Does LGBTQ status matter for admissions? Forum

iamapipersson · Post by **iamapipersson** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:24 pm

I am a member of the community, but I don't like to publicize it either. Would it be beneficial to say on the various law school apps that i do identify as lgbtq? Does it count for a "hook"?

I doubt it counts as much as URM, but does it still help? Why otherwise would the apps ask about it?

Thanks everyone!

McJimJam · Post by **McJimJam** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:30 pm

Post removed.

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:36 pm

Could be the source of a diversity statement

Maplesyrup · Post by **Maplesyrup** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:45 pm

a feather on the scale is a feather none the less

iamapipersson · Post by **iamapipersson** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:57 pm

Maplesyrup wrote:a feather on the scale is a feather none the less

Is there a way it could hurt though?

Clearly · Post by **Clearly** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:04 pm

I actually think it does help

maracuya · Post by **maracuya** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:14 pm

iamapipersson wrote:
Maplesyrup wrote:a feather on the scale is a feather none the less
Is there a way it could hurt though?

I don't think it could hurt you in any way. If a school were homophobic, they wouldn't include that question on their app. There's no chance a school is screening for LGBTQ applicants to reject.

Tkords · Post by **Tkords** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:52 pm

I think it does help as schools are looking to improve on the diversity of their student body. As I filled out my applications, about half of the schools had a section asking about sexual orientation. I doubt that those sections would be included if it carried no weight in the admissions process. Like you said, it may not weigh as heavy as URM status, but I'm sure it helps.

gamerish · Post by **gamerish** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 6:27 pm

Post removed...

BigZuck · Post by **BigZuck** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:28 pm

IIRC, schools don't just ask if you are African American, Native American, Puerto Rican, or Mexican. Even though those are the only ones that give you a boost, they don't simply ask if you're an under-represented minority. Rather, they allow you to identify yourself under a number of different categories, some of which include over-represented minorities.

A school could just as easily have LGBTQ status on their application in the name of diversity or "holistic review" or whatever but not actually give you a bump for it. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, maybe it depends on the school, but just because it's on the application doesn't mean you should assume that it'll affect your candidacy in any way.

NonTradHealthLaw · Post by **NonTradHealthLaw** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:30 pm

More than being another liberal arts major; less than another 0.1 GPA / 3 LSAT points.

seashell.economy · Post by **seashell.economy** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:39 pm

In checking the lgbtq box (and in writing a diversity statement) I was hoping to simply add another dimension to my overall application. I am not sure how much of a boost checking the box has, other than adding to the application as a whole. As others have mentioned in this thread, I think it is more likely that they are using the box for targeted advertising. I get a ton of OUTLaw emails from different schools.

Rigo · Post by **Rigo** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:04 pm

Gays are old news.

cbbinnyc · Post by **cbbinnyc** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:11 pm

As a disclaimer: I have no statistics or facts to back this up.

My guess would be that it doesn't give you a boost. The reason being, I doubt that there is a shortage of LGBTQ applicants who have good GPAs and LSAT scores.

AReasonableMan · Post by **AReasonableMan** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:32 pm

BigZuck wrote:IIRC, schools don't just ask if you are African American, Native American, Puerto Rican, or Mexican. Even though those are the only ones that give you a boost, they don't simply ask if you're an under-represented minority. Rather, they allow you to identify yourself under a number of different categories, some of which include over-represented minorities.

A school could just as easily have LGBTQ status on their application in the name of diversity or "holistic review" or whatever but not actually give you a bump for it. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, maybe it depends on the school, but just because it's on the application doesn't mean you should assume that it'll affect your candidacy in any way.

That's a good point, never thought of that. Basically, the school asking a bunch of random personal questions makes it look like they're complying with the Supreme Court's ruling in Grutter or whatever it's called to do a holistic analysis. While these questions may impact decisions, a school asking them doesn't necessarily mean they care about your answer.