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I am trying to get a feel for what others think about diversity statements from students other than URMs. Should a diversity statement be only submitted by a URM or should an individual with a very diverse background highlight that on a DS?

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Does being exposed to different cultures offer a more diverse attitude? That's what I am contemplating writing a DS on. I have traveled extensively for work (9 countries) and I want to highlight this on DS, but not if a DS would be viewed less favorably because I am not a URM.

DSs are not only for URMs, but I personally don't think travel for work should be used as a DS topic. I can see being exposed to different cultures maybe working, but I could also see it not working. It would depend on how it's written. You may want to write a draft, post it here, and see what people say.

Good idea. Thanks.

mist4bison wrote:DSs are not only for URMs, but I personally don't think travel for work should be used as a DS topic. I can see being exposed to different cultures maybe working, but I could also see it not working. It would depend on how it's written. You may want to write a draft, post it here, and see what people say.

cmac2210 wrote:Does being exposed to different cultures offer a more diverse attitude? That's what I am contemplating writing a DS on. I have traveled extensively for work (9 countries) and I want to highlight this on DS, but not if a DS would be viewed less favorably because I am not a URM.

It would work better as a PS than as a DS.

DS fits best for URMs and other brown peoples, low-income peoples, and the gays. Luckily, I'm all three

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Why?

seashell.economy wrote:DS fits best for URMs and other brown peoples, low-income peoples, and the gays. Luckily, I'm all three

cmac2210 wrote:Why?

seashell.economy wrote:DS fits best for URMs and other brown peoples, low-income peoples, and the gays. Luckily, I'm all three

Why? Because it seems to be the standard. There are exceptions: when I sat on a committee that allocated scholarships I remember one essay that really fit well within a DS, even though it was written by a middle-class white male. The man wrote about being Jehovah Witness and having to go door to door during his childhood, which was of course in a primarily Christian town. He was embaressed to encounter his schoolmates, who considered his religion odd, and they mercilessly made fun of him at school. You can see how the difference there impacted that young man's life in a way that presented barriers.

But white people traveling to foreign countries and coming back with "diverse ideas"? That's not what a DS is meant for. That's material for a personal statement.

Thanks all. Good points.

I think there's plenty of stuff other than URM you could write it on. I'm Persian, so not *technically* a URM, and I'm writing mine on that. But if you talk about how those cultures specifically influenced you, taught you important lessons, etc I think it could work.

I think you could write a compelling statement about the culture of the United States Military. You spent 20 years immersed in a culture that few people understand.