Harvard Law School is one of the premier law schools in the world. It as well as other top schools draws thousands of applicants from the best colleges and companies. With only a limited number of slots for so many talented applicants, the admissions officers have become more and more selective every year, the competition has become fierce, and even the best and brightest could use an edge. This completely new edition of 55 Successful Harvard Law School Application Essays is the best resource for anyone looking for that edge. Through the most up-to-date sample essays from the Harvard Law School students who made the cut and insightful analysis from the staff at The Harvard Crimson , it shows you how best to: * Argue your case effectively * Arrange your accomplishments for maximum impact * Avoid common pitfalls 55 Successful Harvard Law School Application Essays guides you toward writing essays that do more than simply list your background and accomplishments. These are essays that reveal your passion for the law as well as the discipline you bring to this demanding profession and will help you impress any admissions department. The all-new essays and straightforward and time-saving advice will give you all the insider tips you'll need to write the essays that will get you into the best law schools in the world. THE HARVARD CRIMSON , the nation's oldest continuously published college daily, traces its history to 1873. Past editors include John F. Kennedy '40, and the name of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904, is proudly engraved upon The Crimson's president's chair. 55 Successful Harvard Law School Application Essays What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the Law School of Your Choice By The Harvard Crimson St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2014 The Harvard Crimson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-04723-6 Contents Title Page, Copyright Notice, Acknowledgments, Introduction, Evolution, Anne-Valerie Prosper, Eric T. Romeo, Zain Jinnah, Jimmie Strong, Brian Aune, Michele Gauger, Suzanne Turner, Telling a Story, Jacqueline Yue, Sarah O'Loughlin, Rachel E. Endick, John, royalcrown, John Wheeler, Joel Knopf, Nimra Azmi, Identity, Amanda Morejon, Josh, Alicia Robinson, Jordan Klimek, Marissa Florio, Enumale Agada, Isaac Ho, When the Going Gets Tough, Claire M. Hankin, E.S., Richard Davis, Tony Carr, Mara Ludmer, Justin Lu, Natalie Rad, Dasha Wise, Thinking Critically, Oscar Stanton, Michael Elias Shammas, Ritu Gupta, Peyton Miller, Victoria Abraham, Nicholas Warther, The World, Marisa Schnaith, William Barlow II, Lara Berlin, Deanna Parrish, Daniel McMann, Elizabeth Spencer, Joshuah Fiveson, Yonatan Levy, Inspiration, Michael Jacobson, Stephen Iya, Emma Raviv, Anonymous, Angela Chan, James Baker Jr., Jason Lee, Avery E. Hook, Nicolas Sansone, Alene Georgia Anello, Khalea Ross Robinson, Also Compiled and Edited by the Staff or The Harvard Crimson, About The Harvard Crimson, Copyright, CHAPTER 1 EVOLUTION Chances are the "you" of ten, five, or even one year ago looks very different from the person applying to law school today. A full statement about the person you are often requires a look at the changes you have undergone. Essays in this section explain how applicants' mind-sets have been molded and remolded by experiences and by those around them. As you trace your own personal evolution, be careful to proceed clearly and avoid covering too much ground. The reader should be able to easily follow your growth and development. Sometimes steps and sequences of events that feel obvious to you, the person who lived them, may seem opaque to an admissions officer. For some applicants, the tale of evolution demonstrates the vital role of the personal statement in an application. For instance, one writer spent three years toiling in a pharmaceutical company's lab. On its face, the sudden application to law school might seem odd or even suspicious. But his essay paints a broader context of evolution, honing in on the more logical leap from compound creation to chemical patent law. Another writer spent years as a bookstore manager before returning to school, an unconventional path to law school. With context though, his motivation becomes far from early-onset midlife crisis. Instead, his essay weaves a narrative of leadership, parenting, and search for knowledge. Not everyone needs to explain a unique set of circumstances, but a story of change can take many forms and can highlight a variety of qualities, from openness to discernment to strength tested by adversity. Above all, the story of how you have changed should point to who you are, and to who you see yourself becoming. Every other application component offers a snapshot of who you were or who you are — only the personal statement lets you look to the future. ANNE-VALERIE PROSPER "Hi I'm Joleen! I'm from Wisconsin! Where are you from?" trills the prett