Excellent Law School Personal Statement Examples. May 5, Admissions. We’ve rounded up five spectacular personal statements that helped students with borderline numbers get into T schools. You’ll find these examples to be as various as a typical JD class. Some essays are about a challenge, some about the evolution of the author’s intellectual or professional journey, and some about the By Ilana Kowarski · Feb 13, · 10 mins to read Jul 30, · Such students wow the law school admission boards by writing personal statements that showcase their relevant skills, academic achievements, and their plans after graduating from law school. In case you wish to skip going through the samples, our professional writers are ready to cover you
5 Outstanding Real-World Law School Personal Statement Examples
Throughout this issue, countless examples show why we are so proud of the students at the law school. Our students show us a great deal more in their applications than just academics—and we care about a lot more than their numbers. In these pages, meet five of our students in the way we first met them: through the personal statements they wrote for their law school applications. That was the year my mother signed me up for piano lessons.
I can still remember touching those bright, ivory keys with reverence, feeling happy and excited that soon I would be playing those tinkling, familiar melodies which my mother played every day on our boombox myself.
I was to read through the Book of Theory, learn to read the basic notes of the treble and bass clefs, and practice, my palm arched as though an imaginary apple were cupped between my fingers, playing one note at a time. I practiced the new piece daily, diligently following the written directives of the composer. I hit each staccato note crisply and played each crescendo and every law school admission essay samples dutifully. I performed the piece triumphantly for my teacher and lifted my hands with a flourish as I finished.
Instead of clapping, however, my teacher gave me a serious look and took both my hands in hers. It comes from the heart. Beethoven, law school admission essay samples, Mozart, Mendelssohn: the arcs and passages of intricate notes are lines of genius printed on paper, but ultimately, law school admission essay samples, it is the musician who coaxes them to life.
They are open to artistic and emotional interpretation, and even eight simple bars can inspire well over a dozen different variations. I poured my happiness and my angst into the keys, loving every minute of it. Practice was no longer a chore; it was law school admission essay samples privilege and a delight.
In high school, I began playing the piano for church services. The music director gave me a binder full of sheet music, in which melodies are written as numbers instead of as notes on a music staff.
To make things a bit more interesting for myself—and for the congregation—I took to experimenting, pairing the written melodies with chords and harmonies of my own creation. The basic melody and musical key, however, remained the same, even as the embellishments changed. The foundation of good improvisation and songwriting is simple: understanding the musical key in which a song is played—knowing the scale, the chords, the harmonies, and how well or unwell they work together—is essential.
Songs can be rewritten and reinterpreted as situation permits, but missteps are obvious because the fundamental laws of music and harmony do not change. Although my formal music education ended when I entered college, the lessons I have learned over the years have remained close and relevant to my life. I have acquired a lifestyle of discipline and internalized the drive for self-improvement.
I have gained an appreciation for the complexities and the subtleties of interpretation, law school admission essay samples. I understand the importance of having both a sound foundation and a dedication to constant study.
I understand that to possess a passion and personal interest in something, to think for myself, is just as important. At the end of the second practice of the season, in ninety-five-degree heat, our head coach decided to condition the entire team. Sharp, excruciating pain shot down my legs as he summoned us repeatedly to the line to run wind sprints.
I collapsed as I turned the corner on the final sprint. Muscle spasms spread throughout my body, law school admission essay samples, and I briefly passed out. Severely dehydrated, I was rushed to the hospital and quickly given more than three liters of fluids intravenously. As I rested in a hospital recovery room, I realized my collapse on the field symbolized broader frustrations I felt playing college football. I was mentally and physically defeated.
In South Dakota I was a dominant football player in high school, but at the Division I level my talent was less conspicuous. In my first three years, I was convinced that obsessively training my body to run faster and be stronger would earn me a starting position. The conditioning drill that afternoon revealed the futility of my approach, law school admission essay samples. I had thrust my energies into becoming a player I could never be. As a result, I lost confidence in my identity.
I considered other aspects of my life where my intellect, work ethic, and determination had produced positive results.
I chose to study economics and English because processing abstract concepts and ideas in diverse disciplines was intuitively rewarding. Despite the exhaustion of studying late into the night after grueling football practices, I developed an affinity for academia that culminated in two undergraduate research projects in economics.
Gathering data, reviewing previous literature, and ultimately offering my own contribution to economic knowledge was exhilarating. Indeed, undergraduate research affirmed my desire to attend law school, where I could more thoroughly satisfy my intellectual curiosity.
In English classes, I enjoyed writing critically about literary works while adding my own voice to academic discussions. My efforts generated high marks and praise from professors, but this success made my disappointment with football more pronounced. The challenge of collegiate athletics felt insurmountable, law school admission essay samples. However, I reminded myself that at the Division I level I was able to compete with and against some of the best players in the country.
While I might never start a game, the opportunity to discover and test my abilities had initially compelled me to choose a Division I football program.
After the hospital visit, law school admission essay samples, my football position coach—sensing my mounting frustrations—offered some advice. Instead of devoting my energies almost exclusively to physical preparation, he said, I should approach college football with the same mental focus I brought to my academic studies. I began to devour scouting reports and to analyze the complex reasoning behind defensive philosophies and schemes.
I studied film and discovered ways to anticipate plays from the offense and become a more effective player, law school admission essay samples.
Armed with renewed confidence, I finally earned a starting position in the beginning of my fourth year. My team opened the season against Brigham Young University BYU. I performed well despite the pressures of starting my first game in front of a hostile crowd of 65, people, law school admission essay samples. I used mental preparation to maintain my competitive edge for the rest of the season.
Through a combination of film study and will power, I led my team and conference in law school admission essay samples. I became one of the best players in the conference and a leader on a law school admission essay samples that reached the semi-finals of the Division I football playoffs. The most rewarding part of the season, though, was what I learned about myself in the process.
When I finally stopped struggling to become the player I thought I needed to be, I developed self-awareness and confidence in the person Law school admission essay samples was. The image of me writhing in pain on the practice field sometimes slips back into my thoughts as I decide where to apply to law school. College football taught me to recognize my weaknesses and look for ways to overcome them, law school admission essay samples.
I will enter law school a much stronger person and student because of my experiences on the football field and in the classroom. My decision where law school admission essay samples attend law school mirrors my decision where to play college football. I want to study law at the University of Chicago Law School because it provides the best combination of professors, students, and resources in the country.
In Division I college football, I succeeded when I took advantage of my opportunities. I hope the University of Chicago will give me an opportunity to succeed again. EDUCATION: University of California, Berkeley, BA in Legal Studies, AB in Media Studies LAW SCHOOL ACTIVITES: BLSA, Intramural Basketball I was a shy thirteen-year-old who had already lived in six locations and attended five schools, law school admission essay samples. Having recently moved, I was relieved when I finally began to develop a new group of friends.
However, the days following September 11,were marked with change. People began to stare at me. Many conversations came to a nervous stop when I walked by. Osama, my name is Osama. I went from having a unique name that served as a conversation starter to having the same name as the most wanted man in America.
The stares and the comments were just the beginning. Eventually I received a death threat at school. I remember crying alone in my room, afraid to tell my parents in fear that they might not let me go to school anymore. My experience opened my eyes up to racial and religious dynamics in the United States. The more I looked at my surroundings with a critical eye, the more I realized that my classmates had not threatened me because of hate, but because of fear and ignorance.
This realization was extremely empowering. I knew that mirroring their hostility would only reinforce the fear and prejudice they held. Instead, I reached out to my peers with an open mind and respect. Law school admission essay samples acceptance of others served as a powerful counter example to many negative stereotypes I had to face. With this approach, I was often able to transform law school admission essay samples into acceptance, and acceptance into appreciation.
I chose not to hide my heritage or myself, despite the fear of judgment or violence. As a result, I developed a new sense of self-reliance and self-confidence. I wanted to empower others as well. My passion for equality and social justice grew because I was determined to use my skills and viewpoint to unite multiple marginalized communities and help foster understanding and law school admission essay samples for our differences and similarities alike.
The years following September 11th were a true test of character for me. I learned how to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations. This allowed me to become a dynamic and outgoing individual. This newfound confidence fueled a passion to become a leader and help uplift multiple minority communities. During the last two summers I made this passion a reality when I took the opportunity to work with underprivileged minority students. I believed in them, and I constantly told them that they would make it.
I worked relentlessly to make sure my actions matched my words of encouragement, law school admission essay samples. I went well above the expectations of my job and took the initiative to plan several additional workshops on topics such as public speaking, time management, and confidence building. My extra efforts helped give these students the tools they needed to succeed.
One hundred percent of the twenty-one high school juniors I worked with my first summer are now freshmen at four-year universities. I feel great pride in having helped these students achieve this important goal.
8 Types of Personal Statement to Avoid - 7Sage Law School Admissions
, time: 5:35In Their Own Words: Admissions Essays That Worked | University of Chicago Law School
Law School Application Essays Truth in the Law: A Personal Statement: College Admission Essay Sample I had written and fully intended to submit one of “those” personal statements: the personal statement that says how noble the legal profession is, that goes on and on about the importance of selfless attorneys fighting injustice, and the one where I describe my father’s Jul 13, · Law School Personal Statement Example: #1. When I was a child, my neighbors, who had arrived in America from Nepal, often seemed stressed. They argued a lot, struggled for money, and seemed to work all hours of the day. One day, I woke early Estimated Reading Time: 9 mins Mar 31, · Throughout this issue, countless examples show why we are so proud of the students at the law school. One might think that we get lucky that the students the admissions office chose for their academic accomplishments also turn out to be incredible members of
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