Law School (LL.M.) Essays Course TextbookLaw School (LL.M.) Essays Finally, you need to understand how a graduate law degree relates both to your past and your future. How will the

Law School (LL.M.) Essays

Course Textbook

Version 1.0


(c) 2010 AGOS JAPAN. All Rights Reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 2 Role of the Essay 3

Selling Yourself 3

Which School to Start With? 3

General Advice Before Beginning 4

Eleven Steps to a Successful Essay 5

Stage One: Planning Your Strategy 6 Step 1: Knowing Yourself 7

Your Knowledge Pyramid 7 Self-Assessment Exercise 8

Step 2: Knowing Your Schools 8

Step 3: Knowing Your Audience 9

What Should Your Essay Reveal? 9

Stage Two: Planning Your Essay 11

Step 4: Understanding the Question 12

Breaking Down the Question 12

Step 5: Brainstorming 14

Statement of Purpose 14 Academic / Professional Background 15 Professional Goals 15 Reasons for Graduate Study 15 Other Possible Writing Topics 16

Step 6: Outlining An Essay 16

A Chronological Approach 17 A Thematic Approach 18

Stage Three: Drafting Your Essay 19

Step 7: Writing Your Essay Draft 20

Writing Strategies 21 Writing Mechanics 23 Persuasive Writing 25

Step 8: Revising Your Essay Draft 30

Key Considerations 30

Common Mistake: Polishing English to Native-Speaker Level 31

Start Early & Give Yourself Plenty of Time 31

Stage Four: Finalizing Your Essay 32

Step 9: Editing Your Essay Draft 33

General Editing Guidelines 33 Final Check 33

Step 10: Submitting Your Essay 33

Step 11: Moving on to the Next School 34

Borrow Carefully from Previous Essays 34 Look for Ways Questions Differ 34 Change the School Name 34

Counseling: Best Practices 35

Frequently Asked Questions 36

Appendixes 39

Appendix A: Self-Assessment Exercise 40

Appendix B: Essay Formatting 41

Appendix C: Cover Letters 44

Appendix D: Sample Wait List Letter 46


INTRODUCTION


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Role of the Essay The application essay is your chance to convince the admissions committee that you have the professional and/or academic skills, knowledge, experience, and vision to succeed in a graduate program of law and in the career you pursue after receiving your degree. As such, it is a key important part of the application process. With a strong personal statement / statement of purpose, you can bring your educational and professional experiences to life in a way that your transcripts, resume, and test scores cannot. Given the importance of the essay, many applicants fear this part of the application process. Writing admission essays requires a level of honest self-reflection and detailed storytelling that is not typically used in daily life. If you do not normally speak or write English, all the detail contained in the essay prompt may seem intimidating. How should you express yourself? What topics are appropriate? How and where should you begin?

Selling Yourself It might be helpful to think of yourself as a product; and to see the essays as an opportunity to sell that product, in other words, to sell yourself. You need to market yourself in a way that makes you look impressive to a school. If you don’t show that you have something special to offer, it is unlikely the school will be interested in you. As Admissions Counselors, we see our students grow significantly through the essay writing process. For many, it is their first time to express freely who they are and what they want to achieve. As they compose successive drafts, their writing skills improve, and their ability to reflect and conceptualize becomes more sophisticated. These are the exact skills that you need to be successful in a graduate program.

Which School to Start With? First, don’t start with your first choice school, your “dream school.” You will become a better writer over time, so start with a “safety school,” a school that you are fairly confident of getting into. In addition, don’t start with a school that offers a very tight word count restriction for their essay. Some programs ask for a 500 word statement, and others ask for 2 or 3 pages, while some have no word or page restriction at all. It’ll be far easier for you to write an essay that satisfies one school’s 3-page maximum first, and then consider what needs to be amended to fit that document into another program’s 2-page maximum. Obviously doing the reverse, taking the 2-page essay and adding a page of content, would be extremely cumbersome and time-consuming.


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Moreover, you’ll find it easy to start with a school that only requires one personal statement or statement of purpose amongst its application checklist. Some schools will ask you to write 2 (or more) essays for their application. In terms of your own scheduling, it might be best to push these schools back until you have completed a personal statement for another program. Then, you will be in a better position to plan the contents for a school requiring more than one essay.

General Advice Before Beginning: Pan ahead and give yourself lots of time. Our most successful clients are organized and diligent, and they start the process early, often two or three months before application deadlines. Effective essays are the result of lengthy revision, and you need to leave yourself sufficient time to incorporate changes that your counselor suggests.


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Eleven Steps to a Successful Essay In this manual, we break the essay writing process down into four stages of eleven distinct steps: Stage One: Planning Your Strategy Step 1: Knowing Yourself Step 2: Knowing Your Schools Step 3: Knowing Your Audience Stage Two: Planning Your Essay Step 4: Understanding the Question Step 5: Brainstorming Step 6: Outlining an Essay Stage Three: Drafting Your Essay Step 7: Writing Your Essay Draft Step 8: Revising Your Essay Draft Stage Four: Finalizing Your Essay Step 9: Editing Your Essay Draft Step 10: Submitting Your Essay Step 11: Moving on to the Next School


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Stage One:

PLANNING YOUR STRATEGY


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Step 1: Knowing Yourself All good essays start with strong self-knowledge. To build up this knowledge, construct a “Knowledge Pyramid” (discussed below) and gather together your most memorable experiences that would be appropriate for an application.

Your Knowledge Pyramid Graduate schools value candidates whose careers have a clear trajectory—they are far more likely to accept somebody whose past experiences and graduate school ambitions point in one direction. If they can’t see an overall purpose in your decision to attend a graduate program, they will be unlikely to accept you. For this reason you need to think about your overall “story” carefully. What role does graduate school play in this story? To create a coherent story, you should reflect on your past experience and formulate your future goals. Importantly, you also need to determine how a law degree at the school you are applying is connected to your professional past and future. One way to envision this process is develop a “Knowledge Pyramid”:

First, you need to review your past experiences. This will help you answer questions about significant events in your past that made you who you are today; it will also help you explain how your past has prepared you to pursue your future goals. Second, you need to develop plans and goals for your professional future. Having a goal is not enough; you need to able to articulate that goal clearly.


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Finally, you need to understand how a graduate law degree relates both to your past and your future. How will the LL.M. experience help you achieve your career goals, and why is now the best time to get one? Considering answers to these questions will help you decide which schools best suit your needs.

Self-Assessment Exercise In “Appendix A” of this manual, you will find a self-assessment exercise. This exercise asks you various questions on your decisions, motivations, and experiences in your academic and professional life, including your future objectives. We recommend that you go over these questions before you meet a counselor for the first time, as doing so will give you a wealth of material to discuss, material which will be useful in forming the basis of your personal statement. Keep in mind you don’t need to finish this exercise in one sitting—just start thinking about topics and generate ideas, and don’t worry about writing techniques or grammar at this point (you can even use Japanese if you prefer).

Step 2: Knowing Your Schools Your next task is to choose and research the schools you want to attend. During this process, it is advantageous to make a personal relationship with a current student, alumnus, professor or other staff member at the school. If you want to impress these people, you’ll have to do your homework and know their program well. Make a list of your current dream law schools and safety schools. How much do you know about the schools on this list? Perhaps you know their ranking, or where they are located, but everyone knows that. Do you know about their newest curriculum offerings, best professors, and unique programs? Do you know the size of the program, and does the size of their program match your needs? How much do you know about their teaching style and learning methods? Which schools’ methods best match your personality and best prepare you to reach your goals? What about their location? Is an urban environment better for you, or why might you prefer to spend a year in a unique small town? What about student life, extracurricular activities, or clubs? These kinds of things are essential to your grad school experience. Most importantly, what areas of legal study does your target school focus on and/or excel in? Some programs are particularly known for their focus on business law or tax law, while others will offer concentrations in other areas of the law, such as labor law or international legal studies. Understanding what areas your target school specializes in may help you in demonstrating strong fit with those programs in your essays. We encourage you to be among the minority of applicants who take the time and show the initiative to thoroughly research every program you hope to apply to. It is easy to look at a program’s website or read a school’s brochure. This is the minimum you need to do, and you should be doing this now. In addition to this, however, try to develop a


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clear understanding of exactly how the school you hope to attend can help you meet your academic and other objectives. Before you attend your first counseling session, please complete the following tasks: What qualities do you expect a school to have? [make a list] Choose the schools that best match those needs [make a list] What do you know about the schools you have chosen? [make a list] Prepare yourself to explain your school selection to your counselor

Step 3: Knowing Your Audience You also need to consider what admissions committees are looking for. After all, effective essays can go a long way towards helping you obtain admission to a given school. So, always consider your essays from the perspective of an admissions officer. Admissions officers emphasize that many applicants write strong essays, but only a few applicants are truly memorable. One of the things that make these few applicants standout is that they consistently present well-developed selling points throughout their application. You must present your selling points as clearly as possible in order to leave the admissions officer with a strong impression. The best essays leave an admissions officer with the desire to meet the writer in person. Admissions committees want to see how committed you are to your professional goals. To do this, they will look for focus in your essays. This means that the ideas you express about your background, goals and desire to attend their school should all be relevant and connected to form a cohesive story.

What Should Your Essay Reveal? A good essay will show an admissions committee: Your core professional and academic strengths Your unique personality Your future vision and potential Skills you need to develop Why you are attracted to a given program It is up to you to tell the admissions committee what makes you worth accepting. Don’t expect your qualifications to announce themselves to the committee. If you have been working in the same field for an extended period, you can demonstrate


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specialized knowledge, focus on your achievements, and demonstrate passion for your interests. If you are changing career focus, you need to convince the admissions committee that you have thought this decision through very carefully and that you have the potential to succeed in a new area. By giving a detailed and convincing argument for why you need an advanced degree at this point in your career, and at this particular school, you will be demonstrating to the admissions committee your suitability for their program. You should also tell the admissions committee precisely how you will contribute in a unique way both to their program, and to your professional field in the future. This will demonstrate that you have the qualifications and profile that they are looking for.


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Stage Two:

PLANNING YOUR ESSAY


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Step 4: Understanding the Question You must understand what a question is looking for, and then address all the points it raises. Admission committees ask particular questions that give you a chance to show your skills, knowledge, experience, vision, and personality. The most common question type is a simple but comprehensive “Statement of Purpose” question. The point of this type of statement is for the applicant to demonstrate their expertise, intelligence, and potential for academic work. In general, you should try to discuss issues relevant to your area of intended study; but at times, in order to demonstrate your expertise, you may find it necessary to discuss past professional or academic work that is not necessarily focused on your core area of intended academic study.

Break Down the Question A “Statement of Purpose” question gives you freedom to discuss many different aspects of your life and plans. Look at the question as a whole and break it down into manageable parts to see what each component is asking. The following is a typical “Statement of Purpose” question:

Write a brief statement (no more than 500 words) describing your academic and professional background, plans for graduate study and a professional career, and any other information you feel is relevant.

On first glance, this question can seem overwhelming. 500 words, or approximately two double-spaced pages, is not much room to answer all the questions asked. To understand what this question is really asking, let’s break it up into its individual parts and analyze each of them separately:

“Academic Background” “Academic Background” refers to academic experiences that relate to your academic and career plans. Your answer should contain clear selling points. For example:

During my junior abroad at UCLA, I quickly adapted to studying in the US and not only made Dean’s List for two semesters in a row, but also conducted the research for my first published paper…

“Professional Background”

This refers to your professional experience that directly relates to your career development, as well as the development of any specific areas of expertise that you hold. Point out your successes:

While I have participated in cases representing a cross-section of


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legal analysis in Japan, over 50% of my caseload has focused on the regulation of financial institutions. My contribution to a publication outlining the pros and cons of investing in the privatization of healthcare facilities led me to become a specialist is legal consulting within this field. Within the legal department of my firm, my primary responsibility has been oversight of due diligence procedures related to our M&A activities in western European countries.

“Plans for Graduate Study”

“Plans for graduate study” refers to your vision of how you will spend time at law school. Discuss any specific topics you want to study or research in depth, a concentration (if appropriate) and course work you plan to take, and other relevant academic activities you would like to be involved in.

In the “International Tax Law” course, I am particularly interested in learning more about how multi-national treaties can lessen the impact of double-taxation faced by large global corporations operating in different regions.

“Plans for a Professional Career”

“Plans for a professional career” refers to both short- and long-term goals. Always be specific, realistic, and enthusiastic about your goals. Discussion of your plans should include both your goals and the steps you will take to achieve them.

After completing my LL.M. at Columbia, I want to devote myself to developing a new regional legal office for our European subsidiaries. In the longer-term, I hope to make significant contributions to our global business by better integrating …

Perhaps more than other graduate programs, LLM admissions committees expect to see a demonstration of intelligence in a statement of purpose. Regardless of your professional standing and title, you must demonstrate your legal expertise. Discussion of the law within the context of your academic and professional goals is absolutely critical. If your intended field of study is different from your area(s) of expertise, you still need to try to make your expertise relevant to what you want to study and/or discuss what particular issues you are interested in learning more about. If necessary, do additional research to demonstrate that you have thought seriously about your intended area of study.

“Other Information”


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“Any other information you feel is relevant” is where you might want to include another topic or story that you did not have an opportunity to talk about in your essay; however, if you do not have other relevant information to share, you do not need to respond to this last part of the question. Admissions committees prefer not to read more than they have to, and in many cases space is limited, so only include truly relevant information. If you have the space, and are unsure what you could write, you might consider adding something about a contribution you could make to the program:

I feel that I can make a contribution to my fellow classmates because of my unique experience researching and analyzing regional economies. In fact, in classes such as Local Government Law, I’d be very interested in discussing the effects of …

If you are uncertain about whether something is relevant, please ask your counselor.

Step 5: Brainstorming Consider all the possible responses for the questions asked—remember that admissions is looking for clear and consistent links between your past, present, and future. Brainstorming is a two-fold process. First, list all the possible information that could match a particular question. Start this process on your own, and at this stage, it does not matter if you are writing in Japanese or English. (In almost all cases, you should avoid writing about your life before university or about friends and relatives, but there are times when this might be appropriate; if in doubt, discuss your ideas with your counselor.) After creating an initial list of topics, book a “brainstorming” session and discuss your ideas with your counselor, who can help you determine which topics will be the most effective. As you and your counselor go through this material, you can choose experiences and ideas that best show the integration of your accomplishments, current activities, and future vision.

Statement of Purpose Regardless of how the question is worded, any “Statement of Purpose” question is primarily asking for information about three areas: Your academic and professional background Your goals Your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in law Obviously, these are the themes that you need to consider when brainstorming. For the remainder of this section, we will analyze these three areas in greater depth. At the end,


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we’ll have a brief discussion of potential writing topics that fall outside of these three areas.

Academic / Professional Background Regardless of the amount of experience you have had in your intended area of study, you have to show that you are committed to the field and that you have the potential to succeed in that field. If you have already worked or studied in this area, you should think about the following questions: How did you first become interested in this subject/field? What have you done to pursue your interests and/or strengthen your expertise in

this area? How have your activities, observations, and experiences further influenced your

interests? What kinds of skills and knowledge have you developed that will be appropriate

for your intended career field?

Professional Goals Every program wants to know your professional plans for the future. In thinking about your goals, take a step back and ask yourself what your overall mission is. Your mission determines your goals. To help formulate your mission, consider: What larger ideal or desire motivates you? For example, do you want to contribute

to research in a particular area of finance? Do you want to have a role in influencing how the government works with other countries? Do you want to help your company succeed in business while also preserving the environment?

Why do you believe strongly about pursuing this mission? Once you identify your mission, think about how you plan to carry that mission out. This plan is your set of goals. Applicants usually break their career goals into two parts: short-term and long-term. Typically, the goals show a progressive growth in responsibility and impact. When writing about your goals, think of what you would like to do during each stage of your plan. Identify the role you would play, the type of organization in which you plan to work, and/or the contributions you want to make in each stage of tour career future.

Reasons for Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Law You need to think about why you are applying to a graduate program. This requires addressing two separate questions:


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Why you are pursuing a graduate law degree? Why you are pursuing this degree at a particular school? You must first convince the admissions committee that you need to get a graduate degree. Whether you are sponsored by your organization or not, seats in LL.M. programs are limited, so admissions committees want to reserve them for candidates who are highly motivated to attend graduate school because it will help them to realize their future goals. How will this graduate education advance you toward your goals? You might consider discussing special areas you would like to explore further, skill development, networking, special internship or practical opportunities, unique elective courses, activities in research centers, or other unique features of a program. Finally, it is important to have clear reasons why you are interested in a particular school. Are you a good fit for the school? Is the school a good fit for you? The most successful outcomes result from the right match between school and student. For example, if you don’t enjoy active participation and discussions, then you wouldn’t be very happy in a program that emphasizes intensive group work; at the same time, you would not be offering the school very much in return. Be sure to think about your school choices carefully and always include clear and detailed reasons why a particular school is the best option for you.

Other Possible Writing Topics The ideas published in this section should apply to most law school applications, as most given you the opportunity to present your ideas in one essay. Some programs however, offer a range of writing exercises in their applications. For Harvard Law, for instance, you may find yourself writing about a current legal problem facing a particular country or region, while also developing a theoretical framework to address this issue. Clearly, choosing the right topic that will allow you to demonstrate your candidacy for Harvard Law most effectively is of the utmost importance, so be ready to discuss with your counselor which topics might suit you well. Some other schools require answers to more than one essay, and may ask for contents of a more personal nature, including your development or activities outside of work or school, such as community involvement. Work on these applications later on in the process, so that you may focus with your counselor on how best to effectively divide professional or academic content from your statement of purpose with these new and often personal essay topics.

Step 6: Outlining An Essay The key to writing a good essay is to make an outline. An outline is the only way to guarantee clear organization of your ideas.


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The first step in creating an outline involves taking apart the question and answering its parts in the order that is most effective for you. Of course, you must answer the entire question, but you don’t need to answer it in the order it was written. For example:

Describe your background, academic interests, the program of study you wish to follow and why our school meets your needs. Also discuss the goals you will pursue upon graduation. How is this career plan meaningful to you and how will your past experiences help you to realize it?

It is helpful to identify and rephrase the components of a multi-part question, but be careful that you don’t misinterpret the question in the process. The question above can be divided and rephrased into six components:

a. Describe your background. b. Describe what you are interested in learning at grad school. c. Describe how their school will allow you to accomplish your academic goals. d. Describe your future goals. e. Why are these goals important to you? f. How can you use your past skills, knowledge, and experience to help you realize your goals?

Once you have broken down and understood each aspect of the question, you should decide the order in which to tell your story. The process of making an outline will help you order ideas and see how they connect with one another; when you are done, you will have determined the best order to answer the question. There are different ways to structure an outline—the two most common, and the two most useful for admissions essays, are chronological and thematic.

A Chronological Approach

In a chronological outline, ideas are in the order that they occurred, or will occur. The following is an example of a chronological outline that emphasizes work experience: Part 1: Developed Skills, Knowledge and/or Experiences Part 2: Need for a Graduate Law Degree Part 3: Reasons for Choosing a Particular Law Program Part 4: Short-Term Goals Part 5: Long-Term Goals [NOTE: Each of these “parts” may be a paragraph or several paragraphs long.] The chronological approach is often the easiest way to organize an essay, especially a


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first draft, as the events that have happened in your own life have happened in a sequential order. A chronological order can ultimately be most effective for those who emphasize their experience over their goals. For example, if you are sponsored by your company, your goals may be a less important selling point than your experience.

A Thematic Approach There are times when organizing an essay chronologically is less effective than organizing it thematically. For example, in our sample question above, if part 1 is very brief then there will be a far greater emphasis on the future than on the past. In addition, if the applicants career objectives are closely tied with certain learning opportunities in the program, then this could be highlighted more clearly. Therefore, it might be better to organize your essay in the following way: Part 1: Developed Skills, Knowledge and/or Experiences Part 2: Short-Term Goals Part 3: Long-Term Goals Part 4: Need for a Law Degree Part 5: Reasons for Choosing a Particular Program Here, the chronological approach is replaced by an approach emphasizing career direction first, and then showing how the law school degree will fit in. Here’s another method: Part 1: Introduction Part 2: How Skills, Knowledge, and Experiences + Law Degree (leads to)

Short-Term Goal Part 3: How Skills, Knowledge, and Experiences + Law Degree + Short-Term

Goal (leads to) Long-Term Goal Part 4: Conclusion In the thematic outline above, “Law Degree” refers to the questions: “Why do you need a law degree now?” and “Why is this school’s program best for you?” In other words, you are organizing an essay around the theme of why a law degree at a particular program is critical to reaching your goals. Regardless of what structure you decide upon (chronological or thematic), make sure your outline is clearly ordered in a way that best presents the points you are trying to make.


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Stage Three:

DRAFTING YOUR ESSAY


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Step 7: Writing Your Essay Draft It is time to start writing your full essay draft. To help you in this process, we have gathered ten basic principles for writing effective essays. These principles fall under the general categories of “writing strategies”, “writing mechanics”, and “persuasive writing” and are summarized below: Writing Strategies The following three writing strategies are general advice that comprises the core principles of our essay counseling service. Your essays should reflect your actual English ability Always remember your audience Avoid sounding like the admissions brochure or website Writing Mechanics The next four principles focus on the technical aspects of writing: Follow a Standard Essay Form, but Modify as Necessary Place Main Points at the Beginnings of Paragraphs Write Simple Sentences Use Transitions Effectively Persuasive Writing Our final three guidelines can help you to write convincingly: Be Specific Interpret Your Experience and Personalize Your Answer Pay Attention to Tone & Style We will explore each of these ten principles in detail in the following pages.


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Writing Strategy #1: Your Essays Should Reflect Your Actual English Ability

You will be expected to be communicative, clear, and focused in your essays. However, you will not be expected to sound like a native speaker of English if you have spent most or all of your life in Japan. In addition, if your TOEFL score is not perfect, an essay that sounds like it was written by a native English speaker will raise doubts about who wrote your essay and may result in an automatic rejection. Be confident with the English that you have, and concentrate on sounding genuine and communicating your strengths. Some students ask colleagues, tutors, friends, or supervisors for help in writing their essays. While it is fine to get feedback on your work, it is imperative that your work remains your own. Every application asks you to confirm the originality of your work, and it is important that you answer honestly. Obviously, you CANNOT copy the essays of colleagues or friends who got into law school the year before, or essay examples from books and manuals. In North America and Europe, this act, known as plagiarism, is seen as a serious academic and professional violation. Students will be expelled if found guilty of plagiarism. Additionally, every year we have the opportunity to meet with school admissions officers both in Japan and in the U.S., and the consistent message we get from them is that applicants should write their own essays, that lack of consistency between perfect essays and speaking skills is highly suspicious, and that they pay close attention to TOEFL writing scores when looking at application essays. Our methods are thus aimed at helping you present yourself honestly and as effectively as possible.

Writing Strategy #2: Always Remember Your Audience

Never overestimate the attention span, knowledge, or intelligence of your reader. The person evaluating your essay may not be an expert in your field, may know nothing about Japan, and will probably have read many applications before starting into yours. Who will be reading your essays? Admissions committees typically include some combination of admissions staff, current graduate students, and faculty. In general, you can expect the person reading your essay to have general legal knowledge, but may lack expertise in your areas of interest and/or previous experience. Your language, then, should be sophisticated enough to demonstrate competence in your area, but also simple enough to convey your points to a non-expert. If you need to discuss highly technical legal matters, it is especially important that you demonstrate the ability to communicate to non-experts, because this is an opportunity to show that you will be able to contribute your experience to fellow students who may


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not have the specialized knowledge that you have. Admissions officers have an enormous number of applications to read in a limited amount of time. For this reason, your essay must be clear, explicit, and well organized. The reader will not have the time or desire to read an essay several times in order to figure out a confusing point. How well you come across in one reading is a good test of how well you can communicate your ideas on paper.

Writing Strategy #3: Avoid Sounding Like the Admissions Brochure or Website

Admissions committees know the strengths of their schools. They know which of their program’s unique features are highlighted on their website and brochure. We consistently hear from admissions officers that they are not interested in hearing you tell them how great they are or how famous their school is. Instead, they want to hear how you plan to utilize the special features that their program offers to advance your own career and contribute to your professional or academic field. When you explain to the admissions committee why you want to go to their school, be specific about the ways in which their school suits your needs. For example, when you read the admissions brochure from a particular school, you may notice that the school is looking for students who are “bright, principled and accomplished in their professions.” This does not mean that you should write in your essay, “I am bright, principled and accomplished in my profession.” This would display a remarkable lack of independent thought. Look at the following examples. The significant details of each essay have been underlined. Which applicant would you choose?

Example One: Columbia Law School is the best school for me to pursue my studies because its world-famous faculty will provide me with the international legal skills I will need to succeed. Courses such as X, Y, and Z will help me to advise on the latest trends brought about by increasing deregulation. Additionally, study at Columbia will provide me with a worldwide network of leaders that will help me to succeed. I am certain that my communication skill, professionalism and solid ethics will make a contribution to the Columbia community.


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Example Two: Columbia Law School is the ideal program for me to learn the skills I need to reach my goals. Balancing tax treaties between multiple nations requires leaders to react quickly to large amounts of real-time data and evolving economic conditions. From courses such as National Income Taxation Policy, I can learn not only how other countries establish their tax protocols but also the most effective ways of developing strong and beneficial treaties with them. I look forward to sharing my experience in the Japanese government, currently in the stage of promoting cross-border agreements, and learning from classmates who work in countries at different stages of such processes.

Notice that the second essay provides details that are specific to that applicant alone, thus giving a strong impression of the applicant’s ability to contribute to the class; these details also provide clear reasons for the applicant’s decision to apply to Columbia Law School.

Writing Mechanics #1: Follow a Standard Essay Form, but Modify as Necessary

Your essays should generally use the 5-paragraph style you may have learned in prior writing classes but will not follow the rigid rules of TOEFL Writing. These rules are useful for making formal arguments under time limitations, but are not effective when you need to emphasize your unique qualities and experiences. A typical essay has three parts: An Introduction A Body A Conclusion A strong beginning attracts the reader’s attention, and makes him or her interested in reading more. In your introduction, present a context for the subject matter of the essay and introduce the main point(s) you will be discussing. Give the reader an idea of who you are and what you have been doing. Your introduction prepares the reader for the details that will follow in the body of your essay. The middle section, the body of your essay, is where you will provide details, examples, stories, and analysis to support the points that you have introduced in the opening paragraph. The conclusion brings the essay to a close. A good conclusion leaves the reader with a lasting impression of you. Affirm your confidence in your ability to succeed as both a graduate student and a professional.


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Nevertheless, keep in mind that there will be times when a particular essay question may require you to deviate from this structure. This will happen most often when the amount of words or pages you can use in answering the question is limited. If, for instance, you have to summarize your background and goals into one 500-word statement or within a 2-page limitation, both the introduction and summary will likely need to be omitted in favor of a much more direct approach.

Writing Mechanics #2: Place Main Points at the Beginnings of Paragraphs

Frequently, when our students bring a first draft essay to an essay counseling session, we notice that the main ideas are often at the end of the paragraphs. While this might be a natural way to structure a paragraph in Japanese, it seems backwards to an English-speaking reader. In English, it’s often best to “put the end at the beginning.” Paragraphs, individual units of writing that present a single topic or idea, comprise the essay. The main point is often delivered in the first sentence, the “topic sentence,” with the remainder of the paragraph devoted to explanation of this idea. Specific details and examples are the strongest way to illustrate an idea. A topic sentence contains the main point, or idea, that you want to convey to the reader. Each paragraph carries one main point, so as you are building your paragraphs, ask yourself what single idea you want each paragraph to make. While this main point can come at the beginning or end of a paragraph, depending on the situation, it is often most effective to place it in the first sentence in order to capture the reader’s attention:

Topic sentence of first paragraph: “Ever since I started working as a lawyer, I realized that what I am most drawn to is extremely complex cross-border transactions…”

Topic sentence of second paragraph: “After being responsible for some of my firm’s most important international transaction work, I realized that I wanted to further develop my skills in cross-border M&A…”

Topic sentence of third paragraph: My firm will sponsor my LLM at Harvard because senior management expects me to play a key role in expanding our international practice…

While you may want to get more creative with your paragraph structure later on, we encourage you at first to try to put your main idea at the beginning of each paragraph.


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This will help your counselor, and eventually the admissions officer reading your file, quickly understand what you are trying to say.

Writing Mechanics #3: Write Simple Sentences

It is generally best to write clearly, simply, and in the active voice. Start with the simple Subject-Verb-Object construction that you learned in basic English classes. Of course, you do not want every sentence to have the same structure, as this sounds dull and repetitive, but you can always add more variety to your sentence structure as you revise your essay.

Writing Mechanics #4: Use Transitions Effectively

Transitions are like road signs that help your reader not get lost as he or she follows the path of your ideas. Good transitions help your ideas flow from one sentence or paragraph to the next. Putting words such as “first, second, third” or “in addition,” “furthermore” or “even more importantly” at the beginning of a paragraph or sentence gives your essay a clear structure. Remember that admissions officers read hundreds if not thousands of essays. So if they lose interest or become confused by your writing, you might not regain their attention. As you read more English materials over the coming months—such as admissions brochures and websites, scholarly publications, newspapers and magazines, books, and perhaps even journals or technical papers in your professional or academic field—we encourage you to notice the hundreds of ways that an author can connect his ideas by effectively using transitions. Make note of these good transitions and try to incorporate them into your own writing.

Persuasive Writing #1: Be Specific

As you write, be sure to include many supporting details to illustrate each of your main ideas. You need to make your reader interested by creating vivid, detailed mental images that help him or her follow your story and ultimately remember you. Rich, detailed writing is much more interesting to read than a list of basic facts. Also, details help prove the claims you are making in your essays. There are two kinds of details that you can add to your essays: concrete details and abstract impressions or feelings. Concrete details include descriptive information about an event, such as steps taken to achieve a goal, results and outcome, participants


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involved, and goals accomplished. Intangible details include personal reactions to a situation and emotions resulting from an experience. Take a look at these two essay excerpts:

Excerpt of an Essay that “States”: “I am a creative person, one who enjoys the freedom to construct original ideas and who succeeds in producing effective results. While there are many ways in which I can pursue this passion, I have chosen to do so as a patent lawyer. I enjoy making decisions on how to represent the latest innovations of my firm, while also utilizing my understanding of technologies and grasp of the legal system in Japan.” Excerpt of an Essay that “Shows”: “Creative by nature, I feel the greatest satisfaction when I can exercise my talents through helping my firm gain strong patent positions for our key product lines. My creativity comes from my background at university, where I was appointed to lead the Entrepreneurs Club, an organization of students from across Tokyo that works on developing interesting business plans with alumni as consultants. My special contribution during my tenure was getting to know individual members personally, so I could best partner them up with experts that could offer professional advice about their individual goals. I combined my understanding of people with my ability to grasp business concepts, made strong through my major in Business Administration, to maximize teamwork. The result was two consecutive years where at least three business ventures got off the ground.”

The two examples differ because the first one merely makes claims about possessing certain qualities, while the second one demonstrates that the writer actually has them. Anyone can say that he is creative, intelligent, or analytical, but to sound credible, one has to offer evidence to support those claims. In the second paragraph, the writer describes how she exercised and showed her creative talents by directing actors with a unique methodology; and she showed that got concrete results by mentioning her awards. Here is another example of how you can use specific language to describe your actions:

“My experience allowed me to play a key role in a major international project…”

You can make this more specific, as shown in the next example:


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“Utilizing my three years of experience in due diligence of M&A deals, I planned and successfully implemented our firm’s initial expansion into China through buying….”

Specific numbers, especially numbers related to money, are great to include:

“I now manage more than 20 projects with a combined budget totaling over US$150 million.”

In addition to money, think about other numbers that convey the scale and importance of your work:

“As a result of leading my university lab’s 12-member research project on nanotechnology, I developed the ability to organize and implement complex multi-disciplinary scientific research.”

Persuasive Writing #2:

Interpret Your Experience and Personalize Your Answer Your essays should give a voice and story to the entries on your resume, so be sure to bring these experiences to life. Do not make the mistake of mechanically repeating your resume or listing, without context, a string of achievements and responsibilities. While your resume provides a factual, comprehensive listing of your significant achievements, an essay highlights and explains the personal significance of the experiences most pivotal to your professional growth. Take a look at these next two examples:

Excerpt of an Essay that “Lists”: “My first job was working as a member of a team issuing government bonds. The next year I took a 2-year position in tax collection and management in the region just west of Tokyo, Then, finally, in my fourth year, I was assigned back to the bond issuance team, but now as a sub-leader.”

Excerpt of an Essay that “Interprets” and “Personalizes”: “After a year spent issuing government bonds and learning how debt is managed and planned by the Japanese government, I longed for an opportunity to see the other side: namely how tax revenues are collected. I lobbied for a tax collection position that came up in Hachioji (the western part of Tokyo) and was selected for it, giving me the chance to help local companies manage their tax burden while staying within the law and financially viable at the same time. This eye-opening experience taught me that promoting financial healthiness to small and medium sized business ultimately has a


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strong effect on the ability of the local government to maximize tax revenues. I used this lesson back in the bond issuance department after my 2-year term ended, analyzing closely the impact on the economy of each bond issuance and making decisions on how much to offer and the timing of each round as well.

Which essay excerpt impresses you more? Which applicant do you feel more connected to? In the first example, the author is mechanical and logical, and it is hard to get to know him because he does not talk about how he feels about any of the decisions he has made or any of the work that he has done. The second example, by contrast, is personal without being inappropriate. He describes his decisions and accomplishments, but he also includes insight as to how he felt or reacted at the time. The result is writing that connects you to the writer and teaches you something about him as a person. Finally, while it may appear that the first example provided more facts about the timeline of the applicant’s professional development, keep in mind that the information provided might also be found on his transcript and resume. As the above example shows, lists are boring and don’t demonstrate the ability to analyze or explain. Interpret your past rather than simply stating basic and uninteresting facts.

Persuasive Writing #3: Pay Attention to Tone & Style

Since admissions will evaluate your potential as a student and fellow classmates in your essays, it is best to deliver your writing in a professional, yet personal tone; however, don’t forget to show passion, warmth, and other personal qualities that will make you appealing to admissions. Just as you can easily gain an impression of someone from a first meeting, admissions officers often form impressions of essays subjectively, based on subtle emotional reactions to the personality that is presented in those essays. It is important to be natural. Many admissions officers complain about applicants who pretend to be something they are not. These applicants try to guess what admissions committees want to hear, and tailor their essays to fit those criteria. However, this strategy usually fails, because readers can detect a lack of sincerity. Choose those aspects of your background and personality that are strongest, and highlight them. Describing real experiences and real feelings leads to authentic writing. Next, we advise you to be positive whenever possible. Unless a school asks you specifically to discuss a failure, use your essays to describe your strengths and your achievements. Emphasize your potential. When discussing your organization, do not complain about its negative aspects, such as weak management or incompetent trainees. Analyze the issues you have observed in your work place, and describe how you would like to contribute. A positive attitude shows confidence and maturity.


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Finally, try to have fun. This may sound crazy, but if you are enjoying yourself as you write your essay, there is a much better chance that your readers will enjoy themselves while they are reading your essay. As you spend time on your essays, especially if you have given yourself enough time, you will realize that it can be quite enjoyable to write about your life and dreams. This excitement is contagious and translates into winning application essays.


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Step 8: Revising Your Essay Draft It is impossible for anyone, even the most gifted writers, to write a polished essay in one draft. Expect to revise your writing extensively to produce a quality personal statement. Spending much time revising an essay allows you to develop your ideas more fully, organize them more clearly, and express them more succinctly.

Key Considerations Expect to write anywhere from 3-5 drafts of your initial personal statement Give yourself enough time to revise between sessions Revising involves reviewing your essay for content and structure, and making corrections as necessary. This could entail rewriting your entire essay, or just replacing a paragraph or two. Some students complete their essays after writing two or three drafts, but many need to write several more drafts. The following checklists are designed to help you revise:

Revising Your Strategy: Make sure you really understand each element of the question, and that your

answer is a complete answer to that question Make sure that the essay contains your key selling points or professional /

academic specialties that set you apart from your peers Revising Your Paragraphs: Ensure you are using clear topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph Ensure you are utilizing smooth transitions between paragraphs Things to Eliminate: Eliminate background information that is not focused on you Eliminate jargon or undo complexity that will hinder the reader’s ability to

understand your essay Eliminate anything that sounds like it is from the Admissions brochure or website Emphasizing Your Uniqueness: The Graduate Admissions process rewards individuality, not uniformity Do NOT imitate or copy an essay from any source


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Common Mistake:

Polishing English to Native-Speaker Level You may think that perfect English in your essays will help you get accepted, but the opposite may be true. If your TOEFL score is average but you submit a perfect English essay, admissions committees might suspect that you did not write your application yourself. Admissions officers are very suspicious of essays from non-native English speakers that sound like they were written by native English speakers. They may assume the worst: that you cheated and perhaps paid money for someone to write your essays for you. In such situations, you have little chance of being accepted. Your counselor will help you choose your best ideas and assist you in expressing them clearly and effectively, but the final writing must be your own.

Start Early & Give Yourself Plenty of Time A few final words on revision: as you write, expect to go through peaks of creativity and stretches of non-productivity; this is a completely natural situation. When you feel that you have been staring at your essays for too many days, take a break, work on some other activities, and return to your essays when you feel refreshed. Your counselor will also be able to offer you a different perspective to help you work through any problems you are having expressing your ideas. If you start the essay-writing process early, you have the freedom to work on your essays at the best times; if you start late, however, you will be under large amounts of stress, and time constraints will force you to rush the process.


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Stage Four:

FINALIZING YOUR ESSAY


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Step 9: Editing Your Essay Draft Once you and your counselor have reached the stage where you both feel comfortable with the quality of your essays, it is time to edit and proofread. At this stage, you need to check for small errors, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. If you have written several similar essays for different schools, be sure you have written the correct school name in the correct essay!

General Editing Guidelines Proofread Edit to fit word count/paragraph/page limits Do not go more than 10% over word count for schools that stipulate a word count

limitation for their personal statement (when in doubt, check with your counselor) Use 10-12 point font as a general rule, but always follow the school’s own

guidelines Double-space (1.5 spacing in Microsoft Word, see “Appendix B”)

Final Check As a final check, make sure you: Read your essays again, looking for grammar and spelling mistakes (always use

spell-check, but remember it won’t notice certain mistakes, such as spelling “staff as “stuff”)

Make sure you don’t make any cut and paste errors, such as using the wrong school name, omitting words, or having mismatched fonts

Read your essays aloud. This is one way to help you notice typing mistakes, awkward expressions, or phrases that you used too often

Step 10: Submitting Your Essay You have now reached the final stage: submitting your application to the school online. If you are sending your application online, we advise you to check the school’s online application site and follow their instructions carefully. If you have questions, you can email the school and/or ask your counselor. The ultimate authority on each school’s individual policies is the school itself, but we are happy to help you interpret instructions. Be sure to include on each page of your essay your name and any other identification details the school asks for; this is to ensure that your essay can be put together should the pages come apart for any reason. It is generally not necessary to type the question


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on each essay, although you should identify your essay with a general title and the school’s name. For detailed advice on formatting and submitting your essays, please refer to “Appendix B” at the back of this manual.

Step 11: Moving on to the Next School Having finished one complete essay, you are now ready to begin the process again with another school. Keep the following suggestions in mind as you start on another set of essays.

Borrow Carefully from Previous Essays You can borrow content from previously written essays, but be careful: there are some potential dangers.

Look for Ways Questions Differ Many similar personal statement prompts will differ slightly in their emphasis; and some might place greater emphasis on your personal development, for instance, while others might mention elements such as how you might contribute to your fellow students in the program. Always look for the subtle differences in questions before making the mistake of sending in a “borrowed” essay written for another school. In addition, prescribed essay lengths can differ, and so not everything you wrote in your first completed essay may be able to be carried over to the next. Finally, the role of an essay within a set needs to be examined for each school to which you will apply – and especially for those requiring a small set of essays as a part of their application.

Change the School Name The first thing to do when using a personal statement as a draft for the next school is to change the school name. This sounds obvious, but applicants sometimes forget to change a school name and realize their mistake only after they have sent off their essays. Save yourself this embarrassment by using the “find and replace” function in Microsoft Word, and then doing a final check yourself, to ensure that all references to another school have been removed.


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COUNSELING: BEST PRACTICES


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Frequently Asked Questions In this section, we provide you with advice on how to get the most out of your counseling sessions. Here are some frequently asked questions about our essay counseling services.

“What can I expect in a counseling session?” During your fifty-minute session, your counselor will give you feedback on your essay draft, focusing on your logic, ideas, stories, and your overall strategy. Also, your counselor can help you with questions about application-related issues, such as filling in application forms, communicating with admissions officers, and reviewing completed applications. If we cannot understand what you are trying to say because of English problems, we will tell you, but every year our applicants are admitted to highly-ranked programs with some small irregularities in their English usage. Your authentic voice proves to admissions that you were in fact the one who wrote your own essay. This really does matter to admissions, who are serious about enforcing these ethical rules. Consequently, your counselor will focus on helping you create a powerful set of essays that market yourself to a particular program, not on polishing your essays to native English-speaker level. We want to give you the best possible chance of getting in—not just provide an editing service.

“How should I pick my counselor?” Students pick counselors for different factors, such as: Similar professional, educational or geographical background, as presented in

counselor bios (please check our website) Similar area of professional, academic or personal interest Good match of personality from contact at a class, seminar or event Desire for a certain type of counseling style, as presented in our counselor

interviews (please check our website)

“Should I meet with only one counselor?”

In our experience, it is usually more efficient to meet with one counselor for all of your essays. While working with multiple counselors will give you a different perspective, for some clients this can be confusing, because it is possible that you will get different advice. There is more than one correct way to write an essay. If you choose to work with more than one counselor, please remember that each counselor will approach your essays


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from a unique perspective. Some clients have been able to manage these multiple perspectives; however, most have found it more productive to meet with a single counselor for all of their essays.

“How should I format my essay?”

We request: Microsoft Word format, double-spaced with numbered pages (please see “Appendix

B” for more advice on formatting your essay). Please include your name, the name of the school to which you are applying, and

the date of the current version in the name of the MS Word file. Please include the essay question itself in your email or on the essay—this helps

your counselor make sure that you are answering the question correctly and completely.

If you are sending multiple essays for the same school, we prefer that you send all of them together in a single MS Word file rather than attaching a separate Word document for each individual essay in the set. Of course, if you are sending us essays for more than one school, including separate MS Word file for each school is fine.

“What is the procedure for submitting

my essay to my counselor?” Please submit your essay by 4PM the day before your session so your counselor

will have time to read it. If you are unable to submit by the deadline, email your essay as soon as possible. Finally, it is a good idea to bring a printed or electronic copy with you to your

session, just in case.

“Will my counselor read my essay before the session?” If you meet the 4pm deadline, your counselor will spend 10 minutes reading your

materials ahead of time. In ten minutes, your counselor can usually read about 5 double-spaced pages. If you submit more than 5 pages of writing, please be aware that some of your

session time will be used for your counselor to read your material. Also, if you are sending multiple files, please tell us in your e-mail which document

you want us to review first. It is always a good idea to tell us in your email or in person about your specific

goals for that particular session; we will do our best to meet your expectations.


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“May I record my counseling session?”

Absolutely! We encourage you to bring a recording device to your sessions. This will allow you to review our feedback after you leave.

“How many sessions will I need to finish my essays?” How much time you need for this process depends on three factors: Your English ability Your writing skills How deeply you have thought about yourself, your school choices, and your future

vision Your first draft for your first school will take the longest period of time, so you should begin thinking about yourself and what schools you will apply too now. You can gather information, brainstorm, and write preliminary essay drafts even while you are finishing your test preparation.

“When should I come in for my first counseling session – and should I choose a Brainstorming session or an Essay session?”

Come in as soon as you are ready! Some clients start working with their counselor right from the brainstorming stage, and so they would choose a Brainstorming session in order to discuss contents of their essay prior to actually drafting the first version of it. On the other hand, others begin after they have completed their first draft, and would then book an Essay session to get their counselors opinion of it. If you are unsure which to choose, then regardless of how much content you put into the first draft just choose an Essay session (our counselors are highly flexible!) Once you are ready to start counseling, create a schedule that best meets your needs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In closing, we thank you for taking this class and reading our manual. We sincerely hope that it has helped you feel ready to begin the challenging, but ultimately rewarding process of writing your application essays. We look forward to coaching you through a successful admissions process.


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APPENDIXES


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Appendix A: Self-Assessment Exercise The following exercise is designed to help you brainstorm for your application essay content. It is beneficial to go over the following questions before you meet with your counselor for the first time. Of course, during the course of your counseling, you will refine the material you come up with, but it is good to come in with a large number of ideas and topics to discuss.

Academic Background What did you enjoy studying the most during university? Why? What were your favorite activities outside the classroom? Why did you enjoy them? What strengths did you develop or display most prominently in your academic

work? In your extracurricular activities? What were your greatest academic and/or non-academic achievements during

university? Why are you particularly proud of them? What course work did you take that is related to your current interests?

Professional Background What field are you currently working in? Why did you choose this path? What issues do you work with? Can you name those achievements at work of which you are most proud? Why are

you proud of them? What would your supervisor say are your greatest professional strengths and

qualities? How have you shown them?

Professional Objectives What challenges will you (or your firm) face in the future that are international in

nature? What strengths or abilities will be required to overcome them? What kind of an impact would you like to have on your organization? What would

you like to change? How would you like to be remembered?

Your Graduate Law Program In order to accomplish your goals, what specific areas of international law would

you need to study? How will any specific graduate program help you to obtain your goals? Why is this stage in your career the best time to pursue your graduate degree? What are your top choice schools? Why did you choose them? Why should the school accept you? What is unique or special about your

background, qualifications, and personality?


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Appendix B: Essay Formatting There are slight differences between formatting a printed essay and an essay that you submit online.

Printed Applications 1. Unless the school specifies otherwise, use 10-12 point font and 1-inch margins

(about 2.5 cm). 2. Space your lines at 1.5 spacing. To do this, open Microsoft Word and go to

Options (O) and Paragraph (P):


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3. Next, go to and Line Spacing (N) and set to 1.5, not 2:

4. Use a common font (such as Times New Roman, Times, or Palatino) and black

ink. 5. Either skip one line between paragraphs or indent the first line of each paragraph

5 spaces. 6. It also may improve the look of your essay to straighten the right margin. The following essay paragraph follows these guidelines:

Contributing to a 50% increase in widget sales in our department between 2007 and 2009

is the most recent example of my leadership and initiative. The yearly increase in our widget

sales was 10% through mid-2000s, but the widget market was expanding by an average of

80% per year. Competitors were actually taking market share from us. Increased competition

had made it impossible to attract customers with the superior quality of our products, so I

proposed that we emphasize customer service more. My superiors rejected my proposal,

relying on our established brand name to keep attracting clients.


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Online Applications For online applications, you will either be uploading files or cutting & pasting text into a form. For uploads, you can usually upload the document in Microsoft Word or RTF, but sometimes there are other possible formats. You should always check each application as it may vary from school to school. When cutting and pasting text into an online form, keep your formatting simple as you may lose it when you upload your essay. The application itself will probably include information about this, but if it does not, and you have a concern, you should contact the school as indicated below. If you have questions about online applications, you should contact the school for assistance. Go to the school’s website and look for their information request page or their contact information. Before contacting them, be sure to check the FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) on their website, because you may find the answer to your question there. On some applications, you can click on “Contact Us” at the bottom of any page to contact the institution. While the schools themselves are the ultimate authority on their policies and preferred practices, you are welcome to bring in the instructions to ask for your counselor’s opinion during a session.


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Appendix C: Cover Letters Cover letters are not always requested, but there are times when you may want to send one anyway. A cover letter is a communication of specific information written directly to the admissions committee. Thus, it should be addressed to the Director of Admissions and should be in business letter form, as in the example on the following page. In general, cover letters should not exceed one page.

When to Include a Cover Letter You should include a cover letter any time one is specifically requested; you should also include one if you are sending unsolicited information, such as an additional recommendation or an enclosed document; finally, you should include a cover letter if you are concerned about any part of your application that you weren’t able to address in an optional essay. For example, if your TOEFL score is low, but you have had a lot of experience demonstrating your strong spoken English, you can call attention to this in a cover letter.

What Should You Write in Your Cover Letter? If you are writing a general cover letter for your application, let the admissions committee know what you are enclosing in your application packet and remind them briefly of your background, strengths, and interest in their school. A general cover letter should not exceed one page, and you do not need to repeat the details of your essays here. If you are submitting a cover letter for a more specific purpose, read the samples below. For letter format, please see the waitlist letter in “Appendix D”. Also, for some schools, you can include this information in the additional or optional essay. Please ask your counselor for more information.

Additional Information “I would like to provide you with some additional information that is not found in my essays. I am confident in my strengths as an applicant and that I can add significantly to your school, however I am concerned that my TOEFL score does not adequately reflect my English-speaking ability…”

Explanation of an Anomaly “I would like to explain why I was unable to send a letter of recommendation from my direct supervisor…”


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Additional Materials “I have enclosed some additional materials for your consideration. First, I enclosed a brochure explaining the product I designed last year…” Latest Test Scores “I am writing to notify you of my latest test scores, which I hope you will refer to when considering my application…”

Sample Cover Letter

10-10-10 Sakuragaoka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0022, Japan Tel & Fax: +81-3-xxxxxxx email: [email protected] Date Professor Steven Smith, Dean, XXX School of Law Big American University Address, Address, USA

Dear Dean Smith, Enclosed herein are my application and all related documents for Big American University’s Masters of Laws Program. I have enclosed the following: 1. My official undergraduate degree transcript from Japan University in English. This is an official

transcript and not a translation. My transcript also indicates that I graduated, so I have not enclosed a copy of my diploma as would otherwise be required.

2. My Junior Year Abroad transcript from Metropolitan University. Please note that while my Japan University degree includes the credits from Metropolitan University, it is does not state the grades that I received.

3. A sponsorship letter from my employer, Japan’s Ministry of Finance, which indicates that I have been selected to receive full support for my graduate studies at your school.

I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with me when I came to visit XXX in October. As we discussed at that time I want to play a leading role in transforming Japan’s financial services sector. Actually the more I have learned about XXX, the more I have realized that it best meets my needs because of your program’s focus on developing not just legal analysts, but international leaders. If you need any additional information from me, I would be happy to provide it. Sincerely, NAME


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Appendix D: Sample Wait List Letter

If the school puts you on their wait list, you will send a stand-alone letter, not a cover letter, but similar rules apply. Please see the full example below. If you have further questions about what to do if you are placed on a waiting list, you can see our online waiting list supplement or ask your counselor for more assistance.

Address Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0022, Japan Tel & Fax: +81-3-xxxxxxx email: [email protected] Date Ms. XXX Director Office of Admissions University of XX Graduate School of Law Address, Address, USA Dear Ms. XXX, Thank you for your recent update about my admissions status at University of XX Graduate School of Law. I am writing to convey my strong desire to remain on the waiting list, and alert you to new information that I am supplying to the admissions office to strengthen my application. First, I’d like to inform you that I intend to visit your school, and towards this, I have contacted your admissions office to request an interview on campus… I’d also like to inform you that I have sent your office an additional letter of recommendation from Name, a current supervisor at Company… With my strong background in… I am confident I can make a valuable contribution to the University of XX Graduate School, while gaining the skills I will need for success in my career goals of… Thank you very much for considering the additional materials I have submitted. If there is any other information I can provide to strengthen my application, please let me know. Sincerely, Name


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