Three personal statement topics Forum

[Anonymous User]

TLSers, I am debating between three potential personal statement topics. I would love your recommendations on which is the strongest to develop further. Thanks! All three are centered on my work experience - I am one year out of college working in nonprofit development and management.

1. Professional development. Late in my college experience I realized that my interpersonal skills were not my strongest assets, particularly in building a consensuses. In response, I took the nonprofit position (including rejecting four favorable fedgov positions, including a prestigious internship) because I knew it stressed interpersonal skills. Over the past year, my interpersonal skills have strongly developed and I've been very successful in my field utilizing them. On the other hand, the experience has revealed that I prefer utilizng my intellectual skillset - particularly research and analysis - and I had my greatest professional successes with these as my foundation. In total, the experience has prepared me for success using a variety of assets and has confirmed my strengths.

2. Achievement through instability. The position I took had experienced extreme instability - I was the fifth to hold it in four years - and our client base (volunteers and donors) were discontent. Even worse, the national organization was undergoing controversy and was hemorrhaging support. I targeted the local problems with a synthesis of a results-based vision and an engaged, enthusastic client service. This balanced the professional goals with the clients' needs and wants. As a result, my service area has flourished in membership, donor support, and other key areas, and I won the local area's highest award.

3. Personal convictions versus professional obligations. The controversy my organization underwent in my first year evoked powerful emotions in clients (volunteers and donors), but these emotions (and the organization's policy) went contrary to my personal convictions on the subject. I struggled between my personal convictions and my professional obligations. At times, I would remain silent or circuitously answer questions. At others, to my shame, I would agree with bigoted sentiments from key supporters. After several incidents, I resolved to be firm in my in my personal convictions and resolved that my personal convictions didn't override my professional obligations, and that the impact the organization has outweighs my personal discomfort.

[Anonymous User]

Any input?

[cmroberto]

I think all three topics would be strong, but each accomplishes a different goal. #3 would be great for a prompt that asks you to demonstrate that you are up to the ethical/professional demands that accompany the legal profession (I had this exact prompt from UNC last cycle). I personally would have selected #1 or #3. I think you can't go wrong with either, but #1 shows that you are capable of reflection that leads to meaningful personal development. Last cycle (the first and only one for me) I greatly outperformed my LSAT score (non-URM, KJD) and I think that is largely because I wrote a PS about work experience that I spun to be about personal reflection/growth

[Anonymous User]

I think all three topics would be strong, but each accomplishes a different goal. #3 would be great for a prompt that asks you to demonstrate that you are up to the ethical/professional demands that accompany the legal profession (I had this exact prompt from UNC last cycle). I personally would have selected #1 or #3. I think you can't go wrong with either, but #1 shows that you are capable of reflection that leads to meaningful personal development. Last cycle (the first and only one for me) I greatly outperformed my LSAT score (non-URM, KJD) and I think that is largely because I wrote a PS about work experience that I spun to be about personal reflection/growth

That's awesome - thank you so much! I love the idea of using #3 for my UNC statement; I really struggled through theirs last year and only got $14k because of it.