Being specific about my legal interests Forum

[catsparka]

I have a good idea of what kind of legal career I want to pursue. For simplicity, let's call my specific area of interest X.

I understand that it's probably a good idea to mention this in my PS if the school has a strong program in X or is otherwise an ideal place to pursue X.

But what about for schools that don't have a particularly strong program in X? If I mention it, will it have a negative effect on my application? (The adcomms might think, "Well, our school doesn't have that strong of a program in X, why does she want to come here?") Or should I go ahead and mention it anyway?

Thanks!

[FuturePrez]

I would definitely suggest mentioning the schools program and your interest in it. It shows you have done your research and you have a genuine interest in what the school offers.

If the school lacks it, you may want to add something about getting involved in an extracurricular activity that involves that similar legal interest; you could also mention maybe how your legal interest would fit in well with the local community the school is located in. Maybe say how the legal lessons and abstractions learned in class will be applied in ways that can have real effects on the community....