Sometimes the best way to figure out how to do something right is to see how it’s done wrong.  There are countless ways that law school applicants muck up their personal statements, but almost all their mistakes stem from a few common misconceptions they have going in.  If any of these beliefs are already lurking somewhere in your head, we invite you to stop and examine it carefully before you set about writing the essay that will represent you to law schools.

1. “I’ll worry about the statement later.  With school, work and the LSAT, I’ve got too much on my plate right now.”

Most applicants drastically underestimate the time it takes to write a good law school personal statement.  This is not an assignment you can churn out in a weekend.  Well-written essays can easily require a dozen drafts or more.  There’s a price to be paid in time and effort for a stand-out essay, and the best time to get started was yesterday.

2. “With a good GPA and LSAT score, my law school application should be fine.”

That makes as much sense as saying “With solid pistons and spark plugs, what do I need with a good carburetor?”  The personal statement, done well, is an integral part of your law school application.  It works together with your scores, resume, recommendation letters and addenda to tell your story.  It puts a “face” to your numbers.  Not giving the personal statement the same attention you give your LSAT and GPA would be wasting a golden opportunity.

3. “I’m an A student; I should know how to write a good law school personal statement.”

Most people applying to law school are “A students,” and most of them write run-of-the-mill, mind-numbing statements.  The very skills and habits that make them good academic writers often make them lousy essayists (and English majors are some of the worst).  A law school personal statement is not a research paper or critical analysis.  It’s also not a creative writing piece.  The law school personal statement is an entirely different beast.

4. “I already know what I’m going to write about.”

Actually, applicants who give the personal statement the time and effort it deserves usually don’t find what they need to write about until well into the drafting process.  As with any creative project, your initial ideas are often the most obvious and, consequently, the most trite and the least engaging.  If you trust the writing process and put in the work, you’ll find something demonstrably better.

5. “My personal statement should say something intelligent about Truth, Justice, or the importance of the Law.”

The reason you’re going to law school is because you aren’t an expert on the law…not yet.  Pretending to have expertise you don’t have will make you sound arrogant, oblivious, or just plain silly.

6. “The most important thing I can emphasize in my personal statement is my impressive resume.”

The most important thing to emphasize in your resume is your impressive resume.

7. “If I’ve had a tragedy in my life, I should write about that.”

Maybe, but this isn’t a given.  Overcoming hardships/death is a topic that gets “done to death.”  Give the writing process its due.  Is your hamster’s demise or even your best friend’s overdose really the single event most representative of who you are?  Chances are, you have better stories and topics waiting to be found.

8. “I should find an excellent personal statement to serve as a model.”

Following a model or a formula is a great way to write a formulaic statement, an essay that looks just like everyone else’s.  If you are a unique applicant with a unique life (and you are), your essay should be unique too.  Besides, you can’t assume that your friend’s essay was the reason she got into law school.  A lot of students get into law school in spite of their statements.

9. “I found an online service who will look over my statement for only $50.”

Save your money.  The “help” you get from most online services is the same surface-level proofreading you can get for free at your college writing center.  Before you accept help or advice on your statement, look carefully at the product offered.  Shop around.  On one extreme you’ll find ghostwriters who give you a quick questionnaire or phone interview and then write the statement for you! On the other extreme you’ll find proofreaders who charge you just to look over a draft and make superficial corrections.  A good editor will take the time to get to know you, help you see your weaknesses and strengths, show you how to draft effectively, help you identify the right topic for your essay, and then guide you as you pull it together into a final draft.

10. “I can’t afford help with my law school personal statement.”

Consider what you have riding on your law school application and what a difference a stand-out essay can make.  The question you should be asking is: “Can I afford not to get the best help available with my personal statement?”