The Personal Statement
Dos and Don'ts
Courtesy of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors Handbook for Pre-Law Advisors
(http://napla.org/NAPLA%20Handbook%204th%20edition.pdf)
The personal statement is the one component of the admission process that the
applicant completely controls. Although some schools may have specific topics, often the
assignment is simply to “tell us something about yourself we are unlikely to know from
other parts of your application.” The length of the statement varies from school to school.
Some insist on no more than one page. Most schools feel that two pages is an appropriate
length, but prefer that they be double-spaced. Some schools prefer three pages—especially
on the west coast. The wise applicants will ascertain what their schools’ expectations are
regarding length, and try to stay within them.
Of course, it is the content of the personal statement that is of greatest importance.
Since each statement should be as individual as the applicant writing it, following the form
or style of someone else’s successful essay is inappropriate. Law school admissions people
attending a NAPLA conference came up with “DOs and DON’Ts” for personal statements
which are a convenient guideline:
DO…
1. Write well—make it flow
2. Have a good first sentence
3. Double space it and leave good margins
4. Type it or use a word processor; make sure ink is dark
5. Keep it within a reasonable length (if length is prescribed, keep it within that length,
otherwise plan on no more than two pages)
6. Put your name on each page
7. Be specific and accurate
8. Be truthful
9. Have statement support and be supported by the rest of the file
10. Look beyond fraternity/sorority offices or athletic experiences
11. Acknowledge negatives in your file
12. Turn negatives into positives
13. Mention sensitive subjects in an appropriate way (not overly dramatically)
14. Tell them why you’ve chosen law
15. Show them who you are—this is your interview
DON’T…
1. Overuse thesaurus
2. Use cliches or quote others extensively
3. Misspell words
4. Use third person
5. Title your statement
6. Send multimedia presentations/modeling photos
7. Gush about law school or philosophize about the role of law in society
8. Include name of law school; it might end up in the wrong envelope
9. Pat yourself on the back too much
10. Be too cynical
11. Come across as a victim
12. Be too specific as to what you will do with your law degree unless your experience
shows that it is a logical extension of what you’ve already done
13. Focus too much on another person, even if they have been influential in your life
14. Give a narrative resume, listing activities that are already in the application