The Personal Statement

Oh the Personal Statement (PS)-- your chance to explain your story and redeem yourself.
I am obviously not an admissions expert but I am just going to explain what worked for me:


"A good personal statement adds to your application. It tips the scales in your favor. if someone with your numbers have the chance to get into a school, but not everyone with your numbers gets in, its usually because of the personal statement"
Ann Levine - The Law School Admission Game


I would definitely recommend picking up this book and giving the section on the Personal Statement a quick read. I used much of the recommendations she listed and found that it gave me advice I would not have thought of otherwise, such as avoiding certain words, tones and common mistakes. 
When writing my personal statement I also went to TopLawSchools and utilized some of their advise on personal statements. I found that going through their sample personal statements was a great idea, as it helped to show me what would make things easier in setting myself apart.


My PS was focused on my life, the struggles I have experienced, the hard work I have done and my reasons for applying to law school. Almost all Personal Statements appeal to social justice; people trying to become lawyers to save the world. I believe it is important to establish your goals especially if those are your goals, but I also believe it is even more important to set yourself apart from the crowd (by the way here's a little tip: you would not use "i believe" in your personal statement according to Ann Levine). To that end, I mentioned social justice, but tried to stay away from being the typical person seeking to enhance the world through legal education. 


Another important aspect I wanted to get across in my Personal Statement was my writing skill. Hence, I tried to keep it simply but ensure that I am using words appropriate for the context. Proof-reading and editing was essential. 
* Just a word of note on proof-reading: there are two school of thought; one that believes it is better to get others to read your essays and the other that believes that other people are not admissions counselors and hence, do not know what to look for. I only had one other person, my girlfriend at the time, read my essay. I did not look towards others reading and editing my Personal Statement. This is just a personal bias and you might find it better to have as much people as possible read over and re-edit your essay. 


I also wanted to show that I am an interesting person who should be admitted. For this, the beginning of one's PS is integral, you have to grab the reader and give them reasons why they should keep reading on, why its going to be worth their time. Here's a sample opening from Top-Law-Schools:
Eighteen months ago, I was sitting at my computer, wedged between a dripping coffee maker to my left and the company’s CFO five feet to my right. Every keystroke shook the flimsy foldout card table that served as my desk, on loan to the company from another employee’s garage. We were packed in the largest of three rooms in a 2,500 square foot space baking in the heat generated by ten co-workers in close quarters, fifteen running computers, and an abnormally warm summer. On the glass doorway was etched the ghostly lettering of the former company occupying the space, serving as a grim reminder of the ever-present possibility of failure.


When I read this I was taken to another world. I wanted to learn more about this person and I wanted to know why law is the place for him. This personal statement was very inspirational for me, and I decided to use and introduction that would grab people on the same level. Although my intro is completely different (dealing with being a minority and the struggles entailed within) the overall intention is the same, to take the reader on a journey. 


Everyone knows what to do with the body, essentially you want to keep your readers engaged and mention all your achievements and what makes you such an excellent choice for legal education. The conclusion is more important, you have to finish really strong, you want to leave a good taste in the readers mouth. Something I have noticed is that most people mention the school they are applying to near the end. Essentially, what makes you the perfect fit for this school in particular. It think this is a great strategy because it lets the admissions committee know that you are interested in their school and you have done some research. Now you are not simply mentioning the school by name. Instead, you are also mentioning specific characteristics about the school that makes it unique and the right fit. For eg. for Osgoode I focused on the diversity of students, the opportunities the law school presents and the school's purported focus on social justice. 


This is what worked for me, its a simple process and it speaks to being direct and showing the reader why they should be interested in you. Do not take the PS lightly, even if you have great scores it can get you off of the acceptance table. It is important to dedicate a significant amount of time to it, and not leave it to the last minute. I believe that the personal statement is a great way to set yourself off, and give you that extra "bump" to get accepted. In a place like Ontario with so few schools, it is important to get any bumps necessary. 


Here is the link with some good PS tips that I used heavily while drafting my PS. 
http://www.top-law-schools.com/personal-statements.html