A Statement of Purpose (SOP) or a personal statement is a statement that supports one’s admission to attend college or university for a legal degree. While the SOP is mandatory for most institutions admitting students for a Master’s degree in law (either a one-year or a two-year LL.M), it is at times also required for the Bachelor’s degree as it helps in gauging the mindset of the student. It is an opportunity for the student to articulate the purpose for his or her choice of discipline, giving evaluators an insight into their selves, including the skills and experiences that they have demonstrated for the field in question.
As far as SOPs are concerned, no uniform prescribed format or template can be followed- this is because each Statement Of Purpose is a unique reflection of the applicant and therefore there is substantial discretion to be used by the individual when drafting the SOP. However, there may be certain guidelines that may be issued by the education institution in question such as formatting guidelines, restrictions on the total number of words, etc. That may be both exhilarating and frustrating.
An SOP serves as your introduction to a selection committee. It decides whether you will be invited to an interview, and if you are chosen as a finalist, the interview questions will be based on this information. It is the most significant factor in your application and considerable planning and effort should be given to drafting this.
However, some universities may ask for a Personal Statement (PS) rather than an SOP. In both cases, the major essence of your draft will be similar, i.e. you need to include the following points:
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Your legal interests and how they began
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Your motivation for choosing Law and further studies
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Professional goals after the completion of LLM
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Experience/legal practice and your learnings
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Any publications, presentations, or conferences that you attended or participated
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Share your wins and learnings from losses
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How the degree from that particular college/university will be beneficial to you
It is to be noted that despite the SOP having an inherent value in the admission process, most Indian law colleges do not require an SOP either at the undergraduate or postgraduate level as the admission is based solely upon the qualifying examination such as the CLAT UG or CLAT PG. However, SOPs are held in high regard in foreign universities which have a more in-depth approach to evaluating candidates. SOPs are also invaluable for scholarship and grant applications.
Some of the leading foreign universities and law schools which require Statements Of Purpose or Personal Statements are:
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Oxford University
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Harvard University
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Columbia School Of Law
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University Of Toronto
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Queen’s University
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York University
Indispensable Advice – Make it Personal
The most crucial aspect of the SOP to remember is that it is just that: personal. There is no secret formula for creating a successful SOP since the best SOPs are tailored to the individual who is writing them. The statement must catch the glimmer of your history, hobbies, and interests in a unique way that no other writer can match. While each student's SOP is unique, there are a few similar elements that may be found in the greatest potential statements, as well as a few frequent mistakes to avoid.
Different LLM schools may have different SOP rules, such as particular questions they want you to answer, page limitations, or formatting criteria. Aside from the word count or page count, most Law School guidelines on SOPs are not very explicit about the requirements. For example, Harvard Law asks applicants to describe their interests, legal problems, and solutions, personal background, goals, and reasons for applying to the programme; Berkeley Law wants to know about your legal interests, why you want to study at Berkeley Law and your professional plans or goals after graduation.
The Following Questions Must Be Answered In An Effective SOP
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Who am I?
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What kind of individual do I aspire to be?
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How and what sort of contribution do I wish to make to society? How do I wish to bring about social change?
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Why should I go to Harvard (or Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, Berkeley, etc) to study?
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Why is this the ideal time and place for this programme? Is it in line with my previous studies and activities?
It is important to cover these aspects coherently.
Your Connection With The Legal Field
As an applicant, how you came to the point of applying for a Master’s degree in a specific field in law has to be demonstrated with precision. This includes elaborating on your academic background with special emphasis on your undergraduate legal studies, post-academic work experience be it litigation, in a firm, or as an in-house counsel, future goals, how the law helped in your career goals, and the motivation behind it all.
This section helps the evaluation panel understand your aptitude as well as attitude towards the legal field and gives them with sound rationale on why you deserve a place in their esteemed institution by showing your capacity for a valuable contribution.
Be Precise About Your Chosen Area
One of the benefits of pursuing a highly specialised master's degree, such as one in corporate law or criminal justice, is that it allows you to expand your knowledge and comprehension of the field. As a result, you must be very precise and explicit in your SOP about why you want to spend a year or two going so thoroughly into one particular field of law. Fortunately, if you have picked a highly specific master's programme, you have probably already compiled a good list of reasons for your interest.
If you apply to a more general LLM programme, on the other hand, you must still show the selection committee why you want to continue your academic study of law beyond your LLB and how the specific LLM programme you have applied to may assist you in doing so.
Applying To Multiple LLM Programs
You should not submit the same SOP to several LLM schools. The one-shoe-fits-all approach is highly discouraged in academic and professional spheres. If you are applying to several LLM schools, you must write each SOP from scratch, keeping the concerned school's criteria in mind and tailoring the SOP accordingly for the best impact.
Establish A Foundation
Your argument that your enthusiasm for a particular field of law is why you are the ideal LLM applicant, but won't mean anything unless you can back it up with facts. It is critical to highlight events from your undergraduate degree, extended life, relevant professional experience, or extracurricular activities that have influenced your decision to pursue this LLM. It's also critical to be truthful about your reasoning while delivering proof.
This will be far more convincing than unclear or made-up arguments. Do not lie on the SOP, the admissions committee will figure this out while verifying the facts or doing background checks.
Link Your Career Goals
It's critical to explain why an LLM is the necessary next step for you in your intended professional path. Because an LLM is not a mandatory qualification for many legal positions, the admissions committee will want to know why you should pursue their LLM programme over another option at this point in your career. Also, emphasising your primary interests and how they relate to your long-term goals is a great way to show how an LLM may help you reach them.
Addressing Any Negative Elements - Low GPA Or IELTS Score
Your GPA- which stands for Grade Point Average- is an indicator of your average academic performance throughout a particular course.
Whether a GPA is good or not depends on your personal and academic objectives and on the university and study programme you choose. Usually, a GPA of 3.0 - 3.5 is considered good at several colleges and universities. Top academic institutions usually require GPAs higher than 3.5. If you have a lower or below-average GPA, you can still enrol at certain universities, but you might not be eligible for financial aid or other support programs and services.
In most circumstances, it is preferable to focus on your abilities rather than your poor GPA or IELTS score. However, if you believe you have compelling arguments, you should go ahead and explain yourself. Personal health or adverse personal circumstances are two prevalent explanations for poor performance in one semester. You should explain this in a kind manner, and there is no need to become hysterical.
Also, if you have a poor overall GPA but outstanding marks in your major courses or the profession in which you want to work, you can always utilise that to reaffirm your enthusiasm for that subject area. You can also take a little time off before applying and take some initiative to improve your GPA. Low grades can be mitigated by stating relevant job experience (internships, etc.), workshops or certificates, and additional courses taken.
If none of the factors listed above applies to your low GPA, the best option is to seek assistance from the faculty member who wrote your reference letter. Your professor is the ideal person to say that your grades do not reflect your potential and ability and that you are enthusiastic about the programme you have applied for.
The Do’s
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Make sure your statement is well-structured. While there is no set sequence in which you write it, it is best to have a structure to ensure that it is easy to read.
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Research on the LLM program, the Law School, and its instructions on the SOP, if any.
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Answer all questions posed by the Law School in their instructions.
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Do proofread your SOP carefully, using the word processor’s spellcheck. It should reflect your writing skills as the admissions committee members are usually lawyers by training, and all lawyers are perfectionists when it comes to spellchecks. Along with your IELTS[1] or TOEFL[2], your SOP is also a direct reflection of your English language skills. So be careful not to make any grammatical mistakes, use proper vocabulary, and have at least 3 individuals proofread or check your statement for you.
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Stick to the word count, as per the instructions of the Law School. It is usually preferable to keep things simple and to avoid using flowery terminology or unnecessary explanations.
The Don’ts
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Do not plan to use the same SOP for multiple LLM programs.
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Do not allow someone else to write or rewrite your SOP, it is not a good idea. Submitting a statement that isn't your writing is the surest way to have your application refused or to be expelled after admission.
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Do not write an essay that reads like a CV of accomplishments and objectives, since this informs the reader nothing that the rest of the application doesn't. It provides little information about the candidate and is a waste of time.
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Do not make it a petition for the scholarship. This is not a request to "present your case." Defending a claim that you are more deserving of the scholarship than other applicants is a waste of time; you've almost certainly just done the opposite.
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Do not incorrectly assume what the committee is searching for or write what you believe they want to hear. They want to learn more about you. An SOP is most significantly genuine and any hint of plagiarism is likely to terminate your chances.
Conclusion
To conclude, the finest SOPs contain what the student has done in the past to help them become who they are today, as well as how an LLM degree will help them become who they will be in the future. The past, present, and future should all be linked in a logical, convincing, and consistent manner.
Whatever framework a student chooses, they should be sure to present a clear and convincing argument that connects the major points of their history and career aspirations. To summarise, students should examine what they like about the law school's LLM programme, course offerings, faculty, the research interests of the faculty, as well as why that programme is a suitable fit for their requirements, objectives, and ambitions.
The SOP is the most challenging part of the LLM application. Still, if you give it the time and attention it deserves, it can be the component of your application that distinguishes you from other candidates and persuades the admissions committee that you are the best candidate for a spot in the next LLM batch.
LegalBots wishes you good luck with your application!
[1] The International English Language Testing System is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, and was established in 1989.
[2]Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enrol in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities and other institutions in over 190 countries and territories.
