Archived Questions

November 26, 2008

Q: How long should my personal statement be?

A: Generally, personal statements/essays should be between 2-3 double-spaced pages using 11 or 12 pt. font (stay away from fancy, cursive style fonts as they are more difficult to read). Some schools will be very specific about word or page limits and font sizes; others, like Lewis & Clark Law School, will not give any restrictions. Even if a school does not set any page requirements, it is important to be clear and concise enough to get your point across. You do not want to include unnecessary information, ramble, or be repetitive.

November 19, 2008

Q: What should my personal statement NOT say?

Here are some personal statement don’ts.

Don’t go over your whole work history or resume in your personal statement. If you want to elaborate on something particular on your resume that is fine, but we already have your resume and we do not need it in again written in prose.

Don’t use personal essay space to write about why your grades are low in your freshman year, why your LSAT isn’t an indicator of your potential, or why you switched schools three times. You should use an addendum to explain these things and save your personal essay for telling us about who you are.

Don’t send an essay to University X that says how excited you are about the possibility of attending University Y. Again, proofread.

Don’t write about how interesting the health law program is when that school does not have many health law offerings. In that same vein, don’t say you’re interested in health law (if you aren’t) just because a school has a great health law program and you think that’s what they want to hear.

Don’t start off your essay with a famous quote if you can help it. Admissions committees have all read numerous quotes by Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Aristotle, Thomas Wolfe, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Barbara Bush, H.W. Beecher, etc. Starting your essay this way is not original.

Don’t try to write like a lawyer. Some people will use a lot of legalese or espouse what they know about the law. Your professors will teach you how to write for the legal field once you are in law school. Furthermore, if you attempt to show us what you know about the law, you risk really showing us what you don’t know.

Along the same lines, don’t tell us what the law does or will do. We know that already. This type of essay does not tell us about YOU which is something we don’t know and are hoping to learn more about.

Hopefully, this will help guide you in writing a stellar essay and avoid some of the pitfalls that applicants encounter with this piece of the application. This could be the most difficult and also fun part of the application process - try to attack it in a positive way!

November 12, 2008

Q: What should my personal statement say?

Every law school is going to have certain instructions with regard to the personal statement/essay so you will want to pay attention to what they are asking you to write about. Some schools have very specific questions (e.g. Why do you want to go to law school? What challenges have you encountered and how have you overcome them? What experience or person has had an impact on how you live your life?). Other schools will have very general instructions (e.g. Tell us about yourself in 800 words or less.) If there is a specific question, then make sure your essay answers it. At Lewis & Clark, our essay “question” is very general. We ask you to share how your background, abilities, interests, and/or experiences make you a good candidate for Lewis & Clark Law School. Past essays have covered topics such as a memory of an influential person, an important discussion with a parent, a significant life experience, a special accomplishment, a unique talent, a strong interest in something – you get the idea.

First and foremost, admissions committees are going to be evaluating your writing ability. Your essay should be polished; that is to say it should be well-written, be without grammatical or spelling errors, flow well, be clear, and show correct word usage. You will want to proofread your essay multiple times, with and without spell check. You may also want someone you know who writes well take a look at your essay and give you feedback on (not rewrite) your essay.

Secondly, it is nice if your statement is interesting. What often makes for an interesting personal statement is that it is personal and genuine. We want to know how you think, feel, and/or live and you should be true to yourself. This is your opportunity to tell us who you are in your own words.

Lastly, have fun with it, because it can be an enjoyable exercise and you can even learn some things about yourself by doing it!

November 2, 2008

Q: What should be on my resume?

First, let me say that there isn’t any specific thing that an admissions committee is expecting to see on a resume. For example, we do not expect that you have worked in a law firm or have 150 hours of community service. We simply would like knowledge of your various pursuits other than school. This gives us a good idea of the experiences you will be bringing to law school and can highlight things about you that might be different from other applicants.

Just like a resume you would submit for a job application, a resume for law school should list your educational background, such as where you went to school, the degree you received, and the date you graduated. Like a job resume, it should also list work experience including dates employed, your title, the name of company or organization of employment, and your main responsibilities in that position. It should also list school activities, volunteer work, and honors or awards. What is different with a law school resume is that it can be longer and more descriptive than job resumes. You won’t be limited to one page with a law school resume. You can also include things that might be a bit more personal such as personal hobbies & interests. You will still want your resume to look and sound professional while also giving a comprehensive view of what you have been doing with your life outside of the classroom.

If you have been out of college for a long time and have a great degree of life and work experience, you can be judicious about how much description you choose to include. Summarizing duties for past employment, or simply listing dates/title/organization for your volunteer work may suffice.

Keep in mind that activities from high school or before are not necessary to list on your resume unless they were particularly impressive (e.g. valedictorian) or lifelong pursuits (e.g. 15 years of violin playing). Also note that acronyms for most things should be spelled out or some student groups explained. For example, many committee members will not know that CCWS means “Clark County Women’s Shelter” or that the BluesSparrows are a campus a cappella group.

In general, admissions committees are interested in knowing how you have spent your time and the resume is a way to highlight that in a descriptive, yet succinct, way.