Fourteen grumpy doctors stare across an enormous oak conference table at me. It is seven o'clock in the morning, and most of the group is still wearing wrinkled green scrubs indicating a working, sleepless night. None of the doctors looks ready to digest the extremely technical information contained in the eight studies stacked neatly in front of them. My job is to present each study, review all relevant economic data, and answer any questions in a way that would lead the audience to conclude that the new drug I am selling is superior to the one they have been prescribing. One of the physicians gruffly informs me, through a mouthful of danish, that he is leaving in ten minutes so I better start my pitch.
During my two years as a representative for ABC Pharmaceuticals, I have found myself in this unenviable position hundreds of times. To overcome the often negative attitudes of my audience, I learned to clearly state my position and support it with persuasive evidence, usually gathered from extensive research of the scientific literature. I also mastered asking probing questions and analyzing the answers on the spot. Although I was one of the only inexperienced representatives ABC ever hired, I was named their Rookie of the Year, the highest possible award for a first-year employee.
I originally took this position because I thought it would be intellectually stimulating and take advantage of my scientific and business background. For the first year, I was right--it did. However, in an industry where new products are developed infrequently, I soon exhausted the issues to debate with my physicians. My job became less challenging as I was frequently required to repeatedly remind the doctors of what I had already discussed with them. Now that I have become one of the industry's top representatives, I am looking for a new, more-lasting intellectual challenge.
My current goal is a career in medical law. I feel that my successful work experience and rigorous scientific training will allow me to debate with the best attorneys. Since medical technology and the law in this area are developing rapidly, I am also confident that this field will be constantly challenging. Although I will miss my grumpy physicians, I look forward to the time when, groggy from a late night at the law library, I will stare at my professor across a crowded lecture hall instead.
This sample law school personal statement is about half the length of Essay 1 and concentrates on the author’s post-college work experience. In its brevity and focus it’s the mirror image of Law School Essay 1. The contrast between the two highlights the diversity that can work in law school essays.
This applicant writes about the impact of his work experience on his law school goals—with no discussion of extracurricular activities, hobbies, or travels. He had a tight word limit on his personal statement and simply had to be concise. Regardless of the narrower focus and shorter length, this essay also shares certain elements with Essay 1 and in both cases it leads to an engaging personal statement and acceptance. Let’s review them:
One small issue with this essay is that it raises a question that will invariably be on the admission committee’s mind—if the applicant got bored of one industry after a few years, who’s to say that it won’t happen again with the law?—but does little to answer it. The issue could have been circumvented by framing the change as forward progress rather than the job becoming, as the applicant put it, “bor[ing]” and “less challenging”.
Nevertheless, this applicant was accepted at several T14 law schools on the back of the strengths of their essay.
Sign up for a free consultation to ask your most pressing admissions and application-related questions, get a profile evaluation, and find out how our team of professional admissions consultants can help you get accepted.
