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Course Lessons

Lesson One: Preparation

The purpose of this section is to get you acquainted with the task that confronts you. The first step is to understand your audience and what your readers will be expecting. You should view this knowledge as a framework from which to build your own creative composition—not as a set of limiting factors. Once you understand the context of your assignment, you must approach the brainstorming process with a free and open mindset. Allow yourself to reflect without the interference of preconceived notions. Create a long and varied list of possible topics, and then narrow down that list using the criteria EssayEdge provides.

The preparation process is as essential here as it is for any important project. If you don't identify and develop the optimal set of ideas, then no degree of effective structuring or engaging language will make the essay as strong as it could have been.

EssayEdge Extra: Does my essay have to be about law?

"Some applicants mistakenly think that in all cases what we want to know is why they want to go to law school, and that's not necessarily true. I've read many very good statements from applicants about some particular event in their life, their studies abroad while an undergraduate, or people they've met who have had an impact on their lives."
- Admissions Officer, Stanford Law School

"One of the first things you look for is who the person is and some sense of where they've been, what they've done, why they've done it, and some sense of why they're interested in going to law school."
-Admissions Officer, University of Michigan Law School

"We want to know what is different or unusual about you-what you can contribute or bring to the first-year classroom that would be unique. Perhaps you've held a job for five years, and you have some real world experience; perhaps you speak several languages; perhaps you've overcome some disadvantage…These are the kinds of things you might want to talk about since they would distinguish you from other applicants. We are not particularly interested in why you want to go to law school or what you want to do when you get out, since these things change. And don't tell us that you want to be a Supreme Court justice or United States senator; anyone can say that."
-Admissions Officer, UCLA School of Law

At first glance, these comments might seem contradictory, but in reality, what matters is not whether you write about the law but how you handle the topic you choose. Note that in the second admissions officer's comments, "some sense of why they're interested in going to law school" comes at the end of a more expansive list. If you can work that point into your broader purpose, then it can certainly help. On the other hand, the third admissions officer is not necessarily discouraging any mention of law school at all. Rather, his warning is to those applicants who speculate aimlessly about their goals. If you can make a meaningful point about your goals that you can back up with evidence from your experiences, then you should by all means discuss your objectives.

Our advice, therefore, is to write about law school if you have something substantive to say, but don't feel obligated to do so. Of course, if one of your schools specifically asks you to include your reasons for pursuing law, then you should follow directions.

Next: The Audience