Personal Statement and mentioning the college: necessary? Forum

[Troianii]

So one thing I'm somewhat skeptical of that I've heard multiple times is that you really really want to mention the name of the law school in your personal statement, so if you're applying to Harvard, you want to mention in your PS why Harvard is good for you and why you're good for Harvard. But is this really necessary? Is it really that important? I mainly ask because I've written a PS that's been reviewed multiple times and is actually pretty darned good, but it is a story-driven PS that speaks to "why law school", but not "why x law school". I've included some of the "why X law school" in diversity statements, but that was largely in passing - I'd mention of the school's such and such a program, but I wouldn't write more than a sentence or two about the school and why I want to be a part of its program.

[hairbear7]

You don't need to target the specific school in your PS. You can send in a separate "why x" if you'd like.

[CanadianWolf]

Why X law school is appropriate if there is a specific reason (particular program or need to be near sick relative, for example) for wanting to attend that law school. T-14 law schools know why applicants want to attend.

Forcing a why X law school paragraph at the end of one's PS can be irritating to the reader if contrived.

[CanadianWolf]

However, for transfers, "Why X law school ?" is expected.

[Troianii]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't want to force it, and in general I just didn't see why it was necessary. There are some schools I have good reasons for wanting to apply to out of the usual rank, prestige, job prospects, etc., but that isn't the case with most.

[TheodoreKGB]

.

[SPerez]

Forcing a why X law school paragraph at the end of one's PS can be irritating to the reader if contrived.

This. 9 times out of 10 there is no reason for the school mentions I read in personal statements. It's always pretty clear when I can switch out the school name and the paragraph reads just as well. Slightly better, but still pointless, is when people skim our website and name drop professors and programs. There's no upside and you run the risk of forgetting to change the name, submitting the wrong PS to the wrong school, etc.

Dean Perez
Texas Tech Law