Application Essays

School is right around the corner which means that law school application season is too. I wanted to take the lull between my wedding and moving to discuss personal statements, supplemental essays, and addenda.

Personal Statement

Getting Started

Make sure you know how long your personal statement can be for each school. Most of my schools wanted no more than 2 pages, but one was okay with 3 pages. That extra page gives you a lot of room to set yourself apart.

Also, start writing drafts early. You want to have plenty of time to find a good topic and edit your final draft to perfection. I didn't start writing until my applications were pretty much done; around January. I got my essays done and I was happy with them, but I was ran out of time to write all of the supplemental essays I'd wanted to write.

Choosing a Topic

I really struggled to find a topic for my personal statement. Everything felt either too generic or too much like a sob story. I wrote probably 10 different rough drafts on various topics trying to find one that fit. I eventually settled on an innocent story about myself as a kindergartener seeking justice for some classmates.

Personalize for Each School

Make an effort to include a section tailored for each school. For example, my whole application was focused on my dedication to public interest initiatives, so I included a brief section on demonstrations by each school to provide access to justice.

Supplemental Essays

Getting Started

Compile a list of all the supplemental essays each school you're applying to takes. You don't want to miss an opportunity to write an essay on a topic you would really nail.

How Many?

I really think the more supplemental essays you do, the better. Some schools limit how many of the offered essays you can submit, so definitely check each school. Personal statements are valuable real estate, and supplemental essays are a way you can write about all the things you want to (like your study abroad, leadership experience, and diversity topics) while freeing up your personal statement to write about something less rigid.

Which Ones?

When I visited University of Pennsylvania, the tour guides and the admissions people said to always, always, always write a diversity statement. These statements are to tell a law school what you can bring to the table that sets you apart from other candidates. I wrote my diversity essay on my migraine disorder and demonstrated my determination to be an attorney. I also wrote a Public Service Statement for schools that offered it. I interned at a Legal Aid office and really fell in love with service law. Make a list of the supplemental essays accepted by each school and write as many as you feel you can write well.

Addenda

What's the Deal with Addenda?

I wrote two addenda for my applications because of anomalies in my academic record, mostly due to medical reasons. For example, my GPA and LSAT scores weren't very good after I was diagnosed with migraines and I transferred two times because I had elbow surgery. It's also a good idea to write one if you have a large jump in LSAT scores or you don't feel your LSAT score reflects your ability. Try not to be frivolous in writing addenda; only write it if you need it.

General Tips

Have Someone Read It

Personally, I'm a big fan of editing and revising, but even the best of us miss mistakes in our own work. I sent all of my essays to my parents and my sister to read over; each for a reason. My dad and I think very similarly and our writing voice sounds very similar; he read it for content. My mom is excellent at grammar and reading from various points of view; she checked for accuracy and genuineness. My sister is an English major; she read to make sure it was flowing properly. I do wish I'd asked my pre-law advisor to read over my essays, but I didn't know him at all and chose not to. Choose people who know you well to read over your work and if you have access to someone familiar with the law school process, ask them too.

Edit, Revise, and Edit Again

These essays are an important part of your application. Edit the heck out of them. I edited each of my essays 5 or 6 times. Each time I edited, I revised and sent it to my family to look over again. Then I would revise it with their edits and edit it again myself. I repeated this until my parents came back with no more suggested changes because I know I would have kept tweaking until I missed deadlines.

These are my suggestions regarding law school application essays. I did a lot of Googling and bouncing of ideas off my friend who was applying at the same time. If you have any tips to add or questions, comment below!

Until Next Time,

Rachel