Should I Write a Statement of Perspective/Diversity?

What is the goal of a statement of perspective and diversity?

You’ll see it go by many different names: a diversity statement, a background addendum, “an optional essay to tell us a little more about you.” No matter what it’s called, a statement of perspective is an opportunity to tell a story about how different parts of your identity or experiences have shaped your life. You might talk about how an aspect of your background gave you a unique outlook, instilled certain values, or yielded the skills that will help you succeed in law.

 As with a personal statement, you also want to demonstrate that you’re a good writer.

How do different schools ask for statements of perspective? 

Let’s start with these Harvard prompts:

Statement of Purpose: What motivates you to pursue law? How does attending law school align with your ambitions, goals, and vision for your future?

Statement of Perspective: The Admissions Committee makes every effort to understand who you are as an individual and potential Harvard Law School student and graduate. Please share how your experiences, background, and/or interests have shaped you and will shape your engagement in the HLS community and the legal profession.

That Statement of Purpose? No worries, that’s the standard law school personal statement in disguise. 

That second prompt represents the first and most common kind of statement of perspective. It’s completely open. You can write about the impact of classic diversity factors: experiencing discrimination, facing hardships, being raised with a particular cultural outlook. But you can also feel free to explore any topic that would help you stand out: a unique skill, an important experience, a different academic background.

This UCLA prompt, on the other hand, goes in a different direction:

Please share any information about adversity or challenge that you would like us to consider about your personal life experiences. This may include socio-economic challenges; educational challenges; health issues; disability; immigration status; surviving abuse; or complex family circumstances like an incarcerated parent, homelessness, living in foster care, or others. This is not an inclusive list, but simply an opportunity, if you wish, to share any additional aspects of your background that may give us a deeper sense of your strengths and who you are.

Here, the admissions committee is most interested in stories about what you’ve overcome on your path to law school. An essay about taking on childcare duty for a younger sibling while in college? Go for it. An explanation of the cool independent study you designed? Save it for other schools. 

We can call this kind of statement an “adversity” statement—a rarer subset of the statement of perspective. Adversity statements are almost never required, and you should think of them as truly optional. Submitting an unconvincing adversity statement is never a good look. Choosing not to use this space is often the wisest move, unless a specific challenge has truly impacted your path to law school. 

Finally, there are schools who give you a ton of more specific options. For instance, take these prompts from Duke:

Short Answer Essay(s) (required): Our admissions process is guided by the view that a law school class that includes actively engaged students who possess a variety of skills, personal qualities, and life experiences helps to advance the Law School's mission, improves the learning process, and enriches the educational experience for all. Please write one or two short essays from the list below. Be sure to label the essay(s) you are answering and use only one attachment even if you submit two short answers. Please limit your answer(s) to approximately 250-500 words per essay.

• • What does the rule of law mean to you, and what special background or experience do you have that may help you contribute to its advancement or that underscores its importance to you personally?

• • The promise of equal justice is fundamental to our legal system. Why is equal justice important to you personally, and what personal experiences or knowledge do you have that may help you become an effective advocate for equal justice under law?

• • Exposure to a diversity of perspectives and experiences can enhance one's ability to deliver effective professional services. Please describe any opportunities you have had to serve clients or your community, either through work or on a volunteer basis, and how your own exposure to different perspectives and experiences helped you.

• • Lawyers are members of a learned profession, and are often called to serve the public in a variety of ways. Please describe your interest in public service and any experience that you have had to prepare you for a life of service in the public interest.

• • Please describe your interest in learning the law in an open, rigorous, and collaborative environment. Why is a commitment to the free expression of ideas so important in the learning process?

• • What does ethical leadership mean to you? Please provide examples of how you have prepared yourself to become an ethical leader.

These prompts cover a wide range of topics. Is there a lot of public service on your résumé? Pick your best story for Option D. Has your life been touched by inequality? Share it in Option A. 

If you’ve written a more general statement of perspective for other schools, it’s likely that—with a little tailoring—it will make a great answer for at least one of these prompts. But if you’re still stuck in the brainstorming phase, then beginning with a school with very specific prompts, like Duke, is often a fantastic way to begin drafting an essay that could be adapted to wider use. 

When should I submit a statement of perspective? 

Some schools require statements of perspective—you’ll have to come up with a compelling topic, no matter who you are or how well your personal statement already tells your story.

But for most schools, a statement of perspective is optional. In that case, you should submit an essay only when it would add a truly new and compelling angle to your story. Law schools really do want to admit students with unique perspectives, but your readers have finely tuned BS detectors and mountains of essays to get through. If you submit a frivolous statement of perspective, you’ll hurt your application. Law schools aren’t testing you to see whether you can write two essays; they just want to give you a chance to say everything. Think of your application essays the way you think of your GPA: a B- statement of perspective can drag down an A+ personal statement.

Ask yourself three questions: can I tell the admissions committee something they don’t already know about me? Will this information help differentiate my application? Can I write it well? If the answer is yes to all, then go for it!

Will I need to tailor my statement of perspective for different schools?

You should always pay attention to the specific prompt you are responding to. Some schools look to statements of perspective primarily to assess the challenges you have overcome, while others are more interested in evidence of how involved you will be on campus. While the core of your story will likely apply to most schools—and you should focus on writing the best version that you can—be prepared to put a different spin on your story in response to a school’s question. 

For example, when faced with this UVA prompt, be sure to work one of the values they name into your response.

Law school and the practice of law are both rewarding and challenging. Among the qualities it takes to succeed in both are resilience, integrity, empathy, diligence, and the ability to engage across differences. Please describe how you have developed, cultivated, and/or exhibited one or more of these qualities in your life. In your discussion, feel free to draw upon any past experiences or part of your background included but not limited to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you.