Pre-Law Personal Statement Guide
This guide includes pre-law personal statement and additional writing samples information, sections of the statement explained, dos and don’ts, brainstorming questions to get started, assessment questions for editing and reflection, and various additional resources.
Your personal statement for law school is your chance to present who you are to the law school you are applying to. In the personal statement you are the focus. The essay should highlight your experiences, characteristics, and motivations. A personal statement is a great way to fill in the gaps for the admissions committee as they will be viewing your entire application and have access to large amounts of information about you. This is the opportunity to expand on your experiences that might not be reflected in those documents. A personal statement is more open than a statement of purpose. Admissions are looking to you to tell them what you think they should know about you as an applicant.
Students often are confused about what to include in or exclude from their personal statement. Many law schools have addenda and optional essays that cover additional information that may overlap with the personal statement. What you discuss in these writing prompts, described below, should not be included in your personal statement.
- You will have the opportunity to address your academic performance or legal background in the addendum.
- Do not plan on addressing these during your personal statement.
- This is shorter and to the point addressing specific areas of potential concern.
- Common optional essays will focus on topics like “Why X Law School” or a statement of perspective.
- These prompts usually have a narrower focus as to what should be covered in your response.
- This essay should add to your personal statement and application overall and not be repetitive.
Sections of a Personal Statement
- Use a compelling first statement or a “hook” to grab the reader’s attention. This helps the reader want to keep reading and feel connected to you.
- Introduce a main idea or theme to use throughout the personal statement (similar to a thesis statement in other essays).
- Keep these questions in mind when writing:
- Is the theme evident in the first paragraph?
- Does it set up the rest of your personal statement?
- Is the first paragraph capturing the reader’s attention?
- Are YOU the focus or are you highlighting somebody or something else too much?
- Focus on 1-3 key experiences.
- Use this section to highlight your competencies, abilities, and experiences that will make you a successful student and lawyer.
- Connect how your experiences, values, and accomplishments make you an ideal candidate.
- Keep these questions in mind when writing:
- Do the paragraphs connect to the overarching theme?
- Do the paragraphs connect in a way that makes sense to the reader?
- Do you remain as the focus throughout the body of the personal statement?
- Did you go in depth regarding your experiences?
- Reiterate the theme or focus from your narrative and what will leave a lasting impression on the reader.
- Make this a strong, forward-looking paragraph addressing your motivation to pursue law.
- Make sure everything is addressed from the prompt or what you wanted to include.
- Keep these questions in mind when writing:
- Did your last paragraph leave an impression?
- Did your last paragraph summarize your personal statement?
- Was your motivation or passion for law addressed?
Dos and Don’ts
- Stay focused on a theme and relate key experiences to that theme
- Write about experiences that add to your application
- Capture your readers’ attention in the first paragraph
- Write a cohesive statement
- Be clear about who you are and what you are bringing
- Your experiences should connect to your educational and professional goals
- Make sure your personal statement is free of grammatical, spelling, formatting, and punctuation errors
- Pay attention to each law school’s prompt and what they are asking to be addressed
- Proofread your personal statement
- Request others assist with proofreading and providing feedback
- Explain your passion and motivation for law through your experiences
- Lie about your experiences or accomplishments
- Rehash your resume
- Talk about too many different experiences without them being connected
- Focus on money as motivation
- Discuss potentially controversial topics
- Focus on somebody or something else throughout the personal statement
- Tell your entire life story
- Utilize legal language or legal concepts in your statement
- Address your weaknesses or shortcomings
- Start every sentence with the word “I”
- Using a quote to start off your personal statement
- Exceed word count or page limits
Brainstorming
Questions to use to brainstorm potential themes or topics you may wish to discuss in your personal statement
- Why do you want to go into law?
- Is there a significant event, period of time, or experience you had that inspired you to pursue law?
- Did you have a major life event that changed your way of thinking?
- Was there somebody influential in your life that you have had an impactful experience with?
- What were some of your greatest academic, professional, and/or personal achievements?
- How will your achievements set you up for future success?
- What experiences came from those achievements?
- Did you overcome a personal, professional, or academic challenge?
- Have you experienced personal hardships during your life?
- What student organizations did you participate in?
- What impact did you have in previous organizations?
- What skills did you gain from your various experiences that you can carry forward?
Assessment
After reading over the personal statement, you or your reader will evaluate the strengths of and potential improvements for the personal statement. Additional feedback or reflections can be added below. Categories that do not apply to your personal statement can be left blank.
| Opening Paragraph | Strengths | Improvements |
|---|---|---|
| The opening captures the reader’s attention | ||
| The opening paragraph sets up the rest of your personal statement | ||
| The theme is clear to the reader | ||
| The opening does not focus too much on somebody or something else |
| Feedback |
|---|
| Body Paragraphs | Strengths | Improvements |
|---|---|---|
| The paragraphs clearly connect to the overarching theme | ||
| The paragraphs connect to each other | ||
| More than one topic was addressed throughout | ||
| The body paragraphs are supported by evidence | ||
| Expanded on any experiences included from the resume |
| Feedback |
|---|
| Conclusion Paragraph | Strengths | Improvements |
|---|---|---|
| The last paragraph leaves an impression on the reader |
| The Conclusion Addresses One or More of the Following Areas: |
| Motivation to pursue law school | ||
| Your future career after law school | ||
| Your personal mission with the assistance of law school getting you to succeed in the mission | ||
| Your addition to the law school program adding value and perspective | ||
| Your unique skills and experiences in relation to being a strong lawyer | ||
| The conclusion effectively wraps up the personal statement |
| Feedback |
|---|
| Overall | Strengths | Improvements |
|---|---|---|
| The tone of the personal statement was free of negativity | ||
| The personal statement stuck to the theme or topic | ||
| The personal statement was organized and made sense to the reader | ||
| The personal statement gave a sense of whom the writer is | ||
| The personal statement is free of grammatical errors | ||
| There was a variety of sentence structure | ||
| Proper punctuation was used throughout | ||
| The personal statement was free of spelling errors | ||
| The personal statement showcased strong writing abilities |
| Feedback |
|---|
University of Florida Resources
The Pre-Law Advising Office offers up to two appointments to review personal statements. They can also assist with other pre-law related advising needs outside of your personal statement.
The Career Connections Center offers personal statement reviews at individual Career Planning appointments (in-person or online) through Gator CareerLink as well as workshops and Self-Guided Career Planning resources.
The Writing Studio Office can assist you with becoming a better writer. They do not edit or proofread. They will help you strengthen your writing skills if you feel you need assistance.
This University of Florida exclusive platform, Gator Network, offers a chance to connect with fellow students and alumni. This resource will be helpful to connect with those who have gone through this process already and can offer advice.
External Resources
The American Bar Association has a pre-law section that elaborates on the different core skills, values, knowledge, and experience to help build your legal foundation. This is a good resource if you are having trouble relating your skills, values, and experiences to your personal statement.
The Navigating Law School Admissions Podcast dives into the law school admissions process from the perspective of two law school admissions staff members. They have specific episodes discussing their advice on personal statements.
LawHub offers a section focusing on personal statement advice. This website also supplies other pre-law resources for the application process.