Top Law Schools

etramak wrote:I've read that first generation college grads might get a slight bump at [/i]some[/i] law schools. I've also seen some sites suggest these applicants include a diversity statement. While neither of my parents went to college, union wages have been kind to my family and I had, all things considered, a pretty average suburban working class upbringing. My point is, I don't know how I could incorporate this into my law school application. Would I be doing myself a disservice if I were to not write a diversity statement? If there is any slight bump at all, would my first gen status go unnoticed by adcoms?

etramak wrote:I've read that first generation college grads might get a slight bump at some law schools. I've also seen some sites suggest these applicants include a diversity statement. While neither of my parents went to college, union wages have been kind to my family and I had, all things considered, a pretty average suburban working class upbringing. My point is, I don't know how I could incorporate this into my law school application. Would I be doing myself a disservice if I were to not write a diversity statement? If there is any slight bump at all, would my first gen status go unnoticed by adcoms?

bcostin wrote:

Easterbork wrote:

bcostin wrote:I'm not sure if writing a diversity statement about being a first generation college student really makes a difference... Numbers are most important, but sure, if it's between yourself (a first generation student) and a cis white male with an unexciting background you might get the nod over him.

I actually wrote a diversity statement about being a first generation college student for every law school I applied to this cycle. I'm a white male that attended a "public ivy," but since my parents were uneducated they viewed college as an institution that operates as a business. Not only did my parents not want me to go away for college they also flipped shit about me majoring in philosophy, a major they viewed (probably correctly) as useless. Given my parents cynical perspective on higher education they reluctantly paid my tuition (so my upbringing was anti-intellectual not financially destitute), but I was forced to finance all of my living expenses during my time as an undergraduate. I worked in the service industry a solid 30 hours a week and even became a manager at my job (I've also worked in the service industry since I was 16). In my diversity statement and in my personal statement I argued that my passion for philosophy allowed me to overcome the challenges of "paying my way" through college. I went on to point to the many extra-curricular activities I participated in from an internship to club leadership roles as evidence of my passion and dedication to academics. I also said that my years of experience working in the service industry taught me to be humble and never to judge people. I spoke about my experience working with people living in halfway houses, drug addicts, and just everyday people trying to make it. Long story short, I was waitlisted at just about every school I wanted to attend (even schools where my number were at or marginally below their 50%). *DISCLAIMER* I applied in late January/early February, so I think this also played a role in some of my outcomes. The upshot is that I was waitlisted by a few schools I'd consider a big reach given my numbers. I also landed a scholarship at one school that I'd also consider above average for someone with my numbers. On a less positive note, I toured a law school that waitlisted me and when the adcom asked if there was anything that I'd like her to highlight in my application, I quickly responded that my work ethic is what makes me different. I reiterated that I worked the entire time I was in school. Honestly, she didn't really seem to give a shit. She gave me some BS response about how it will "benefit me in the long run..." No shit, since I owe my UG institution $0. Of course, that is my experience with one single law school adcom...

On the whole, I'd say go for it. However, as a previous poster suggested there's a fine line between brilliant and bitchy. The entire time I was working on my diversity statement I kept reworking it so that it wouldn't seem like I was a spoiled brat complaining about working part-time in college. Yet, at the same time I would think of the large portion of the student body at my alma matter that sat on their asses at the frat house living on their folk's or the bank's money. I grinded to get my degree and I wanted to make that explicit.

I had similar parental support and was also a first generation college student. The fact that you see your experience as "paying your way through college" is completely nuts.

What would you consider paying your way through college then? Taking loans? Or paying the entire amount of your tuition? To me, the term is in itself ambiguous. If you are below a certain class threshold you'd qualify for grants and your tuition would be covered, well at least at the school I attended. I have several friends (including my partner) from lower income households who pay $0 for undergrad. Those same friends also received sizable grants that covered the majority of their bills and many don't work at all.

Nebby wrote:LJL that someone whose parents paid for their tuition thinks they had it hard

How many hours did you work as an undergraduate?

The only thing that I was spared from was debt, which is a burden in the future. Had I been able to take loans and exclusively focus on school I'm confident my GPA would've been .2/.3 points higher. The bottomline is that the experience of being a first generation student and having to work to finance one's living expenses as an undergrad is different from the status quo.



Also, I was instate at a public school, so my tuition was only around $4k a semester...

bcostin wrote:

etramak wrote:I used to work a manual labor job during summers (same job as my dad). Maybe I can pull a story from that experience, work out how i ended up where i am now, and use it as my PS.

etramak wrote: I don't plan on even drafting an essay until June, but the angle that I was thinking about taking wasn't that it was grueling, hard work. Instead, I might start off with how I wasn't really that good at it, and how that affected me, what I did about it, how I grew, how I ended up applying to Law School X, etc. The context here is that I was pretty useless doing a job my dad and his dad made a living doing