fdfdsfsd Forum

[cyxdev17]

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[czelede]

The problem isn't that you aren't diverse compared to the average American. It's that you aren't diverse compared to the average law school applicant. Northwestern, for instance, has 22.5% Asians in their incoming class, and probably rejected a good deal more. There is no difficulty filling good schools with qualified Asian applicants.

Another thing is that with most East Asian families, the immigrant story is nearly identical. Considering that most East Asian immigrants came after the Immigration Act(s) of 1975/1986 a large majority of present Asian Americans (I believe 2/3 or so) in our generation were either born to immigrant parents or migrated over after birth. I do think certain ethnicities within Asians might have more fodder for a compelling DS - Southeast Asians, for instance, have a different journey on the whole (Cambodian refugees, etc). But on the whole, if yours is the typical immigrant story there is not much to say that other applicants can't say ten times over.

[cyxdev17]

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[czelede]

Nope! Also, consider this:

Of the total population of the USA:
African-American: 13%
Asian-American: <5%

Meanwhile, AA representation at top law schools (AFTER we take into account the URM boost) is generally always way less than 8-10% - I don't know the exact statistics off the top of my head, but I know at the University of Chicago, for instance, it was about 3%.

Here are the numbers for Asian Americans in several T14 schools:
Northwestern: 22.5%
Berkeley: 18.6%
Columbia: 16.8%
Penn: 16.6%
Cornell: 14.1%
Michigan: 12.7%
Chicago: 12%
Virginia: 11.8%
NYU: 10.7%
Duke: 7.4%
Georgetown: 6.1%

So even the lowest, GTown, has a greater representation of Asians in comparison to the total population. Fortunately, being Asian doesn't tend to HURT your chances of admissions for law school (the way it can with other graduate schools or even undergraduate schools, since we tend to be way overrepresented) but it certainly won't help emphasize how your presence will contribute to their diversity.

[ly2010]

I was going to ask the same question. I also didn't realize that Asians made up such a huge %...

Is it a different story if I'm Chinese by ethnicity but born/grew up in Sweden?

[maroonzoon]

Top law school class breakdowns don't speak for the whole. I believe that in the entire profession, Asians are 3%, which is a considerable underrepresentation.

Though the "immigrant story" is similar across many Asians, you may still have a compelling story to tell. I grew up in the midwest, and had a very different experience than my west coast friends. Being a Swedish Asian is certainly different. Or perhaps you were an Asian who went against the rice-grain and studied art or something your parents hate.

Diversity is far deeper than skin color or ethnicity.

[sophia.olive]

I know there have been numerous threads about this topic, and the consensus is that being Asian (i.e. Chinese) doesn't seem to be enough to warrant a DS.

Yes, Asians are overrepresented, so we're not URM (although still a clear minority in law school) -- but isn't it still adding diversity to be born in another country, learn a new language here, grow up in an immigrant family, and be exposed to an ethnic community all your life? It doesn't seem fair that just because you're black, hispanic, interracial, etc., that you can automatically write a "legit" DS. Of course, if you faced hardship or racism, then it's great to show you've overcome adversity, but being Asian is also being "different" from your average American.

So basically my question is, I do realize that being Asian isn't seen as anything special but I don't think I've lived the typical American life. Should I look elsewhere for a DS topic, or would it be worthwhile to try to write a compelling story?

I dont think it would hurt at all.

And i think if you can relate your language abilities to your career goals it will make you very relative to how the world is changing .