Personality vs. Passion Forum

[SecondWind]

Do you think T14 admissions committees would rather read a personal statement about an event which displays your personality or an event that displays your passion for something?

[ph14]

Do you think T14 admissions committees would rather read a personal statement about an event which displays your personality or an event that displays your passion for something?

I mean, what's the different really? Displaying your passion for something is showing an aspect of your personality. In any event, even assuming there is really a distinction there, I think the details are really what matters. Whichever provides better material for a personal statement is what you should pick. And by better, I mean that the topic is more interesting, more concrete and specific, and makes you a more attractive appliacnt.

[SecondWind]

Passion: I'm a semi-professional fisherman and really enjoy fishing.

Personality: Instead of shaking the Dean's hand at graduation I chest bumped him.

These are examples, not ones I would use, but ones that illustrate the difference.

[Amicus_Curiae2013]

I vote for passion. There is a podcast on law school podcast about PS you might wanna listen to. Download tune in.
I believe talking about your passion will also inform on your personality.
Good luck!

[samantha.b233]

I voted for passion.

I think T14 are not all the same...but in general, I think they like to see that you are passionate about what you have done or what you are going to do. They don't want you to go into law school and realize you don't have the passion to endure the pain. For some schools, they really want to make sure you know what you are doing when you apply for law school. And showing them your passion helps. Showing them your personality is only a "maybe."

[arklaw13]

Honestly, if you're above both of their medians, they just want to know you're not a nut job. I guess that falls under personality.

[SecondWind]

It is interesting that Dean Asha said

"Which brings me to the big picture. Good lawyers don't argue, they construct good arguments. There's a difference. So, for you to show me that you'll be a good lawyer, you have to make a good argument for yourself through your personal statement. This is done not by asserting that you possess certain (unverifiable) skills, but by illustrating through experiences, influences, and ideas that you have the qualities that we want to see in future lawyers from Yale -- critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, substantive interests, the ability to see different points of view, to name a few. In fact, it doesn't matter if you hate public speaking, or even if you're bad at it. Making a legal oral argument, like any skill, is one you can learn...and in any event most lawyers never see the inside of a courtroom (or the light of day, for that matter). By contrast, we can't teach aspects of character, so getting those to shine through in your personal statement is much more important from an admissions perspective."

http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/admissi ... argue.aspx