Diversity/hard life story need to be separate?

[SJU2010]

Im just confused b/c some schools ask for an essay describing your accomplishments and reasons for success in law school and law BUT then they ask for an optional and separate diversity essay describing the hardships the applicant overcame. Can I just include that in my initial PT???

[northwood]

if they say they want 2 essays, write 2 essays.

[ilovemulch]

Im just confused b/c some schools ask for an essay describing your accomplishments and reasons for success in law school and law BUT then they ask for an optional and separate diversity essay describing the hardships the applicant overcame. Can I just include that in my initial PT???

which schools are you referring to?

[SJU2010]

Im just confused b/c some schools ask for an essay describing your accomplishments and reasons for success in law school and law BUT then they ask for an optional and separate diversity essay describing the hardships the applicant overcame. Can I just include that in my initial PT???

which schools are you referring to?

For example this is what the St. Johns University application requests.

Please submit a personal statement or short essay with your application. You may select any topic you wish. Here are some suggested topics:

• your decision to pursue a career in law
  your reaction to a recent current affairs event
  your feelings about a particular community service or extracurricular activity with which you have been involved
  your reaction to a particular item you may have read recently (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), whether in an article or a book

If there are economic, cultural, or social factors that have been significant in your development and identity, or that have presented obstacles to you and you wish the Admissions Committee to consider those factors in evaluating your application, please provide a supplementary statement describing these obstacles.

[cartercl]

Im just confused b/c some schools ask for an essay describing your accomplishments and reasons for success in law school and law BUT then they ask for an optional and separate diversity essay describing the hardships the applicant overcame. Can I just include that in my initial PT???

Well, you can do whatever you want. But if you don't want to seem like another applicant who can't follow directions then I'd suggest doing it the way the school wants you to. Don't really understand the confusion here...

[merichard87]

There's a PS and an optional DS. What's confusing?

[SJU2010]

There's a PS and an optional DS. What's confusing?

Can I include the optional topic in my PS since that topic covers my PS topic or am I forced to write two separate ones simply b/c they say diversity is part of an optional essay?

[efelleman]

.

[merichard87]

Write whateva the fuck you want in your PS. Then if there's something that you feel the adcomms should know about you that's not in the PS you can write a DS but its still only optional. What's hard about this?

[OkieGirl]

I wrote both a PS and DS for all schools. I discussed my TFA experience in the PS. I briefly, I mean VERY briefly, mentioned my upbringing/background in the PS but fully disclosed everything in the DS. Once I started writing, I was relieved to have both options available and had to actually cut-down quite a bit on both essays!

[capitalacq]

There's a PS and an optional DS. What's confusing?

Can I include the optional topic in my PS since that topic covers my PS topic or am I forced to write two separate ones simply b/c they say diversity is part of an optional essay?

you can include the optional topic in your PS. Some adcomms even express their appreciation for this conciseness