Personal Statement to Allard - No clue where to begin

[LawSchoolJones]

I'm currently in my last undergrad year and trying to apply to Allard. Its by and far my first choice, as I would like to live in the area for the rest of my life if possible. I've completed my LSAT (171) and ofc have my GPA (90 creds, 85%). The only thing that has stopped me from already completing my application is the personal statement. I'm dreading it. I haven't even started. I have opened the document about 10 different times, write down some notes about things I might want to mention, and then close it without making any real progress. 

Any suggestions for this? I think the lack of any concrete examples/samples is what's throwing me off, as I'm someone who always needs an example before they can get an idea of what to write. Any one willing to share their statement? 

Thank you so much for any help you can offer!

[Byzantine]

I don’t think there’s necessarily a right way to write the personal statement. I don’t remember the exact questions, but my advice would be to answer the questions in a way that’s true to you, but that also highlights aspects that the school is looking for (desire to practice law, ability to succeed academically, appreciation of and experience with diversity, etc.) 

To get started I would write out the question and in bullet point form brainstorm what you want to say for that question. Then turn that into full paragraphs. Get it proofread by someone else.

I’m on mobile right now so don’t have my PS handy. If you’re still struggling in a couple days feel free to PM me and I’ll see if I can find my statement to send you.   

[LawSchoolJones]

I'll keep that in mind, but, it'd be awesome if you could share that, yes! 

[bluestblue]

I think Allard's PS is much easier than the traditional essay type PS.  I started with bullet points (of all experiences, qualities, and factors that I wanted to present as a student, professional, and citizen) and wrote paras for each of them (not necessarily to be employed in the answers).  Then I found relevant paras in the bank and tailored them to relate to the questions.  Also peer review is a good idea.

 

TBH, with your stats, you should consider applying for on campus housing now if you do not already have a renewable dorm lease at UBC, a piece of advice I found from another student on this forum.

Edited October 7, 2023 by bluestblue

[Patient0L]

On 9/25/2023 at 11:45 PM, LawSchoolJones said:

I'm currently in my last undergrad year and trying to apply to Allard. Its by and far my first choice, as I would like to live in the area for the rest of my life if possible. I've completed my LSAT (171) and ofc have my GPA (90 creds, 85%). The only thing that has stopped me from already completing my application is the personal statement. I'm dreading it. I haven't even started. I have opened the document about 10 different times, write down some notes about things I might want to mention, and then close it without making any real progress. 

Any suggestions for this? I think the lack of any concrete examples/samples is what's throwing me off, as I'm someone who always needs an example before they can get an idea of what to write. Any one willing to share their statement? 

Thank you so much for any help you can offer!

I would just start brainstorming... or even do a stream of consciousness to get you going. After that, just pick one of those things that you are unsure about and then start expanding on it... If you think there is enough content to eventually get close to the word count limit, make an outline... then keep going.  It's just about getting something on paper. Think of it as the 1st of 50 drafts, and be prepared to "waste" a lot of time. At least, that's how I start things if I am really stuck. I find writing about myself in the first person to a stranger to be an exceptionally cringeworthy task, which is why the first step is the hardest.