Top Law Schools

1. Diversity statement (self explanatory, I think, but it discriminates against non-minorities)
2. Work of art that influenced you to attend law school
3. Five year plan/why Penn

Which would you choose? I'm tempted to choose number 2, because I imagine that fewer people do, and I think i could spin in some PS related stuff that I had to cut. But how should people with no diversity wrote a DS? And why would they essentially ask you to lie, when NOBODY has a five year plan at all?

I wrote the DS. I'm not a URM but I am a minority (Asian - ORM?), but my DS had nothing to do with race. You can have diverse experiences without having to be a racial minority. In fact I feel like the DS is more about "what is unique about you that would contribute to the diversity of our school" than simply "how are you diverse?"

5 year plan does seem to be the most popular, though. It's really just a "Why Penn". But I'm all for the arts/lit one if you can execute it well.

I wrote a DS, and, interestingly enough, like the poster above I am Asian but not URM. I wrote it about my childhood experiences with the legal system, etc., that dovetailed rather nicely with my PS.

czelede wrote:I wrote the DS. I'm not a URM but I am a minority (Asian - ORM?), but my DS had nothing to do with race. You can have diverse experiences without having to be a racial minority. In fact I feel like the DS is more about "what is unique about you that would contribute to the diversity of our school" than simply "how are you diverse?"

5 year plan does seem to be the most popular, though. It's really just a "Why Penn". But I'm all for the arts/lit one if you can execute it well.

I guess you can have diverse experiences but how is that different than "good WE" or "good softs"?

How would one exceute the arts one well? I'm thinking about it, but I'm afraid it's just too darn crazy.

delusional wrote:

czelede wrote:I wrote the DS. I'm not a URM but I am a minority (Asian - ORM?), but my DS had nothing to do with race. You can have diverse experiences without having to be a racial minority. In fact I feel like the DS is more about "what is unique about you that would contribute to the diversity of our school" than simply "how are you diverse?"

5 year plan does seem to be the most popular, though. It's really just a "Why Penn". But I'm all for the arts/lit one if you can execute it well.

I guess you can have diverse experiences but how is that different than "good WE" or "good softs"?

How would one exceute the arts one well? I'm thinking about it, but I'm afraid it's just too darn crazy.

I think it could be a good way to communicate your passion and thirst for a legal education. A way to reveal what traits about attorneys/judges/legal professionals appeal to you, etc.

Do they limit you to one? Or can you write both art/lit and why Penn?

acadec wrote:Do they limit you to one? Or can you write both art/lit and why Penn?

They say "at least one". I think in the end I'm going to write a DS and art/lit, and hope that I didn't totally miss the boat unless/until I get in.

I wrote the DS and 5-year just to make sure I get in.

I wrote only about the Arts/Lit one. Partially because my overall package was kind of arts/lit heavy so it made sense, but also because the other topics sounded awful. I think I came up with a clever way to write about it (don't want to mention specifics here because I am probably the only one to have written about the topic I did, you can PM me for details if you are curious). It's not about 12 Angry Men/To Kill A Mockingbird/Erin Brockovich or something and its actually Philadelphia/Penn specific. Personally I think it might have turned out better than my PS. Hopefully it will work out!