On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement. Forum

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FuturePrez

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by FuturePrez » Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:07 am

ahduth wrote:
sarahhope82 wrote:Is this what law school is going to be like?
Very much so, yes.

Cant Wait...

thatjuanguy

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by thatjuanguy » Thu Nov 04, 2010 2:05 am

trutherd wrote:
whymeohgodno wrote:Numbers>All. The end.
Please explain how your brusque advice is consistent with the highlighted data:

--ImageRemoved--

--ImageRemoved--

sorry to interrupt you all's pissing match, but can someone tell me where they found this data I have searched LSAC and have had no luck. thanks.

tas817

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by tas817 » Thu Nov 04, 2010 2:42 am

I would tend to agree with the consensus view that the PS for most people wont make or break you. Most people applying to law school can write well enough to put together a coherent, error free, paper. I have seen friends with really strong numbers that did not get into schools that they should have based on numbers. I believe they struggled because there personal statements, while well writing, made them come across as conceded and self promoting. These schools have an endless amount of highly qualified candidates and if your PS comes across as arrogant or disingenuous I really believe it will hurt you. Especially at top schools that don't need to accept an ahole just because he/she got a 170+. With that said I would really love to have a 170+. :D Good Luck this cycle everyone.

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McNulty

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by McNulty » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:07 am

sarahhope82 wrote:Is this what law school is going to be like?
Slightly, except the people posting ad nauseam on here are probably not studying enough.

whymeohgodno

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by whymeohgodno » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:09 am

tas817 wrote:I would tend to agree with the consensus view that the PS for most people wont make or break you. Most people applying to law school can write well enough to put together a coherent, error free, paper. I have seen friends with really strong numbers that did not get into schools that they should have based on numbers. I believe they struggled because there personal statements, while well writing, made them come across as conceded and self promoting. These schools have an endless amount of highly qualified candidates and if your PS comes across as arrogant or disingenuous I really believe it will hurt you. Especially at top schools that don't need to accept an ahole just because he/she got a 170+. With that said I would really love to have a 170+. :D Good Luck this cycle everyone.
What #s and where did they get rejected from?

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MrAdams

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by MrAdams » Thu Nov 04, 2010 4:30 am

WhatSarahSaid wrote:Strange argument. Why not just try to get the best numbers you can and try to write the best PS you can?
Oh god, this. This, guys,.... this.

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ahduth

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by ahduth » Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:45 am

McNulty wrote:
sarahhope82 wrote:Is this what law school is going to be like?
Slightly, except the people posting ad nauseam on here are probably not studying enough.
Yeah, you're probably not looking at the top 10% here. :o

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Nicholasnickynic

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Re: On the utter insignificance of the Personal Statement.

Post by Nicholasnickynic » Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:08 am

trutherd wrote:I stumbled on this nugget of truly excellent, informed analysis of the personal statement in another thread, advice so enlightened that it compelled me to start a new thread in order to ensure broad dissemination among the TLS masses:
TLS Sage wrote:A P-statement is pretty much a non-factor in the admissions process. It's there for two reasons. #1. Ensure that you can at least write somewhat coherently, and #2. the rare occasion that ADCOMS will use it for students with very similar Apps.
Impeccable. Use this as the guiding light for your apps, fellow TLS'ers, and be sure not to waste more than 17 minutes writing your statement. Don't forget the old adage, "If 18 minutes before you're done, you'll never see a JR1!"

Look at the foolishness of these peripheral admissions staffers--many of whom are running around with silly titles like "Dean"--compared to our in-house gurus:
Ann Perry (Chicago) wrote:"Personally, I don't even look at an applicant's numbers until I feel like I've gotten to know him or her. So I always like to start off a new application by reading the personal statement and reviewing the applicant's letters of recommendation... The personal statement is the first part of the application that I review."
Sarah Zearfoss (Michigan) wrote:"[The personal statement] is my favorite part in the file... You’d be surprised just how many personal statements are not [polished]. But even when they come to you in a final form you’d expect from an applicant to Michigan, I’m often amazed by how much I can learn about an applicant. I’ve read so many personal statements where I end up walking away from reading them with a really good understanding about who this person is -- and oftentimes, it’s a very negative picture... And while I can appreciate some people’s skepticism that you can’t learn that much about an applicant reading a personal statement, I’m here to tell you that you can -- and it’s not always the picture a candidate might have envisioned. Sometimes, I’m finding things that are subtle and come from ten years of having done this. Other times, though, it begins with the first sentence and carries all the way through the essay -- and I’m thinking that this is obviously a really smart person and I cannot believe they honestly think this is going to be persuasive to get them into law school."
Faye Deal (Stanford) wrote:"If your LSAT is strong but your personal statement is poorly written and there is no evidence that you’ve taken any courses where serious writing was required, your file may not get very far."
Monica Ingram (Texas) wrote:"For example, applicants who have competitive, but not stellar, LSAT scores and GPAs, may have a personal statement that's compelling. It may be their writing style, gift with language, or individual experiences displayed within the personal statement that will tip the scale on their behalf... It goes without saying that the personal statement is the most influential aspect of the application for which you have the most control. So turning in something that's sloppy, has typos, poor grammar and structure is a serious mistake."
Can you believe the nonsense being spewed by these simpletons?! Staggering! Let's recap:
  • Chicago says, "Screw the important stuff -- I go straight for the non-factor when reviewing an application."
  • Michigan says, "The non-factor is my favorite! It's so unimportant that it's oftentimes the deciding factor in a rejection."
  • Stanford says, "The personal statement is so meaningless to us that if it's poorly written, it's likely to tip the scales against numerically strong candidates. Difficult to imagine a more trivial part of an application, amirite?"
  • Texas says, "The personal statement is essentially the laughing stock of the application. Seriously, there are only several circumstances in which it can be the determinative factor."
Now go forth with piddling effort and claim thy prize!

(But please, if you scored less than a 176 on the LSAT, just give up on life.)
What are they supposed to say? We only care about numbers? Do you also believe them when they tell you that every one gets jobs? Do you also think that a JD is a versatile degree?

Hey, while I have your attention, I have this friend whose a Nigerian prince. He is in a tough situation and needs some money. But if you help him out he could repay you and then some. I think you could make a lot of money. PM me for more information.

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