TLS c/o 2020 - In #Squad We Trust Forum

[Baby Gaga]

Maybe it's because I really hate it when kids are on my lawn but I'm not mad at the Boalt guy. They want a 4 page PS not 2. I'm really interesting but even I can fit everything I need to say in 4 pages in my own voice without sounding like a robot.

[ponderingmeerkat]

*or here*

[pretzeltime]

Haha I was not expecting so passionate a response (is that English.......? sometimes I am not sure)

I guess I mostly enjoyed it because last year I wrote a PS along those lines and feel validated now that I've written a new one with a pretty boring opening line

I thought he was kind of funny talking about people's essays about That One Time They Volunteered in Africa etc etc etc.

But, I can see why it's annoying.

Anyway, I will take a candid rant from adcomms any day. At least it gives you insight into what puts them off. They are humans and have pet peeves and shortcomings just like the rest of us, there's little use pretending that they will tolerate countless similar essays just because they theoretically should

Plus as the resident old people of the thread y'all should sympathize with the "get off my lawn" approach right

[rationalhound]

Of course, if they're getting sick of reading formulation personal statements, they could always alter prompt. Make it more specific, tailor it to what they're looking for, that sort of thing. Giving a vague and open-ended prompt that purportedly has a huge impact on an application and then acting surprised when everyone plays it safe with a formula is a little silly.

On the other hand, I might just be bitter because I botched the personal statement last time round.

On a third hand, 'attention grabber' openers are typically bad writing. The best PS advice I got was from 'write for someone who's too busy to read your essay. They should be able to skim your opening and closing paragraphs and each topic sentence and not miss anything.'

[R. Jeeves]

.

[ponderingmeerkat]

eta: we should also prob unquote meerkat's follow up rant above

Thanks for lookin' out bruv.

[brinicolec]

Kind of enjoyed this rant about PSs on Cal's website (https://www.law.berkeley.edu/admissions ... nd-resume/):

“I felt the cold, sharp edge of a knife at my neck.” “ ‘You rich Americans are all alike,’ she screamed.” “I’ve never been so scared in my life.” “The child’s belly was swollen and scabbed.” You get the picture. Starting the essay with a dramatic, unexplained sentence designed to grab the startled reader’s attention. (In fact, what it does to the reader is produce a dismayed feeling of, “Oh no, not another one of these.”). Continuing this dramatic episode for a short paragraph without tipping off its relevance to the application. Beginning the next paragraph by switching to expository style and informing us of what you were doing in this dire situation and how it was part of the background that makes you a special applicant to law school. Developing why you are so special in the rest of the statement. Then concluding with a touching statement returning to the opening gambit, about how now, after law school, you can really help that little girl in rags.

It is very clear that many applicants have been coached by someone that this is how to write a compelling personal statement. This format is transparently manipulative, formulaic, and coached. Except for the occasional novelist we admit, none of our students or graduates is going to write in this style again; none, thank goodness, is going to begin a brief with, “He stood frozen in fear as the gunman appeared out of the darkness.” So, this artifice is irrelevant to law and counter-productive: Once it ceases to surprise – and it did so more than 10 years ago – it just becomes a cliché…. Not only using clichés, but also having been coached ought to, in an ideal world, discount an application. Needless to say, however, I did not hold these statements against the writers. Often the bulk of the statement does report on impressive activities that are relevant to admission. But it is transparent when essay formulas have been coached, and we (should) strongly advise applicants to write in their own voice and style and without trying to dramatize what they have to say in order to attract our attention.”

Strikes me as a "get off my lawn" rant. Like this guy really needs to chill. If they want me to write in a professional manner like I write in my job everyday I'll submit a one line essay about how I'm a hard worker and will do well in law school. You can't have it every way and they seem to really think you can.

I also think it's unfair for them to say creative writing can only be coached. Some people enjoy writing descriptively and/or write poetry/books.

[forum_user]

Kind of enjoyed this rant about PSs on Cal's website (https://www.law.berkeley.edu/admissions ... nd-resume/):

Strikes me as a "get off my lawn" rant. Like this guy really needs to chill. If they want me to write in a professional manner like I write in my job everyday I'll submit a one line essay about how I'm a hard worker and will do well in law school. You can't have it every way and they seem to really think you can.

I also think it's unfair for them to say creative writing can only be coached. Some people enjoy writing descriptively and/or write poetry/books.

To reopen a fresh wound (really sad I missed all the commotion last night, drama queen that I am), and full disclosure I only read the quote that pret included, I don't see why y'all are pushing back on this. Like, if admissions people are saying stop opening your statements with overly dramatic lines, then try to avoid that and just get right to the point. (I'm pretty sure Asha had something on her blog about this like three or four years ago.) They're not saying you can't be creative altogether, just to find a better opening line than something in media res. We're all bright kids, I'm sure we can come up with something.

[Mikey]

Colonel

[TexasENG]

To reopen a fresh wound (really sad I missed all the commotion last night, drama queen that I am), and full disclosure I only read the quote that pret included, I don't see why y'all are pushing back on this. Like, if admissions people are saying stop opening your statements with overly dramatic lines, then try to avoid that and just get right to the point. (I'm pretty sure Asha had something on her blog about this like three or four years ago.) They're not saying you can't be creative altogether, just to find a better opening line than something in media res. We're all bright kids, I'm sure we can come up with something.

For reference the first part of these comments are:

“The statement should avoid simply summarizing what is in the resume. It should avoid simply asserting how able, accomplished, and well suited for law school the applicant is. It should avoid uninformed attempts to ingratiate oneself through exaggerated claims of one’s interest in Berkeley. For instance, more than a few applicants stressed how much they want to work with named individuals who are at best passingly related to a Center or the like and aren’t even members of the faculty; these claims make one doubt the applicant’s due diligence.

The statement should avoid self-absorbed autobiography. What we need is something that doesn’t simply assert, a.k.a brag about, how qualified and impressive the applicant is, but rather demonstrates it through the substance of what is said in the personal statement. If it is going to be autobiographical, I for one would prefer it to generalize a bit; that is, instead of, ‘How I changed as a result of this experience and now am so special,’ it should talk about how and why such experiences can affect people

My issue isn't solely from the second part but from the combination of this plus the latter part. Obviously I agree that the extreme he uses should be avoided. Put together it just strikes me as someone who is burned out from reading thousands of these.

[pretzeltime]

I mean, he's also a past member of the faculty admissions committee, so there's that.

He's for sure burned out, but that is kind of the point. It can only help an applicant to understand that their essay is being read by a bunch of people who are super fucking sick of reading such essays. Because that's the reality.

Also, faculty gonna be faculty. Pretty standard for a professor to take issue with, like, almost every single approach to an assignment. That's their lovely tenured prerogative

But yeeeee agree to disagree etc etc

[proteinshake]

where can I get a good resume template designed for someone who is a student or just graduated?

[USayinBoalt]

where can I get a good resume template designed for someone who is a student or just graduated?

Harvard admissions has 3 different "successful" examples here: http://hls.harvard.edu/dept/jdadmission ... omponents/

[R. Jeeves]

Colonel

its pronounced kernel and its the highest rank in the military

[sluggla]

Colonel

its pronounced kernel and its the highest rank in the military

best character in the show

[R. Jeeves]

Colonel

its pronounced kernel and its the highest rank in the military

best character in the show

creed? or the nard dog?

[sluggla]

Colonel

its pronounced kernel and its the highest rank in the military

best character in the show

creed? or the nard dog?

http://www.creedbratton.com/

[R. Jeeves]

Colonel

its pronounced kernel and its the highest rank in the military

best character in the show

creed? or the nard dog?

http://www.creedbratton.com/

yesss

[Mikey]

I keep getting all of these honors society invitations from my school. I just got one saying that I was selected because I'm in the top 15% of my class, which I find hard af to be believe which made me even more skeptical.

[R. Jeeves]

Penn thread is up

still five T14s that need threads. come on people. you guys are about as on the ball as a dead seal.

[ponderingmeerkat]

Penn thread is up

still five T14s that need threads. come on people. you guys are about as on the ball as a dead seal.

I'll double up and start the Northwestern thread if no one else has by tomorrow night.

Oh and...unauthorized tar change guy. Hardly recognized you.

[pretzeltime]

Penn thread is up

still five T14s that need threads. come on people. you guys are about as on the ball as a dead seal.

I'll double up and start the Northwestern thread if no one else has by tomorrow night.

Oh and...unauthorized tar change guy. Hardly recognized you.

Unauthorized indeed. I appreciate your thread work but the tar change has me feeling unsafe and unstable....

I keep pussing out of OPing but hey today might be the day. Not doing H because it's too high maintenance

[Mikey]

Leave it to me to be late on my first day of senior year xD

O freakin well, beats me.

[proteinshake]

someone do Corn

[R. Jeeves]

I keep pussing out of OPing but hey today might be the day. Not doing H because it's too high maintenance

Yail