Quinnipiac Law Personal Statements

Since the personal statement is such a crucial part of the application, here are some tips on how to write a personal statement:

• Start early.

• Establish a theme for your application – What is your theme? If you have varied experiences that seem scattered, find a common thread.

• Make it personal – Let your personality shine. Ask yourself: what diverse or unique characteristics do you bring to law school? While it’s perfectly fine to reference an individual who may have inspired your decision to study law, remember that your personal statement is ultimately about you. It’s your opportunity to highlight your own experiences, motivations and aspirations. Mention the person briefly—perhaps as part of the story or journey that led you to pursue law—but then swiftly bring the focus back to how their influence shaped your own goals, skills and personal growth.

• Do not recapitulate your resume – Include in your personal statement anecdotes and stories so the admissions committee can learn something about you that is not apparent from the other pieces of information you provided.

• Discuss the passion you bring to law school - What will you do at law school and beyond? What will you get out of a law school education?

• Mention weaknesses, but don't dwell on them – Shortcomings are best left to be addressed in a brief addendum to the application if necessary. Your personal statement should highlight your strengths.  Mention weaknesses to the extent that you faced adversity and that you learned from and overcame it.

• Focus your writing – Do not ramble or try not to cover too many subjects.

• Avoid fancy vocabulary and legalese – Lawyer jokes and stereotypes can be cliché in law school personal statements. Humor can be effective (although sometimes difficult in writing).

• Follow the instructions – Some schools want a general personal statement and some may ask a more specific question. Answer the question asked.

  • Unless specified by the school, use a standard font (12 point, Times New Roman). Stay within the word or page limit set out in the application. If one is omitted, a good rule of thumb is 1.5 – 2 pages or approximately 750 words. If your essay is longer than that, condense it.

  • If you tailor the statement to each law school, be certain that the appropriate statement goes to each school!

• Write clearly and coherently – Brevity and conciseness are the hallmarks of good (legal) writing. Practice them early!  

• Imagine you are the reader – Is your final statement interesting, unique and reflective of who you are?

• Proofread!

• Have multiple people review your personal statement – Include someone who knows you personally, as they can determine if your statement is a true and complete reflection of who you are. Also include someone who can review the statement for grammar and give you feedback based strictly on reading the essay. Perhaps also give to a third individual who does not know you. When they have finished, ask them what they came away with from reading the statement. If that is not the idea of yourself you are trying to get across, think about revising the statement.

• Be genuine –  Admission committees have read a lot of personal statements over the years. They can quickly tell when you put forth a puffed-up version of yourself. If a school does not offer interviews (which most do not), this is your only chance to introduce yourself. Ensure you are showing them the real you and what a great addition you will be to their class!