personal statement topic advice?? PLEASE HELP Forum

[ariel_917]

I am thinking of writing about a story of growth by talking about a field study trip that I took to Virginia and was able to assist in an archaeological dig of a plantation and interview a 95 year old black woman whose grandparents were slaves. I am black as well and I was going to write about how this experience affected me and helped me to understand where I came from. Is this a good topic?

[Ramius]

Let me just say that any topic is the right topic if it's significant to you, but not because you think it'll make a good topic.

Figure out what made you who you are today, how that may have impacted your decision to go to law school, and write about it in a way that shows some positive qualities about you.

That and realize that LSAT/uGPA will still drive your acceptances.

[TLSanders]

Possibly. But, then, nearly any topic can be effective if it's well executed. At the same time, some very promising topics fall flat when they're not flowing naturally for the applicant or the writer tries too hard to fit them into a formula, write formally, etc.

The best way--and, I really mean the only way--to determine the power of a particular topic FOR YOU is to do some writing and see how it comes across.