Courses
How To Write A Law School Personal Statement
About the course
Your law school personal statement is a key part of your law school application: It's your opportunity to show who you are beyond your LSAT score, GPA, and resume. This is where you can share your story, explain what motivates you, and highlight the experiences that have shaped your decision to pursue a career in law. Whether you're already drafting your personal statement or you're not sure where to start, this course will help you understand why your personal statement is important, what you could write about, when you should write it, and what are some best practices when it comes to writing an effective statement.
Syllabus
- M1Not completed
Introduction
Let's go over the goals for this course and talk about what you should expect to gain from it. - M2Not completed
What Are Personal Statements and Why Are They Important?
A personal statement is your chance to tell your story. Let's dive into what this means and why it's so important. - M3Not completed
How Do Personal Statements Fit Into the Law School Application?
Each piece of your application has a different role, and the personal statement is where you explain why you want to study law. It helps the admission committee go beyond the numbers to understand who you are. - M4Not completed
What Is the Timeline to Complete Personal Statements?
Writing a personal statement takes careful planning, but it doesn't have to take forever. By breaking it into steps, you can create a strong personal statement without feeling overwhelmed. - M5Not completed
Personal Statement Do's and Don'ts
While there's no single way to write a perfect personal statement, there are some best practices we can recommend to help you tell your story effectively. - M6Not completed
Reviewing and Submitting a Personal Statement
After you've finished writing your personal statement and made any changes based on feedback you received from friends, family, or mentors you've asked to review, it's time to submit it along with your law school application. - M7Not completed
What Happens After a Personal Statement Is Submitted?
Understanding how admission committees evaluate applications, and the role the personal statement plays in that, can help you know what to expect after you've submitted your application. - M8Not completed
Hear From Admission Deans About Personal Statements
Admission deans share their perspectives on personal statements, why they are important, and advice they have for future applicants writing a personal statement. - M9Not completed
Personal Statement FAQs
Let's go over some common questions students ask about writing and submitting personal statements, including how long a personal statement should be and how certain content and stylistic choices could be perceived. - M10Not completed
What's New With Personal Statements?
New developments, such as a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, have changed how applicants approach their personal statements. These changes have sparked conversations about how you should present your background and what tools you can use when writing and editing your personal statement.