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I have gone through several drafts of personal statements so far, all with different topics, but I can't seem to decide on one.

1. My most interesting soft is that I volunteer as a phone counselor at a local crisis center. I originally wanted to write about some of the clients I talk to who need a lawyer but can't afford one, and how this has made me want to become a public interest lawyer. However, this allows me very little opportunity to talk about why I would make a good lawyer without getting really off-topic. And I can't talk about any particular client in much detail (due to client confidentiality) so I feel like I'm being vague which makes my PS get boring.

2. Then I started to write about my major (linguistics) and how it relates to law. With this topic, I can discuss what would make me a good lawyer and what skills I will bring to law school, but it felt rather impersonal and didn't leave much room to talk about what I will bring to law school other than my academic skills.

3. I tried to combine these topics, but the transition seemed a little awkward and I couldn't find a way to tie everything together in the conclusion.

I have also thought about writing about studying abroad in Italy or participating in competitive roller skating for six years, but these were both before I began college, and I am under the impression that adcomms want to hear about more recent activities.

My problem is, my softs consist of being a member of some mediocre organization, working part-time in retail, and the aforementioned volunteer position. I haven't had to overcome any significant obstacle and, compared to many people, I've had a relatively easy life. Does anyone else have a similar problem? Or any feedback on any of the topics I've listed?

Your PS doesn't have to be about why you want to be a lawyer, why you would be a good lawyer, or have anything to do with law. That's why so many personal statements are boring and so much like the next one.

I actually intended to not write anything about law in my personal statement. But then I ended up putting a tidbit about law in my PS because it was a fitting example.

Pick something you want to write about and write it well. That's the best advice I can give.

number one sounds interesting.

1 - when I read your post, I immediately thought of the movie Mixed Nuts (with Steve Martin and Liev Schreiber). Sorry, I can't get it out of my head now.

2 - I feel like everybody thinks that they need to convince the adcoms of their motivation to become an attorney in their PS. I am sure that there are a million things more interesting about you than that job. Write about something else (and maybe end up bringing it back to your job?).

EDITED

Bert wrote:2 - I feel like everybody thinks that they need to convince the adcoms of their motivation to become an attorney in their PS. I am sure that there are a million things more interesting about you than that job. Write about something else (and maybe end up bringing it back to your job?).

EDITED

I think it was W&L that stated it pretty well.

We're willing to take your application as sufficient evidence of your interest in studying law, so you needn't try to convince us of the sincerity of your ambition. Remember, we're trying to get an idea of the voice you might bring to campus. While you'll do a lot of talking about law here, of course, we're after a sense of what might inform your contribution to the conversation. So tell us about your losing season, your musical aspirations, that pivotal vacation experience, the single most important piece of advice you've ever received, your troubled (or wonderful) relationship with your sibling, why you volunteered… you get the idea. Those are the things that bring manila folders to life.

Thanks, guys. I was never planning on focusing my entire statement on why I want to be a lawyer, but I realize now that I need to focus on myself first and only mention the lawyer thing briefly if/when it feels appropriate. I'm going to keep working on the statement about being a phone counselor and see if I can make it long enough without too many details about clients.

Kalvano- I love that W&L quote you posted... I'm going to keep that quote in mind while I'm writing to help me focus on what is really important to write about.

KatieKat wrote:Kalvano- I love that W&L quote you posted... I'm going to keep that quote in mind while I'm writing to help me focus on what is really important to write about.

Their FAQ is full of excellent advice.