Module 1: Meet Your Audience
You've probably already heard a million different things about what law schools want in a personal statement: Keep it short and sweet! Kill 'em with content! No quotes! More quotes! ALL THE QUOTES! These are all made-up rules, and they're wrong. We'll tell you what actually motivates admissions officers - it's really not that complicated! - so you can make sure you're presenting information that will match those motivations and not just freestyling.
Module 2: Find Your Story
Start here by creating your career vision in the When I'm a Lawyer Exercise. We give you the resources to envision one or several legal careers. Research careers by job function, employer type, and practice area. Once you've got an idea of where you're going, comb the world's only centralized database of law school extracurricular activities, student groups, and academic programs in order to find the right schools that match your talents and interests. Now, when you apply to these schools, you can talk knowledgeably about how you'll be an active law school community member.
Research and Personalization Are at the Heart of the Personal Statement University Method.
We give you everything you need to find the schools that match your talents and interests and tailor your personal statement to each school you apply to. The When I'm in Law School Exercise provides resources on more than a thousand law school programs, extracurriculars, and other opportunities. It's yours with the course.
Exercises
When I'm a Lawyer
Learn about the different ways of practicing law by function, employer, and practice area, so you can start creating your career vision.
What I Do That's Unique
Writing about yourself is hard. In this exercise, you'll get more useful ideas down on paper than you thought possible.
When I'm in Law School
This exercise is the crown jewel in the PSU course. Once you're done, you'll have a list of schools to apply to and the insider knowledge to show how you'll make a valuable contribution.
Hook Your Audience
Your personal statement has to be memorable, or it's not worth writing. Learn how novelists and screenwriters draw their audience in and then use that magic on your own story.
Module 3: Get Organized
The facts of your story are unique, but the structure of your personal statement shouldn't be. Good writing has a clear and logical structure, and we've identified the ones that work. Depending upon the facts of your life, choose one template explainer video to watch to see how that structure has worked on a real law school personal statement.
Structure Is a Snap When You Work From a Template.
You don't have to reinvent the personal statement to be unique. We give you five different structures that commonly work for personal statements as well as a guide for how to structure your essay if you don't find any of the templates fits.
Templates
The JDNA
Did you start thinking about law school in the womb? This template shows you how to organize that lifelong journey into a persuasive case for admission.
I Shall Overcome
Lawyers are fighters. Did you have to fight to get to where you are today? It may be a good story to tell in a personal statement, and you can see how it works here.
The Aha Moment
A lot of times, a person's rationale for law school comes after a period of reflection or change. These essays show growth and self-awareness, which admissions officers appreciate.
Look for the Helpers
Are you an advocate at heart? Do you want to use your law degree to make the world a better place? Learn how to make a great personal statement about it.
The O.W.L
O.W.L. stands for "older, wiser law student." Is that you? Are you starting a new career? Have all the chicks flown the nest? Your experience, yes even the stay-at-home parent experience, is relevant and compelling.
Module 4: The Rough Draft
Even if you're good at writing, you might find writing about yourself difficult. In this unit, you'll learn how fiction writers draw in their readers with emotionally activating imagery and clear exposition. Then you'll learn how to apply that understanding to relate the events of your law school story in a way that will captivate and stick with the admissions officers who read it.
Module 5: Cut and Polish
The great thing about the personal statement is that you get a whole lot of time to write it. You should take a significant amount of that time seeking feedback from trusted resources and honing your message in turn. In this module, we cover common problems with rough drafts and how to fix them.
