Hi all!I'm currently a junior student from China,and I'm planning to go for a LLM in US.I've taken TOEFL and gotten a satisfactory score.But now I wonder what should I do next.I have no idea of how to write a personal statement ,since I have no working experience there's not much I can write about.Would you please give me some advice on that? Thanks!

Concentrate on your study objective: Why do you want to study in the US, and in that particular university. Elaborate what subjects you wish to study and how they fit your future plans. A personal statement is a personal statement, not a narrative resume, assessment of your career, or description of your current job. What they want to find out is whether there is a fit between your aspirations and their program. They can see your work experience (or lack of it) from your CV. Anyway, work experience is not mandatory, you can compensate it with good grades and other credentials.

I was admitted with not much work experience...
I personally wrote more about my goals and aspirations, my motivations to get a master's degree in the States as well as why I thought I would be a positive contribution to the student body. The admission committees definitely focused more on my academic performance and the statement together with the letters of recommendation. (Work experience was definitely the weakest side of my application.)
Try to make a point on why you should be admitted and not someone else with similar credentials, and what makes you different (because, we all have good credentials, we all have good grades, etc...but not everyone is admitted...) Good luck.

I kinda wrote about my goals and academic aspirations all mixed in with short anecdotes about my life, home country, hobbies etc. I wanted to make it fun to read, as well as stating my academic goals for the LLM year.

I agree with the comment above that you should try to make it fun to read. The admissions offices read thousands of these things every year.

Here were some of the questions I addressed in my admissions letter -
why I wanted to go to law school, where it fit in my life (both past and future), what I expected to gain from the experience, how it fit into my future plans.

As for your future, don't feel like you have to be super specific. You will learn and perhaps change a lot once you get here. Talk about your interests, but don't feel like you have to define your exact career path right this moment. Flexibility is a good thing.

Also, coming from China to attend an American law school is inherently interesting. Play on that. I immediately want to ask you about your life in China and why you want to come study here. It sounds like a good story. Use it!

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll do great!
kiany

Honestly,I only want to see more and experience more.And getteing a LLM degree would enhance my chance of securing a good job.Though I have dreamt to promote China's legal reform someday,this dream seems too remote now.

I think that most people apply for an LL.M. program to gain advantage in the job market. I don't think, however, that mentioning this as the greatest reason why you're applying to Harvard, Stanford, Columbia etc. is a good idea. Your dream may seem remote, but try to explain how studying in the US might make it easier. Let your ambition show. Cheers.-Toni-

You shouldn't be at a disadvantage. I focused on my academic interests and study goals, and talked about these in the context of the most memorable academic activities I was able to participate in while in law school. I recall focusing on heading my university's law journal and assisting my law dean for major amicus curiae appearances on constitutional questions before the national supreme court. Finally, I recall touching on culture, particularly on how to translate democratic principles into the very different Southeast Asian cultural and value systems. (Incidentally, I'm ethnic Chinese, living in the Philippines, and going to HLS.)

hi! I am applying for the LLM session starting 2007. Diversity seems to be preferred by HLS. Is that true? And how can you really hit home that you are unique and brilliant? I know that they want to see that as demonstrated through different things you have done in life. Was that difficult to do in the sop?

Yes, I believe HLS (and other major law schools, too) strive for diversity.

If you truly are brilliant your cv, recommendations, and personal statements should be enough to "hit home" the fact.

Writing essays takes time and it was quite difficult for me, because I'm not used to that kind of thing. Once I finalized them, however, they summarized my achievements very well. I think the most important thing is to use enough time to write them, and have someone who speaks English as a mother tongue check your grammar.