Want to know how to get into a dream law school? The process involves so much more than great grades and a high LSAT score. How does a great candidate differentiate him- or herself from other excellent candidates? This post is the second in a series of blog entries from my treasure trove of applicant stories.
Dylan was accepted into law schools at the University of Virginia, Notre Dame, Georgetown University, and the University of Cincinnati. He ultimately chose to attend the Ohio State University after being one of four students in a class of more than 200 awarded the full-tuition Moritz Merit Scholarship.
Like many candidates seeking to enter competitive professional programs, Dylan had top grades, high test scores, and impressive professional experience at a top five business consulting firm. In college, he was the battalion commander of his school’s Army ROTC chapter and was the second-ranked cadet nationwide in his senior year of college. He was also active in student government, ethics bowl, and Model United Nations. As an honors fellow, he spearheaded a fundraising campaign that provided women in Malawi microcredit funds for their small business pursuits.
Even more compelling was Dylan’s personal life story. After sustaining an injury just after graduation, he was forced to retire from the military and forfeit a very prestigious position as an intelligence officer in the Army. How did he pull all of these components together to get accepted into top law schools?
With my assistance, Dylan was able to pack his many experiences into a concise, elegant, and compelling personal statement. The essay told the story of his leadership journey as an Army ROTC cadet, the hardship he suffered after sustaining his career-ending injury, and his subsequent success in launching a satisfying and lucrative professional life. It also included reflections about his complicated relationship to the military through a narrative juxtaposing his brother’s antiwar views with his commitment to the Army. Because it combined storytelling with personal reflection, Dylan’s essay was extremely effective. In fact, it was so effective that an invitation to apply for the Moritz Merit Scholarship ensued!
The Moritz Scholarship essay prompt asked candidates to envision themselves taking a leadership role after law school. In response, Dylan, a committed environmentalist, outlined his goal to play an active role in making Ohio a leader in green energy production by ultimately becoming a state legislator working on energy policy. The essay includes an anecdote tracking his observations of solar start up companies, biofuel facilities, and wind turbines along his route from his home in Washington, DC back to Ohio. It additionally provides a highly detailed status report on clean energy policies in Ohio at the time he was writing.
What made this essay so successful? First, Dylan impressed his readers by showcasing his exhaustive knowledge of energy policy in Ohio; in other words, he established his authority over the subject matter. Second, in doing so, he showed his commitment to clean energy production. Third, he provided a concrete vision of a future full of “wind turbines dotting the landscape from Lake Erie down through the flat farmland of Darke and Auglaize counties.” Finally, all of the elements of Dylan’s essay fit perfectly together. Consequently, he was able to make the winning argument that a full-tuition scholarship would support his ultimate goal of facilitating great economic and environmental progress in the state of Ohio.
Dylan is now thriving. He is in his final year at OSU and has just been offered a job as an energy attorney with a prestigious law firm in Columbus, Ohio.
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