Advice for both statements:
Michael D. Rappaport
Assistant Dean of
Admissions
UCLA School of Law
“The applicant has to
realize, first of all, where he
or she stands. If you have a
straight-A grade point
average and a perfect LSAT
score, you don't have to
spend a lot of time worrying
about your personal
statement. On the other
hand, if you know you're in
the borderline area, that's
where the personal
statement becomes very,
very important.”
Lee Cunningham
Director of Admissions and Aid
The University of Chicago
Graduate School of Business
“The mistake people make most often
is not to look at what the questions are
asking. Some people prepare generic
statements because they're applying to
more than one school and it's a lot of
work to do a personal essay for each
school. On the other hand, generic
statements detract from the applicant
when we realize that we're one of six
schools and the applicant is saying the
same thing to each and every
school…. They underestimate the
kind of attentions that is paid to these
essays.”
Steven DeKrey
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern
University)
“We're looking for a well-written, detailed essay that responds directly to the
question. The questions are about extracurricular activities, motivation,
challenges, commitment to the school that kind of thing…. The way the
applicant devises the answer, determines the length, develops the response, is
all part of the answer.”
John Herweg
Chairman, Committee on
Admissions
Washington University
School of Medicine
“We are looking for a clear
statement that indicates that
the applicant can use the
English language in a
meaningful and effective
fashion. We frankly look at
spelling as well as typing (for
errors both in grammar and
composition).…
What they have done in
working with individuals—
whether it's serving as a
checker or bagger at a grocery
store or working with
handicapped individuals or
tutoring inner city kids—that
shows they can relate to
people and have they done it
in an effective fashion? What
the applicant should do in all
respects is to depict why he or
she is a unique individual and
should be sought after.”
Dr. Daniel R. Alonso
Associate Dean for Admissions
Cornell University Medical College
“We look for some originality because nine out of ten essays leave you with a big yawn. "I like
science, I like to help people and that's why I want to be a doctor." The common,
uninteresting, and unoriginal statement is one that recounts the applicant's academic pursuits
and basically repeats what is elsewhere in the application….
I would simply say: Do it yourself, be careful, edit it, go through as many drafts as necessary.
And more important than anything: be yourself.”
Beth O'Neil
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall)
“Applicants make a mistake by doing a lot of speculation about what they're going to do in the
future rather than telling us about what they've done in the past. It is our job to speculate, and
we are experienced at that.
Applicants also tend to state and not evaluate. They give a recitation of their experience but no
evaluation of what effect that particular experience had on them, no assessment of what certain
experiences or honors meant.
They also fail to explain errors or weaknesses in their background. Even though we might wish
to admit a student, sometimes we can't in view of a weakness that they haven't made any effort
to explain…. I mean, we understand that life is tough sometimes. We need to know what
happened, for example, to cause a sudden drop in the GPA.
Another mistake is that everyone tries to make himself or herself the perfect law school
applicant who, of course, does not exist and is not nearly as interesting as a real human being.”