LSAT Blogs

There are generally two types of personal statements. I call the first one a general or "open topic" essay. The application may limit you to formatting or space requirements (no more than two pages double-spaced, or no more than 500 words, no smaller than 11 pt. font) but does not limit you to a specific topic. You can write about anything you wish.

The second type of essay may ask specific questions such as: Why do you want to go to law school? Why do you want to go to this law school? What kind of challenges have you overcome, how have your overcome them, and how has that shaped you into the person you are today? What three words best describe you? What do you consider your greatest achievements and disappointments in life?

Even if you’re crafting a general statement, the above questions are important ones to consider. It’s a very logical question to ask an applicant why he/she wishes to attend law school, and why mine? You could be applying to an MBA program. Why did you choose law? I do want to know if you’ve faced any challenges and how you’ve overcome them. What did you learn from the experience? Your answers show me your character.

In the following blog entries, I will:
→ Pose additional questions and suggest themes for you to consider when writing your essay
→ Suggest possible ideas as to how to format your essay
→ Discuss potential essay pitfalls

I would say that as consultants, we devote the most time in helping our clients write the personal statement. As I tell my clients, I want you to get frustrated but not so frustrated that you’re ready to throw your computer out of the window. You have the more challenging job: you have to take your life and condense it into three pages double-spaced, or 500 words. I get the easy part; I get to read it. And as I wrote in my previous entry, I looked forward to reading every one.

And now we begin to address the personal statement, which is my favorite part of the application. It is through the personal statement that I felt like I got to know you the person, hence, why it is called the personal statement.

My biggest frustration was the applicant who wrote something like: "I’ve always wanted to go to law school. It’s a very prestigious profession, and I want to make the world a better place. To do that I need to be able to change/create policy, and to do that I need a law degree." What’s wrong with these words? Anyone can write them, so in reality, it is a missed opportunity to set yourself apart from all of your fellow applicants.

I look at the personal statement as very valuable real estate. The Admissions Committee is giving you the chance to sell yourself. What makes you special and different than any other applicant? Why should the law school accept you? Few law schools offer official interviews; therefore, it is those pieces of paper in your file that represent who you are. You need to brag about yourself without sounding like you’re bragging about yourself. This can be a challenge for a lot of us because we were taught not to brag.

You are unique. It’s in your hands to tell me how.

Today I’d like to talk to those of you who applied last year, were not accepted and wish to reapply this year to some of those same schools. You can do it, and here’s how:

First, call each school’s admissions office and inquire what the reapplication process entails. You might need to complete a new application, submit an updated personal statement, and reregister with LSAC.

Second, ask if you can speak with someone about why you were not accepted and what steps you can take to improve your chances. Generally, either your LSAT or GPA (or both) were not as competitive as the school was looking for. I recommend reapplying as long as you change something in your application. Take a look at my July 20th post to read about whether to retake the LSAT.

Lastly, you definitely want to make sure to alert the admissions committees of any honors, awards, or achievements that took place since you last applied. An addendum essay is a perfect opportunity to showcase these new accolades.

I encourage you to go for it!

In any Reading Comprehension passage, it’s vital to keep an eye out for the author’s opinion. Stated opinions will often be used for main point and inference questions. However, there are some questions that concentrate more on the author’s tone than the content itself.

These questions, which typically ask for the author’s attitude, are a nuisance to many test takers. However, they can be more easily managed by utilizing one of the fundamental strategies of Reading Comprehension: locating keywords. Words such as "sadly," "fortunately," and "helpful" give explicit clues to the author’s feeling on any given subject. While reading the passage, these words should stand out to test takers, who should then underline or circle them for later reference. This will make the tone easier to discover, turning author attitude questions from undesired challenges to quick, welcome points.

Here are three examples taken from recent exams that will hopefully shed some light on how to answer these questions:

*One passage included a question asking for the author’s attitude toward a particular philosophy. A quick glance at the first paragraph turns up a claim that the philosophy’s followers have a point of view that "appears unnecessarily narrow." Right away, that opinionated comment knocks out answers that suggest "neutrality" and "ambivalence." Also, the negative vibe gets rid of the answer that suggests "respect." Once the author makes a more formal argument later (using a "however" to start the contrasting opinion), out goes "thoughtless disregard," leaving "reasoned dismissal" as the correct answer.

*Another passage included a question that tries to exaggerate the author’s view – a classic trap that should be anticipated. In the passage, the author describes a new discovery as "medically significant because it raises the possibility" of treatments. The author then discusses how it "could potentially help." Possibility? Potentially? Those are qualified terms. So, when the question asks about the author’s attitude toward that discovery, the answer suggesting that the author is "certain" that benefits "will be realized" should be recognized as too extreme. Instead, the answer that touts "optimism" about "potential applications" is more in line with the author’s positive, but not entirely certain, outlook.

*A third passage discusses a particular method of teaching. Starting off with an "although," the author admits that the method "can be valuable." However, as is expected with the word "although," there’s another side to the story. The author goes on to bemoan that the method "contributes little" to students’ understanding. Despite the author’s ultimately negative stance, the mere mention of the potential value immediately eliminates all three answers that suggest the author disapproves of "all of its effects." And since the author clearly has an opinion, "clinical indifference" doesn’t work either. That leaves the one answer that mentions the author’s "partial disapproval of the method" and the "partial approval of some of its effects."

Whom do you ask to write letters of recommendation on your behalf? These letters are a vital element of your application material; take advantage of the opportunity.

The Kaplan website offers valuable insight into selecting recommenders who will best promote your application. From the home page click here.

In this space I’d like to touch upon two issues you may not be as familiar with. First, when law schools say they require two letters of recommendation, you can generally submit up to four because you have many facets to who you are. For example, you are a senior in college and have worked through school. You must definitely get two letters from professors because you are still in an academic environment, and they are the ones who can attest to how you perform in this setting. What about asking your employer? He/she can address your character from a very different perspective. Are you a team player? Ethical? Take a project from inception to completion?

Second, some of you are attending universities with large classes. I went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison; one of my classes had 650 people. The professor didn’t know me, but the teaching assistant did as he was the one who observed my class participation and graded my assignments. If you’re in a similar position, you can ask the teaching assistant to write the letter.

Both the Kaplan website and I try to provide you with as much information as possible, but you are unique; a Kaplan consultant will assist you in selecting the most opportune recommenders for you. For more information about Kaplan admissions consulting, click here.