In my years as a law school admissions consultant I have to say I cannot single out one Personal Statement as “The Worst.” There have, however, been many essays that improved greatly after my client and I worked on them over several drafts. There do seem to be certain issues in an essay that routinely need to be addressed so that an applicant makes the very best impression. These are the “fatal flaws” I think it is most important to look out for:

In my over 12 years of working as a grad and law school admissions consultant, I’ve read too many Personal Statements to count. They’ve covered topics as unique and varied as the applicants themselves. Some talked about loss of someone very beloved, some talked about experiences of overcoming great challenges, some talked about a person or experience that inspired. Each touched me in some way, and it’s impossible to consider any single, one “The Best.”