FAQ: Choose a winning story for your personal statement

The personal statement is your chance to show law schools that you’re going to kill it—as a student and as a future attorney. 

It’s an important part of your application, but nowhere near as important as your GPA and LSAT. Those two numbers get you through the door and into the room. Once you have their attention, the personal statement is your best chance to be more than a number to them.

Our recommendation is to zero in on one time you accomplished something in a way that will translate well to your academic and legal career. Dive into detail to show your readers how you got it done.

FAQs

Q. When should I write my personal statement?

A. After you’ve achieved an official LSAT score that’s competitive at your target schools. Give yourself up to a few weeks to write your personal statement and other application materials. You should apply in September, for most schools.

Q. What do Ben and Nate think about personal statements? 

A. LSAT Demon’s founders have helped countless students with their personal statements over the years. The approach we lay out in this course is based on their tips. In particular, check out Thinking LSAT podcast episodes 309, 311, 312, and 318, which are filled with their feedback on listener essays.

Q. How long should it be?

A. Anywhere between 1.5 and 2 pages.

Q. But don’t some schools allow more?

A. Prioritize keeping it to two pages. Writing within a space constraint is a skill you’ll need in law. Longer essays feel like you could have worked harder to be concise. Also, have some compassion for your audience of law school officers. They read a lot of these essays. A personal statement that says everything it needs to say in two pages or less is worth its weight in gold. Other items like your résumé and additional essays should be no more than one page.

Q. What should I write about?

A. We recommend you choose one work experience that shows off skills that will translate well to law. Go into detail about how you accomplished a particularly important task, solved a problem, or helped someone. If you don’t have work experience, your best achievement might be something you accomplished in another leadership or volunteer position. For others, it’s a school project you led or one that won you an award. 

Q. But I have lots of experiences. I can’t choose just one. Shouldn’t I write about all of them?

A. It’s good you have lots of experiences, but you’re thinking of your résumé. That’s where readers expect their attention to dart around. The two documents should be very different. When they sit down to read an essay, it’s more pleasant if it stays on topic. This essay is supposed to be a writing sample, so show you can stay focused for two pages.

Q. But shouldn’t it be more personal? Work is boring.

A. We won’t tell Yale you think work is boring. Instead, show you’re passionate about your career. Make your professional life personal. What do you like about work? What have you accomplished, and how did you do it? A specific example goes a long way, so think of a time that stands out. Go step by step. Translate jargon into layman’s terms. If you do so effectively, it’ll be memorable and engaging. Your readers will easily follow along and won’t be able to put your essay down! 

Q. But shouldn’t it be more self-reflective?

A. Not really. When you show your actions in a logical progression, your readers get to be the ones to reflect on what you did. Lead them to the conclusion you want them to reach on their own: they need you in their incoming class. We aren’t saying you can’t make a self-reflective point, but don’t overdo it—a little goes a long way. Actions speak louder. Show, don’t tell.

Q. Shouldn’t it say why I want to go to law school? 

A. It depends on why you want to go to law school. Avoid complaining about the time your family was sued. The best use of this space is to impress your readers. Make it perfectly clear that you want to go to law school because you’re capable and ready. Flip it around: why are you going to kick ass at law school? Why should the school want you? Use most of the essay to build evidence through facts that support claims you want to make about yourself.

Q. Shouldn’t it be about what I want to do with my law degree?

A. It depends on what you want to do with your law degree. Avoid flowery future theoreticals that are impossible to prove. If you already have a solid post-JD job offer or career where your law degree will be relevant, then yes, lean into it.

Q. Shouldn’t it be about a particular law school? 

A. No, it should be about you. Even if they state their name in the prompt, you don’t have to say it in your response. That approach too often devolves into telling the school things they already know. Make it easier on yourself by writing one personal statement to send to many schools. The only place to write about a particular school is if they offer a separate prompt about it. If you still think a personal statement prompt is asking you to address that school, and they don’t offer a separate “Why our school” prompt, then one or two sentences is sufficient.

Q. Shouldn’t it be more about my identity?

A. By focusing on who you are today instead of who you were several years ago, you portray yourself as a mature, savvy adult. An applicant who has a strong point to make about their identity or background story can better deploy it as a separate response to a prompt about diversity, lived experiences, or overcoming challenges, which most schools offer.

Final Thoughts

Let’s recap. A good personal statement is 1.5 to 2 pages long and tells a story from work or a leadership role. Focus on a time you solved a problem, completed an important task, or helped someone. In other words, show your readers you’re a winner—and that you’ll keep winning in law school. 

The best essays show, not tell. They stick to clear, objective facts and let the reader draw their own conclusions. The conclusion they should draw is that you’re a badass whose skills will translate well to law school.