Does my personal statement need more "showing?" Forum

[bisanch]

x

[jac101689]

Excellent style for a personal statement--clear and readable. I'd say it's good enough not to hurt you overall and with a little massaging could help your application significantly.

Small thing: you don't need both "calling it quits" and "getting a divorce." Choose one, and I'd recommend the latter. I think you've written too much on the dysfunctionality of your parents' relationship. Focus more on fleshing out how and why you acted as a balancing agent.

I think you do need more showing. You have a lot of superficial evidence of your skills and experiences as a mediator. I wanted to believe you, but there are too many empty statements like "putting arguments in their appropriate contexts." You might improve by focusing on one or two such arguments, what you did in each case, and what the result was. If the arguments are way different in subject matter and you maintain a focus on what you did and, again, the results, that'd be a good way to SHOW your versatility and skill.

Verdict: good overall, but I see the potential for excellence.

[bisanch]

Thank you for the feedback. I actually had a specific case where I explained in depth an argument between two of my friends on the topic of African American Vernacular English, but I decided to cut it out because it seemed out of place compared to the rest of my personal statement.

Which paragraph/sentence describing my parents' relationship do you think I can shorten?

I'm willing to revise my personal statement right now, could I PM you a copy in the next hour?

[jac101689]

To be more specific, I'd give this a low A if it were a graded assignment. I think you're close to the solid A and not too far from the A+. I think this PS is FINE. I'm critiquing along the lines that I know any TLSer would critique it--with the assumption that you want the A+.

You don't necessarily have to shorten. Go deeper subject to the length you have now, if that makes sense. It's a fine length. What I meant about your parents is there's too much setting and too much redundancy. We get that things were effed up and got worse over time, and we get a sense that you were in the middle and adapted to your environment over time. Show us a clip, some footage if you will, of how you factored into that dynamic or maybe the moment you went from milquetoast to mediator instead of saying the development happened and talking about it at a high level.

To get redundant myself, I just think that instead of talking so much about the environment you were in, you'd be better off going more in depth into how you behaved in that environment. Okay, compromise was foreign and rifts were wide--give us one story that illustrates how you attempted to make a positive impact. The sense I get is you view your early mediation efforts as unsuccessful in a certain light but highly formative of your skills, goals, and communicative abilities. You're a mature, intelligent person who's been through some shite. I just think the character development story could go a little deeper.

Feel free to PM me.

[bisanch]

If anyone would like to see an updated version with more details please let me know! I'd love to have anyone compare the two versions of my PS.

[Lwoods1020]

Hi I don't know if you're still taking criticisms but I think you're making very weak examples of the subway job and your friends to the mediation theme of essay. The rest is good amd I like your style. I would stretch the violin and internship more.

I also think it's a tiny bit wordy. I understand it's for the sake of style but lawyers are concise. Show them you can write like a lawyer.

I would also expand your mediation theme into what kind of law you want to practice. Mediation can be present in MANY different areas of law - I would elaborate. It would bridge any gap between your mediating skills and your desire and worthiness to go to law school.

Good luck!