averifoster1@gmail.com wrote: ↑Wed Aug 21, 2024 9:06 am
I have worked at a non-profit with children throughout college. This experience has transformed the way I view the world and has influenced my desires to attend law school. I want to start my personal statement with an anecdote from this job. I was wondering if I should change the names of the children that are in this anecdote, and if I do, do I need to say somewhere that names have been changed for privacy, how should I go about this? Thanks!
Hi averi,
I would check with the organization to see if they have any rules/guidelines. Privacy rules can vary depending on the organization, age group (i.e. if parental consent is required), and nature of the work involved (i.e., with healthcare, HIPPA may apply).
If there are no guidelines, use your judgment based on the information you're revealing and if the names can disclose identity. Changing names should be fine as long as you mention this - honesty is key on a law school application! You can also consider using no names at all; depending on the nature of the anecdote, pronouns or other identifiers (consider "a client at work") may work just as well.
Lastly, keep in mind that the personal statement is about
you and your story, so while providing anecdotes is great, I would be cautious about straying too far into scenarios that don't directly involve you. In other words, make sure the emphasis stays on the impact the situation had on you, not another individual's story.
I hope this helps!
It will actually look odd if you do not. If it's just the first name, then not necessary at all.