College Personal statment essays ... kinda inspired by pin wizard

[DMickey28]

I got to thinking about this with Pin Wizards question about resume's and such.

I am applying to law school. Have been out of school for three years now, did three different jobs.... need to follow my dream of law.

Had a rough first semester at college that ended up with a very strong impact on my overall GPA. Long story short, transferred and made 3.5 GPA's everywhere else. BS Graduated from first school five years after first semester with bad GPA, causing three semesters of 3.5 up to 3.9 GPA looking bad with one semester of 0.90 GPA brining down to under 3.0. yuck...

Should I address this in my personal essay? How? Do you think it's cheesey to address it when Ihave been out of school for a few years? What is the best way to approach finding the "right" career and being ready to take the step to law school finally?


Thanks.. I am so unsure about how to start this essay and where to focus the topic!!

 

[caitycaity]

not sure how it works with law schools, but i am in my second year of an MA program, and i had some undergrad grade issues as well. my dad (a professor), and a couple of the "how to apply to grad school" books i had said to address the issue in a letter separate from your personal statement. the personal statement should be focused on why you want to go to that specific school and why you want to get the degree.

i sent a separate letter that was short, sweet, and to the point addressing my bad grades and why i got them. i made it clear in my letter that i took personal responsibility for the grades that i recieved (i.e. try not to be whiny and say it was the professor's fault, or anything like that), but that i wanted to address the grades up front because i knew that they might impact my chances of admission.

it seemed to work for me, as i got into one of my reaches, and all of my safetys/midrange programs.

in my case, i felt it was important to address the grade issue because i had under the minimum gpa for most of the programns i applied to. if your gpa wasn't really that bad, i wouldn't bother writing a letter. i think most programs are also more lenient with bad grades in the first year of undergrad. mine were in my junior year.

i also had a couple years in the "real world" after undergrad and i think my experience there (which i focused on in my personal statement) helped my chances of admission.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Depending on which law school you apply to, there will be specific instructions on what to write about in your personal statement. Do not go beyond the bounds of what the instructions say.

Address the issue in a separate letter, if you feel you need to. However, if your LSAT scores are high enough, you probably won't need to.

 

[rcyannacci]

I'm not sure if I'd address it specifically. Every school does thier admissions differenly, so you never know if the person(s) reading your essay have your GPA in front of them, if they make a separate report, or just give it a score.

The best personal essay will come from you writing about your interests and passions, not from you writing what you think others want to hear. I always encourage people to start with a personal experience and then think about how that experience illustrates some larger, universal issue/question that others are dealing with as well.

I'd advice you to think closely about those last 3 years and what you will take from that work experience that has prepared you to be a more successful student of law. Don't hold back in telling them why you will make a great lawyer, and what you will add to thier program (Remember- it can be better to tell them what you will bring them than telling them what they can give you.)

Also, if talking about your interests are passions brings up some more current political issues, try to be careful with your tone. It is important to state your beliefs, but there are ways to do it that won't alienate readers that might personally disagree. It's about getting them to respect you and your choices, not your specific position.

Anway, I probably went on too long...but I hope some of this is helpful.

 

[rcyannacci]

Originally posted by caitycaity
not sure how it works with law schools, but i am in my second year of an MA program, and i had some undergrad grade issues as well. my dad (a professor), and a couple of the "how to apply to grad school" books i had said to address the issue in a letter separate from your personal statement. the personal statement should be focused on why you want to go to that specific school and why you want to get the degree.

i sent a separate letter that was short, sweet, and to the point addressing my bad grades and why i got them. i made it clear in my letter that i took personal responsibility for the grades that i recieved (i.e. try not to be whiny and say it was the professor's fault, or anything like that), but that i wanted to address the grades up front because i knew that they might impact my chances of admission.

it seemed to work for me, as i got into one of my reaches, and all of my safetys/midrange programs.

in my case, i felt it was important to address the grade issue because i had under the minimum gpa for most of the programns i applied to. if your gpa wasn't really that bad, i wouldn't bother writing a letter. i think most programs are also more lenient with bad grades in the first year of undergrad. mine were in my junior year.

i also had a couple years in the "real world" after undergrad and i think my experience there (which i focused on in my personal statement) helped my chances of admission.

Yes, this is a fantastic idea. Address the grade issue in your application letter.

 

[DMickey28]

I never thought of an admissions letter. That's a good idea....

My actually GPA drops below the "average" score for the current class. However without that stupid semester my GPA for all the rest is high about the median.... it's amazing how something so small can haunt you...

The essays requirements that I have read so far have been very broad...

My main interest right now is family law, however my passion for wanting to go to law school is that I love to learn, i love to read and I love to investigate to find the reasons and rights/wrongs. I don't have a strong drive to be in the court room but I love to prove things.. I love to back my ideas up with facts... you can see that tone in someone my responses to people sometimes.. can't drop it.... My passion is helpingpeople and listening to people... i think that family law is the area for that.. I don't care but for some other facets but I find Law itself, the inner workings to be facinating and i want to learn more about it.

I am a very anayltical person and love logic games and problems. I think that law research and helping folks find the best way to get from point a to point b.... I don't want to run in and change the world.. I want to help a struggling mother, a young couple who wants a child, I want to help people get what they deserve not what a system thinks they should have....

Make sense... ??? Thanks for the thoughts so far!!! Please keep them up!!!

 

[rcyannacci]

You've alreay got a great start with your ideas, almost a rough outline of things you'd like to address. Now I'd encourage you to find specific examples that illustrate your ideas.

For example, you say "I love to learn, i love to read and I love to investigate to find the reasons and rights/wrongs. I don't have a strong drive to be in the court room but I love to prove things." When did you discover this about yourself? How have you already applied these talents? Do you have mentors in this regard? Who in your past (teachers, family members, work colleagues) has helped you develop these skills?

Also, if you love research, show your abilities by finding some appropriate quotations from famous/historic/well-respected individuals that you think add to your ideas.

What is typically so challenging about personal statements is writing from a position of power without sounding egotistical. Essentially, you are the expert on this subject because the subject is you. Write from a place of conviction- you will be a lawyer, the question at this point is which school will be the best choice for your particular talents. You may wish you had a higher GPA going in, but don't apologize for that. You are a different person now with different goals and the personal and professional experience to back them up.

And again, have fun with this. Any statement is better when the person is writing on a topic that they truly care about.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

My personal statement for law school linked my interest and aptitude for art with law. Definitely try to put as many personal experiences as you can in your statement and try to stand out. There will be hundreds of other essays and the admissions committee does not want to read the same thing over and over again.