Constructing a strong personal statement while I, as an applicant, am incredibly average Forum

[WiltyMIZ]

Hi guys,

I just signed up for LSAC's CAS the other day and I am starting the process of preparing applications. One of the biggest difficulties I am facing right now is the personal statement. You see, I have had very little personal achievement that would merit a PS usage. I am not a diverse applicant, and I have very few if any compelling stories of struggle that would be even remotely comparable to the ones Ive seen on here. My "struggles" I presume would be trivial and fleeting when compared to the scores of far more notable ones people have overcome. I'm a very average student with a subpar GPA but a (potentially) high LSAT score.

I have no professional experience. Nothing. So I guess my question is...how the hell do I spin that into a statement that is even remotely impactful? How can I possibly catch the attention of the admissions office if I am not a particularly attention-catching individual in myself?

Any advice would be hugely helpful as I have hit a solid concrete wall regarding this one.

[OhMyLaw]

Hi guys,

I just signed up for LSAC's CAS the other day and I am starting the process of preparing applications. One of the biggest difficulties I am facing right now is the personal statement. You see, I have had very little personal achievement that would merit a PS usage. I am not a diverse applicant, and I have very few if any compelling stories of struggle that would be even remotely comparable to the ones Ive seen on here. My "struggles" I presume would be trivial and fleeting when compared to the scores of far more notable ones people have overcome. I'm a very average student with a subpar GPA but a (potentially) high LSAT score.

I have no professional experience. Nothing. So I guess my question is...how the hell do I spin that into a statement that is even remotely impactful? How can I possibly catch the attention of the admissions office if I am not a particularly attention-catching individual in myself?

Any advice would be hugely helpful as I have hit a solid concrete wall regarding this one.

Disclaimer: I'm also in the process of applying to law school as well so take what I have to say as you will. That said, I've spoken with current law students and former lawyers so I'll pass on the relevant advice to you,

Well I would say the first step would be to ask yourself why you want to be a lawyer/go to law school. I personally don't think that your PS only meant to impress ls adcoms. Rather, I think the biggest purpose of a PS is for law schools to see you as a person. As such, what experience have you had that has impacted your life or simply the way you think? For me, I wrote my PS about debate, which is extremely typical for ls applicants, but I gave my personal spin on it. Hope this helps!

[Mr. Freeze]

All you need is a personalized story where you improved yourself and learned something along the way. It could be something as simple as going to the gym and starting out benching 10lb dumbbells and after hard work and determination now you're doing 100lb dumbbells and then you talk about all the great people you met in the gym along your journey.

[paytonalexandra]

Everyone has a story to tell! Just because you don't have some dramatic/tragic/life-changing event to write about doesn't mean you don't have a story worth writing about.
Obviously you know you want to go to law school, think about why. Was there something in particular that drew you to law, maybe something someone said to you? Anything like that could be spun into an excellent PS.
Just think about your life so far, and if any moments really stick out to you, then those could be made into a good PS. They don't have to be dramatic. Really, if you can turn a small, simple moment into a good PS, then that will be just as impressive, it will show off your writing/storytelling skills!