Written Statements: Reflections on Year One

Last August, the J.D. Admissions Office introduced the Statement of Purpose and Statement of Perspective to the world, eager to see how applicants would respond to these new essay prompts. Here is what we learned from our first year with these two Written Statements.

We love our new prompts and enjoy reading two essays from each applicant!

Our revised prompts are more specific and provide applicants with a clearer understanding of what we are looking for them to address in their statements. We had wondered for some time whether the prompts for our past statements (Personal Statement and Optional Statement) were sufficiently clear regarding our expectations. In particular, neither one of our past prompts communicated that we want to know why you want to go to law school, and why law school fits into your career goals. We also realized that the optional nature of the Optional Statement left some applicants uncertain about whether they should submit it, and we recognized this as a missed opportunity for us to learn from the lived experiences of all applicants.

After much thought, we revised our prompts to the following:

Statement of Purpose: What motivates you to pursue law? How does attending law school align with your ambitions, goals, and vision for your future?

Statement of Perspective: The Admissions Committee makes every effort to understand who you are as an individual and potential Harvard Law School student and graduate. Please share how your experiences, background, and/or interests have shaped you and will shape your engagement in the HLS community and the legal profession.

We learn so much more about you, and there is value in having every applicant submit two statements. Every student comes to law school with a unique story, and we enjoy reading authentic statements from applicants of all backgrounds. We hope you view these two Written Statements as exciting beginnings to your legal journey. You may even find yourself reflecting on them throughout law school to remind yourself of your motivations for applying.

Get to know the differences between the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective.

We often receive questions like, “How do you distinguish between the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective?” The answer lies in the prompts themselves.

To start, the Statement of Purpose specifically asks applicants to share their professional goals. The purpose of this statement (no pun intended) is to be explicit in your reasoning for applying to law school. This statement should outline your aspirations for obtaining a legal degree and address what you hope to accomplish with it. As a result, it may be more forward-focused. You might not know what kind of lawyer you want to be (or what area of law you want to practice), but you should have a sense of how law school fits into your goals.  

The Statement of Perspective invites us to learn more about you as an individual, including your lived experiences and your community engagement. This statement may be more reflective and highlight your background, past experiences, and interests. If your experiences or background inspired your interest in law school, feel free to include them in your Statement of Purpose as well. Many applicants submitted a Statement of Purpose and a Statement of Perspective that drew on a similar topic but from different angles. However, both the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective should still provide new information about you even if these statements discuss similar topics.

Other law schools may also ask you to explain your motivation for applying to law school or to share your background in a personal statement. You can use an essay written for another school for our application—just ensure that your submissions for the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective respond to our specific prompts.

Approaching both prompts with self-curiosity and introspection can be a helpful starting point for deciding which stories and aspirations you wish to share with us. It is impossible for us to know everything about you as a person in only 1 – 2 pages. Focus on answering the prompts, and know that we look forward to learning even more about you if you end up enrolling at HLS.

There is no one way to write a compelling Statement of Purpose or Statement of Perspective.

There is no secret formula for writing outstanding Written Statements. However, strong Written Statements often share similar qualities. They are well written, polished, and free of grammar or spelling errors. They also directly address the prompt and demonstrate a clear sense of purpose as well as a sense of self. We often get asked how applicants can stand out in the essays, but the content of the statements doesn’t need to be groundbreaking. Each candidate brings something unique to the table, and the Written Statements provide each applicant with an opportunity to express their own interests and perspectives.

Following our guidelines remains important.

We ask for each Written Statement to be one to two pages long, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and a font size that is easy to read. If you are ever unsure, just stick to Times New Roman, 12-point font size, and the standard margins your document editor provides. Attention to detail is important: do not include a “Personal Statement” header on your Statement of Purpose. To stay organized and prevent confusion between different essays, please do the following: (a) include the name of your Written Statement (either “Statement of Perspective” or “Statement of Purpose”) in the left-aligned header, and (b) place your full name in the right-aligned header.

A one-page Statement of Purpose or Statement of Perspective is perfectly acceptable. In fact, for some applicants, a well-crafted one-page essay can be more effective than a two-page statement. We expect all applicants to use at least one full page for each Written Statement. Finally, please submit only two Written Statements; do not include three, four, or more. If you need extra space beyond the application questions and required materials, you may include a brief addendum (typically one or two paragraphs in length) to provide any concise, factual information that would clarify one or more elements of your application.