How to draft a perfect personal statement in English
Writing a personal statement can be one of the most difficult parts of the LLM process. How long is it? What do you need to write? How do you write the document? In this article I have provided some tips for you to help lead you through the process.
As I mentioned in the title, this tedious process can be the tipping point to getting into the top schools of your dreams, or not. This one- or two-page document can be quite tricky, but on the other hand is a great opportunity to grow and learn about yourself during the application process.
Despite what many websites say, many law schools are very specific about the requirements for the personal statement. Whether it’s called a statement of purpose, a personal statement, or any other name, be sure to check out the university website thoroughly. I have personally coached hundreds of top-level candidates and seen some of them make mistakes because they do not personalize each personal statement, to each university.
I teach my students to break down each personal statement paragraph description from the university webpage. Most of the pages have the personal statement requirements written in paragraph form; take the paragraph and break it into bullet points to look at each part that they’re looking for. Remember the admissions directors know what they’re looking for, so if you don’t add it, you can be excluded very easily. Here is an example:
Hard to Read
Hard to Read
“Personal statement should be no more than two typed pages. Instead of repeating the accomplishments listed on your resume or CV, tell us about your specific reasons for pursuing a graduate law degree in the United States and at Penn Carey Law in particular. You may also explain why your background makes you a good candidate for Penn Carey Law’s program and include your post-graduation plans. Although we do not require any particular font or spacing, we expect you to submit a professional and easy-to-read personal statement authored exclusively by you.”
Easy to Read
“Personal statement should be:
- no more than two typed pages.*
Instead of repeating the accomplishments listed on your resume or CV:
Tell us about your:
- specific reasons for pursuing a graduate law degree in the United States,
- specific reasons for pursuing a graduate law degree at Penn Carey Law in particular.
You may also explain why:
- your background makes you a good candidate for Penn Carey Law’s program,
- and include your post-graduation plans.
Although we do not require any particular font or spacing, we expect you to submit a professional and easy-to-read personal statement authored exclusively by you.
Must Do, May Do, Must Not Do.
As you can see above they give you do’s and don’ts. Remember that the admissions committee specifically looks for these points, they are looking at personal statement, after personal statement, after personal statement, next, next, next… it’s a very repetitive process. In my experience I have noticed that many admissions committee members are very busy people, so they look at key parts of the personal statements to see if the applicants have taken the time to personalize each application.
MUST DO: You’ll notice that the requirements about why to pursue a graduate law degree are very important, and more particularly at specific institution you’re applying to. After you have established that you know why you’re planning to study, they want to know a little about you and why you were a good candidate. And the final part is being sure that you will use your degree in accordance with the rest of your future plans.
MAY DO: (but highly recommended) if the University suggests or recommends that you may add some information, do it. It’s a good idea in this case to add a little information about you. Also, they say you may add information about your future plans; however, I think this is an essential idea in almost every personal statement unless they ask you specifically not to.
MUST NOT DO: Do not repeat your CV or résumé. However, make sure all the information corresponds to the time and place and doesn’t leave the admissions committee with any questions. Another MUST NOT DO is cheating, plagiarizing, or crossing the line when it comes to getting professional feedback from classmates or colleagues.
One of the main ways to be selected for a top-level university is by standing out. This may seem obvious, but remember everyone is smart, everyone is well-motivated, and everyone is determined. One of the strategies is to have a unique way of looking at the world. Be honest, be open about your reasons to study, and what you think you can do with it.
I have seen both sides, the rich student who mentioned the story about his housekeeper having problems, not having been bus tickets to get to work and develop social programs, and I have seen the human rights defenders who feel that they have a different direction and a different background. The key is to be sincere and show who you are.
You must get feedback. And after you get your first round of feedback, this is the time to start polishing and perfecting each of the personal statements. Proofread each one, check your word limit, be sure the spacing is professional and organized, and obviously become a grammar pro. Often applications are rejected because of typos or small punctuation errors, this shows their lack of detail and lack of passion. Remember, this is one of the biggest small documents of your life, so make it look like it.
And one final piece of advice, apply to every school that offers a fee waiver program. Contact me for details and tips about this.
Key takeaways:
- Make them remember you, you must stand out.
- Be honest, many people study LLM’s for many reasons.
- Be sure to edit and proofread your personal statement very carefully.
- Make sure that you have titled the file correctly and addressed it properly.
- Address any negative points about your application but be sure to get help to word it correctly.
Competition has never been more intense for admittance into the nation’s top law schools. The application essay represents your only chance to plea your case to admissions officers. Why select you over so many other qualified applicants?
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