Personal Statement Topic Help

[braydo29]

I am writing two different personal statements at the moment. One is about my mom, and one is about my dad. The one about my dad tells a really good personal story but doesn't really answer the "why law" question at all. The other about my mom answers the "why law" question but doesn't tell as good of a story IMO.

I'm a little lost on which one to pick or to start writing a whole new one. I'm worried the one about my dad may be irrelevant in some way. It is about me, but it feels almost like a story I could have written for anything.

I'm also thinking that the one about my mom could be converted into a diversity statement, but it feels weird to answer the "why law" question in my diversity statement but not my actual personal statement.

My application doesn't otherwise make my interest in law clear (I wasn't in pre-law or debate or a PS major, though I did take a few classes related to law).

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I also love listening to the Powerscore podcast (even about LSAT tests I didn't even take and have no relevance to me lol).

[Dave Killoran]

You may find this helpful: https://player.vimeo.com/video/94191768. In that webinar I go into whether you need to talk about Why Law, and what they are really seeking in a statement. In each case, it depends on the person. Often we say that if you have a clear and compelling case for law school, you should make it. If you don't, then you have to be more careful since you don't want to overreach on providing an explanation, and you certainly don't want to present a non-compelling story when there might be another that shows more about who you are that doesn't involve the law (which may be your situation).

In the end, it comes down to the quality of the story and what it says about you, and I'd rather read a great story that shows me who you are vs a worse story that focuses on why law.

Thanks!

[braydo29]

You may find this helpful: https://player.vimeo.com/video/94191768. In that webinar I go into whether you need to talk about Why Law, and what they are really seeking in a statement. In each case, it depends on the person. Often we say that if you have a clear and compelling case for law school, you should make it. If you don't, then you have to be more careful since you don't want to overreach on providing an explanation, and you certainly don't want to present a non-compelling story when there might be another that shows more about who you are that doesn't involve the law (which may be your situation).

In the end, it comes down to the quality of the story and what it says about you, and I'd rather read a great story that shows me who you are vs a worse story that focuses on why law.

Thanks!

Thank you! This is very helpful. I will watch that webinar.