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Six Law School Personal Statements That Got Into Harvard By David Busis Published Feb 10, 2021 Updated Feb 10, 2021

The essays below, which were all part of successful applications to Harvard Law, rely on humble reckonings followed by reflections. Some reckonings are political: an applicant grapples with the 2008 financial crisis; another grapples with her political party’s embrace of populism. Others are personal: a student struggles to sprint up a hill; another struggles to speak clearly. The writers have different ideologies, different ambitions, and different levels of engagement with the law. Yet all of them come across as thoughtful, open to change, and ready to serve.

Jump to a personal statement:

Essay 1: Sea Turtles

I stood over the dead loggerhead, blood crusting my surgical gloves and dark green streaks of bile from its punctured gallbladder drying on my khaki shorts. It was the fifth day of a five-week summer scholarship at the University of Chicago’s Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), and as I shuffled downwind of the massive creature, the pungent scent of its decomposition wafted toward me in the hot summer breeze. Aggressive flies buzzed around my head, occasionally pausing to land on the wad of plastic we had extracted from the loggerhead’s stomach. The plastic had likely caused a blockage somewhere, and the sea turtle had died of malnutrition. When the necropsy was finished, we discarded the remains in a shallow hole under a thicket of trees, and with the last shovel of sand over its permanent resting place, its death became just another data point among myriad others. Would it make a difference in the long, arduous battle against environmental pollution? Probably not. But that dead loggerhead was something of a personal tipping point for me.

I have always loved the clean, carefully objective nature of scientific research, but when I returned to the US from my native XXXX to study biology, I began to understand that because of this objectivity, scientific data rarely produces an emotional effect. It is difficult to initiate change based on such a passive approach. My ecology professor used to lament that it was not science that would determine the fate of the environment, but politics. The deeper I delved into research, the more I agreed with her. Almost every day, I came across pieces of published research that were incorrectly cited as evidence for exaggerated conclusions and used, for example, as a rebuttal against climate change. Reality meant nothing when pitted against a provocative narrative. It was rather disillusioning at first, but I was never one to favor passivity. In an effort to better understand the issues, I began to look into the policy side of biological conservation. The opportunity at the MBL came at this juncture in my academic journey, and it was there that I received my final push to the path of law.

After weeks of sea turtle biology and policy debates at the MBL, we held a mock symposium on fishing and bycatch regulations. Participants were exclusively STEM majors, so before the debate even began, everyone in the room was already heavily in favor of reducing commercial fishing. I was assigned the role of the Chair of the New Bedford Division of Marine Fisheries, and my objective was clear: to represent the wishes of my constituents, and my constituents wanted more time out on the sea. However, that meant an increase in accidental bycatch, which could hurt endangered marine populations and fill up the bycatch quota for commercial fishermen before the season ended.

There were hundreds of pages of research data on novel technological innovations for bycatch reduction that I had to wade through, but with the help of my group, I was able to piece together a net replacement plan that just barely satisfied my constituents, the scientists, and the industry reps. Although the issue of widespread net replacement incentives for the commercial fishermen remained, there was no doubt that I enjoyed the mental stimulus of tackling this hypothetical challenge. I was able to use my science background to aid in brokering a compromise that would reduce the amount of damage done to the environment without endangering the livelihood of the people involved in the industry.

By the end of the symposium, I knew that I wanted to bridge the gap between presenting scientific data correctly and effecting change in the policy world. Although there are many ways for me to advocate for change, I believe that only legal and legislative enforcements will have a widespread and lasting effect on the heavy polluters of the world. I want to combine my legal education and a solid foundation in the biological sciences to tackle the ever-growing slew of environmental challenges facing us in the twenty-first century.

The night the symposium ended, we patrolled the beach for nesting females. As I walked beneath the stars, I thought of that sea turtle and of the repeating migration of my own life, from my birthplace in XXXX to my childhood in the US, back to XXXX and now the US again. With the guidance of the Earth’s magnetic fields, sea turtles are able to accurately return to their birthplace no matter how far they deviate, but I like to imagine that they, like me, do need to occasionally chart another course to get there. Standing on a beach in Woods Hole, thousands of miles from home, I knew that I was on the right path and ready to embark on a career in law.

Essay 2: Joining the Arsonists To Become a Fireman

On the morning of the 2004 presidential election, my sixth-grade teacher told me to watch out for John Kerry voters in the hallways because our school was a polling station. I nodded and went to the water fountain, thinking to myself that my parents were voting for John Kerry, and that as far as I could tell, they posed no risk to students. It was a familiar juxtaposition—the ideas at my dinner table in conflict with the dogmas I encountered elsewhere in my conservative Missourian community. This dissonance fostered my curiosity about issues of policy and politics. I wanted to figure out why the adults in my life couldn’t seem to agree.

Earlier in 2004, Barack Obama’s now famous DNC keynote had inspired me to turn my interests into actions. Even at age twelve, I was moved by his ideas and motivated to work in public service. When Obama ran for president four years later, I heeded his call to get involved. I gave money I had made mowing lawns to my parents to donate to his campaign and taped Obama-Biden yard signs to my old Corolla, which earned it an egging and a run-in with silly string in my high school parking lot.

While I knew in high school that I wanted to involve myself in public service, I wasn’t sure what shape that involvement would take until signs of the financial crisis—deserted strip malls and foreclosed homes—cropped up in my hometown. I was amazed by the disaster and shaken by the toll it took on my community. As I saw it, the crisis wasn’t about Wall Street, but about people losing their jobs, homes, and savings. I didn’t understand what Lehman Brothers had to do with the fact that my neighbor’s appliance store had to lay off most of its employees.

Intent on understanding what had happened, I started reading up, inhaling books about financial crises and articles on mortgage-backed securities and rating agencies. Along the way, I also developed an affinity for the policymakers fighting the crisis. I admired how time and again these unknown bureaucrats struggled to choose the best among bad options, served as Congressional piñatas on Capitol Hill, and went back across the street to face the next disaster. I decided that I too wanted to work in financial regulation. I thought then and believe today that if I can help protect consumers and mitigate the downturns that force people from their jobs and homes, I will have done something worthwhile.

Strange though it may seem, this decision led me to join Barclays as an investment banking analyst after college. While in a sense I was “joining the arsonists to become a fireman,” as one skeptical friend put it, banking gave me immediate experience working with the firms and people who had played key roles in the response to the financial crisis years before. I was initially worried that I would discover financial rules and regulations to be impotent platitudes, without the power to change the financial system, but my experience taught me the opposite. New regulations catalyzed many of the transactions on which I worked, from bank capital raises to divestitures aimed at de-risking. Ironically, becoming a banker made me even more of an idealist about the power of policy.

I envisioned spending years in the industry before moving to a government role, and I left banking for private equity investing with that track in mind. When I began making get-out-the-vote calls on behalf of the Clinton presidential campaign, however, I realized that I needed to change my plans. I cared more about contacting voters, about the result of the election, and about its policy implications than anything I did at work. Although I’m grateful for what I’ve learned in the private sector, I don’t want to spend more time on the sidelines of the policy debates and decisions that matter to me.

That’s why I am pursuing a J.D. I want to help shape the policies that will make the financial system more resilient and equitable, and to do so effectively, I need to understand the foundation upon which the financial system is built: the law. The post-crisis regulatory landscape is already in need of recalibration; large banks still pose systemic risks, and regulation lags even further behind in the non-bank world. Advances in financial technology, from online lending platforms to blockchain technology, are raising new questions about everything from capital and liquidity to smart contracts and financial privacy. Policymakers need to confront these issues proactively and pursue legal and regulatory frameworks that foster public trust while encouraging innovation. A J.D. will give me the training I need to be involved in this process. I don’t claim to have a revolutionary theory of financial crisis, but I do hope to be a part of preventing the next one.

Essay 3: Populism

Growing up, I felt that I existed in two different worlds. At home, I was influenced by my large, conservative Arizonan family, who shaped my values and understanding of the world. During middle school, my family moved, and I enrolled in a small, left-leaning school with an intense focus on globalism and diversity. I enjoyed being surrounded by people who challenged my beliefs, and I prided myself on my ability to dwell comfortably in both spaces.

In 2015, American political reality disrupted the happy balance between my two worlds. The Republican presidential primary, in a gust of populism, was proposing ideas that I didn’t recognize and wouldn’t condone, like a hardline immigration stance, opposition to free trade, and a tolerance for harassment. I resented this populist wave for hijacking the party, and the voters who created it. I didn’t understand them, and I didn’t think I could.

Despite my skepticism, I decided to make an attempt. As the founder of the Bowdoin College Political Union, a program that promotes substantive, inclusive conversations about policy and politics among students, I brought speakers with diverse ideologies to campus and hosted small group discussions with members of the College Democrats, the College Republicans, and students somewhere in between. In the winter of my senior year, I helped organize a summit that brought together students with a broad spectrum of views from dozens of universities throughout the eastern United States.

As a resident assistant during the 2016 presidential election, I held open-door discussions for individuals from across the political spectrum and around the globe. Facilitating these discussions felt like a natural extension of my role on campus, and I learned not only that having space for open dialogue can ease tensions, but also that the absence of that space does not erase political difference. Instead, it creates feelings of isolation and fosters ignorance.

But it was the death of a family member in early 2016 that helped me understand another perspective, namely the populist views beginning to overwhelm the Republican Party. After the death of my mother’s cousin from cancer, I called my second cousins, all three of whom are around my age, to offer my condolences. I was surprised to learn that none of them had finished high school. Instead, they had worked to help pay for their mother’s treatment. While I had been worrying about which summer internships to apply for, they were worried about maintaining their family home. In the past, I’d thought that their views on economic policy and immigration came from a place of ignorance or spite. I realized over the course of our conversation that I had no idea what it was like to not have a high school degree and compete for employment in a rural area where wages are low. For the first time, I was engaging with people in the demographic that was generating the populist wave that was sweeping the country. This conversation led me to expand my studies in politics and to think beyond the left-right spectrum to consider class and urban-rural divides within my own party. Ultimately, reconnecting with my extended family informed my decision to write my senior thesis on populist movements and why economics drives them. It also changed the way I thought about politics and its effect on people like my second cousins.

After my college graduation, I took a job with a political and opposition research firm called XYZ in Washington, because I felt that my understanding of 2016’s populism was still lacking. XYZ gave me the opportunity to work with people from different parts of the Republican Party: both establishment operatives and grassroots operations. This enabled me to work within the framework of Republican politics that resembles my own, while being exposed to the perspectives of people working to represent people like my second cousins. My time at XYZ helped me see the power of the populist movement, but also understand the limitations of its proposed solutions, like a resurgence of manufacturing. Now that I have interacted with populist groups, I see that ultimately, the valid frustrations of many working-class Americans need to be addressed by empathetic leadership and challenging but necessary evaluations of policy in the areas of economics, education, and culture.

I want to apply my passion for political discourse in law school and in my career as a lawyer. My passion for engaging with others will serve me well in the classroom and in a career at the intersection of law and politics. I hope to continue to make connections between people of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints and to engage in meaningful, bipartisan discourse.

Essay 4: Pop Warner

One summer, when I was eight years old, I signed up to play Pop Warner Football for my hometown. After the calisthenics, scrimmages, and the rest of practice concluded in the midst of the sweltering early August sun, I would sprint thirty yards up a hill steep enough to go sledding down. I had to lose nine pounds in order to make weight for my junior pee-wee football team. I wanted nothing more than to be on the team, so it didn’t faze me that I was the only one running up and down the hill. A dirt path marked the grassy knoll from my countless trips up and down. I usually managed to hold back the tears just long enough until I got home. As an eight-year-old, this was the most difficult challenge I had ever been tasked with. But the next day, I would get down in a three-point stance and sprint up the hill under the red sky of the setting sun.

When I finally made the team, I was elated; I had achieved a goal I often felt impossible in those moments of sweat and tears. The excitement was, nonetheless, short-lived. The other kids still called me “Corey the Cupcake,” a nickname I thought I’d left behind with the extra pounds. In every game of the season, my first playing football, I received my eight minimum plays and rode the bench the rest of the game. It was an unusually wet September, and I caught a cold a few times from standing there for two and a half hours in the nippy morning rain. I hated it, but I kept playing.

I continued to play every fall through high school. My freshman year, during a varsity practice, I broke both the radius and ulna bones in my left arm and simultaneously dislocated my wrist, which required a plate and four screws to repair. To this day, I can’t help but flash back to that frigid November afternoon when I look at the five-inch scar on my left arm or when the breaking point is hit precisely. Sophomore year, I was introduced to a coach who frequently criticized me for “not being black enough,” or sometimes, contradictorily, for acting “too black.” I was even benched for my entire junior year for being unable to attend football camp over the summer.

Why did I play football for eleven years? It might have been for the Friday nights in front of the school, as there was nothing more thrilling than making a crucial catch and hearing the whole town cheer. It might have been because I wanted to fit in with my athletic classmates. It might have been because I felt that I was improving after each catch, each hit, and each drill. But I believe, above all else, it was because I just don’t like to give up.

My first job as a project assistant at a large law firm was somewhat similar to my experiences as a young football player; both required grit and determination to push through difficult circumstances. Late one evening, two days before Thanksgiving, my supervisor asked me to complete and organize the service of eighteen subpoenas for the following day. The partners and associates were so busy with internal politics—one of the head partners was leaving the firm—that no one was available to walk me through the process. I felt ridiculous when I Googled “How to fill out and serve a subpoena,” but it was important to me that I complete the project properly.

I am appreciative of the challenges that I faced as a project assistant. If it weren’t for those experiences, it is unlikely that I would have been fortunate enough to be hired by the Delaware Office of the Attorney General, where I work today. My job here has confirmed that law is exactly what I want to do. I realized this through several opportunities to draft written discovery. I loved fashioning objections to each individual request in a given set. Developing legitimate grounds for disputing discovery on its merits and intent was inspiring to me. I can’t wait to do this more and on a larger scale as an attorney.

The steadfastness that I obtained as a young athlete defines who I am. I couldn’t see it at the time, but every day on which I gave something my best effort, whether it was on the practice field or in my tiny office on the twenty-seventh floor, I became a little bit stronger, a little bit wiser. I am confident that my perseverance and dedication will facilitate my future success, both in law school and afterwards.

Essay 5: Speech Therapy

When I was very young, I was diagnosed with a severe phonological disorder that hindered my ability to verbalize the most basic sounds that make up words. It didn’t take my parents long to notice that as other children my age began speaking and communicating with each other, I remained quiet. When I did speak, my words were mostly incomprehensible and seemed to lack any repetition. I was taken to numerous speech therapists, many of whom believed that I would never be able to communicate effectively with others.

From the age of three until I was in seventh grade, I went to speech therapy twice a week. I also regularly practiced my speech outside of therapy, eventually improving to such an extent that I thought I was done with therapy forever. This, however, was short-lived. By tenth grade, I realized my impediment was back and was once again severely limiting my ability to articulate words. That was also the year my family moved from Vancouver, Canada to Little Rock, Arkansas, which complicated matters for me.

I knew that my speech was preventing me from making new friends and participating in classroom discussions, but I resisted going back into therapy. I thought that a renewal of speech therapy would be like accepting defeat. It was a part of my life that had long passed. With college approaching, though, I was desperate not to continue stuttering words and slurring sentences. I knew that I would have to become more confident about my speech to make friends and to be the student I wanted to be. During the summer before my freshman year, I reluctantly decided to reenter speech therapy.

I see now that this decision was anything but an acceptance of defeat. In fact, refusing to reenter therapy would have been a defeat. With my new therapist, I made significant strides and the quality of my speech improved greatly. Using the confidence that I built in therapy that summer, I pushed myself to meet new people and join extracurricular organizations when I entered college. In particular, I applied to and was accepted into a competitive freshman service leadership organization called Forward.

The other members of Forward were incredibly outgoing, and many of them had been highly involved in their high school communities—two things I was not. I made a concerted effort to learn from those who were different from me. I was an active participant in discussions during meetings, utilizing my unique background to provide a different perspective. My peers not only understood me, but also cared about what I had to say. I even began taking on leadership roles in the program, such as directing a community service project to help the elderly. My time in Forward made it clear to me that my speech disorder wouldn’t be what held me back in college; as long as I made the effort, I could succeed. The confidence I gained led me to continue to push past the boundaries I had set for myself in high school, and has guided the bold approach I have taken to new challenges in college.

When I first finished therapy in seventh grade, I pretended that I had never had a speech disorder in the first place. Having recently finished therapy again, I can accept that my speech disorder has shaped the person I am today. In many ways, it has had a positive effect on me. My struggle to communicate, for example, has made me a better listener. My inability to ask questions has forced me to engage with problems on a deeper level, which has led me to develop a methodical approach to reasoning. I believe these skills will help me succeed in law school, and they are part of what motivates me to apply in the first place. Having struggled for so long to speak up for myself, I look forward to the day when I can speak up for others.

Essay 6: Ting Hua

“Ting hua!” I heard it when I scalded my fingers reaching above the kitchen counter to grab at a steaming slice of pork belly before it was served; I heard it when I hid little Twix bars underneath the bags of Chinese broccoli in the grocery store shopping cart; I heard it when I brought sticks back home to swing perilously close to the ceiling fan. Literally translated, “ting hua” means “hear my words.” Its true meaning, though, is closer to “listen to what I mean.” Although the phrase was nearly ubiquitous in my childhood, that distinction—between hearing and listening—did not become clear for me until much later in life.

That childhood began in Shanghai, where I was born, and continued in Southern California, where we moved shortly after I turned four. Some things stayed the same in the US. We still ate my mom’s chive dumplings at the dinner table. On New Year’s, I could still look forward to a red envelope with a few dollars’ worth of pocket money. But other things changed. I stopped learning Chinese, and my parents never became proficient in English. Slowly, so slowly I almost didn’t realize, it became harder and harder for me to communicate with them.

Because I didn’t feel like I could talk to them, I could never resist opening my mouth with others. I talked to good friends about Yu-Gi-Oh, to not-so-good friends about Pokemon, and to absolute strangers about PB&J, the Simpsons, and why golden retriever puppies were the best dogs ever. Even alone, I talked to my pet turtle Snorkel and tried out different war cries—you know, in case I woke up one morning as a mouse in Brian Jacques’s Redwall .

The way I communicated with my parents didn’t change until I came back for Thanksgiving my freshman year of college. I was writing for the school newspaper—a weekly column on politics. I had written an article in support of gay marriage. My parents had asked me about it, and in the way I was wont to do, I answered briefly before moving on to talk about my friends and my floor and my classes.

While I was brushing my teeth that night, my dad came into the restroom. He stood in the doorway and said, “Hey. I read the article you wrote about gay marriage… you should be careful saying things like that.”

His words—you should be careful saying things like that— sounded to me like homophobia. I knew that in China, same-sex relationships were illegal, stigmatized, banned, so I thought I understood where my dad was coming from, even though I also thought it was bigotry. I was about to brush him off, to accept that we had different views, but when I looked up, I didn’t see the judgment I was expecting. In the way he stood slightly hunched in the doorway, in the way he touched his chin, in the way his eyebrows drew together, I saw love. So I swallowed down “don’t worry about it” and asked what he meant. He told me about a cousin of his, someone I would have called Uncle, who was expelled from his school and sent to the countryside for his political comments. In that moment, I realized that my dad wasn’t concerned about my politics—he was concerned about me. Had I not stopped to listen , rather than just to hear, I would not have understood that. I would not have known why he told me to be careful.

Although I still enjoy talking to other people about PB&J sandwiches, I have learned to listen, to actively engage with my parents when we communicate. More importantly, whether I’m interviewing witnesses on the stand in mock trial, resolving disagreements between friends, or sitting in a chair while teachers and professors give me advice, I’ve made an effort to remember those words my mom has spoken since I was a toddler: “ting hua.”

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Tips For Law School Personal Statements: Examples, Resources And More

Expert Reviewed

Updated: Mar 22, 2024, 4:48pm

Tips For Law School Personal Statements: Examples, Resources And More

Tens of thousands of undergraduates pursue law school every year, and the competition for admission is fierce.

When it comes to admissions, your law school personal statement is not as impactful as your LSAT scores or undergraduate GPA. Still, a personal statement can be the deciding factor when competing with other applicants.

In this article, we discuss how to write a law school personal statement that demonstrates why you belong in a Juris Doctor (J.D.) program.

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What Is a Law School Personal Statement?

A law school personal statement is a multi-paragraph essay or narrative highlighting the reason you are pursuing a J.D. degree . This essay is an opportunity to share your identity with an admissions committee—beyond just transcripts and test scores.

Personal statements are typically two to four pages long. Most law schools do not provide specific prompts for applicants’ statements, but some do. Either way, the content of your statement should leave a strong impression.

Why Do Law Schools Ask for Personal Statements?

Law schools receive a high volume of applications and typically do not contact applicants for interviews until after reviewing their applications. As a result, personal statements largely act as a substitute for the applicant interview process.

Your personal statement serves as a writing sample that shows your ability to communicate ideas effectively. In addition to demonstrating your ability to write well, a personal statement can give an admissions committee a clear picture of your motivations for attending law school and indicate how well you might fit into their program.

If you’re wondering how to become a lawyer , law school is the first step—and your personal statement is important to the law school application process.

How To Write a Law School Personal Statement

Writing a law school personal statement can be a challenging part of the application process, involving hours of planning and drafting. However, with solid brainstorming and prewriting strategies, you can craft an effective personal statement that illustrates how you are a strong candidate for law school.

Picking What to Write About

If your prospective school does not provide a prompt, choosing what to write about can be frustrating and time-consuming.

Start with a serious brainstorming session to get your ideas on paper. Give yourself the license to explore every experience or idea before deciding on your final topic.

Consider spending time jotting down every idea that falls into the following categories:

Life events or experiences that motivated you or changed your perspective
A meaningful personal achievement and what you learned from it
How you became interested in the law
Your passions and how they contributed to your individual goals

Structuring Your Law School Personal Statement

The structure and method you use to craft your statement is important. It might be tempting to follow a rigid formula and write a personal statement that methodically unpacks your reason for attending law school, your qualifications and the relevance of your extracurricular engagements. However, some of the most effective personal statements are crafted through a narrative approach.

Well-written narratives are engaging and illustrate why law school would benefit your career path. Your essay should exhibit your dedication and passion for the law and highlight the relationship between your values and your target law school. By creating a narrative with a common theme woven throughout, you can captivate your reader while informing them of your qualifications and goals.

Rather than overtly telling the reader why you should be accepted into law school, a narrative allows its audience to make connections and engage at a personal level. Your anecdotes and specific examples should reveal the traits you want the admissions committee to see and appreciate.

What Makes a ‘Good’ Law School Personal Statement?

Law school admissions teams read hundreds, even thousands of personal statements, so it’s important to write one that stands out. Ultimately, a good law school personal statement engages the reader, provides a unique perspective and demonstrates why you would make a good candidate for law school.

Choose a Unique Topic

A personal statement is exactly that: personal. Crafting a memorable narrative is paramount and dependent on your story and unique life experiences, especially since reviewers read so many personal statements with similar stories and themes.

Unfortunately, certain topics can come across as cliche. This is not to say that your lived experience of overcoming adversity or your time spent volunteering to help those in need is undervalued. However, those narratives have motivated thousands of aspiring attorneys to pursue law—meaning they have appeared in thousands of law school personal statements.

Give Specific Examples

Once you’ve selected a topic, take time to unpack the examples you plan to share and how they tie into the “why” behind your pursuit of law school. General statements are not only boring to read but lack the depth of meaning required to make an impact. Specific examples are critical to creating interest and highlighting the uniqueness of your personal experience.

According to law school admissions consultant and founder of PreLawPro, Ben Cooper, “It is always great to have a story that speaks for you. A story that demonstrates certain qualities or a key lesson learned is always more compelling than simply saying, ‘I am dedicated, responsible etc.’ ”

Be Personal and Reflective

Law schools want to see critical thinking skills and deep reflection in applicants’ personal essays. Before you write, consider a few questions. Is your story unique to you? What was the primary conflict in your story? How did you develop over time? How does this story reflect who you are now and how law school suits you? Take time to ponder what challenges you’ve overcome and what events and experiences have shaped your worldview.

Common Pitfalls for a Law School Personal Statement

Before you invest hours writing an essay just for it to fall flat, make sure you’re aware of the most common pitfalls for law school personal statements.

Failing To Follow Instructions

Law schools set specific formatting and length guidelines. Reading comprehension and attention to detail are key skills for law school success, so failing to meet these expectations could count against your application or even result in an automatic rejection.

Length and formatting requirements vary among law schools. For example, if a school expects no more than two pages, 11-point font, 1-inch margins and double spacing, make sure to format your personal statement precisely according to those specifications. We advise tailoring your personal statement to each individual school to avoid violating any formatting requirements.

If a law school asks you to answer a specific prompt or write multiple essays, make sure to follow those instructions as well.

Not Revising And Proofreading

Nothing screams a lack of effort, interest and commitment like an unpolished personal statement. Admissions teams will quickly notice if you skip proofreads and revisions, even if the content of your essay is exceptional.

This step entails much more than running a spelling and grammar check. You must ensure that the order of information is purposeful and logical. Each word you use should be intentional and add value to the story you are trying to tell.

Revising an essay is not a one-person job. Have others provide feedback, too. Your peers and mentors are a great place to start, as long as they give objective feedback.

Also ask people you do not know to provide feedback. You might start with your university’s writing center . Writing centers employ trained writing tutors who are skilled in providing feedback across disciplines. A writing center tutor will not proofread your essay, but they assist in making it reach its full potential.

Using Flowery Or Overly Academic Language

The voice and tone of your personal statement should flow naturally and reflect who you are. This doesn’t require flowery or overly academic language, which can make your essay sound more obtuse and less personal.

As we stated earlier, your personal statement should use specific examples and stories to generate interest and reveal why you want to attend law school and become a lawyer.

Likewise, you should avoid using excessive legal language or famous quotes in your statement. Admissions reviewers are academics, so if you use a term improperly, they will catch it. Use language that you feel comfortable with, without being too informal, and allow your narrative to convey your intended themes and ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Law School Personal Statements

What is a good personal statement for law school.

A good personal statement for law school is original, engaging, truthful and well-structured. When composing your personal statement, take time to reflect on your life experiences and how they led you to pursue a legal career. Follow each school’s required format, make sure to proofread carefully and use natural-sounding language.

How much does a law school personal statement matter?

Law school admissions committees typically place more emphasis on your LSAT performance and undergraduate academic record—including your GPA and the rigor of your course of study—but a personal statement can still have a powerful impact on the success of your application. A strong essay can help you stand out from the crowd, and conversely, a clichéd, poorly written or incorrectly formatted essay can hurt your chances.

Do law schools fact-check personal statements?

Assume that law school admissions officers may fact-check any verifiable information in your personal statement. They may not know if you are presenting your motivations for applying or your career plans honestly, but they can—and will—check whether, for example, you participated in a particular student organization or attended a specific conference.

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How to Write A Standout Law Personal Statement

A law personal statement is essential when applying to enrol on an LLB law course as an undergraduate or an LLM degree as a postgraduate. Get advice and tips on writing good law personal statements.

Our Guide to Law Personal Statements

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You’ll need to write a law personal statement if you’re applying for the LLB or other types of law degrees via UCAS . You will also have to write one if you’re applying to study law at postgraduate level.

What is a Law Personal Statement?

The personal statement is a piece of writing which you send off with your UCAS application to different universities . It’s capped at 4,000 characters (so will often end up running for about one side of A4), and serves as the best way to differentiate yourself from other applicants to the most competitive courses. In short, it’s the personal statement which is the truly ‘personal’ part of your application. This is your chance to grab the attention of the admissions team, who will often use the personal statement as the easiest way to pick between candidates with other similar metrics (e.g. predicted A Level grades which meet the entry requirements ). Other universities ( Oxbridge specifically ) place even more emphasis on your personal statement, using it as a way to decide who to invite to interview (and then as a source of discussion during interviews). Put simply, it’s an important part of your application.

For law specifically, a subject which is known to be both competitive and highly academic, the personal statement is even more crucial. The University of Law have a page outlining some law personal statement tips , but this article seeks to present our views on some of the most crucial elements of a successful personal statement for studying law at university – from what you should do to what you shouldn’t, structure, content and more, this article will get you well on your way.

How Universities Use Your UCAS Law Personal Statement

If a lot of students applying for law degree courses have achieved the basic entry requirements, university admissions teams use UCAS law personal statements to decide who is more suited to their learning programme. Some universities take this a step further with, for example, with the LNAT , which is taken into consideration alongside your personal statement.

Some law schools will read every personal statement and score them. They then use this score alongside your qualifications and grades to decide whether to offer you an interview. Other law universities don’t give as much consideration to personal statements and will only use them to decide between students who have borderline entry requirements.

Law schools may refer to your personal statement on results day if you don’t get the grades you need. A good personal statement could be the difference in securing a university place if you don’t get the grades you hoped for.

Planning Your Statement

Plan a clear structure.

First thing’s first, you’re going to need a clear structure. There are a few reasons for this. First, having a clearly planned out structure before you start writing will limit the amount of ‘waffle’ you could accidentally end up putting into your writing (more on that in our next point). Second, a clear structure allows your reader (those university admissions teams) to enjoy the personal statement more by increasing the smoothness of the reading experience associated with a well thought out body of text (remember, they’ll be reading hundreds, if not thousands, of these). Third, you’re applying to study law – the personal statement is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that you can produce well planned, structured writing (as is crucial for any humanities subject). The theme of the personal statement serving a dual purpose (presenting the content itself but also showcasing your writing abilities) will come up again throughout this article – it’s super important to bear in mind.

There is no one-size-fits-all structure that your personal statement should take, and you should allow yourself to be guided largely by the content you’re looking to present. It is a good idea, however, to feature a particularly catchy opening leading into an introductory section, a main body (structure however best suits the content) and at least a line or two of concluding material at the end.

Leading on from our last point, being concise is key. Not only does this allow you to demonstrate your clarity of writing (as all law students and aspiring lawyers need as a key skill ), but it also increases the amount of content (or explanation of that content) you’re able to pack into 4,000 characters. For example, have you written ‘on the other hand’? ‘Conversely’ is 2 words/7 characters shorter, and serves the exact same purpose. Also consider whether you’re repeating yourself. Conciseness is best achieved by proofreading.

Manage Your Tone

Throughout your personal statement, it’s best to take a relatively formal tone. Your content is the part that allows your personality and individualism to shine through. Also avoid humour – it’s simply too risky without knowing the preferences of the individual whose desk your personal statement will eventually land on.

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Writing Your Statement

Proofreading is essential for a personal statement, and you’ll likely go through many rounds of drafts. Having concise writing is key (see the point above), but even more important is the fact your personal statement needs to avoid any errors in spelling or grammar. These are easily correctible and may reflect badly on you as a student applying to an essay-based subject at university. It’s fine if you personally struggle with spelling or grammar – see our next point for a way to combat that.

Get Feedback

Your personal statement, while being innately ‘personal’, is best improved by showing it to a range of people. Although there will naturally (and sadly) be a difference in the quality of assistance you will receive based on the quality of your sixth form/college, be proactive in seeking out the best people possible to read over it and give you feedback. Are there any teachers at your school who studied on the university course you now find yourself applying to? Can you find current students/alumni of that course on LinkedIn and ask if they’d be willing to spare a few minutes to glance over it for you? The more input you get (from people who have more experience than you on this topic), the more secure you’ll feel in defending why you’ve written what you have.

Capital Letter Checks

If you’ve successfully followed the tips above, you’re likely to have a personal statement with a great deal of specific references in it. There’s an easy way to roughly check this – visually scan down your personal statement and see how many capital letters there are. If you’ve got very few, it’s likely that you may have included a fair amount of ‘waffle’. If you can spot quite a few capital letters, that’s a sign that you’ve probably included the specifics – great job! Where ‘I’ve read many legal books’ might throw up a red flag, ‘I’ve read X and Y books’ means you’re on a great path.

Get to Know Your Course

Demonstrate your interest by improving your understanding

Perfecting Your Statement

Keep it personal.

Attempting to present a broad overview of your degree’s content (e.g. trying to do a broad sweep of UK legal history) is useless, impossible, and ultimately pretty boring to read. It also means you’ll end up with something that skims the surface of many things. Remember, this is a ‘personal’ statement. The best way to approach it is to drill down deep into one or two particular niches that interests you (again, rather than skimming the surface of a huge range of topics). This keeps your personal statement fresh and interesting to read for the admissions team. Have you developed an interest in a particular piece of legislation that’s just come out? You could spend a paragraph going into some detail here – and the contents of that paragraph are what comes next.

Show – Don’t Tell

This is one of the most important pieces of advice possible. Once you’ve found a particular area of interest to talk about in your personal statement, you need to back that up with specific, tangible examples. Some people will also advise that you try and keep this content relatively recent in order to demonstrate an engagement with world affairs. Although not compulsory, this can still be a useful avenue to explore. ‘I’m really interested in the new Online Safety Bill’ is generic, proves very little, and could apply to anyone. ‘My interest in the new Online Safety Bill led me to read X book and watch X documentary, after which I considered X issues’ is specific to you, demonstrates a tangible interest in these topics, and is simply far more interesting to read. This idea of constantly building on what came before allows you to demonstrate a thread running throughout your essay (helping your structure present itself as clear in the process). This is where you’ll often hear people say that your personal statement needs to ‘flow’.

The range of things that you could ‘show’ is vast – books related to your course are a great starting point. If you know one of your top choice universities employs a particularly prominent member of faculty, perhaps you’d be interested to have a look at their writing and include that too. Other such content could include documentaries, conferences, events, or work experience. Now your personal statement is looking far more personal.

Academic vs Extra-Curricular

Balancing the proportion of academic to extra-curricular content in your personal statement is not an easy task, especially when you’re likely to hear that certain top universities like Oxbridge heavily favour the former. Law is also an intensely academic subject. With that in mind, it’s only natural to place a heavy emphasis on the academic side. However, if you’ve got extra-curricular content which you feel you could successfully link to your degree course in some way (e.g. ‘For my swimming club, I researched current health and safety regulations to make sure we are compliant’ – ‘I am in a swimming club’, conversely, doesn’t hold much value), then do feel free to include that too.

In short, while writing law personal statements may appear a challenge, following our top tips will allow your application to excel. Be clear, be specific, be you.

Watch this video from Solent University Law School, Southampton, which is packed with great tips on how to write a strong personal statement for law.

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Personal statement advice: politics

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Politics: less can be more

Demonstrating your understanding of and interest in studying politics is a key way of impressing tutors:

‘The most persuasive statements are those that are clearly written and which get straight to the point. Less is often more. I simply want it made clear to me that an applicant is academically interested in studying the subject at university, that they’ve done their homework, and have a sense of what the academic study of politics is actually about… that it’s not just current affairs.

The University of Bristol helpfully outlines what tutors are looking for in politics applicants on its website – you need to show evidence of:

your engagement with the subject beyond the A level (or equivalent) syllabus
what it is that specifically and explicitly enthuses you about the debates you engage with, the books you read, and the ideas you discuss

They would also be very interested in your reflections on any relevant volunteering or campaigning you might have done, but it’s you as an individual and your intellectual engagement with ideas that they most want to get a feel for. There's no model answer – it just needs to be unique to you. Or one other way you might stand out, in Dr Allen's view, is by speaking to an admissions tutor at an open day and following it up with an email exchange.

Successful Personal Statement For Law At Cambridge

Last Updated: 21st August 2024

Author: Adi Sen

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it.

Today, we are looking through a Law applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Cambridge University. The Law Course at Cambridge allows you to understand law in its historical and social contexts, and to examine its general principles and techniques.

Read on to see how this candidate wrote a Personal Statement that demonstrates an appreciation of the principles and challenges of law.

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

Enrolling on our Oxbridge Law comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts.

Your tutor will give you actionable feedback with insider tips on how to improve and make your Personal Statement Oxbridge quality for the best chances of success.

Law Personal Statement

Law is the epitome of human reason; it is the force that holds society together and the cornerstone on which great civilizations were built upon. By dictating a code of conduct which everyone had to abide by, it has created a system of accountability and allowed society to flourish. However, Law is never static. It changes with time – internalising new concepts and discarding anachronistic ones to reflect societal norms. It is this dynamic nature of the Law that I find so enthralling – that there exists a gamut of good answers but never a right one. Such idealism aside, I believe excellence in legal study and work does not come easy. It requires much passion, intellect and hard work.

At College, I offered 12 academic units (as compared to the standard 10 academic units) at the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Level Examinations. Concurrently, I represented Singapore in Swimming and was an active member of my College’s Swimming and Cross-Country team, training up to six times each week and achieving numerous medals and accolades in Inter-College Competitions. Such excellence in both sports and academics demonstrates my strong self-discipline, time management skills as well as my capacity for sustained hard work.

As a student, I heId numerous leadership positions such as Swimming Captain, School Prefect as well as being part of the Executive Committee of my College Freshman Orientation Camp. In addition, I undertook various community-based service projects aimed at spreading awareness on and massaging the plight of the less-privileged in society. These experiences in positions of influence and leadership have strengthened my organisational and problem-solving skills, teamwork as well as allowed me to develop effective communication skills.

For my ability to balance studies, sports and leadership roles, I was among the ten students (out of nine hundred) on my College’s prestigious Principal’s Honour Roll in 2011 that acknowledged distinguished academic achievement and outstanding contributions to the College. Though challenging as it might have been, I have benefited greatly from my overall College experience and would certainly look forward to continue to represent, contribute and excel in University.

During my National Service stint, I served as a Military Officer entrusted with the responsibility of leading and nurturing the next generation of soldiers. Besides leading soldiers out in the field, I had to handle soldiers from a myriad of backgrounds as well as run the general day to day administration of the battalion. I have had multiple opportunities to serve as a Defending Officer to servicemen (who were accused of various wrongdoings) in military courts as well as conduct investigations into various malpractices in my battalion. These unique and far-reaching dealings in the Army has reaffirmed my decision to pursue law, refined my ability to think critically and to work under significant constraints and duress.

I am a firm believer in the importance of reading and see it as an avenue for the pursuit of knowledge. I read on a wide range of topics including legal conundrums, science, philosophy and even military tactics as I believe sufficient breath of thought is needed to develop one’s mental prowess. Through such extensive reading, I have honed my rigour of thought and widened my perspectives to a myriad of issues.

A career in law is diverse and dynamic, yet fraught with many challenges. Legal theory, evidence, clientele management and not to mention regularly navigating the bureaucratic quagmire; no other field is as challenging or multi-faceted as the field of law. Though arduous, I relish the intellectual challenges of legal study and aspire to ensure human rationale and justice continues to prevail in society. Thus, I believe I possess the necessary attributes needed for legal study and excellence in the field of law.

For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:

Successful Personal Statement For Economics & Management At Oxford

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Good Points Of The Personal Statement

The personal statement is well-written with no obvious errors. The student opens with quite a conceptual statement of what law means to them and this helps to make the subject seem like a well thought through choice. Additionally, the student recognises that law is a difficult and challenging course but seems unafraid of the need to put the necessary effort into it. The conclusion is similar in this respect, tying back to the introductory thoughts and ending on a strong statement of why the student feels like they would be a strong candidate to study law at university. Moreover, the student gives a very capable impression by mentioning their place on the College’s Honour Roll, as it suggests they can balance their extra-curricular activities with (and not to the detriment of) their academic studies well.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

Structurally, this statement needs to be reorganised. The student’s legal interests are given attention and evidence far too late with extra-curricular activities of limited relevance being introduced closer to the beginning. In a personal statement as part of a law application, Law needs to be the primary focus throughout. The student’s positions of responsibility also come above their academic, legal interests, when they should be given less focus and come later on in the statement. When talking about the skills they developed in relation to these activities, the student makes these developed attributes sound beneficial but does not explicitly tie them to law or why they are useful to the study of law. It takes until the penultimate paragraph for the student to talk openly about their academic interests, and even then, they do not illustrate this with any specific legal examples.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

The personal statement is good but could be easily improved. The student would benefit from reordering the structure of the content to open with legal or academic interests, and then saving less relevant extra-curricular activities till the end. Any activity or skill should be tied back to law wherever possible – giving specific examples of how they relate would also be helpful in getting across why the student is prepared to study law at university.

And there we have it – a Cambridge Law Personal Statement with feedback from our expert tutors.

Remember, at Cambridge, the Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.

Our Free Personal Statement Resources page is filled with even more successful personal statements and expert guides.

Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Cambridge Law application.

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Law School Personal Statement

Writing an effective personal statement is a challenging and often frustrating task, even for the law school applicant who has had a great deal of experience in writing. A carefully conceived essay will certainly compliment the credentials of a well-qualified applicant; it may tip the balance in favor of one applicant over another. When completing law school application forms, there is generally not enough room to elaborate or to highlight individual experiences and achievements. The personal statement may be the best opportunity to accomplish this. The personal statement is, in the abstract, an intimate portrait of a candidate. In reality, it is about you. It provides an opportunity for individual consideration which generally substitutes for a personal interview.

While there is no fixed formula for your personal statement, the key is to supply the law school with material about you and then to allow the admissions committee to draw its own conclusions from the information provided. Law school applications differ. Some applications include specific questions which provide an opportunity to deal with some of the areas mentioned here, while others will want you to include all areas in your personal statement. In preparing to write the personal statement, you should consider a number of questions. You may find some of the following suggestions helpful.

You should first consider: “Where did my interest in law begin?”, “When did I first become interested in a legal career?” You may want to highlight pivotal factors or experiences. These may include an inspirational role model such as a parent or teacher, an experience with the law or a significant high school or college course. One suggestion is to begin with a pivotal experience in your life which sparked your interest in law. It might be a job experience, a course taken as an undergraduate, or a childhood experience which developed your interest. However, simply rambling on about how you have had an interest in law since the age of ten and not explaining why does not help your case. Whatever the pivotal experience may be, find a clear way of describing this experience. You should also ask yourself: “What makes me a unique applicant?'”, “Why would this particular law school want me?”, “What makes me a desirable candidate for the rigors of studying and practicing law?” Focus upon particular personal qualities, life experiences or accomplishments which may be of interest to the admissions staff who will be reading the essay. Think of inner strengths and qualities. Consider areas in your background which may be of interest to the law school such as a rigorous undergraduate course of study, a particularly interesting employment history, life experiences and the like. Rather than listing your achievements, explain how you have excelled in areas such as scholarship or civic responsibility.

Some law schools suggest that you include a resume, if appropriate, to list achievements, extracurricular activities, employment history and the like. Other law schools include specific questions regarding these areas. The personal statement, in contrast, may focus on only one or a limited number of experiences which reveal who you are as a unique individual.

The importance of including outside interests such as extracurricular activities, student groups, the pre-law society, a fraternity, a sorority, employment and military service should be carefully weighed. Involvement in such activities should be included if it demonstrates leadership ability, professional growth or unique contributions. In contrast, simply stating that you were a member of an organization without explaining its significance to your application will not be useful. It may even lead to the conclusion that you diluted your academic efforts.

Similarly, with regard to employment history, you should only mention job experiences which have had a direct effect on your professional growth. An internship with a government agency or one within the legal field which sparked an interest in the legal profession are good examples for inclusion. One caveat – you may not want to mention affiliation with a particular political party or ideology because it may needlessly cause a subjective reaction on the part of the reader. In such a case, you may want to describe your experience in generic terms and explain how your exposure to the legal field will help you to be a successful law student. Be careful not to come off as being all-knowing. There is a tremendous difference between an essay which describes one’s budding interest in the legal profession through work experience, and an essay which attempts to demonstrate that one already has a vast knowledge of the law.

Military service may also be a factor which enhances your potential as a prospective law student. The military is often seen as a catalyst for developing and instilling discipline, leadership principles and tenacity. Focusing on themes such as these within the personal statement lets the committee know that time devoted to military service has been spent wisely. If you attended college part-time while in the military and your grades were not as good as after discharge, you may want to explain the difficulty in completing college-level courses while assigned to a military unit. In certain cases, a supporting letter from a unit commander can explain the difficulty in undertaking college studies while on active duty.

If you have definite career plans, you also focus upon the future by asking: “What are my goals and plans for the future?”, “How do these plans flow from my background and experience?”, “How will formal legal training help me to realize my goals?” In some cases, it may be appropriate to indicate whether and how a law school education would have helped you to be more effective in your prior activities. If it is applicable, indicate how law school and admission to the bar are the tools that you will need for your future endeavors.

Once you have thought through the content of your personal statement, the writing process begins. In the view of one law school admissions officer, the key is to stress strengths without being boastful or obnoxious and deal with weaknesses without being defensive. The law school application is, in a sense, your first legal case and the personal statement demonstrates how persuasive you can be in discussing your own candidacy.

Somewhere in your law school application, you will need to explain negative aspects of your credentials as a means of “damage control”. For some law schools, the personal statement provides you with this opportunity, while for other schools, an addendum or separate explanatory statement is more appropriate.

Significant adverse factors which may have affected the GPA, such as a change of major or a weak beginning, must be addressed whether in the personal statement or a separate statement. Be sure to mention such weaknesses. However, when presenting detrimental factors, do not dwell on them. Discuss meaningful personal factors but do not be melodramatic. It is particularly important to show triumph over adversity where it truthfully exists, such as a strong finish after a weak beginning.

If you are a consistently poor standardized test taker with a high grade point average, the personal statement may provide an opportunity to point this out. This does not mean that you should whine and plead. Some students utilize the entire personal statement to try to explain away a low LSAT score, rather than dedicating a single concise paragraph. The admissions staff want to see a picture of you as a whole person, not just a person who has difficulty in taking tests.

The weak points of every candidate’s law school application are always revealed and examined. The question is “on whose terms will they be examined’? You can frame the discussion by concisely confronting problem areas and then offering reasonable and informative explanations. As an illustration of this, a panel of admissions officers conducted a mock admission exercise at the 1991 Conference of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors. The panel considered the credentials of six hypothetical applicants. The applicant who decided to dwell on the reasons for his poor grades, rather than “good, solid reasons to admit him” fared very poorly. In contrast, the applicant who briefly mentioned the death of his mother, and how this tragedy helped him to grow, fared extremely well despite several negative factors in his credentials.

Many times applicants are reluctant to discuss personal tragedies, a history of financial disadvantage, medical disabilities and things of this nature. A reluctance is understandable, but needs to be overcome. The personal statement provides a valuable tool for the admissions committee to gain insight if there are serious problems in your life which may have prevented you from reaching your highest potential. It is up to you to provide the admissions committee with your explanation of difficulties such as a difficult course of study or a severe dip in grade point average, rather than leaving it up to the committee to decide what might have happened. In some cases, supporting documentation may provide a better understanding of special circumstances or difficulties.

The personal statement should generally not exceed two typewritten pages. It should be the product of a great deal of time and thought. Law school admissions officers look for clear and concise writing, free from grammatical error. Remember that they have to read thousands of essays. Make yours memorable!

The personal statement is your opportunity to paint a self-portrait, with the paper serving as the canvas. It is not, however, the place to demonstrate your intellectual brilliance in areas such as law, politics or philosophy; nor is it a philosophical exposition on your views about world problems. For this reason, you should never submit a thesis paper, term paper or other sample of written work in the place of the personal statement. Two of the most important guidelines in writing the personal statement are: “Write about yourself” and “Be specific”.

While your essay may communicate your confidence in your ability to complete the course of study, it should not project a pompous image. The most common error is the attempt to impress. Some candidates become pretentious or pedantic in their choice of words and phrases. An example of pompous verbiage submitted as a personal statement is:

The recommendations which I have presented from legal and educational leaders in my milieu adduce the level of motivation and acumen that you require. These qualities are touted as being the sine qua non for the successful law school applicant. You will find my credentials stellar in these and other respects.

Clearly, this is an example of what not to submit to a law school. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. It is crucial to understand the difference and to demonstrate only confidence, never arrogance.

Once you have completed the thinking and writing process, an advisor should read over the finished product at least once. It would be very wise to ask someone who is very well acquainted with both your credentials and the English language to read over your statement and provide input. The insights, reactions, and suggestions provided by an objective third party will help to polish the personal statement so that it paints a vivid and supportive picture for the admissions staff.

Creating a balanced essay can be very difficult to accomplish but certainly can be mastered through conscientious effort, in some instances writing and re-writing the essay a dozen times. As the Dean of Admissions for Georgetown once remarked: “Applicants should be advised to write their statements with great care. In many cases, they will be the determining factor’.

This article was written by Kevin J. O’Connor, Esq., graduate of Montclair State University and Rutgers-Newark School of Law. It includes material presented by sources such as N.A.P.L.A., L.S.A.C., Topics in Pre-Law Advising, The American Pre-Law Advisor, and actual advisement experience at Montclair State University. The article has been updated by Dr. Marilyn Tayler, Pre-Law Advisor at Montclair State University.

Politics personal statement example (4) (Masters)

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Changes in the world make it an exciting time to study global affairs, and the London School of Economics offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine shifting social and economic arrangements across the world. The discipline of international relations provides a profound outlook on how we attempt to understand the social world. As a student of international relations, I have benefited from the study of the political forces shaping contemporary times from a global perspective.

Additionally, as a political science student, I have studied the general security concerns of the nation-state and how the domestic context of each state relates to its international relations. This has supplied me with the tools needed to evaluate the workings of world politics and how it shapes foreign policy. Possessing such critical thinking skills is highly valuable, affording a flexible method for perceiving the changing global environment and the challenges it presents to governments, businesses, and communities.

Pursuing a master’s degree is an endeavour I am undertaking to enhance my analytical skills and expand my knowledge in the field of international affairs. Through undergraduate courses and research, I have developed an interest in studying contemporary global conflicts. In particular, their formation from a historical perspective and the conditions which perpetuate them and prevent peaceful resolution. For example, the political obstacles preventing nations from engaging in constructive efforts to address climate change.

What prevents the creation of an effective transnational regulatory framework? Solving this topical issue is necessary for defining and promoting a practical strategy for mitigating global climate change. Based on the growing interdependence between states, the traditionally competitive foreign policy strategies which characterize state relations may be overcome to achieve shared goals. It is essential, therefore, to understand the conditions required to facilitate cooperative action on the part of nations.

The LSE’s specialized approach to focusing on the international system independently of domestic politics is one reason I would be well suited for this program. By comparing the domestic and international levels of policy-making, it is possible to view the differences between them. For instance, long-term policy objectives regarding ecological sustainability are generally treated as an unimportant issue in domestic politics.

However, the problem of climate change is a priority in many international forums such as the United Nations Environment Programme and the European Climate Change Programme. The research done by LSE’s Department of International Relations is designed to consider the unique dynamics of domestic and international actors and institutions.

Thinking theoretically about international politics allows for the identification of factors which drive conflicts in contemporary times. Through my undergraduate research projects, I have studied trends which are shaping social and economic structures globally. Considering the most pressing concerns in the world right now, I asked the following question. How are the greatest threats to the long-term stability of the current world order being managed and adapted to? This inquiry led me to research how governments are acting to meet the challenges of the future.

The European Union is an ideal subject to study, as it represents an innovative attempt by governments to meet changing global conditions. Specifically, I researched the policy-direction of the EU regarding its position on the international climate change agenda. I identified the EU as a focal point in my research, as it evidenced one potential direction governments may take to formulate action plans in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to catastrophic climate change. Investigating a broad issue, such as power politics , through the study of a narrower policy-area, such as the international climate change regime, is something I hope to do through graduate level research.

Academic works which initiated my interest in studying climate change included Anthony Giddens’s book ‘ The Politics of Climate Change .’ Specifically, his sociological perspective on the development of climate change as the result of choices made by nations revealed a new avenue of discourse over climate policy that I had not previously considered. By looking at the role of society and culture in shaping the domestic sphere in which policy is debated, I came to appreciate the role international organizations play in bringing the issue of global climate change to citizens.

By looking at how the international, national and local levels interact around an issue is essential for identifying the factors which prevent a comprehensive approach to tackling climate change.

At the LSE, I hope to develop my research interests while benefiting from the insights of other disciplines. The diversity of research specialties in the Department of International Relations makes it clear that LSE is the best university for me to continue my post-graduate studies.

Combining insights from other fields is something I have benefited from immensely. As a global security risk analyst for a multinational software company, I learned about the ways data technologies are being used to inform business strategies. Using metrics to show trends makes it possible to identify changes in the world and to see them as part of a larger pattern. Learning about how various actors operating in a global environment use technology to think strategically in an increasingly complicated environment has been valuable training for my future academic research and career.

The LSE stands out as a truly international institution. The intellectual diversity of faculty within the international affairs department makes it an ideal place for me to study the evolving world. Also, the overall prestige of the university gives it ties to the nonacademic world, drawing policy-makers and activists from around the world to share their insights with the student body. Engaging with the outside world during my studies is something that I aspire to do. By doing so, I hope my academics and research will prepare me to form new and innovative ideas on current policy-debates and overall, help me to better understand and respond to the dynamic global environment.

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Politics From the Pulpit: Can a Church Really Say That?

"Religious organizations and leaders are faced with the same legal limitations as their secular tax-exempt counterparts," write Barry Black, Christopher Byrnes and Hillary Byrnes.

August 29, 2024 at 12:00 PM

11 minute read

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With the 2024 election less than three months away, there could not be a better time for clergy and churches to refresh themselves on the legal parameters on what they can do and say about candidates, political parties, and public policy in an election year. Understandably, religious organizations and leaders often have strong religious and moral convictions on matters of public policy. When political parties and candidates have differences on policy matters, religious leaders often feel compelled to publicly bear witness to those convictions in the context of discussing elections. Religious organizations and leaders are faced with the same legal limitations as their secular tax-exempt counterparts. That is, organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Tax Code), may not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for federal, state, or local public office. This is known as the prohibition on political campaign intervention . This column will focus principally on the Tax Code’s limitations on churches and clergy in their ministerial (non-personal) capacity and will not address any additional limitations imposed by federal election law.

At a minimum, the Tax Code’s prohibition constrains churches—and clergy speaking on behalf of a denomination or house of worship—from explicitly endorsing or donating church funds or resources to a candidate for public office. For example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the IRS’s revocation of tax-exempt status for a church in Binghamton, New York, that had taken out full-page advertisements in USA Today and The Washington Times four days before the 1992 U.S. presidential election urging Christians not to vote for then-candidate Bill Clinton . S ee Branch Ministries v. Rossotti , 211 F.3d 137 (D.C. Cir. 2000). But does the same prohibition prevent clergy and churches from taking stands on political issues on which parties and candidates themselves take public stands?

Clergy May Always Advocate for Issues

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Politics personal statements

On this page you'll find a collection of real personal statements written by students applying to study politics and related courses at university.

These personal statements are written by real students - don't expect them all to be perfect! But by reading through a few of these samples, you'll be able to get some ideas and inspiration for your own personal statement.

Politics personal statement examples

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Army says a Trump aide 'abruptly pushed aside' an Arlington National Cemetery employee

WASHINGTON — The Army said Thursday that an aide to former President Donald Trump had "abruptly pushed aside" an Arlington National Cemetery employee who had sought to enforce restrictions on taking photos and video at part of the burial ground this week.

Trump and his campaign staff on Monday visited the cemetery, in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, with relatives of victims who died in the terrorist attack on Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The attack killed 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghan civilians.

An Army spokesperson defended the employee in a statement, saying the participants in the remembrance ceremony had been "made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds."

The employee "who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside," the spokesperson said. "Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption."

“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” the spokesperson added. “ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”

The statement provided more details about what happened as the controversy continued into its third day. The Trump campaign has tried to dismiss the reporting about the confrontation, which could threaten to undermine Trump's efforts to burnish his image as a champion of the military while criticizing the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The Army spokesperson said that the incident was reported to military police but that the employee decided not to press charges and that the Army considered the matter closed. The statement noted that the cemetery routinely hosts wreath-laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for people and groups who submit requests in advance — nearly 3,000 such public ceremonies a year — "without incident."

Headstones line the rolling hills of Arlington National Cemetery where Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attended a ceremony on Monday in Arlington, Virginia.

Asked for comment Thursday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said reporting that an aide pushed the cemetery employee pushed wasn't true.

"False. Not even remotely true, and this person is a liar," he said. "As someone who was there, this employee was the one who initiated physical contact that was unwarranted and unnecessary."

Asked about the Army's statement, Cheung said, "This individual was the one who initiated physical contact and verbal harassment that was unwarranted and unnecessary."

The cemetery confirmed Tuesday that an incident had occurred during Trump's visit. Two Defense Department officials told NBC News that the Trump aide pushed the cemetery employee out of the way in order to take photos and video at Section 60, where service members killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried.

Although military police arrived while Trump’s motorcade was there, the police didn’t obtain a formal statement from his team, the defense officials said.

Federal regulations bar “partisan political activities” at memorial services at Army cemeteries.

Arlington National Cemetery provided Trump officials days ago with rules that outlined what they could and couldn’t do at the cemetery.

The rules, obtained by NBC News, said gravesite visits by families and guests must follow the cemetery’s established policies for Section 60. They also said, “Photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support, of a partisan political candidate’s campaign are NOT permitted on the [Arlington National Cemetery] installation.”

NPR first reported that two Trump campaign staff members had a confrontation with a cemetery official who tried to prevent them from filming and taking photos, which typically is restricted in Section 60.

Cheung said this week that the campaign was willing to release video to support its denial of some of the details in the reporting.

“There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made," Cheung said in a statement. "The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”

He followed up in a statement on X saying Trump had permission to have a photographer there. Trump posted a TikTok video of the ceremony, and his campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita also posted a video on X of Trump laying flowers at a grave.

NBC News reported Wednesday that family members invited Trump to take part in the commemoration, where he posed for a photo beside the grave of Marine Staff Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover. Hoover's mother, Kelly Barnett, told NBC News that she gave permission for the visit to be documented.

Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington.

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The Arab Spring was a momentous event that was pivotal in my decision to study law and politics at university. Having independently researched the sources of discontent, I was particularly appalled at the suppression of basic human rights, the disenfranchisement of voters and the significant levels of political corruption. In reading law and politics at degree level, I hope to examine such issues in greater detail and be an active advocate in securing a just society for all.

Through studying A level law, I have developed problem-solving skills, interpreting and applying legislation to different scenarios, as well as constructing coherent and persuasive arguments. I enjoy analysing the legal reasoning of the Supreme Court's decisions, and looking at how changing social attitudes affect such reasoning.

Similarly, economics has reinforced my ability to analyse and draw inferences from both qualitative and quantitative data. As a result of studying politics, and more specifically, the various aspects of the UK political system, I have been able to better understand current affairs.

In particular, I have enjoyed examining the influence of the judiciary. Furthermore, my extended project focusing on the effects of the housing crisis, has strengthened my ability to independently research and scrutinise a range of sources including select committee reports.

Working at Palis Solicitors in August 2014 and MHHP Law in June 2015 gave me valuable insight into the practical aspects of the legal profession. Aside from the administrative duties, I had the opportunity to prepare documents for instructions to counsel and drafting a Section 21 Notice of Possession, tailored to the client's individual needs.

Observing the solicitor advise clients on points of law relating to specific aspects of their case, confirmed my career choice.

At MHHP Law, I organised a charity event for Cancer Research UK which involved liaising with their head office, selecting a venue, designing posters and inviting local businesses to participate. This enhanced my time management and organisational skills, giving me the confidence to communicate at all levels.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Spending Challenge 2015, organised by the Cabinet Office, where I was selected by my school to play the critical role of the chancellor. I was responsible for interacting with the different simulated government departments which required delicate negotiation and mediation in order to achieve the goal of reducing overall government expenditures and balancing the budget.

Visiting parliament, the Supreme Court and the Bank of England complemented my studies; I observed a Commons debate on HS2, a speech by William Hague and attended a lecture in the Bank of England on its central role of maintaining financial stability in the UK economy.

This increased my eagerness to learn about the workings of the legislative process and be part of influencing policy. It gave me a greater practical understanding into how these institutions operate, inspiring me to establish a debating society at my college, which taught me commitment and responsibility in successfully working with others.

Through actively contributing to student life, from running for student governor to fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital and attending focus groups, I have developed as an individual, becoming more self-confident. Outside of college, I enjoy swimming and participated in Kellogg's Swimming Challenge where I achieved the 'Gold Award'.

I am also a keen reader of political affairs, and found 'The Too Difficult Box' an interesting insight into society's insidious problems. I look forward to studying law and politics at university, facilitating my ambitions in becoming a catalyst for change. This will provide me with the skills necessary to fulfil my hopes of becoming a solicitor and later an MP.

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Trump Team Clashed With Official at Arlington National Cemetery

The military cemetery said in a statement that federal law prohibits political campaigning on the grounds, and that “there was an incident, and a report was filed.”

Share full article

Donald Trump stands next to one of three wreaths, with a woman in a wheelchair next to him at Arlington National Cemetery.

By Chris Cameron Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman

Chris Cameron was traveling with Donald J. Trump during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

Aug. 27, 2024

Members of Donald J. Trump’s campaign team and an official at Arlington National Cemetery confronted each other during the former president’s visit to the cemetery on Monday, the military cemetery said in a statement on Tuesday.

The altercation was prompted, according to Trump campaign officials, by the presence of a photographer in a section of the cemetery where American troops who were killed in recent wars are buried. The cemetery released a statement saying that federal law prohibits political campaigning or “election-related” activities within Army cemeteries, including by photographers.

An official with the cemetery tried to “physically block” members of Mr. Trump’s team, Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, said in a statement. Mr. Cheung added that the cemetery official was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode” and that the campaign was prepared to release footage of the confrontation to support its account of the clash. The campaign did not provide that footage after several requests.

Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, added in a separate statement that the cemetery official was “a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”

Cemetery officials did not provide their own account of the encounter, saying instead that “there was an incident, and a report was filed.” In an additional statement on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the cemetery said that “to protect the identity of the individual involved, no further information about the incident is being released at this time.”

The cemetery added that it had “reinforced and widely shared” to the Trump campaign the federal laws prohibiting campaign activities by photographers “or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”

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Politics & Law Personal Statement
Politics and Law Personal Statement . Submitted by Morgan . Political decisions made affect our lives. This is something that drives me to pursue a future in politics. I wish to study Politics and Law at University to expand my knowledge of the political world, in relation to the law and how political decisions impact the world around us and ...
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Law and Politics Personal Statement Example 1. Laws, in my opinion, are the cogs in the machinery of society; they are guidelines and deterrents that are fundamentally essential for humanity to function. Law is the combined public conscience that tells us right from wrong. I first became interested in law through John Grisham's legal thrillers ...
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A law school personal statement is a multi-paragraph essay or narrative highlighting the reason you are pursuing a J.D. degree. This essay is an opportunity to share your identity with an ...
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Law and Politics Personal Statement Example 4. Human rights infringements, widespread poverty, economic dependence on advanced states, unstable governments, high rates of illiteracy, disease, population growth, but still wealthy ruling elites. All these are the common traits of the Third World Countries.
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History and Politics Personal Statement Example 1. History and politics have had a profound impact on my outlook. From childhood, the tangible history I found in castles, museums and family photographs appealed uniquely to my imagination. As I grew up my interest in the past introduced me to the political traditions and ideas of my community ...
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Learn how to write a law school personal statement for top schools like Yale, including law school personal statement examples and topics ... On a few separate occasions, he was dismissed from his studies for his political involvement, a reality I can know about but find hard to internalize. After a few efforts to pursue his practice in Sudan ...
How to Write A Standout Law Personal Statement
The personal statement is a piece of writing which you send off with your UCAS application to different universities. It's capped at 4,000 characters (so will often end up running for about one side of A4), and serves as the best way to differentiate yourself from other applicants to the most competitive courses.
Law Personal Statement
A personal statement for the Learning Practice Course (LPC) is submitted to the Central Applications Board (CAB) when applying to LPC training to become a solicitor, having already completed an undergraduate law degree (or conversion course). While it is also a personal essay which you use to sell your skills, experience and passion for law, it ...
Oxford History and Politics Model Personal Statement Exemplar ...
Overall, this personal statement showcases the applicant's passion for history, their intellectual curiosity, and their desire to make a meaningful impact in the field of law and politics. Their engagement with historical texts, practical experiences, and activism highlights their commitment to understanding the complexities of the past and ...
Politics Personal Statement Examples
Degree Course Quiz. Find the ideal university course for you in minutes by taking our degree matchmaker quiz today. Browse our range of Pharmacy personal statement examples. Gain inspiration & make sure you're on the right track when writing your own personal statement.
Successful Personal Statement For Law At Oxford
Your Personal Statement is only one step in your Law application, so discover everything you need to know in The Big Book Of Oxbridge Applications, available for free here! Through over 350 pages, you will find: 28 example Oxbridge Personal Statements. Over 40 admissions test practice questions. Interviews with Oxbridge students and graduates.
Personal statement advice: politics
Politics: less can be more. Demonstrating your understanding of and interest in studying politics is a key way of impressing tutors: 'The most persuasive statements are those that are clearly written and which get straight to the point. Less is often more. I simply want it made clear to me that an applicant is academically interested in ...
Successful Cambridge Law Personal Statement
Law Personal Statement. Law is the epitome of human reason; it is the force that holds society together and the cornerstone on which great civilizations were built upon. By dictating a code of conduct which everyone had to abide by, it has created a system of accountability and allowed society to flourish. However, Law is never static.
Law Personal Statement Examples
Browse our range of Law personal statement examples. Gain inspiration & make sure you're on the right track when writing your own personal statement. Order Prospectus; ... What attracts me to Law and Politics the most is the potential they h... Submitted by Alice. Law Personal Statement . Unafraid to question the legal implications of current ...
Law School Personal Statement
The personal statement may be the best opportunity to accomplish this. The personal statement is, in the abstract, an intimate portrait of a candidate. In reality, it is about you. It provides an opportunity for individual consideration which generally substitutes for a personal interview. While there is no fixed formula for your personal ...
Excellent politics personal statement example (downloadable)
Politics personal statement example (4) (Masters) 1st July 2019 by PSE. Reading time: 4 minutes. Price: Free download. Published: 1st July 2019. Price: Free download. Word count: 968 words. File format: Text.
Law Personal Statement Examples
Law and Politics Personal Statement Example 5. The Arab Spring was a momentous event that was pivotal in my decision to study law and politics at university. Having independently researched the sources of discontent, I was particularly appalled at the suppression of basic human rights, the disenfranchisement of voters and the significant levels ...
US Army rebukes Trump campaign for incident at Arlington National
The US Army issued a stark rebuke of former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign over the incident on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, saying in a statement on Thursday that ...
Trump Campaign Filming at Arlington Cemetery Dismayed Family of Green
In a statement, the cemetery said that federal law prohibited political campaigning or "election-related" activities within Army cemeteries, including by photographers, and that the ...
See video Trump campaign posted of controversial Arlington visit
The US Army issued a stark rebuke of former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign over the incident on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, saying in a statement that participants in ...
Politics From the Pulpit: Can a Church Really Say That?
IRS Revenue Ruling 2007-41 ( Rev. Rul. 2007-41) identifies these key factors in the determination: (1) whether the statement identifies one or more candidates for a given public office; (2 ...
Fresh controversy brews over Trump's Arlington National Cemetery visit
The cemetery issued *** statement saying federal law prohibits political or election related activities on its grounds. It is the final resting place and therefore it is hallowed and sacred ground.
Politics personal statements
Personal Statement:Intenational politics statement. Personal Statement:International Politics 1. Personal Statement:MA History and Politics. Personal Statement:History and Politics 6. Personal Statement:Political Science. Personal Statement:Political Science and Philosophy 1. Personal Statement:Politics 1.
Army says a Trump aide 'abruptly pushed aside' an Arlington National
An Army spokesperson defended the employee in a statement and said the participants in the remembrance ceremony had been "made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which ...
Fresh controversy brews over Trump's Arlington National Cemetery visit
But according to a statement from Arlington National Cemetery obtained by CNN, federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries.
Law and Politics Personal Statement 5
Law and Politics Personal Statement Example 5. The Arab Spring was a momentous event that was pivotal in my decision to study law and politics at university. Having independently researched the sources of discontent, I was particularly appalled at the suppression of basic human rights, the disenfranchisement of voters and the significant levels ...
Trump Team Clashed With Official at Arlington National Cemetery
The military cemetery said in a statement that federal law prohibits political campaigning on the grounds, and that "there was an incident, and a report was filed." By Chris Cameron Jonathan ...
Gwen Walz reveals she underwent a different treatment, not IVF, in new
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz clarified in a statement to CNN that she did not use in vitro fertilization to conceive, sharing new details about her and Gov. Tim Walz's fertility struggles as ...