Diversity Statement...to write or not to write? Forum

[Gotti]

I'm just wondering if I should write a diversity statement. Here's what I have so far, but I don't know if I'll be stretching it or if I should just leave it alone.

- Born in Dubai, lived there for 5-6 years, moved to Australia, lived there for 4 years, then moved to the US when I was 9 or 10 and have been living here ever since. I was an Indian citizen until 08 (permanent US resident) when I became a US citizen.
- High school was the first time I've lived in one house or attended one school for more than 2 years.
- Lived in a rougher neighborhoods in Australia and had my house broken into three times (once it was twice in one week)
- Been to India a bunch of times, my family is pretty well off but I definitely saw the poverty (people living in cardboard boxes with their families, etc). One memory in particular was when I was 8 and I was at a train station and saw a kid my age lying on the floor motionless covered in flies...i don't know if I can use that imagery at all for a DS, but I still remember it vividly today and I can talk about how I wanted to bring justice to these kinds of atrocities, etc.
- Went to boarding school 7th-8th grade far away from home, hated it.
- I'm not a URM and my family is not socioeconomically disadvantaged.


I don't know if that stuff is personal statement material instead of DS material, but any input would be appreciated. I wanted to get my apps in by next week.
So should I write a DS?

**edit**

I don't know if this is more PS substance than a DS, but I wrote an intro:

...........

I want to go on to say that seeing so much poverty in India and the injustices people have to suffer through has given me a different perspective and it really makes me want to help people. Also I thought I could tie in the break-ins in my house as fuel to why I wanna study criminal prosecution since they were never caught and they robbed us of a LOT of stuff.


Honest opinions welcome. Sorry if I rambled

[mst]

1) Yes you should write one (in my opinion at least)
2) Cut out some of the stuff. Kid on the floor is great imagery (that's weird to type), but you have a lot of good stuff going on that focuses on YOU.
3) Start looking around at diversity statement requirements. Many ask for 1 Page, double spaced. Looking at your intro, you spend half a page talking about the kid alone. Bad.
4) The big issue that most people ignore with these is that they need to do PART 2 - Now why is this going to effect you in law school. Don't tell the reader how you are diverse, tell him WHY your diversity is important. Anybody can say "I'm poor." It takes a real DS to say why being poor has changed how he looks at stuff, how he contributes to stuff, analyzes things, paths he chooses, decisions he has made and will make, set up his goals, etc.
5) Basically this: choose a few topics/examples to focus on that can create ONE THEME about your diversity. "As I swatted away the swarm of flies hovering a few feet away, I noticed the young boy lying on the floor of the train station. Though he had been roughly the same age as me, our paths could not have been more different. As he lied there motionless on the cold concrete, I boarded yet another train, ready to be carried away to another place." Then you could talk about how your life has always been fast paced, out of your control, never the same. But then you can talk about how, though it sucked, and you had no control over your life (insert examples of moving and robberies and etc here), at least you had the chance to experience change and improvement and gain from many new experiences, yada yada... and though it has been a burden, its helped you see that many other people like the boy are suffering from the same "out of their control" lifestyle, EXCEPT they don't get the opportunity to board another train. And you want to do something about this (BE SPECIFIC HOW, and WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO CORRECT). OR, rather than talk about what you want to fix (because that comes off as phony if it's not specific and believable), talk about how this lesson applies to how you treat your academics and pursuits, and how this will translate to your law school education.

BAM. DIVERSITY STATEMENT DONE.

[Gotti]

BAM. DIVERSITY STATEMENT DONE.

Dayum! thanks lol this is a huuuuge help. I think I'll use your ideas

I also wanna somehow work in the fact that I'm bilingual (kinda) in Hindi and English.

Mind looking this over again when I get more done??

[catsparka]

BAM. DIVERSITY STATEMENT DONE.

[Gotti]

Here's what I have...please be honest and give me your feedback!!!



***Edit - next draft is below***



Is the last line too cheesy? What can I improve? Post here or PM me if you have any comments/suggestions. Thanks guys!

[Gotti]

bump? 148 views and 1 comment?

[Joymin]

Alright. Here's my opinion:

Your experiences in India give you the momentum to get into Public Interest Law. Can you elaborate how that constitutes DS material? How are you bringing diversity to the classroom? Perhaps you probed and found out about some intricacies about a social inequity in India that you could highlight in the DS. That will give a glimpse of what you can bring to the school.

[Joymin]

And sorry, I did think the last line sounded a bit cliched to me.

All the best with your applications.

[Gotti]

Alright. Here's my opinion:

Thanks for taking the time to read it. I changed it a little and made it more about myself...any opinions/comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated.




**edit**

some shithead took parts of my essay and put it in his, so i am no longer posting stuff in public.

[Gotti]

bump...anyone? I'll read yours, just PM me.