clubs and the student body. If you are applying for a spot in the college of science, then you might want to highlight your excellent record in science subjects, and so on.

Where to get the best samples of personal statements

Where to Get the Best Samples of Personal Statements

The internet will bring you to over 40 million sites when searching for samples of a personal statement.  Having said this, probably no one would disagree that the internet is your best source of finding perfect examples of personal statements.  Some sites related to this topic even categorized the same into samples when applying to Harvard, Oxford, NYU, Yale, etc.  Some categorized these examples into what subject you want to focus on. And some made their categorization based on the course you are trying to enroll in. These samples are very precise that you can actually click on a sample name and read his personal statement addressed to a specific school and for a specific course.  If you are lucky, you can find from the haystack the good examples after a few clicks. But if you are patient, you might as well find the best one that precisely contains everything about you.

Another way to find the perfect examples of personal statements is to look for it from people who have made one or two and were successful in getting in.  This may be your friends, relatives, parents or siblings. But anyone who was able to get in would be a great source of samples and tips in making a personal statement. From them, you would exactly know their purpose for creating their personal statements, what their backgrounds are, how they presented these in their resumes and what things they considered in creating their personal statements.

When creating one of these, it is important to consider the institution you what to enter and the course you want to enroll in.  If you find a friend who is in that school taking the same course and he was able to enter through the normal process of application, then you have got yourself your best source.

However, despite the many sources for these samples, finding examples may not be the best way to get your personal statements done. It would probably be better to create an original without looking at other done works. Remember that what you are trying to create is a personal statement. This should be as personal to you as possible, better without copying from anywhere. To touch someone else’s heart, your words must come from the same source. As regards forms, guidelines, templates, dos and don’ts, other sources would be very helpful. But as to the content of your personal statement, copying might just slash out the heart and soul out of it. Do not opt for this to happen.

Three of the worst ways to use personal statement examples

No Clichés or Using of backers

Do not use clichés. Personal statements are required by most, if not all, schools to be submitted by students applying for a place in their institution.  It is often limited to a few words or lines or characters and you need to say why you are suited for the course you want to study within that parameter.  With the word limit, and to avoid the risk of being rejected for wordiness causing the readers to lose interest, your personal letter must contain only what you need to say, short and clear.  Clichés are dangerous for two reasons. First is that it will make your personal statement unnecessarily longer that what it is supposed to be, and second is that it may appear like unoriginal, unintelligent and a number of applicants might have also used the same.

Do not use your personal statement to brag about someone else. Your personal statement has to be about you. It is your opportunity to talk about yourself and your achievements.  Do not use this to show off the achievements of your family, your dad, your older sibling or to flaunt that your reference is some big person in the political world or in the faculty.  This strategy could render you insufficient that you can not get yourself in without backers. It is a slippery slope that may sometimes work if the institution cares about their reputation so that high-profiled people can get in without meeting the qualifications, but it could also serve as an insult to the school that would automatically bring your application at the bottom.

Your personal letter is not your resume. Your resume should contain all the specifics about you – your personal information, your educational background, your accomplishments, your experiences, etc. Your personal statement need not contain these things in detail. What you need to write is a statement that you want to be part of their institution and that you have what it takes to bring pride to them. This is a personal appeal. Your personal letter is you speaking with them after they have seen what you are supposed to offer. It is the persona behind your resume.

There may be dos and don’ts in writing a personal letter. But when doing so, always remember that what you are doing is to let them know that you need their mentorship and that you will bring pride to them in return.

Three stellar personal statement examples

Catch and Never Let Go

“I can easily be the next president if I have the money to run and have your school in my resume.”  With the hundreds and possibly thousands of application letters containing personal statements that the faculty has to read, you would not want to have an opening statement that will make them lose their attention to what you want to further say and would make them want to grab a snack and take a break. It is important to get them hooked at their first glance. Probably almost all applicants have impressive resumes. Maybe everybody has something great to say. But you need to make a tremendous impression at the first glance. And from there, keep them on the hook. Once you caught them, never let go.

Be concise and direct to the point. “Behind every great achiever is a great mentor. That is what I want to gain from your university. As a student and as a person, I can do only so much. But I need the best mentor and educators for me to reach my maximum potential. I need to be here.”  You can even make this statement more concise. But the point is, you have to stop beating around the bush. The shorter you can express what you want to say, the better. Time is precious and you would not want them to be dragged finishing your personal statement.

Brag without daydreaming. “I was the president of our school paper, the president of our student body and I believe I can be the next president of the United States of America.”  There is no need to be hopeful in your personal statement.  You may have what it takes to be this big a person in the future but the task of imagining that should be left to the people reading your personal statement and resume. Let them think that with your credentials, you could be the next Hilary Clinton or the next Barrack Obama.

Your credentials always carry the risk that it is the same with the other hundreds of applicants, thus it is important to always remember to try and catch the attention of your readers at the onset, to keep them reading by proving concise statements and by not turning them off by making hopeful remarks about you and your future.  Lay everything for them and then let them decide on their own. Pushing too much may not help, rather may be taken to your detriment.

Three elements every personal statement example should have

What, Why, How in your Personal Statement

The what in your introduction, the why in your body and the how in your conclusion.  These things are the essential elements in creating an effective personal statement.

Your introduction must immediately contain what your point is. What is it that you want to convey to the recipients of your letter containing your personal statement? You would want to make your introduction something that would grab the readers’ attention. Impress them at your first statement by not stating the obvious rather by stating the same in an impressive way so that they would want to read further. What do you want from them? You want them to accept you to be part of their institution. You want them to give you the opportunity to realize your potentials through their help and with their great tools of learning. You want them to believe that you will bring pride to them by merely being part of their institution now and will soon bring honor to them by what you will become through your hard work and with their help.

After your introduction, your body should show why they should give you the opportunity you are seeking.  This part is your chance to brag about yourself in a manner that they would be so impressed they would want to see more of you in their institution.  Mention everything they have to know, but be careful not to sound like you are just rewriting your resume.  Highlight the impressive parts and merely mention those that do not add significant points to your application. Be humble in a way that you need not to sound like your bragging because your qualifications would just speak for themselves. Avoid giving your opinion about yourself. Rather, mention what others think of you or simply mention facts and let that prove your point.

Your conclusion must be the how in your personal statement.  That is how would they benefit from you and how are you planning to make them proud.  These should contain promises or assurances that will allow them to hold on to something when they accept you. These promises should match the potential that you vividly painted for them in the prior paragraphs. Assurances that you would continue being the excellent student you have always been, and more, that you will not stop from serving the community, etc.  Do not be afraid to make promises as long as they are not too far-fetched to the risk of sounding like you are yet another personal statement full of promises which almost always end up in the junk.

3 correct ways to use personal statement examples

Being Deliberate, Expressive and Impressive

Nothing is arbitrary. Express. Impress. These are three points you need to seriously consider when making a personal statement.

Nothing is arbitrary.  Everything you say in your personal statement should be deliberately said for a reason, that reason being your statements must not be just for the purpose of bragging and saying all your achievements down to the most trivial, but it has to be in consideration of the qualifications they are searching for in a candidate applying to be part of their school or institution.

They would usually want someone who has an impressive academic standing. This is something you most certainly have to talk about. They are normally attracted to someone who is involved in community or social service. Also they may be looking for someone who grew up in a family of great values. For the aforesaid things you must include in your personal statement and show proof to back up your claim. Having said this, do not include your winning a hotdog-eating contest or a dance competition in your school. You would be risking getting treated like a joke when you do this.

Express yourself.  Your personal statements must be created in a way so as to properly showcase your skills, personality, intelligence and potential.  Do not be scared to appear like a swagger. This is the purpose of personal statements – for them to know you through your own mouth.

Impress.  Your personal statements will be written by you. And although you are supposed to showcase yourself and everything good about you through your words, you are actually also being judged by your writing. How you express yourself through words, how you construct sentences, how you organize these sentences and paint them a picture of yourself is crucial. All you have is your words to express what you want to say. And if you can do this effectively, well and good. But if you can do this and at the same time be able to impress them, that would be golden.  They may be so impressed with your writing that they would automatically see that you are what they are looking for without the need to further look at the content of your writing, or they could be so disgusted with your writing that being a straight-a student would not even matter.

Remember that in personal statements where your words are your only weapons and their only means of seeing through you, writing the right statements is your ticket to getting in.  Personal statements can either work for you or against you and you should always strive, leaving no room for doubt, that you achieve the former.

Three Bad personal statement examples

The Don’ts and Never’s of personal statement writing

“I am the best (period)”.  In making personal statements, bragging is excused. It is what you are supposed to do. Choosing to be humble will get you nowhere.  But as what is required of anything, you cannot just claim something and end it without any explanations or justifications. If you state something grand about yourself without any supporting proof or validation, your statement would be purely the boasting kind.  This would render what you said rather pointless.

“The youth is the future of our fatherland.” Clichés are the worst statements you could ever use. It may be true that by using clichés you could open an opportunity to get into a topic that would work for you. Say you started a paragraph with the abovementioned statement. You could easily follow that with “…being an 18-year old student, education is what I can focus on to be the most effective member of the society in the future. At the moment, I may be one of the youths whose parents spend thousands of dollars for just to get them in a good university to gain a degree, and hopefully lead a life that would make these parents proud and seal a bright future for them. But this dream would never be realized without getting the best education there is. Thus, I plead to be part of your school. Allow me to have you as part of my present so that you can be the molder of the great future I promise to strive and reach for.”

The above supporting statements of the cliché “The youth is the future of our fatherland” may be a great honest way to convince the people concerned to allow you to enroll in their institution or university.  But a cliché might block their interest in reading further.  It would not be wise to take this risk.

“Please pick me.” The goal in making personal statements is for a group of people deciding who gets in their institution to get to like you and think that you will be an asset that will up their reputation now or in the future. For them to do this, they should be able to see your worth. They should realize that the qualities you have are enough potential to develop into something worth investing in. You do not have to beg. Do not beg. Show you are eager to be part of their institution by proving to them that they need you as much as you need them to build that future you are hoping to have. Begging is not necessary and could easily work against you.

How to Find the Right Personal Statement Examples for You

Some people may already know exactly what to write their personal statements and how to lay them out, but for most of us this is a bit more strenuous. Sometimes you already have the words to put into your personal statement examples for college but the problems are, do you know how to make it read well and engage your readers to finish the whole essay?

The best option to have an idea how to go about producing that winning personal statement is to look at some other people’s personal statements. This will give you a look-in seeing the structure and language that other people used. Now the question is how to find the right personal statement examples for college?

Once you have found the gold mine website for other people’s personal statement samples keep a notebook on hand or your desktop notepad while you are reading them one by one. Jot down the same achievements and copy the names of those people that made you remember the things that you have already done but have not put it yet in writing. After reading lots and lots of personal statements you will be able to judge which ones are worth using as a model or a template for your own personal statement for college.

Now what to do with the names of those people you have listed down? Make yourself busy by doing research about them using online search engines. This will give you a more precise and clear idea as to which one you would want to follow or make your “mentor”. Get inspired by their writing, if they can make it that far then picture yourself achieving the same thing. All you have to do now is to write as many personal statement examples for college based on your “mentor” and then let a friend or a close member of the family read it. Be open-minded for feedbacks, there is no perfect essay in just one go. That is why you should also keep in mind to have lots of preparation time for this just in case you need more revisions of your work.

Online search engines are full of information on how to find the right personal statement examples for you, you just need the right keywords and the desire to read more and to know more about producing that winning personal statement for college.

What You Need To Know About Personal Statement Essays

“Tell me something about yourself”, that is the question that you will be answering every time you are applying for a college, university or graduate school and even when landing an employment. This is where personal statements are used by the admissions staff in choosing the right candidate for their school.

What is a personal statement? A personal statement is like your curriculum vitae but in essay form. You may be required to answer a general question like, “Who are you”, or a specific question like, “Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?”

Here are some helpful points to bear in mind in knowing about what is a personal statement and how to use it in nailing that application.

A personal statement is:

• A picture of you as a person, as a student or as a potential scholar. Paint a picture of yourself through words.
• An invitation for them to get to know you and it is a tool that makes strangers see who you really are.
• A manifestation of your priorities and judgment wherein what you say and how you say it is very crucial.
• A story, your story. Most people are not natural storytellers so this is where you need some serious self-reflection and conversations with your family and friends come in handy.

A personal statement is not:

• An academic paper wherein you are not allowed to use the word “I”. This is where you will close the gap between you and your readers; engage them in a more personal level.
• A resumè in narrative form that reads like a list of accomplishments. This does not help engage the reader still want to read more. It will be just a waste of time.
• A diary or a journal entry. It is sharing the relevant facts, experiences, events that will back up the message that you are saying.
• A plea of justification where you defend yourself against other candidates or applicants. This is not the place where you “make your case”

And the most important thing to know about what is a personal statement is it should be authentic. Answer these questions when you are composing your personal statement: who am I, who do I want to be, what kind of contribution do I want to do and how, and why does it makes sense to you to study at that university.