5 Law School Personal Statement Mistakes to Avoid

5 Law School Personal Statement Mistakes to AvoidLaw school personal statements, as you might imagine, are the heart of any application. Every applicant for admission to a law school hopes that his or her statement will qualify as law school's equivalent of the SAT or ACT.Although it might seem counterintuitive, the personal statement is the most important thing that admissions officers see when they look at a complete application. It is the first impression of the applicant, and in turn, it can make a big difference in whether that person gets a call back for an interview. Although most universities require applicants to have a good first impression, it is still not a foregone conclusion that the application will be read in this light.There are several common mistakes that can be made in a person's statement, some of which are the result of a person's inexperience, while others stem from poor writing style. For the sake of the reader, it is important to ensure that these issues are addressed. Here are five things that every applicant must avoid when writing his or her personal statement.- Falling into bad habits that are common in law school writing: There are hundreds of styles and commands for writing statements, but some of them can also lead to certain kinds of writing that a student should avoid. For example, statements that use adjectives such as 'brave'willing,' as well as cliches such as 'I never ever thought about my childhood.' These may be cute, but they do not do justice to the applicant.- Making simple, grammatically-correct sentences: A good statement is meant to be learned rather than memorized. Good candidates for law school acceptances may already be comfortable with the way that language works, so they are better served by writing shorter, more succinct and easy-to-read statements. If the question is, 'What kind of person do you want to be when you graduate?' it's best to say, 'Who I am and who I'm not.'- Writing overly descriptive adjectives : Some statements tend to focus on the person who is applying. This kind of statement usually has a generic ending that does not let the reader get too specific about the person. It is better to speak about the qualities the applicant wishes to achieve, rather than trying to draw the reader into specific details.- Giving away information that is important to the story: A potential interviewer is likely to want to know where the candidate went to school, what type of coursework he or she took, and if there is a law degree. For this reason, a potential law school may be tempted to give this information away in a statement. An applicant, on the other hand, should be careful not to do this.The thing about writing a personal statement is that it is only one part of a complex process. Careful attention to both structure and content is a way to go, especially if the personal statement is an initial or supplement to the entire application.