Law school applicants must recognize the fact that the component of their law school applications that they can best control is the personal statement. This is because undergraduate transcripts can no longer be tweaked, letters of recommendation can only be requested from people who know them during their academic and professional journey, and work and leadership experiences may only be changed if they want to delay their law school application. That said, this leaves the law school personal statement to be the only thing under the applicant’s full control. The applicant should then focus much of his or her energy on writing an effective personal statement.

Writing with a purpose and for the readers

The law school applicant can use his or her motivations for pursuing such a degree to write his personal statement. Aside from the purpose, the applicant must focus on the readers as well. He or she must be able to gauge the impact of the personal statement on the admissions committee.

Anticipating the essay’s effect on interview questions

It is important to be honest and sincere when writing the law school personal statement. The applicant must also be able to anticipate the questions that the essay may generate. He or she must remember that the law school admission process usually culminates with an interview, and the interviewer will be referring to the essay when asking questions.

Promoting one’s self

A personal statement should be able to represent the law school applicant who is not there when the admissions committee members are reading the essay. The essay should then accurately represent who the applicant really is. The admissions committee must be convinced that the applicant is a perfect fit to the law school.

Excellent writing skills

Of course, everything would be for nothing if the applicant cannot express him or herself articulately. The personal statement must use correct English grammar, have a strong introduction, present a powerful conclusion, and create an overall persuasive argument. The law school applicant must already show that he or she has the powers of persuasion.

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