Introductory anecdotes are one of the most popular ways to open a law school personal statement, and for good reason: when planned and executed with skill, personal statement anecdote examples can highlight pertinent experience and generate reader intrigue in a personalized way. However, this narrative approach comes with its own set of pitfalls and perils. As you plan your law school admissions essays, take stock of your writing process and avoid the following (and common) missteps:

Misstep #1: The anecdote is too long.

I’ve seen countless opening anecdotes that overwhelm the essay and leave little room for essential introspection. Avoid run-on content by identifying details central to the experience you wish to highlight – the so-called “nuggets” that anchor your narrative. As you draft your anecdote, ask yourself, “What’s the purpose of this description and why am I including it? Is this context absolutely necessary to the point I’m trying to make?” If content doesn’t feel like it’s serving a strategic aim or clarifying an important point, it probably needs to be trimmed. In essay drafts, I suggest limiting anecdotes to no more than one third of the text length. Less is usually more!

Misstep #2: The anecdote is irrelevant (or only loosely relevant) to the essay’s main objective.

Writers naturally come to the table with stories and memories that they’re passionate about sharing. While it’s important that an anecdote is both meaningful and authentic, it must set the stage to discuss your interest in and preparedness for law school. As you reflect on formative experiences, it’s often more productive to ask, “Which moments informed my commitment to the legal field?” rather than simply “What’s a story I’m excited about telling?” This approach helps ensure that your anecdote is serving the aims of your essay – not the other way around.

Misstep #3: The anecdote relies on clichés or highly stylized elements.

Advice here is short and sweet: law school essays aren’t the best place to experiment with splashy or gimmicky rhetoric. While strong writers can, at times, successfully veer into stylized territory, it’s usually best to recount an anecdote using language that is both clear (this ensures reader comprehension) and verb focused (this ensures reader engagement). If you choose to begin your anecdote with an action statement or quotation, avoid popular clichés like “The clock struck midnight” or “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” In addition to sounding a bit juvenile, these phrases often feel stylistically disconnected from the remaining narrative.

Misstep #4: The anecdote isn’t well-integrated into the essay.

Bridging the opening anecdote with the remainder of the personal statement is one of the most challenging parts of the writing process. Too often, writers rush into subsequent paragraphs without thinking about how, technically and conceptually, to transition from narrative to synthesis. In most cases, the text following the anecdote should begin to unpack why and how the experience is salient to one’s law school endeavors. This helps applicants shift away from storytelling or fact-sharing and into a more introspective mindset. Remember to anchor this transitional paragraph with a strong topic sentence that signals you’re shifting to an analytical phase of the essay.