PS length (2 pgs. ok when schools say up to 3 or 4 pgs.?) Forum

[GettingReady2010]

I have written a two page personal statement that I'm completely satisfied with. However, I have noticed that some schools state that they allow up to 3 pgs. and in some cases even 4.

Would it be ok to just send my 2 page statement? Thanks.

[mountaintime]

perfectly fine

[kalvano]

They will probably thank you for it.

The less to read, the better.

[gdane]

Keep
It
Short
Stupid

Do the schools a favor and keep your Personal statements short. This doesnt mean that you have to leave out things that you feel are crucial to your application. What it means is that you want to avoid talking about superflous things that in no way shape or form relate to you as a person and as a future law student. 3-4 pages is the limit they set, you dont have to reach the limit.

Good luck!

[neonx]

Would the exception to the keep it short rule be Berkeley? They seem to really want you to use up the four page maximum.

[MartianManhunter]

Would the exception to the keep it short rule be Berkeley? They seem to really want you to use up the four page maximum.

Nah. Be concise. Don't blather on for the sake of blathering; only use it if your PS actually needs it.

[haydee]

Anything that can be said effectively in 2 pages probably shouldn't be stretched out over 4.

Berkeley does seem to emphasize using their longer PS allotment. If it were my dream school, I might consider writing a separate essay just for them.

[WestOfTheRest]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/tom-interview.html

[GettingReady2010]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/tom-interview.html

"I think applicants should be aware that our personal statement option is twice as long as most other law schools, it’s 4 pages, and students should take advantage of that."

It seems like Berkeley would look down on not getting close to 4 pgs.

I wonder if other schools think the same?

[7ED]

If your personal statement can be said in 2 pages and u stretch it to 4, that just means u've made it into a bad personal statement. But if you are to the point and concise with 4 pages, u will always get more across and make a better impression.

If you don't have any more to say after 2 pages, don't say anything. It'll only hurt u.

[lzyovrachievr]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/tom-interview.html

"I think applicants should be aware that our personal statement option is twice as long as most other law schools, it’s 4 pages, and students should take advantage of that."

It seems like Berkeley would look down on not getting close to 4 pgs.

I wonder if other schools think the same?

Berkeley is special. The rest want you to keep it short. If you need an extra page, do it. But if you don't, then don't use the space. The problem is that most people using 3-4 pages are saying what could be said in 2, aren't being concise, and are boring Admissions officers with extra material that isn't compelling.

[gendefect]

I don't know. I get that stretching a personal statement is generally a bad idea, but I feel like turning in a 2 page statement to Berkeley is like saying, "I know that you have encouraged me to write up to 4 pages, but I don't care enough about your school to bother adjusting my personal statement, so I'll just send you the 2 page statement that I sent all the other schools".

Even if your 2 page statement objectively better than a 3 or 3+ page version, I feel like you could give a bad impression to Berkeley specifically with only 2 pages. Granted, every other school basically accepts and is okay with the fact that you send essentially the same statement to all schools, so I don't know why Berkeley feels like they need to be different, but nonetheless, I get the distinct impression that they do.

[MartianManhunter]

I don't know. I get that stretching a personal statement is generally a bad idea, but I feel like turning in a 2 page statement to Berkeley is like saying, "I know that you have encouraged me to write up to 4 pages, but I don't care enough about your school to bother adjusting my personal statement, so I'll just send you the 2 page statement that I sent all the other schools".

Even if your 2 page statement objectively better than a 3 or 3+ page version, I feel like you could give a bad impression to Berkeley specifically with only 2 pages. Granted, every other school basically accepts and is okay with the fact that you send essentially the same statement to all schools, so I don't know why Berkeley feels like they need to be different, but nonetheless, I get the distinct impression that they do.

Admission officers and the students reading your application will not be offended because you had the audacity to only write 2 pages. That's silly.

If you can tell a better story in 3 or 4 pages then do that. But if you've already parsed it down to 2 pages and it's a good PS, you're probably making it worse by stretching it to add fluff.

[GettingReady2010]

This is all reassuring, because I never knew if we were expected fill up (or come really close) to writing the maximum.