Personal Statement Review Policy
Types of Documents: Pre-Law Advising provides general feedback on drafts of student documents including personal statements, diversity statements, résumés and addenda for submission with law school applications.
Content of Review: The Pre-Law Adviser’s feedback focuses on issues such as topic selection, structure and suggestions for how to condense statements to stay within length limitations. The Pre-Law Adviser does not provide formal, written feedback on your documents, either in person or via email, so it is important to schedule an appointment (in-person, telephone or Zoom) to discuss her comments and suggestions.
Drafts in Advance: You need to send drafts for review to the Pre-Law Adviser at keg146@psu.edu at least 24 hours in advance of a scheduled appointment if you want feedback in the appointment.
Number of reviews: The Pre-Law Adviser may provide feedback on multiple drafts of any document submitted but has the discretion to limit the number of reviews. For most students, two reviews of any document are sufficient. The Pre-Law Adviser is not your final editor; it is your responsibility to proof your personal statement to ensure that spelling and grammar are perfect.
Your Personal Statement: It is important to retain your voice and personality within your personal statement, so do not feel compelled to implement every suggestion. Ultimately, it is your personal statement so the final decision regarding its content and structure is yours alone.
Additional Resources:
Penn State Career Services (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/career/)
Penn State Learning (https://pennstatelearning.psu.edu/tutoring/writing)