Qualities You Should Highlight In Your Personal Statement
The law school personal statement offers admissions officers a view into who you are and what makes you tick.
Often times, admissions offices will seek out applicants who align well with their law school’s values, programs, and community.
Christine Carr, former Associate Director of Admissions at Boston University School of Law, wrote a piece for Accepted outlining a few of the key qualities that stick out to admissions officers.
INTEREST IN LAW
If you’re applying to law school, you should probably show some interest in the world of law.
This is most often gauged in personal statement which aim to gauge why you’re interested in pursuing law and what types of qualities you’d bring to the community.
“The personal statement should help us learn about the personal, professional, and/or academic qualities an applicant would bring to the Law School community,” according to Yale Law’s application requirements.
Carr notes that showing interest in the law doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have majored in pre-law.
“You don’t need an ‘aha’ moment, or have a definite plan for after law school but your interest in a legal education and a legal career should be explicit,” she writes.
ETHICS
Admissions officers are looking for applicants who will can showcase integrity and honesty.
Carr recommends highlighting strong values in your personal statement to convey that you are an ideal fit.
“Any type of service that emphasizes academic integrity or ethical standards is great to emphasize,” she writes. “It is important that everything you describe in your personal statement displays your strong sense of ethics – including your ‘work ethic.’.”
PEOPLE SKILLS
While test scores and GPA are important, people skills are just as critical when it comes to getting into law school.
“Lawyers work with people, clients and other lawyers,” Carr writes. “The legal profession is collaborative. While the stereotype of the lawyer is someone who is argumentative, in fact, law schools want people who can talk to many different types of people without confrontation.”
