Applying to a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) program is an excellent first step in advancing your legal knowledge in your respective field. Each M.L.S. program sets its own requirements for application and admittance—yet for any graduate-level program, it is common for a personal statement to be required as part of any application.
Read on for practical tips to integrate into your statement, along with common mistakes to avoid.
Understanding the Importance of Your Personal Statement
A personal statement refers to an essay that is typically required as part of a college or graduate program application (most often for advanced degree programs).
The Role of the Personal Statement in Your Application
Personal statements give applicants a unique opportunity to share additional information about themselves that may not already be reflected in their academic transcripts, resumes, or other application materials. In advanced degree programs where spots may be limited, a personal statement could make or break an application.
Preparing to Write Your M.L.S. Personal Statement
As you prepare to write your personal statement, there are a few steps that can make the writing process as easy as possible.
Gathering Necessary Information and Resources
Start by collecting any specific information, resources, or documents you may need to write your M.L.S. personal statement accurately. This is especially essential if you plan on referring to your academic transcripts, awards received, or other formal documents in your text.
Identifying Your Unique Qualities and Experiences
Compelling personal statements tend to be ones that communicate an applicant's distinct experiences and qualities. With this in mind, it is useful to set aside time for self-reflection before you start writing. Specifically, consider the personality traits you have that might make you a good fit for the program. In addition, think about any examples of life experiences that you may want to incorporate into your essay.
Tips for a Successful Personal Statement for Legal Studies
As you begin crafting your Master of Legal Studies personal statement, keep in mind some best practices to help your essay stand out from the dozens (or hundreds) of essays your admissions committee will be reading.
Start With an Outline
When writing any kind of important document, it is wise to start with a detailed outline that includes your thesis, your main points, and any supporting evidence (such as real-world examples or stories). Once you have a solid outline, you may find it considerably easier to start writing.
Be Authentic and Honest
One of the most crucial characteristics of any successful personal statement is authenticity. While there iss nothing wrong with highlighting your strengths and even bragging a bit, you want to avoid dishonesty or anything that might come off as less than genuine.
Highlight Your Interest in Legal Studies
One of the main reasons many M.L.S. programs require a personal statement is because in the first place, the admissions committee wants to truly get to know applicants and what interests them in a legal studies program. Therefore, it is critical to clearly communicate why you want to pursue an M.L.S. degree, whether it is to expand your knowledge in a specific area or advance your career.
Demonstrate Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills
Completing an M.L.S. program requires a great deal of critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills. You can demonstrate how you possess these skills in your personal statement by sharing specific stories or examples of situations where you have been required to think outside of the box or make an important, calculated decision.
Avoid Common Pitfalls and Cliches
There are certain phrases and tropes that M.L.S. admissions committees have probably seen in personal statements hundreds of times already, so it is ideal to avoid these in your writing. Try to ensure every sentence is truly unique and not something you would find in other essays—or that could be easily upstaged by other applicants. A few examples of content and cliches to avoid could include:
- Discussing legal topics or issues that might be controversial.
- Focusing too much on the external world or other people instead of your own goals and experiences.
- Starting with a quote, statistic, abstract question, or anything else that directs the attention away from you.
- Leaning too heavily into sharing personal hardships (particularly cliches like a sports injury) to prove how you have overcome struggles.
- Pulling from scenarios in the distant past (such as how you learned to be a team player in high school extracurriculars or opening with, “My passion for legal matters began at a young age…”)
Showcase Your Unique Experience
Everybody has something different to bring to the table, but your admissions committee will not understand the scope of your personal experience unless you address it in your personal statement. If you have relevant work experience, a background in legal education, or something else that sets you apart, be sure to weave it into your M.L.S. personal statement.
Emphasize Your Motivation for Pursuing a Master of Legal Studies
People have various motivations for obtaining an M.L.S. degree. Your personal statement is your chance to highlight your own reasons for wanting to pursue this degree. Remember that your reasoning should not be all about you, so it can be useful to consider how earning your M.L.S. might help others or even contribute to the field as a whole.
Highlight Your Academic Achievements
Even if your academic achievements are already covered in an academic transcript, resume, or other application materials, your M.L.S. personal statement can be an opportunity to succinctly call out anything noteworthy or particularly relevant that might not be immediately apparent in those documents. Ideally, you can connect these achievements to a personal story or anecdote in your essay.
Incorporate Your Future Goals
Take time to reflect on your short- and long-term goals as well as how obtaining an M.L.S. degree may help you pursue those goals. This is something you'll also want to cover in your personal statement, most likely toward the end of the document.
Be Open to Feedback from Peers
One of the best things you can do when creating your personal statement is to get feedback from peers. After you have finished your first draft, do not hesitate to ask family members, mentors, or trusted friends to read through your essay and make comments. This can be an excellent way to gain and incorporate valuable feedback that could strengthen your essay even more.
Take the Time to Proofread
Even with built-in spell checkers in most word processing software today, it is still crucial to actually read through your essay and do your own proofreading before submitting your personal statement. A helpful rule of thumb is to read through the document twice: The first time, read it out loud to check for flow and grammatical errors. The second time, read it backwards to better spot typos and misspellings.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
As you work on your personal statement for your M.L.S., you’ll also want to make note of some errors to avoid.
Being Too Vague or Generic
In many cases, your personal statement is your one opportunity to really make your application stand out—so make sure to avoid language that is overly vague or generic. Instead, refer to specific life experiences and the unique qualities you would carry into a graduate-level program.
Overloading on Legal Jargon
As tempting as it may be to flaunt your knowledge of legal jargon in your Master of Legal Studies personal statement, remember that the admissions committee members reading your essay might not be in the legal field. With this in mind, it is best to stick with simple language regarding the law. There is nothing wrong with incorporating a few common legal terms here and there, but this is not the time to overdo it with the terminology.
Ignoring the Prompt or Instructions
One of the biggest mistakes applicants make when crafting a personal statement is ignoring the prompt and going in their own direction. Oftentimes, writing prompts will include specific questions to answer or topics to address. Failing to closely adhere to the prompt may demonstrate to your admissions committee that you are not detail-oriented or do not follow directions carefully.
How Long Should My Personal Statement Be?
Generally speaking, most personal statements should be at least a page or 500 words long, but this will all depend on your program's specific guidelines regarding word counts, page limits, spacing, and font sizes.
How Do I Start My Personal Statement?
The best way to start a personal statement is with a "hook," or something that will capture your readers' attention and interest. Many applicants find success beginning their essays with a personal anecdote, a question, or even a surprising fact.
What Topics Should I Avoid in My Personal Statement?
Try to steer clear of any taboo topics that might stir up controversy (e.g., politics and religion), as you never know who might be reading your essay. Additionally, avoid discussing personal struggles that lack a clear, relevant resolution or lesson. Lastly, do not include information that is redundant with skills, accomplishments, or credentials already clearly listed on your resume or transcripts; put a spin on it so you are sharing a personal story, insight, or competency that the reader could not glean from your application elsewhere.
How Can I Make My Personal Statement Stand Out?
There are plenty of ways to set your personal statement apart from other essays, such as incorporating personal anecdotes and experiences while tying them back to your motivation for applying. The more creative yet authentic you remain, the more memorable and compelling your essay will be to the admissions committee reading it.
Ready to Apply for a Master of Legal Studies Program?
Ultimately, writing an M.L.S. personal statement is all about reflecting upon why you are interested in the program and what might set you apart from other applicants. By following the above tips and best practices, you will be in better shape when it comes time to write your personal statement for legal studies.
Are you seeking the right online Master of Legal Studies degree program for you? Learn more about the University of Miami School of Law's online M.L.S. curriculum with tracks in human resources, cybersecurity, finance, and more—then get started with your online application today.
Sources
https://admissions.law.miami.edu/academics/mls/
https://admissions.law.miami.edu/academics/mls/curriculum/
https://lifehacker.com/think-backwards-when-proofreading-your-writing-for-spel-1793189994
