After reading several 'essays that worked' I'm still struggling with writing a compelling personal statement that does not involve overcoming some racial, social, financial adversity. Half of the essays I've read seem better suited for a therapist than law school admissions officers, but they appear to stick. Do all schools really want to hear that you are applying because: You want to save (insert: africa, the world, the dolphins, your family) because you overcame (insert: race, poverty, disability, the inability to swim) and that money is (not important, negligible, the root of all evil)...?

They want to see that you've done more then attended classes and took the LSAT. I think it can generally be said that adcomms want to see what has shaped and influence you as well as what has pushed you on the path towards a legal education. The "tragic" personal statements you have read that are good tend to do both of these things because tragedy plays a huge part in someone's identity and the topics typically lend themselves to flow nicely into an explanation on why the writer desires to attend law school.

Talk about your involvement in various organizations, situations in which you had to think critically and take a stand, and how your experiences have helped you develop your identity and desire for law school. Do these things in a coherent and readable essay and you will have an essay that does your application justice.

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