The general tips provided about writing your personal statement are good, but are generally common sense to anyone who has taken a argumentative writing class and/or a good english class. Most books about the overall application process include these tips.As for the essays included in this book, they are applicable to the average applicant, that is unless the average applicant has worked for five years in the Sudan raising orphans, or escaped genecide as a child. It would be more helpful if this book included essays that were written by applicants with a more normal work/life experience. This book was a complete waste of my time. I would suggest instead to read "How to get into top law schools" and then focus your reading on the adcom's quotes.