Many law schools require applicants to outline their interest in a program through a “why this school” essay, often known as an anecdote-driven piece. Here is an example that showcases how to craft such an engaging essay using anecdotes effectively.
Notable too is that the author does not use harsh language when discussing individuals or events, demonstrating thoughtfulness and maturity from his writer.
Academics
Academics are at the core of law school. Most schools employ the Socratic method of teaching, which uses intensive questioning to lead students towards particular insights. Students also must read extensively – usually around 100 pages a week per class plus legal writing assignments – while also taking exams that cover all material taught over the term.
At times, learning experiences may feel lonely and oppressive for students from disadvantaged social backgrounds. When struggling with professors’ feedback, reading cases or materials, or legal writing exercises – especially legal writing exercises that may impose difficulties – such as those from law schools can often feel marginalized by them selves and begin believing their issues stem from lack of aptitude or ability. Unfortunately this pattern repeats itself leading them further towards marginalization.
Psychological friction has far-reaching ramifications for law student life and should be the subject of further exploration and research.
Extracurriculars
As their name implies, optional essays serve to supplement your application with additional information not conveyed through personal statements and transcripts. Furthermore, these essays serve to show admissions committee members that you’re an all-around applicant with interests outside law school that warrant consideration by admissions committee members.
Therefore, it’s essential that you engage in extracurricular activities that demonstrate you as an active and engaged citizen of your community. Merely listing organizations you belong to simply to pad out your resume won’t do; an admissions committee will easily recognize this and dismiss you as not being committed or serious enough about applying.
Activities should fit within the culture and programs offered at each law school, such as participating in its renowned moot court program or mentioning an impressive alum who inspires you to become a free speech attorney. For example, it may make sense to mention either one in your essay.
This essay does an exceptional job of conveying all her interests and passions in an engaging manner. She sets up a clear theme early on, then adds relevant details as she goes along – this makes the essay much more readable than one which attempts to address too many topics simultaneously.
Finally, the writer employs anecdotes to help convey her points and create emotional resonance with readers. While this strategy can be effective, it must also be employed sparingly; otherwise readers could become easily confused if there are too many stories crammed into an essay. Also important: the writer takes great care not to use legal jargon or words that might mislead readers.
Personality
To thrive in law school, you’ll require an ambitious personality who is up for the challenges of studying hard and thinking critically. A person who excels at law school can analyze cases to uncover its underlying issues while reading complex legal documents, all while keeping calm under pressure and remaining focused. Individuals who excel at law school also tend to possess qualities such as being sociable with classmates, professors and clients – essential attributes.
Personality can be a challenging element to address when writing or answering the “why law school” essay/interview question. The goal of such questions is to gain a better understanding of who you are as an individual beyond LSAT scores and GPA, and how experiences have formed your goals and qualities as a lawyer. Describing yourself can be tricky in an essay or interview response, so instead tell a personal narrative which reveals aspects of yourself like strengths without divulging confidential details.
One effective strategy to show this is through sharing an experience or event that exemplifies your character traits, like empathy and resilience. Be specific in detailing how the situation affected you personally as well as any lessons you learned from it; this will allow the admissions committee to fully appreciate who you are as an individual and whether their law school would be an ideal match.
Showcase your personality by emphasizing your cultural identity, as evidenced in statement #4 by its writer. Like that writer, describe how your heritage impacted your life and inspired your desire to become a lawyer – this shows the admissions committee that you are an interesting and compelling individual!
Always aim to use limited examples and to avoid generic or vague language in your essay. In addition, be wary of overstating your accomplishments or how law will change the world – doing so could come across as bragging and arrogance.
Experience
Many law schools require applicants to answer essays or interview questions that explore your experience and what you bring to their community. While crafting such an essay can be challenging, there are ways you can approach it that will make sure it speaks for itself. Drawing upon specific experiences can help give a humanized and intriguing view of who you are. Incorporating such experiences in your personal statement may make for an exceptional candidate application!
Though your work history will undoubtedly factor into your law school application essay, make sure that it focuses on those aspects most pertinent to it. For example, if the school emphasizes First Amendment Law rather than environmental work experience, don’t mention environmental work experience unless it directly ties back into your goals as a lawyer. Furthermore, refrain from listing accomplishments at work that you have achieved within your supplemental essay – instead use it to demonstrate how this experience will make you an invaluable member of their law school community.
Personal and professional experiences can also serve to illustrate how well you fit in to the culture of law school. If the school specializes in specific legal practices or offers an innovative curriculum, such as specialization or emphasis, you could emphasize how your skills and interests would contribute to its mission. If diversity is an integral component of its student body, highlighting past advocacy work for diverse communities could make an excellent addition.
Your law school essay can serve as an opportunity to name-drop impressive alumni; however, be careful in doing so. Only mention their achievements if their achievements coincide with yours – for instance if Penn Law is known for emphasizing free speech rights then naming-dropping a prominent First Amendment lawyer might be appropriate; otherwise mentioning an impressive environmental attorney that is unaffiliated with the school would be inappropriate.
