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	Law School Success (Admitted to Harvard Law School) "Thanks for all your help on my essay!! Even though I have written hundreds of paragraphs and papers, this statement of purpose was a huge challenge. Most of time I spent writing I felt totally lost and had no idea if this statement was on target or way off the mark... Your revisions gave it direction it needed, and your comments let me know that I was on the right track. I was. I got into Harvard Law School. Thanks so much again!!!" More...

Common Flaws

Careless Errors

There is no excuse for careless errors, and having even one on your application can affect the way you are perceived. You have more than enough time to proofread and have others look over your essay. If an error slips through, your readers may assume that you are careless, disorganized, or not serious enough about your application.

Remember that spell check does not catch all possible errors, and even grammar check is far from perfect. In addition to typographical errors such as repeated words, you have to read the essay carefully to catch mistakes in meaning that might surface in the form of a grammatically correct sentence.

Let these humorous but unfortunate examples be a lesson to read your essay carefully for unintended meanings and meaningless sentences:

"It was like getting admitted to an Ivory League school."

"Berkeley has a reputation of breeding nationalists and communists."

"I'd like to attend a college where I can expose myself to many diverse people."

"I was totally free except for the rules."

"In a word, the experience taught me the importance of dedication, friendship, and goals."

"I have an extensive knowledge of the value of intelligence."

"I envy people with a lot of time in their hands."

Vague Generalities

The most egregious generalizations are the ones that have been used so many times that they have become clichés. For example, "I learned the value of hard work." That statement doesn't tell the reader anything insightful or interesting about the writer's character, because it's been said so many times that it has become virtually meaningless.

Generalities come in the same form as clichés, except with different content. They are always superficial and usually unoriginal, but haven't quite reached the level of predictability that would make them qualify as clichés. Consider this before-and-after set to learn how to evaluate this factor in your writing:

Before: Volunteering in the public defender's office, I learned many valuable lessons about the importance of justice.

After: Volunteering in the public defender's office, I became deeply invested in the cases of several clients who had been the targets of racial profiling. As I worked to help them achieve justice, I developed a stronger appreciation for the possibilities of law, despite the system's imperfections.

Terms like "valuable lessons" and "importance of justice" are vague and do not convey anything meaningful about the applicant's experience. In contrast, the revised version defines a specific set of clients and provides detail about the applicant's relationship with them. The passage should go on to include even more detail, perhaps by describing the actual duties the applicant performed.

Sounding contrived is a problem related to overly general writing. Applicants often have preconceived notions about what they should be discussing, and they try to force those points into the experiences they relate. The best way to counteract this tendency is to start with your experiences and let the insights flow from there. Think about your most meaningful experiences and describe them honestly. Often you will find that you don't need to impose conclusions because the personal qualities you're trying to demonstrate will be inherent in the details. If you decide that clarification is necessary, the transition should still be natural.

Summarizing Your Resume

Perhaps the most common personal statement blunder is to write an expository resume of your background and experience. This is not to say that the schools are not interested in your accomplishments. However, other portions of your application will provide this information, and the reader does not want to read your life story in narrative form. Strive for depth, not breadth. An effective personal statement will focus on one or two specific themes, incidents, or points. Trying to cram too much into your essay will result in a piece devoid of significant meaning.

"Applicants tend to make these essays long-winded resumes; in other words, their resumes might be an outline of what their essays are…[Within the application] you have a resume or a series of questions that elicit that information, so to recap all that again is redundant and often boring."
-Admissions Officer, University of Michigan Law School

Because so many people are drawn to this straightforward approach, the results are usually harmless. You will most likely bore your reader, but you won't hurt your application significantly. Nevertheless, you are missing out on the opportunity to be one of the few applicants who do stand out.

Epic Scope

Don't try to say too much. That means limiting yourself to a couple of key points instead of trying to write a comprehensive story. When you try to say too much, the inevitable result is that no salient points actually get across to the reader.

"The biggest mistake applicants make is to bite off more than they can chew by trying to make their personal statement an epic or a life story. One of the keys to success is finding something manageable that still conveys some substance to the reader; that is the challenge. I tell applicants that they should approach the personal statement like an interview in which there is a limited amount of time and opportunity to convey something about oneself. Accordingly, applicants should try to think of one or two points or themes that they would want to convey to an interviewer about themselves and then make absolutely sure they get those points across."
-Admissions Officer, Cornell University Law School

Long-windedness

Sometimes the same writer who relies too heavily on generalizations will also provide too many irrelevant details. That's why most essays submitted to EssayEdge are returned with significantly reduced word counts and, conversely, suggestions for additions. The problem is that writers often don't consider what is actually necessary to include, or they repeat points freely.

Example of Irrelevant Detail: After a meeting with my adviser, I returned home to think over the matter more carefully. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that my interests in practice and theory would best be explored in a double major of political science and philosophy.

In this example, we learn nothing about the applicant from the mention of his meeting with an adviser. What's relevant are his interests and the decision he made based on them. The details about how he arrived at the decision are not illustrative of his character in any way and are therefore superfluous.

Example of Redundancy: The experience taught me a great deal about hard work. I learned that hard work requires focus as well as pure effort.

The first sentence is unnecessary, because the second sentence makes the same point with more specificity.

In addition to superfluous content, you also have to watch out for wordy writing. Verbosity not only takes up valuable space, but it also can cloud the important ideas you're trying to convey. Short sentences are more forceful because they are direct.

Before: My recognition of the fact that the project was finally over was a deeply satisfying moment that will forever linger in my memory.

After: Completing the project at last gave me an enduring sense of fulfillment.

Certain phrases such as "the fact that" are usually unnecessary. Notice how the revised version focuses on active verbs rather than forms of "to be," as well as adverbs and adjectives.

Big Words

Using longer, fancier words does not make you sound more intelligent, since anyone can consult a thesaurus. Simpler language is almost always preferable, as it demonstrates your ability to think and express yourself clearly.

Before: Although I did a plethora of activities in high school, my assiduous efforts enabled me to succeed.

After: Although I juggled many activities in high school, I succeeded through persistent work.

Brainstorming

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