A strategic, self-reflective approach to your law school application is essential whether you have a definitive legal career path in mind, know only that you want to become a lawyer or simply want a law degree. A successful law school application also goes beyond the undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores to persuade decision-makes that you deserve admission to their law school.
Some applicants may consider highlighting such aspects as being from a family of lawyers or their love of arguing, but these are cliches that all applicants should avoid. Rather, think about how critical experiences in your life showcase aspects of your identity and personality that position you for success in law school.
This type of rigorous introspection at the outset of the application process, even if you have no particular agenda as an applicant, leads to strong essay-writing and provides the basis for a persuasive application.
[Read about two law school personal statements that succeeded.]
One successful client, a paralegal applying to law school, wrote about the unceasing quest for knowledge that a career in law presents. Another applicant wrote about she worked through an injury that affected her athletic endeavors in college and how this demonstrates the determination she wants to apply to client representation.
You could choose to highlight specific fields you want to learn more about without committing to a particular course of study. Law school is a time to explore, and your law school application is a statement of interest, not a binding contract. However you choose to support your candidacy, be sure you avoid these four common application cliches.
1. I come from a family of lawyers. Using a family legacy of legal professionals as a proxy for your own desire to become a lawyer is unconvincing and can be perceived as intellectually lazy.
You may indeed have many lawyers in your family, but you need to showcase your individualism in your application. Answer why you specifically want to become a lawyer. An inspiring story that involves witnessing a family member in action as an attorney could be turned into a compelling personal statement, but simply having a family of lawyers is insufficient support for your law school candidacy.
[Learn how to craft a captivating law school personal statement.]
2. I love to argue. Being able to defend a position vigorously and convincingly will help you excel on law school exams, many of which require this type of position-taking and defense. These skills are also useful in many legal jobs, most evidently in both civil and criminal trial work.
However, loving to debate and argue will not alone justify admission to law school. There is a weak nexus between loving to argue and wanting to practice law.
If you choose to write about your intellect, highlight other skills, such as keen analytical thinking and exhaustive research prowess, which are more universally important in law and suggest a more profound understanding of the rigor that a career in law demands.
3. My favorite TV show is “Law & Order.” Many TV shows and movies glamorize the practice of law and often present a lawyer’s life unrealistically. The truth is that the practice of law for the majority of lawyers bears little resemblance to the way actor Gregory Peck delivered Atticus Finch’s riveting closing argument in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Unlike big- or small-screen lawyers, many lawyers never even see the inside of the courtroom. Stick to presenting your real-world experiences, interests and achievements in your law school application to improve your chances of acceptance.
While interests and achievements may more readily come to mind — and are hopefully presented effectively on your resume — a real-world experience could, for example, describe a time when you advocated on behalf of another person or when someone fought for you and how that made you feel.
[Learn how to weave specific law school details into a winning personal statement.]
4. I want to help people. A desire to help people is both a noble objective and a valid reason to go to law school. That said, if you believe you want a career in the public sector, avoid vagaries in your application.
Focus on specific ways in which you want to improve people’s lives and connect the pursuit of a law degree to those goals. Notably, while public interest lawyers’ salaries continue to pale in comparison with the salaries of private sector attorneys, competition for public interest work remains fierce, perhaps more so than in the private sphere. Find ways to express your public service commitment precisely and to explain why you need a law degree to forge your path.
Instead of resting your case on these or other cliches of a similar ilk, think about why you have gravitated to the study of law. What achievements and life experiences have prepared you for a legal career and in what ways? What experiences have been transformative and why?
Devote sufficient time to introspection and application strategy. And avoid the prior application pitfalls that simply state your desire to go to law school without supporting that desire with strong reasoning. Provide an authentic depiction of why you belong at law school. If you craft your application in a way that is true to who you are and what you are made of, it is more likely to resonate with admissions personnel.
Have questions about preparing your law school application? Email me at lawadmissionslowdown@usnews.com.
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Avoid These 4 Common Law School Application Cliches originally appeared on usnews.com
