URM + disadvantaged > URM ??? Forum

[horrorbusiness]

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[miracle2011]

I believe that URM+ disadvantaged economic background can provide a bigger boost than the URM boost alone. However in order to make law schools fully aware, you need to mention your disadvantaged background in your personal statement and your diversity statement. A few schools like USC, UCLA and Berkeley have questions on their applications about your socio-economic background, but for most schools you will have to volunteer that information with the hope that it will provide you an admissions boost.

[Moxie]

I read somewhere recently that schools are looking more at socioeconomic disadvantage factors when considering URM applicants now. And this would make sense to me, because race alone obviously doesn't indicate anything about how challenging of a time an individual applicant has had. Can anyone shed some more light on this for me? I guess my real question is this: I'm only half Mexican, but I have all the "disadvantages" that might be commonly associated with being a minority, like bring raised in a single parent, very low-income houshold, and being a first generation college student. Will these factors play a role in admissions? Or is the mysterious "URM boost" only a function of race?

Write a diversity statement, that's the easiest way to address the obstacles you overcame and how that applies to LS.

Of course, no one really knows how LS's judge URM applicants and socioeconomic diversity, but there are numerous anecdotes of people on this site who believe their diversity statements helped them maximize their LS admissions chances (myself included)

[20121109]

A rich URM will get the same boost as a poor URM. URM status is purely a function of race.

But a DS about socioeconomic disadvantage will enhance your application.

[horrorbusiness]

Okay, these responses are kinda what I expected and sound pretty reasonable. I am planning on writing a DS too.