Would this be a reasonable diversity statement having been a victim of sexual assault as a child or should I stick to safer stuff like volunteering and living in Africa?

First...

OP,

My condolences about your abuse as a child. I would be very careful how you write about this (if at all). You want to make sure you come off as completely recovered from this experience/inspired to succeed. On that note, I am not sure if being a victim of sexual abuse is grounds for a diversity statement. I am not sure law schools seek out victims of abuse. If anything it would most likely make for a better personal statement (without getting too personal/graphic).

The volunteering bit should be covered in your resume. If you actually lived in Africa (aside from the volunteer experience) that could make for a good diversity statement.

Hope that helps

How exactly would that help increase the diversity of the student body you wish to attend?

I'm not sure it just seems like people use the diversity statement to write about anything that could possibly diversify the experience the student body. So I figured I'd ask ya'll to get an idea. I would like to think this forum could be a use for positive advice and direction. Just figured I'd ask instead of trying to figure it out on my own. I also have the Hurricane Katrina Refugee thing that I could write about. I sound pathetic but I'm writing about all of these things in a positive way not in a woe is me way.

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I gave you a rather sensitive opinion, which still left open the possibility of touching on this subject, that tried to steer you away from adding information that could negatively impact your application.


I also never hinted that you would be writing in a woe is me fashion, just that the diversity statement may not be the best venue to discuss your abuse.

have you since done any volunteer/paid work for victims of sexual or domestic abuse, or anything along those lines to show how this shaped your professional goals?

My honest opinion is that a DS can never help you enough to justify writing about such a gut-wrenching topic.

Sexual assault is disturbing and makes many people uncomfortable. My guess is that an "explicit" description of what happened to you will almost certainly leave an impression with whoever reads it, and it will almost certainly not be the impression you're going for.

OP, I say this as delicately as possible: Don't do this if you're trying to make adcomms feel sorry for you, sympathize with you, empathize with you, or "feel" anything other than impressions that you offer the kind of perspective and experience that will add to the classroom experience of the class they're trying to assemble.

If you can tailor the DS to achieve this end, then do it. My gut feeling is that you should stay away from this.

In the Personal Statement Samples thread, there is a PS from someone who wrote on her sexual assault while traveling abroad. You might want to see how she framed it, or PM her.

chicoalto0649 I def. didn't read your statement in that manner. I appreciate your input very much. Honesty is what I need for my apps. I didn't think you were being neg at all. It was more just a statement I was making. Everyone's responses are very helpful. Thank You!

Here's an experience from this semester with sexual assault.

In our criminal class we were talking about sexual assault/rape, etc.

Before the topic began, the professor reminded us that because of the prevalence of sexual assault in our society, it was more than likely that someone in our class had been a victim of sexual assault. She asked us to remember that as we discussed the cases and the issues.

Getting comments out of us was like pulling teeth. The cases and the readings were the most disturbing part of the course so far, even compared to homicide cases (where we read about a father slicing up his daughter, cutting her from anus to vagina, stabbing her 70 something times, etc.).

It's a very very heavy topic. Every day that we walked out of there let out a sigh of relief.

The professor promised us we wouldn't have a rape question on the exam because she didn't want to traumatize anyone on such an important day.

The only thing in the world that could have made the entire experience more uncomfortable and less conducive would have been if someone had said "well, I was a victim of sexual assault, so I know..."

I'm not saying that your experience and your perspective are irrelevant or unwelcome, just that you should know that some people might not be as ready to confront such a difficult issue as you are.

Holy crap you have to be kidding me.

Diversity of viewpoint is HUGE. Obviously it isn't going to be URM boost, but that type of viewpoint is incredibly important, especially in settings where you are discussing justice, punishment, statutory exceptions to generally applicable criminal laws, etc. The OPs viewpoint adds a dimension to a discussion that is likely not to be found in many classrooms.

If people think being a music performer or from a small town can constitute diversity, I am sure this counts.

Whether or not OP should write about it, I have no opinion, but I would intensely appreciate that type of viewpoint in a future classmate.

personal opinion, i would not even consider broaching this subject ... it is too taboo ... stick with africa ...

If you seriously volunteered in Africa I don't know how this is even a question. Being a victim of sexual assault is absolutely horrible and I couldn't feel worse for you...but it doesn't make you diverse

as has been pointed out, victims of sexual assault are not uncommon, and it is often specifically asked of students not to speak of their personal experiences when discussing sexual assault in class.

OP, PM me. I wrote my PS on this topic, and I had far, far better results than my stats would indicate. I'm the person with the PS in the samples thread some other poster was referencing.
There is nothing wrong with writing about a "taboo" subject. That doesn't mean you need to go into detail about what happened, and in fact that doesn't really help anything. Talking about your recovery, the perspective it gives you, how you persevered, etc. is a good topic does make you diverse.
There are also a ton of other topics, like being gay, that certain readers would have a problem reading. That doesn't mean a PS can't talk about it.

Also, since it appears that a lot of people think this is a bad idea, EVERYONE told me this was a bad idea when I decided to write my PS about it. Really, really glad I didn't listen, because I think my PS had a lot to do with my success. I can assure everybody it's not a liability to talk about this. I wouldn't have gotten into reach schools if my PS was really that horrifying.

In short OP, just PM me. I'd be happy to help you more.

You don't think the 170, 5 foreign languages, the study abroad, and the NPO accounted for most of it?



I don't know if anyone has said that it's necessarily a liability. Only that it might not be the type of asset that the OP wants it to be, and maybe not as much of an asset as writing about some other topic.




I don't think you know that.

Like others have said here, the topic is heavy, makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and as far as a diversity statement is concerned, this maybe isn't even the type of experience that OP's classmates are really going to be open to talk about, especially in a classroom setting.

Maybe, maybe not. It might be wiser to pick something else. That's all.

Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn't mean an admissions committee can't read it and handle it in a mature manner. I know how mine was received based on comments I got, and yes I know it made a difference. Actually, I could get into a whole rant about how people being uncomfortable around victims of sexual assault is really pretty ridiculous in the first place, but I'll refrain to keep this on topic.

A diversity statement topic doesn't have to be something people will bring up in class. I wrote mine on growing up in a forest preserve. I don't often make comments in class about "Well as a former resident of a forest preserve, I know...". What matters is the perspective the applicant brings, and the unique experiences they have that another applicant doesn't have. Also, like I said before, other people not being open to it isn't a reason for OP to keep quiet. Would you say that to a gay applicant who would go to school with homophobic classmates?

I never even implied that they couldn't "handle" it. I've said that it might invoke emotions and that those emotions might not lead them to best possible impression of the OP and the diversity she has to offer.




I didn't imply that people were uncomfortable "around" victims of sexual assault. I said that the topic might make people uncomfortable, and in some instances because they too have been affected by sexual assault and are not ready to confront it openly or publicly in a classroom setting, for example.

And if your experiences give you the urge to break into a rant, maybe you can see why people who don't feel like talking about it might be a bit put off by how forward others can be about the topic.



No shit. A crab is a crustacean with big claws.

The point is, with a diversity statement the admissions committee will be asking themselves what this person has to offer to the class as a whole in terms of experience, perspective, etc. This might come up in class, in the halls, in private, or not at all. In any event, they're going to ask what impact it will have on the class and it might not be the best thing the OP could write about. It might be good. It might might not be. Good or not, there might be something better.



Absolutely. There may be several things the OP could write about. Sexual assault is unfortunately fairly common (though not necessarily a fairly common DS topic) and the seriousness of the topic may indicate that something else is more appropriate.



I'm not trying to censor her. I'm trying to give her advice about the impact of her DS and whether or not something else might be appropriate. I've said that it could be done in the right way, but that my gut feeling was that it's risky. That's my opinion, and the OP is free to consider it or not. I hope she considers my opinion, your opinion, and the other opinions on here and uses them to determine the best path for her. I'm not claiming to offer up and absolute truths, just my opinion.



Terrible, terrible analogy.

Being unwilling or unprepared to talk about sexual assault is in no way comparable to hatred for an entire group or class of people. I never said anyone hates or discriminates against sexual assault victims. I said that sexual assault is so prevalent that talking about it may be difficult for some people, many of whom may have their own experiences with sexual assault. Bodily integrity is something so personal and even sacred to some that the very thought of it is difficult for some. Others may not want to offend or further traumatize victims of sexual abuse by offering up "uneducated" opinions about it. Others may talk openly and freely about it and have no problem at all. Whatever their degree of acceptance or discomfort, it is in no way related to the degree of discomfort or even hatred that some people feel because of the sexual preferences of others.

Plus one ... thousand million.

The opinions in this thread are shockingly uninformed and insensitive. I would strongly urge each of the individuals above balking at this subject matter to put up or shut up. WT and I both offer personal experience with submitting such a PS; everyone else, it seems, is only here to further the awful stigma that sexual assault carries, without any basis in reality or fact. I wasn't going to respond here, but I've been fuming for an hour about it, and ultimately, staying silent, even on a forum as ridiculous as TLS, runs counter to everything I believe and everything I'm in law school to fight for.

Both WT and I got into schools we didn't expect, and both WT and I were contacted personally by adcomms, to tell us that our personal statements made a difference when it came to considering our application. The topic is not taboo and it's demeaning and silencing to everyone with personal experience who wishes to talk about it to say that it is. It is no more taboo than any other difficult but important topic that anyone else might choose to write about. For some women, surviving sexual assault is a formative, defining experience, and telling them to leave it out of an application package -- as if it's inconsequential, as if it hadn't played a huge role in shaping both character and drive -- is insulting. More than insulting.

It so saddens me that even in law school (or amongst 0Ls, which is probably what a lot of commenters here are) the attitude of "silence, shame on you for talking about it, or even thinking about talking about it" runs so deep. I wrote about it, I wrote about it effectively and well, and I'm not ashamed. And if you choose to write about it, you should not be either.

PS - Soxy: YOU are discriminating against SA survivors. YOU are offending SA survivors. Stop pointing fingers at shadows and look at yourself. If the topic makes you uncomfortable, get out of the thread, unless you can offer something more substantial than your "gut."

Uhh...have even read what I wrote?

I really think you guys are over-thinking this...

The question is, does being a victim of a sexual assault make you diverse in a beneficial way?

I think turning this into a soapbox thread is beyond the point

I would add something, but I have no words. That pretty much covers it.

Hate to break it to you, dude, but both of these people wrote "uncomfortable" or "different" PS's. So I'm sure yours was great, but

UCB > U Utah

Also, biv0ns you're actually right in a way - it's not that "diverse" to be a victim of sexual assault because so many women are. But I don't think it's what you meant, and of course it brings diversity. Case in point.

I think that's the thing they're missing. It may well be a better personal statement topic than a diversity statement topic. For a personal statement the adcomms can focus on the person, the experience, the lessons learned, the views, perspectives, experience, character building, etc.

For a diversity statement they must necessarily think of how the experience will factor into the the schools academic environment. In that light, something else might be better.