I have a problem. I don't have a compelling story to tell.

I want a career in law because it would be challenging and rewarding, and because it matches my interests and abilities. I didn't have any life-changing experience to make me realize this. I came to this conclusion after taking stock of what I want out of a career, then doing the research and talking to lawyers and law students to see if law would be right for me.

I've tried writing drafts that mimic the popular style and it always feels dishonest and "not me." I'm a practical person and I'm burnt out of trying to come up with something emotionally moving. I come from a middle-class family. I've never had to battle persecution for my religious beliefs, national origin, race or sexual orientation. My parents didn't abuse or neglect me. I have some work experience and I've done some volunteering, but nothing that would change the world. I just want to write an essay about the reasons why I want to study law and why I think I could be successful, instead of forcing a disingenuous after-school special. Would this type of personal statement be a real ding on my application?

I'm in the same camp, my friend.

Same here. I am wondering if it would be best to just write an essay about how awesome I am.

look at the various prompts for personal statements or even the optional statements (like michigan) and try to get ideas from those.

you could do something that tells a story about who you are as a person. you could highlight something that would contribute to you being good at the law. you could write about a hobby or something that is a favorite of yours.

where did you volunteer and what kind of work did you do? was it with people, animals, construction? what made you choose to do that kind of work?

where do you live? what kind of values have you been raised in? have you done any traveling? have you moved around a lot?

are you politically active?

the idea could be relatively boring, but you're going to have to write it in an interesting way. i suggest looking at the montauk book for ideas.

How to Get Into the Top Law Schools by Richard Montauk

just don't be a defeatist! something will come to you. i tried five different ideas and completely wrote out two of them before i found something i liked. post on here for feedback just to see if an idea is working. you'll find something!

If you don't have any gripping past experiences, maybe you can write about what your aspiration are in the future after attaining a law degree? What do you hope to accomplish in law?

The way I see it, regardless of having a "boring" past, you have made it to where you are from learning from everything that you have done until now. This seems obvious, but write something that highlights that instead of your past hurting you for not disadvantaging you, illustrate how having all of your benefits allowed you to look at the world with a grateful perspective and approach things to enhance your already favorable position in life.

Hmmm, perhaps you could turn this sentiment into a personal statement if all else fails. I think what you've written here tells that you are a pragmatist, someone who fully thinks out and explores all avenues of an issue before committing - you want to be prepared. I think those are very good qualities for a lawyer, and if you are a good writer you can definitely convey that through a non-traditional personal statement.

Just a thought...

hmm...that would be quite cavalier. i've seen that done, and it just didn't work. definitely pick an actual topic.

I actually had a very similar problem and my experience moved me to reply.

Quite frankly, I was in almost an identical boat. I'm an academic who likes long hours of work, appreciates attention to detail, and loves reading, writing and researching for hours or days at a time. At the same time, I'm good at dealing with people in a professional environment. Based on the discussions I've had with many different lawyers, I've found this might just be an ideal combination of attributes for law.

So the way I pitched myself was precisely as I am. Look - the mystical admissions committee creatures are actually human beings and while they often deal with some fairly exceptional stories and attributes, they are also looking for people like us too with perhaps less dramatic offerings. If you're reliable, studious, intelligent and actually genuinely interested in studying and practicing law like I am and like you are there's a special quality there. Committees will want to hear about it.

Talk about what you are. I wouldn't be afraid of what you feel you're expected to be because, if you write about those things, not only will your essay not reflect you and you'll hate the experience but also the adcomms probably will too. Remember, this is their job. They are trained to spot the person through the essay and they will find you if you are original and they will know if you are not.

I think that honesty is by far the best policy here. Just don't sound like you hate the system - you don't. You just hate the expectations here that you're placing on yourself.

Good luck! You've about two or three weeks to submit apps and be on the early side.

Ditto. I ended up writing about some work experience at an internship and how it has helped me grow and contributed to my wanting to pursue law. I don't know if I like it though. Sigh.

Try something like that, though? There seem to be reasons you'd be a good candidate, demonstrate how you are smart and motivated.

A good PS doesn't have to be about a monumental life altering moment, although many good ones are. All you really want to convey is who you are and give reasons why you would make an excellent law school candidate. Treat it as if you were having a beer for 10 minutes with the reader, what would you like them to know?

Just about everyone has at least one good story to tell, even if you don't know it. The problem is that you know yourself too well. What seems mundane and ordinary to you is probably extraordinary -- you just don't know it. Things to consider in your PS:

1. The most important thing is to keep it personal! If it is personal to you, you will naturally show more passion in your writing.

2. The why do you want to go to law school essay: What do you want to be when you grow up? It is best not to berate lawyers with what you know about the law, but to explain how it fits in your background and/or your future. Why is the law personal to you?

3. What was a turning point in your life? It could be mundane. I read a PS where someone wrote about arguing with a contractor about the meaning of the word 'install' as applied to their new kitchen cabinets. I read one about someone who argued about being the middle child and its relation to a lack of justice.

4. What are your interests and abilities? Write about a camping trip you had that was memorable, or your experience in hockey, or the time your band performed in front of 30 people.

5. Write about your lawyerly traits that you discovered in your job.

Things to avoid:

1. Don't be general.

2. Don't write "and this is why I want to go to X" unless you have reasons which are personal to that school.

3. Don't sound like a jerk. (ie being wordy or condescending). Be clear and concise. Try to be near two pages double spaced. They will only spend a few minutes reading it, it is in your best interest to make them want to keep reading.

4. Don't start with a quote.

5. Don't tell lawyers about the law -- They know more about it than you do and when you are wrong they will not have a high opinion of you.

6. Don't have a sad theme running through. You don't want pity, you want to show why you are a strong law school candidate.

6b. Don't end it with "The end". Not sure if anyone does, but I would avoid it

I agree that personal statements don't need to be about earth shattering moments, they can be about anything. However, I can glean a lot more about you from the statement if you tell me about someone you loved or a hobby you enjoy than I can from reading about the time you made a profit projection and e-mailed the excel file to your supervisor. Being boring might not hurt you but it certainly won't help you.

I think you're viewing this all wrong. Amazing personal experiences can come off as absolutely boring and insignificant if you don't know how to tell a story and draw a broader meaning about yourself, your goals, what you have learned, what has made you a better/strong/wiser/more sensitive person because of it. Small moments/ narratives can have a huge impact if you know how to tell them correctly (think about shows like Seinfeld--this show is about nothing but is extremely compelling. Think about authors like Bill Bryson who can make the ordinary and mundane hilarious and illuminating). The personal statement is really an exercise in creative nonfiction.

Why don't you tell a story about yourself (any story you think you can use as a small moment that points to bigger ideas about you. But make sure it is good prose--I can't stress that enough) and then elaborate on how you carefully seek out opportunities that are challenging and rewarding. How you are meticulous in your self-examination and career choices (and don't rely on pivotal life-changing moments). That meticulousness and self-examination are things that are valuable in students and lawyers. If that is who you are, focus on that.