Graduate School Statement Template Page 15
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Beth O'Neil
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall)
We're trying to gauge the potential for a student's success in law school, and we
determine that, principally, on the basis of what the student has done in the past. The
personal statement carries the responsibility of presenting the student's life experiences.
Applicants make a mistake by doing a lot of speculation about what they're going to do
in the future rather than telling us about what they've done in the past. It is our job to
speculate, and we are experienced at that.
Applicants also tend to state and not evaluate. They give a recitation of their experience
but no evaluation of what effect that particular experience head on them, no
assessment of what certain experiences or honors meant.
They also fail to explain errors or weaknesses in their background. Even though we
might wish to admit a student, sometimes we can't in view of a weakness that they
haven't made any effort to explain. For example, perhaps they haven't told us that they
were ill on the day that they took the LSAT or had an automobile accident on the way.
Such things are legitimate reasons for poor performance. I mean, we understand that
life is tough sometimes. We need to know what happened, for example, to cause a
sudden drop in the GPA.
Another mistake is that everyone tries to make himself or herself the perfect law school
applicant who, of course, does not exist and is not nearly as interesting as a real human
being.
Between l and 5 people read each application.
(Stelzer, p. 72)
Dr. Daniel R. Alonso
Associate Dean for Admissions
Cornell University Medical College
We look for some originality because nine out of ten essays leave you with a big yawn.
"I like science, I like to help people and that's why I want to be a doctor." The common,
uninteresting, and unoriginal statement is one that recounts the applicant's academic
pursuits and basically repeats what is elsewhere in the application. You look for
something different, something that will pique your interest and provide I some very
unique insight that will make you pay some l notice to this person who is among so
many other qualified applicants. If you're screening 5,500 applications over a four- or
six-month period, you want to see something that's really interesting.
I would simply say: Do it yourself, be careful, edit it, go through as many drafts as
necessary. And more important than anything: be yourself. really show your personality.
Tell us why you are unique, why we should admit you. The premise is that 9 out of 10
The Writing Center: Writing a Grad School Personal Statement
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