Need Help for Personal Statement Topic Forum

[logle]

I have absolutely no idea what to write about. I haven't faced that many difficulties or hardships in my life. The only thing that helps me stand out among my peers is that I'm a white blonde female in the IT field.
I don't know if I should share my life story and explain that I've faced adversity being a women in a male dominated field, or maybe I should explain that I've always had a passion for law (even though I heard never to write about that) or maybe when I first realized I wanted to go to law school.
If anyone has any advice or questions that could lead to advice, I would greatly appreciate it.



Here's a few things I've jotted down in my spare time:

Why I think I should be accepted to law school:
•I was raised to be independent, to think for myself, and pursue my dreams. Most of all, I was raised to break the bounds of many stereotypes. One might not assume that I’ve had to face a lot of stereotypes and I am inspired by individuals who are not bound by the limitations that society sets for them.
•I don’t want to be a token of diversity. I would rather have earned a position. I don’t want to be the cheerleader. Being feminine and friendly shouldn’t make me less capable of being seen as a leader.
•I’ve never been a dreamer, I’ve always been level headed, and I don’t believe something without proof.
•I have a deep appreciation for technology and an infatuation for science.

[CanadianWolf]

Consider: "Why I want to become an attorney" as your theme.

[Abraham Lincoln Uni.]

In terms of personal statement topics, consider qualities that make you diverse, what caught your interest in the legal field, what you hope to pursue with your J.D. degree, or how your previous work and life experiences have shaped who you are to differentiate you from other students who are applying.

These personal statements are to give the admissions committee a better idea of who you are, what you enjoy doing, and how you would be an asset to their university.

You may also research sample personal statements to see if a sample topic will work for you.

[logle]

How do I answer those questions on my essay without simply listing things?
When I begin to write, I find myself just listing character traits that I believe make me a good candidate, but there's not enough substance.
I can say I'm inquisitive and analytical, but that's not persuasive enough...
Why do I want to be a lawyer? I love law and I think I would be a great lawyer, but how do I elaborate?

[lymenheimer]

How do I answer those questions on my essay without simply listing things?
When I begin to write, I find myself just listing character traits that I believe make me a good candidate, but there's not enough substance.
I can say I'm inquisitive and analytical, but that's not persuasive enough...
Why do I want to be a lawyer? I love law and I think I would be a great lawyer, but how do I elaborate?

Start by not doing this on an open forum. I may be imposing my previous tone to your words (since I said most of this same stuff), but you sound like you're hardcore whining. Adcomms read a bunch of the same crap every year. Pick something outside of "I love law and think I would be a great lawyer". Talk about a trip you took, a sport/game you like. You can write about one of a million different things as long as it reflects insight into you as a person: your personality, what you could add to the education environment, your interests, etc. "How do I elaborate?" is the dumbest question and if you can't answer it yourself, then you obviously shouldn't write about that topic, either that or you haven't even tried yet.

edit for the bolded: your numbers make you a good candidate. Your PS conveys that you are actually a person and shares insight into your background, interests, etc. and shows that you aren't crap at composing an essay.

[logle]

How do I answer those questions on my essay without simply listing things?
When I begin to write, I find myself just listing character traits that I believe make me a good candidate, but there's not enough substance.
I can say I'm inquisitive and analytical, but that's not persuasive enough...
Why do I want to be a lawyer? I love law and I think I would be a great lawyer, but how do I elaborate?

Start by not doing this on an open forum. I may be imposing my previous tone to your words (since I said most of this same stuff), but you sound like you're hardcore whining. Adcomms read a bunch of the same crap every year. Pick something outside of "I love law and think I would be a great lawyer". Talk about a trip you took, a sport/game you like. You can write about one of a million different things as long as it reflects insight into you as a person: your personality, what you could add to the education environment, your interests, etc. "How do I elaborate?" is the dumbest question and if you can't answer it yourself, then you obviously shouldn't write about that topic, either that or you haven't even tried yet.

edit for the bolded: your numbers make you a good candidate. Your PS conveys that you are actually a person and shares insight into your background, interests, etc. and shows that you aren't crap at composing an essay.

What's wrong with doing this on an open forum? I'm not embarrassed to ask for help. I'm just taking advantage of the fact that I can post something, and somebody somewhere will respond. Despite your comments about my "whining" and asking "the dumbest" question, I appreciate your feedback.
When I write my first draft of my personal statement, I will post it again so it can be ripped apart by people like you. I welcome criticism; whatever helps me in the end right?

I'm just looking for inspiration and a direction for my essay. I definitely don't want it to sound like everyone else's.
I would love to talk about astronomy.

[emkay625]

Astronomy sounds like a great topic, and different from what other people will be writing about. Just make sure you can do these things:

1. Have narratives/examples. In other words, "show, don't tell."
2. Tie it back to why you think you'd be an asset to their class/why you want to go to law school/what you have to offer.

[lymenheimer]

What's wrong with doing this on an open forum? I'm not embarrassed to ask for help. I'm just taking advantage of the fact that I can post something, and somebody somewhere will respond. Despite your comments about my "whining" and asking "the dumbest" question, I appreciate your feedback.
When I write my first draft of my personal statement, I will post it again so it can be ripped apart by people like you. I welcome criticism; whatever helps me in the end right?

I'm just looking for inspiration and a direction for my essay. I definitely don't want it to sound like everyone else's.
I would love to talk about astronomy.

Nobody on here is going to be able to give you inspiration for your essay, and you don't have a product yet that people can direct you. I'm not knocking on you asking for help, you're just not at the point yet where many people will be of help. Like I said, if you don't know how to elaborate about your experiences or your desires, then something that somebody somewhere tells you isn't going to help much because you can analytically answer the question "why do I want to do law" in one sentence regardless. What you need to do, if you haven't yet, is read over some personal statements that are available on these forums or online, then really sit and think. Don't just jot stuff down in passing. Sit down and write a two page personal statement. Include as much or as little as you want. This will at least get your writing juices flowing and get you in the mindset. It took me 20 ideas/directions, many of them to a full 2 pages before I hit one that I liked, and I started exactly where you are, thinking that I could answer it with one sentence and that nothing about me was special.

Write about astronomy if that's what you want. I was considering that for one of mine because I loved my astronomy courses.

[logle]

Actually, this has been tremendously helpful so far. I didn't consider writing about an interest or a passion. I was so focused on writing about obstacles or telling a story about how some moment changed my life. But honestly, I think I can appropriately tie my love for astronomy into my desire to go to law school. I know you're right. I need to just sit down and start writing.

[Dcc617]

Astronomy sounds like a great topic, and different from what other people will be writing about. Just make sure you can do these things:

1. Have narratives/examples. In other words, "show, don't tell."

+1 I think a big point of the personal statement is to fill out parts of yourself that you can't fit into a resume or lsat score. Like, it's a chance to let people get to know you. I used to be a writing tutor, and a common weakness I saw on personal essays was the person just listing or claiming a bunch of stuff about themselves without showing, eg, just stating "I'm driven and talented" rather than using an anecdote to show those traits. One measure I use for measuring the strength of a personal statement is its uniqueness. You'd be amazed at how many personal statements read totally generically, to the extent that it could fit almost anyone. Personalize it.

[lymenheimer]

Actually, this has been tremendously helpful so far. I didn't consider writing about an interest or a passion. I was so focused on writing about obstacles or telling a story about how some moment changed my life. But honestly, I think I can appropriately tie my love for astronomy into my desire to go to law school. I know you're right. I need to just sit down and start writing.

I was more pointing to the "How do I elaborate" part that nobody can help you with. That's more something that writing experience helps you with more than someone can actually tell you on a forum. I have no doubt that the biggest question of "what to write about" can be answered though. I think that's a very good idea though and can be open to many possibilities. Definitely post it or do a PS swap when you finish, for critique and good luck!

[Scalvert]

How do I answer those questions on my essay without simply listing things?
When I begin to write, I find myself just listing character traits that I believe make me a good candidate, but there's not enough substance.
I can say I'm inquisitive and analytical, but that's not persuasive enough...
Why do I want to be a lawyer? I love law and I think I would be a great lawyer, but how do I elaborate?

Start by not doing this on an open forum. I may be imposing my previous tone to your words (since I said most of this same stuff), but you sound like you're hardcore whining. Adcomms read a bunch of the same crap every year. Pick something outside of "I love law and think I would be a great lawyer". Talk about a trip you took, a sport/game you like. You can write about one of a million different things as long as it reflects insight into you as a person: your personality, what you could add to the education environment, your interests, etc. "How do I elaborate?" is the dumbest question and if you can't answer it yourself, then you obviously shouldn't write about that topic, either that or you haven't even tried yet.

edit for the bolded: your numbers make you a good candidate. Your PS conveys that you are actually a person and shares insight into your background, interests, etc. and shows that you aren't crap at composing an essay.

What's wrong with doing this on an open forum? I'm not embarrassed to ask for help. I'm just taking advantage of the fact that I can post something, and somebody somewhere will respond. Despite your comments about my "whining" and asking "the dumbest" question, I appreciate your feedback.
When I write my first draft of my personal statement, I will post it again so it can be ripped apart by people like you. I welcome criticism; whatever helps me in the end right?

I'm just looking for inspiration and a direction for my essay. I definitely don't want it to sound like everyone else's.
I would love to talk about astronomy.

I think astronomy would be a great topic. When did it first interest you? Why does it interest you? How did it keep your interest? What sorts of things did you learn about yourself from the study of astronomy? Did it spark your interest in law?