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Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:11 pm**

AllDangle wrote:I recently started brainstorming for my PS and below are the topics I have come up with so far. Any input on which ones, or combination, look promising is appreciated.

1) I was forced to move home and begin working full-time following my sophomore year of college due to some bad financial decision making on my parent's part. I earned straight A's my junior and senior years while taking classes, studying for the LSAT and working full-time (2 jobs at one point) with one being an internship at a law firm where I worked my way into a full-time, paid position.

2) I realized my interest in law after interning for my local police department and realizing I did not want to work in law enforcement (I'm a CJ major). I worked on a project which took their arrest data from the previous year and compiled the outcome of the arrests through the criminal legal process into a table/chart for the department. This is one of the main things which grew my interest in pursuing law school. I did the internship at the PD the summer I found out I would have to move home.

3) I was an all-state level wrestler in high school and was on my university's team my sophomore year when we won the national championship. It was considered a "club" team due because we were Title IX'ed.

#3 is obviously not as strong as the others in my opinion. Right now I am leaning towards combining #1 and #2. Any input? Also, how much should I elaborate on the financial situation which caused me to move home? Thanks.

3 seems kind if irrelevant to me and not very interesting. No offense...........And yes, combining 1 and 2 sounds good to me. Dont sound whiny about your parents, though.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:19 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:20 pm**

There'd better be some personal detail, anecdotes and emotion included if you write about 1 or 2, because as-is they sound ghastly boring.

Sports are always easy to write engagingly about, although club sports are less compelling.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:32 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:37 pm**

AllDangle wrote:
rinkrat19 wrote:There'd better be some personal detail, anecdotes and emotion included if you write about 1 or 2, because as-is they sound ghastly boring.

Sports are always easy to write engagingly about, although club sports are less compelling.
Once moving home I was essentially on my own financially other than food and shelter. Also, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after I moved back and underwent the full round of treatment, including a double mastectomy.

That is much better fodder than studying for the LSAT. Make the story about these interesting, human struggles (and the things you learned from them/qualities you posess that allowed you to succeed/etc.), not the boring crap we all went through (like studying). Obviously the fact that you had to work/study at the time these things were going on is relevant, but no one wants to read a play-by-play of you taking PTs and drilling RC question types, you know?

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:55 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:57 pm**

AllDangle wrote:Thanks for the input, and I definitely agree. Do you think including what actually occurred financially that forced me to have to move home would be good to include, instead of just saying "I was told I had to move home due to financial reasons."

Absolutely include it. It's part of the human story. It's called a Personal Statement, after all. Get personal.

And don't use ANY sentences like 'I was told I had to move home due to financial reasons.' It's vague, awkward, and uses passive voice.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 3:57 am**

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:06 pm**

I think you can combine 1 and 2 to create a great statement. Topic 1 can be the main focus of your PS, whereas topic 2 can be the transition paragraph from your experiences to your interests in pursuing law school.

From recently working on my problem statement, I realized it was easier if you figured out which situation represents personal qualities you want to show ADCOMs. Topic 1 shows perseverance and hard-working ability whereas topic 2 seems like a generic "I worked here and i got interested" story.

I say focus on 1, and use 2 as a means to transition into your interest to pursue law as a career. Tie that back into your experiences in topic 1.

Posted: **Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:40 pm**

I would stay away from all of these topics because they are probably going to be on your resume anyway, and quite frankly, they sound boring.

Posted: **Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:39 pm**

CorkBoard wrote:I would stay away from all of these topics because they are probably going to be on your resume anyway, and quite frankly, they sound boring.

I disagree. combining 1&2 sounds like it would be interesting and it would explain really well why you want to go to law school.

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