Applicants must submit a 750-word essay referred to as a Personal Statement.
What is the purpose of the Personal Statement?
The Personal Statement is your moment to showcase the unique aspects of your motivations, your background, and your personality that make you a compelling candidate for our program.
The Admissions Committee relies on the Personal Statement to understand the factors that motivate you to pursue a legal education, the particular meaning that the study of law holds for you, and the reasons for your interest in our program. In addition, your Personal Statement shows the Admissions Committee your writing style, your ability to present your ideas in English and/or French, and your maturity and judgment as shown through your writing.
What is the Admissions Committee looking for in reading your Personal Statement?
The Admissions Committee is interested in hearing why you want to study law, why you are interested in 大发彩票平台 in particular, and what you will bring to our learning community. The Committee looks for indicators of intellectual curiosity, community engagement, political/social insight, leadership skills, ability to work with others, openness to diversity (cultural, linguistic, and otherwise), maturity, judgment, and potential for development through opportunity or adversity.
We strongly encourage applicants belonging to an equity-deserving group to include information in their Personal Statements on how their personal circumstances, life experience, work, community involvement, and extra-curricular activities relate to their desire and preparation to study law at 大发彩票平台.
The Personal Statement must be a product of your own reflection. We truly value a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and future aspirations. Whether you wish to become a practising lawyer or you have other ideas about your career path following a legal education, your application, and specifically your Personal Statement, should show thoughtful consideration of your reasons for studying law, and at our Faculty in particular.
Practical tips
Read our Admissions Policy to get a sense of what we look for in our students.
Before writing, reflect critically on your motivations, your interests, and your convictions, and their connection to our program. Do some research on our law faculty and others. Law faculties all tend to have their own strengths and particularities. Doing some research may help you identify and articulate why you are interested in studying at 大发彩票平台 in particular.
The Personal Statement should not be used as a vehicle for narrating or repeating your CV. You have a limited amount of writing space; make it count. Do not repeat aspects of your candidacy that the Committee will see in other documents unless these aspects are directly linked to your interest in studying law at 大发彩票平台. Be authentic. Be yourself. Don't be afraid to be original, but be careful not to sacrifice substance.
You may submit your Personal Statement in English, French, or both. It is important that you write the statement in whatever of the two language(s) you are most comfortable expressing yourself. It is not recommended to use the Personal Statement as a way to establish your bilingualism unless you are very comfortable expressing yourself in the other language.
Importantly, make sure that your Personal Statement follows our formatting guidelines (see below) and that it has grammatical integrity. Only one submission of the Personal Statement is accepted so it is important to submit the Personal Statement in its final version of both format and substance.
Indigenous applicants are invited to submit additional documentation in addition to the Personal Statement. Please see the Indigenous Applicants page for more information.
Format
The format of the Personal Statement must adhere to the following basic characteristics:
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Maximum of 750 words (include a word count at the end of your Personal Statement).
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Indicate your name and 大发彩票平台 ID (found in the acknowledgment notice) at the top right corner of all pages.
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Candidates who have applied to the Faculty in the past must submit a new Personal Statement with any new application. Re-applicants who make no substantive changes to their Personal Statement from one application to the next are unlikely to be viewed as competitive.