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Law school essays that made a difference

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Law School Diversity Statement Examples That Worked!

Law school diversity statements seem simple enough at first glance, but crafting a unique essay that doesn’t simply regurgitate elements of your law school personal statement is harder than you may expect. Diversity statements demand concise but sophisticated introspection, and this tension can make drafting and editing feel dizzying. Don’t worry though—with some basic guidelines and a few examples to consult, you can easily craft a standout diversity statement that perfectly complements and enhances the rest of your law school application.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Article Contents 11 min read

The law school diversity statement vs personal statement.

Understanding the ultra-specific purpose of the law school diversity statement is the first and most important step in beginning your drafts, and no one really knows these tiny differences except for law school admissions consulting professionals. And you are in luck! We are sharing these details with you today!

At first glance, it’s hard to figure out how to avoid redundancy with the personal statement. After all, answering the question of who you are is central to both essays, and since a big part of that is showing both the social and personal forces that have shaped you, it may seem difficult to determine what information goes where.

Fortunately, there are some significant structural differences that can help you organize your thoughts. At the outset, it’s important to understand that the diversity statement, with some exceptions, is almost always constructed in response to a specific prompt and is usually considered as a law school optional essay . Conversely, the personal statement is almost never constrained to a specific question, and rather asks you to explain who you are in a broad sense.

The law school diversity statement is therefore a counterpart to the personal statement, and serves as a deeper, more detailed explanation of how you understand yourself in relation to the world. Think of the personal statement as more heavily focused on your intrinsic understanding of yourself—your motivations and the experiences that illustrate them—and the diversity statement as more focused on extrinsic/external or contextual factors. It’s still about you, but it needs to show an understanding of your place(s) in the world.

It’s important to note right away that “diversity” and “adversity” are not synonyms. Many students fall into the trap of considering diversity in wholly negative terms, or that their diversity must have been the target of some sort of difficulty or bias in order to be worth discussing. This is often the case, of course, but diversity essays are often not so specific. Law schools want to understand how your uniqueness has shaped you and your relationship to the people and social structures around you. Even more importantly, they want to see what this allows you to bring to the school and your cohort of students if admitted. The uniqueness of your perspective and sense of self does not need to be the result of staggering adversity in order to warrant a diversity essay, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the essay prompt.So, what qualifies as diversity? There are some traditional categories of identity and experience that are commonly discussed in diversity statements, such as these:

Keep in mind that these are just examples of diversity topics you can cover in your diversity essay – you are encouraged to explore a variety of diversity elements that made you who you are.

It’s crucial to be able to talk about the ways in which these identifiers or characteristics posed experiences of difference or uniqueness at various points in your life, as well as how these experiences would shape your performance as a law student. Again, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been the target of overt bias or discrimination, although if that’s the case you absolutely should discuss it. What matters most is that these qualities allow you to contribute a unique voice to your chosen program.

On the other hand, there are ways in which these characteristics can be hard to mine, so to speak. You need to be able to discuss the ways in which the particularities of your identity make you stand out from other applicants, how they’ve influenced your pursuit of a law degree, and how they can make a positive impact both at the institutional level and in the lives of your fellow students. As Harvard Law School notes, “Think carefully about whether and how you use this optional component. There are times when an application is actually weakened by an optional statement due to a lack of cohesion or relevance to the rest of the file.”

You should take that note of caution with a grain of salt, however. Yes, it’s true that writing a flat or ineffective diversity essay is likely worse than not including one at all, but to reiterate a point we’ve made a few times now, a compelling narrative that captures your sense of difference and diversity is absolutely worth writing, even if the particularities don’t seem totally bombastic to you. Odds are you have something to discuss, whether it’s a big move or an unlikely extracurricular pursuit. The point is that it has impacted you and will, in turn, impact your performance in law school. 

In the prompts you encounter, it’s worth noting that many schools will offer a working definition of what they believe diversity to be. Be mindful of this when crafting your statement—that is, show that you “understand the assignment,” so to speak. In other words, always answer the prompt. Attention to detail is always important on graduate school applications, but especially so for law, which is rooted in linguistic specificity and careful constructions. Moreover, having a preexistent definition to work with can serve as a springboard for your own exploration of how your unique identity can contribute to a diverse student cohort.

Law School Diversity Statement Example 1 – Stanford

“[Describe] how your background, life and work experiences, advanced studies, extracurricular or community activities, culture, socio-economic status, sex, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or other factors would contribute to the diversity of the entering class (and hence to your classmates’ law school educational experience)."

Despite growing up surrounded by other Inuit in Igloolik, I have been aware of the fundamental uniqueness of my people and culture for as long as I can remember. Each time I travelled inland across the light blue, glimmering channel, I was met with an ever-evolving mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces, languages, and activities. As I got older and began travelling further away from the island, the vast complexity of Canada’s cultures both fascinated me and deepened my understanding of who I was. By the time I applied to college, I had amassed a network of friends and acquaintances that included French-speakers, recent immigrants, and people from many other first peoples and nations. Among the many diverging aspects of our identities and upbringings that we discussed, one dimension that continually piqued my interest was the role of tradition and law in our individual understandings of ourselves and our cultures. I was especially intrigued by the varying definition of law and legality across cultures—the diversity of oral and written traditions, of worldviews and codified legal systems. It’s not surprising that I became deeply drawn toward the study of environmental law midway through my undergraduate years, and have only grown more immersed as I’ve completed my studies.

The complexity of diverging concepts of law and tradition in relation to environmental stewardship has been a central drive for my seeking a career in law. It’s not simply that my being Inuk is unique in itself, but that the radical uniqueness of our traditional lands compared to that of the rest of North America makes my understanding of human and environmental interaction extremely unique. The ways in which institutional land management practices and legal designations have evolved over time, specific to regions and peoples, is something to which I’m keenly attuned, and is a central gravitational pull in my scholarship both present and future. The environmental law track at Stanford Law would therefore not only allow me to continue developing my own understanding, but to share it with other students and study groups who come from significantly different cultural backgrounds and places. I of course believe having representation of first peoples in any academic program is a boon to its diversity of worldview and ideology, but I think especially so in Stanford’s environmental law program, whose faculty have played an important role in positively resolving environmental disputes between the Muwekma-Ohlone and state and federal governments. The uniqueness of these tensions in Northern communities has afforded me, what I believe, an uncommon but deeply informed perspective that can be of great benefit to the work of students and faculty alike. (438 words)

“An applicant may choose to describe the challenges as a first-generation college graduate; an applicant's struggle with a serious physical or mental disability; an applicant's encounter with discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or national origin; or an applicant's limited educational opportunities due to geographical or other restrictions; or whatever the applicant believes is appropriate and relevant. The committee believes factors such as these may contribute to an applicant's academic potential and how they will enhance the richness and diversity of the learning environment.”

Breaking nearly half the bones in my body before finishing high school was in some ways almost a benefit as a student. My being born with osteogenesis imperfecta type IV was a terrifying prospect for my parents, and it has of course regularly been an obstacle to doing a lot of normal things. But recovering from broken collarbones, femurs, and more than a dozen skull fractures, among much else, gave me a lot of time to read. In fact, reading was about all I could do most of the time, as my parents couldn’t afford typical distractions like cable or gaming systems throughout my childhood. Although I did end up watching fuzzy reruns of Night Court when my recent library haul ran out, I’d much more readily cite Mary Shelley as an inspiration to pursue law studies than Harry Anderson.

Oddly enough, though, I often felt lucky as a kid. Growing up poor with a fairly dangerous genetic disorder didn’t register as an oppressive restriction most days but rather, oddly enough, a kind of natural simplicity in my environment. It wasn’t until I got into my teenage years that I understood just how hard my parents had to work to maintain the perceptual bubble that made me feel like our situation was at least mostly normal. Once I started to really understand just how much of a toll my condition and our economic circumstances took on them, I became firmly convinced that I wanted to make sure others in similar situations would have more resources and opportunities than we did.

Disability law became a central focus of my recreational reading during my prelaw years, and I was fortunate enough to gain a significant amount of experience volunteering with X University’s specialty legal aid clinic. What this afforded me most of all was an expansion of my perspective on disability’s ubiquitous intertwinement with poverty. What had been heavily conditioned by my personal experience was now complemented by the lives and cases of dozens of others who had experienced similar—and in one case nearly identical—difficulties, and this galvanized my drive to pursue a career in law to an even greater degree.

This aspect of my life is, I believe, an incredible gift to my ability to perform as a student and to add a unique perspective to those around me. There are still some hurdles that come along with it, but I’ve gotten pretty good at remembering my glasses and avoiding bone breaks. I hope to be a source not only of both anecdotal and professional insight into disability and poverty law issues, but also an encouraging and (if I may say so) pretty well-humored presence in my cohort. I can’t imagine getting to where I am without my sense of humor, but I also can’t imagine not trying to share that in the trenches with my fellow law students throughout the arduous experience of JD work. (487 words)

Law School Diversity Statement Example 3 – Georgetown University

“Georgetown Law is proud of its strong community of students from diverse backgrounds. We encourage you to attach a brief statement to help the Admissions Committee understand the contribution your personal background would make to our community”

Entering law school at 42 is frankly terrifying. Or, it would be, had I not spent so much of the last 15 years navigating an equally volatile environment: Bornean rainforests. The basics of my time with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation are covered in my other application materials, but what isn't clear through those details is just how tense and dangerous our rescue operations often were. The longstanding tension between agricultural concerns and animal welfare groups is something most people surmise, but the specifics of this tension are often poorly reported outside of Indonesia.

During my second year with BOSF I assisted in an operation near Kalimantan to rescue three orangutans who had hunkered down in the rubble amidst an illegal logging operation. They wouldn't move from the node of the forest they had lived in for years prior, and were under direct threat of being injured or even killed in a clearcut. Navigating the difficult and patience-testing process of extracting animals from their shattered home was one thing, but the sheer volume of armed timber company employees and their initial unwillingness to let us attempt to rescue the animals made it one of the most overwhelming days of my life. Many, even most, of the rescue operations we undertook didn't have that level of immediate, palpable tension, but this experience was sadly not totally unique, and despite my decade of work in the field I still found subsequent situations like this absolutely draining for days afterward.

I think the hard-earned ability and stamina to deal with that kind of situational complexity is a key part of what makes me a unique candidate for law school. Commercial arbitration and corporate mediation pale entirely in comparison to negotiating a pause between a moving excavator and a terrified huddle of great apes, all while a dozen rifles were pointed at me. (309 words)

It may be initially difficult to decide whether a supplemental law school diversity statement is the right choice for you, and that’s okay! Uncertainty is a natural part of the application process, and especially when it comes to your personal statement and other essays. Start early and give yourself enough time to really contemplate the factors that have shaped you and your understanding of yourself. Mostly importantly, understand the need to stay focused and on topic throughout your diversity essay—by submitting one, you’re asking for additional time and consideration, so make sure you communicate something unique and meaningful when you write it. And remember, every application component matters when it comes to getting that coveted law school interview invite! So, before you even start prepping with law school interview questions , make sure that every single aspect of your application is perfect before you submit!

This is a hard question to answer devoid of context, and to really decide you’ll need to take some notes and even write a first draft. However, the main things to consider are: what particularities of your identity have made your path to law school especially challenging or unique; and, will these contribute something notable or positive to your performance in the program? It’s important to remember that relevant identity characteristics aren’t necessary just ethnic or racial identity but can include nearly anything that’s made your path especially unique and challenging. Some schools want to a diversity statement if you’ve experienced significant adversity, but many schools encourage a broader discussion that doesn’t need to hinge on the problematic aspects of your identity.

As always, check your specific schools’ websites for a word count, as this does vary by institution quite a bit. However, a general range is 350-500 words.

Generally no. You’ll want to explain how this has impacted you, and ideally how you’ve overcome it to some extent. Law schools are incredibly competitive and the JD is a difficult program regardless of institution—law schools want to know you can adapt to difficult circumstances and make the best of them.

Difficulty is an inherently subjective thing. What seems like a minor inconvenience to you, even compared to the experienced of your friends or acquaintances, may still very well be fertile ground for a supplemental diversity essay. The key is to not rush mapping out your essay, and to give yourself time to examine the many ways—often subtle—in which your unique identity or class has impacted you.

Possibly! If you feel strongly that your application would benefit from an additional diversity essay, and that this information somehow can’t be adequately discussed in your personal statement, then reach our to the school’s administrative body to ask if they accept supplemental essays. While not every law school explicitly invites the diversity essay, they all profess a commitment to diversity in admissions and may be open to a diversity statement if you have a really clear reason for the request.

Although it’s quite a bit shorter than the personal statement and many other types of supplemental essays, the diversity essay should follow roughly the same structure as these other elements. The most important point is to get to the point quickly—within a sentence or two max, you need to make it clear why you’ve written a diversity essay and exactly what qualities/characteristics/experiences make you unique. From here, you’ll want to “show don’t tell” why this is aspect of you makes you a unique candidate. Don’t just list that you grew up on Neptune and move on, but describe the icy surface and supersonic winds that shaped your childhood. Develop these details into a discussion of how they shaped your personality and approach to life and/or law, and close with at least one or two sentences that clearly indicate why this difference is relevant to law school in particular. Keep in mind, though, that responding to the prompt’s specific wording is key. Some prompts will simply ask you to explain why you’re a unique candidate, others will ask you to more thoroughly relate this to law. You’ll want to do both to some extent, but it’s crucial to balance these two dimensions of your statement based on the specific instructions of your school.

One of the best aspects of the diversity essay is its flexibility—the potential topics are vast and numerous. Common foci include ethnic, gender, national, and cultural identity uniqueness, but these kinds of permanent or intrinsic qualities aren’t the only options. You should also feel encouraged to explore the experiences and commitments that you feel have made you a unique person and candidate for law school. These may include long-term and short-term experiences, jobs, trips, even uncommon relationships. The only real boundary is that this discussion needs to be at least somewhat relevant to law school, but as long as you’re able to relate your narrative or essay to this even somewhat, go for it!

Personal statements are on average quite a bit longer and somewhat general, whereas a diversity statement is asking you to answer a much more specific question in less space. Moreover, personal statements are meant to be comprehensive narratives that delve into your big-picture motivations for attending law school and what you hope to do in the future, at least to some extent. Conversely, a diversity statement is much more focused on the past, and specifically those factors that have brought you to the present moment. In a way, we can summarize the difference like this: a personal statement deals heavily in what you’ve done and what you want to do, and a diversity statement is about who you are.

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New Law School Diversity Statements ("Life Experience/Perspective Essays"): FAQ

This blog post comes from our consultants Anne Dutia, Danielle Early, Paula Gluzman, and Tom Robinson. You can read their full bios here or at the end of this post.

Over the last year, as a result of the 2023 Supreme Court decision on race-conscious admissions, most law schools have changed their prompts for the essays that have long been known as “Diversity Statements.” These new prompts have many names, but two of the most common are Life Experience Essays and Perspective Essays, so we will refer to them as “E/P essays” moving forward.

Choosing whether and/or how to write the new versions of these E/P essays can be a difficult decision. Our team has collectively guided hundreds of applicants as they navigated this new component of the application process in the past admissions cycle. Below, we’ve collected our responses to frequently asked questions about these newer essay prompts. We hope you find them helpful! 

Quick disclaimer that the 2024-2025 application instructions and prompts are not yet available. It is very important to pay special attention to the schools’ prompts as they may well change again this coming cycle. 

Law School Life Experience/Perspective Essay FAQs

What’s the difference between life experience and life perspective essays, and how do they differ from what law schools wanted before .

For a bit of context, along with the required personal statement, law schools have traditionally offered the option of writing a diversity statement for applicants to share more about aspects of their identity, background, and overcoming hardships and adversity. In more recent years, but specifically, after the 2023 SCOTUS decision to remove race-conscious admissions practices, diversity statement prompts have evolved to encompass broader life experiences and perspectives—hence the new names and titles for these optional statements.  

In many ways, both types of these new essay prompts are asking about the understanding you have developed and the insights you have gleaned on issues important to you. For some people, those insights will come from personal experience, and for others, it may be from study. Regardless of how you came to these experiences or perspectives, there should be a clear articulation of why your insights would be valuable in the study and practice of law, whether it’s how you engage with others or the questions you may raise that wouldn’t occur to others. Here is a quick diagram to illustrate the differences a bit more.

What if I am not a member of an underrepresented minority group? Should I still write an E/P essay, even when it is optional?

Everyone’s experiences and the insights derived from them are valuable. E/P essays are certainly not limited to members of underrepresented minority groups but can be about a significant aspect of your life or identity, exposure to new ideas, and/or impactful experiences. If you can connect those in a meaningful way to how you would approach certain situations or interact with certain groups, that could be quite effective. Or, if you can use your experience to demonstrate grit, compassion, or a particular understanding of a specific issue, that could also work well. If you are writing about challenges or adversity, these also don’t have to be limited to challenges or adversity associated with being a member of a minority group. For example, you could discuss what you learned growing up while spending all of your free time working for a small family-owned business, or as the caretaker of elderly grandparents or younger siblings, or the leadership lessons gained from being a student-athlete—these could be interesting topics that could make for excellent E/P essays. 

I am an underrepresented student. What should/can I share in my E/P essay? Is there anything I should avoid writing about now that these prompts are not traditional Diversity Statements?

First and foremost, write your story authentically and do not feel like you have to hide or undermine your true identity. Let your story illustrate your diversity, perspectives, and how your experiences shape the contributions you will make. Your identity should be shared within the context of your story, and it may encompass new perspectives you have shared in personal, academic, or professional settings. In some cases, underrepresented students might have painful stories to share about encountering racism, discrimination, or marginalization. While you are not required to share these aspects of your life story, it can help the admissions committee understand the distance you have traveled in your journey to law school. Many applicants from underrepresented student groups have both positive and negative experiences to share in an E/P essay. The key is to tell your story in the context of how it will help you contribute during your law school years and as a legal professional.

How long should the E/P essay be?

Pay attention to schools’ instructions. While you don’t have to use the entire length allowed, be sure not to go over the maximum length. Some schools limit the E/Pessay to 500 words, one page, or two pages, while others do not give a page limit. If a school does not give a page limit, then anything in the range of one to one and a half pages would be a good guide to follow. 

Is this essay really optional? How many should I write when a school provides multiple prompts?

For most schools, the answer is, yes, they are optional! (However, don’t count yourself out because at first glance you can’t think of a topic.) The E/P essays are required for a few schools (e.g. Harvard and Vanderbilt), while other schools may require one additional essay from a list that may include a Diversity or an E/P-related prompt. 

If a school allows for more than one essay, be judicious and use good judgment on whether your application needs another essay added to the collective materials you are already submitting. More is not always better.

What types of life experiences and perspectives are they interested in? Can I share about my own personal growth? Interpersonal experiences in my family or community? Work/professional experience? How far back can I go? What if I am still in college and don’t have work experience?

We have provided a sample of ideas below that clients successfully wrote about last year. This list shows you the array of experiences, ranging from one-of-a-kind unique situations to common occurrences experienced by many. Don’t count yourself out just because you think your experiences aren’t significant, unique, or compelling. You can speak to experiences from as far back or as recent as you want as long as they are still relevant to you today. 

Law School Life Experience/Perspective Essay Examples Topics: 

• Trying to promote female empowerment within their industry
• Being a woman in a mal/e-dominated space
• Being raised gender neutral 
• Ways, as a member of mostly majority classes, the applicant’s experiences being exposed to different groups influenced their approach to their jobs/lives
• As a leader, having to deal with difficult, emotionally-charged conversations 
• Acknowledgments of the value of ensuring all voices are heard
• Learning how to communicate across different academic and cultural backgrounds
• Volunteering in a prison
• Dealing with family difficulties, abuse, mental health issues, incarceration, or other major adversities
• Being a primary caregiver for siblings, parents, or grandparents
• Military experience
• Experiences with racism
• Positive experiences with cultural identity
• How being mixed race provides perspective
• Reckoning experience as bisexual in a traditional family
• Experiences with discrimination based on sexuality

Socio - economic

• Growing up with significant financial struggles
• Living in an area with severe blatant wealth inequality

Religion  

• Struggling with finding their place within their family’s religion
• Growing up in multiple religions
• How religion emphasizes acts of service
• Connecting to faith later in life

Immigration

• Growing up with different cultural expectations between immigrant parents and US standards
• Following an unexpected path to STEM
• Creating and developing communities in new places

Disability/Medical 

• Being misdiagnosed
• Being ignored by doctors 
• How having a diagnosis changes the way people see your actions
• -Neurodivergence or late-diagnosed neurodivergence
• Having a “hidden” illness or disability

Do I have to write a different essay for each school?

Many times, you can use the general topic or theme of one school’s prompt and adapt it to other schools, but you probably won’t be able to use the same exact essay for every school on your list. The reality of these newer and broader prompts is that they make it more challenging for applicants to select one workable topic or to write one relevant essay that applies to all. You’ll likely have to write a few different versions, either slightly augmenting your first essay to work for one unique prompt or tweaking the topic to work for prompts of multiple schools. This is especially true for applicants who may have more traditional diversity statement content to share. 

There are so many different E/P prompts! How do I adapt my essay for the various schools? 

There are several different strategies you can use for picking your essay topics. One way is to start by focusing on the message or story you want to share about yourself, and then read the school’s prompt to see how your messaging fits into the prompt. Ask yourself if there are stories and experiences not covered in your personal statement that law schools should know about you, and how those circumstances can be conveyed in ways that directly respond to the prompts.

Another strategy is to begin with the prompts, determine the different categories of content they want to learn about you, and then see which aspects of your story fit into them. For some prompts, you may need to write a new essay, but the topic could be the same. For example, you may have written your essay for one school about your life experience growing up in a religious household, realizing that you have different beliefs, and how you came to that realization. However, another school might ask you to write about difficult conversations you have experienced. For this prompt, you might then consider sharing how you told your parents about your conflicted feelings about the family’s religion. 

Another working strategy is to figure out which schools require an E/P essay (for example, Harvard and Vanderbilt), use those prompts to draft your essay, and then customize versions as needed for the other schools. 

Depending on your story and experiences, your strategy may differ from that of another applicant. Regardless, take the time to be strategic so you can work smarter, not harder when it comes to crafting these essays. Make sure you read each school's prompts and think about how you can share your story based on what they are asking for. Hopefully, you won’t need to write too many different versions.

Should I write about my race or ethnicity if I am underrepresented in the legal field? Can I speak to intersectionality? 

Certainly speak to intersectionality, if you can. If you are choosing between multiple options for your topic, and if you do come from a traditionally underrepresented race or ethnicity, keep the following in mind: Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that schools cannot directly ask about a student’s racial background, they can still consider your identity(ies) if you share them through your essays—in other words, law schools can no longer ask, but applicants can certainly still tell. Race cannot be a deciding factor in admissions, but it can still be one of many considerations if the applicant shares their perspective in their application. Essays that highlight your racial diversity and speak to how that perspective shapes you will be the only place that a school will learn about your diverse identity as they make their admission decision.  

How do I include information about my background in a way that is helpful to the admissions reviewers?

The Supreme Court made sure to emphasize that it is not just your experience and perspective that matters, but how this can contribute to your law school community and the legal profession at large. Paraphrasing Chief Justice Roberts’ words: 

Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.

Accordingly, it will be most helpful to admissions for applicants to connect the dots between your experience/perspective and the contribution you will make. Think outside of the box about what “contribution” means in the context of your actions, viewpoints, representation, interactions with others, and work outcomes you bring as a person, student, and future professional. Have your experiences encouraged you to see from multiple different viewpoints with more clarity? Have they allowed you to empathize and identify with communities you hope to work with as an attorney? Will they allow you to share a perspective that is often overlooked in the classroom or the judicial system? These could all be themes of a strong E/P essay.

How can I talk about overcoming adversity for schools that don’t ask for it?

In some cases, it may not be advisable to attach an unsolicited E/P essay. It is important to consider whether a school allows for this or if they would frown on unsolicited information. One option is to ask an admissions officer at the school if they would be open to an unsolicited E/P  essay. For example, Stanford Law and Yale Law do not currently have a space for this type of essay. In 2023-2024, Yale did have a “Grit” essay, but some applicants might not feel that this prompt would be appropriate for what they want to share. So, think carefully and maybe inquire about this possibility before doing it. Also, when the 2024-2025 applications are launched, YLS and SLS may bring back this opportunity. 

Parting thoughts:

As more relevant hot topics and burning questions come our way, we will update this post. For now, we hope these FAQs are helpful as you navigate the best strategy, topics, and story to share in your E/P essays.

Anne Dutia has been involved on both sides of the admissions process since 2001. After practicing law for a few years, she spent four years in admissions at The University of Michigan Law School as Assistant Director and then served as a pre-law advisor at The University of Texas at Dallas until joining Spivey Consulting in October of 2017. As a pre-law advisor, Anne was on the Executive Board of the Southwestern Association of Pre-Law Advisors (SWAPLA) and on the Pre-Law Advisors National Council (PLANC), helping to organize multiple pre-law advising conferences. She was also a coach of a Top 15 undergraduate Moot Court team and continues to serve on the Executive Board of the American Moot Court Association (AMCA).

Born in Bombay, India, Anne has lived all over the United States. She earned her BA at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, and her JD from the University of Alabama. Despite living in Texas for almost 20 years, she still calls Alabama home and can be found cheering on the Crimson Tide most Saturdays in the fall.

Danielle Early has 15 years of admissions experience, most recently serving as Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School. As a voting member of the HLS admissions committee, she evaluated over 10,000 applications and conducted hundreds of admissions interviews. Prior to joining Karen in the HLS admissions office, Danielle worked in undergraduate admissions at Harvard College as well as Clark University.

In addition to the many roles Danielle filled in the HLS admissions office, she also served as a proctor (or dorm parent/resident hall director) while at Harvard, acting as an academic and career advisor for students. Danielle has spent considerable time counseling students throughout their undergraduate careers, job searches and grad school applications.

Danielle earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Clark University as a double major in Communications and Studio Art and then continued on there to earn a Master’s Degree in Professional Communications. These days, you are likely to find her hiking with her dog, taking cooking classes or working on a new drawing.

Paula Gluzman has over a decade of experience in legal practice and law school administration. Her true passion for working with students throughout their entire law school journey is demonstrated through her diverse professional positions. As the Assistant Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at the University of Washington School of Law and later at UCLA School of Law, Paula has read and evaluated hundreds of admissions files, interviewed applicants, and worked directly with candidates all over the country and abroad to advise them on the law school admissions process. In addition to mentoring and advising pre-law students and traveling the country to present on law school admissions topics, Paula also worked in law school career services, employer outreach and recruiting, and professional development training. She has reviewed and edited hundreds of resumes, cover letters, and other application materials, as well as graded California Bar exam practice tests. Additionally, Paula’s work as a law school career advisor allows her to bring the full-circle perspective to the admissions process, helping applicants make informed and strategic law school decisions from a career and professional development perspective.

Paula has served in elected leadership and board positions during law school (including a journal comments editor), and professionally in NALP (National Association for Law Placement), SDLRA (San Diego Legal Recruiting Association), and LEAP (Legal Education Access Pipeline). As an immigrant and the first in her family to attend law school, Paula is proactive in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal education and hiring. In the years that she has studied and engaged in DE&I work, she understands the challenges involved in getting to law school and the value of knowledgeable mentorship through the admissions process. As Spivey Consulting Group’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Paula also spearheads the firm’s annual Pro-Bono Program and other efforts to provide equal access to law school admissions information.

Lastly, to complement her advising and counseling experience, Paula prides herself on helping her clients bring their stories to life through their statements. Through her personal passion for written expression, as well as her academic and professional writing and editing experience, Paula provides each client with the guidance to showcase their best attributes and highlight how they add distinguishing value to their future law school.

Paula lives in Northern California with her family and their scruffy little pup.

Tom Robinson has worked in admissions for over 20 years and enjoys advising students as they navigate the admissions process. Most recently, Tom served as the Director of J.D. Admissions at Harvard Law School, where he received the 2018 Dean’s Award for Excellence. During his years in admissions, Tom has evaluated thousands of applications, interviewed more than 900 law applicants, and served on admissions committees within three different universities.

As a first generation college student himself, Tom understands the value of good advising throughout the admissions process. He is particularly proud of his role in admitting the first-ever class at Harvard Law with more than 50% women, has advised students from across China, Europe, and North and South America, and enjoys talking with veterans about their law school aspirations.

In addition to his professional experience, Tom earned a Master of Education at the University of Vermont and a Doctorate in Leadership in Higher Education from the University of Massachusetts, where he concentrated on issues related to learning outcomes and campus racial climates.

Tom has focused on academic and creative writing throughout his education, including while conducting a qualitative ethnographic study that became the basis of his dissertation. He has also co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals within the education field. Tom invests time in getting to know his clients and how their stories can be persuasively and compellingly shared with admissions committees.

When not working with potential applicants, you can find Tom hiking with his yellow lab Wilma, spending time with family, kayaking, or cycling northwest of Boston!

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Graduate School Admissions Guides

The Princeton Review

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101 Law School Personal Statements That Made a Difference Kindle Edition

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007YUR340
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Magnificent Milestones, Inc. (April 25, 2012)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 25, 2012
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 525 KB
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• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
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• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 95 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1933819626
• #64 in LSAT Test Guides (Kindle Store)
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Dr. nancy l. nolan.

After receiving her Ph.D. in 1987 from Kansas State University, Dr. Nolan conducted research for several years in academia and industry. Since 1997, she has been the President and CEO of Ivy League Admission, a premier admission service for top U.S. schools.

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Critic’s Notebook

The Constitution Is Sacred. Is It Also Dangerous?

One of the biggest threats to America’s politics might be the country’s founding document.

Credit... Photo illustration by Ben Denzer

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By Jennifer Szalai

• Aug. 31, 2024

The United States Constitution is in trouble. After Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, he called for the “ termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution.” Outraged critics denounced him for threatening a document that is supposed to be “sacrosanct.” By announcing his desire to throw off constitutional constraints in order to satisfy his personal ambitions, Trump was making his authoritarian inclinations abundantly clear.

It’s no surprise, then, that liberals charge Trump with being a menace to the Constitution . But his presidency and the prospect of his re-election have also generated another, very different, argument: that Trump owes his political ascent to the Constitution, making him a beneficiary of a document that is essentially antidemocratic and, in this day and age, increasingly dysfunctional.

After all, Trump became president in 2016 after losing the popular vote but winning the Electoral College (Article II). He appointed three justices to the Supreme Court (Article III), two of whom were confirmed by senators representing just 44 percent of the population (Article I). Those three justices helped overturn Roe v. Wade, a reversal with which most Americans disagreed . The eminent legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, worried about opinion polls showing “a dramatic loss of faith in democracy,” writes in his new book, “No Democracy Lasts Forever”: “It is important for Americans to see that these failures stem from the Constitution itself.”

Back in 2018, Chemerinsky, the dean of Berkeley’s law school, still seemed to place considerable faith in the Constitution, pleading with fellow progressives in his book “We the People” “not to turn their back on the Constitution and the courts.” By contrast, “No Democracy Lasts Forever” is markedly pessimistic. Asserting that the Constitution, which is famously difficult to amend , has put the country “in grave danger,” Chemerinsky lays out what would need to happen for a new constitutional convention — and, in the book’s more somber moments, he entertains the possibility of secession . West Coast states might form a nation called “Pacifica.” Red states might form their own country. He hopes that any divorce, if it comes, will be peaceful.

The prospect of secession sounds extreme, but in suggesting that the Constitution could hasten the end of American democracy, Chemerinsky is far from alone. The argument that what ails the country’s politics isn’t simply the president, or Congress, or the Supreme Court, but the founding document that presides over all three, has been gaining traction, especially among liberals. Books and op-eds critiquing the Constitution have proliferated. Scholars are arguing that the Constitution has incentivized what Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt call a “Tyranny of the Minority.”

The anguish is, in some sense, a flip side of veneration. Americans have long assumed that the Constitution could save us; a growing chorus now wonders whether we need to be saved from it.

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A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.

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