rising senior with a 4.0 seeks personal statement advice Forum

[bayside12]

I have a 4.0 in Business Management, and a 177 on the LSAT.

Am I a lock at one of HYS? From the stats, I feel like I'm pretty much in at more than one top 10 school, but HYS would be a dream come true.

I'm concerned about my age, I'm 19 right now (came in at 17 with a ton of AP, went to school every single summer to get the hell out asap, scheduled to graduate Summer 2011, go to law school directly after that starting Fall 2011, hopefully at Harvard or Yale). My second concern is my total lack of softs, I'm in the "investments club" at school as a member (joined Spring 2010, yes, I joined just for this law school app), and I'm "treasurer" of my school's pre-law club (Fall 09/Spring 10), but that's frankly it.

I have zero work experience other than high school summer crap, and my biggest "genuine" reason to go to law school is that its where I want to hide for 3 years, and my stats are good for getting in somewhere awesome. My "reason on paper" is my passion for the law. Below is the first paragraph of my personal statement. I think it totally stinks. I'm at a loss for why I want to go to law school, but I do want to go because I think law is definitely very interesting. So here goes....

Personal Statement

Law and business go hand in hand. With a perfect 4.0 GPA in business management, I look forward to the next step in my academic career. Law is the glue that holds the fabric of society together. My biggest reason to go to law school is that I am interested in the various facets of the law. Having secured an A in my pre-law class, where I learned about the different aspects of law such as business law, tax law, and securities law, I found myself drawn to securities law. Given the current economic turmoil, and corruption on Wall Street, as exemplified by the recent scandal at Goldman Sachs, I believe that securities laws play a vital role in regulating Wall Street.

[Veyron]

You are definitely out at Yale without lots more on the resume. Stanford out as well for prob the same reason. You might get Harvard tho since they are more numbers oriented. If you really want to maximize your chances at HYS, work for a few years after school in some interesting field (TFA, Peace Corps, etc.)

Also, your PS sucks. This is probably due to a lack of life experiences as it seems you have nothing good to write about.

Sorry to be so harsh, you have excellent numbers and you will definitely get multiple top 10 offers but HYS have plenty of kids with your numbers to choose from who have more to offer. Fortunately, this can be fixed.

[bayside12]

What could I have done differently to get into Yale and Stanford? I'm above their 75%ile for both GPA and LSAT.

Is there something I can do here on -from now till Aug/Sept!?! I plan on having my app ready and submitted on day #1, so I'm not sure I can do much more than what I've already done.

[kalvano]

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume for-real.

With a 4.0 and a 177, you could spend your PS talking about how much you like robbing old people and murdering hookers and still get in to at least one of H/Y/S.

Softs matter somewhat to Yale / Stanford, but it's my understanding Harvard is pretty numbers-driven.

But, for the record, a personal statement is an essay. Not a quick paragraph. And your paragraph sucks. It should be about you. Don't even mention "pre-law classes".

Here-
http://www.top-law-schools.com/guide-to ... ments.html

Really, if you want to improve your chances, take a year off and go work for the Peace Corps or something like that.

[bayside12]

Does your "take a year off" apply only to HYS? I'm assuming there is no similar problem at other schools, correct?

[schrute2011]

Also, your reason for going to law school sounds terrible. Why are you in such a hurry to get out of college and into law school when you don't even really want to be a lawyer?

[Veyron]

Does your "take a year off" apply only to HYS? I'm assuming there is no similar problem at other schools, correct?

Yes. A decent PS (IE not that POS) should get you in anywhere else you care to target (still write at least one optional essay for schools that require them if you really want to go there/want a scholarship there).

[bayside12]

Also, your reason for going to law school sounds terrible. Why are you in such a hurry to get out of college and into law school when you don't even really want to be a lawyer?

Don't want to waste a year's worth of income, that's why I've been in a rush to get out of college, I don't have much money.

[traehekat]

Assuming this isn't a flame...

So, you want to go to law school and "hide" for three years, and theeen... ?

What exactly are your career goals? Do you even want to be a lawyer? You do know that you don't HAVE to go to law school just because you have a great LSAT score.

If you really want to "hide" for three years, I recommend going to CCN on a large scholarship instead of putting yourself in debt for no real reason.

Scratch that. You are young. Go work for a while and figure out what you really want to do. It is a little tiring to hear how law school is somewhere you can "hide" or "waste time" until you figure out what you really want to do. It is an insult to the profession. No one goes to med school to hide.

[bayside12]

What's a flame?
I want to make partner before I turn 30, that would be sweet. I just want the money.

[jks289]

What's a flame?
I want to make partner before I turn 30, that would be sweet. I just want the money.

I was going to give you real advice until that last part. Complete and total flame.

[Veyron]

What's a flame?
I want to make partner before I turn 30, that would be sweet. I just want the money.

Even a subtle and well executed flame must eventually jump the shark.

[schrute2011]

What's a flame?
I want to make partner before I turn 30, that would be sweet. I just want the money.

--ImageRemoved--

[traehekat]

Well played, sir. Lets talk about something interesting then. I assume you like Bayside, eh? Favorite album?

[jks289]

Well played, sir. Lets talk about something interesting then. I assume you like Bayside, eh? Favorite album?

It is clearly an homage to the poster's love of Saved by the Bell.

[kalvano]

[capitalacq]

for some reason i dont think its a flame.

You're not going to get into yale or stanford and i'd say you have a 50-50 shot at Harvard.

Honestly, I'd focus on getting a full ride to CCN/MVP and going to one of those

[jayn3]

for some reason i dont think its a flame.

You're not going to get into yale or stanford and i'd say you have a 50-50 shot at Harvard.

Honestly, I'd focus on getting a full ride to CCN/MVP and going to one of those getting a job, saving up, and getting some real life experience before even considering LS.

ftfy. but it's still a flame.