Jugglers: Essays about Applicants with Colorful Backgrounds (back to contents)

The variety of scenarios, cases, decisions, people, and ideas lawyers encounter attracts many people to the profession. Most law schools, meanwhile, are looking for a body of diverse students who can stimulate one other and bring a range of perspectives and experiences to the school.

One successful angle for an essay, then, is to show how much a Renaissance person you are. “A diverse class is a better class,” one dean told us. “If I could have the perfect class, the only thing I can say for sure is that it would have 375 very different people.”

Discussing how all of your activities, skills, and accomplishments fit together can show your work ethic, your versatility, and your passion. But no one wants to read a resume posing as an essay. Explain how, for example, your love of music and your Texas background make you a more vivid, sensitive, driven, and/or exciting person. Interesting and telling detail is the key to effective writing. Show and explain—don’t just prattle.

Jay Pomerantz describes how teaching, day care, and music have honed his business and legal skills. His resume, which might seem flaky or directionless to a high-powered lawyer, is revealed to be an excellent preparation for law school. Pomerantz succeeds because he challenges the reader to think about familiar subjects in a new way and because he supports his assertions with concrete examples that are interesting and amusing.

In the next essay, Tyson Branyan avoids what he calls “Lincolnesque” statements, and as a result his piece is more readable and relevant than its length first suggests.

Branyan manages to pull off the “preemptive” essay. In discussing his career and his background, he addresses potential objections before they can be raised. While he admits that his experiences may not be deep, he argues that a law education offers the chance to become a “specialist.” Though he is only one-eighth Choctaw, he designated American Indian as his background and argues that he “felt” Indian growing up. Merely by showing that he has thought about these shadows, Branyan melts their damage and even turns them to his advantage.

Jamil Jaffer’s family has also made an interesting journey, and Jaffer uses that background to present himself and his well-considered goals for law school. He has clearly determined a niche for himself. His essay has confidence without arrogance—an appealing tone.

Click here for Jaffer's essay

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