Law personal statement tips?

I'm currently in the process of beginning my personal statement for law does anyone have any helpful tips??

Thank you :smile:

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by nicolecampos

I'm currently in the process of beginning my personal statement for law does anyone have any helpful tips??

Thank you :smile:

Work your way through the TSR PS builder tool: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/personal_statement_builder/make_some_notes

Read the info boxes and tips - it will help you focus on what matters and give you automated feedback once you've gone through the drafting stages.

This is also worth a read: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Writing_a_Personal_Statement_for_Law

Reply 2

atomickitten

I just completed my first year in law at university after receiving all 5 offers for my choices. I think what started my statement was an experience I had attending a court case then I went down the angle of the type of law I find the most interesting and why. I talked about work experience I did and briefly about a case that I saw whilst attending the court. I also spoke about how my a level choices will help me to study the subject well but I didn't go into this in any great detail. To en
d I said id like to be a human rights or family lawyer because my top choice has a very strong centre for human rights. Have a look at the universities you want to apply to and see if they emphasize a particular area of law in their presentation and make sure that forms part of your statement!

Original post by nicolecampos

I'm currently in the process of beginning my personal statement for law does anyone have any helpful tips??

Thank you :smile:

Reply 3

UniAdmissions

Original post by nicolecampos

I'm currently in the process of beginning my personal statement for law does anyone have any helpful tips??

Thank you :smile:

Good morning Nicolecampos,

Your personal statement is a testament of who you are, not only as a successful student but as a person too. While it is important to make sure that you talk about your academic achievements, it is equally important to show how passionate you are about the subject you want to study.

You need to ask yourself what else you have done that will show this. There are a number of things to think about when constructing a personal statement but the main ones are:

Academic Ability
This is an obvious one but it's one that is often assumed is reflected in your grades. Make sure you're aware of the differences in requirements of each of the universities you're applying to and make sure that you meet their criterion.

Grades
Your grades are important. They are the foundation of your personal statement, and they the university that your academic credentials are good enough to cope with the demands of an undergraduate/postgraduate course. These are only the basic requirements, so the admissions tutors want to know more than what your grades are.

Extra-curricular activities
While extra-curricular activities are a positive thing to talk about, don't spend too much time doing it. It is important to talk about things like work experience, or volunteering that you've taken part in but spend some time considering how to link that to law. What transferable skills were there, that can support your grades, and academic achievements?

Passion for your subject
This is the most important part of your personal statement. This is what makes your personal statement about you, and it is the part where you can truly be yourself. You have to make your passion for law and why you've chosen this as a future career shine through; you need to make sure that the universities you're applying to know that you are committed to the subject, no matter why you've chosen to follow this career path. However, avoid too much sentimentality.

In terms of more generic advice, the best advice is to draft and re-draft - never be happy with the first thing you've written. Make sure that it's structured well, all your spellings are in order and it is grammatically correct. Have friends and family read it to make sure that it flows well, and there are even professional services that can help you do this too.

I hope this has been helpful and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,
UniAdmissions

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

returnmigrant

Use examples to show your interest in how the Law actually works - and what you think about this. It can be an example from the news (ie. a current legal issue) or something more general that interests you. Explain your interest and why this issue is important to you.

If you have done any observation of Court Cases then mention anything that surprised you about this or something important you saw/learnt. This shows 'engagement' and genuine interest rather than 'my parents think I should do Law'.

Law Schools also like 'interesting people' - briefly explain any activities you do outside school, especially if you can show what you have learnt/gained from it - ie. working in a charity shop (experience with people outside your normal circle), running a 5k fun-run (working to deadlines, enthusiasm for a task, community spirit).

Reply 5

nicolecampos

Original post by PQ

This is extremely helpful thank you! :smile:

Reply 6

nicolecampos

Original post by atomickitten

Thank you so much for the advice! May I ask what uni you're studying at and also what was your first year like? Was it harder than expected? Workload? etc..

Reply 7

atomickitten

Original post by nicolecampos

Thank you so much for the advice! May I ask what uni you're studying at and also what was your first year like? Was it harder than expected? Workload? etc..

Im studying at Nottingham uni. I got a bit stressed in may so I have to do my exams in August but don't worry im sure you wont have the sam experience. All in all first year wasn't harder than expected but it was hard-its definitely a step up from A levels and there's more reading required. I would say make sure you stick to coursework deadlines and add to your lecture notes every evening so you have revision notes. Also make a group of friends on the course that you can study with that really helps. Don't worry if you find answering legal problem questions hard at first its a totally new way of answering essay questions. Make sure you take plently of breaks for outside activities I managed to fit in netball and ballet and church-its good to have a balance.