The Hook: Time Spent Fine-Tuning the Personal Statement 

By Elizabeth Bodamer 

This post is part of a series related to LSAC’s Knowledge Report: The 2024-25 Law School Applicant Profile.

“Next” says the bank teller, as my mother walks to the window; I am right behind her. My mother stumbles with her English, and the bank teller looks at her with confusion. I grip the counter and pull myself to the tip of my toes until the teller’s eyes are on me. I tell him what my mother wants, and then I let go of the counter to fall back to my original position behind her. The transaction goes smoothly, the teller offers me a Dum Dum, and I accept it with a smile. 

I was 10 years old when I started to take on the role of translator and advocator in my family.  

This is the first paragraph in my law school personal statement, drafted almost two decades ago. While the time has flown, I can still remember working on this paragraph at home, at the library, and in the basement of the student union, LaFun.

Hours. I spent hours. 

How do I show them who I am?  

How do I make them feel it?  

How do I hook them in? 

It appears not much has changed over the decades. Aspiring law students are spending hours fine-tuning their personal statements, and with good reason — after all, the personal statement is one of the few spaces, if not the only space, where applicants can show law schools who they are. LSAC’s new Applied Research report shows that over half of applicant respondents spent more than 20 hours working on their personal statements. And applicants from various backgrounds spend considerably more time than that. For example: 

• 35% of Pell Grant recipients reported they spent more than 50 hours working on their personal statements.
• 36% of LGBTQ+ applicants (those who are not straight/heterosexual) spent more than 50 hours.
• 38% of racially and ethnically minoritized applicant respondents said they spent more than 50 hours. 

Amid today’s ongoing application cycle, it’s important to note how much aspiring law students are investing in this process. As I think back to my experience, I remember leaning on two mentors to review my personal statement. I also remember using the resources I gained through LSAC’s signature pathway program, PLUS — the predecessor to Plus, Guided Journey.  

Networks, resources, and community, as the report shows, continue to be vital to the applicant journey. As a community, we can leverage the insights in the report to continue serving and developing effective and timely support systems for all aspiring law students.  

Dig Deeper Into This Research

LSAC’s Knowledge Report: The 2024-25 Law School Applicant Profile provides deeper insights into how the most recent law school applicants were thinking and feeling during a high volume and highly competitive admission cycle.

View the Report

To learn more about the snapshot moments along the prelaw to law school journey, check out any of LSAC’s Applied Research reports.