Top Law Schools

Can one be able to write a generic personal statement leaving spaces for the name of the law school? Does it usually work?

You can write a general PS that could be used for many schools. No good comes from playing the "and that's why _____ is the best law school for me" card.

I wrote a generic one, not even leaving a blank for just the school's name, and then wrote a "Why X?" essay for a few schools, if they asked for it as a supplemental essay and I thought it would help my admission.

The "Why X?" essay ended up being about 2 pages long, and with about 3/4 of a page that I re-wrote for each school - the rest stayed the same (explaining what specifically I wanted to do with the law and how I got there).

Not a recommendation, but just what I did! I went 3/3 before getting my dream school ED, so it can't have particularly hurt, at the very least!

J90 wrote:The "Why X?" essay ended up being about 2 pages long, and with about 3/4 of a page that I re-wrote for each school - the rest stayed the same (explaining what specifically I wanted to do with the law and how I got there).

That's a bit long for a Why X? essay - I'd try to limit it to a single page. Personally, I would have cut the 1.25 pages that you left the same for each school, as that probably didn't do you much good. It won't hurt (if it's well-written), but there's no need to make them read more than they have to.

As to personalizing the PS, I would recommend against it. First, it comes across as completely disingenuous (since they know you're just changing the blanks for each school). Second, you increase your chances of messing up and sending the school a PS with the wrong name infinitely.

The only time to 'personalize' a PS is when you're writing about an experience in your background that speaks towards a specific type of law in which you have an interest in practicing, your background demonstrates a long-standing interest in that field, the school to which you're applying has a program in that area of interest, and that program is not common to all law schools. As you can imagine, that doesn't happen very often.

bp shinners wrote:

J90 wrote:The "Why X?" essay ended up being about 2 pages long, and with about 3/4 of a page that I re-wrote for each school - the rest stayed the same (explaining what specifically I wanted to do with the law and how I got there).

That's a bit long for a Why X? essay - I'd try to limit it to a single page. Personally, I would have cut the 1.25 pages that you left the same for each school, as that probably didn't do you much good. It won't hurt (if it's well-written), but there's no need to make them read more than they have to.

As to personalizing the PS, I would recommend against it. First, it comes across as completely disingenuous (since they know you're just changing the blanks for each school). Second, you increase your chances of messing up and sending the school a PS with the wrong name infinitely.

The only time to 'personalize' a PS is when you're writing about an experience in your background that speaks towards a specific type of law in which you have an interest in practicing, your background demonstrates a long-standing interest in that field, the school to which you're applying has a program in that area of interest, and that program is not common to all law schools. As you can imagine, that doesn't happen very often.

I did this two cycles ago.

Sure, but remember to place an asterisk next to the blank space with a footnote type notation instructing adcomms to fill in the blank with the name of their law school (otherwise it might confuse some).

CanadianWolf wrote:Sure, but remember to place an asterisk next to the blank space with a footnote type notation instructing adcomms to fill in the blank with the name of their law school (otherwise it might confuse some).

lmaooo, only an idiot would leave it blank

CanadianWolf wrote:Sure, but remember to place an asterisk next to the blank space with a footnote type notation instructing adcomms to fill in the blank with the name of their law school (otherwise it might confuse some).

An interesting approach!