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Hi Guys,

The official prompt of Duke Why Essay is

"Optional Essay 1: You may submit an essay providing additional information about why you have chosen to apply to law school in general and Duke in particular. We are interested in the factors that have prompted your interest in a legal career and the ways in which you think Duke can further that interest. The optional essays must be your own work. This means the ideas and expressions originated with you, and you wrote all drafts and the final product. It does not preclude asking family members, friends, pre-law advisors, and others for proofreading assistance or general feedback. "

But what if I have already clearly and detailedly addressed the reason why I want to go to law school in my PS? Shall I briefly repeat it again, which doesn't sound like a good idea, or shall I just ignore that part and write a regular why duke essay?

Big thanks in advance to everyone who replies!!!!!

Edit for clarity: just put in it the parts you want to address. You're not getting graded on following the prompt verbatim.

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additional question:

The Duke essays are "optional." Are they "optional?" I.e., if I don't write one, does that lower chances of acceptance?

siesek wrote:additional question:

The Duke essays are "optional." Are they "optional?" I.e., if I don't write one, does that lower chances of acceptance?

I think you need a stronger understanding of the term "optional". They likely only strengthen your application by indicating your desire to attend Duke. Being absent one is not likely to hurt.

siesek wrote:additional question:

The Duke essays are "optional." Are they "optional?" I.e., if I don't write one, does that lower chances of acceptance?

If you can coherently articulate 250 words about why you'd like to attend there, then its worth the hour of your time.

I tend to think erring on the side of caution is a good idea with why x essays. Many t14s throw waitlists around kinda unpredictably. No guarantees a why x will keep you from getting waitlisted, but it can really only help your cause.

In my cycle I only got WLd at places where I didn't write a why x essay. That doesn't make it a rule, of course, but it's a data point.

Thanks for the reply lymenheimer! Do you think I can say something like "Since I have explained my interests in law in my personal statement, in this essay I will mainly focus on detailing why I choose to apply for Duke law." (in a more diplomatic way, of course) at the beginning?

lymenheimer wrote:Edit for clarity: just put in it the parts you want to address. You're not getting graded on following the prompt verbatim.

GMW77 wrote:Thanks for the reply lymenheimer! Do you think I can say something like "Since I have explained my interests in law in my personal statement, in this essay I will mainly focus on detailing why I choose to apply for Duke law." (in a more diplomatic way, of course) at the beginning?

lymenheimer wrote:Edit for clarity: just put in it the parts you want to address. You're not getting graded on following the prompt verbatim.

That seems a little unnecessary to me. Good writing gets to the point - no need to waste the Adcom's time for no reason (i.e. they're smart enough to follow along without you explaining this detail)

CFC1524 wrote:

GMW77 wrote:Thanks for the reply lymenheimer! Do you think I can say something like "Since I have explained my interests in law in my personal statement, in this essay I will mainly focus on detailing why I choose to apply for Duke law." (in a more diplomatic way, of course) at the beginning?

lymenheimer wrote:Edit for clarity: just put in it the parts you want to address. You're not getting graded on following the prompt verbatim.

That seems a little unnecessary to me. Good writing gets to the point - no need to waste the Adcom's time for no reason (i.e. they're smart enough to follow along without you explaining this detail)

This. Just outline your interest in Duke.if you're that concerned You can say "my interest in x makes Duke perfect because of y".

GMW77 wrote: But what if I have already clearly and detailedly addressed the reason why I want to go to law school in my PS? Shall I briefly repeat it again, which doesn't sound like a good idea, or shall I just ignore that part and write a regular why duke essay?

That's what I did, and it turned out fine. I definitely think adding a "Since I have explained my interests in law in my personal statement, in this essay I will mainly focus on detailing why I choose to apply for Duke law" statement is completely unnecessary. I wrote "Why Duke Law" in my header to make it super clear what I was writing about.

Thanks for the reply salander! I did what you said.

salander wrote:

GMW77 wrote: But what if I have already clearly and detailedly addressed the reason why I want to go to law school in my PS? Shall I briefly repeat it again, which doesn't sound like a good idea, or shall I just ignore that part and write a regular why duke essay?

That's what I did, and it turned out fine. I definitely think adding a "Since I have explained my interests in law in my personal statement, in this essay I will mainly focus on detailing why I choose to apply for Duke law" statement is completely unnecessary. I wrote "Why Duke Law" in my header to make it super clear what I was writing about.

GMW77 wrote:Thanks for the reply salander! I did what you said.

You're very welcome! Best of luck.