sample law school personal statement

Looking for help in editing your admission essays for law school? Read on to learn how to edit your essays the right way.

Basic tips when editing your application essays

When editing your college application admission essays, it is helpful to start editing after you have spent a couple of hours letting it rest. This means staying away from your essay right after writing the first draft and only coming back to it when you have rested your eyes. Editing is more effective if you look at your draft with fresh eyes. Basic things you should check when coming back to check on your essay include grammar, format, the sentence style, and organization. Also make sure that your essay has a natural flow. Abrupt terminations of sentences and awkward sentence structure may need to be revised. If you are not confident about your editing skills, show the essay to people who can help, such as your English professor or a professional editor. Finally, focus on one particular area when editing so that you do not overlook any small mistake.

Word-processing tools that can help you edit your application essay

There are a lot of word processing tools that can help you edit your application essays. While you can always start writing a draft by hand, using word processing tools such as Microsoft Word can help point out spelling and grammar mistakes, awkward, and incorrect sentence structures, and the like. You can also find a lot of commercial essay editing software available in the market. Finally, you can always ask other other people who can proofread your essay and give constructive advice on how you can improve your written piece.

Related questions:

1. Should I buy essay editing software for my law school application essay?

2. What kind of essay editing tools should I use?

3. When should I edit my first draft?

Want to know how to arrange your ideas for an excellent law school application essay? Read on to learn these important essay writing tips:

Every lawyer knows how to structure something around a central point. You can show just how good you are at this through your application essays. Nothing beats an essay that is coherent and tightly bound around a central theme. Here are tips on how to do this:

Arranging admission essay ideas into an outline

An outline will be your best friend when you are writing an essay. An outline works because it breaks down your essay into smaller parts, making it easier to write. You can brainstorm for ideas and come up with an outline in minutes, and this can guide you into making the rest of the essay. Think of an outline as the scaffolding to the house you are planning to build. Once you have made the framework filling in all the gaps will be easy to do. For the most basic outline, divide the essay into introduction, body, and conclusion. Experts advise hooking the reader with an eye-catching opening line. This could be anything from an interesting quote to a question—anything that grabs the attention of the reader gives your essay a bigger chance of being read from start to finish. To ensure that the essay has a cohesive theme, make sure that the body paragraphs relate to the introduction.

Other essay writing tips for a more effective flow of ideas

Aside from brainstorming and creating an outline, for a more effective flow of ideas, write and rewrite your essay, making sure that one paragraph flows freely into the next and the whole experience is not punctuated by wrong spelling or a grammatical mistake. You will find that rearranging paragraphs will make the essay a more interesting read, and you can only do this if you reread and edit until the essay looks just right. Do not be surprised if it takes you a number of days to come up with a law school application essay that reads just right. It is a fact that not all good writers can come up with an admission-worthy essay in just one sitting.

Related questions:

1. Should I use an essay when writing my law school admission essay?

2. How many words should I write for my law school admission essay?

3. How does brainstorming help me make my essay?

Want to write an excellent law school admission essay? Read on to learn how to make an essay that will get you to the law school of your dreams.

Your law school admission essay should be impeccable. One of the main things you must remember is that you cannot put everything in your law school essay. You may have done all the preparatory work, taken all the exams, and done all the extracurricular activities needed to make yourself a good law school candidate. You can list all these down in another part of your application. When it comes to the essay, knowing what to include and what to leave out is extremely important.

What not to include in your law school entrance personal statement

The first thing to remove from your law school entrance personal statement is anything that is negative, such as the details of a bad last semester or your personal faults and flaws. A law school admissions essay is not the right place to air out dirty laundry. Be sure to write with confidence. Talking about how inferior you feel compared to other more competent applicants will not draw pity points from the admissions panel. Also avoid using a life history approach to your essay. Rather than giving a chronological blow by blow of your life from the time when you were in diapers to your college days, choose an engaging story from your own life and structure your essay around that. Finally, avoid making lists. A list of your accomplishments can be found in another part of the application and is bound to bore the socks out of every member of the panel if you include it in your essay.

Other things to keep in mind when writing application essays

Other things to keep in mind when writing application essays include being concise, making the essay sound personal with the use of personal anecdotes, and making sure that any grammatical or spelling errors are not left behind. Also maintain an air of modesty in your essay. A piece that is full of presumptions such as statements of how the school cannot do without a man of your talents and abilities is bound to ruffle some feathers and will likely get your essay in the trash pile.

Related questions:

1. How many times should I rewrite my essay?

2. How do I know which to include in my essay?

3. Who can help me polish my law school application essay?

The Faculty Blog is one of the University of Chicago School of Law?s blog sites, with content on all kinds of law news, issues, and cases. Posts come from faculty, alumni, students, and other University affiliates. The blog targets to be a forum for open discussion on anything regarding law. As such, it is open to comments. It has been up and running since September 2008.

The ups and downs

Dialogue through comments and feedback on The Faculty Blog has a very academic atmosphere. Posts on a variety of law topics are accommodated, from debates to critiques and book reviews. Although all posts are in text format, some link to sites with video or audio clips.

The layout is very simple and easy to navigate. The site is split in two columns, the left for blog posts and the right for other navigation options: outside links, categories, archives, recent posts and comments. The site?s colors are also simple — just plain white for background and red and black for the text.

The simplicity, however, is also a downside. Being an academic blog, it is understandable for the site to have a formal appearance, but it does border on becoming a bit boring. Since it is just a two-column layout, there is no dynamics in navigating through the site, just a whole lot of scrolling down, down, and down — not exactly friendly for the non-academic readers. But for its target audience, the layout can be quite acceptable.

There is also no doubt that the content of The Faculty Law Blog is very extensive, which is why its categorization of posts could use a revamp. Posts are mostly classified under authors? names, which is disadvantageous for readers who are not familiar with the posts? authors. Perhaps a separate category list could be made — this time according to subjects of blog posts.

Prawfsblawg contains blogs on law issues, news, and other matters from law professors. These professors are from a mix of universities in the United States. The site is operated by PrawfsBlawg LLC, a limited liability corporation based in Florida. The site has been up and running since December 2008, and has the tagline: “Where Intellectual Honesty Has (Almost Always) Trumped Partisanship?Albeit in a Kind of Boring Way Until Recently?Since 2005.”

What makes it a good read

The site has a three-column layout, and its color of choice is in the shades of purple. Listed on its leftmost panel are links to recent comments and posts, blog categories, archives, a search bar and a space for advertisements. The middle panel contains blog posts, while the rightmost portion of the site lists the authors (the site?s regular Prawfs, guests and alumni). It also contains a list of links to sites recommended by PrawfsBlawg.

Posts on PrawfsBlawg concentrate on law, but although written by professors, the tone of the entries is not too academic. They are still an easy and practical read for non-law folk, like one regarding child obesity or another on video surveillance. Then there are posts that link law to unlikely topics, such as music or film.

A bit of disappointment

One off-putting factor in PrawfsBlawg, however, is the shift of layout when opening a category link. From three columns, the layout becomes two columns, and the color also changes. Although variety is welcome in a site, a constant look should also be kept to create an identity for the blog.

There are also the long lists on the left and rightmost frames. Both exceed the length of the blogs resulting in a lot of scrolling down by readers, which can ultimately become boring. It would be better if all frames ended on the same point, and any extra links, which can?t be fitted into the page, just be referred through other links.

Plan B is part of the network of blogs of MostStronglySupported.com, a site devoted to issues, news, and other information regarding the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Bloggers on the site are teachers of LSAT classes, but Dixie Tananbaum, who runs Plan B, has just recently stopped teaching to take up law. She calls her blog Plan B as reference to her blogging, which she calls her second career.

What makes it a fun read

Aspiring law students will definitely find Plan B an easy read. Dixie writes in a simple yet engaging manner, keeping her readers focused. Her blogs are also of reasonable length — meaning, you don?t have to scroll down forever before hitting rock bottom. She writes humorous, concise, and straight-to-the-point articles.

Most of her posts are personal, such as her memories on going back to school or her experiences as an unoccupied unemployed. There are also informative posts for newbie law school students, such as one on law school myths or a two-part post on how to defer from entering law school.

What are the glitches

What is noticeable about Plan B is that it?s a relatively young blog. Its archives only date back to July 2009, giving a grand total of nine posts. Compared to other blogs, information in Plan B is definitely not as extensive. It also lacks information on the author herself, presenting only vague information in her “About” page. The author also fails to utilize a “Categories” list, but this could be attributed to the site?s relatively few posts.

This is not to say that Plan B has nothing to offer. In fact, there is a noticeable effort from the author when it comes to updating her page. The articles are current and relevant to the author?s life, and she is always able to concentrate it on her main topic, which is law school. Plan B is certainly one blog worth keeping tabs on.

The Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog contains posts on issues and news regarding law and public policy. Its authors include the Marquette faculty, alumni, students, and others associated with the university. The site has been running since September 2008.

The plus points and the downside

Although the blog offers a wide range of categories, it is noticeable that the concentration is law be it criminal, family, or environmental law. The discussion is academic, and posts and comments go through editors of the site to make sure that civility and decency are maintained in the site.

While the site is an educational outlet, posts are written in a reader-friendly manner. Photos are also attached to some posts, usually just one placed at the beginning. This breaks the monotony of the blocks of text on each page.

The site has a three-column layout. The leftmost panel contains links to the categories, archives, comments and other outside links related to the blog. The central panel contains blog posts, while the rightmost frame contains names of blog editors and faculty, student and alumni contributors. Profiles of the editors and contributors are provided, as well as a link to each contributor?s posts. A faculty, student, and alumni “Blogger of the Month” is chosen and posted in the same panel.

The main page automatically shows 11 blog posts, resulting to a long downward scroll for the reader. Posts on the main page could have been cut shorter and a link could be made for continuations. Links for comments are posted at the top of each article; it could work better if the comments link be placed at the end of the post, letting the reader digest the information first before generating his or her opinion.

Layout- and content-wise, Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog is already quite easy to navigate and browse through — save for a few minor kinks that need tweaking.

Chuck Newton Rides the Third Wave Blog> is the blog of licensed lawyer Chuck Newton and his virtual law firm. It is an actual law firm, except that it has no office. Chuck works from home or wherever work catches up with him. He stays connected with clients through phone, e-mail, fax, or even snail mail. This unconventional form of running a law firm is part of Chuck?s belief in the Third Wave Theory of Alvin Toffler, which also refers to the “post-industrial society” or the “information age.” In this kind of society, technology has bridged the gap between producers and consumers, giving people the means to fulfill their own needs. In short, when it comes to legal services, Chuck Newton is a freelancer.

What the blog is all about

His blog is basically a compilation of his personal thoughts and opinions on law, with added tidbits on other topics such as music, film, education, fashion, etc. His audience is also people involved in law (students, professors, practitioners), but the site is also useful for people looking for legal advice. There is, however, a disclaimer on the lower right portion of the site that Chuck Newton doesn?t consider his posts as legal advice.

This isn?t to say, however, that the posts aren?t useful for legal help. Articles such as The Automatic Stay Violation Law Niche is a timely resource for those experiencing bankruptcy. For aspiring law students, posts like 5 Tips for Entering Law School Students can also be a useful guide.

A few suggestions

While it is clear who this site?s audience is, it could use some improvement in the layout department. At present, it is a two-column blog: recent posts on the left side and everything else (links to related sites and law schools, contact and site information, blog categories) on the right. It could create a third column to the left of the main frame containing the blog posts, and that column could carry the list of blog categories, links to recent posts, and comments, etc., just to decongest the rightmost column. A footer could also be used just so the site doesn?t appear too linear.

Content-wise, however, the blog is quite informative and also has useful outside links that support its content. Just take note that it is still a personal blog and, therefore, contains opinion and not legitimate legal advice.

Proofreading is the last yet vital part of composing your law school essay. Bear in mind that no matter how good the topic is or how convincing the content, grammatical and spelling errors will significantly decrease the quality of your essay. Hence, you must be vigilant and practice proofreading techniques to keep your compositions error-free.

Maximizing your computer’s spell check program

Make sure that your computer is consistently updated with its spell checking program. Your spell checker will be your first safety net against possible errors as it will automatically underline misspelled words. Depending on the program, you can add words as it suits you for a more efficient usage. You can browse the Internet for spell checking programs, or you can just modify the one you have.

Using your trusty highlighter to weed out weak sentences

Your second safety net would be a highlighter. Re-read your essay and highlight parts that you don?t like or you believe could be replaced with better ones. This is a very effective way of proofreading your essay, placing emphasis on sentences that are weak and giving you the chance to focus more on that particular word collection.

Leafing through a dictionary to verify terms and words

Double check your composition by relying on the time-tested dictionary. Spell checkers can also be faulty sometimes, and it would depend on your human capabilities to make your composition error-free. This may also provide you the opportunity to learn synonyms and edit your essay ti improve the tone or find better wording or phrasing.

You can also make use of proofreading symbols to maximize your proofreading capabilities. Try to create intervals between creating the essay and proofreading it. This will allow you to have a clearer state of mind, and the ability to spot errors more efficiently.

Related links:

Reading essays – All about critically checking law school essays
Mistakes to avoid – Avoiding law school personal statement mistakes
Using sample essays – About separating the good essays from the bad
Proofreading tips – Tips tp get your essay error-free!
Proofreading techniques – Tips and techniques in proofreading

When composing an application essay, it is important to think about how to make the essay intriguing for the reader. An effective personal statement would stimulate interest from the college of your choice, invariably making you stand out from the other applicants. To whip up an effective application essay, you have to make sure that the most basic and important ingredients are present in the article.

Effective topic

The first thing to be considered is the topic. Come up with a theme that is engaging for the reader. Do a little research if necessary. Bear in mind that the topic itself should demand attention. It should be something you are also interested in, so that you may be able to convey your thoughts in a more convincing manner. If you know the subject too well, you won’t risk sounding unsure or a little hesitant. You can be more passionate with your writing.

Good writing style

A good writing style conveys competency. One of the most effective methods of writing is by telling it as a story and letting the words flow from your hands. Avoid random sentences inserted in between paragraphs and instead establish an outline and follow it. Determine the subtopics you are going to discuss beforehand so you will not have any problems on what subject goes first. A good writing style promotes clarity of thought.

Grammar error-free essay

Proofread your personal statement as many times as possible. Submitting a grammatically incorrect essay will surely shoot down your chances of being chosen for the college. Most admission officers are very meticulous when it comes to grammar. Don’t be sloppy with essay writing. If you really want to get in, make sure that it’s clean and clear for readers to understand. Handing an error-free essay will promote your eligibility for the college.

Related links:

Improving essay tone – Improving the tone of your personal statement
Writing convincingly – Writing an effective personal statement
Bad essay samples – Identifying a poorly written personal statement
Writing personal statements – All about writing an effective personal statement
Personal statement advice – Guide to writing personal statements