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
Regardless of what university you feel like applying to, you must be prepared for whatever essay question they throw your way. Some universities give unique application essay questions designed to stimulate the creativity of students. If this eventuality arises, then it will be doubly important for you to be ready for wacky essay prompts.
Examples of wacky or unique essay prompts
The University of Chicago is famous for its wacky essay prompts. Examples of these are:
Essay question # 1 – How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.)
Essay question # 2 – “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” wrote the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” What is human personality? Is it obvious what uplifts and what degrades it? Can law be justified on the basis of it? We want to hear your thoughts on justice as it relates to this human personality.
The University of Virginia also throws in its share of wacky application essays such as:
Essay question # 1 – Make a bold prediction about something in the year 2020 that no one else has made a bold prediction about.
Essay question # 2 – The past isn’t dead. It’s not even past. So says the lawyer Gavin Stevens near the end of Faulkner’s “Requiem for a Nun” To borrow Stevens’ words, what small event, either from your personal history or the history of the world, is neither dead nor past?
Tips in dealing with unique essay prompts or questions
Thoroughly understand the question. You can never answer an admission prompt if you don?t understand the question and that goes double for essay questions that are wacky. Don?t attempt to answer a question you don?t understand. Try to break down the sentences so you could have a smaller scale viewpoint of the prompt before advancing to the larger scale.
Other things to keep in mind when tackling wacky essay prompts
Make sure that the primary question is answered. With the proper words, you can give a simply stated answer to a complicated question. Answering wacky essay prompts is the same with answering any type of question. Formulate a plan. Rearrange the words in your head before finally putting them on paper.
Related links:
Tone in essays – How to improve the tone of your law school personal statement
Reading sample essays
Discussing motivations – Using motivation as content in structured essay
Weird college essays – Examples of wacky college essays
Common college prompts – About some of the common college prompts
What you must bear in mind when writing a personal statement for the college of your choice is that you your essay must stand out. There are thousands of applicants vying for the same spot and you have to get ahead of them by turning your personal statement into something that automatically grabs attention.
Basic parts of an essay
An academic essay has three main parts, the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction is the part where you state your case. It would be the bait to spark interest from the reader and so, it should be engaging in itself. The body is where you expand on the introduction. This is where you list down your accomplishments, qualifications, and motivation, making you eligible for a spot in their college. Conclusion is the wrap up; it should talk about the impact of your experience to your application, inspiring the reader to think about the wide range of possibilities if you are accepted.
Tips in organizing the structure of your essay
Tip 1: Focus on a theme. This would help narrow down your discussion, focusing your essay on a topic and letting it evolve from there.
Tip 2: Start with an outline. List down the things you want to discuss and the order you want to discuss them. This will give you an overview of the whole essay and would allow you to simplify what would have been a difficult discussion. Once you have broken down the topics, then you might start from there, all the while keeping your mind on the main theme.
Tip 3: Turn it into a story. Don?t string together sentences in a random order. Instead, make it sound as though you are a storyteller on the verge of relating a compelling story. Link them together using words like although, therefore, or hence. This is a simple yet effective approach that would allow you to form arguments and conclusions, while still maintaining the pretense of a story.
Tip 4: Personalize the essay. Avoid using the word “we” and focus more one you’re beliefs. Compose it in the first person, emphasizing your personality in the article.
Proofreading the structure of your Essay
Read your essay once, leave it for a few hours, come back and read it again. This would allow your brain to be open to more ideas regarding your essay. Be very aware of the movement of your story as well as spelling and grammar. If you find it difficult to proofread your own work, then try asking a friend to read it for you. Redrafting is not a crime. You might want to check out online personal statement samples to be able to compare and edit your work as you see fit.
Related links:
Discussing motivations – All about motivation as content in structured essay
Tone of essays – All about increasing the quality of your personal statement
Mistakes to avoid – Mistakes to watch out for when structuring essays
Essay writing tips – How to write great admission essays
Essay structure – On how to structure your essay
Effectively Discussing Your Motivations in Your Essay with the Help of a Sample Law School Personal Statement
The members of admissions committees look for a certain factor that could make them decide if you make or break your chances of getting into law school. You don’t have to write about a near-death experience or a tragic incident in your life in order to grab the attention of the admissions officers. Showing your passion and motivations for the field that you are applying to, if done effectively, will make them notice your admissions essay. According to some experts, among the most compelling essays are the ones that discuss about the applicants’ motivations.
Why talk about your motivations
One of the secrets of a successful person is a good dose of motivation. Motivation is actually the driving force that can help one go on even when adversity arises. If you are motivated, chances are, you won’t easily give up when obstacles come your way. This is why, for some admissions officers, a person’s motivations are a plus. So if you are a motivated person, use this virtue to get better chances of obtaining admissions into the law school that you dreamed of. Below are some tips that you should keep in mind when writing about your motivations in your personal statement for law school.
Tip #1: Be honest in writing your essay
There are applicants who think that in order to get their essays noticed, they have to make it grandiose to the point that they manufacture information about themselves and their experiences. Always remember that the people in charged of reading your essay are experts in the field. So for sure, they can see through your lies. It is important, therefore, that you do not sacrifice sincerity for a melodramatic essay. Even if the events or the instances in your life that motivate you to pursue a study law is not grandiose, moving, and life-changing, you can still use it to get better chances of getting admissions. Just focus on how this little spark of motivation can eventually grow into a flame. What is important is you don’t manufacture passion, desire, and motivation. Just write in your own voice and be very natural with it.
Tip #2: Strive for uniqueness
Uniqueness should be one of your goals in writing a personal statement. Many applicants would also talk about their motivations in entering law school. But you can still have an edge over these applicants if you just make an effort to make your admissions essay unique. One of the ways to do this is by presenting a four-dimensional picture of yourself. This means you have to include not just your strengths but also your weaknesses. Uniqueness can also be achieved if you take a risk sometimes. This means that you could try something new and creative when writing your essay.
Tip #3: Be clear and concise
Clarity is also very important. Your personal statement is your chance to tell the committee about the things that you won’t be able to show on your resume and test scores. So make sure that you state everything clearly.
You can read a good sample law school personal statement in order to give you an idea on how to write your own. There are available essay samples online.
Photo Credit : Orin Optiglot
Aside from your resume and recommendation letters, another essential part of your application package to law school is your personal statement. Oftentimes, it is your personal statement that will make or break your chances of getting into law school. This is why it pays off to invest time and effort in your personal statement. This article will cover some of the mistakes that people commonly make on their law school personal statements.
Writing an extension of your resume
A common mistake that is made on personal statements is merely extending or repeating the information given in the resume. Remember that your resume and your personal statement are two separate and different requirements. Your resume should highlight your achievements, experience, and training. The personal statement, on the other hand, should talk about how you have developed as a person through these experiences that you have had.
Exaggerating, boasting, and lying
Sure you want to present your best qualities when you are applying to law school, but this does not mean that you should exaggerate, boast, or lie about who you are and what you have accomplished. The fastest way to get your application rejected is to get caught submitting dishonest information about yourself. Admissions evaluators are trained well and have extensive experience, making it easy for them to spot dishonesty of any sort. Being honest is an admirable and respectable trait that can help admissions committees make an unbiased and sound decision.
Equating your goals with money
Many people even enter into law school hoping that it will lead them to financial stability and a wealthy lifestyle. Still, there is no reason to mention your intention of getting rich through your law education. Instead, try to talk about your objectives and goals in light of the justice and equality that law strives to keep in place. Besides, admissions committees are already aware of the high salaries that many lawyers earn. Mentioning money as a reason for entering into law school may give the impression that you are materialistic or that you have your priorities mixed up.
Photo Credit : wwwardo
