Hi all,

I am applying for the NYU LLM (International Legal Studies). Could anyone give me advice as to what they look out for in personal statements and also what they look out for in the essays for the Hauser Scholarship?

Would be most grateful if anyone could give me any kind of advice. Thanks!

emz- The personal statement is essentially an SOP, under which you need to justify ur selection for the program. You may want to detail ur background and other related events in your life in order to do so. It is one of the most imp. factors in the admission process and more than anything else, it should detail the "purpose" of ur LLM

Thank you for the quick reply, VA1993!

However, I have heard that we should not stating stuff in the statement which can be gleamed from our resume, is that true?

Also, I have seen advice on some websites that you should talk about yourself as a person. Not very sure if this is true either.

I am no expert on this but it is advisable not to repeat information available otherwise on your application, be it the resume or the transcripts. My personal suggestion is you shouldnt do it unless it (the repeated info) is a big piece of the story you are narrating in your Personal Statement. Simply stating the facts twice will not only be redundant, the assessor may sense a lack of imagination and experiences in ur application.
You may talk about yourself and state imp. facts in ur background which are related to your decision to study law or pursure an LLM. I advise you to use the PS with as much imagnation (honest) as u can. I am having a tough time doing it myself. Any clue on the word limit?

Thanks for taking time out to answer my question!
The word limit is 500.

From my previous experience with statements, I will advise to be as consice as possible. Generally speaking, it shall be a well drafted piece of paper that will give a general sence of your understanding what "to be professional" means. Think about that the same way as applying for a job that you want to get after graduation. That's why you are trying to get into NYU, right?

Do not elaborate too much on your background, unless it is not that clear from your CV and transcripts. The main thing is just have a clear understanding where this degree shall lead you to, what skills you want to get from the Program and what make you think that you are really ready to get those skills and qualifications.
Hope it is a bit helpful!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jecka. Some queries based on your note:
a) Is it acceptable to write the essay with a commercial (job seekin approach) considering that the point here is academica and colls would want to see an acad. oriented individual more than one who comes looking for a job to US?

b) How far can the word limit be stretched, if at all (500 is too short)

c) How imp is the fact that ur essay should be lively and humorous? Is it ok to write a to the point essay, to get the message straight. My point is that the essay shld be a reflection of ur personality or can be understood to be so.
In my case, I have a fair enough point to defend under my essay, can i go on talking bout it till the end w/o venturing into other territory?

Please share your background if you dont mind. I am final year student of law, applying for the corporation law course.

Thanks, Jecka!

I, like VA1993, am wondering how lively or narrative the personal statement should be. I find that I have a tendency to write in a rather formal way.

I personally would like to go into academia, but I would like to go into litigation for a few years. How would this affect my chances?

Hi guys!

I will try to answer your questions in the order as it is coming;)
a) Is it acceptable to write the essay with a commercial (job seekin approach) considering that the point here is academica and colls would want to see an acad. oriented individual more than one who comes looking for a job to US?

I will say..why not? If your goal is to study international law and practice in the private US law firm after that...I have no reason to hide this point. NYU is not Yale with regard to its stress on legal theory. It is quite practical school whose graduates are expected to practice law in different fields working for both private and public sectors.
I did do my personal statement last year and it was successful, though due to the personal reasons I did not go to the US this year. My PS looked exactly like a slightly modified cover letter sent to the law firm where I worked last year.

I think it is much more important to look professinal and to leave the sense that you know who you are and what you want from the Program. Of course your background is important and I undestand that it is much more difficult to write it if you just recently graduated and do not have that much or any professional exerience. In this case, you should put more stress on your academic achievements. But, I believe that if you do know what you want and feel capable of maging your LLM at the NYU, that is exactly what you have to communicate to the Amission Committee.
You might also consider applying for the General LLM program.It will certainly give you an opportunity to select a wide range of classes, as well.

b) How far can the word limit be stretched, if at all (500 is too short)
Have no idea. I would stick to 500 or just up to 50 words more. That is exactly the point...be concise and precise.


c) How imp is the fact that ur essay should be lively and humorous? Is it ok to write a to the point essay, to get the message straight. My point is that the essay shld be a reflection of ur personality or can be understood to be so.
In my case, I have a fair enough point to defend under my essay, can i go on talking bout it till the end w/o venturing into other territory?

I will not be humorous. Every person has a very different sense of humor-) If you plea you case before the court, how humorous will you be? Go streight to the point. If you have a strong point to communicate, just do so. Again, the best way to think about PS...is... LLM is gonna be your professional occupation for 1 year. Demostrate that you qualify for this job!!!

Please share your background if you dont mind. I am final year student of law, applying for the corporation law course.

Well, I have graduated quite a while ago..and worked
here and there. My idea of going to the US was exactly...taking NY bar and getting american contract. I worked in the US law firm in Europe with the local European contract. Believe me, if money in comparison with my US colleagues was incomparable, the amount of work was fairely equal. Of course, I did not write in my PS that my goal is to increase my pay at the end, but use of such word as a "professional growth" could be read exactly the same way:))
So, if I do stay in the private world and do not switch for the international organization this year, I will definitely try to do LLM next year.

Emz,
Formal writing sounds good to me.

If you do plan to go to academia and then litigation..I will say it sounds also like a good plan.

I hope that you will succeed in getting into the Program. Good luck with your application and do not hesitate to ask more questions. Would be happy, if I could help.

Its a personal statement, it should be personal and reflect who you are. No one can tell you what to write because we dont know who you are. I dont think NYU is looking for any specific points in the statement they just want an idea of who you are.

I think people here put way too much weight on the personal statement. Of course a poor statement that has no indication of goals and motivations or that is full of grammatical and spelling errors will kill your chances of admission, but in reality do you think a mere 500 word statement is going to make a huge difference in your admissions chances?

Lets face it the number one criteria is grades. Unless you have some really compelling story in your personal statement (and hardly anyone does) then I doubt the personal statement will be given more than a cursory look to see if the writing is competent.

Hi Jecka,

Thank you very much for your advice. Much appreciated!

Hi SickandTired,

Thank you for taking the time to dispense advice. While what you said is somewhat cynical, it's actually consoling for me. Perhaps then I won't try too hard and failing instead *touch wood* ;P

Go to home Page
Click on Books & Materials
you will find this nice book
"How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School"
by Richard J. Stelzer
Easy !

Hi,

I am applying to the MC Law. Would anybody know the word limit for the statement of purpose. I checked on the site but could not see any specific requirements.

Thanks!