Personal Statement - Why law

[MF DOOM]

I have two unrelated motivations for pursuing law. One focuses on personal ties to Immigration/Social Justice and the other on wanting to shift my IT career towards technology law. Ideally, I would like to discuss both in my PS but I realize it may make the statement look scattered/unfocused. 

Is it worth trying to write a statement that discusses both motivations or should I focus entirely on one theme?

Thank you!

[LMP]

At a glance the former is more compelling, but it really depends on how both play out on paper. 

[WiseGhost]

Adcoms read a lot of statements where students claim to be interested in a certain area, only to change their minds afterwards. 

So I think that unless you have really strong ties to an area of law, the best strategy is to go from general to specific. Aka, explain why you are interested in law and the skills that you can apply to a career in law. Then state that you would like to explore those two specific areas of law because of your past experiences. Bonus points if you can point to the school's course offerings or other opportunities related to those areas of law! 

 

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

Agree with all of the above with just one caveat. Make sure you’re writing about why you’ll be a good law student, not lawyer. 

[efrefgg]

On 8/26/2024 at 7:59 PM, WiseGhost said:

Adcoms read a lot of statements where students claim to be interested in a certain area, only to change their minds afterwards. 

So I think that unless you have really strong ties to an area of law, the best strategy is to go from general to specific. Aka, explain why you are interested in law and the skills that you can apply to a career in law. Then state that you would like to explore those two specific areas of law because of your past experiences. Bonus points if you can point to the school's course offerings or other opportunities related to those areas of law! 

 

This is what I did in my PS; will let you know how it goes if schools reply soon.