Optional Statement - Too Political?? Forum

(Personal Statement Examples, Advice, Critique, . . . )
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julius714

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Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by julius714 » Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:05 pm

Hi, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to take a look at a rough draft of optional statement to give me some feedback...I'm concerned it might be too political (a large part of it centers around healthcare reform). If you are interested please PM me!!

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cavalier1138

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Re: Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by cavalier1138 » Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:20 pm

I can pretty much guarantee it's not too political without reading it.

Unless your version of healthcare reform involves mandatory abortions, I think you're safe.

DrGlennRichie

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Re: Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by DrGlennRichie » Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:45 pm

If you think it is too political, chances are it is

Jjbb938483

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Re: Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by Jjbb938483 » Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:39 pm

It's fine if its political but you need to check it for a few things. Make sure it doesn't preach to or lecture the adcoms. Don't let it make you look stubborn or close minded. Don't even mention highly controversial topics like abortion or planned parenthood. Lastly, avoid any kind of hostile language, partisan rhetoric, don't mock certain ideas, put down candidates, etc. You have no idea who is going to be reading your essay. An essay demanding free healthcare that bashes the GOP isn't going to sit well with a pro-Trump Republican. Similarly, an essay that talks about the evils of socialized medicine and death panels may not go over well with a Bernie-loving liberal. You could discuss either, but the tone is important.
Last edited by Jjbb938483 on Mon Jan 29, 2018 3:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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cavalier1138

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Re: Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by cavalier1138 » Fri Jan 26, 2018 7:23 pm

The above posters literally could not be more off.

Lots of people write statements about their work in activism in a highly charged field (gay rights, abortion, etc.). Lots of people write about their experience on a mission trip, and no one tells them to watch out for that mean ol' atheist who's gonna grade their essay down.

Write about something that tells the adcomm who you are. If you do that, you won't get preachy, and any politics that come in will seem like a natural extension of your personal story. But don't censor yourself because you're worried about a pro-Trump reader--I'm taking the high road by not making a literacy joke--might come across your PS.

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CanadianWolf

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Re: Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by CanadianWolf » Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:35 pm

I'll give a brief critique if you PM it to me.

Jjbb938483

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Re: Optional Statement - Too Political??

Post by Jjbb938483 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 3:18 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:The above posters literally could not be more off.

Lots of people write statements about their work in activism in a highly charged field (gay rights, abortion, etc.). Lots of people write about their experience on a mission trip, and no one tells them to watch out for that mean ol' atheist who's gonna grade their essay down.

Write about something that tells the adcomm who you are. If you do that, you won't get preachy, and any politics that come in will seem like a natural extension of your personal story. But don't censor yourself because you're worried about a pro-Trump reader--I'm taking the high road by not making a literacy joke--might come across your PS.
To be clear, I didn't mean people should avoid sensitive topics altogether. It's perfectly fine to talk about them. I only meant people should be mindful of their tone (which is good advice regardless of topic). Obviously adcoms aren't going to frown upon a paper just because they disagree with it but it can't sound like a rant or a lecture either. A paper could discuss something uncontroversial and still come across the wrong way. I read an essay once where it sounded like the applicant was lecturing the adcoms on law and telling them what their law school needs. I guarantee you that kind of tone, regardless of topic, will not come across well because nobody likes being lectured to. (Notice the tone I used there? haha)

And yes, something that tells adcoms who you are is always pretty safe. That way the politics will just be an extension of the essay rather than the subject of it.

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