DIVERSITY STATEMENT - writing about a mental condition Forum

[abovethelaw]

I am trying to decide what I want to write my diversity statement about. I have battled ADD throughout a significant portion of my life. I feel like this is a unique perspective to come from, but I also don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

Do you think that writing about a mental condition such as ADD is a bad idea? Will admissions officers look at it and think, "Do I really want someone with this condition at my school?"

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Ramius]

Your ADD topic could work as long as you spin it positively. No adcom will look at it as a negative unless you effectively tell them that it plagues you so badly that you can't function. If it's a positive, it'll be just fine as a DS.

[Kitsune]

If you have no other topics to use for diversity statement (gender, sexual orientation, race, religion), then I think it could work. Just don't go into detail too much (don't include things like med. dosage) to the point where it seems you are inept. If you wanted to be daring, you could actually talk about "coming out" as someone with this condition and what you learned from it and how it makes you (or lead you to something that would make you) want to pursue law.

[Ramius]

Diversity statements aren't exclusively for discussions on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or any traditional description of diversity. Diversity statements serve a simple purpose: what about you is going to allow you to bring a unique voice to the classroom.

For instance, my DS discussed my battle with cancer while trying to balance the strict regimen of a service academy. Did it help me in my cycle? I have no idea. Did it showcase that my experiences are unique and my outlook on the world is unique? I absolutely think so, making it an effective DS IMHO.