Personal Statement

Michael MaMichael Ma Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 186 karma

For those that are currently applying to law schools, I was wondering how much you guys tweaked your PS for each application. My generic statement is two, double-spaced, pages, but some of the schools I'm applying to allows up to four double-spaced pages. Are you guys sticking to the generic PS, or are you guys adding additional stuff into your PS for schools that allow longer PS?

Comments

  • Victoria14Victoria14 Alum Member
    776 karma

    I'm in the process of writing 4 versions. Long and short, with law school/no law school.

  • OlamHafuchOlamHafuch Alum Member
    2326 karma

    Just because they allow up to 4 pages does not mean that they necessarily want or expect you to reach the maximum. I think a well-written 2 page PS is sufficient regardless of the school's maximum.

  • jennybbbbbjennybbbbb Alum Member
    630 karma

    The shorter the better since law schools will have a number of statements that they must go through. Remember, people are always more likely to read a short story that gets the point across strategically than read a long essay.

  • maamedufiekmaamedufiek Alum Member
    34 karma

    I suggest you choose quality over quantity.

  • keishabarnes95keishabarnes95 Alum Member
    edited October 2017 59 karma

    They generally prefer 2 pages. I was reading a book by Anna Ivey, who was a former admissions officer for Chicago and she said they dread applications that land with a thud on their desk. She said to make sure your personal statement is as pristine as possible. It can be longer they just prefer shorter. Tell a story as opposed to one talking about everything you already listed in the résumé (which tends to run you into the longer pages).

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