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What Not to Do in a Law School Personal Statement

By WTOP Staff

When applying to law school, your personal statement is your best opportunity to present to admissions committees aspects of who you are that are not apparent through LSAT scores, GPAs and transcripts. It is this access to your personality and non-quantifiable characteristics that makes it such an important piece of the puzzle and enables it to set you apart from other applicants.

When I advise applicants, I try to impress upon them the importance of a fresh idea and a genuine voice. Every year applicants show me their original statements, and they sound too generic and clearly were lost in the crowd of other applicants.

There are ways to avoid a bland or ill-fitting statement. I will discuss three common mistakes to avoid that can result in an essay that might hamstring your law school application.

[See which law schools get the most applications.]

1. Telling instead of showing: It is important to illustrate the positive aspects of your profile with specific stories. You want to choose anecdotes that highlight your work ethic and other important qualities.

Avoid directly stating a list of attractive characteristics that you embody. You want to articulate who you are with representational tools that also describe your experiences through clear, concise descriptions that are both interesting to read and genuine.

For example, many students include meaningful academic experiences in their personal statements. Such experiences are often best described by recounting a particularly important exchange with a professor or the exploration of a single concept as opposed to a broad statement about one’s overall impression of a class or subject.

[Check out more ways to polish your law school personal statement.]

2. Losing sight of the horizon: Your personal essay should be part of a broader strategy that connects to a theme. Do not write the essay in isolation or without considering the perspectives you are putting forth in other areas of your application.

All the different components of the application, including the essay, should be emblematic in their own way of this predetermined theme. They should fit together and keep a consistent tone. At Stratus Prep, our admissions counselors begin work with candidates by engaging in an in-depth introspection process.

During this process, the counselor and applicant work together to gather information from all aspects of the applicant’s life, and from this information the counselor helps the applicant form an overall strategy for the application. Only after this process do we begin to brainstorm personal statement topics, thereby ensuring that the personal statement is a component of the application as opposed to an independent essay.

[Dodge these other law school essay errors.]

3. Being afraid to discuss difficulties: Although your personal statement should focus on your strengths, describing challenges and areas of difficulty can often convey one’s strengths as well as or better than describing the strengths themselves.

For example, a client of mine wrote a powerful personal statement about overcoming a speech impediment. Writing on this topic enabled him to present himself as a genuine person who, when faced with a difficult challenge, had the tenacity and conviction to meet and ultimately overcome the challenge.

So, when writing your personal statement, make sure that you present yourself in a way that is interesting and relatable to the reader and make sure that your personal statement is a component of a unified application package.

More from U.S. News

Polish the Personal Statement for a Shining Law School Application

Brainstorm Unique Law School Personal Statement Topics

Law School Q-and-A: Applying Early, Adding Diversity Statement

What Not to Do in a Law School Personal Statement originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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