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可能现在还有不少朋友正在准备出国的留学文书，我偶然发现曾经在美国名校法学院任取新生委员会委员的Mr.Fong-Sandoval就personalstatement发表的建议，可能对已经着手和将来准备着手的朋友有相当大的帮助
Q:Mr.Fong-Sandoval, We were hoping you could begin by describing your duties as amember of the Admissions Committee.
A:Gladly, when Iserved on it, the Admissions Committee was comprised of a total of elevenpeople: six students,four professors, and the Director of Admissions. I read ten personal statements every dayfor a total of three months. We startedreading the statements in early January, but it would pile up until I wasreading 15 statements per day because applications sent in closer to thedeadline increased the workload of the Admissions Committee.
Q：Did your duties include other tasksbesides evaluating personal statements?
A:Yes, I readeach application package I was assigned in its entirety. A committee memberreads all the materials in each application package he or she is assigned, whichincludes undergraduate GPA, LSAT report, and letters of recommendation. I paidcareful attention to each applicant's undergraduate course load, and the typesof classes taken. I also considered their major. Some applicants includedresumes;
I found this tobe very helpful in getting a clearer picture of the applicant. I stronglysuggest that applicants include a resume even if it is not required for theapplication. As for the letters of recommendation, my advice is that theyshould be lengthy enough to convey to the reader the impression that the personmaking the recommendation knows the applicant well. Moreover, the letter of recommendationshould shed light on the applicant's personality and capabilities.
Q:Of all thematerials that comprise a law school application package, which component was,in your opinion, the most important?
A:The PERSONALSTATEMENT. Most applicants that the Committee considered, regardless of theirundergraduate major or GPA category, have roughly the same numbers. We were looking for real people, notmere numbers.
I can tell youfor a fact that some applicants with a straight 4.0 undergraduate GPA and ahigh LSAT score were denied admission because they wrote horrible personalstatements. The Admissions Committee felt that these people did not take theapplication process seriously.
Q: Previouslyyou mentioned that the Admissions Committee received most of the applicationstowards the application deadline. In your opinion, should applicants submittheir applications as early as possible?
A:Well, yes andno. Yes, if theyhave dedicated the right amount of time and thought to their application. Yousee, the early applications received more attention because we had more time toreview them. With regard to the personal statements, we could tell who had putin the time and effort, and who had not.
My advice isthat it is better to turn in a strong personal statement later on in theprocess, rather than turning in a mediocre one earlier. By that I mean taketime to perfect your personal statement because the Admissions Committee willnotice the level of attention that you have given your personal statement, nomatter when you turn it in.
If I were astudent who was going to turn in a statement early and had not revised oredited it considerably, I would take the extra time to make sure it is welldeveloped and send it in closer to the application deadline.
You waste theadvantages of early submission if you turn in a bad personal statement. It's atrade off. Nevertheless, don't be too close to the deadline because if theschool has rolling admissions most of theavailable spots would have been filledby then.
Q:How much timedid you spend on each statement?
A:In the firsthalf of the semester about six to eight minutes. In the second half of thesemester, due to the increased volume of applications towards the deadline, Iwas only able to dedicate about three to five minutes per statement.
Q:In light ofthe fact that your average reading time fell from seven to four minutes perpersonal statement, what is your advice to applicants?
A:A COMPELLINGintroduction is the most important part of a law school personal statement. AsI begin reading, the introduction can put me in a positive or negative mindsetfor the rest of the essay. A strong introduction catches my attention, makes agood first impression, and compels me to read on carefully and with interest.
Q:You said thatif you found the introduction compelling, you would read the rest of theapplicant's essay "carefully," as if it is a good thing; but would anapplicant necessarily think a "careful" reading is good?
A:On the whole,yes. Let me explain. I think I know what you are driving at, and yes, a carefulreading means the personal statement must not only start strong, but finishstrong.
Also, the moreattention I give an essay, the more likely I'm going to see errors I might notsee on a quick read; so thorough editing is essential. However, the moreattention an applicant gets, the more the opportunity for a personal connectionbetween the reader and the applicant.
Q:Ifestablished, will this personal connection necessarily translate to theapplicant being accepted?
A:Notnecessarily, but I'll tell you one thing--it gets that person CLOSER to beingaccepted than the other applicant who wrote a dull personal statement. Dull personal statements are a chore toread. Indeed, I know for a fact that dry, dull, and unmotivated personalstatements actually WORK AGAINST applicants.
The bad writingtells me that the applicant did not take the application process seriously. Letme emphasize that the application process includes making the effort to writean engaging personal statement, not just merely listing your stellar grades. While your good grades get you noticed,this notice may not be enough to gain you acceptance if the rest of yourapplication package is deficient.
Q:Was therecommendation of only one member enough to accept or reject an applicant?
A:One committeemember's recommendation was not enough, in and of itself. But one member's recommendation didcarry some weight with the other Committee members.
Q:Given thatthere are many readers, would you advise that the personal statement be writtenin such a way that it engages many different people?
A:Sure, butalways make sure that is clear, well written, and COMPELLING.
Q:In youropinion, what did a winning personal statement consist of?
A:Consistently,the personal statements that grabbed my attention, and in my opinion, otherreaders' as well, had a THEME. These personal statements had a structure thatclued me in quickly as to the applicant's experience, traits, and potential.Thus, the winning statement laid a solid foundation in the first paragraph.
The winningpersonal statement needs to build on that foundation and demonstrate that theapplicant has direction in life and has the drive, ambition, and motivation tomake it in law school and beyond. The personal statement is a window to thepersonality of the applicant and should be crafted carefully.
Indeed, oneshould leave an impression that one is confident but not arrogant. A littlemodesty helps as well. I wasn't that interested in the list of an applicant'saccomplishments. I was more interested in their character and potential.
Q:So, would itbe fair to say that the use of themes like "overcoming adversity,""personal growth, " or "family history," as well as the useof analogies help make a personal statement stronger?
A:Definitely!
Q:At the otherend of the spectrum, what, in your opinion, makes a personal statement a loser?
A:Disorganization.A bad personal statement forces the reader to dig into the statement to evenget a faint idea as to the personality and potential of the applicant. Writinga statement that asks for effort from the reader is a nonstarter.Anotherproblem area is lack of enthusiasm.
I liked to see alittle passion from applicants as to why they want to become lawyers. I wantedto see some drive. I also wanted to see how they contributed to their communityor their school. Another concern is whether the applicant appears conscious ofhis/her identity and accomplishments.
Anotherindicator of a poor personal statement is typos. I believe that everyone on theAdmissions Committee sees typos as red flags. Typos show that the applicantclearly did not take the personal statement seriously. Avoid long paragraphsand run-on sentences. Don't get too complex. Don't get too fancy either.
Stay away fromnontraditional formats or gimmicks--like writing your personal statement as alegal memo, printing it on legal pleading paper, or formatting it as a legaldeclaration/affidavit. I thought that such gimmicks were pretentious and theother committee members thought that the gimmicks discounted the content of thepersonal statements.
Q:Exactly howcompetitive is the law school application process?
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