When Applying to Law School, Avoid These Five Essay Mistakes
Applying to law school? If you think you’ve got a great famous quote to begin your personal statement, think again. It’s one of the top five mistakes you can make, according to a prelaw adviser.
Famous quotes and trite phrases should be avoided, according to Tatem Oldham, prelaw adviser for liberal arts career services at the University of Texas at Austin. Her advice is summarized on Psychology Today’s Career Transitions blog.
You really shouldn’t start your essay with, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” And these phrases are too trite to use: “I want to change the world,” “I love the law,” or “I want to be an international lawyer because I love to travel.”
The other four points:
• Make sure you read the instructions before you start writing.
• Don’t proclaim that you tend to focus on a specific area of law, such as criminal justice, if nothing in your background backs it up.
• If you write about a mentor, make sure you explain what that person taught you.
• Proofread—more than once—for grammatical and spelling errors, and have someone else proofread, too.
