Controversial Personal Statement Idea About Employer Forum

[Anonymous User]

There was a recent article about my employer and it gave me a good idea for my personal statement. However, it would require me to say some pretty bad, but well documented, statements about my company that would put it in a very negative light. Is this a bad path to take? I know it will be a really strong essay because of how close I am to the subject.

A lot of the schools that will read my PS will also read other essays about how valuable my work experience has been. I believe that since my company is so big, I think that I can say both and mean both (I sincerely mean both), but I'm afraid adcoms may feel like I won't be a good law school candidate for writing negatively about my employer. I need to write a good, unique PS though because I want to go to HLS and am currently below both medians.

[t-14orbust]

Retake

[cinephile]

I wouldn't say negative things about a former employer. It portrays you in a bad light.

Also, I second the retake suggestion.

[Anonymous User]

I wouldn't say negative things about a former employer. It portrays you in a bad light.

Also, I second the retake suggestion.

OP here. I will be taking the LSAT for the third time in October. Even with a 173 or higher (my GPA is above HLS's "floor"), I would still highly consider going with this PS. Do you think it would be better to just talk about the former CEO's values, which are generally positive, or maybe go into how business in general has shifted away from his ideals? I feel like throwing one company under the bus is better than talking negatively about all companies. I talk positively about my current company in other essays by saying that it was a great place to learn and launch my career. The negative comments are more about the company's general strategy and there are volumes of reputable publications that support my view.

[mr. wednesday]

It's a personal statement; why are you writing it about a company or its a CEO? I can't see how analysis of a company's business strategy makes a good PS even if you were saying positive things, but it's even worse if you're saying negative things about your former employer.

[Ramius]

It's a personal statement; why are you writing it about a company or its a CEO? I can't see how analysis of a company's business strategy makes a good PS even if you were saying positive things, but it's even worse if you're saying negative things about your former employer.

It's very possible to write an effective PS that is more analytical if it still displays the writer in it. Remember that ADCOMS do want to see you as a future lawyer, who needs to be fiercely academic and analytical. If you can successfully display that in a way that is interesting, you've won the PS game in a different way.

That being said, do not portray your former employer in a negative light like this. That doesn't mean you can't use this topic if it shows your ability to analyze a difficult situation and synthesize a response from it, but you need to take any sort of negative tone toward your former employer and get rid of it. Objectively saying bad decisions were made is not disparaging your company, but you need to be VERY careful in how you portray the information you present.

Until you have words on the page, no one here can tell you if this topic will or will not work, so it's time to get bold and start writing.

[blsingindisguise]

Retake

[t-14orbust]

Retake

edit: seriously though, unless your softs are spectacular, this is a moot point. I highly doubt someone below both medians, with otherwise unexceptional softs, can get the necessary boost for HLS from a strong PS. Though I sure as hell invite you to prove me wrong.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

[t-14orbust]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

holy shiz, 149k posts?! Didn't notice that, I'll let myself out

[Void]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

holy shiz, 149k posts?! Didn't notice that, I'll let myself out

Lol wtf are you talking about?

[Ramius]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

If you need to read a book about the CEO in order to write about this topic, you probably aren't closely connected enough to this topic to allow it to hit home. The only way you can use a topic that casts a former employer in a negative light is if you had first-hand knowledge that you can draw from. No one will be impressed that you worked at bear stearns and discovered that subprime lending was a bad idea, for example. You need to think long and hard about whether or not this is the right topic for you.

[t-14orbust]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

holy shiz, 149k posts?! Didn't notice that, I'll let myself out

Lol wtf are you talking about?

the bro has nearly 150,000 posts so I figured that I must look pretty damn stupid telling the guy what he likely already knows.

That is, unless all his posts look like they came out of a book on posting strategy by scifiguy

[Void]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

holy shiz, 149k posts?! Didn't notice that, I'll let myself out

Lol wtf are you talking about?

the bro has nearly 150,000 posts so I figured that I must look pretty damn stupid telling the guy what he likely already knows.

That is, unless all his posts look like they came out of a book on posting strategy by scifiguy

Um. You know that whenever anyone posts anonymously, it counts towards that one account, right? So the anon post count is how many times everyone on TLS has posted anonymously, not this one dood.

[Ramius]

OP here. I'm actually a common poster who gets in the retake pile every time, so I completely agree with the retake and I really hope I score over Harvard's median.

That being said, thanks for the other advice. I want to read a book about the former CEO first to get a more in-depth view of the guy. I'm going to keep this topic, but I'll be less negative towards my employer and focus more on me after the first paragraph. I'll post in a couple of weeks after I write this thing. For now, I'm gonna get back to studying for my retake.

holy shiz, 149k posts?! Didn't notice that, I'll let myself out

Lol wtf are you talking about?

the bro has nearly 150,000 posts so I figured that I must look pretty damn stupid telling the guy what he likely already knows.

That is, unless all his posts look like they came out of a book on posting strategy by scifiguy

You're way more cynical than you probably should be based on your evolution on TLS. You'll fit right in.

[t-14orbust]

Um. You know that whenever anyone posts anonymously, it counts towards that one account, right? So the anon post count is how many times everyone on TLS has posted anonymously, not this one dood.

lol...thanks for letting me know. Nonetheless, I still managed to look stupid