Once they’ve successfully navigated the personal statement drafting process and taken their LSAT exams, applicants are now challenged with one final essay: why law school.
Admissions officers use essays as an important gauge to measure whether applicants fit with their schools. Here are some strategies that may help you create an impactful essay:
1. Focus on your interests
Admissions tutors use the “why law school?” question as an opportunity to assess your true motivations and determine your suitability for legal study. They do this through one of the few parts of an application where they can get an understanding of who you truly are as well as the value you can add to their legal community.
If you know which practice areas interest you, focus your efforts there as much as possible. Law school will only give you limited exposure to actual legal environments; thus it is wise to be as specific as possible about what you want from it.
If there are particular alumni that inspire you and can relate to an aspect of law school that particularly interests you, it would be prudent to mention them. While doing this can be tricky without making the mistake of name-dropping too often or glorifying anyone too much, be mindful that each mention relates back to your goals and interests in this field.
Admissions tutors will also want to know what contribution you intend to make to both the law community as a whole and specifically at their law school. This is your opportunity to explain your plans for changing the world through law or any other means; make sure they know exactly what contribution you intend to make!
The key is ensuring your entire application, including essays such as personal statements and diversity statements, as well as resumes are focused on why you chose the particular law school you applied to. All components – including “why law school” essays – should tie together seamlessly and add value to your overall narrative, convincing admissions tutors that you are perfect fit for their law school.
2. Be specific
Law school applications and interviews often ask applicants, “Why do you want to attend our law school?” To provide an adequate response, it’s essential to be specific in answering this question – simply saying you want to study law because it’s a great career path or because helping people isn’t enough – explain specifically why you wish to enroll at that particular institution and how their education will assist with your goals.
Though it can be tempting to mention notable alumni or rave about faculty quality in your essay or interview response, doing so can make you seem less compelling to admissions committees. Experts advise selecting a few strong points to emphasize rather than recounting many anecdotes – this way your essay or interview response will flow smoothly so admissions committee can understand why you’re interested in attending their institution.
One example of an effective law school application essay that is both specific and clear is this one about immigration law. Beginning with a memorable anecdote that sets the scene, the writer then elaborates on their experience that has sparked their fascination for this area of law and why earning their law degree would be their next logical step.
One way of being specific when applying to law schools is focusing on their culture – such as their commitment to diversity or innovative programs and collegial community – especially if these aspects align with an applicant’s values and interests.
Some schools include an additional question on their application that asks applicants to describe how they would add diversity to the law school community. Though this topic doesn’t fall under the “why law school” essay’s purview, discussing it still offers candidates an opportunity to distinguish themselves from applicants who can only speak generally about their experiences.
3. Be unique
An excellent law school essay should demonstrate your unique qualifications for legal practice, drawing on experiences such as those you’ve overcome to create your personal philosophy about life or how it influenced their choice of law as a profession. Furthermore, candidates can use this essay to discuss how legal education will enable them to make an impactful contribution towards society in an individualistic fashion.
Law school essays generally serve to give the admissions committee a clearer picture of an applicant as an individual, their background and experiences leading them into law, how this will benefit society in general as well as any future endeavours they might undertake. This is particularly true of personal statements written using narrative form which require significant self-reflection from its author.
Experts warn that law school applicants who attempt to make their essays sound generic or like those of someone else will come off sounding disingenuous, while writing an essay specifically tailored for a particular law school could appear as inauthentic and awkward. Therefore, it is crucial that applicants devote significant thought and preparation before beginning writing this essay.
As well as taking time to ensure their essay is error-free and received with due seriousness, applicants should also ensure it gives an impression of who they are as individuals and allows readers to form an opinion of them as people.
As part of your preparation for writing the law school essay, it can be helpful to read samples from successful applicants. While these samples should not be seen as templates that should be copied verbatim, they can provide insight into what works and doesn’t work in this type of essay. Applicants should also keep branding of various schools in mind as this will allow them to stand out in admissions competition.
4. Be honest
As part of writing a law school essay, it is vital that applicants be honest. Genuine essays that offer compelling reasons as to why an applicant would make a good fit will often garner more notice from admissions committee members than essays that contain criticism of others or contain statements which might tarnish an institution’s law school’s reputation.
Applying applicants should keep in mind that most individuals reading their personal statements will have already seen many others. Experts advise ensuring that your essay does not sound cliche, which may be difficult given that most personal statements discuss similar themes (overcoming obstacles and helping people).
An effective law school essay requires much preparation. Applicants should draft multiple drafts and solicit feedback from those familiar with the process, such as law school admissions consultants or trusted friends or family. Furthermore, it is vital that your essay contains no grammatical errors or other formatting mistakes which might detract from its content.
In this example, the writer does a remarkable job of detailing their past experiences without coming off as overly self-congratulatory or boastful. They highlight achievements like being interview team leader and program designer without overshadowing them with praise or boastfulness. Furthermore, they mention their passion for law with humility while noting how momentary setbacks or frustrations were ultimately positive experiences that contributed to further growth and development.
This final essay example does an outstanding job of weaving in their cultural background and desire to help others into their story, both elements that are crucial elements for law school applications; applicants should seek ways to incorporate this information into their essay.
