2 pages + 8 lines. Forum

[tommytahoe]

I had to wait for my Dec. LSAT score, plus an eleventh hour fee waiver application to come through. So now, with a self-imposed deadline of tomorrow night, I have a PS that is two pages + eight lines.
It's 12-pt. font, double space, so there's no room there (save for those few oddball schools out there that are OK with 11-pt, 10-pt, or even 8-pt font).

I have spent a lot of time as a reporter/editor of two college newspapers, so believe me when I say that I have cut this baby down as far as I can go without reshaping the entire scope of my story, you know?

My (roundabout) question: Can I submit a 2-page + 8-line PS and expect anything less than contempt from adcomms fatigued from continuous application analysis since December?

Somebody tell me it'll be OK if I submit it as such. Sell it to me, I'm ready to believe you.

Oh, and I already have a 3.5-page version for UC Davis, Hastings, BU et al.

tx

[grrrstick]

.

[Grizz]

Do NOT go over. It shows you cannot follow the most basic directions. This will piss them off.

[tommytahoe]

I figured as much, and rightly so. Why give a word/page limit if that limit means little?

And, for what it's worth, my PS is absurdly not seen before. Permanent resident who had drug felony expunged in CA then went through 3-year removal proceedings... pursuing law to take lessons to immigration law/policy.

Still, I'll get rid of those lines...

tx

[GeePee]

Hijacking for OP's sake.

Can we create a list of the most asked stupid questions on TLS and just post an FAQ thread entitled, "Most asked stupid questions on TLS"?

I'll start. Can I go 8 lines over the 2 page LIMIT on my PS?

[tommytahoe]

Very thoughtful of you, House, I mean, not really a cool-looking Hollywood actor.

As for the question being a stupid one: I vaguely recalled reading a few threads where some had said that going over a bit didn't hurt them with their acceptances, etc. I still assumed that the limits were rigid, but I needed a few sage souls such as yourself to help me out a bit. Thanks.

As for the question being a most-asked stupid one: I am so happy to report that I am not aware how many questions have been asked, or how often, on this website. I am also happy to report that I don't spend time on this website drawing others' attention to that fact.

[GeePee]

Very thoughtful of you, House, I mean, not really a cool-looking Hollywood actor.

As for the question being a stupid one: I vaguely recalled reading a few threads where some had said that going over a bit didn't hurt them with their acceptances, etc. I still assumed that the limits were rigid, but I needed a few sage souls such as yourself to help me out a bit. Thanks.

As for the question being a most-asked stupid one: I am so happy to report that I am not aware how many questions have been asked, or how often, on this website. I am also happy to report that I don't spend time on this website drawing others' attention to that fact.

Well... in that case I'll also draw your attention to this:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/search-f ... a.y=0#1066

See how many threads there are to answer your question which already exist? At a certain point it gets a little repetitive to see the same thread come up again and again.

[tommytahoe]

OK, fair enough, I concede the point. "Look a little harder, and you'll find what you need in the threads" etc...

But, I don't concede its being a stupid question, just on the face of it. One never knows when rules are bent or broken in practice, and if schools really do give some leeway, one can't be expected to know this without asking those who know.

[GeePee]

I never really got why limits seemed arbitrary. When I TA'ed a class that I took as a freshman and got 50 7-page limit papers thrown at me, I was thoroughly pissed off when I got a 7.5 page paper. Most of the time, this will cause your (necessarily more objective) reader to look for unnecessary stuff harder and penalize more harshly for it. There are always a few extraneous details you can remove, in spite of your attachment to some of them. I will never criticize someone for needing help scaling back a paper, but going over limit when your reader probably has 20 other personal statements to go over that day is not a smart idea.

[tommytahoe]

You're totally right, and most of my noise-making was a cover for the fact that every reasonable boss, adcomm, teacher, etc, asks for page limits with the reasonable assumption that the writer will follow it. Heck, I've done enough newspaper deadlines to know that you can't create column inches out of thin air (well, OK, you can move stuff around a bit).

I found a solution. My essay will end thus: "In conclusion, these experiences being broke and watching LA Law convinced me that... NB: Rest of Personal Statement available upon request.

[jrobby6]

if you change it to 11 font you should be fine

[WhiskeyGuy]

I think the oddball schools are those that don't allow 11 font.

[tommytahoe]

Got it down to two pages! A little like Sophie's Choice (reference lost on younger generation, sorry), but I did it all the same.
Thanks for kicking my ass a bit there, House.

Now I can start getting these apps out the door.