Admissions Tip: Optional Essays

As we’ve previously discussed, most law schools require only one personal statement that has no required topic.  Therefore questions of whether to answer optional essays and, if so, what to say, are ones that loom large for many law school applicants at this time of year.  Today we wanted to take some time to suggest a few considerations that applicants might want to take into account when making this call.

How can it benefit you?
Many applicants may feel as though an optional essay is labeled as such because all the important information regarding their candidacy is contained within the application requirements.  However, answering optional essays is the perfect opportunity for law school applicants to share additional and helpful information to the adcom.  Instead of cramming everything into your personal statement, optional essays give you the chance to discuss different aspects of your background and interests, illustrating you as a multi-dimensional candidate to the adcom.  In addition, making the effort to respond to optional essays demonstrates your initiative and work ethic, as well as your genuine interest and commitment to the law school (especially if the optional essay asks students to explain their interest in the law school program).

Is it relevant?
Perhaps this goes without saying, but the only information worth sharing in an optional essay is that which will make a material difference in your candidacy.  Although some optional essays have specific topics, others simply ask for additional information that applicants feel is important to share with the adcom.  In responding to these broad prompts, it’s wise to think carefully about a school’s other essay questions, as each of these topics affords applicants a chance to introduce the information about their background and interests that they consider to be most important.  Your objective should be to provide as complete a picture of your candidacy as possible within the framework of a school’s required essays and to only introduce information in an optional essay that you could not have covered elsewhere without sacrificing something more essential.  For that reason, we suggest that applicants explain negative subject in addendum essays, as is often required, leaving the optional essays free for positive information about the applicant.

Is it concise?
It’s always a good idea to keep in mind that by answering an optional essay, you are creating extra work for the person reading your file. While this should not dissuade you from addressing a topic that you have deemed important based on the considerations above, it’s very important that you demonstrate good judgment by limiting your comments to the most relevant information and keeping your response as direct and concise as possible, as well as adhering to any word or page limits set by the law school.

We hope that these general guidelines have both helped to clear up some confusion and shed some light on the optional essay issue.  Good luck writing!