Anna Ivey v. TLS - Personal Statement Forum

[sillyputty]

Quick question

Was reading Anna Ivey's book, and it seemed like she likes to make very clear distinctions between PERSONAL ESSAYS and PROFESSIONAL ESSAYS, whereas the ideal essays from the TLS "guide" to personal statements seem more of a combination of the two. Any comments on this? Presumably, it should be a good thing to include couple reasons why you're interested in law school along with a personal anecdote that shares a bit of who you are, no?

I'm just a little bit confused because the sample essays in the book are certainly well-written in a narrative sense but don't really seem to reveal qualities that'd help the candidate go through law school...an element that should be included in all PS-es according to the TLS guide.

[SumStalwart]

I really like the style of the TLS PS's-- not only do they showcase an applicant's written work, but they also allow the applicant to further talk about why they are qualified. If you have awesome stats, you can afford to take more risks and spend less time talking about your qualifications in the essay. On the other hand, if you are not an "auto-admit," you probably should weave some specifics into your PS.

Because I am not an auto-admit at the top 14, I am following the TLS PS.