First Generation College Student? Forum

[The_Pluviophile]

Is writing a personal statement about being the first person in my family to attend and graduate college a good idea, or is this topic overdone/something admissions committees will care very little about? I ask because I haven't seen much discussion of the topic here, and because I am completely unaware of how common it is for law school applicants to be first gen. kids.

I'd obviously find other things to talk about as well, but I've been thinking about using it to explain how/why I am very self-motivated and have had to be very independent in regards to my education.

I appreciate any advice!

Also, if it matters, I have very good numbers (4.0/178), so I'm not trying to use it as an excuse or anything.

[bmathers]

I say go for it. And with those numbers, I don't think your PS is going to be a huge deal

[The_Pluviophile]

It might be for Yale

But thank you for the input!

[bmathers]

It might be for Yale

But thank you for the input!

Their 75th-percenrules are 176/3.98. You crushed those. Congrats man. However, that is beside the point of this thread

[The_Pluviophile]

Anyone else have input, specifically in regards to applying to HYS?

[pancakes3]

Subject matter is only half (if that) of what makes for a good PS. Your writing comprises the rest. If you're gunning for Yale (and with your stats, why not?) the writing matters all the more. You only have 250 words to make an impression.

So ask yourself - do you have something compelling to say? do you have a compelling way to say it? That's how you should approach your PS. If you're going to write about being a 1st gen college student, what's compelling about it? How can you present it in a compelling way?

Asking in a vacuum - "is this subject matter a good idea" is sort of missing the point.

[bwh8813]

Excellent job burying the lede there.

As long as you write well, you can probably write about anything you want, though Y's 250 word limit is tough. However, that's pretty good general topic that you can craft to individualize, narrow, and not just seem generic assuming there are some compelling aspects to you and your story.

[The_Pluviophile]

Subject matter is only half (if that) of what makes for a good PS. Your writing comprises the rest. If you're gunning for Yale (and with your stats, why not?) the writing matters all the more. You only have 250 words to make an impression.

So ask yourself - do you have something compelling to say? do you have a compelling way to say it? That's how you should approach your PS. If you're going to write about being a 1st gen college student, what's compelling about it? How can you present it in a compelling way?

Asking in a vacuum - "is this subject matter a good idea" is sort of missing the point.

Right, I definitely see your point. I guess my question was whether this is an overdone topic, which would make it in some ways more difficult to make compelling because law schools see it all the time. Also I was under the impression the 250 essay was separate from the personal statement?

[pancakes3]

Yeah you're right. The 250 is independent of the PS.

But to your point (and mine) - if all we were able to gather was metadata on PS topics, then yes: 1st generation college student is an overdone topic. However, adcomms don't just look at the thesis of a PS. They read the whole damn thing. You're unique (possibly). There aren't a lot of 1st gen college students with a 4.0 uGPA 178 LSAT. There could be a story there. There might not be? I don't know. You know though.

Point is, you can fuck up a PS about a bear attack, and you can crush a PS about a 3rd grade spelling quiz. Obsessing over a topic is not a good use of your time. Obsess over what you have to say. Sounds like you already know there isn't much to say about it and you're worried about it being generic: "I'm the first person in my family to go to college. My parents had a hard life. I'm smart though and I want to make good. The End."

If that's all you have to say? Maybe try for something else. If you think you can spin it better? Pick out a specific life experience and weave a narrative out of it? Go for that.

Asking whether the topic is overdone or not is just an impossible question to answer.

[zeglo]

.

[The_Pluviophile]

Yeah you're right. The 250 is independent of the PS.

But to your point (and mine) - if all we were able to gather was metadata on PS topics, then yes: 1st generation college student is an overdone topic. However, adcomms don't just look at the thesis of a PS. They read the whole damn thing. You're unique (possibly). There aren't a lot of 1st gen college students with a 4.0 uGPA 178 LSAT. There could be a story there. There might not be? I don't know. You know though.

Point is, you can fuck up a PS about a bear attack, and you can crush a PS about a 3rd grade spelling quiz. Obsessing over a topic is not a good use of your time. Obsess over what you have to say. Sounds like you already know there isn't much to say about it and you're worried about it being generic: "I'm the first person in my family to go to college. My parents had a hard life. I'm smart though and I want to make good. The End."

If that's all you have to say? Maybe try for something else. If you think you can spin it better? Pick out a specific life experience and weave a narrative out of it? Go for that.

Asking whether the topic is overdone or not is just an impossible question to answer.

Fair enough. I appreciate the insight!

[The_Pluviophile]

Holy crap; 4.0/178?

Miraculously!

But I guess don't be too impressed. I go to a state school no one cares about and my softs are average at best (because I worked two part-time jobs all of undergrad).